big"O"glasgows

First Part of April

2011-04-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of my two little boys playing in the sandbox in the backyard. Right now, they are obsessed with wearing hats outside even if the weather doesn't warrant it. I love that they are such good friends.
Danielle's volleyball season is already halfway over. Her team remains undefeated this season...as well as the last two seasons. Her serves are getting stronger and more consistent each game. Volleyball is certainly one of my most favorite sports to watch.

With the baby due so close to his birthday, we decided to have Austin's party a little early this year. He had a bowling/arcade party, and it was awesome.

Twelve boys all hopped up on cake and soda pop equals lots of running, jumping, wrestling, and general silliness. It also confirmed my great wisdom in always having these kind of parties somewhere other than my house.

No homemade cake this year...for everyone's sanity. I really appreciated the fact that this cake was made up of cupcakes the kids could just grab and pull apart.

Now we are just waiting for baby girl to make her appearance. We only have a few more days. At Target this week, Wyatt kept picking baby girl dresses off the racks, bringing them to me, and saying "aw...so cute". We are so excited to meet her!

March 2011

2011-04-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the birthday of this sweet little boy in March. Oh how we love our Wyatt. Some of my favorite things about him are that he raises his hand and volunteers "me me" for everything...from "who wants to go to the store" to "who made this huge mess over here", he says "you're welcome" when he really means to say "thank you", he loves to give hugs, his hellos and goodbyes take forever (he kissed me goodbye seven times yesterday through the screen door and told me to have a nice day before going out to play in the backyard), his great tooth-bearing smile, and his dancing to whatever music happens to be on. He truly lights up a room when he walks in!

After a last minute mistake on his haircut, Austin got his wish to be shaved bald. I told him he would have to wait until summer for that kind of a haircut. Unfortunately, I forgot to put the guard back on the clippers before I tried to even things up one side...and well, he got his wish a little early. Jeff had some fun with him before it all came off.

The kids' spring break was in March this year. With baby girl being due within the next month, we couldn't really go too far. We made the best of our week doing some fun things around town. We spent one day at Bounce U (an indoor facility filled with inflatable bounce houses and slides), and another day at PE 101. Luke's favorite thing was the zip line.

Austin enjoyed rolling his sister around.

Wyatt LOVED the trampoline. Once he worked up the courage to jump onto it, he never left it. At the end, we threw him into the foam pit so he could try at least one other thing.

The last day of spring break, Jeff took the day off and we all went bowling. It was an awesome place. The kids did well. I had to really pick it up on my second game so I could beat Danielle.

Austin had great form.

Even Wyatt threw down a few balls.

Luke tried his best to "will" the ball to knock over the pins after each roll by getting down on the floor and leaning really hard one way or the other. We made some great memories!

February 2011

2011-03-27T19:44:00.001-07:00

On February 1st, Danielle, Austin, and I went to the Orpheum to to see Mary Poppins. They had seen other plays at our children's theater, The Rose, before. However, this was their first Broadway-style production. It was so magical to watch their reactions to the gorgeous set, the music, and the special effects. I will never forget Austin sitting with his eyes and mouth wide open as Burt walked up the wall, across the ceiling, and back down the other wall. We couldn't stop singing "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" for weeks. We loved it! Throughout January, February, and part of March, Luke took some sports classes at the community center. His first class was soccer. His second class was called "All-Stars" in which they rotated between different sports during the 4 weeks. He was great at all the sports, but he definitely enjoyed the "track" portion the most. During that rotation, the kids were able to go upstairs on the suspended track and do various races and relays. During normal hours, only kids over 8 years old are allowed up there, so it was a special treat for him.

When Wyatt and I weren't watching and cheering Luke on, we played foosball, air hockey, ping pong, and hung out at the library next door. He and I had fun spending some one-on-one time together each week.

Luke, Wyatt, and I were able to attend the Valentine's Parties for Danielle and Austin's classes at school. It is always fun to see their classrooms and watch them interacting with their friends and teachers. They go to a great school.

The next week, Jeff and I were off to Pebble Beach for our first-in-a-very-long-time trip without the kids. Chevron invited us to a special retreat with a few of it's corporate customers for a four-day weekend. We flew into Monterrey, CA early on a Friday afternoon and were spoiled the entire time. We stayed at the beautiful Casa Palermo. Below is a picture of the courtyard right outside our villa. We had our own private hot tub in our "backyard" and a gorgeous wood-burning fireplace we kept lit anytime we were in our room. We had breakfast in bed every morning we were there.

This is the view looking back at the 17th-hole on the main Pebble Beach golf course.

One afternoon, we were given a complimentary Lexus convertible to go exploring. We were able to enjoy beautiful views like this along 17-mile drive.

We were also able to see "The Lone Cypress", which is one of the well-known icons of Pebble Beach.

Jeff went golfing to a different course each morning we were there. While he enjoyed playing Spyglass and Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach was definitely his favorite course at the resort.

While Jeff was golfing, I went to the spa, had brunch and shopping with the ladies in Carmel, and spent time taking walks around this gorgeous property. Below is a picture of my favorite room at the spa. It is called "the sanctuary." It has a huge fire in the middle surrounded by reclining chairs and pillows. It was a great place to relax before and after each of my appointments at the spa.

In the evenings, we had scrumptious dinners with our new friends. One evening, Arnold Palmer joined us for dinner. He spoke to our little group for a while about golf, his life, and what matters most. He was very genuine, and we really enjoyed meeting him.

While we were gone, the kids were in great hands. My mom and my sister Crystal flew in to entertain and take care of them. The kids were completely spoiled and had a memorable time hanging out with their Aunt and Grandma.

One of the days we were gone, Danielle participated in Math-O-Ween at school. Each child in her class was assigned a math vocabulary word to dress up as. She was a bar graph.

The kids were also privileged to meet their new cousin, Roxeanne, while we were gone. They were completely taken with her. She is such sweet, beautiful baby. Luckily, I got to meet her too when I got back from California.

By the end of February, Austin's basketball season was in full swing. At the beginning of each game, the two teams run out of a smoke filled tunnel with their coaches while the announcer calls out each child's name. As you can see, Austin didn't mind the attention one bit.

He is a great little ball player. He averaged about 8 shots per game, with a little over half of them making a basket. Here are a couple of his points from one game.

January 2011

2011-03-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

January began with a hair obsession. At first, Austin was only concerned with doing his own hair. Then, he started doing his brother's hair. It only lasted a few weeks, but it was entertaining while it lasted. January is always our worst cold weather month of the year. The kids had several snow days off from school, and they took advantage of them. Here is Danielle taking her turn down our backyard luge aka the deck stairs packed with snow.

Here is Austin trying out the snowboard he got for Christmas.

In between trips outside and waiting for their snow bibs to dry, the kids spent much of their snow days playing with Wyatt's Christmas present. It entertained all four of them for several hours...no joke. This waterway/lock system is one of the best presents ever.

Jeff's Grandpa McEntire passed away in January. He was able to fly out to Utah for the funeral and spend time with his family for several days. It was a sad occasion but a great opportunity to renew relationships with his immediate and extended family. Here he is with some of his siblings and McEntire cousins at funeral.

Here he is with some of his siblings and McEntire cousins way back when. Jeff is the blond furthest to the right.

While they were together, he and has family had a great time hanging out and looking through old photo albums. Below are two of my favorite family pictures he made copies of while he was there. Is it just me or does his Dad look like Chevy Chase in this picture?

Jeff is the one in the brown vest.

Austin's smile became even more toothless in January. He is now missing four teeth up front. Once any tooth seems a little shaky, Austin can not rest until it is out. Austin also participated in his first pinewood derby. He learned a lot. The best part was spending time with his Dad making all the choices for the design and color of his car. His car is number 68 in the picture below.

Here is Austin "modeling" the fancy 4-lane race track used for the derby.

At the end of the month, we celebrated Luke's 4th birthday. Luke's best friend, Ryan, and Ryan's family came over so we could celebrate with Spiderman cupcakes and ice cream.

Our family also celebrated the day before at the Amazing Pizza Machine.

It was a fun weekend. I can't believe how fast he is growing up. Some of the things I love about Luke...he likes to argue with me about who loves who the most, he loves to talk about anything and everything, he calls marshmallows "smarshmallows" (I'll be so sad when he stops saying that!), any event that happened in the past is yesterday to him whether it was last week or last year, he still asks me to hold him every once in a while, he always notices when I have on something new, and he tells me I am beautiful almost everyday. Here are a few of Luke's favorite things:

Color: green & blue

Animal: giraffe

Sport: basketball and track (He loves to race!)

Food: Annie's white cheddar shells

Dessert: chocolate chip cookies and brownies

December 2010

2010-12-31T09:36:00.001-08:00

We started off December at the BYU v. Creighton watching our favorite player, Jimmer, in action. It was awesome. We were surrounded by a ton of our friends and had a great time cheering the Cougars on to victory. A few days later, Austin's tiger scout group took a field trip to the fire station.

The next week he was presented with his wolf badge. Next up was our Ward Christmas party. The kids dressed up as angels and shepherds and sang some songs for the crowd. Austin is second from the left and Danielle is fourth from the right.When the dinner and the program were over, Santa came for a little visit. Wyatt was brave and sat on his lap. When Santa asked Luke what he wanted for Christmas, Luke excitedly told him the top three things he wanted. Santa handed him an Eeyore stuffed animal and wished him a Merry Christmas. Luke walked away confused and then upset. "Mom, I told him exactly what I wanted, and he gave me a stupid stuffed animal." He could not understand why Santa would ask him what he wanted and then proceed to give him something else. His extreme disappointment was understandable and yet extremely funny. The next week was Danielle and Austin's Holiday Program at school. It was fun and entertaining like it always is. Here they are posing with the Grinch aka their Principal after the program.

Luke also had a sweet little Christmas program at his preschool. Here he is afterwards with his two wonderful teachers. Danielle had her first piano recital after only two months of lessons. She played "Up On The Roof Top" perfectly and told me she wasn't even nervous. I wish I would have taken a picture!The next night, the family part of our Christmas began. Alex flew in a few days before everyone else arrived. We took him to our favorite Durham Western Heritage Museum to have hot chocolate, see Santa and his reindeer, and listen to live Christmas music. We took a little time to show him around the rest of the museum too. We never get tired of the permanent exhibits, especially the indoor train. The next to arrive was Uncle Eric. He, Uncle Alex and the kids had a fun time seeing the new movie Mega Mind in the theater. Soon, more family arrived in town. We headed downtown to do some ice skating. Good thing we were warm and full after our lunch at Five Guys.

Danielle and Uncle Mike

Luke Luke and Austin waiting for the "Zamboni" to finish smoothing the ice. It was a long wait! Grandpa and Danielle dancing to the music playing on the overhead speakers.Uncle Eric hitching a ride on Danielle's coat as she skates by with Aunt Crystal and Uncle Mike.

Austin LOVED ice skating. He couldn't get enough of it!

The next day was Christmas Eve. It was full of our usual traditions...making different kinds of soup and hoers devours, telling the Christmas story, singing the Twelve Days of Christmas, and of course the beloved Pinata. Wyatt was the youngest one able to swing a bat, so he went first.

After the pinata was destroyed, the kids went upstairs to count up their loot and make their trades with each other.

Then it was time for Christmas Eve pajamas. Here are Kade, Luke, and Wyatt in their matching dinosaur PJs.

Sisters...Brittney, Emily, and Crystal

Brothers...Sterling, Eric, Alex, Mike, and Jeff

A few years ago, Jeff made a "fort" for the kids to sleep in on Christmas Eve. It is now a Glasgow family tradition. Here are Luke, Danielle, and Austin getting ready to "go to sleep."

Christmas morning...what a great day! It was so fun to open presents and play all day with some of our very favorite people. After the opening of presents was done, the kids sorted their stuff into separate piles in my room. I walked in on a conversation that went something like this...Danielle: "We got so many presents, and we really weren't that good this year." Austin: "I know. We really weren't that good. I think the same thing happened last year." Danielle: "I don't think it matters if we are good or not. Santa just keep giving us lots of presents." Hmmmm...I hope Santa overheard that conversation.

The next evening, we went to see the annual Gingerbread display at the Mormon Trail Center. We always enjoy seeing the talent and creativity of the people in our area. It is especially fun when we find gingerbread houses made by people we know. Here is Luke posing with his favorite gingerbread creation. He liked it because it looks so much like his school.

Uncle Eric playing a little game of hide and go seek with Wyatt in the gingerbread playhouse.

The next day, our company started leaving. We were sad to have it end, but grateful to have had another fun Christmas with our houseful of family.

November 2010

2010-12-31T09:35:00.004-08:00

November began with a girls' weekend in Chicago. My sisters, mom, and I met for a fun couple of days together in the windy city. After staying the night at Crystal's in Wakesha, WI the night before, we parked our car and rode the train to our hotel downtown. We checked into our hotel early and then took ourselves on a brief walking tour starting with Millennium Park.From there, we made our way past the Chicago Institute of Art and the Art Museum with the famous lions perched outside. Our next destination was the Sears Tower. The views from the sky deck were pretty amazing. Next, we headed to Giordano's for some delicious deep dish pizza. After dinner, we returned to the hotel to get ready for the main attraction of our trip...Lion King. The performance was breathtaking, from the music right down to the costumes. It was a very memorable evening.

The next day we decided to spend taking in the Magnificent Mile.

We stopped at some fun stores like Sprinkles to get some cupcakes and the American Girl Place. We had a fantastic lunch at the Grand Lux. Someday I will go back and order the salmon picatta again. Mmmm! After lunch, Amber and I walked out to Navy Pier and then joined Crystal and our Mom back at the hotel. We were all exhausted from our two days of fun...so we stayed in the rest of the night talking and laughing. We had our Sprinkles cupcakes and hot chocolate for dinner.

I flew home the next day. We had a great time and are already planning our next girls' weekend. A couple weeks after the Chicago trip, Jeff and I went in for an ultrasound. Yes, we are expecting number five. We kept that sweet little secret to ourselves until after the ultrasound.

First we told the kids by letting them watch a video of the ultrasound later that evening. They each kept asking if it was a video of when they were a baby. We told them it was a girl baby, so they all assumed it was Danielle. When we told them it wasn't Danielle, it took a few seconds for them to comprehend the news. Danielle then exclaimed "you mean I am going to have a sister! Yes, finally!" Austin said he had been suspecting something was going on, which I completely believe. He has been poking and eying by growing belly for weeks and giving me these looks that say "Mom, you are putting on weight, but I know I am not suppose to say things like that...lay off the snacks, will ya?"Once we told the kids, we sat back and let them tell everyone else. First they told our some of our extended family in person (at Thanksgiving) and the rest of them online with Wyatt's message t-shirt.

It didn't take long until they had notified everyone. Kids are really efficient at getting the word out when they are excited about something. We finished out November with a great Thanksgiving get together in Oklahoma. This time, we stayed in Sterling and Brittney's lovely new home near Oklahoma City. We had fun being with them, their kids, my parents, and my brother Eric. The first night we were there, Austin lost this 3rd tooth.

The kids helped with Thanksgiving appetizers. Deviled eggs are one of their very favorite things. I am sure several of those eggs never made it to the dinner table. The day after Thanksgiving, we all went to see the new movie "Tangled". The kids loved it. However, their favorite part of the trip was being with their cousins, grandparents, and aunt and uncles...oh, and Boomer the dog.

October 2010

2010-12-31T09:35:00.003-08:00

We started out October by taking some family pictures. My friend's sister-in-law from Kansas is a photographer and was in town for the weekend. I really like this little covered bridge. A week later, the kids and I enjoyed a beautiful fall day at Vala's Pumpkin Patch. It was so nice outside that we ended up staying almost the entire day. Yes, there really is that much to do at this enormous pumpkin patch. Next came the Halloween activities at school. Here is Austin with his wolf man friend aka Charlie.
Then, there was the trunk-or-treat at church. We definitely had a star wars theme going on this year. Wyatt was Yoda, Danielle was Princess Leia, and Luke was of course Luke Skywalker. Austin was a NASA Astronaut. (He got his costume at the Air & Space Smithsonian in March) Jeff was the hit of the party with his skater garb and mohawk. Yes...it's real. There's nothing quite like waking up to your husband with a mohawk. He was promptly advised to shave it all off the next morning.
The day before Halloween, we carved pumpkins and made carmel apples with our friends the Pugmires. The kids enjoyed free-handing their unique designs while the adults plodded along with patterns.

Because Halloween fell on a Sunday this year, the kids happily settled for a big bag each of their favorite candy and took over the role of handing out candy instead of trick-or-treating themselves.

September 2010

2010-12-31T09:35:00.001-08:00

In September we were able to slow down a little bit. Luke started preschool two days a week. He loves making new friends and singing new songs, especially the ones with actions. Here a picture of him before his first day of school.
We went on a fun family camp out with our friends at church.

These two girls went canoeing and decided to jump in the lake with their clothes on. It's a good thing they had some warm dry clothes to sleep in that night. It really cooled off once it got dark.

During spirit week at school, the kids get to dress up in different ways each day of the week. Here are a couple pictures of the kids' favorite day...crazy hair day.

The boys and I went apple picking at an orchard not far from our house while Danielle played at a friend's house. Austin invited his friend Talmage to come along. Golden Delicious apples are so much better fresh off the tree than they are at the store. Yum! We will definitely go earlier next year. The boys got quite a workout climbing the trees to reach the few apples that were left. It was also a full-time job trying to keep Wyatt from sampling the apples on the ground. Yuck!

We rewarded ourselves with carmel apples afterwards for a job well done. These were the best carmel apples I have ever had. Mmmmm!

Luke wrapped up September with western day at his preschool. He was the cutest little cowboy ever with his hat and homemade stick horse.

August 2010

2010-12-31T09:34:00.004-08:00

We didn't really slow down in August. We took a fun fieldtrip to Branched Oak Farm, an organic dairy farm, to learn about where milk comes from and how to make cheese. I was fascinated by what it takes to run a small family farm. The kids liked playing with all the critters...especially the frogs.

Danielle celebrated her birthday at Splash Station Waterpark with some friends.

The main event for the month was Danielle's baptism. It was simple and perfect. Prayers were given by both Grandmas, testimonies were born by both Grandpas, and Crystal gave a special talk on baptism and the Holy Ghost. We had lots of family and really appreciated all of the support and love she was given on her special day.

We enjoyed some of summer's bounty at home after the baptism. Yum! We were lucky that Jeff's parents were able to stay a little longer than the rest of our company. We don't see them enough.

We had a fun outing the next day to the Durham Western Heritage Museum with Linda. We love the atmosphere of the train station as you walk into the building. Linda bought us a membership so we could go often...and we have.

After our company all left, it was time for the first day of school.

Yes, we have a lot of cooks in this family. This is a regular occurence.

At the end of the month, I had the opportunity to attend the Restoring Honor Rally in Washington, D.C. while Jeff stayed home with the kids. My friend Becky and I flew out the night before and stayed with Jeff's parents along with my brother Eric who picked us up from the airport. We met my cousin Kim and her family at the rally the next day. We left fairly early on Saturday morning because I really wanted to at least be near the reflecting pool with a view of the speakers on the steps of Lincoln Memorial. It turned out that to do so, I would have had to spend the night several nights before. There were SO MANY PEOPLE. It was overwhelming and breathtaking to be among so many people in one place. Everyone we met was so kind and from so many different places across the country. It really was an awesome group of people.

As the event ended and the crowds started to clear out, we took a few pictures to remember the day.

It was a great experience. We also had a lot of fun hanging out with each other and Jeff's family. Jeff's parents really spoiled us.

July 2010

2010-12-31T09:34:00.003-08:00

July was a big month...it always seems to be. Danielle enjoyed a week at the historic Hummel Day Camp. She had a blast. She especially loved the day of the mudslide. She was completely covered from head to toe with dirt when she returned home that day. She also came home with a pet snail, which got loose in my kitchen. Yuck!
We celebrated the 4th of July with our friends' the Pugmires.

We harvested some yummy things from our garden. These are the "short and tasty" variety of carrots we tried. Our favorite thing from our garden was probably the snap peas. We will be planting a lot more of them next year.

I said goodbye to my dear friend Laura. She and her family moved to Idaho. They are amazing people we were lucky to meet 7 years ago. I know I will miss her every time I make spaghetti or watch Father of the Bride.

The older three kids took swim lessons. They LOVE being in the water.

The day after swim lessons ended, we hit the road for our big family trip. Our first destination was California. We spent some time on Balboa Island where Jeff's grandparents use to have a beach house. Jeff wanted to share some of his favorites things with the kids he remembered from spending so many summers there. One of them was frozen bananas.

Here is Jeff's grandparents' old beach house on Agate Ave. It really looks more like a tree house. I am sure it was a dream house for kids visiting in the summer.

Our next destination was Jeff's Uncle Phil's house in Newport Beach. He has a beautiful home and lives really close to the new temple there.

Uncle Phil and Aunt Patty Sue spoiled us and took us all for lunch at their yacht club. Jeff's cousins, Cameron and Megan and Megan's husband and little girl Rhyse came along as well. Here is the wall of "the commodores". Jeff's grandpa (right wall, top left) and Jeff's Uncle Phil (left wall, to the right of Danielle's face) have both been commodores. They shared a love for racing boats and belonged to the same yacht club.After lunch, Megan was brave enough to invite us aboard the new boat she and her husband just purchased. It is a beautiful boat they are in the process of restoring. Austin felt happy in the captain's chair, while Wyatt and Rhyse enjoyed playing on the deck.

We spent another day at Corona del Mar, which is a a great little beach. The kids were fascinated by all the seaweed and used it as a natural barrier against the waves to protect their sandcastle.

After the beach, we headed down to Poway to visit my good friends the Prestons. We had dinner, the kids swam in their pool, and then they treated us to s'mores in their brand new, multi-level fire pit. It was awesome. We headed back to the hotel to get some sleep before our big day at Disneyland. It was a beautiful day. We spent over 12 hours in the magical kingdom and had a great time.

The next day, we headed for Southern Utah. We needed to be back in time for the Riggs (my mom's side) family reunion. They rented a big slide and bounce house to entertain the kids while the adults visited and ate yummy food.

Here are a few of my 30+ first cousins on the Riggs side. It was so good to see everyone!

We spent another day at my Uncle John's cabin riding horses and 4-wheelers and tubing down Mammoth Creek. Danny and Uncle John spoiled me with all the horse time I had been dreaming about. My kids called me a horse hog...and I happily agreed with them and rode some more. :-)

I woke up with a few members of my family bright and early on the 24th of July and ran a 5K. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if I hadn't been injured. However, it was fun to say I did it and do it with so many people I love.

After the race was the 24th of July parade. The kids collected all kinds of candy and popsicles.

We gathered for a mini Foy family reunion (my Dad's side). My dad's two sisters were there and my cousin Amy and her cute little family.

After a full day of celebration, it was time to get some sleep before our big one-day drive home. We said goodbye to our many aunts, uncles and cousins and hit the sack. What an awesome trip!

June 2010

2010-12-31T09:34:00.001-08:00

June began with a great family reunion. Alex returned from serving his 2-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Oregon...just in time for us all to gather and see Sterling graduate from dental school and baby Emery be blessed in Oklahoma.

Our little family then headed down to Dallas to meet our other new niece, Rachel (no picture darn it!), and hang out with Uncle Brett, Aunt Tracy, and our cousins in Dallas for a few days.

Then we drove down to Houston to spend some more time with Grandma & Grandpa and some aunts and uncles and see their new house. Besides swimming in their neighborhood pool almost everyday, we did the following:

We visited the Houston Temple. It was really pretty!

We went to the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory and saw how ice cream is made and packaged. The free samples were so good!

We went to the Houston Children's Museum and the nearby Health & Sciences Museum downtown.

We made a trip to Galveston. We rode the ferry with our car to Galveston Island and back before we hit the beach. The Gulf of Mexico is really warm.

We wrapped up the day with some dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The animals were entertaining to the older kids and scary to the younger ones. Then we made the long drive back to our house. Luckily we were able to break it into two days and stay with Sterling and Britt on the way. Thanks to Crystal for volunteering to drive with me and the kids. (Jeff flew home earlier for work)

May 2010

2010-12-31T09:33:00.001-08:00

May found us wrapping up the various sports the kids were involved in. Danielle finished up a great season with her first volleyball team. They came back and beat the only team that beat them the second time they played.

Austin finished up another season of soccer.

Luke enjoyed another community center class. This time it was basketball that entertained him while I watched and ran the suspended track with Wyatt up above.

The boys had a great Father & Son campout with Jeff at Two River State Park.

Austin had an end of school year program with all three kindergarten classes. He was given the award for being the best hugger. Here he is with the best kindergarten teacher ever. (Danielle had her too!)

Amber came to visit, and we (of course) took her to the zoo. They have a brand new lemur exhibit. It is an outdoor enclosure where the lemurs are free to move about while you walk through. Yes, we got that close.

Who knew the "garden of the senses" good be so entertaining to three little boys?

As always, the orangutans put on a show and begged for our snacks in return.

We celebrated my birthday with a yummy strawberry cheesecake and great friends.

Last, we watched the awesome and very messy transition of our basement floor. It went from this...

to this...

to this! Now with a top coat of polish, it looks amazing. Most people mistake it for tile. With four kids, we are happy to have something more durable than the traditional carpet. Yay!

April 2010

2010-05-18T12:35:00.001-07:00

How I love spring...especially after a long, snowy, cold winter. These are some of my tulips I got from the Winter Quarters Temple (leftovers) thanks to the Giles.

For April Fools, Jeff once again took advantage of our kids' habits of deep sleeping and changed their clothes in the middle of the night without them knowing. I can't tell you how unhappy it makes Luke and Austin to wake up in their sister's pajamas each year no matter how hard they try to stay awake. On Easter morning, the kids were happy to wake up to full Easter baskets and an exciting Easter egg hunt ensued shortly there after. They also enjoyed dying easter eggs...almost as much as they enjoyed devouring deviled eggs the next day.

I was able to go along on Danielle's class fieldtrip to the zoo. We never seem to get tired of that place. There is so much to see and it changes all the time. Here is some of our group in the Desert Dome...the largest indoor desert in the world.

At the end of the month, we celebrated Austin's birthday. Austin's teacher had been waiting all year to give him his birthday spankings. :-)

He wanted to have his birthday at the Amazing Pizza Machine with eight of his closest friends. You should have heard these boys scream when the frog hopper dropped them. They begged the conductor of the ride to keep dropping them for several minutes...and she obliged.

March 2010

2010-03-18T11:01:00.001-07:00

March was a big month. We celebrated Wyatt's 1st birthday. He got his own plasma car to ride around with his brothers. He started walking at 11 months...trust me, this kid is mobile in more ways than one.
The last snow of the season was a big one...I forgot what the grass looked like after the winter of 2009-2010. The kids totally enjoyed all the snow down to the last drop.

Luke took a football class at the community center. Most of my pictures are blurry ones of him running. It was a great way to keep him entertained while I ran around the suspended track above him with Wyatt in a stroller.

Then, we set off for our great Spring Break Adventure back east. One of our stops along the way was Kirtland, OH.

Our next destination was Washington, D.C. I have been their several times. However, this was my first visit to the National Archives...and it was by far my favorite stop on our trip. To see the Constitution in person was so moving!

(National Archives)

(Washington Monument)

(Standing by the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial)

(View from the Lincoln Memorial)

(US Capitol)

(Space Shuttle at the Dulles Air & Space Smithsonian)

("Gum-Gum" at the Natural History Smithsonian)

(Actual Wright Brothers Glider in the Air & Space Smithsonian)

We were lucky enough to see family while we were there...

(Cousins Michael and Nicholas with Danielle before the early Easter Egg Hunt)

(Grandma & Grandpa and Maggie with the kids)

(Uncle Eric)

On the way home, we stopped in Philadelphia to see the Liberty Bell and to take a tour of Independence Hall. It was an awesome trip!

February 2010

2010-03-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

These two pictures do a pretty good job of explaining why my kitchen is always messy lately and why my lazy susan is slightly off balance...

Grandma Pat came for a visit. We took her to the zoo.

Austin lost his second tooth.

Danielle and Austin had fun Valentine's Day parties at school with their friends.

Luke had a fun playdate with his very best friend Ryan.

January 2010

2010-02-13T18:34:00.001-08:00

We were still digging out from all the snow in January. Besides a trip to the zoo, we spent a lot of time burning off energy riding bikes in the basement.
Austin lost his first tooth. Danielle was really proud of the gingerbread house she made at Girl Scouts.Last, but not least, we celebrated Luke's 3rd birthday. He requested a GREEN dinosaur for his cake. One of his favorite presents...he loves to play "Ratatouille".

Big Christmas

2009-12-31T20:43:00.000-08:00

Ahhh....December. Jeff made his first trip to New York for fuel trading conference.

Shortly after he returned home, everyone began to arrive for the holidays. First, we celebrated Eric's birthday at Red Robin.

We went to see the annual gingerbread display at the Mormon Trail Center.

We went ice skating on the outdoor rink downtown.

Christmas Eve came along with the usual festivities...wearing weird hats and taking a picture, breaking a pinata, and wearing matching pajamas to name a few. We woke up to a houseful of presents on Christmas morning.

It was easy to see which present was Danielle's favorite.

We spent most of the holiday snowed in...literally. I think we made the best of the situation though.

November & Our Romantic Thanksgiving

2009-12-31T20:38:00.000-08:00

In November, Austin took a fun trip to the Strategic Air and Space Museum with his kindergarten class. Here he is holding hands with his favorite teacher.
Luke spontaneous re-enacted the scene from Risky Business.

Both Grandmas paid us a visit.

We spent our first Thanksgiving "alone". All the food turned out great, including the pumpkin pies that Jeff made. Austin called it our "romantic thanksgiving dinner" because we all ate on our good plates and had candles on the table. Afterwards, we lounged around and just enjoyed being together.

October 2009

2009-12-31T20:36:00.000-08:00

In October, Danielle took a volleyball class. She loved it and couldn't wait until for the next season to start.
We got our first snow storm of the season. It was an omen of the very cold and snowy winter that was yet to come.

And we celebrated Halloween in the usual way...carving pumpkins and trick-or-treating.

(Dash, Cleopatra, Lion & Bumblebee Transformer)

September 2009

2009-12-31T20:26:00.000-08:00

In September, we said goodbye to my hometown. My parents were transferred to Houston, TX after 32 years of living in Ponca City, Oklahoma. They spent the last 20 years in a great house with an awesome backyard we will miss. Also in September, Luke gave up his crib to his little brother Wyatt. I think they were both happy about the change.

Danielle and Austin enjoyed participating in Western Day at school. Danielle started gymnastics again, and Austin tried his hand at Karate.

Wyatt continued to grow and steal our hearts with his smile.

August 2009

2009-12-31T20:24:00.001-08:00

August, the last month of summer, was a busy one for us. We celebrated Danielle's birthday with a mini-sleepover...meaning 8 little girls over until late all in pajamas:

Next came our Family Trip to Colorado, Northern Utah, and Southern Utah.

(Vail, Colorado where we stopped to have dinner with Jeff's Dad) (Field of sunflowers near Longmont)

(Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park)

(4-wheeling at Uncle John's Cabin near Bryce Canyon)

(Bridal Vail Falls...so Austin could climb a waterfall as per his request)
(Alpine Slide in Park City)

We did attend Crystal and Mike's wedding at the Salt Lake Temple while we were in Utah...but forgot the camera in the car. It was a beautiful day and perfect for two of the nicest people we know. We headed home right after the wedding so we could make it back in time for the first day of school.

June & July

2009-12-31T20:16:00.000-08:00

I have FINALLY found some time to update this blog, so I am going to just pick up right where I left off. I must say I have really enjoyed reminiscing about summer in the dead of winter. The highlights for June and July are as follows:
At the beginning of June, we went to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The kids really liked the meet and greet with the elephants and other circus animals before the circus started. We were lucky enough to get the UP box seats and enjoyed comfy chairs and a great view.Inspired by our May trip to Maryland and all the beautiful waterways on the peninsula, we bought a kayak. We have been talking about doing it for years. We live within walking distance of a beautiful little lake and enjoyed several family outings this summer taking turns in the kayak.

Danielle participated in a fun Art Aquarium summer camp and Camp Kindness at the Humane Society with her beloved Cola...a goreous german shorthair puppy who was up for adoption. (luckily someone else adopted him before I gave in) Then both Danielle and Austin took swim lessons. I am not sure who had more fun though...the kids in their lessons or Luke and Wyatt hanging out in the baby pool while we watched the lessons. We had lots of family here for July 4th. G-ma & G-pa Foy, Brittney, Sterling, and Kade all came to celebrate. They also helped us out in the basement by hanging drywall. We were so grateful for the extra muscle! The fireworks were amazing as usual and the weather was unseasonably cool.

During the summer, Austin spent a little too much time here, in the dentist chair, because of cavities to numerous to mention. He was a great sport though and kept the staff smiling with his small talk.

At the end of July, I packed up the kids and drove to Oklahoma for my sister Crystal's engagement party. It was at Marland's Grand Home and it was beautiful. We stayed for a week soaking up all the family time we could.

Between weekly trips to the library, we filled in the rest of June and July with multiple trips to the Children's Museum...

the Spray Park...

the Zoo...

and several different area parks.

The best part of summer though was just hanging out and being together!

Crazy May

2009-06-28T18:44:00.000-07:00

May was crazy. I can't think of any other way to describe it. Here are just a few of the things we Glasgows were up to during that very memorable month....First, Crystal flew in to give me some more help. Yay! She travelled down to Oklahoma with us. All my siblings met in Ponca for the first weekend in May to bless Wyatt at my parents house. It was a nice intimate setting for the ordinance, and we enjoyed being together even if it was only for a couple of days.

The next week, Amber and my Mom joined Crystal and I in Omaha for Wicked. We LOVED it! What a great girls day. I can't wait to do it again.

The day after Wicked, Jeff, Wyatt, and I were on a plane to Maryland to check out a job opportunity on the Delmarva Peninsula. It was a beautiful area...one I had never seen before. We looked at lots of houses and toured the area. We enjoyed spending time with our good friends the Whitakers. We took Wyatt to Ocean City for his first trip to the beach. The milkshakes at Dumpsers were to die for. We also got to see Julie, Chris, Michele, and the boys on Mothers Day. It is always fun to be with them.

We returned from Maryland a few days before the Fathers & Sons Camp Out at Two River State Park. The boys had a blast camping with their Dad and their good friends Tyler and Ryan. The night turned out to be a little colder than they expected...so they didn't get much sleep. That's ok though because they took some great naps when they returned the next day!

The end of the month consisted of wrapping up school for Danielle and Austin and all the picnics, graduations, and activities that go along with that. The day after school was out, we headed back down to Oklahoma for a 2-week vacation. With my Mom's help, I was able to go running almost every morning I was there. It was so nice to exercise. Of course, it was also really nice to relax with all the extra help. The weather was beautiful so we enjoyed lots of time outside. Two memorable outings we took were to the Standing Bear Monument and to our beloved Sun 'n Fun Water Park with Brittney, Sterling, & Kade.

Last but not least, Wyatt turned two months old and continued to laugh and smile and steal our hearts.

Awesome April

2009-06-28T18:20:00.001-07:00

The most memorable moments in April were visits from family and Austin's 5th birthday. My Mom, Amber & Jon, and Jeff's parents all came to visit. By visit, I mean they came to help out this tired mother of one infant and three other young children. They helped me SO MUCH. Thank you for ALL you did! As you can see, Terry & Linda's visit overlaped Easter. It was fun to have a few more easter bunnies around our house. Austin had a great 5th birthday. For our family party, he requested a picnic and trip to the lake to skip rocks. It was a fun evening. For his friend party, he invited his best friends over for cake & ice cream and an outing to the movie theater to see Monsters v. Aliens. It was awesome.

Happy Belated Easter

2009-04-20T05:47:00.001-07:00

I don't have time to write anything. I just wanted to share this happy family moment from yesterday.

April Fools

2009-04-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

The night before April Fools Day, Jeff switched Danielle and Austin in their beds while they were sleeping. Austin was very unhappy to wake up in his sister's bed without his bear. He finally found the humor in it when he told his teacher at preschool what had happened...and she laughed histerically. Jeff decided to carry April Fools on to the next night because Austin was such a good sport. While Austin was sleeping, he slipped one of Danielle's dance recital dresses on over Austin's clothes. Words cannot express Austin's frustration when he awoke the next morning in this sparkly little number. Oh the fun of having Jeff for a dad. :-)

March 2009

2009-04-05T15:54:00.001-07:00

Here is our update for March. Obviously, the most memorable event was the birth of Wyatt. He is such a great addition to our family. We love him to pieces.
Danielle finished up cheerleading and was chosen as Student of the Month at her school.
Austin had a blast on "beach day" at preschool. When we saw this picture, we asked him what he was doing with his hand. He said he was giving his teacher the "rock sign". I guess he and his dad have been playing a little too much Guitar Hero.

Luke enjoyed going to sibling day with Austin at his preschool. Luke wishes it was sibling day everyday now. Danielle had a fun fieldtrip with her girl scout troop to Lauritzen Gardens. Austin and Jeff tagged along to see the huge locomotives on display.

Our friends stayed with us...Mason for a day and Emily for a few days while their Mom spent some time with her family in Utah. Danielle loved having a "little sister". Luke was his usual entertaining self. Here he is sporting what he likes to call a "yeehaw" (cowboy hat) and his sister's Hannah Montana wig.Luke is SO SWEET with his baby brother. He wants to hold him and love him as much as I will let him. I love how tenderly he hugs and kisses him. Anytime Wyatt cries, Luke starts singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to him. I have a feeling they are going to be great friends.

Baby Wyatt

2009-03-21T09:07:00.001-07:00

Wyatt Joseph Glasgow was born Saturday, March 14th at 7:14 p.m. He weighed 7 lbs 11ozs and was 21 inches long. As you can see, he has lots of wispy brown hair. I did a better job at recognizing labor this time around and made it to the hospital with some time to spare. It was a great delivery. I couldn't have planned it better if I had tried. Actually, I did try to wait until my doctor was back in town...but there are some things you just can't delay.

Notice Austin's extreme disappointment at not being the one to hold the baby for our "family picture." Wyatt will not lack for attention at our house.

Grandma Pat, Grandpa Howard, Uncle Sterling, Aunt Brittany, and Cousin Kade made it into town an hour before Wyatt was born. Talk about great timing!

I love this picture! The day after we came home from the hospital was St. Patrick's Day. Here are the Foy Cousins sporting their Irish Green. Is it just me, or does he look like a little bear cub after his bath? What a difference two years can make! I can't believe my baby Luke is this big. Where does the time go?
We are so glad he is here!

February 2009

2009-03-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick update for our family in February:

Jeff went on his dream golf outing with Chevron. He played Pebble Beach, Spy Glass, and Spanish Bay.
Luckily, Uncle Eric came for a visit and kept us entertained while our Dad was gone. We took Uncle Eric to the zoo and thoroughly enjoyed having him here with us.

We got another great snow storm. This time Jeff and the kids made a 7-foot tall sled run down our deck stairs. School was cancelled, so they had a 3-day weekend to slip and slide as much as they wanted.

We said goodbye to a long-time member of our family. I took my drivers test to get my license in this '89 Honda Civic. Surprising, Danielle cried even more than I did the day we sold it.

Danielle got her hair cut. She wanted it a lot shorter. I thought this was a good start.

Danielle and Austin had some fun Valentines Day parties at their respective schools.

Austin finished up his second round of swim lessons with his beloved Miss Barb. He is quite the swimmer and LOVES being in the water.

Last, but definitely not least...Luke perfected yet another dance to add to his repertoire. Just try not to smile watching this. It is impossible.

January 2009

2009-02-03T09:34:00.001-08:00

In January, we got more snow. Luke ate more than his fair share.

Danielle started cheerleading.

Luke had his 2nd birthday.

The 4-lane racetrack is awesome!

He can't wait to use his new sleeping bag for the Father & Son Campout.

Luke kept us all entertained with his fancy footwork. He calls this one "The Diego."

December 2008

2009-01-15T18:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas was magical. The kids liked it too. This was the first Christmas of our married lives that we have stayed home. We stayed true to our traditions though, spending Christmas Eve with good friends, eating good food, telling the Christmas Story, breaking a pinata, and singing the 12 days of Christmas in parts. We enjoyed sharing the evening with the Finch Family and the Poyers.

Christmas Day was awesome. We played with kids' new toys all day. Sometimes we let them have a turn too.

The day after Christmas, we went to Oklahoma where the weather was quite a bit warmer. It was fun getting outside and being with family. We made another trip out to Camp McFadden for tin foil dinners and s'mores. It was a great stay and very relaxing. Watching my sisters box each other on the Wii was definitely the comedic highlight.

We returned home a few days later, and spent a nice morning at the zoo with Aunt Amber while Uncle Jon was at work.

My favorite butterfly at the butterfly house...the Blue Morpho. I was lucky to get a shot of one with its wings open. They are so big an beautiful. I was also one of the lucky ones to have a butterfly land on me. The kids are usually the ones to get that honor.

We finished out the holiday with a fun trip to the Children's Museum. When the break was over, it was really hard to let the kids go back to school. We had so much fun being "all" together.

November Goodbyes & Get-Togethers

2008-12-16T08:11:00.000-08:00

The week before Thanksgiving, my sweet Grandma Foy passed away. Jeff was able to stay home from work for a few days to run the house while I made a quick trip to Utah for her funeral. It was a bitter sweet time of reunions with extended family and friends. Our little family will really miss our Grandma Great, but we know she is happy. We feel very lucky to have had so much time with her on this earth. She was 91 years old and a great example of hard work, righteousness, simplicity, and optimism that we will never forget.

I returned home from Utah with a day or two to pack everyone else up for our Thanksgiving trip to Oklahoma. Most of my siblings made it home, so it was a house full of fun...just the way we like it. We shared Thanksgiving with friends at our church, as is our family tradition. One of the highlights of the trip was an outing to Camp McFadden for a bonfire and tinfoil dinners. Most of the wood for the fire came from our old deck that the boys took apart the day before to make way for a new cement patio. As you can see, it is a beatiful area.

I have to mention...while I was in Utah, Danielle lost her other front tooth. She is so darn cute with her little toothless grin!

End of October

2008-11-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

We finished up October with a visit to another pumpkin patch. Picking up baby goats was definitely the highlight. We had great visits with our two awesome Grandmas. We are so lucky! We love them so much and can't wait till they come again.

With the nice weather, Power Ranger Austin, Super Girl Danielle, and Luke the Good Knight trick-or-treated to their hearts' content on Halloween night. The neighborhood was packed with kids! We finished the evening with a fun party at our neighbors' home. October was a great month!

Glasgow #4

2008-10-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

This morning we found out that we are having another boy. Austin is thrilled and thinks we should name him Batman. Danielle is less than thrilled. Luke still isn't sure if the baby is in my tummy or in his. Jeff and I are happy to see that he is healthy and strong. His arrival is scheduled for March 14th. Between now and then, I suppose I will be preparing our house for the certain chaos that will result from having three little super heros. It appears baby boy is already practicing his acrobatics. Here he is standing on his head with his feet in the air.

More Fall

2008-10-14T10:34:00.000-07:00

Despite the lack of postings, we really have been busy. Perhaps that is why there is such a lack of postings. Anyway, a few of our memorable events of the last month or so include the following: The River City Roundup...a fun professional rodeo event that comes to town every fall. There were a lot of fun activities for the kids to do before the rodeo. My favorite part was watching the livestock judging and seeing the baby animals. Austin didn't want to go because he said the animals were too smelly. At the close of the evening he left crying because he didn't have a sheep of his own to ride like the kids that were doing the "mutton bustin'." They put on an awesome show during the rodeo. I told Danielle that someday, when they were all grown up, I was going to be a barrel racer. She thought that was pretty funny. I wasn't kidding. :-) Unfortunately, they didn't allow cameras. Thus, we have nothing but good memories to show for our fun.

Over the last month, we have had some great company. Uncle Jon stopped by during one of his business trips to Omaha. The kids always love to see Jonny. Our friends, the Whitakers, spent a Saturday afternoon with us watching a BYU football game. We will miss them when they move to Maryland next month. We also enjoyed having our friends Aaron (6 yrs) and Andrew (8 yrs) stay with us for four days while their Mom made a trip to Virginia.

Fall soccer is its final week. Danielle has vastly improved and is overcoming her fears of being kicked or hit by the ball. Austin is disappointed if he scores fewer than 5 goals because he plans to be "the best soccer player in the world."

Jeff has been travelling for work a lot lately, but was able to fit in a visit or two along the way. He stopped by my Aunt Pam and Uncle John's place in Boise, ID one evening. My Uncle John is serving as a mission president there. He had a great time catching up with them. He was also able to spend an evening with his brother Steve, sister-in-law Laura, and their cute girls in Seattle, WA. He thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with them and going with them to see the salmon.

While Jeff travels, the kids and I have to keep ourselves occupied by having movie nights, picnics at the park, treat nights at Sonic, and the occasional family fun night at Chuck-E-Cheese. Man...I'm a fun mom, aren't I? Actually, I have found that staying busy is the key to passing the time when Jeff is gone.

One final event...on Friday, Luke, Austin, and I went to Vala's Pumpkin Patch with Austin's preschool class. We spent the whole day there watching pig races, riding the "pumpkin creek" train, visiting the petting corals, driving the pedal cars, running through a few haunted houses, going on a hayrack ride, picking our pumpkins out of the pumpkin patch, eating lunch and jumping on the giant inflatables. We were happily exhausted at the end of the day.

Suddenly Fall

2008-09-09T06:56:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, our weather instantly became Fall. We haven't been above 75 degrees since. I love it. I can almost smell pie and hot chocolate in the air...maybe because I've had both in the last 24 hours. Anyway, we had a great week. Austin started 4-year old preschool. He loves it just like last year. The kids both had soccer games on Saturday. Danielle's experience was a little painful. Let's just say that she is not a big fan of the sport. Austin scored all 5 goals for his team and had a great time. Each time he scored, he held up his fingers to tell everyone what number it was. Then he ran back down the field, and we gave each other the thumbs up with big smiles.Two weekends ago, for Labor Day, we made a trip down to Oklahoma City. Our new nephew and cousin Kade was blessed. The boys enjoyed going to OU's first game of the season. Austin was thrilled with the responses he would get when he would yell out "Boomer!" (anyone and everyone yelling back "Sooner!") Sterling did a great job on the blessing. It was very sweet to see my brother bless his baby with the priesthood he holds. We weren't together very long but it is always nice to be together. Thanks for the delicious brisket and potatoes Mom...even if you had to make them twice.

Oh I almost forgot. Look at this cute bunny. Five more just like him ran out of a little burrow under our deck while Jeff was mowing on Saturday night. As much as I can't stand the rabbits eating my flowers all spring, these baby bunnies sure were sweet. The kids are hoping they stick around.

Danielle's First Day

2008-08-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Today is Danielle's first day of 1st grade. Much to her dismay, I took her to school myself. She wanted to ride the bus, but I couldn't stand not taking her to school on her first day. She was totally confident...not a speck of nervousness. (totally unlike her mother) I can't believe she is old enough to be in first grade. The boys and I will anxiously await the bus this afternoon as I did give in to her insistence that she ride it home with her two 1st grade friends, Madison and Michaela. We miss our girl, but know she will come home bragging about all the fun things she got to do today that we missed out on!

Livin' The Dreams

2008-08-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we are officially at the end of summer, and it was a good one. When everything was going Danielle's way i.e. winning at a Wii game, getting her favorite meal, playing with her best friends out in the backyard, you could often hear her exclaim, "I'm livin' the dreams." It makes me smile every time I hear it. Here are some pictures on the carousel at the zoo (we were there almost every week this summer) and a clip of a typical family dancing session in Danielle's room.

Danielle had a fun birthday party at the beginning of August. She and 12 of her friends went to WALL-E. They all really enjoyed the tour of the projection room before the movie started. I can't wait to see the movie again as I spent most of it taking 13 first graders on multiple drinking fountain/potty breaks and opening candy wrappers. They were all super cute kids though...most were from her kindergarten class last year. (Elizabeth, Danielle, Michaela, Madison, Aubrey, Gracie, Abby, Lauren, Joey, Tristan, Sawyer, Tyler, & Courtney)

The day after Danielle's party, the kids and I drove down to Oklahoma to see their new cousin, Kade, and a few aunts, uncles, and grandparents. We stayed for 10 days. It was super hot, but the kids always have a great time being with their "friends." One of the highlights was a trip to Sun 'n Fun (waterslide park) with their Uncle Eric, Uncle Sterling, and Aunt Amber. The field behind my parents' house is perfect for exploring and running wild. Here are the kids playing in the field and climbing around in the truck that all 6 kids in my family drove to high school. Maybe we should save it for Danielle and let the legacy continue....I am sure she would love that. Check out baby Kade. Isn't he cute?

June 26th--On Our Way

2008-07-12T19:27:00.000-07:00

We returned from the best family vacation last Sunday night. We had such an incredible time. Here is a multi-entry recap of our adventure.

Day 1—We drove to St. Louis. We stayed in the swank downtown Renaissance Hotel (thank you Marriott Rewards!) and walked to the Arch. During our walking tour of the city, we were a few blocks behind two LDS missionaries. It was fun watching the reactions of the people who were handed pass along cards. Watching the missionaries made me miss my little brother Alex who is serving on a mission in Oregon. After eating dinner, we returned to the hotel and had fun swimming in the pool which had a view overlooking the city.

June 27th

2008-07-12T19:26:00.002-07:00

Day 2--Our destination was Dalton, GA (outside Atlanta). Along the way, we stopped in Nashville and Chatanooga and gave ourselves tours of their respective downtowns. Dalton was tucked away in the beautiful tree and ivy covered hills of Georgia. When we walked in to be seated at the local Outback restaurant, we stuck out like the foreigners we were the minute we opened our mouths. The accents of the wait staff were so thick and beautiful. We discovered that southern hospitality is a real thing. We topped off another night swimming in the hotel pool. Here is a "candid" picture on the strip in Nashville.

June 28th

2008-07-12T19:26:00.001-07:00

Day 3--Today we would finally reach our destination of Hilton Head Island, SC. Thanks to Uncle Chris’s suggestion, we stopped at Olympic Park in Atlanta along the way and enjoyed the Olympic Fountains…THOROUGHLY. Our family provided a great deal of entertainment to the onlookers. After a quick change of clothes for Danielle and Austin, we were back on the road to South Carolina. We arrived in the late afternoon, checked into our beautiful beach condo, did some quick grocery shopping, and then hit the beach while we waited for our Uncle Chris, Aunt Michele, and cousins to arrive.

June 29th

2008-07-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, finally a full day in paradise…literally. Hilton Head Island is gorgeous. We stayed inside the Palmetto Dunes resort community. Day 4 was Sunday, so we made a visit to the local branch of our church and enjoyed visiting with some of the full-time residents of the island. After church we hit the beach. The traditional routine for the week was to go out right after breakfast until 11:30, and then go back out again around 3:30 p.m. until late. During the hottest part of the day, the kids found all kinds of fun things to do with their cousins like playing hide the shoe (please..not behind the 46” flat screen TV) and feeding bread to the turtles in the lagoon off the balcony (no Austin, turtles do not like bananas). This was the one evening there were storms, and they were awesome to see and hear. When they were over, we went out with buckets and flashlights to look for crabs. The first one Uncle Chris found was a ghost crab (totally white). Once we found a few, the kids had fun letting them go and trying to catch them again. They were fast! Austin was quick and fearless trying to catch the crabs - until he got pinched.

June 30th

2008-07-12T19:24:00.002-07:00

Monday we spent the morning at the beach…of course. Jeff and the kids were thrilled finding all the live sand dollars that had washed up on the beach. The kids and their cousins built the mother of all sandcastles. Actually, I think it was a Volcano. During our “stay out of the sun time,” we went to the Sea Pines Resort Community to have lunch at the Salty Dog. Apparently it is a very well-known place to East Coasters, so we all had to have T-shirts to prove we had been there. The kids had fun talking to the three parrots that were just hanging out in a tree in the middle of the shopping square. Jeff did more harassing than talking. I think that evening we spent more time at the pool than we did at the beach. The boys were all perfecting their jump onto a boogie board from the side of the pool…and by boys I am including Jeff and Uncle Chris.

July 1st

2008-07-12T19:24:00.001-07:00

This was an all out beach day. In the morning, Uncle Chris helped the kids dam up a tide pool and create their own mini ocean habitat complete with little fish, a snail, and a live starfish. They enjoyed collecting live creatures with the fish net we got the day before in Sea Pines. We had lots of admirers stopping by to check out our “aquarium.” I had fun boogie boarding with Nicholas.
In the evening, the wind picked up. The waves got bigger and gave everyone a little extra fun. Before it got dark, Jeff and I and the kids took our rental bikes for a short test drive. Jeff’s bike had a trailer attached to pull Austin and Danielle, and mine had a baby seat on the back for Luke.

July 2nd

2008-07-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

The whole crew went on a nice bike ride through the Palmetto Dunes Plantation. I wish I could convey to you just how beautiful it was to ride through the trees on these trails…huge oak trees with Spanish moss hanging down, pink crete myrtles in full bloom, palm trees, magnolias, etc. Gorgeous! After we were all cleaned up from our bike ride, we went to play mini golf at Pirate Island. We were of course famished from all that activity and hit Giuseppi’s Pizza for lunch, another island mainstay. When the magical hour of 4:00 arrived, we were down to the beach and pool for the rest of the evening.

July 3rd

2008-07-12T18:53:00.000-07:00

Most of us decided to go for a morning ride on the beach. The sand is hard packed, so there is a steady stream of bike riders and joggers in the morning. It was fun for a little while, and would have been fun for a lot longer had Jeff not been pulling 90 pounds of fighting children on the back of his bike. We switched bikes for a little while, but found it just wasn’t worth it and turned around. Instead, we decided to spend some time checking out the island by car. After lunch, we hit the beach but came in a little early to get ready for our pictures. We met a local photographer at Folley Field Beach to get a few nice family shots.

........After pictures, we met back at the beach house for birthday cake. Aunt Michele picked up a cake so we could celebrate Michael and Danielle’s birthdays together (a little early). The cake tasted like a twinkie. Man it has been a long time since I have had one of those. It was good.

July 4th

2008-07-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

In the morning, the kids and I hit the beach while Jeff took pictures of Chris & Michele’s family. When they were done, they joined us. A lot of our fun that morning revolved around catching a cute little crab that tried to stow away in my beach bag.

For lunch, we headed out to Harbour Town and ate at the Waterfront Café right next to the red & white striped lighthouse. We did a little shopping and walking around the harbor, which was filled with some pretty amazing views and yachts. The kids had a few dollars to buy some 4th of July trinkets thanks to Aunt Michele’s bribes at lunch. (Thank you Aunt Michele) They were all sporting cute alligator necklaces that flashed red white and blue in preparation for the night ahead. Our kids throughly enjoyed the play area near the shops. Check out the cool tree fort Austin climbed up in. It was no ordinary park. We headed back home and spent one last afternoon at the pool.

..................................After dinner, we loaded up and headed back towards Harbour Town to watch the fireworks. We parked and rode a trolley into the area. We had a great spot to watch the fireworks that were being set off from a barge…right on the beach. It was nice to hear the lapping of water as we ewwwed and ahhhed over the display in the sky. My favorite was a red one that after it exploded, had dozens of pieces that stayed lit even after they hit the water. We were serenaded by two old ladies singing various songs about America in harmony. Oh, the things you remember. Once it was over, we had the pleasure of waiting in a very long line to board the trolley back to our car. The kids fell asleep in the grass while we were waiting. Poor Nicholas was so sick. When we heard Michele scream after we got on the trolley, we know he had lost his dinner…well his twizzlers and red powerade…in transit. After we put all the kids to bed, Chris, Michele, Jeff and I capped off the night with some delicious key lime pie. It was good…we think even Uncle Brett would have given it the thumbs up.

July 5th

2008-07-12T17:54:00.000-07:00

We packed up and headed out of town. One of my biggest regrets is that we didn’t have time to stop and look around Savannah while we were on this trip. I have heard it is beautiful…maybe next time. I did notice that we passed over the Chatahoochee River as we were making our way back out of Georgia…for all you Alan Jackson fans. (Uncle Eric) I really have to say again how much we appreciated the beauty of the South. We made it to Clarksville, TN and unwound the kids at the McDonalds play area and at our hotel pool. We thought they were good travelers on the way out, but they were more than exceptional on the way back.

P.S. Thanks Aunt Michele & Uncle Chris for finding us the perfect vacation spot. We can't wait to go to Hilton Head again. Thanks Christopher, Nicholas, and Michael for being so good to our kids, and thanks Ryan for being so darn cute!

July 6th-7th Back Home

2008-07-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

We made it home…to our very beat up home. On our second night of the trip, we received a call from our friends, the Pugmires, telling us that a really bad hail & wind storm had passed through back home. We no longer had a tree in our front yard, and there was hail damage to the exterior of our home. Luckily, it wasn’t bad enough to turn around and come home. When we pulled into our neighborhood, we realized how lucky we were. There were broken windows, fences down, totaled playsets, parts of roofs missing, etc. We have a lot of work and insurance negotiations ahead of us, but we were definitely spared the worst of it. On our street, a section of someone’s fence blew into their house through their sliding glass door. I am saddest about our 15ft Autumn Purple Ash (snapped at the base and blew into our next door neighbor’s drive way) and our 5ft Korean Lilac Bush (just completely gone) along with all of our mangled plants and bushes. It literally looks like someone took a weed wacker to everything. I just keep reminding myself that it could have been much worse.

Loving Summer

2008-06-25T12:54:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing. I must admit. In the beginning, I was a little nervous about kindergarten and preschool letting out for three whole months. Could I entertain all three children 24/7 again? Well, I am happy to say we are having a great summer. The weather has been gorgeous, minus a few rogue tornados. The best part is having the freedom to do whatever we want whenever we want. Library, spray park, children’s museum, zoo, etc. We aren’t beholden to any confining schedules.

...................................................................................................Danielle is happy to be done with 9 months of ballet & tap class. At her recital, her group preformed a tap dance to Material Girl. It was really cute. She is now taking tennis lessons and loves them. She lost her first tooth on Monday at the park.

.........................Austin and Danielle finished up swim lessons. They really learned a lot and may take another round in July. Austin started T-ball. He likes it and is “super” fast. He fielded every ball in an inning last week. It is a really great non-competitive league. We enjoy watching.

.............................................The kids and Jeff had an awesome time going to the College World Series on Saturday. They had some great seats thanks to our neighbor Nancy. They watched Georgia beat Stanford, unfortunately. They enjoyed eating hot dogs, peanuts, cotton candy, and frozen lemonade. They might forgo the peanuts next year. Austin kept tossing his shells in random directions, most notably at people passing by. This outing with Dad has become a fun yearly tradition for the kids.

Luke is really easy going most of the time. However, he is particular about his food being on a plate or in a bowl, and he has to have an eating utensil even if he doesn’t use it. He is getting really good with a fork. He climbs on everything so we are constantly telling him to get off the chair or table, or consoling him after falls off said chair or table. He is a big tease and often tries to pick on his older brother. He still hasn’t learned that doing so can lead to some very unpleasant consequences. He is talking more and more everyday. We keep realizing what some of the words are he has been saying. Sometimes it takes us awhile to translate his shortened version. Here he is being a daredevil on the monkey bars. The kids totally egg him on.

May in Review

2008-06-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I need to do a quick review of May. The month was so packed with fun things that it just flew by. Here are a few highlights. Austin had a very entertaining fieldtrip to a farm with his preschool class. Luke and I especially enjoyed seeing the 3-week old goat. He was so cute.

We were so happy to have Uncle Alex and his friend Connor come for a visit. They even came to kindergarten to help me do a food craft in Danielle’s classroom. Thank goodness they were there to help. I don’t think I could have pulled off each kid making their own personal ”vanilla ice cream in a ziplock bag” without them. Austin and Danielle love the Native American dream catchers Austin and Connor made for them to hang in their room…no more bad dreams in this house.

Jeff and I had a lot of fun with our friends at the Elvis Costello/Police concert. Even after all these years, Sting is still, well.. a hottie. Jeff and Austin had a great time at the annual Father & Son campout. Austin even caught a 12-inch trout. Unfortunately, he was crushed when he found out that the fish died and wouldn’t be playing with him when he got home. I think he had some big plans for his new pet fish. If you ask him, he will tell you that he is now a “catch and release” fisherman.

The kids and I had fun tagging along on Danielle’s kindergarten field trip to the zoo. The new butterfly exhibit was awesome. Danielle and Austin were the lucky two in our little group to have butterflies land on them.

.............................................On the last day of kindergarten, we all went to school to pick Danielle up so we could head south for Alex’s mission farewell right after. He has been called to serve in the Eugene, Oregon mission. My entire family was together for the weekend, including Great Grandma Foy. We had so much fun being together. It was a struggle to break up the party each night (early in the morning?) and go to bed. We had a fun barbeque with some long-time family friends. I had a great time visiting with my very old and dear friend Amelia who I had no idea was going to be home visiting her family that weekend as well.

Alex gave a beautiful talk. I am still thinking about the quote he used from President David O. McKay called “radiation.” I can’t wait to get my hands on it. What an awesome experience it was to be in the room with my sisters and my mom as the Stake President blessed and set Alex apart as a missionary with my dad and my two brothers assisting. When the 3-day weekend was over, Crystal, Amber, and Jon all headed up to our neck of the woods. I had so much fun being with my sisters for a week. They made my birthday really special. I am already looking forward to another trip to Lo Sole Mio. Whew! I will try to keep up better in June.

Austin's Birthday Etc.

2008-04-29T20:16:00.000-07:00

Austin turned four years old last week. We had a fun little family party (with one extra friend) at the Amazing Pizza Machine. We were out so late that night that we decided to do cake and presents the next day. Austin’s big present was a blue two-wheel bike with training wheels. Austin asked for a big blue whale cake. I had to be creative because there were no whale cake pans to be found. I think it turned out pretty well. It was really yummy with the chocolate fudge cake he picked underneath the blue frosting. This is what happens when you "pretend" to rub your face in your birthday cake.

A few weeks ago we purchased a climbing dome…I am not really sure what you call it. Anyway, the kids have been really enjoying it along with all the neighbor kids. It has become quite a draw, and Danielle has turned out to be quite the monkey as you can see.

Two Saturdays ago, a friend of ours named Callie got baptized. We all wanted to go, but I knew from past experience I needed to set some clear expectations for behavior while we were there. Earlier in the week we had read the parable of the talents in the New Testament for Family Home Evening. For purposes of the baptism, we morphed it into the parable of the chocolates. We told them they each had two chocolates they would be receiving at the end of the baptism if they were reverent and helpful. However, if one of them was not cooperative, we would take their chocolate and give it to the one that was obedient. If neither of them was good, Dad would get the chocolates. They were both very good and faithful servants and received their chocolates.

Here are two parting Austinisms. Lately Austin has been giving me a lot of grief when we go to the store. After a few of these episodes, he and I had a little talk as we got ready to go to the store. I told him he could not act like that again or there would be some serious consequences. He said, "ok mom. I won’t act so funky this time. I am really sorry I did that." Second, on Sunday when Austin was eating his grilled cheese sandwich, he held it up to his ear and said Mom! I can hear the ocean!” Just try not to smile with this kid around. Oh, and here are a few more pictures of the kids "helping" Jeff finish the other bedroom in the basement. Jeff let them sign their names with permanet marker before he covered the cement with the subfloor. I am just waiting for that one to come back and bite me...permanent marker on the tile, carpet, wall etc.

Spring Break

2008-04-13T18:39:00.000-07:00

Last week was spring break, so the kids and I were all together all week long. Because we recently returned from another trip, we decided to just stay home and do things around town. It would have been fine, except for the fact that the weather was bad and I was feeling a little bit under the weather…not a good combination. We did have a nice day at the zoo on Wednesday. I LOVE our new sit ‘n stand stroller. It made the trip even more enjoyable than usual. When we went to the petting farm, the goats were all over Luke and his crumb covered hands, legs, and stroller tray. They could smell him coming. I ended up with a picture of my foot when I tried to take one of Luke and the oats because with no hands, I had to kick one really aggressive goat of off Luke. They were literally swarming.

The rest of the week, the children used their fantastic creativity to think of really naughty things to do, like taking mouthfuls of water from the bathroom and spitting them on the stairs. That was certainly easier to clean up than the many cups full of water they dumped in Danielle’s room…so much that when I walked in, they were sucking water out of the carpet and spitting it at each other. It was rather difficult for Jeff and I to come up with an appropriate punishment to match that crime. They had so much fun doing it, that it took a really long time for them to stop smiling and show any kind of remorse.

On a lighter note, Luke keeps walking better and better, more and more. The kids get so excited when they see him walking. I keep thinking the excitement will wear off…but not yet. They sometimes startle him so much with their “LOOK! Mom, LOOK! Luke is walking. WOW Baby!”…that he falls down. Here is a little video of him walking so he can sing.

Weekend Wedding

2008-03-31T19:44:00.000-07:00

My best friend from high school, Laura, got married this past weekend. Because Danielle had a four-day weekend off from school, it was perfect timing for us to take a little trip down south. We left Thursday and came back on Sunday. It was a fun few days of festivities. It was also fun to be home with my parents and my grandma who is staying with them while she recovers from a few bad falls. Eric, Sterling, and Brittney also met us there. I love being with family.

I took Austin to the wedding rehearsal dinner. We sat at the head table, and Austin worked the crowd with his usual out-going charm. He never met a stranger. As we left, he loudly pointed out that the groom’s mother was smoking, and that it was bad. He then tried to put blow out her cigarette. The women were all still laughing about it the next day at the brunch and bridal shower. Luckily, the groom’s mother was German, and hopefully didn’t understand exactly what he was saying...although everyone else did. I took Danielle to the wedding and dinner reception that evening where she enjoyed hearing the bagpipes for the first time and meeting my elementary school principle, Mr. Peterson, and my second grade teacher, Mrs. Hoover. She on the other hand, wouldn’t say two words to anyone there and performed her shy routine to a tee. Too bad Jeff had to stay home and miss all the fun. They are implementing a new fuel system at work. He painted our bedroom and bathroom in his spare time. It was nice to come home to clean and colorful walls.

Easter Sunday

2008-03-23T19:35:00.001-07:00

Today was Easter Sunday. It was chilly, but beautiful and sunny. It was fun to see the kids in their new Sunday clothes. I have enjoyed reflecting on Christ’s atonement and resurrection these past few weeks as I prepared for the last church primary activity (Easter in Eggs) as well as for this weekend. What an amazing sacrifice the Savior made in our behalf. As I got ready for the activity, I spent one afternoon reading and watching different video accounts of the last few days of the Savior’s life. It was a very moving experience. I was reminded that I really can overcome the little things that stand in my way. He already paid the ultimate price so that I could.

Sterling & Brittney

2008-03-23T19:12:00.000-07:00

Brittney and Sterling came for a visit last weekend. They weren’t here nearly long enough. They are so easy to be with. We enjoyed watching August Rush and just hanging out with them. The kids loved playing with them. Danielle and Austin are looking forward to having another cousin in July. Brittany looks great. They are going to be awesome parents. Below is a video of Luke doing a dance dedicated to Brittany. Though he does it all the time, we never could get him to do it when Sterling was looking. Vote for Idol Number 6…er, I mean Luke jamming to Hannah Montanna.

Back from Utah

2008-03-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

I returned from Utah late Tuesday night. I had a great time surprising my youngest brother Alex for his 19th birthday along with Amber and Crystal, my two sisters. We had so much fun hanging out and shopping…we really hit the jackpot at the outlets in Park City. We went to two of my favorite restaurants…La Dolce Vida and Rubios (twice). We made Alex barbeque brisket and spicy potatoes as close to Mom’s as we could on Sunday. It was fun to see all the changes on campus at BYU. I got to visit with some old friends (Vanessa, Merrilee & Laurie) and cousins (Kim & Ali) as well. I had a fantastic time even though I missed Jeff and the kids. It was strange to be so completely in charge of my schedule. My family did surprisingly well without me. Jeff had them for the weekend and then took Monday and Tuesday off of work.

The day after I returned, Danielle got her hair cut short. It is the cutest little bob. When she saw it, she said “my hair has never been this little before!” Luke got his 8th tooth. He has had three teeth on bottom and four on top for a couple of months. On the plane out to Salt Lake, I sat next to a policeman (built like a professional linebacker) that gave me a model police car to give to Austin. Austin loves it and takes it wherever he goes including preschool. It is pretty cool. The best thing about the car though is that it reminds me of the awesome conversation Tony (the policeman) and I had about the nature of God and how God feels about His children. It was an awesome experience.

Grandma to the Rescue

2008-02-25T12:15:00.001-08:00

Jeff went to a petroleum conference in Las Vegas last week—from Monday until late late Thursday night. Coincidentally, the kids had three of the five days off of school. So, my Mom came to visit and help out while he was gone. I am forever in her debt for always rescuing me in my time of need.

The kids had so much fun playing with grandma. They loved racing down the stairs to wake her up in the morning. They loved that she listened to everything they had to say (which is a lot!) as only a grandmother can. They loved playing games with her. I think they played every game in the house twice by the end of the week, which is quite a feat if you know how many games we have. She had to stay an extra day because of the weather, which was a great surprise for everyone…well, for us anyway. Thank you Grandma!

P.S. Jeff wanted me to make sure and tell everyone that he got us tickets to see The Police in concert. Yes, this is further proof of his genius plot to convert everyone to his musical inclinations. He has cleverly disguised this plan as a much needed date night for the two of us. I am just going along with it for the dinner beforehand at a restaurant of my choice. Just kidding. I am totally looking forward to it.

You Get the Milk

2008-02-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

What happened last week? Well, Danielle and I went to the dentist together. We were in the same room with a curtain separating us. It was fun listening to her talk to the hygienist about school and her family. She is so cute. As always, she came home with toothbrushes and toys for her brothers too. I love that both Austin and Danielle think about each other whenever they are offered a treat of some kind.

As you know, it was Valentine’s Day on Thursday. Austin had a fun party at preschool, but I didn’t get to go. The fridge repair people finally came and fixed our fridge that morning. It’s only been broken since the end of October…the needed parts were backordered. As a result, we spent the entire winter arguing about who should get the milk out in the freezing cold garage where our new second fridge is located. Austin, Luke and I did get to go to Danielle’s Valentine Party though. It was fun to watch the kids in her class open their valentines and then impromptu thank each other for what they were given.
I have to write two more things before I close. First, Luke has developed a beauty pageant wave. Well, kind of…when he waves goodbye, he raises his arm and then rotates his wrist like he is turning a doorknob. It is pretty funny. Second, here is yet another comical remark from Austin. When I was done combing his hair the other day, I said, “Wow you are so good looking. Did you get those good looks from Mom or from Dad?” He said, “I got them from Grandpa.”

I'm Wright

2008-02-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

Last week Austin and I had several arguments that went something like the following: I would say, “no…you are wrong Austin.” He would say, “no Mom. You are wrong. I am right because my name is Austin Wright. You are just Emily.” He surprised me today though. We had another disagreement. However, this time he came to the realization that I was actually right. He said, “Mom, I think your name is Austin Wright.”

On Friday night, we found out that all three of our kids are Van Halen groupies. We knew that Danielle and Austin had been completely converted by Jeff. They beg for Van Halen every time we get into the car. However, when we turned on “How Do You Know When It’s Love” on our way to the Hollywood Diner, we discovered that Luke shares the same family devotion. He was totally rocking out with his arms and legs flailing to the beat. Thanks to Jeff’s encouragement, we are hearing the numbers “8675309” sung way more than the usual Hannah Montana and High School Musical tunes. On Saturday, Jeff began introducing Blues Brothers as well. Jeff is just trying to make sure they are well rounded…or sneakily ensuring that his favorite music will dominate every family road trip.

Though he has yet to take his first steps, Luke has mastered mounting and dismounting his zebra pony. He also likes to mount and dismount his brother’s three-wheeler in the basement. He holds on to the handlebars and walks around straddling the bike. He goes just about anywhere he wants to, backwards and forwards. I guess cowboys don’t really need to walk. It is fun watching his independence develop.

Sloppy Joes, 1st Birthday, and Nicknames

2008-02-05T12:45:00.000-08:00

I haven't written for a couple of weeks...stating the obvious I know. The kids are always doing cute and funny things, but we didn't have any major events. On the way home from school a couple of weeks ago, I asked Danielle if she ate the sloppy joes for school lunch. She said, “no way mom. I don’t like sloppy joes because number 1, they are sloppy and number 2, they are named Joe.” Austin said, “I wouldn’t eat sloppy joes either because slop is for pigs.” They crack me up. On Friday, January 25th, we had the pleasure of spending the afternoon at our friend Ruthanne's house. She invited the kids and I over for smoothies after school. We had a blast talking, eating and feeding the squirrels on her back porch. She totally spoiled us. When we got in the car to go, Danielle teared up a little bit and asked if we could spend the night.

Now for the main event...we celebrated Luke’s 1st birthday the evening before his acutal birthday because Jeff had a work trip to Corpus Christi. I made him a Tigger cake. It turned out well. We all sang Happy Birthday to Luke which made him giggle with delight, and then we let him go at his cake. Jeff and I were totally focused on him grabbing little handfuls of cake, thinking it was pretty funny. We were so focused on him in fact that we missed the other kids joining in, taking handfuls of cake too. I guess they thought it was only fair. Needless to say, after Danielle scooped up Tigger’s pink nose and Austin manhandled Tigger’s tail, the whole crew was ready for baths.

Also of note...Danielle was "star of the week" last week in her kindergarten class. Every day, she was the teacher’s special helper, was able bring show and tell, and got to have a special guest come and read to the class. Monday was Jeff. Tuesday was Cindy Poyer, her “adopted Grandma”. Wednesday and Friday were the boys and me, and Thursday was Paige Peterson, her favorite babysitter. I always enjoy visiting her class. Austin really enjoyed himself as well. He sat right in the middle of Danielle’s class on the floor and was quite comfortable laughing and putting his arm around our neighbor Madison. Yes, he is kind of a ham.

On an even lighter note, I had to write about the nicknames going around our house. Austin’s best friend at preschool this year is named Tommy. However, Tommy has decided to change his name to TJ. So, Austin has decided that he needs to change his name to a nickname as well. At first, he was “Jet” or “Speed”. Now, however, he has decided that his nickname is “Chuck E. Cheese.” It is so funny when he asks us to call him that instead of Austin. You can imagine how hard it is to ask him to do anything seriously when you preface it with “Chuck E. Cheese.” Just try to keep a straight face. I can’t. The other nicknames circulating around our house are for Luke. Danielle calls him “Pookie” which I don’t care for at all but can’t seem to eliminate. Austin calls him “Lucas”, which at least I can stand. On the other end of the spectrum, Danielle no longer wants us to use her nickname of “Ellie.” Most of our family and friends call her by her nickname right now, so it will be an adjustment. I think the change has a lot to do with her being a very old and cool 5 year old. If she likes you and is in a good mood, she will let "Ellie" slide by.

Accidents & Experiments

2008-01-22T14:34:00.001-08:00

Because it is so cold outside right now, the kids and I have been opting to stay in. This has led to a rash of indoor experiments. Austin wanted to see if the lazy Susan in our kitchen could double as his own personal merry go round. He did fit. Luke tried to see if he could get inside the second story of Danielle’s 3-story Barbie house. He almost fit. Here is a picture of one of Danielle’s experiments. She wondered if what Tropicana represented on its orange juice carton really worked. She said it worked “not very well.” Besides the experiments, we have been trying to teach Austin the true meaning of the term “accident” because he claims that most things he gets in trouble for are indeed accidents. For example, it is not an accident when you eat your sister’s pez candy, when you stick your fingers in the pan of brownies, or when you take a toy away from your brother. You get the idea.

Great Wolf Lodge

2008-01-14T20:12:00.000-08:00

We had the best little family vacation this past weekend. We went to the Great Wolf Lodge in Kansas City. It is a themed hotel with an indoor water park. The kids loved the “wolf den” room we stayed in. It had a little cave with built-in bunk beds and their own TV. The waterslides were definitely the highlight though. Once Jeff pried Danielle’s hands and feet off the sides of the first big waterslide and pushed her down, she was hooked. Austin took much less coaxing but was similarly addicted. We spent several hours sliding, playing, and swimming on Friday and then did it all over again on Saturday. Luke was mesmerized by all the water and people. He enjoyed “playing basketball” in the pool. Danielle and Austin are still donning their Lodge bracelets and can’t wait to go again next year. Jeff & I can’t wait either.

New Year

2008-01-07T18:17:00.000-08:00

The first week of the New Year has come and gone. I have a funny feeling 2008 is going to fly by just like 2007. I enjoyed having all three kids home all day last week (well…most of the time) I enjoyed it so much in fact when I dropped Danielle off at school this morning, I almost cried like it was the first day of school again. We played lots of games, especially princess monopoly and pirates. We did lots of laps in the basement. One highlight was a trip to our world famous zoo. (really, it is!) We loved seeing the twin baby boy tigers again with their three-legged mom. They are such a cute family. As you can tell from the frozen waterfall and the parkas in the middle of the jungle, it is still cold here.

Christmas Eve 2007

2008-01-01T08:26:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas holiday. We got caught in a snow storm on our way to Grandma's...which added an extra hour and a half to our drive...but that is the only complaint we have about the trip. We enjoyed being with the Emily's family in its entirety. The annual Christmas Eve festivities were definitely a highlight. This year the piñata was a gorilla bigger than Austin. It was fitting that he delivered the final blow. Before we broke open the piñata, we had four different kinds of soup, wassail, rolls, and appetizers. Then we told the Christmas story. After the piñata, we divided up and sang the Twelve Days of Christmas twice. Then we put on our Christmas pajamas and added a new tradition. Amber and Jon brought silly hats for each of us to wear, a Poyer Christmas tradition.

Christmas Morning

2008-01-01T07:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning was fun. Highlights of the gifts for each child were a rockstar microphone/stand for Danielle, a huge pirate ship for Austin, and a musical Noah’s ark for Luke. It was fun watching their excitement as they opened their presents. With almost every one, they would say something like “I didn’t know I always wanted this. Thank you, thank you.” Most of all, we had fun spending time with people we love. Danielle enjoyed helping Amber help Crystal get all dolled up to be a bridesmaid for a wedding at the Marland Mansion. Danielle and Austin both had fun “sledding” (aka longboarding) with Uncle Alex. They enjoyed reading with Uncle Eric and playing “football” (aka bombardment) with Uncle Sterling. They also enjoyed playing games with Brittney and Jon and going on a walk to the Hardys with Grandpa. Of course, no trip to Grandma Pat’s would be complete without roasting marshmallows with her…this time, indoors.

Holiday Programs

2007-12-16T18:16:00.000-08:00

The highlight of last week was attending the holiday programs for both Danielle and Austin. Austin and his 3 yr-old preschool class sang four songs, two of which involved shaking jinglebells. It was really fun to watch Austin's face each time they finished a song and the crowd clapped. His eyes would get really big and then he would smile. I think he was really appreciating the applause. Danielle's program was fun. During one of the songs, several kindergartners handed Principal Suing winter clothes he had to put on. By the end of the song, he was totally bundled up and unrecognizable. Then Principal Suing said he had to go to the bathroom--the part Danielle thought was hilarious. She was so cute on the front row with her friends Madison and Elizabeth. Luke enjoyed watching both programs. He liked "bouncing" to the music. Here is a picture of the kids after church today.

My Snow Angels

2007-12-12T18:55:00.000-08:00

The snow fell last Thursday, and we have been enjoying it every day since. From snow angels to sledding, the kids never tire of being outside. Every morning, Austin tells me he hopes the sun doesn't come out because he doesn't want it to melt the snow. It is a nice change for all of us to be healthy. A two weeks ago, Austin spent the night at Children's Hospital for viral pneumonia and the rest of us have suffered from regular colds, coughs, and stomach flu. FUN! So, bring on the snow. We love it!

Little Swingers

2007-11-18T19:14:00.000-08:00

What a great week. The weather has been awesome. Everyday the boys and I have been able to pick up Danielle from kindergarten and then head for the park. Austin and Danielle continue to crack me up with their daily commentary. On Wednesday, after I had gotten dressed, Austin asked me why I had a clown shirt on. I have to admit. It did make me hesitate a little to go out in public with it on. When Jeff asked him if he wanted a grilled cheese sandwich, he said "no...I want a boy cheese sandwich." The only adjective he approves of right now is "cool" because "boys like things that are cool." On Friday, Danielle asked me to help her climb up the side of the jungle gym. She said she would be able to do it herself if she had three legs...but she didn't, so she needed my help. Well...obviously. How lucky am I to be able to hang out with these cute...I mean "cool" little kids everyday?

Balboa Island, CA

2007-11-17T07:04:00.001-08:00

Hello!

2007-11-11T18:16:00.000-08:00

Luke is growing before our eyes. He waves and says things like Mama, Dada, "aut oh", hi, and hello. He is a fun little guy with a lot of personality. He has a great sense of humor and thinks his siblings are hilarious. Danielle and Austin are quickly learning not to leave anything important, especially paper, on the floor. Luke has radar for that kind of stuff. Does anyone know how to roate video clips?

Never Thought I Would Say

2007-11-04T19:09:00.001-08:00

This week I found myself saying things I never thought I would say. Not "because I said so" or "just wait until your Father comes home." No, I mean things like "Austin please don't stick your head in the toilet again" and "why is all your underwear in the Lego box Danielle?...where are the Legos?" Even Luke wanted to get in on the mania. He kept pulling the heating vents up out of the floor and laughing every time I said "no, no!" Apparently I am raising a bunch of comedians. Here is one of the activities I walked in on today...Austin and Danielle painting each other's toenails. Never a dull moment!

Oh no Mom!

2007-11-02T16:10:00.001-07:00

On the way home from Target today, Austin said "Oh no Mom! I'm wet." ---Not my favorite combination of words, especially when we are not close to home. I looked back to see red liquid dripping from his mouth. I soon realized he had bit open a squishy ball I had just bought for him that was full of red liquid and plastic bugs. No big deal...just another day in the life of the Glasgow family.

Luke

2007-10-31T20:13:00.001-07:00

Our little guy is mobile. Isn't he cute? Good thing that bookshelf is bolted to the wall. He is bored with the ground and is now trying to get vertical. Don't hold your breath on the walking though. Glasgow heads are hard to balance on little bodies. His brother and sister didn't master walking until 13 months.

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T20:03:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween. The kids had fun parties at school and then trick-or-treated until they were exhausted. Jeff had to carry both Danielle and Austin the last block home. Their plastic pumpkins were overflowing with candy.

Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and the 50s girl in a poodle skirt