Opus 395 - October

October was a very busy month. With concerts, visitors, and the end of the term I just haven't had time to post. But we did manage to have some fun.

Lissa's hair is finally long enough for a pony tail (as long as I pull the front into a small one, then pull all of it back):

Jason celebrated a birthday:

Lissa and Joshua were as crazy as usual:

Lots of "tents" were built:

Shhhh, don't tell the kids that the cat plays in their tents at night!

Lots and lots of "tall talls" have been built (please ignore Lissa's hair - this was taken before I got home from school so it wasn't done yet)

Bikes have been ridden in very creative ways:

And, of course, we had Halloween:

The kids LOVED Halloween this year. They are now old enough to understand the whole "we get candy!" thing. Joshua especially enjoyed getting the candy. We went to my school on Thursday for our faculty trick-or-treat. They loved going from room to room to pick out their candy. We then went to our Ward's Trunk-or-Treat on Saturday. It was pouring, so it was held indoors. Once again, they loved getting the candy. They aren't so much into the scary stuff, but who can blame them?

Opus 394 - Random Pictures

I haven't posted any pictures for awhile. Here are some from the past month:

Lissa after she took a hard fall on the sidewalk while pushing Joshua on his bike:

Naturally, Joshua wanted his picture taken too:

Lissa playing with her comb (I took several pictures, but this crazy red-eye picture is the only one where you can see the comb)

Joshua watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse the other morning (he said he was cold - it's been really hot here lately)

Sorry this one is so dark. The kids were so proud of the "Princess Castle" they built the other day:

Opus 393 - Singing

The kids have really started singing lately. It's so fun to listen to their sweet voices as they sing different songs. Lissa's current favorite is "I Am a Child of God." She was singing it the other night as she fell asleep. She forgot some of the lyrics so it went something like this, "I am a child of God and he... loves Lissa." It just melted my heart!

Opus 392 - Holy Ghost

The kids talked about the Holy Ghost last week in Nursery. I guess one thing they talked about is that if they're scared they can pray and the Holy Ghost will comfort them. Sensitive little Joshua told us about it then got all teary eyed telling us that he gets scared so we said a prayer and he was okay.

Opus 391 - More Sleepy Time

Overheard as the kids fell asleep:

Lissa: Josh, watch Mickey Mouse?

Joshua (in a very sleepy voice): No, watch football.

Opus 390 - Bedtime fun

The kids have been having quite a bit of fun as they fall asleep each night. It doesn't usually bother me (no gets hurt since they're in their cribs and I'm glad they're having fun), but after awhile we usually go up and lay them back down, encouraging them to go to sleep. A few nights ago I went up there and reminded them it was time to sleep, "No more talking kiddos, it's time to sleep." Joshua replied, "Okay Mama, we'll try." He'd never said he was going to "try" to sleep before so I found it quite humorous.

The next night, they were doing the same thing so I again reminded them to stop talking and go to sleep to which Joshua replied, "Okay Mama, I'll try." I responded, "Try not. Do or do not. There is no try." Joshua replied, "Okay Mama, I'll do it."

I'd like to say that the Yoda wisdom worked, but they didn't quiet down immediately - it took them another 5-10 minutes :)

Opus 389 - Day 30

A Dream for the Future

I have lots of future dreams. My current biggest dream is doing IVF again. There is a program at the U of U that sponsors IVF for people who can't afford it (you have to make under a certain amount annually). We called and asked about the program and were told that we had to first have an IVF consult with our doctor at the U of U and then he had to recommend us before we could apply. So at the end of May we spent the $400 for the consult.* Our doctor thinks we're great candidates for another round of IVF** so he highly recommended us. A couple of months later we got a call from the program and said we were denied the opportunity to apply due to medical reasons. I was really confused and tried to ask questions, but she couldn't tell me any more than that. I sent a letter to our doctor and we just received a call from him telling us that he really thinks we're good candidates and he talked to the dean of program about us applying. He said that we will be able the apply. I'm very happy about this. It doesn't mean we'll be accepted, but at least we are going to have the possibility. At least we get to try. I won't deny, I'll be really sad if we aren't accepted. We just can't afford the $12,000-$14,000 for IVF right now and I don't see us being able to afford it any time soon. I'm not old, but I'm not getting any younger either. We only have so many years before we just can't do it anymore. I'd really like to have more children and I hope and pray that we can find a way to do it. I really hope that those people who can get pregnant without so many doctors and so much money appreciate it because there are so many of us that would do anything for that. I just have to hang on to the hope that we'll be accepted by this incredibly generous program.


*Does anyone else see the irony in this? If someone qualifies financially for the program, they probably can't come up with the $400 for an appointment very easily.
**I'm actually better off than I was when we did IVF over three years ago. The doctor was baffled because it's not supposed to be medically possible.

Opus 388 - Day 29

My hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days

In no particular order:

* Jason gets a job
* We find a way to do IVF again
* We find a way to sell our house and get a real one
* Go to Arizona for Christmas
* Lissa and Joshua successfully potty train (I'd be okay with it happening a few months longer than 365 days though)*
* Lissa and Joshua successfully transition to toddler beds without any causing trauma/drama (also okay with it taking a few months longer than 365 days)*

*I'm very much so to the point that I don't care when the kids potty train or sleep in toddler beds. I figure we'll keep them in cribs until they learn to climb out or when it's socially unacceptable and as for diapers... as long as they're potty trained before they go to college, we're okay right??

Opus 387 - Day 28

What's in my handbag/purse

I use a purse (when I go to school) and a diaper bag (for every other time I go some place).

Purse - wallet, school keys, school ID badge, chap stick, Ipod

Diaper bag #1 (backpack for everyday use) - diapers, wipes, diaper cream, pens, pencils, Tide pen, hand sanitizer, chap stick, tissues, wallet (when it's not in my purse), mints

Diaper bag #2 (for Church use only) - Cars magnet set, Princess magnet set, 2 doodle pads, 2 color wonder coloring books, 2 sets of color wonder markers, many sheets of stickers, 5 quiet activity folders, hand sanitizer, mints, pen, pencil, tissues, Primary songbook, 2 snack bowls of Fruit Loops, 2 snack bowls of Trix, 2 snack bowls of Winnie the Pooh Animal Crackers, several used Sacrament cups. 4-6 books and 2 sippy cups with water are added before we leave for Church. No diapers or wipes - Jason carries the backpack so he can have the diapers if a change is necessary (I can't when I'm playing the piano) - he prefers the "manly" navy blue Eddie Bauer backpack to the colorfully striped diaper bag.

Opus 386 - Day 27

My worst habit(s)

I've spent some time thinking about this one. I don't know if I have a worst habit, but there are a few things that aren't the best:

* I chew on my lips when I'm stressed which gets them all chapped up.

* I snap my fingers way too much when I'm teaching (I do it when I'm thinking of the tempo before I start a song and sometimes during their rhythm exercises when they start to drag or rush). I do it so much that my thumb cracks open A LOT. Not good.

* I'm always messing with my hair far too much - especially when it's pulled back. I just can't seem to leave it alone. I'm constantly pulling it out of the pony tail and putting it back up again.

Opus 385 - Day 26

Your Week in Great Detail

Another exciting blog journal entry.

Monday
5:30 am - Wake up
6:15 am - Leave for school
6:35 am - Arrive at school, start prepping for the day
7:00 am - Teach Jazz Band
8:00 am - Teach Brass Class
8:55 am - Teach Percussion Class
9:45 am - Teach Woodwinds Class
10:35 am - Teach Concert Band
11:25 am - Teach Symphonic Band
12:10 pm - Start prepping for the next day. Get interrupted when alerted of a problem with the high school band's spaghetti dinner (that was held at our school). Spent some time fixing the problem, all the while thinking this was why I stopped teaching high school band.
2:00 pm - Finally left the school and drove to Walmart to get some Claritin-D (note to Meth users: Thank you for using cold medicines to make meth. Because of you I have to go to Walmart every 10 days!)
2:30 pm - Arrived at Walmart, bought medicine
3:00 pm - Arrived at home, helped Jason get the kids up from their nap. Played with the kids.
5:00 pm - Asked Joshua if he wanted chicken nuggets or tacos for dinner. He said tacos, so I made the tacos.
5:20 pm - Ate Dinner
5:45 pm - Jason and I cleaned the dinner dishes.
6:00 pm - Went to the park with Jason and the kids.
6:45 pm - Left the park
7:00 pm - Had Family Home Evening
7:30 pm - Bedtime routine (read the previous post for more details)
8:00 pm - Finished dishes, ate ice cream (seriously, I nightly ritual since my pregnancy - thank goodness for 1/2 fat and fat free ice cream!), watched TV with Jason.
9:00 pm - Got ready for bed and crashed.

Tuesday
6:00 am - Wake up
7:00 am - Leave for school
7:20 am - Arrive at school, start prepping
8:00 am - Teach (same as Monday)
12:10 pm - Prep for the next day
1:00 pm - Leave school, drive home
1:20 pm - Arrive home, do some housework, actually have a moment or two to relax
3:30 pm - Get a call from my piano students' mother asking if I can push lessons back a 1/2 hour
3:35 pm - Jason and I get the kids, give them snacks, play with them
4:00 pm - Teach lessons
5:30 pm - Finish lessons, make a quick dinner (one of those Homestyle Bakes)
6:00 pm - Clean up after dinner
6:15 pm - Go to the park with the kids
7:00 pm - Leave the park
7:10 pm - Bedtime routine (including a bath this time)
8:00 pm - Finished dishes, ate ice cream, watched TV with Jason.
9:00 pm - Got ready for bed and crashed.

Wednesday
You already got to hear all about Wednesday :)

Thursday
6:00 am - Wake up
7:00 am - Leave for school
7:20 am - Arrive at school, start prepping
8:00 am - Teach (same as Monday)
12:10 pm - Prep for the next day
1:30 pm - Leave school, drive home
1:50 pm - Arrive home, do some housework, actually have a moment or two to relax
3:15 pm - Teach lessons (Jason gets the kids from their nap during this time - Lissa sat on my lap during most of my lessons)
4:45 pm - Finish lessons, start dinner (Chicken and Stuffing)
5:45 pm - Eat dinner
6:10 pm - Clean up after dinner
6:15 pm - Go to the park with the kids
7:00 pm - Leave the park
7:10 pm - Bedtime routine (with a bath this time)
8:00 pm - Finished dishes, ate ice cream, watched TV with Jason.
9:00 pm - Got ready for bed and crashed.

Friday
5:30 am - Wake up
6:15 am - Leave for school
6:35 am - Arrive at school, start prepping
7:00 am - Teach Jazz Band
8:00 am - Teach (same as Monday)
12:10 pm - Prep for the next day
1:30 pm - Leave school, drive home
1:50 pm - Arrive home, do some housework, actually have a moment or two to relax
3:00 pm - Jason and I get the kids from their nap, give them a snack
4:00 pm - Leave for the library and Costco
5:00 pm - Joshua throws a fit in the car at Costco because he doesn't want to come in. Jason stays out with him while Lissa and I go shopping. Lissa enjoyed the samples - waffles and yogurt.
5:15 pm - Go pick up some food at Burger King
5:30 pm - Arrive at Grandma and Grandpa's house, eat dinner, let the kids play, hang out with Grandma, Uncle Matt, with appearances by Aunt Emily and Uncle Dave
7:00 pm - Leave Grandma and Grandpa's house
7:30 pm - Arrive home, bedtime routine
8:00 pm - Finished dishes, ate ice cream, watched TV with Jason.
9:00 pm - Got ready for bed and crashed.

Saturday
7:30 am - Wake up, shower, make a double batch of waffles
8:00 am - Jason and I get the kids up and dressed
8:15 am - Enjoy a great breakfast with the family
9:00 am - Clean up, play with kids
9:45 am - Go to Old Navy to return some leggings that don't match Lissa's outfits, return stuff at Walmart, shop at Walmart (I found Lissa's Halloween costume for a great deal too)
11:15 am - Arrive home, make lunch, enjoy lunch with the family (bagel sandwiches, grapes, and chips)
11:45 am - Clean up lunch dishes
12:00 pm - Go to the park with the kids (yes, we do this a lot. Have I mentioned that our house is small and I have two very energetic kids??)
12:45 pm - Leave the park
1:00 pm - Put the kids down for a nap
1:05 pm - Reorganize the hall closet upstairs
1:20 pm - Start reorganizing the kitchen cupboards
1:30 pm - Start watching the BYU football game, continue with the cupboards during commercial breaks and halftime
3:30 pm - Get the kids up from their nap (they got a good nap in, yay!), give them a snack, play with them
5:00 pm - Cook a Papa Murphy's pizza (I bought several and froze them when they were having their $3 for a large deal)
5:30 pm - Eat dinner
6:00 pm - Clean up dinner dishes
6:15 pm - Go to the park again
7:00 pm - Leave the park
7:10 pm - Bedtime routine (including a bath this time)
8:00 pm - Finished dishes, ate ice cream, watched TV with Jason.

Sunday
7:30 am - Wake up, shower
8:00 am - Get the kids up and dressed
8:15 am - Eat breakfast (kids ate waffles - I freeze the leftovers then we put them in the toaster when they want them - Jason had oatmeal, I had Cheerios- like every morning)
8:45 am - Watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse with Joshua, then played with the kids
9:15 am - Gave the kids a snack
9:30 am - Watched Music and the Spoken Word with the kids
10:00 am - Finished getting all of the church stuff ready
10:15 am - Dressed the kids in their church clothes
10:30 am - Left for church - a little early today, I guess the kids moved faster than usual
10:35 am - Arrived at church early
11:00 am - Sacrament Meeting. Good kids, good talks
12:10 pm - Played piano in Primary
2:00 pm - Drove home with Jason and the kids
2:15 pm - Ate a snack/lunch
2:30 pm - Put the kids down for a nap, took a nap myself (sadly, it took about an hour to fall asleep)
4:30 pm - Woke up, kids were awake, got them with Jason
4:45 pm - Played with the kids, packed the diaper bag for dinner with the Stevens cousins
5:20 pm - Left for Cousin Nicole's house
5:30 pm - Arrived at Nicole's house, enjoyed dinner with Nicole, Lynnette, Chris, and Kate.
7:20 pm - Arrive home, saw the kids' new friend, James, outside. He ran in to his house and brought out some cookies he made for Lissa and Joshua (so sweet!). Came inside, let the kids eat a cookie, the kids helped Jason take the garbage to the curb, Joshua was hyper from the cookie within seconds.
7:40 pm - Bedtime routine
8:00 pm - Started working on the blog, hope to be in bed before 9:30pm

Opus 384 - Day 25

Your Day in Great Detail

Oh, I'm sure this will be very interesting. Let's describe last Wednesday (and I hope I can remember everything).

5:30 am - Wake up
6:15 am - Leave for school
6:35 am - Arrive at school, start prepping for my classes
7:00 am - Teach Jazz Band
8:00 am - Start the "regular" school day with Brass Class
8:45 am - Forget that's it's collaboration day when the bell rings and I we haven't even put our instruments away yet. Oops.
8:50 am - Teach Percussion Class
9:40am - Teach Woodwinds Class
10:30 am - Teach Concert Band
11:20 am - Teach Symphonic Band
12:00 pm - Enter grades/attendance, get Theory work ready for Thursday, copy the oboe part from a score so the oboes have something to play while we wait for the replacement parts to come in, get the playing test rubrics ready, make labels with all of my students names on them so they each have folders to put their playing test sheets in (to be used for student led conferences), fill out a grant application so we can get some SmartMusic labs set up.
2:05 pm - Collaborate with the 7th grade teachers
3:15 pm - Finish collaboration, talk to a couple of teachers about a couple of students, get my stuff from my classroom and drive to the music store.
3:45 pm - Drop off a saxophone for repair at the music store, try to figure out what is going on with the trumpet we ordered
4:15 pm - Leave the music store, stop by grocery store to pick up a few things (including some ice cream)
4:45 pm - Arrive home
4:45 pm - Start rice for dinner, set the table, do some dishes
5:15 pm - Eat dinner
5:45 pm - Clean up dinner dishes, etc. (with Jason's help)
6:00 pm - Go to the park with Jason and the kids (while there Jason asks me if I put the ice cream in the freezer - I answer that I did)
7:20 pm - Finally leave the park
7:30 pm - Arrive home, brush the kids' teeth, help the kids' clean up their toys, get their PJ's on, read books, say prayers, put them to bed (all of this was done with Jason)
8:00 pm - Peace and Quiet! Jason leaves to drop off some books at the library. He opens the car door and discovers the ice cream I had purchased. Fortunately it was still in the containers, just very melted. I can't remember exactly what I did at this time, but I probably watched an episode of House Hunters, ate some ice cream (not the melted ice cream - Jason bought more when he went out), and fell asleep relatively early. I would guess it was around 9:30pm

Opus 383 - Day 24

Where You Live

I used to have a picture of the outside of my house, but with all of the computer changes, I can't seem to find it. So here's some pictures of my living room pre and post kids:

If you look closely at this picture, you might see a couple of cat toys...

I don't think you'll have any problems finding toys in these pictures:

I think it's fairly obvious that we have outgrown our house :)

Opus 382 - Day 23

A Youtube video.

Okay, I'll admit, I don't really go to youtube. I've seen a few things here and there, but I'm mostly uninterested. However, I did enjoy this recent commercial for the BYU library:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ArIj236UHs.

Opus 381 - Counting Feet

The kids are getting really good at counting. When I say counting, I don't just mean reciting the numbers, I mean counting objects. They do pretty good as long as there are 10 or fewer objects. Lissa and I were counting feet today. We counted how many feet Mommy, Lissa, Joshua, Daddy, and all of the Princesses have. Several minutes after we had finished, Lissa came running into the kitchen holding her toy train, aka Thomas. "Mommy, Thomas has no foots! He has wheels!"

Lissa is also getting quite good at making sure everything in her outfit matches. Every school night I pick out the kids' clothes for the next day then Lissa helps me find a matching hair bow. The other day, she was wearing blue jeans and a gray BYU shirt that had some blue and white on it. I handed Lissa some white socks. She put them up to her jeans and said, "No match. I need blue socks." Once I pointed out that she had white in her shirt she was okay with the white socks.

We were able to take the kids to a couple of sporting events last weekend. We first took them to a Provo high football game. The team didn't do so well, but Lissa and Joshua had a good time. They especially liked the band. They keep talking about how they saw the band and drums (they haven't quite figured out that the drums are part of the band). Joshua was doing some serious grooving every time the band played. After their halftime show, Lissa was quite upset that they were finished, "No done! More band!" I was so proud!

We also took the kids to a BYU Women's Soccer match. This game had a much more favorable outcome. It's so fun to watch Joshua when we are at events with large crowds. He totally gets all of the social cues. He claps when everyone else claps, laughs with them, ... everything. It's hilarious.

Opus 380 - Day 22

A Website

My favorite Sudoku website: puzzles.usatoday.com

Opus 379 - Day 21

A Recipe

Manicotti (I usually half this recipe)

12 large manicotti shells
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
2 cups ricotta cheese
6 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 2 tablespoons dried basil
1 (26-ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13x9 inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cool water. Let pasta dry on wax paper.
3. For filling, in medium bowl, stir together 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta and basil. Using a teaspoon, carefully stuff pasta shells with prepared cheese mixture (I just use my hands).
4. Spoon 2 cups spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish. Arrange stuffed pasta over sauce. Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
5. Bake manicotti for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the Parmesan; bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve immediately.


Frozen Strawberry Delight

1 cup flour
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (I don't usually use these since I rarely have them on hand)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 large egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 (13 1/2-ounce) container non-dairy whipped topping

1. In a bowl mix together flour, brown sugar, chopped nuts, and melted butter. Spread in a shallow pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the oven and cool.
2. In a large bowl combine egg whites, sugar, frozen strawberries, and lemon juice. Beat at high speed with an electric mixer for 10-15 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Fold in non-dairy whipped topping.
3. Sprinkle half of the crumb mixture in a 13x9 inch pan and spoon the strawberry mixture on top. Sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top. Cover and freeze for 8-10 hours. Thaw for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Opus 378 - Day 20

A Hobby of Mine

Okay, this is sad, but I don't really have any hobbies any more. I used to enjoy reading, and I still do, but I can only do that during the summer. Once I start a book, I can't put it down. That means no sleep, but I can't do that when I'm teaching. I also used to scrapbook, but I haven't been able to find time since the kids were born. Obviously I blog. I plan to print my blog out using one of those companies that makes it a nice hardbound book so it'll kind of replace scrapbooking. I love watching BYU football. I've had season tickets since I graduated from college (naturally I went to all of the games during college since I was in the band). Oh, I thought of something! I love Sudoku. I got hooked when I was pregnant. That was the year our school changed from a 6th-7th grade middle school to a 7th-9th grade junior high. The music programs were hit hard so my class load went down. As a result, I had to "teach" to study halls. Boring! I couldn't work on my computer because it was in my office and I needed to be out where I could keep an eye on the kids. I would do as much as I could without my computer, then I'd practically bed the kids to ask me for help on their homework. They rarely did so I decided to try out Sudoku. My logical brain was hooked from puzzle #1 (I started college as a math major - I love logical things like that). The Christmas before the kids were born Jason gave me a Sudoku desk calendar. I still have the one from the day the kids were born on our fridge.

Opus 377 - Day 19

A Talent of Mine

Music is an obvious talent of mine. It came quite easy when I was younger, but when I got to college I discovered that I was horribly behind on my horn - it took many years of hard work to catch up. I'm good with pre-teens and teenagers, especially those in junior high. I don't know what it is I do or say, but they're always laughing and having a good time in my class. I'm not trying to be funny, but I guess I'm funny to kids that age. It's very helpful - the kids are quick to respond to me and we're able to accomplish a lot because they like and trust me.

I'm also quite good at putting a Cheerio on my nose, sticking out my tongue, then dropping the Cheerio onto my tongue. I perfected that in my high school Government/Economics class. It has come in handy with my kids :)

Opus 376 - Day 18

My Wedding

Four months before I got married I was seriously wondering if I would ever get married. But I met Jason soon after that and as they say, "The rest is history." We originally planned to get married in October. I was taking conducting lessons as part of my graduate studies and when I went to my first lesson after I got engaged Dr. Blackinton asked my why we were waiting so long to get married. Um, because we have to plan a wedding (this was at the end of June/early July). When I saw Jason that evening I told him the story. We had a good laugh, then we said, "Hmmm, what if we did move the date up?"* Needless to say, we changed the date. The only sad thing about changing the date was that we had to reschedule the temple. We had the perfect wedding time for our October date - it was in the late morning. Late enough that we didn't have to get up REALLY early and early enough that we didn't need to feel like we had to cram everything in. When we called to change the date, the only time available was 7:00am. Ugh. It's where you get married, not the time, right? Besides, when the October date came around I was so glad that I wasn't worrying about wedding plans - I was so busy!

Planning the wedding went really smooth. Most of that is due to my mother-in-law and brother-in-law. They did soooo much to help! I wasn't too picky about how everything was going to look at the reception. I picked out my colors, etc., but other than that, it didn't really matter.

On the day of my wedding I got up REALLY early and drove to my sister-in-law's house where she did my hair while my friend Sarah helped me with my make-up. I was late getting to the temple. Oops. I'm never late. As is typical with most people, I don't remember a whole lot about the ceremony. I do remember exactly where Jason and I sat in the Celestial Room while we waited. I also remember that Sealer talked about a song. Sarah was awesome and typed it up for me.

Random: I wore Super Man tennis shoes (not in the temple though). I wanted to wear high heels, but couldn't imagine wearing those ALL day, so I decided to wear white tennis shoes instead. At the time, the shoes with really tall, chunky, soles were popular. I found a pair of white Super Man shoes and decided to go with those since my sister, Lissa, loves Super Man so much.

We had our luncheon at Los Hermanos in Lindon. Not your typical luncheon restaurant, but I love Los Hermanos!

The reception was held at the Chapel near Jason's parents' house. The decorations were beautiful (I think I used some from my brother and sister's weddings that were 2 months and 8 months prior to mine). My favorite part was seeing so many friends and family. I didn't have a typical bouquet toss. I HATED the bouquet toss when I was single - I always felt it was so demeaning. But Jason really wanted to have one, so we got the little girls together and did the toss with them.

Our Arizona reception was held in the same Church that my parents had their reception. It's a beautiful old chapel in Central Phoenix with real hardwood floors and nice white columns in the cultural hall. It was a great setting and a really special evening for me.

The best story that has to do with our wedding is actually about the drive home from our Arizona reception. We decided to spend a couple of nights in Las Vegas on our way back to Utah. We left Arizona right after Church and headed for Vegas. At the time, the only road to Vegas was a two lane highway until you got to I-40 just before Kingman (they've since made it wider and split it). When we were about 5-10 miles from I-40 we came to a complete halt in the middle of the desert. There had been a horrible accident and the road was closed. They had to land a helicopter and every thing. We were told that the road wouldn't be open until the morning. The only viable choice was to turn back and find a hotel in the nearest town (we could have driven to Flagstaff, then on to Kingman on I-40, but that would have taken all night). One problem: The nearest town was Wickenburg and it's WAY back - almost all the way to Phoenix (about an hour from my parents' house). After driving for about 2 hours, we finally arrived in Wickenburg.** The next morning, we left for Vegas again (this time leaving the beautiful potted plant from our reception in the hotel on accident - I hope the appreciated it!).

After spending about 24 hours in Vegas, we headed back to Utah in the early afternoon. Just as we got far enough outside of Las Vegas that we couldn't see the city any more, we came to a complete halt. Yep, another accident that closed the freeway. This time we didn't have to turn back, but we did have to wait for about 2 hours before the road was open again. We had a great chat with the family in front of us that was right in the middle of their move to Utah.

Once the accident was cleared, we were on our way again. When we arrived in Beaver, it was pretty late and we were too tired to drive any more. So we found a hotel for the night. Unfortunately, my first day back at school for faculty meetings was the next day so we had to get up really early to get to Payson on time. Jason dropped me off at school and picked me up later that day. Talk about dedication. I hadn't even been home from my Honeymoon yet and I still made it to the first meetings on time! :)


*Don't tell Dr. Blackinton this story! He already thinks he has too much power over people :)

**Which was funny because when my Mom was little they would always stop in Wickenburg on their way to California. She was scared to death to get out the car in "Wickedburg." She thought everyone there must be evil since the town was "Wickedburg" and she couldn't believe that her parents would dare to take her there and then try to get her out of the car!

Opus 375 - Day 17

An Art Piece:

During my Sophomore year at BYU, a tragic accident took the lives of the younger siblings of two girls in my FHE group. Greg Olsen is a friend of their family and painted this in their memory. The symbolism of Christ pulling the children out of the wreckage pulls at my heartstrings every time I see it.

Opus 374 - Day 16

A Song That Makes You Cry:

I've already talked about Madonna's This Used to be My Playground. Another one that can get to me is Collin Raye's Love, Me. It reminds me of my Grandma Stevens. Unlike the couple in the song, my Grandpa passed away about 28 years before my Grandma. I imagine there was a joyous reunion in Heaven when Grandma finally joined Grandpa.



This Used to be My Playground

This used to be my playground
This used to be my childhood dream
This used to be the place I ran to
Whenever I was in need
Of a friend
Why did it have to end
And why do they always say

Don't look back
Keep your head held high
Don't ask them why
Because life is short
And before you know
You're feeling old
And your heart is breaking
Don't hold on to the past
Well that's too much to ask

Live and learn
Well the years they flew
And we never knew
We were foolish then
We would never tire
And that little fire
Is still alive in me
It will never go away
Can't say goodbye to yesterday

No regrets
But I wish that you
Were here with me
Well then there's hope yet
I can see your face
In our secret place
You're not just a memory
Say goodbye to yesterday
Those are words I'll never say

This used to be my playground
This used to be our pride and joy
This used to be the place we ran to
That no one in the world could dare destroy

This used to be our playground
This used to be our childhood dream
This used to be the place we ran to
I wish you were standing here with me

This used to be our playground
This used to be our great escape
This used to be the place we ran to
This used to be our secret hiding place

This used to be our playground
This used to be our childhood dream
This used to be the place we ran to
The best things in life are always free
Wishing you were here with me


Love, Me

I read a note my grandma wrote back in nineteen twenty-three.
Grandpa kept it in his coat, and he showed it once to me. He said,
"Boy, you might not understand, but a long, long time ago,
Grandma's daddy didn't like me none, but I loved your Grandma so."

We had this crazy plan to meet and run away together.
Get married in the first town we came to, and live forever.
But nailed to the tree where we were supposed to meet, instead
Of her, I found this letter, and this is what it said:

If you get there before I do, don't give up on me.
I'll meet you when my chores are through;
I don't know how long I'll be.
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see.
And between now and then, till I see you again,
I'll be loving you. Love, me.

I read those words just hours before my Grandma passed away,
In the doorway of a church where me and Grandpa stopped to pray.
I know I'd never seen him cry in all my fifteen years;
But as he said these words to her, his eyes filled up with tears.

If you get there before I do, don't give up on me.
I'll meet you when my chores are through;
I don't know how long I'll be.
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see.
And between now and then, till I see you again,
I'll be loving you. Love, me.
Between now and then, till I see you again,
I'll be loving you. Love, me.

Opus 373 - Day 15

Your Dream House

Oh, do I dream about a new house far too often. I'm so ready to leave this little townhome. My dream house has the following:

- Garage (at least 2 car)
- Pantry
- Mater bath (at least 2 1/2 bathrooms overall)
- Backyard
- Basement
- 4 bedrooms
- Bigger kitchen (my current one is tiny)
- A real laundry room
- Storage, storage, storage
- A formal living room separate from the family room so I can teach lessons without having to worry that all of the kids' toys are cleaned up. The living room should also be far enough away from the kitchen that I also don't need to worry about having every single dish done before lessons.
- Formal Dining Room

This isn't too much to ask for, is it???

Opus 372 - Day 14

A Non-fiction Book

I once read a book entitled How to get Your Child to Practice Without Resorting to Violence. It was pretty entertaining. As I mentioned earlier, Jason and I are currently reading 1-2-3 Magic. It seems to working with the kids. I also really like Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box and The Anatomy of Peace - both from the Arbinger Institute. I read the first for grad school and the second last year with my department. They are very eye opening books.

Opus 371 - Day 13

A Fictional Book

I think I already did this, right? As I've mentioned, I really like Russka. I recently read Gone With the Wind for the first time and mostly liked it. Scarlett really annoyed me sometimes, but my overall opinion of the book was favorable. I mostly enjoy reading historical fiction. It makes the history much more interesting for me. If you know of any good ones, let me know.

Opus 370 - Day 12

Something you are OCD about.

Oh man, where to begin?

- The kids' clothes need to put away in the dresser right - sorted by outfits.
- The eggs in the carton need to be symmetrical.
- The sippies need to have the right lids - no mix and matching.
- At school, the band chairs need to be in neat, symmetrical rows.
- I can't touch raw meat and I have to clean everything thing up having cooking with it. (If the fork that touched the raw chicken was put in the sink, the sink must be cleaned.)
- I'm a major germaphobic
- The kids' books need to be put on the shelf right - from tallest to shortest.
- All toys must go in their proper storage bin.
- All electrical outlets must have the child safety covers.

I think that's a good enough list for now, don't you? :)

Opus 369 - Day 11

A Recent Photo of You

Sadly, there aren't many pictures of me. I'm usually the one taking the pictures. I should do better at making sure I'm in some of the pictures. There might be one or two more recent pictures, but this one was easy to find :) This is our family picture that was taken in March 2010.

Opus 368 - Random Funnies

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Blog Diary to bring you some funnies from the kids:

We were trying to get the DVD player working (long story) so Joshua could watch a little bit of Cars. Joshua decided we didn't know what we were doing so he found his toy remote, pointed it to the TV, and said, "Joshua do it." We got it working right at that moment. Joshua was quite proud of himself - he was positive that he got things working.

Lissa said to me this evening, "Mommy no go school tomorrow."
I replied, "But if I don't go to school tomorrow, we won't have any money to buy you cute clothes."
Lissa immediately says, "Mommy go to school tomorrow."

I took Lissa clothes shopping with me today. It was fun Mommy/Daughter time. Lissa had a blast telling me all about the clothes she liked - "I like this one Mommy." "This one is too small. It's for babies." and naming all of the colors she saw. She also helped to make sure all of the hangers in the hoodie section of JC Penney are color coordinated. I'm sure they were grateful. Lissa helped pick out Joshua's clothes too. I'd show her a couple of options and she would decide which one was the best for her brother. "Not that one, I like that one." It was cute. I was very happy that we spent very little money and were able to get the kids all set for fall and winter - outerwear and all for less than $100! That's pretty good considering we have 8 outfits, one light jacket, one warm jacket, one hoodie, one hat, and one pair of gloves per kid. Oh, and two pair of PJ's per kid.

While Lissa and I were driving in the car this afternoon she made sure we only listened to the Princess songs and skipped all of the Cars songs. I guess she's getting tired of Joshua always asking for Cars songs :)

Opus 367 - Day 10

A Photo of You Taken Over 10 Years Ago

Ahh, the good `ol Senior Pic. Gotta love it!

Opus 266 - Day 9

A Photo I Took

I've taken pretty much every picture that's been posted on this blog. Here's one I haven't posted yet. It's of the kids at the library. They LOVE to go to the library!

Opus 265 - Day 8

A Photo that Makes Me Angry/Sad

These photos don't make me angry, but I do sometimes get a little sad when I see them. When the kids were born we were just so happy to finally have our babies that we were oblivious to how sad we could have been. Now that time has passed, I sometimes look at the pictures of the kids in the NICU and, I guess, finally feel sad. It really is amazing that they had as few problems as they did and that their prematurity has had, as far as we can tell, no negative effects on them now.

Lissa on her birthday

Joshua on his birthday (he obviously had a lot more problems in the beginning)

Opus 364 - Day 7

A Photo that Makes Me Happy

Another hard one to choose; tons of pictures make me happy. Here's one that I enjoy:



I love they way they are looking at each other. Sometimes when they look at each other with that "certain look," it's obvious that they have a special connection and I love seeing that.

Opus 363 - Day 6

20 of My Favorite Things (in no particular order)

1. Jason
2. Lissa
3. Joshua
4. Strawberries
5. A not-too-hot/not-too-cold spring/summer evening
6. Swimming
7. BYU football games
8. A clean house
9. Playing in a band
10. A light rain on my face
11. The mountains
12. Snow
13. Orange-a-peel Jamba Juice
14. Road trips
15. Playing the piano for fun
16. Bed time (for both the kids and me!)
17. Riding a bike in that perfect weather (see #5)
18. Happy memories
19. Catching up with old friends
20. The sound of our Westminster Chime clock*

*This is another thing from my childhood. My mother grew up with a Westminster Chime clock in her house. When she got married, my uncle (her younger brother) decided that she should have a clock like that in her new house. So he saved his paper route money and bought one for her (amazing since they are not cheap!). After that, all of the siblings chipped in and bought one for each other when they got married. Now all of the grandkids receive one as a wedding present so we can have that same sound in our homes.

Opus 362 - Day 5

Favorite Quote

"It's supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great." --Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own

"Try not. Do, or do not. There is no try." -- Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

I say these ones to my students often. I especially like the Tom Hanks one. That's what life is like - hard. But we always feel better about ourselves when we've accomplished a difficult task. I like to compare it to making a cake: When you make a cake from a box and everyone compliments the cake, you don't really feel like you deserve the compliment. You feel more like saying, "I'll be sure to tell Betty Crocker." However, when you make a cake from scratch and people compliment the cake you really feel good about what you've done. "It's the hard that makes it great."

Opus 361 - Day 4

Favorite Book

Another easy one: Russka by Edward Rutherfurd. When I was in college I had the incredible opportunity to tour Finland, Russia, and the Baltic States. Before leaving on tour, one of our directors recommended that we read Russka in order to get a better understanding of the Russian people (it's a historical novel that takes you through Russia's entire, complex history). I loved the book and have read it more times than I can count. Something about it drew me into Russian history. I have read many books on the subject since. The only thing I don't like about the book is that it jumps right through the cold war. I would have enjoyed reading more about that time.

Opus 360 - Day 3

Favorite Television Show

This one is much easier. I have two:

The West Wing - I just enjoy the drama :)

Jeopardy! - I learned to love Jeopardy! while we lived with my grandma when we first moved to Arizona (it was six months before we finally had our own house). Grandma loved Jeopardy! She always watched it. There was only one TV in her house, so it was Jeopardy! or nothing. I chose to watch it with her and got hooked. Ken Jennings is my hero. Not really, but I did love watching him. Grandma passed away just before he was on the show. She would've loved him. Actually, she was probably helping him out. I'm just like my grandma - I never miss an episode. The best part is that I feel like it helps me get smarter. You'd be surprised how much I've learned, and retained, from watching Jeopardy!

Opus 359 - Day 2

Favorite Movie

Oh boy, here's another I can't narrow down to one:

A League of Their Own - I mostly like this one because it has one of my favorite songs (see previous post) and one of my favorite quotes (I guess you'll have to wait for the post on favorite quotes for that one!).

An American President - I don't know why I like it, I guess it's a girl thing :)

The Pirates of Penzance (the one with Kevin Kline, Linda Ronstadt and Angela Lansbury) - I was introduced to this in college, then conducted the pit orchestra when I was teaching HS band, and have used it as a cross-curriculum assignment with my students (studying parodies). Funny, funny, funny. If you haven't seen it, go find it!

Aladdin - This is my all time favorite Disney movie. I watched it a ton in high school (in Arizona). So much so that we could recite it from beginning to end. We did it during football games - our team was really, really bad. We were 0-10 my Junior year. So we had to entertain ourselves some how!

Anne of Green Gables/Avonlea - What girl doesn't love these?? We used to have Anne marathons and stay up all night watching these. I can't wait to get my little girl addicted too.

Opus 358 - Day 1

Favorite Song

This one is actually really hard for me. I have so many "favorite songs." Just ask my students - I'm always saying, "This is one of my very favorite songs..." I don't know that I can pick one favorite, so here a few on my "favorites" list:

A Movement for Rosa by Mark Camphouse - This is a song I played when I was in BYU's Wind Symphony. It tells the story of Rosa Parks through music. I fell in love with it and still love it. I've created a power point slide show with images of Rosa Parks with the music playing in the background that I show to my students every February for Black History Month.

Last Farewell, New Christy Minstrels - This is song from my childhood. My dad had a tape or reel-t0-reel with this song on it. I remember hearing it a lot as a child, but then we didn't listen to it anymore (for whatever reason) and I forgot about the song. But every once in a while I'd hear the melody and it would almost haunt me - I couldn't figure out where I knew the tune! I finally recently figured it out, but sadly still have not purchased the CD. Maybe I'll get it for Christmas :)

The M.T.A., Kingston Trio - Another song from my childhood. It's just fun and I love listening to it. I enjoy listening to a lot of folk music: The Kingston Trio, The Brothers Four, Peter Paul & Mary...

This Used to be My Playground, Madonna - This song came out right before we left Indiana. I had lived there basically my entire childhood (Kindergarten - 10th grade) and it was hard to leave. I remember this song coming on the radio when I was driving around the base, looking at all of the places that had been my "playground," and thinking that I was leaving and that place would never be the same again for me. This song is definitely an emotional one for me. I rarely can hear it and not cry. So many memories come flooding back.

There are many more, but I don't want to bore you so I won't go on :) I just can't pick one song, really!

Opus 357 - 1-2-3 Magic

The kids have started to have some discipline problems lately (getting close to 3, I suppose), especially during the day with Daddy. They pretty much don't listen to him. We've heard some good things about 1-2-3 Magic, so we checked the book out of the library and decided to give it a try. It's only been a day, so I can't tell you if it's totally worked or not, but we did have a pretty entertaining moment with Joshua. To understand it, you first need to know that the system basically works like this: When a kid is doing something they shouldn't and you ask them to stop, but they won't, you say, "That's one," wait a few seconds, "That's two," wait a few seconds and (if they still haven't stopped), "That's three, take two" and put them in a 2 minute time out (1 minute for each year of life).

Both kids got to experience this several times yesterday. After he had already experienced it (for other things), Joshua was banging his Lightning McQueen on the blinds. I asked him to stop. He kept going so I said, "That's one." Joshua replied, "That's one" then he groaned (a huge groan - as if giving up in defeat) and said with a sigh, "All done." I found it so entertaining that I'm still chuckling just thinking about it.

Opus 356 - Blog Journal

A friend of mine is doing a 30 day blog journal. I've had fun reading her posts so I thought I'd give it a try:

Day 1-your favorite song
Day 2-your favorite movie
Day 3-your favorite television program
Day 4- your favorite book
Day 5-your favorite quote
Day 6- 20 of my favorite things
Day 7-a photo that makes you happy
Day 8-a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 9-a photo you took
Day 10-a photo taken over 10 years ago of you
Day 11-a photo of you recently
Day 12-something you are OCD about
Day 13-a fictional book
Day 14-a non-fictional book
Day 15-your dream house
Day 16-a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17-an art piece (drawing,sculpture, painting, etc)
Day 18-my wedding/future wedding/past wedding
Day 19-a talent of yours
Day 20-a hobby of yours
Day 21-a recipe
Day 22-a website
Day 23-a youtube video
Day 24-where I live
Day 25-your day, in great detail
Day 26-your week, in great detail
Day 27-my worst habit
Day 28-what’s in my handbag/purse
Day 29-hopes,dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30- a dream for the future

Opus 355 - Alex Boye

We had the opportunity to listen to Alex Boye as part of a concert series sponsored by Deseret Book at the University Mall. The weather was perfect and it was fun to hear him sing live.

Joshua really got into the music. He was dancing away!

Alex Boye:

Opus 354 - Zoo!

We took the kids to the zoo one morning. The weather was perfect, there were hardly any crowds, and the kids had a blast. They absolutely loved the zoo! Their favorite animals were the elephants, giraffes, and monkeys.

Opus 353 - Discovery Park

One morning we decided to try out Discovery Park in Pleasant Grove. It's a really cool park (that's free!) that is basically a huge swing set with lots of slides, stairs, jungle gym type stuff, as well as educational things. It's pretty neat. Naturally, the kids' favorite part was the sandbox :)

Opus 352 - Thanksgiving Point

We decided to try out $2 Tuesday at Thanksgiving Point. We originally considered going to the dinosaur museum, but changed our minds when we saw the eternally long line. We went to the Discovery Park instead. Lissa and Joshua enjoyed everything in there, but were particularly enamored with the waterfalls. "Look Mommy! A waterfall!" was heard several times.

Opus 351 - We're Ready for BYU Football!

Opus 350 - Pretty Princess

We tried real ponytails for the first time:

And have had fun painting toenails...

Opus 349 - Bath Time Fun