Anna's 11th Birthday

Anna had a special birthday this year. She wanted to be surrounded by her favorite people--her extended family--and she was. We were really amazed and grateful that so much family was willing to drive to Ogden to celebrate her birthday with us. Because of everyone's availability and Travis being on call, we had two parties. She requested chocolate-frosted cupcakes and purple balloons (thank you for choosing something so easy!). She got several pair of earrings from Elisa and Matt and Jed, because after six months with her ears pierced, she is ready to wear non-stud earrings. Grandma and Grandpa Dastrup gave her a beautiful silver necklace with a violin charm on it and a new CTR ring. Angie delighted her with a stack of Madeleine L'Engle books (who believes in supplying entire series, which we love!). We let her skip school on her actual birthday and went shopping and out to lunch in Salt Lake City with Grandma Thompson. Our destination was the King's English Bookstore in Sugar House, where Anna got to choose a few books for her birthday. She was walking on air for a couple of days. I can't believe we have an eleven year-old girl. Travis and I used to talk about how she would be ten and a half when we finally finished his medical training. Here we are with our eleven year-old girl, living in Ogden, Utah in a very cozy condo. We have a lot of blessings, and Anna is certainly one of our greatest. Anyone who spends even a little time around her knows what a special girl she is. 

Pictures of Kids in Yellow Leaves

We just caught the tail end of fall color with these after-church pictures at the parking lot next to our condo.The yellow leaves have been so pretty in Ogden. Every day of their peak color I can't get enough of them. When the mountains are dusted with snow but still covered with fall color, they're glorious. Travis says that's a Thompson word, and it might be, but I'll use it if it fits.

Halloween Lizards

I won't bother posting Halloween pictures because mine are terrible and I'll just end up begging Aaron for his (which he's very happy to share) in a few months when I need to make another My Publisher book. We spent Halloween evening with the Thompsons, which is the first Halloween with family since Anna was a baby. It's usually just me and the kids . . .. Everyone looked darling and we had lots of fun eating my mom's traditional and yummy Halloween soup and playing games sponsored by Elisa. The bigger cousins did some serious trick or treating, but even more than their candy, Anna and Michael love the little rubber lizards that Elisa put in their Halloween goody bags (There has to be a cool aunt who does things like that, and Angie and I both said, Not It! Or at least we thought it. But THANKS Elisa, you're awesome!) Anna and Michael have been playing with their lizards for days. Their habitats made of cardboard boxes, various pots and pans, and water, are set up all over the living room, which is the majority of our condo. Sarah is not allowed to touch them, though she does, but I let her play with the lizards while Anna and Michael are at school because I'm pretty sure they stole hers! Michael's lizard Elizabeth just gave birth to several adorable imaginary lizard babies today. Anna and Michael have also included the plastic frogs from the toy drawer at the dentist's office. (We love our dentist who is Travis's cousin Curtis Sampson!)

Christening the Fire Pit

In October my parents put in a fire pit and a new patio in their backyard (adjoining the existing deck with rails removed). They have romanced the idea for years, but having Matt as a son-in-law (who owns a landscaping company) helps turn great ideas into realities. He brought in his crew and someone to do the cement, and the whole thing looked really spontaneous to the rest of us. We had a Campfire party to celebrate the new fire pit with hot dogs and S'mores. We even played games! The kids had a ball toasting marshmallows and running in and out of the playhouse. They love having the adults stay outside where they are playing. Travis had to miss this first campfire because he has been studying for his oral Boards (Nov 6 in San Francisco), but we look forward to years of memorable campfires. My mom has created such a beautiful garden, but we have never used the backyard at its potential. This opened-up space will allow us to enjoy the beautiful garden and yard at their best. Outdoor furniture is a project for another year, but what's out there is fine for now!

Locked

I think we have another Conference Weekend project--as though there is ever time for projects during Conference Weekend. We knew this doorknob on the kids' room would be a problem. They don't make them like this anymore. A simple push and twist locks it from the inside, but there is no way to open it from the outside. We meant to switch it with one of the bathroom doors, since there are two bathroom doors and no one could lock themselves in. Somehow the door got locked with only Sarah asleep in her crib. She had stripped, which she does when she decides she needs her diaper changed, and was holding her wet diaper. After asking for me to Please get her out of her crib! she just started singing and laughed when I used the hammer on the door. This is a contrast to the time when Anna was 18 months and was stuck in a similar situation. Anna had been screaming on the other side of the door for over an hour when our landlord finally put his fist through the door of our Sacramento apartment. After that experience, I knew what I had to do. I just used a hammer instead. Michael was home sick (105.5 temp) and had been watching Myth Busters Explosions. He was completely on board with the rescue.

I thought I was being a good mom today . . .

I know these should be beautifully plated and then photographed in natural light, but this baker and her little Canon PowerShot don't have what it takes to photograph food. The stove top is where food goes in my kitchen because I barely have any counter space. I thought I was making a special treat for my kids when they got home from school. I spent yesterday canning tomatoes and making recipes with homegrown tomatoes from Travis's parents. That combined with an intense Power Pump class made me feel like I deserved a cinnamon roll today. Just as I popped them in the oven, thinking of how excited my kids would be when they came home and smelled them, the phone rang. It was Michael at school. "Mom! It was a 1/2 day. School got out at 12:40 (an hour and fifteen minutes ago). I've been waiting in the office and I'm so bored!" He had been calling on my cell phone, which I left in the car, and finally the school looked up our home number, which he didn't have memorized. He does now. Anna and Michael go to different schools and I have to drive them both ways. It's a lot of schedules for this brain of mine. Michael said there were 50 kids in the office whose parents also forgot. I felt a little better, but the truth is, I had no idea there was a 1/2 day! There wasn't a reminder and Michael switched to this school two weeks into the school year. Michael had to wait while the cinnamon rolls cooked, plus another fifteen minutes for me to drive to his school. I can't say it's the first time I've forgotten about an early-out day, and I bet it won't be the last, but maybe my kids will remember that their mom made them cinnamon rolls.

Treehouse Museum with Grandma Thompson, Elisa, and Cousins

After living in so many cities with fabulous children's museums, we were excited to find that Ogden also boasts an amazing children's museum called The Treehouse Museum. It's located right next to the Ogden LDS Temple, and close to both Anna and Michael's schools. Today Mom and Elisa and her girls, Mia and Samantha, came up to Ogden for the first time since our move-in. We're excited that they now know Ogden really isn't that far away. (Mom needs official credit here for many trips up here to help us paint the condo, along with a lot of other family who helped with our painting and move-in. And Grandma and Grandpa Dastrup--three times, but who's keeping score?--and Annie and Jed and Adam have all visited. I just wasn't taking pictures or blogging yet!) This museum is charming, and I know we will spend many happy hours here. Everyone is invited to join us! We have two complimentary adult passes with our membership and we'll go with you if you come to Ogden!

Bear Lake August 2010

I haven't posted a blog in a few months, but I figure it's like starting to exercise--again--you have to start somewhere. We missed the official Holdaway Family Bear Lake, which was earlier in the summer, but several members of Travis's family went to Bear Lake for a weekend at his grandparents' time share condo. Living in Ogden we're closer than when we lived in Orem, but it still always takes some doing to get there. Even the shorter 2-hour drive feels longer than it should. Lucky for us we had our little songbird Sarah with us. She sang for most of the drive, and we were greeted with a gorgeous double rainbow over Bear Lake. My candid pictures of our group weren't great, but I'm glad I took a few to remember our happy weekend with. It was great to be with Liz and Andrew before their wedding; Annie and April, visiting from their recent move to Boston; Brigham and Christa and their three wonderful boys, Benjamin, Jacob, and Ty; and of course, Mom and Dad Dastrup. Dad planned and cooked all of the food! He swears it's easy for him, and he always makes it look easy, but I'm still impressed. I've been in on many of these vacations to Bear Lake over my almost-twelve years as a Dastrup, and this place holds many dear memories. I love to think of Grandma and Grandpa Holdaway who are so much a part of Bear Lake. They're no longer with us, but they don't feel very far away.