The Smout Clan

Merry Christmas from the Smout Family

2010-12-25T14:15:00.001-08:00

Kids & Christmas PJ's

2010-12-25T14:09:00.000-08:00

Pepsi - our newest family member

2010-12-25T14:08:00.000-08:00

The certificate says it all... had to record this moment in time

2010-12-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

Connor, Parker & Pepsi

2010-12-25T14:06:00.000-08:00

Connor & his sugar cookie friend "Patrick" from Spongebob

2010-12-25T14:05:00.000-08:00

Katelyn & her original artwork titled "Candy Canes"

2010-12-25T14:01:00.000-08:00

Thoughts of a 4 year old...

2010-11-07T19:34:00.001-08:00

As promised, one version of Katelyn's hair do's. Tonight I was getting her to bed and she asked me to lay by her (as she does every night). And I replied (as I do every night) - that I will sit in her room for a bit, but she is a big 4 year old and can go to sleep by herself.

It was quiet for a minute then she said: "When I'm a big teenager I'll need a really big bed." More thoughtfulness, then: "I'll have to sleep in your bed, you on your side, dad on the other and me in the middle." I said, we'll I'll mention it to dad. Katelyn replied, "If dad doesn't want to, then you guys can sleep on the floor and I'll sleep on your bed."

Didn't even know how to respond to that comment!

Well, our wonderful weather is taking a turn for the worse - 3 storms in 3 days - rain and/or snow. We are not ready for the cold, but can't do much about it.

Dad, Allyson, Jared and I did several sealings in the Temple yesterday, including Dad's parents who we thought had been done years ago, but the Temple had no record of it. Then we went out for an early dinner - thanks again Dad.

Jordan got stuck babysitting Katelyn all day yesterday. Connor went to the BYU game with a friend and Parker went with a friend to one of their stores. He was a good babysitter and even made Katelyn dinner without me telling him to - we're making progress!!

OK - one last story: Tonight Connor shocked us all by actually taking his plate to the counter after dinner. Of course I praised him up and down for a deed that is done by everyone else without any praise. Well, that got him going and of his own volition continued clearing the rest of the table, including his brothers plate - more shock. But the most shocking - he is carrying a baking sheet and asked me where to put it - I said, on the oven. He replied - "Where's the oven?" It's like he's a dumb blond. He keeps us laughing.

2010-11-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

Our last night with Kosuke at BYU for the closing social. (And our neighbors student.) I realized I hadn't posted any pictures of our kids. - Now you can see how big and grown up they are...

Japanese Foreign Exchange Student

2010-11-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Our family hosted a Japanese Exchange Student named Kosuke Nakajima for a week. We loved getting to know him and learning about the Japanese culture. We have never been a host family before so I wasn't sure what to expect.

I did not expect our family to become so attached to him. It was a heart wrenching good bye last night and this morning. Kosuke wanted to stay here with us and be part of our family. It was especially hard to watch Connor say good bye to Kosuke, he seemed extra attached to him (along with Mom). Connor, aware that Kosuke was so sad about leaving - got a magic bean and wrote Kosuke's name on it. As Connor handed him the bean, Kosuke pretty much lost it at that point.

Kosuke is from Osaka. He attends Nishiyamato Academy, a prestigious all boys school in Nara. He leaves for school 6 days a week at 7:30 AM and returns home between 7-8:00 PM. After dinner he studies more before going to bed at 11:00 PM. The Japanese place great emphasis on education. His younger sister began attending school at 3 years old for 6 hours a day.

We were able to communicate easily with him, most other exchange students in our area spoke very little with their host families. Kosuke is a kind, very respectful boy, we loved having him in our home. We will stay in touch with him and hope to see him again one day.

2010-11-02T08:54:00.000-07:00

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2010-04-23T08:35:00.000-07:00

Still no camera, so I thought I better post what has going on with us instead of waiting... We are so looking forward to summer and this being the last month of school (give or take a week).

Jared is finally done with school and looking for a job - what - income - can't wait! He is getting a little stir crazy being home and looking forward to entering the work force after a 3 year break.

I too am looking forward to Jared re-entering the work force. However, I'll say the last 3 years have taught me some valuable lessons on being more thrifty! I am doing hair here and there, and just taking care of home and family. I went to St. George with Liz and her friend last week, it was fun to get away for a few days. A moment of insanity took over while we were there and I cut my hair past my chin! My hair was past the middle of my back, so quite an adjustment. I'm actually beginning to like it now not to mention the fact it takes aproximately 2 minutes to do my hair.

Jordan is loving the weather, always outside playing ball. Parker is loving being in Webelos, they made a big bon fire and roasted hot dogs the first night he went - so much cooler than Bear Den. Connor has started baseball - I am loving it. All 3 boys spend hours outside playing basketball - no one has even mentioned the Wii since the weather turned nice. Love it. Katelyn is doing her own little girl thing. I'm wishing I had enrolled her in a pre-school this year - she is more than ready - can't wait for her to start in the fall.

2010-03-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

Our camera battery is dead (it won't recharge), so no pictures this time. We had a nice visit with David & Juli - and of course Alex, Tisa, Liz, & families and Dad & Allyson. Everyone came to our home for dinner on Sunday. The weather was beautiful so the kids were all outside participating in non-appropriate Sunday activities. Hence the nice visit with the adults!

The boys are constantly outside playing basketball - we love that Spring is here!!! We cleaned out 2 of our flower beds, trimmed some of the roses and the raspberry bushes yesterday. Still lots to do.

I was talking to Katelyn about her ballet performance that they are preparing for. She keeps asking us if today is her Dance "Recycle".

Jared is so ready to be done with school - one more month YEA!! He is in the process of looking for a job - keep your fingers crossed for us.

All About Katelyn - because she's the only one I see...

2010-02-26T14:00:00.000-08:00

Jordan and his friends have been making ziplines around the yard- just running ropes from one tree to another - they are so cute about letting Katelyn do it too.

2010-02-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

Climbing up the pantry - again... It does no good to hide things, she finds a way to get what she wants!

2010-02-26T13:56:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Thief - she was just making a "small cave"

2010-02-26T13:52:00.000-08:00

The girl who always matches (who says purple and red don't match?) and has a darling hairdo everyday... When I tell her she needs her hair done, she says - "No thank you, it's just fine."

2010-02-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

All this activity makes a VERY TIRED little girl!

Valentines

2010-02-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

I found the cutest idea for valentines this year - using clear envelopes, I put a face card and a stick of gum inside, then on clear labels, typed up a saying like "We're two of a kind", etc. Then sewing it shut with red thread. How cute, right?!

I showed my idea to the boys, two of them thought it was cool, but Jordan left me this note on my computer. It cracked me up.

Winter Play

2010-02-06T09:34:00.000-08:00

If you look closely, you will see our snow covered sun catcher (small round thing hanging from the tree). Forecast said mostly sunny, so we made a sun catcher putting orange slices, cranberries and evergreen twigs, in water to freeze with some twine made in a loop. Unfortunately, no sun to make it sparkle.

The kids are tired of sledding, so we I've been trying to come up with some other winter activities for them when they are tired of being pent up inside.

Parker, Connor and Katelyn made snow castles, then decorated them with food coloring. They had a blast.

I guess I need to take some sort of photography class, my photos never turn out...

Bad Daddy

2010-01-22T08:12:00.000-08:00

This morning Jared was helping Katelyn wash her hands after breakfast, he then turned to help her dry them off and she told him he as a "Bad Daddy" for wasting water (he left it running while drying her hands).

2010-01-19T21:23:00.000-08:00

And here is our newly responsible, complete assignments BEFORE they are due Jordan. Working on his PowerPoint presentation on Saturn - which isn't due for 8 that's right EIGHT weeks. So proud! He's a good kid.

2010-01-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

Parker here in the process of making his diarama about the Ute Indians. He is almost finished and quite proud of his tepee, Spear, basket weaving, and the "hide" drying. He decided to be a little creative and used brown sugar for the dirt. All our dirt is under snow right now...

2010-01-19T18:14:00.000-08:00

Parker lost a tooth a few days ago while Jared and I were out. And since none of the boys believe in the tooth fairy, it's not that big of a deal to them if we forget the money under the pillow for a day or two. Well, yesterday morning I woke up to this message on the white board. It had been more than 4 days and he was tired of waiting.

2010-01-19T18:06:00.000-08:00

As you know, I have been teaching Gospel Doctrine. Well, concerned about having to teach the Old Testament, I enrolled in an adult institute class to help me. And wouldn't you know it, I just got released on Sunday and am now serving as the Relief Society Committee Leader (used to be called Enrichment Leader). Needless to say, it is a busier calling than Gospel Doctrine, but I am more in my element there!! Liz has a fun new calling too... 8 year old cub scouts (both of us were released and called on Sunday) I'm a little more excited about mine than she is.

I also enrolled myself in traffic school since I got not one but TWO speeding tickets on the SAME road from the SAME cop! Thankfully here in Utah traffic school is only 2 hours instead of 8, like in Arizona.

2010-01-10T18:45:00.000-08:00

Dad and Allyson came over for dinner tonight. We hadn't had them over for so long - with them going out of town, craziness of the holiday season and sickness, it took a while to find a day that would work for all.

Poor Jordan, he is such a good student, but unfortunately he inherited the procrastination gene. I got online to check on all the kids grades and my mouth dropped when I saw the list (a page long) of Jordan's missing assignments. We (parents) were under the assumption he was caught up before Christmas break.

So, Tuesday morning became a day parents live for (1 - I got to embarrass a child 2 - He made me so proud!) - I got ready, drove the kids to school (they knew something was up, because they usually walk). I dropped Parker and Connor off and announced to Jordan that I was going in to class with him. Of course, immediate fear sets in. He said NO. I said, at least be grateful I am dressed and ready.

I told him he had 2 choices, I could go in with him, gather everything he needs and catch up on everything at home or stay at school. He opted for home. It was all I could do to keep from laughing when I saw how embarrassed he was to have me walk in with him into a quiet class (we were late due to the argument in the car about me going in). We gathered all his books, worksheets, etc. and headed out - he was blushing the whole time!

Now for the proud part: He sat at the kitchen table doing his work from 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM, with only a 30 minute break for lunch, we had to go back to the school in the afternoon for a book he'd forgotten so I had him walk home for a break, then he got back to work until scouts (1 1/2 hour break) and finally finished at 10 PM a total of about 11 hours of straight homework. He never complained, stayed focused the whole time - I was so proud of him. Then he got up at 6AM the next day to finish 2 more book reports before school.

He assured me it wasn't any fun, it wouldn't happen again. I assured him, if it did, I'ld be in my PJ's next time. Jared's plan was to ground him until we got his next grades...

2010-01-05T18:30:00.000-08:00

Katelyn was SO excited to begin ballet class today. She already loves her instructor "Miss Penny". I had to put up her new little leather shoes and tights or she would have slept with them on.

The boys are grudingly getting back into the groove of school work. Jordan: "homework is so stupid" Parker: "I hate doing homework" Connor: "I hate school, school is so dumb, school is the dumbest thing in the world!"

Jared: "I'm having a hard time getting excited about my classes this last semester".

All this after 2 whole days!

I, on the other hand am so excited about school! I am loving being home again with Katelyn. And our family is actually enjoying sit down dinners again (they sort of came to a screeching halt while I was in school). Never will I judge the working and / or single parent!

Hope you are all enjoying the new year and doing well!

Happy Holidays

2009-12-28T23:03:00.000-08:00

OK - I meant to post this a while ago, but kept putting it off because I can't get my pics to download. Enough waiting - here's our update...

This was probably the best Christmas we've had. For the first time we sort of "downsized" our Christmas, and it was great. Christmas Eve when we were gathering gifts to wrap I said to Jared, this sure doesn't look like much. His reply - "good".

We spent Christmas Eve with Ed, Tisa and family. (ate out at China Isle - excellent food!) Christmas morning was fun - everyone was happy with their gifts. Then we had Ed & Tisa over again for brunch. Liz was too burnt out to get together, so she spent the holiday with just her family.

Tisa gave us some jigsaw puzzles and we are hooked, we have been doing one every night.We didn't even have our traditional fondue on Christmas because we did puzzles straight through dinner time - poor kids having to fill up on chips and chocolate...

Our garage door died, once again we are so thankful for our home warranty!! And because they didn't come the day they were scheduled, we didn't even have to pay our service fee - one more free thing from our insurance.

Well, I broke tradition (my own personal one that started several years ago). I gave out chocolates and carmels (homemade of course with the kids help) to friends and neighbors instead of cheeseball or salsa. I figure we all get too much sweet stuff, we need some salt in there during the holidays. I'll be back to my old self next year.

Over Christmas break the boys have been having fun sledding and having airsoft wars - with the temps in the teens - I want nothing but to stay inside and drink hot chocolate!

Jared is registered for classes - last semester at BYU. He is so excited about getting back to school on January 4th - I heard him saying something about the workload at home vs school - he opted for school...

As for the kids - all doing great - loving Christmas break. Katelyn has been cracking us up with her pronunciation of words lately: fandude (fondue), helescope (telescope), I know there is another one , but I can't think of it now.

Oh, speaking of telescope, Jordan had his out the other day set up in the livingroom (too cold outside I guess), instead of looking at the sky - he has a nice shot of the mountain. He studies trees and the occasional bird flying by. Then he sends Parker out across the street with a book to see if he could read it - he could. Jared walked in and said what a dork - wonder what the neighbors are thinking about Parker standing out in the middle of the road holding a book in the air... Oh, and Jordan running to the door yelling at him to hold still or turn the page.

I finally graduated!!!

2009-12-07T10:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks to a great husband and 4 good kids I was able to finish up my cosmetology schooling just last week. I successfully passed both State exams and am now awaiting my license in the mail. My plan is to work out my little home salon part time - just kind of for fun.

We had a fun Thanksgiving with Liz, Nate, Kathleen, Tara, Tisa and families. I tried two new recipes this year (a stuffing and pie) and loved both of them. I am so excited to be back home just in time for the baking season!!!

Just a little update on us since it has been so long...

Jared - working from home for PSPRS (Same company he worked for in Arizona) and he is teaching an online business course. Which keeps him busy enough. He has one last full semester at BYU (starting in January) and then we are done with the schooling at our house!!

Jordan - Dreading the cold weather, but loving the snow, slight attitude that needs to be re-adjusted occasionally. But overall a very responsible, great kid. Doing great in school as always and very good on the piano. He still loves to read for which I am very grateful.

Parker - Excited for sledding season. Doing very well in school. I love to hear him talk about what he learns in school - he is very interested in many things right now - we hope it continues. Still a very enthusiastic eater - which concerns us daily. Still has yet to recognize the need for silverware when he has 10 perfectly good fingers that do the job...

Connor - Also dreading the cold weather, but I'm sure he'll be ready to go sledding after school. He often expresses his desire to move back to Arizona where it is warmer. He lives and breathes baseball and football - in fact - his most recent baseball uniform has now become his pajamas, (socks and all). He struggles with seeing the need for him to do any type of job around the house - just doesn't think he should have to.

Katelyn - poor little thing has strep throat and an ear infection. She still loves all things pink and purple - loves to wear dresses and twirl like a ballerina. She is looking forward to starting Primary in January so she will be in with her brothers. She is very happy to have her mom back home again, and seems to be quite attached - I don't mind a bit.

2009-09-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would let you know we are all alive and well. The boys are in school and loving it (okay, that may be a tad bit exaggerated) But Jared is loving it! We are so happy to announce that he will soon be working again (for his former employer in Phoenix). They are still working out the whole telecommuting logistics stuff... He is hoping to start working by next week.

Fall is around the corner, we are already beginning to see some yellow leaves out back. Much cooler temperatures at night too - I love this time of year.

Jared is still doing a great job as my replacement and I am enjoying school. Better get to bed...

2009-08-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it back from Arizona. We missed getting to see some of our friends because our trip was cut short. We had to come back early so Jared could make it to a job interview here. We spent lots of time with family and got to see some friends too.

Thankfully the weather was beautiful. It was quite warm our last day there (110) but much cooler the rest of the week. The kids went swimming in Grandpa and Grandma's pool everyday. They were delighted that they didn't have to take showers all week - Grandpa just soaped them up outside and squirted them off with the hose.

The boys spent the night at Andy and Michelle's one night and Nate and Karen's. It was really fun for Jared and I and the kids - not so sure about the others involved...

Thanks to dramamine no one lost their lunch in the car (a first for us YEA!!) Katelyn decided somewhere between Kanab and Page to put a piece of candy up her nose. We got it out in Page and were grateful we didn't have to make a visit to urgent care for that.

That's about it for us. We came home to cold temperatures and rain. A fun change. We are busy getting everything in order for school to start on Thursday. A VERY happy day for all of us!!!

Update...

2009-08-02T15:07:00.000-07:00

Jared - has a few more days with the boot on. He will be organizing the house this week, getting things in order before school starts. Did I mention he has tried some new recipes, he is really getting into the whole "Stay at home Dad" thing. He loves and appreciates his wife more everyday!!! He will also be doing most of the packing for our trip to Arizona next week - I know, we are crazy to go this time of year, but we are still looking forward to it.

We spent some time in Ogden over the weekend. It was the Smout family reunion, the kids of coarse loved swimming at Aunt Myrnas, and spending time with Jareds parents and extended family. Then the same day Jared's grandma (Vicki's mom) celebrated her 80th birthday.

Grandpa and Grandma somehow got suckered in to having the boys spend the night with them at their hotel - the boys loved it.

Lydia - School is going great. Jared and I started a family history class today - it runs for 6-7 weeks and the best part - it is during Sunday School so I have a sub teaching gospel doctrine for the next several weeks!!

Just realized it is time to leave - kids are all doing good - can't think (and don't have time) of much to say there...

Oh, we got some big, delicious, Blackberries from Dad and Allyson - YUM!!

Grandpa...

2009-07-21T18:46:00.001-07:00

I completely forgot to post the funniest thing: Last Sunday at church our darling Katelyn was acting up which called for a "take-out". It so happened that Jared was on the end of our row, so he got the privilege. Anyway - an "elderly" man was watching him with Katelyn then asked is she your daughter or granddaughter. I had to laugh out loud at that one!

Since I just celebrated my 41st birthday last week, I sure am glad it happened to him and not me!

Who needs a stool???

2009-07-19T17:06:00.001-07:00

I'm liking the snow boots that give her extra leverage!

Let's see what has been going on with us...

Jared - leg is healing, but he still has to wear the boot cast for 3 more weeks. Still job hunting.

Lydia - graduated from orientation, so I am now officially "on the floor".

Jordan - had a fun outing going to the lake with some friends that have a boat - he loved riding on the tube.

Parker - wiped out on his skateboard - took out a nice chunk of skin from his knee - scraped up his face, elbow, side, etc. So he didn't get to go to the lake - (fear of yucky germs making a new home in his wounds)

Connor - he too went to the lake and loved it. His favorite was knee boarding. I can tell he is ready to go back to school because he pesters Katelyn - that means he is bored!

Katelyn - She went to her friend Nicole's house for a picnic - which was so fun for her. She loves to dance to all kinds of music and sings a lot - she also loves to read - I catch her looking at my Martha Stewart Living and Better Homes and Gardens magazines a lot.

2009-07-19T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I checked on my zucchini, and they didn't look quite ready, I waited a couple of days, went back out and this is what I found. I had no idea how fast this stuff grows.

Instead of just tossing it (I've heard it's not any good when it gets too big), I tried it in some Zucchini bread - it turned out great.

Since then we have made 8 loaves of zucchini bread, given several away and currently have a bagful in the fridge to freeze, along with more on the counter I'm planning to take to someone tonight! I also picked our first cucumbers yesterday along with some yellow squash.

I also used some of our fresh basil and parsley for a yummy pasta sauce - having a garden is so much fun.

2009-06-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

It's been a fun week - Jared fractured his foot, and after almost 12 faithful years our washer gave out. However - no one is sick and we still have food in cold storage!!!

2009-06-30T15:59:00.001-07:00

Jordan had his last lacrosse game - he was on a great team they only lost one game (in their defense - a lot of guys missed that game due to a Father /Son campout). They went out on a high the score to their last game was 22-0.

We celebrated Jordan's 11th birthday this week.

He built a ramp in scouts - see the video - his homemade one is obviously the last jump:

Jordan Knievel

2009-06-30T15:56:00.001-07:00

Parker got to participate in the flag ceremony at a UVU Baseball game. Of course the highlight was the hotdog!

The boys got a little bored, started lighting things on fire:

2009-06-30T15:55:00.001-07:00

Connor went off a ramp, wiped out, cut his chin and got stitches...

2009-06-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Katelyn came into school for a pedicure. The whole process was way too long for her, she just wanted to get right to the painting. Her massage tub just kept creating tons of bubbles, I was scooping them out by the armful. She was in heaven. She opted for bright orange polish alternated with hot pink - so cute!

Jared has everything under control...

2009-06-18T19:14:00.000-07:00

As you know I started school 2 weeks ago, and Jared has taken on the role of "Mr. Mom". It is taking some time to adjust to our new (and thankfully temporary) roles. For the most part he really is doing a great job, but I have to tell about a couple of things. In his defense, he started out on the first day of summer break with all the kids home all day, and he has been doing lots of yard work.

So I get a phone call from Jared asking how to do the laundry - I did the best I could explaining over the phone how much detergent, what needs to line dry, etc. So I was surprised to come home and walk into the familyroom and there on our nice big red sectional was 4 loads of clean laundry (none of it folded - just getting nice and wrinkled - I had a picture of it, but someone... deleted it). When I casually asked what they did that day - Jared became a little defensive and told me he had everything "under control"! I had forgotten a step in the directions, that after it is washed it also needs to be folded and put away.

Another day, Katelyn told me that Sister Steinekert did her hair - Jared didn't think he needed to mess with a good thing. Thought she looked fine after sleeping all night! As you'll see in the photo below - she insisted on eating applesauce outside with her winter hat and gloves on - I guess there was a slight breeze that day??? She is looking more and more like a Utahn with unkept hair, dirty face and running barefoot outside.

The same day he told me he had "everything under control" all three boys came home with MAJOR sunburns. They had gone off to some friends with their underarmor on to play on a slip n slide - well it was an overcast day so they took their shirts off - obviously no sunscreen on underneath. Not Jared's fault, but of course it happened when he was on duty.

In all seriousness - I really appreciate having such a supportive husband - willing to take on the challenges of being "Mom", so I can finish school.

I am really enjoying school and re-learning lots. So far I have gotten A's on all my tests and tomorrow I have my first practical test (pass off a woman's hair cut). Things are a bit more hectic then I expected, but we'll get it under control. I have a new appreciation for Mom's that work full-time - especially single parents!!!

2009-06-18T19:09:00.001-07:00

HELP!!!

2009-06-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

As you know I started school this week. And as I mentioned before, I am planning to convert one of our family rooms into a Salon so I can work at home. But I need your help...

Send me any ideas you have for a Salon name. It could include my name or not. Maybe I'll post the ideas and then have a vote???

Some ideas so far are:

Locks by Lydia
A Re-Treat for your Hair
Lydia's Re-Treat * For your Hair (for your hair in a Smaller Font)
Lydia's Trends
Lydia's Get-A-Way Salon
Refresh Yourself Salon
Bed Head Haven
Little Indulgences...
Lydia's Little Indulgences
Life's Little Indulgences
Escape
Emmerce
Induldge
Pretty and Practical
Pizazz...

Nothing is screaming out saying "pick me" just yet - so send your ideas PLEASE!!!

2009-05-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday of last week we had a "Start Up" BBQ with Jared's group. One of his friends is from Brazil so we offered to do a Brazilian BBQ - boy am I glad we let him. It was absolutely delicious. It was fun to visit with them (Fabio, Moses and their families) and talk about their Countries. Very interesting night.

2009-05-31T21:28:00.000-07:00

Kids at the creek. And on Campus at BYU where we met Grandma for lunch at the famous "J-Dawgs"

2009-05-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

Things have gotten a little out of control at the Smout house. We focus on one area and the rest falls down around your knees. We are so sad, you may remember the picture I posted last year of our Maple tree - we lost half of it in a wind storm last year. Well, 2 days ago we lost the other half - heart breaking!!! Of course this prompted breaking out the saw, which led to Jared ripping out several more bushes (6 to be exact). Some I wasn't planning to part with...

We have had a fun week with Nate, Karen and kids. They came from Arizona to get out of the 100+ degree weather. Dad and Allyson were both sick last Sunday so we all met up at Liz's for Sunday dinner instead of Dads. We had a fun breakfast for dinner. German pancakes, Plain pancakes, Blueberry Pancakes, Sausage and my favorite Crepes. Everything was delicious and it was so fun getting everyone together as always.

My highlight of the week was spending an afternoon at the creek with the kids. It was perfect, sitting in the shade, slight breeze, looking at a magazine, visiting, etc. Oh, and the other highlight... Nate got the stumps out of the backyard for us. Can't wait to get grass growing in those areas now.

Well, I have pictures, but not sure where the camera is at the moment, so I'll have to post them later.

I start school Tuesday, so keep Jared and the kids in your prayers... I imagine things will relax a bit around here, but I'm sure the kids will have a fun summer with their dad.

2009-05-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

I almost forgot one of our most important events... We finally got our whole garden in and a new drip system - well, Jared did the drip system and I did the planting - our plan is for the kids to weed... Compared to last year - our garden looks like a masterpiece, so I'm sure I'll be posting pictures after all the sprouting starts. We are quite proud of our project.

Parker and Connor's piano recital

2009-05-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

2009-05-18T13:14:00.001-07:00

Connor and Camilla (neighbor) always go to our neighbor to play games with her and get a piece of candy. On their own they thought to write her a thank you note with a flower taped to it.

The LONG awaited Pink Dora Cake!!! (by Tisa)

2009-05-18T13:12:00.000-07:00

Outfit of choice...

2009-05-18T13:11:00.000-07:00

2009-05-18T13:09:00.000-07:00

2009-05-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Jared's parents were in town this weekend, along with his sister Angela and her fiance Kenyon (who we met for the first time.) They spent the day here on Saturday to celebrate Katelyn's 3rd birthday - she has been so excited.

For months she's been asking for a pink Dora cake, diamonds, pink balloons and a horse, well - she got them all!

After church on Sunday we went to Ogden for a BBQ with Jared's extended family.

2009-05-03T07:49:00.000-07:00

We made a dent in yard work this week. Jared Roto-tilled the garden and another area for me, I got quite a bit of weeding done, cleaned out under bushes and finished thinning out the hedge that Liz started on last week. Oh, Jared also mowed the lawn for the first time this season. We have been having a lot of rain, which we love, but it sure makes those weeds grow!

Elaine and her kids made an unexpected trip here to Utah. She is staying with Liz, but we have been able to spend some time with them. It's been fun to see them - Elaine has a great laugh, I have enjoyed hearing her again. We get them at our house on Monday...

We had a fun BBQ at Liz's yesterday. It was a big group - Elaine and her kids, Dad & Allyson, Kathleen, Jessica and Brianna (Brianna is getting so cute, her hair is adorable) We are glad we got to see them before the move to Arizona next week. Levi, Ty and Barbara (Uncle Lynn's kids - they are in town for Zeb's baby blessing) Ed, Tisa, Kids and Ed's parents (they are the nicest people, we see where Ed gets his personality) - and of course all the Claflins. Ed's dad (San) really enjoyed hearing the Claflin boys play their music (drums, keyboard and guitar) they really are pretty good. Thanks again Liz for having all of us over

We have another BBQ this afternoon at our place. We are having a "Cinco de Mayo" party - Carne Asada, rice beans, etc. (just trying to make you drool a little...) Anyway we invited Connor's school teacher over and some friends - we are hoping we won't be rained out...

Now for our big news: I am going back to school! I am so excited. Jared has willingly taken the backseat for the next 6 months for me to finish my Cosmetology program. He will still be taking at least one class each term/semester, but for the most part he will be taking care of the kids. I start classes on June 1st and go Monday - Friday 8-4:30 with the option of going in on Saturdays. I should finish before Christmas. We are so grateful that I got a pell grant that almost covers the cost for me. We don't have all the details worked out, but our plan is to convert our basement family room into a salon (you can have home based businesses here). We hope to have it done by the time I finish so I can jump right in to working.

2009-04-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken about 3 days after our foot of snow picture. CRAZY! Connor and Katelyn were STEAMING and had to run through the sprinker.

Katelyn is getting so excited for her 3rd birthday. All she talks about is having her pink Dora cake, a horse, diamonds and pink balloons!

2009-04-27T09:29:00.000-07:00

Aunt Liz, Scott and John came over last week. Liz and I did a little work on our 1980's hedge out front that I have hated from day one. I casually mentioned my vision and she grabs the loppers and starts going to town. I'm excited about the potential...

The boys had a great time riding bikes together and having the sprinkler on under the trampoline. We don't see them enough, so we really enjoyed spending the afternoon with them.

We went to Aunt Becky's graduation party (from BYU) on Saturday. Waldo made some yummy BBQ Pork - I need to get some lessons from him! Becky is now looking for a job teaching 1-3rd grade. We didn't realize how close they live to us. She is even applying at the boys school. I would love for Connor to have her as a teacher in the next year or two.

Dad and Allyson were at the party along with lots of other relatives (Roalds daughters, Elizabeth Clawson, Sam Peterson, and others.)

We had Dad and Allyson over for dinner last night. Now that Dad can get around again we can have them over more. He mostly uses his cane just when going downstairs, so he's make huge improvements.

2009-04-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Gotta love Utah in April...

Our poor kids, this is Spring Break for them, and to top it off - we didn't go anywhere. I pulled my back out last week, after 3 days of hurting, Jared suggested I go to the doctor. Great advise - I got doped up on steroids and muscle relaxers, so my week has been pretty relaxing, but the kids are going stir crazy. I think we are supposed to hit 70 by the weekend, just in time to be back in school.

2009-04-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Parker's 9th birthday this week. We have opted to stop all the birthday parties and just celebrate with our family. We had his favorite - tacos. He proudly downed 4 but was a bit disappointed he couldn't break his previous record of 7 tacos... Jared was supposed to be gone on an overnight campout, but luckily it was cancelled due to our weather so he was able to be home with us. Parker and Connor both had friend birthday parties to attend this week too, so lots of gift buying.

Connor was so excited for his first baseball practice, he asked if he could sleep in his uniform, which of course I said no. He woke up at 6AM the next morning fully dressed and ready for practice, which wasn't happening until after school 4:30... I'm sure todays practice will be cancelled - hard to play ball in a foot of snow!

2009-04-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Here is Jared's "International" "Startup" team. Jean from Equador, The Gringo (Jared), Fabio from Brazil and Moses from Malawi. They ended up taking 3rd place. They were a little disappointed about not winning, but we are still proud they made it as far as they did!

Jared got some good news: He went in for his final MRI and he is completely healed with very little scarring. He is still numb and tingly on the left side, but the doctor gave us encouragement when he said 90% of patients made a full recovery within 6 months - so about 3 more to go.

2009-04-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

We resumed dinner at Dad & Allyson's last week, it was fun to get together with everyone again. As you can see the Claflin gang just keeps growing...

He finally lost it!!!

2009-04-05T15:18:00.000-07:00

It required Dad using pliers, but it finally came out, he also has one just above this one that is loose, so he may have a much larger gap by next week...

2009-04-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

Jared is spending a lot of time working on their presentation. Their submission for the Dell Competition is due Monday and then they present again at BYU on Thursday - keep your fingers crossed! He is trying to find time for job searching...

I spent over six hours in the kitchen yesterday baking and cooking - I wanted to try some new recipes for our Conference weekend. Liz thought it sounded like pure torture, especially the part about having to get up at 3AM today to start my meat cooking. I would love to report that it is fantastic, but it is still cooking (about 13 hours later)...

We haven't done a thing in the yard, it has been snowing everyday. I'll have to watch the news tonight to see if we are going to get a break...

Love you all, have a good week

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

The boys have taken a liking to chess. Parker learned how to play in scouts a few months ago. Jordan just read the directions that came with the set, so now he plays (smart kid with a fantastic memory) and then Jordan taught Connor who also caught on quite easily. Each of the boys have different interests and friends, so I was happy they found something they like to do together.

2009-04-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Jordan went to the much anticipated "Clear Creek" this last week. Basically it is a 5th grade overnight fieldtrip in the mountains. I was concerned about sending him out, we had a big storm and I was afraid, if the buses could even make it, they would freeze to death once there. He came home, warm, full, tired and happy - except for the fact that they had to do tons of jumping jacks. Everytime some kids broke rules, the whole group had to do jacks. Of course he and his friends were on their best behavior, so they were never to blame... As soon as he got home, he begged me to take him to get his Lacrosse gear, so he has been practicing ever since.

2009-04-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

Connor is becoming a master of false representation. We were surprised last week during Sunday School when he was brought into us because he said he was "sick". After much questioning by Jared and I, it turns out he just wanted to leave church, hoping he could go home and watch a movie. That parenting pride kicked right in.

2009-04-04T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid the "fire in the gutter" has become a tradition at our place. You may remember photos of the kids last year, roasting mini marshmellows. Unfortunately, neither us or the neighbors had any mellows (unusual since it is still hot chocolate weather!). So the kids had to get creative, they came our with all sorts of things to roast. They even came up with a new chip: "Fire Roasted Ruffles" Yum!

2009-04-04T15:42:00.000-07:00

Today, inbetween Conference sessions we took the kids to a Charity Easter Egg Hunt. There was an icey wind blowing so it felt like we were in the Arctic, but as you can see, that didn't stop the kids. They had a great time, and we appreciated all the candy that kept them busy during the second session! Katelyn loves all holidays that involve candy.

2009-03-29T15:15:00.000-07:00

The big news in our community is the opening of Wal-mart. It has caused many mixed feelings around here. I will openly admit, I have never been fond of the place. I also don't care for the fact that it is so close to the school, etc. Having said that - I have to admit to being impressed. They have really made an effort to make it a nicer store. It is all brick, stone walkways, etc. And it really is so convienent having a store in the area, I'm actually starting to like the place.

However, it has caused our oldest, most responsible son to take a turn for the worse... The other day I left him babysitting (I took Katelyn with me) while I ran a quick errand. Jordan's friend called to see if he wanted to walk down to Walmart, because you know you can buy a 2 liter of cheap soda for 79 cents. So he left his brothers, told them they were fine to be alone. Needless to say, he got a good talking to!

2009-03-29T15:12:00.000-07:00

Parker has some very exciting news. He finally has a loose tooth - the expander is actually working! His poor little mouth was so cramped nothing could wiggle. Of course this news will only be topped by the tooth actually coming out...

2009-03-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

I had Katelyn all ready for church this morning, cute little black bows and all. Then come in to see her with all her "bling" and the extra headband. Quite the look!

2009-03-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

Connor was so excited this week for the first grade "American ABC's" program. It was dedicated to one of the secretaries at school who's son recently lost his life while serving in Iraq. They did a fantastic job. The photo is Connor with his teacher Miss Allen.

Yesterday Connor and Camilla (neighbor) were playing "Mom and Dad" with Katelyn as their baby. They put her in a diaper, changed her into "soft clothes" and were going to put her down for a nap. Katelyn was loving all the attention. Well, it finally came time for her real nap. So I sent "Mom and Dad" out. Katelyn began crying not wanting all the fun to stop. Camilla comes back in her room and tells me, "I think she likes us better as her Mom and Dad because she doesn't cry with us."

2009-03-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

I came home from walking the boys to school, as soon as I opened the door, Katelyn made a dead run for the trampoline. She just wanted to jump in the snow. She is the only one in the family not tired of the snow. Nevermind she has no shirt on, atleast she thought to put on her snowpants!

2009-03-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

Katelyn and I met up with Aunt Liz earlier this week for gardening supplies. Then she took us to lunch. I have to admit - it is fun having a daughter to do these "girl things" with. Katelyn adores Aunt Liz! And of course, Liz only encourages that behavior.

2009-03-29T13:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was another day of yardwork. It was finally warm enough to transplant the Blackberry and Raspberry bushes. We finished pruning the fruit trees, fertilized them and even got the snail bait out! Oh, and Jared was able to aerate the lawn. Busy day - we got everything done that I had down on my list - that is very unusual!

If felt so good to be outside and even get a little sunburn, then of course, today, we get another storm - we are getting tired of the snow. I had to cover all my newly planted berries before leaving for church this morning. The wind has been horrendous today - up to 60 miles an hour. I think we have 3 more storms this week - UGH!! Despite the snow, we can see signs of it being Spring - I love this time of year, all the little buds and flowers opening up. Encouraging and refreshing.

2009-03-22T20:36:00.000-07:00

We got a lot done on the yard over the week. I dug out the plants growing along our huge rock wall flower bed, dug out all the strawberries, planted 25 new strawberry plants, trimmed the peach tree. Decided to take down the apple tree (next weeks project - Jared is probably shaking his head right now). And then for the big project, we removed grass (an area of about 26 feet by 3 feet) to plant our Blackberry and Raspberry bushes. For those that have never tried to take out grass, that is some back breaking work! We about had to crawl into the house when we finally finished (took us 3 hours). Thankfully Jordan and two of his friends helped us, carrying the sod and placing it in the newly torn up rock wall flower bed (with the promise of brownies). They worked so hard we decided to reward them with a pizza / movie night.

Liz and I went to our last gardening class last week. I'm so glad we kept going, I have learned so much. Of course now, I have to put into practice everything I've learned... We are meeting up tomorrow to buy our drip system stuff, etc.

Jared is really looking forward to this semester ending and getting some relief from all the schooling. He has mixed feelings about their project winning - its exciting that they are in the top 3, but now with an already extra busy two weeks, they have to spend a lot more time preparing for their final presentation. They are given 45 minutes to present this time, (as opposed to about 10 minutes before), lots of extra time to fill...

Jared enjoyed going to lunch with a friend who was in town from Arizona (Todd Pepper) on Friday. It was fun for him to have some down time and do some catching up.

We saw Dad a few times while Allyson was out of town. He is doing so good, just getting around with a cane now. Katelyn loves to go over there to do the puzzles and read books - the candy Dad has sitting out is also VERY enticing to her.

Jared and Jordan went to the dedication of the Draper Temple this afternoon - first time for Jordan, he thought it was pretty neat.

2009-03-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

Jordan captured this picture of a Blue Bird in our yard. I think it's a pretty good picture considering how much the dang thing kept hopping around!

He has signed up for Lacrosse this year. He and a friend went to his older brothers Lacrosse game the other night. He is very enthused about playing. We had talked a little bit about the expense of the equipment, etc. A few days later Jordan asked me how much my "allowance" was. Then determined he could probably get by with only $900 to get everything he needed. He was confused when I started laughing - thinking this amount was very reasonable. I shattered his little world when I told him we'll be buying used equipment...

2009-03-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Remember the "Vending Machine" Parker and Connor made? Well, they made a killing ($17 )preying on unsuspecting neighborhood kids. This will give you an idea of how good of a salesman Parker is- he swindled a poor little girl across the street into buying 3 old mangled army men for $2. Had I known, I would have told her to go to the dollar store, she could get 50 for that price! The boys were quite pleased by the end of the day.

I just came across this note, probably something from Primary. It has Parkers name at the top and then lists 3 things (in an adults hand writing) that he is good at. Then I see added in pencil (looks very much like Parkers handwriting), several more things: Very funny, Good at snowboarding (which he has never done), etc. and the one that show his true character - good at eating chinese food, pizza and cheese, lettuce and turkey sandwich!

2009-03-22T19:58:00.000-07:00

You know, the weather hits 65 here and the kids are all out playing in the water. Katelyn's new daily attire is a swim suit, whether indoor or out. Here she is "diving" into her "pool". I wonder if the snow expected tonight will put a damper on her "pool party"?

2009-03-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

We have some exciting news... The Social Venture competition Jared and his team entered with their project to offer education, mentoring and access to formal lines of credit in Brazil (with hopes of branching into other developing countries) - are one of the 3 projects to make it to BYU's final round. They will present again in a couple of weeks. Even if they don't come in first, there is still the possibility of them receiving funding through BYU to finance the project.

Dad is such a "mean guy"

2009-03-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

A few nights ago, I was sleeping with Katelyn - she sat up and said "I'm trying so hard to be a big girl (meaning sleeping by herself), but Dad just cut a hole in my binki, see." Trying to comfort her I said, but you still have your pink blankie. She said - "But Dad is going to cut my blankie and he's going to cut my pillow too." At that point, all I could do was laugh.

When I told Jared about it, he asked if I told her I was the one who actually cut the hole - Well of course not!!

2009-03-15T17:55:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun Friday night. We went to the BYU Baseball game, it got much colder than we expected, so we left early and headed over to campus. The MPA program was having an "International" dinner and talent show.

Jordan has been listening to George Winston (piano music) and has been learning to play by ear one of his songs. He spontaneously volunteered to play the song he had been working on, at the talent show. He did a great job, we were so proud of him. All the other participants were, of course, college students.

2009-03-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

Parker & Connor have spent the day making a vending machine. Parker came to me just before church and said, I'm not sure this is going to work. I thought he meant because of how he put his "machine" together, but then he says: "No one is going to want to buy something out of diaper box!" He plans to just set it out in front of the house and become rich while he's at school. Jared told him it was a genius idea - it's like a lemonade stand, but you don't have to "tend" your stand.

2009-03-15T17:32:00.001-07:00

As always at dinner time, we are talking with Parker about his manners. The other night Connor came up with a new nick name for Parker "Sloppy Dog". We were all laughing so hard, it totally fits! Looks like his nickname "Paco" may be going by the wayside.

Connor has now decided he wants to play baseball, which puts me in a scramble to get him on a team, hopefully they'll let his register late...

You'll remember the picture we have of Parker with Katelyn's barbie, well, now we have some leverage over Connor - Katelyn was shrieking something about her diaper cover, we turn around to see this...

2009-03-15T17:25:00.000-07:00

Katelyn's latest: When we are out at a store, she will snag a book, tuck it under her arm and tell me to "stay home", that she is going to "piano school", then she walks really fast to get ahead of me so it looks like she is going off on her own. Sometimes she'll tell me she is going to scouts too.

A couple of days ago she was determined to go get Connor from his friends house. She had forgotten that she was only in her panties and went running across the street in her underwear and boots - and she wasn't stopping for anything. So I yelled out that she didn't have any pants on - she stopped, looked down, said "oh yaa" and came running back home.

2009-03-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

OK Elaine, this one is for you (I can hear you laughing). We were on the phone the other day, I told her about a new bread recipe Liz had given me that I was trying. It was in the oven baking and I very confident it was going to be some great bread!

Well, thinking with mostly wheat flour, it would need to rise longer, not the case. I was so disappointed to open to oven and pull out my "mushroom" loaves. But in my defense, it did taste great!

2009-03-15T17:01:00.000-07:00

The kids and I spent Monday morning (no school) out in the yard, trying to hurry and do some good out there before the snow storm came in. We made some progress, but then you couldn't even enjoy it because it was covered with snow.

We've had beautiful weather the last couple of days (with promises of it getting even better!), so we spent Saturday (yesterday) out in the yard too. Jared and I both got sunburned and were exhausted by the end of the day. We had a ward party that night, we went, but were lacking in energy.

Our ward has a portable canner, so I borrowed it this last week to can oats, wheat, flour and rice. Because of all my other projects, I only got the oats done, but this week I will get a handle on it???!

2009-03-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

2009-03-07T20:05:00.000-08:00

We planted our Spring garden for family home evening. The kids loved helping. Unfortunately, we have had very little sun this week and I over watered them - now all the pellets have got mold on them. Very disappointing! Looks like I'll be buying plants from the nursery instead.

Since I love cooking and baking so much, I decided to begin adding some recipes that our family enjoys. The recipe this week is one we love to make when we have company. Yummy Buttermilk Pancakes!

2009-03-07T20:03:00.001-08:00

Jordan got to make a tin foil dinner for Scouts this week. His friend next door forgot to tell his Mom about it so he came to our house to make his. They both seemed a bit hesitant as I pushed them out the door with raw chicken and veggies, but came bursting home after scouts saying it was the best meal they had ever had!

2009-03-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

As you can see, Parker's sprouts are growing well. Just a few more weeks Jared, then you can enjoy your sprout sandwich! The other day Parker said he just wanted to play with Katelyn all day on Saturday instead of playing with friends. I asked why? "Cause she is so funny and I never get to see her. I just forget about her all day, then I come home and see her cute little face."

2009-03-07T19:57:00.000-08:00

Connor decided to take Katelyn for Show and Tell at school this week. He helped pick out her clothes, we got her all dolled up - she even had to wear her high heel princess shoes. She loved all the attention and was quite upset when it was time to go.

The picture below is not what she had on for school - just another photo of the pantless girl in Connor's shoes.

2009-03-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little Katelyn. As I mentioned last week, we managed to finally get her potty trained. But now she is back to needing me to sleep by her.

We have also taken on the task of weaning her from her beloved "Pink B" - not going to well.

Now that she wears panties, she thinks there is no need for pants anymore.

2009-03-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

We got out in the yard a bit this week, began trimming all the rose bushes, and fruit trees. Got some flower beds cleaned out too, but there is still a lot to do before Spring. The snow and cold weather has put a damper on my plans!

Funny for the Week:

2009-03-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

Katelyn was sitting on the toilet, she tends to come up with great insight when she is in that position - She announced to me yesterday - "Poop is not to eat!" I'm grateful that she understands that, but concerned that the thought even popped in her head.

2009-03-01T08:35:00.000-08:00

Our BIG news for the week... Katelyn is now potty trained (we think...). Finally, after 12 years we are leaving the diaper stage!

Parker planted some sprouts at scouts this week, he has been very diligent about watering them every other day as instructed (without being reminded). He is growing them for Jared to eat on a sandwich. I think he'll be a big help in the garden this year.

Katelyn and I went to Dad's this week, gave him a bit of a trim (hair) and he gave me some pellets, seeds and advise to start our Spring garden.

Thursday night Liz (my sister) and I went to the next gardening class (that we weren't going to go back to..) It was a really good class, got lots of good information. We are both very excited about our gardening adventures. You will soon see pics of my sprouting garden...

OK - I found the best thing. It has forever changed pizza nights! Costco sells their pizza dough, by the case for about $20. You get about 21 balls of frozen dough - and since their pizzas are so big, you get twice that many pizzas. But the best part (aside from not having to make the dough and clean up after), you can roll it out without flour! I just spray a little pam cooking spray on my counter, no more flour mess to clean off the counter - YEA!!! And baking it at 500, done in less than 15 minutes!

Yesterday we went to the Draper Temple Open House. Jordan is close enough to age 12, that he took quite an interest in the baptistry part. He is looking forward to participating in that work in a little over a year. He asked lots of questions, we are glad he wants to soak it all in. We were grateful to be able to take our family, so they would better understand the work Jared and I do when we go.

Jared came out of the office the other night and said (or rather growled) he was so sick of studying, then said sometimes he feels like chucking his laptop out the window - now if you really know Jared - that means he is REALLY sick of it - any computer, technology, etc. is a prized possession! Just a few more months Honey - (then 7 more years...)