Griffin sleeps

Griffin finally fell to sleep and I was ready to carry him to bed. I saw that he had a bed partner, under the covers and all.

racquetball

Meet Mike Bailey. Previously employed by NASA, he is now a professor in BYU's very own IT department. Very nerdy with a large gut and slow moving. Don't get me wrong - he's a great guy, and probably one of my favorite professors.

He slaughtered me at racquetball today.

I heard he played and mentioned it today to him. I consider myself a fairly good racquetball player, so asked me if I could play him today, I was somewhat doubtful. Boy did I get a surprise! He's just one of those guys that really knows how to hit the ball to all the right places. I probably played at the top of my game (rising to the challenge and all that), and afterwards he said I was the quickest player he's played in a long time. He still beat me all 3 games.

My new goal is to beat my professor at racquetball. I just thought you should meet him.

Kylie Turned 8

This is Kylie first thing in the morning, watching TV and waiting for Mommy to get her Too.




Kylie had a GREAT day on her birthday! She had a swimming party with 12 girls. They had a great time in the pool and on the slide. At one point a bee got on a little girls toe, I yelled for help inside the house for someone to come and save the little girls life. Zak came running and destroyed the bee. All lived, no one stung.


Then she went to a daddy daughter Stake party. Daddy and daugher both enjoyed themselves there. They just got out at the musical chair event. It was fun and funny.

Slip Sliddin' Away

This will be fun for the summertime parties! Kylie's is having a birthday party on Saturday and Griffin will have a birthday party in July. It took a little more than the "2 minutes" to set up, but I Griffin had a great time on it.

Things I've Been Doing

I have some time between my classes, so I thought I'd post some more pictures of things from this past semester.

Christopher and I had an assignment for humanities where we had to create an abstract painting. While listening to music we released all our pent-up emotions and spewed them across our canvases in brilliant shades of blue, green, and yellow, and purple. Very cathartic. Very draining. Here is me after the completion of my masterpiece. It is currently priced at $1.2 million.I've also been working out a lot. Here is a little picture I took. A little more info: I actually took a picture at the beginning of the year so you could see how huge I've gotten. So this is pretty much a before and after. I did my best in the second picture to make everything in the room EXACTLY like the first picture, just to have a better comparison.
I also decided that instead of getting a real job I'll just start a modeling career. I did a little gig just recently for BYU's IT program. Check it out here <---Click on this

Could I Buy Another Vowel?

I was watching the Ellen show today and she talked about this food (to the right).

I had no idea what it was so I came to "google" it. I tried and tried to spell it...piaa, peia, peaia. Nothing would come up. I said out loud, I just can't figure out how to spell this word! Chase, can you spell it, and I said it. He said, "no, I have never heard of that before....just a minute, is that a Spanish word?" "Yes", I said. "Spell it P-A-E-L-L-A", the bright boy said. It worked.

Paella, a rice and seafood dish. It is loaded with garlic and onions and other spices that seemed to hurt my stomach just to read about them. The sea food part sounds good, I would like to have one bite before I die.

MY, ISN'T CHASE SMART!!

At the Flower Show

Two old ladies were sitting on a park bench outside the local town hall where a flower show was in progress. One leaned over and said, "Life is so boring. We never have any fun anymore. For $5.00 I'd take my clothes off and streak through that flower show."

"You're on." said the other old lady holding up a $5.00 bill.

So the first old lady funbled her way out of her clothes. She then streaked (as fast as an old lady can) through the door of the flower show. Waiting outside, her friend heard a commotion inside the hall, followed by applause and some shrill whistling. The smiling, naked woman came through the exit door surrounded by a cheering crowd. "What happened?" asked her waiting friend. "I won 1st prize as Best Dried Arrangement!!

Nana is in

I will try to contribute to this blog. Tomorrow maybe, right now my head is spinning. but I think Julie got me in. Thank you beloved child. I loved seeing Kylie and Quinn at the piano. Soon you will see Sophie and Tanner at the piano, as well!! I also loved seeing Kylie playing softball. She looked like she meant business!! I loved seeing Dawney and Quinn bartering back and forth. I was happy to find out that the BYU Boys are Sunday Night Card Players!! Dad and I just got back from our dinner at Pistol Petes. We had Tostadas. I am trying to clean my work room a little so am trying to get pictures in the scrapbook. Then I have to work on my bookmarks. I must make 55 for the Classics Club luncheon at the Salt Lake Country Club next Wednesday. I am also in charge of centerpieces on the tables. Am taking my old antique blue and white teapots and filling them with fresh flowers. Then I will set a little birdsnest beside each one. It will be lovely. I will be so happy when it is all done. For next year, the new President has asked me to be her historian. Does this mean mre scrapbooks? Life for me is not boring yet so I will not have to take all my clothes off and run through the flower show!!

What a Brain Age!

On my Nintendo DS I can improve my brain age. I checked my age today, and it was 28!! I am very proud.

Happy Mother's Day

We had dinner at Candice's house--Chicken Picatta, sweet potatoes, corn, strawberries, Mom's Salad (aka Nana's Salad) and lemon pudding cake for dessert. It was all very yummy. And of course, we all sat around after eating, talking and catching up with everyone. Tatia was sitting across the table from me. Jenna came into the room and quietly walked up behind her mother, holding what looked like a paring knife over her head. How odd, I thought. Then Jenna proceeded to STAB HER MOTHER!! Tatia never even reacted, just kept talking. THAT was when I realized that she had a fake knife with a retracting blade in it. It was incredibly funny after it was over.

Anyone Of These Presents Would Have Been Good Enough On Their Own, Even the Card!

What I don't get, is this is the LAST part that I am typing, yet it is appearing up at the top. I don't get it. And I added these pictures after the first ones. Hmmm, I guess I am still learning. And I don't know how to turn the picture, so just turn your head. It will be your exercise for the day. -- So if you want to know what I said first, go to the bottom of this post and read your way up, or just enjoy the backward nature of it all.

Here is my first snorkling set. Kerry purposefully got red for me - very nice! See's Candy!! Yummy. We all tried them. Zak liked the coffee ones the best!
To hear my "ipod" with speakers. It works well. Chase read those instructions for me and got it going.
Floating lounge for the pool - can't have too many.

Griffin and me before I opened all my presents
Griffin said this was his toy. They are clips that hold your towel down as you are laying out in the sun.
I am laughing at the card Kerry gave me. It was funny.
We all shared the Razzles. Fun.
These are "glow bugs". You can't tell from the picture, but the "bugs" light up. We all ate the glow bugs too.

Happy Mother's day to me and all the other mothers that peek at this blog but are TOO chicken to post. I had to play the piano during sacrament meeting for the primary, I did GREAT. They sang well. (You happy Zak?) When Kerry finally got home from church after fulfilling his duties, I got to open my presents. Quinn and Kylie were the photographers. They did well too.

First Piano Recital!

"May The Force Be With You" - that takes on a new meaning when it comes to piano lessons. Zak and Quinn were (are) not too happy to be involved with the piano, but I am sure in many years to come they will thank me. Kylie mostly loves it. They are all 3 VERY good at it. These are pictures of their first recital.

Sister April Steimle always has a recital for her students and this year, sweetly, she invited Zak, Quinn and Kylie to join it. I said YES! Zak, sadly, said NO!! Quinn and Kylie did VERY well. I was proud. If I was more adept at this computer/blogging, I would have a video for you. Maybe I could add that later.

Softball Player

Ok, to praise myself, I am a great photographer! Look at the ball!! She probably hit this ball out of the park!
Now this is Kylie playing catcher. She enjoys this position because there is always action.
One more of the CATCHER - she is ready for any ball.

Kylie LOVES playing softball. Here she is playing first base. She is #3. I know the "action" picture is blurring, I was excited. She was making a great catch at first base.

Help an old lady out...

I need to know how old you are, and what grade you are in. There are too many of you for me to keep track of! I don't know how your mother does it.

Christopher is 23 and turning 24 in November, in his second year (?) at BYU.

Steven [I always thought that Steven was a Stephen] must be 21, cause Tim is 22 [that is also how I figured out Christopher's age]

Chase is either just turned 18 or is about to, and must be a senior in High School ['cause Morgan is]

And after that, I don't have any more children to compare you to, so I have no idea!

I can do Tatia's family the same way down to Daniel, but I am lost with Bart's kids. I just know that they are all younger than mine.

Candice's child is easy, 'cause, so far, there is only one of him and he was baptised last year, so that makes him 8. But I'll lose track of him in about 2 years time.

Please answer, forthwith.

At home Christopher, At school Steven

when I'm at home Mom often accidentally calls me Christopher. she'll say something like "Christopher, hold this for a second" or "Christopher, did you practice your piano?". then, I respond saying "yea, Christopher did you practice your piano?" it is very funny.
But while I'm at school my very, very old English teacher (old Mrs. Sismonado) calls me Steven. She taught Steven light a billion years ago, but still remembers him and I guess I remind her of him. often I'll raise my hand and she'll say "Steven, whats the answer?" she always catches herself right away, but I think it's kinda funny.



that is a picture of my
teacher's pet dinosaur she
had when she was young

Zak's Jealousy

While looking through the pictures today, Quinn found this picture of him and his NesQuick mess. Zak said he always thought HE made that mess! He felt bad. I suggested he make that mess now and ask Christopher if he would clean it up again. ha ha Thanks Christopher!

Sunday Night = Bosca Night

Every Sunday night a group of our friends play a card game called Bosca. We get very competitive. The winner of each game gets "the belt," kind of like in boxing or wrestling. The winner of the last game of the night gets to keep the belt for the whole week. Right now the belt is just figurative, but one of these days we will go to toys R us and get a sweet looking belt for the winner to wear. Here is a picture:
These are not good cards in Bosca.

This blog is good for some great laughs...thanx guys...for bringing me partly into the 21st century. ttfn

Zak's Joke A Day

By the way-- You should visit Zak's Joke A Day.

We quack each other up

In the Year 1907

What was it like a hundred years ago?

San Francisco was still recovering from the 1906 earthquake
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was 47 years old.
Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.
Most women only washed their hair once a month , and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.
A three-minute call from Denver to New York City Cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the U.S., and only 144 miles of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!
The average wage in the US. Was 22 Cents per hour.
The average U.S. Worker made between $200 and $400 per year .
More than 95 percent of all births in the U.S. Took place at HOME .
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and ice tea hadn't been invented yet.
There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 U.S. Adults couldn't read or write.
Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.

Griffin's Carrot

While I was showering and dressing in the other room, Griffin got himself a carrot, and apparently took his t-shirt off and put it back on again.

Notice is "carrot" hand is in the actual hand slot, up from that is his head opening, and his head is out of the other armhole. If he needs his other hand, he just brings it up the same place his head is.

He is very ingenious!