Erik's Birthday

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I can't believe that Erik is 12 already! He is turning out to be such a nice young man. It seems like only a few days ago people were stopping me at the grocery store to look at his fat cheeks, big eyes, and full head of hair. He had a dozen haircuts before his first birthday so that most people would be able to tell that he was a boy. He still has way too much hair!

She got the Job!

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Nicole is thrilled that she got the job. She even got the camp that she really really wanted. I thought they would start her off at the local camp Kiesel this year (day camp for cub scouts and achievement day girls), but she must have had a great interview, because she got the one she wanted. There are horses there and she attended girls camp there two summers ago.
I am happy that she is finding an interest that she is excited about. She is so tall and thin and didn't make the basketball team again this year, so it is good to see her show an interest in something else.
Now I'm sure I'll be spending the wad on outfitting her for her new job....but I bet it's still cheaper than EFY.

Photoshopped faces

Photoshop Elements 6 and 7 has this hilarious tool that merges faces. We had alot of fun with that last night. We descided that it would have looked more realistic if we had used photos of each of the kids at the same age, but we had a great time laughing.

Here is Karl's head with Erik's eyes and Natalie's smile

This is Erik with Natalie's eyes

Here is Erik's head with Karl's face

Here is Natalie's face with Nicole's hair

This is Nicole's nose and mouth on Natalie's head

Last of all Here is Nicole's eyes and mouth on Lewis

Birthday Dinner

It snowed most of the day on Valentines so I didn't want to go anywhere . It was just one of those days that I wanted to stay home and keep warm. Paul had taken me to the big stake dinner/show/dance event the night before. There were over 700 people who attended and somehow they transformed the church foryer to look like a city street in France with shop windows,flower carts, and artists. We sat with some of our friends and neighbors from the ward and had a nice evening. The entertainment was fabulous. Paul and I attempted to do the waltz and foxtrot that we had learned the week before. The best part was that it was FREE!

Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday, so I made a short video.

Cholesteatoma

Natalie had her one week after surgery follow-up appointment today.

Cholesteatoma. What a strange name. It sounds like something in your blood, but it is actually what was growing in Natalie's ears. Small noncancerous, but destructive tumors that can grow in either side of the ear drum. Weird. She had one of these before when she went in for her first repair surgery in 2004. That one was growing near those tiny bones behind her eardrum and would have grown and crushed the bones, making her completely deaf in her right ear, not to mention balance problems. Thank goodness they caught it.

So it looks like Natalie will get to keep visiting the ear doctor and audiologist in case there are recurrences.

Valentines Day School Parties

Our cat Lewis was good enough to pose for the photos the kids wanted to make their valentines out of. They really get a kick out of the ones with big eyes.

Karl and Natalie spent an hour or so the other day writing names and sticking candy onto their cards. Erik, who is in 6th grade wasn't sure if his class was going to have a party since it was never mentioned by his teacher, so he is just bringing candy to hand out. His teacher is single and apparently had a bad break-up with her boyfriend over the Christmas break. I suppose she is a little bitter and doesn't feel like celebrating the day for lovers.

What I've Done

My sister-in-law had this list on her blog, so I thought I'd give it a whirl
It looks like I need to visit Europe......someday
The bold ones are what I've done


1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a Mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee Jumping
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (watched alot on land)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child (a neighbor till her dad got back from Iraq while her mom worked)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you were not ill
24. Built a snow fort (and helped with a luge)
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language.
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing (in a Jeep)
40. Seen Michelangelo's David (does the one in Vegas count?)
41. Sung Karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theatre
55. Been in a movie (I was in a tv ad once for 7 peaks, and I was also on KUTV2 get Gephart)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold girl scout cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi concentration camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Graduate from college
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone (I guess toes might count)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (I was driving...used to have a license)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible (skimmed over Leviticus)
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (Fish)
88. Had Chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life (like everyday...I'm a MOM!)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Get married to the love of your life

First Job Interview

Nicole finally got a call back for an application for a Boy Scouts camp counselor that she applied for last year. Her interview is Wednesday evening. I hope that even if she doesn't get the job, that just being able to interview will be helpful. She is applying for a no-pay 2 week position because of her age, but it will give her better odds at getting a paying job at a camp when she is 15. The camp she will likely work at is the local one that does the cub scouts and achievement girls day camps.

Ear Surgery

Double click to make it bigger. Today was the big day for Natalie. She was so good and cheerful. The nurses were delighted to take care of her. I'll keep my fingers crossed and hope that this is the last one.

First Ballroom Competition

Erik had his first ballroom competition this last weekend. I took all my kids down to Provo and we stayed at my sisters house for the night. It was really fun to watch the teams and "couples"dance. Some of the kids that have been dancing for a few years were really good!
The only thing he was a little dissappointed with is that they didn't have any workshops where he could learn some "cool new moves".

"Oh Edward..." my nearly 12-year old son Erik said in a mock tone while batting his eyelashes like a girl. Clearly he is sick of every girl in his grade talking about the Twilight series.

Perhaps I detected a slight hint of jealousy in his voice. Is he really growing up that fast? I do know for a fact that there are at least two girls that he talks to who have read the books. Poor boy...how can he ever compete with whatever image a "perfect vampire" evokes in a young tween age girl's mind!

Then to make things worse his own mother started to read the series. (I'm nearly finished)