Half the time the world is ending

What is it about a good book that can make all your problems go away? Well, my problems didn't really go away, but it felt so good to escape my world and enter the world of some silly high school kids' romance. No, don't worry, I don't read romance novels...it was Kristin Randle's "Breaking Rank" book (thanks Rebecca BTW). She's a great author, my second favorite book (behind Pride and Prejudice) is her "The Only Alien on the Planet." Anyway, I borrowed the book around 9 pm Tuesday night and at 11:30, I told myself "one more chapter and then I need to go to bed." But of course I couldn't put it down and probably somewhere around 12:30 (I was trying to ignore the clock, pretending it wasn't as late as it actually was) I decided I had to finish it that night...which ended up being 2 am. I think it was worth being tired the next day and waking up to the disaster (my house) I'd been neglecting over the past few days. And then yesterday turned out to be a really good day, with lots of accomplishments...check out all the good things I did yesterday:

Fix-it Woman had an encore performance last night...this time employing my carpentry skills!! There was some random leak in our master bathroom, the carpet was all wet (I really dislike carpet in the bathroom!) so I called a plumber, who couldn't find a leak without cutting holes in my wall. He recommended that I just pull the carpet and mat back to let everything dry (it wasn't a spill, there was a really big area that was soaked through to the sub-flooring). The best part was that he didn't even charge me anything! I almost called my home teachers to help with the carpet, but decided that I had to live up to my newly self-entitled name of Fix-it Woman (and of course blog about it later) and do it myself. Really, it wasn't that hard. The real trick comes in putting it all back together (but we're going to tile now for sure, even if I have to do it myself!).

Have I mentioned how we lost our iPod and didn't discover until after I bought a bunch of songs on iTunes that they don't convert to mp3s? I discovered this sad fate about a month ago when I couldn't put any of my good music on my mp3 player to listen to as I ran (a very important item when running by oneself!). But since I'm a founding member of the GGF (google girls forever...we're still accepting members if any of you are interested in joining...if you are male, you are only allowed to be an honorary member...and only then if you have shown superior Google searching capabilities), I found out how I can jump through some hoops to be able to convert my purchased iTune songs into mp3s. That required me to use my cd burner which of course was not working. So my dad came to the rescue last night and put not one, but two working CD/DVD RW drives in my computer! And I was successful in converting my songs to mp3s...yay!!! Oh, and the best part was that my mom cleaned my whole downstairs, including the dishes that were piled up from three days ago, for me while we were getting this done (isn't she amazing?! She never cleaned up after me when I was a kid...:)).

Next thing on my list of things to do is get my car in the shop to get the check engine light thing figured out (I swear we just took care of something like this a couple months ago!! I must not be dealing with enough adversity!).

Let's see, more accomplishments from yesterday...I actually cooked dinner last night (I'm down to about once a week now, which is really sad because I really love cooking, but if my kids are happy with chicken nuggets or pb & honey sandwiches, then why go through all the trouble when the leftovers are just going to go bad in the fridge anyway?). I cleaned up my computer room (it was so bad, I've been avoiding it for weeks!)...and I finally called Luke's old preschool to tell them we weren't attending this year (should've done that a month ago too!). Wow, I'm making myself sound like a serious slacker! Oh well, I guess I'm not afraid of you experiencing the real me! :)

See how they grow

Mitch had his first day of school today, starting the first grade! He's going to be gone from 8:30 am until 4 pm every day! Poor Luke, by noon he was saying he missed Mitch. But Luke will start preschool next week, and we'll be back into the swing of things. I took this picture before school today. Mitch is so grown up, he picked out his clothes last night, set them in a pile in the order he would be putting them on (i.e. underwear and socks on top because he would put those on first, shoes on the bottom, etc.). Last night I made his lunch and put it in his cool Lightning McQueen lunchbox, but he informed me this morning that he didn't want the lunchbox, he just wanted it in a paper sack. I can't believe he cares so much about these things already...at least I'm still cool enough to be able to walk him to his classroom and kiss and hug him in front of his friends!

Mitch was also relieved to discover that homework will not take over his life, and that no bullies bothered him at school. He had this idea that he would come home from school, do homework, eat dinner, then go to bed (did I put that idea in his head?!). And he's been kind of obsessed with there being bullies at his school, and we've had to say a lot of prayers to help keep Mitch protected from bullies.

I took this picture after the second day of school last year (I forgot on the first day...) and thought it would be fun to compare the pictures to see how much the three have changed in a year.

Oh yeah, and another funny song Mitch was singing last night as he was going to bed (I love when my kids sing!), Viva la Vida. He totally was singing the musical introduction and then knew the first few lines of lyrics. And I heard Mitch and Luke discussing what song it was, trying to remember the name of the song (which they actually remembered). It was so funny! I guess they pay attention to the songs I crank on the radio!

Tonight I made plum jam from plums I picked off of trees that grow on common property in our subdivision. It was so easy, but something about canning makes me feel old-fashioned and totally domestic! I feel like I should enter the county fair or something...oh wait, except I kind of wasn't paying enough attention to the fruit as it was boiling and it kind of burned, so there are these black flecks in the jam. But it didn't really seem to affect the taste. Still good enough to give to friends as gifts, right?

Our lives are made...

I think it's funny that Loren took pictures of us cleaning the bathroom...that tells you how novel it is to actually have the kids doing chores! But not anymore! I'm being a good mom and making my kids work! It was really fun to have them help me clean the bathroom! They actually kind of got excited about it too.

Luke got to do the toilet and Mitch got to clean all the mirrors in the house and clean the sink. The trick is to find something that they are both happy about doing, and not fighting over who gets the better end of the deal. I was the taskmaster, cracking the whip and making sure the job was done right.

in these small hours

Eating hot dogs on the porch swing, and Mitch with his perler bead bucket...that thing was a permanant attachment for Mitch for a while. I was ironing new creations on a daily basis, which was kind of nice in a way because since I had the iron out, I could actually stay on top of the ironing. Otherwise, clothes that need to be ironed go months and months without being worn.

These little wonders

There's nothing like playing in the rain (and nothing like staying dry inside the garage to still take pictures!)

still remain

Aunt Amy made this apron for me, and because it's pink, Elise thinks it's hers!

We should've had the sun

The Spiderman slip n' slide got a couple of uses this summer. The first time we pulled it out, the kids were a little tentative, but once they got the hang of it, they had a lot of fun with it. Elise would just run on it, and when she inevitably slipped on it, she would start crying. It was so cute!


I guess Elise was more interested in helping Dad with the shed project! She never did quite get the hang of the slip 'n slide. Oh man, she loves her "swimsoups!" She would wear them every day if she could. In fact, the last few nights she's been sleeping with two swimsuits and a swim diaper (unused :)) in her bed...she actually cuddles up with them. It's so funny!

A thousand times I've seen you standing

My favorite kind of vegetables...

Farmer Mitch

Luke's milking a cow. I wanted to get in on the action, but was a little embarrassed to admit that I was more excited than the kids to milk a cow!

The kids wanted a picture in front of the cow...can you even tell there's a cow back there? :)

Gold-Medal Mom

The one day this week the temperature was over 100 degrees (the rest of the week was in the 80s), we went to the fair. It was family day, so we kind of had no choice. We roasted, refilled our water bottles at least 17 times, were completely soaked through with sweat, sought out every tiny square of shade to stand in while the kids rode in the rides, and took lots of snack breaks...but really, we had a great time!! In a way, we were glad it was so hot, because there weren't very many people there, the rides had almost no lines!

Luke, Mitch, and I met up with my friend Suzanne and two of her kids, Lizzy and Brooke (Elise was with Grandma). We met up with the rest of our families around dinner time and spent the evening checking out the shows and spending WAY too much money on treats. By the time we got around to leaving, we had been at the fair for eight hours!

I'm not sure this ride was meant for four, but hey, they're all friends! Actually, Mitch was hilarious when it came to which rides he'd ride. He was totally cautious, had to watch the ride first to see how fast it went, and then he ended up not even riding on half the rides. Loren thinks he's a little scarred from the scary water slide Loren made him go down just a few days before.

I love this picture, the innocence of youth! I think Lizzy is Luke's best friend, and they were holding hands as we walked around the fair. At one point I heard Luke tell Lizzy he loved her, and Lizzy said she loved him too. It's been so cute lately, whenever marriage is brought up, Luke says he wants to marry Lizzy, but Mitch is always quick to remind Luke that Lizzy wants to marry Evan (another neighborhood friend). Luke asked if it would be okay if he married Lizzy, and Lizzy married Evan. I told him to not worry about it right now, that he can figure every thing out after his mission. :)

A City Wall and a Trampoline

Mitch was so concerned about the score he got, trying to pay attention to who was ahead, and who was winning. Often he wanted me to bowl for him so that he'd get a higher score...how many times did I try to tell him that bowling was all about having fun, and who cared about the score! But I do have to say, that I did obtain a personal best score this summer...165!! Isn't that so cool? A total fluke though, since I wasn't able to ever get close again after that.

Elise was so cute as a bowler! She used a 6-pound ball that she insisted on carrying herself. She set it on the ground and then would push it down the alley. I quickly discovered that the only way the ball would actually make it down to the pins was if I gave it a little shove as soon as she let go. And then she'd stand and watch the ball go down, hands on her cheecks, saying, "Oh no, Oh no..." and then she'd squeal with delight as the pins would fall over. She loved it!

The cutest part about Elise bowling were the shoes! She loved her bowling shoes and wanted to put them on by herself!
Oh man, she looks like she's having way too much fun on that!

Master Bowler Luke

We got free bowling this summer and we had a great time at the bowling alley! Luke was hilarious, he's developed this run-and-slide-on-your-knees approach. I tried working on the underhand release with him, but he couldn't quite let go of the chest-pass style of release, hence lots of balls bouncing down the alley. We never got kicked out though, so I guess we were okay!

So yeah, Luke spent at least half the time at the bowling alley in the video game area. I'm not sure what inspired all of his growly faces that day...maybe that's what bowling does for him!

I Was Made For You

Wow, who tied the tie on that kid? Not me, that's for sure...


Ryan (my younger brother) and Kim got married on May 3, 2008 in Idaho Falls...yes, the last of the Wall family to get hitched! I love Kim and am so excited to have her in the family...Ryan got so lucky!

Fix-It Woman

I'm so proud of myself, I just had to share my spectacular plumbing skills! Well, not really plumbing, but it had to do with the bathtub drain, so I think that counts. Plus, I may have had plumber's butt (I can't tell for sure, and since Elise was my only witness, I can only guess) :). So for some reason, some legos got into our bath toys and one managed to get caught between the plug and the drain, preventing the plug from being pushed all the way down. Last time we used the bath, I just shoved a rag in the drain so all the water wouldn't drain out, but tonight I decided I was going to fix it. I tried to figure out how to take the plug off but didn't get very far with that, so then armed with a screwdriver and three differently shaped and sized pliers, I was able to work the lego out of the drain. Okay, so not really that big of a job, I know it would be much more impressive if I fixed a leaky pipe or something, but hey, I was proud enough of myself to publish my success on my blog! Now if I could just figure out how to change the lightbulb in my garage door thing...

Day 3 in Utah

This was Friday morning, and the real impetus for our Utah trip. My dad grew up a couple of blocks from the trail head and spent his youth playing in this canyon in Pleasant Grove. We hiked a couple of miles along the creek and saw this waterfall. Becky and her son Devin met up with us again and did the hike with us. This picture of me is at the top of the waterfall, looking out through the canyon into the valley, with Utah Lake in the background. It was such a beautiful view!
Friday afternoon we went to BYU campus (my mom had to get her BYU brownie) and of all the random people I could've met up with there, I ran into Emily Nolte!! In the women's bathroom of all places! But of course, I felt like it was no coincidence. She was in Boise the week before and I kept intending to see her one more time before she left (and it would be at least a year before we got to meet up again), but it never happened! It was our tender mercy from the Lord (you're totally right Em!) to be able to meet up one last time, and of course to say hi to her husband, Mark. A trip to BYU would never seem quite right without Emily there, because she was such an integral part of my whole BYU experience! It was perfect!

All of our down time in Utah was spent in Ryan's un-air-conditioned apartment, sleeping on the couch, and cheering on Michael Phelps in his latest race. I also dragged Ryan out of bed Friday and Saturday mornings to run with me...he was very willing as his triathalon is this weekend and he needs all the last minute training he can get (right Ryan?).

The kids had a fun day on Friday spending the day with Loren and the Messerlys swimming, bowling, and eating pizza! And then on Saturday morning it was back to Boise, back to a 92 degree house that took at least 5 or 6 hours to get to a tolerable temperature again!

Day 2 of Utah trip

In the morning on Thursday, we went to Discovery Gateway in SLC...a big children's museum, which the kids loved! In the afternoon we picked my brother, Ryan, up in Provo and drove the Alpine Loop (a road in the mountains connecting Provo Canyon to American Fork Canyon). It was so beautiful! Mitch was watching Duck Tails and wasn't happy when I made him turn it off, but the whole point of the drive was to see the breathtaking scenery and enjoy all of Heavenly Father's beautiful creations! He didn't stay mad for long. Luke, on the other hand, was getting car sick from the windy road. Poor kid was stuck in the back of the minivan and kept crying that his head was dizzy. Being in the mountains made me want to go camping! That's one thing we haven't done this summer, we can't wait for the ward campout!

Half way through the drive, we stopped at a place called Crystal Springs and walked around the paths. It was such a beautiful place, I love being able to help my kids appreciate the wonderful world we live in. I'm all motivated now to find the sweet spots to hike and explore in Boise, and to be more "outdoorsy" with my kids.
All these pictures are of Crystal Springs. Ryan was playing airplane with Luke on his shoulders. Elise kept calling Ryan "Nate." It was hilarious, but I think she eventually figured it out.
After our drive, we went to the Messerly's and had dinner, which was so good (I still need that recipe Ellen!). The kids love hanging out with their aunts (Ana, Emilye, and Brittanye)! They get so much love from them!

More Temple Square

I love this view of the temple! It was just our luck that all this was under construction when Loren and I got married, so we never got any cool temple shots on our wedding day...only the church office building in the background... I love when people see our wedding pictures and ask what temple we got married in.

Luke loved playing in the water, of course, and we had a hard time getting him to sit still for the picture.

In Our Lovely Deseret

Our crowning summer vacation this year was a trip to Utah (not very creative, I know, but it was cheap, convenient, and way fun!). Wednesday we spent the afternoon checking out temple square and the Beehive house with my cousin Becky and her four kids. We spent the night at her place that night, and the kids had a great time watching Devin (her oldest) play video games.

Temple Square is one of the most beautifully landscaped places I know of! I found that I was paying more attention to the flowers than I was anything else! I wish I had the time, patience, and money to make my yard look like this!


Try not to be blinded by my mom's white legs (hahaha...sorry Mom).

All the Grandkids

This was at my mom's birthday party, she wanted a picture of all her grandkids. Elise was being a bum and wouldn't be in the picture unless I was too. With Amy and Ryan now married, I figure this picture of "all the grandkids" will soon be outdated anyway. So besides my three kids, Owen and Audrey are the other two in the picture, Nate and Michelle's cute kids! Elise and Owen are best friends and only 5 weeks apart in age.

Makin' cookies at Grandma's!

My mom has started a thing where she'll take one of my kids for half a day and spends fun "Grandma time" with them. On Elise's day, she got to make cookies! They also went to a craft store where Elise got a new flower clip for her hair. I love how Grandma spoils them!

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