Michael's animal faces...

So I'm just going to throw these up on the blog because it cracked me up.

When we went the the Natural Life Museum at BYU (The Bean Museum), Michael was fascinated with all the animals. He wanted to have pictures next to them. I kept telling him to smile, but he would just make these weird faces. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me he was making the face of the animals.

Here are the results:

The jaguar--look at those teeth:


The Grizzley bear:


The liger... honest to goodness, a cross of a tiger and lion--bread in captivity at the Hoogle Zoo (Turns out Neapolitan Dynamite's favorite animal isn't fictional after all.):


The lion--so serious:


The zebra--he's got that look in his eyes (and check out Abby trying to escape the stroller!):

And I forget what these things are, but look at how he pulls his nose down to look like them:


Love this boy. He is so much fun right now.

Week one: trip to Utah...

So the kiddos and I have been gone for 1/2 month. Yesterday and today has been filled with "catching up" with life at the homestead... and I've been reminiscing our memories from the past three weeks. So here is the first of a few updates on what we were up to in March.

First: LIBBY!!!


With her precious time off, Libby decided to begin her visit to Utah by flying into California to make the 10-hour drive with me and the kiddos (so kind/brave!). She wanted to be sure to spend some time with Paul before we split the state, so we decided to make the time an adventure at California Adventure. Michael wanted to ride with her on everything, and we had a wonderful (albeit exhausting) time. Her morning/afternoon/evening sickness cooperated (SHE'S PREGNANT!!!) and we had a lot of fun hanging out with her.


Paul soaked Michael by talking him into the river ride after dark on a chilly day...


And the girls enjoyed the ambiance of Aunt Libby, parades, bubbles, Bug's Life, and an installment of Daddy that had to last the rest of the month...


The next day Libby and I packed up the car and kiddos and hit the road! After a lo(o-o-o)ng day of travel (complete with a three-hour hold up in Las Vegas traffic) we found excited and helpful grandparents who were glad we finally made it.

I was anxious to meet my new nephew the next day. Michael was particularly enthralled with little Aaron, and took to teaching him about being a Frandsen man. Lesson 1--the proper toys, of course: cars, army guys, and bugs.


He always wanted to be around little Aaron, and was really gentle and cute with him. I think Michael and Aaron are going to be good friends.

The other main attraction was our lovely Hannah, who was performing in the state Junior Miss competition on Friday and Saturday nights. We were so excited to be there to support and dote as her fans. Isn't she beautiful?


I love watching Hannah on stage. She just looks natural up there... she does not try to hide her personality as she expresses herself in whatever she is doing. She is genuine and real. She makes me smile.

And Michael was anxious to have her on stage all night. With each performer/group he would ask, "Is it Hannah?" "Where is Hannah?" "When will it be Hannah?" She stole the stage for him as well. He loved her poster in the lobby when he got a little antsy toward the end.


Sunday was another red-letter day when Jonny blessed little Aaron. It was a beautiful blessing--and Aaron slept right through it, and continued a peaceful slumber the rest of the afternoon while he was passed around to adoring fans.


Later that afternoon, the kiddos and I met up with their Uncle Paul R. at my Aunt Connie's house to see my cousin Mike, who just returned from his mission in New York. Michael was excited to see the "missionary whose name is Michael like me," and I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with my dad's side of the family. The kiddos had a blast with my cousins. I should have taken my camera...

Other noteables: That night's Heritage Night with Paul's family... their Sunday tradition to spend time together while the weekly family letter (always written by Paul's dad) is read. This time Tracy's Truth was read by Jonny...

I took the kiddos to the BYU Natural Life Museum--which ended up being a really fun outing for us...


And on Monday night we all went to Lafe's school's production of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"... which was super fun/cute. Grandpappy prepared the kiddos by buying super-sticky cotton candy at the pre-show dinner...


We loved our time with uncles/aunts, grandparents, great-grandparents, and other family members. We loved being there to support so many family members in some important events--and I love the example they are all setting for my kiddos to watch and see.

Next up: A trip for Michael and me to Kentucky!! I'll post pictures soon!

old time sake...

here's a bonus bekah video...

tithes and offerings...

read this then let's talk...

the call of the coast...

spring is upon us and summer just around the corner. taken friday after boogie boarding near the pier, this video with its hypnotic drumbeat is meant to entice you all to come boogie boarding with me in huntington beach. please...

socialized medicine...

for you obama supporters...and for everyone else.

i wanted to throw you some meat to chew regarding the direction our country should possibly be headed in terms of the health care industry.

this guy's insights are sharp and poignant. he is often irreverent and certainly sure of himself. however, he speaks much common sense. this isn't too say i agree with every word he speaks, but much of what he says is common sense.

don't worry, we won't dwell on this topic too long before i post more cute kid pictures or pictures of the california beach, but give this article and others he has written a try.

perhaps 'the one' may not look so salvific afterall...

3:10 to yuma...

not since sitting on the floor watching stagecoach at granpa evans' house with my brothers have i enjoyed a western so much.

unlike tombstone, which my high school buddies quoted to no end, and which was full of pointless revenge to the point of silliness, this movie is more subtle and less full of itself.

the story follows two stories that slowly enmesh. the first is the story of russell crowe's outlaw at the helm of a western style gang. crowe is really fun to watch in his smug, thoughtful portrayal of a western legend.

the second story follows the life of christian bale's rancher. he is an everyman whose farm is going under and his wife and eldest son are starting to lose faith in him.

the plot moves from slow and thought-provoking to fast paced, intense and back with ease. at times i had to stop to relax and let my muscles unwind and unclench.

ultimately, the compelling draw in the film for me was watching bale's character work through a morally ambiguous set of events with his 14 year old son standing by his side. time and again bale's boy's presence pushed him to be better and create an example that his son could live by...regardless the outcome.

the ending is one where the impulse to cry is tempered by the brutal action on the screen.

and speaking to the brutal action...using a higher clearplay filter setting will allow those put off by brutality to enjoy this relevant western...

potpourri...

random happenings and thoughts...

my cousin petey and emily left the high life in nyc to mingle here in the countryside of the inland empire...

it meant a lot that they would take the time to drive here and hang out with us. i was post call from the icu and was not dressed for the occasion, i probably smelled from the lack of a shower and was often found to drift out of the conversation at awkward moments. aside from that, amy was able to whip up a sweet picnic lunch of frito salad and we headed out to the park:



the weather was perfect and the kids thoroughly enjoyed the company, the food and the sand...


a few weeks back there was a discussion (password protected for some) about cutting edge fashion as relates to my nyc hipster cousin. those of you unable to get access to the glamor can enjoy this hint of what was experienced:



i was so moved by the post, that the next week while watching american idol, i was drawn to an image on-screen. i re-wound the shot and found that maybe petey was on to something. here is petey holding a photo of houndstooth glorified on television's top-rated show.


he and this idol contestant's mother are fashion...

anyways, thanks for stopping by you two. it was a lot of fun to reconnect in person and see you here in the IE.

two other fun happenings. you will notice below that i reconnected with my inner cook and my inner effeminate this weekend (yes, i'm posing with my bundt cake...)



our friends had a 'bundt-cake bonanza' and the only rule was that the women would be voting on bundt cakes that were created by the men without any help from their spouses...

i made a mean green bundt cake in the vein of wicked and st. patty's day. however, like worhol before me, the masses weren't ready for this mass of iconic greenness before them. i went away empty handed in the voting, but with a full and happy stomach. the food was good and the company better. see the final product in all it green glory.


in other happenings, michael and i started 'indian in the cupboard' for bed-time reading. we love it. this book has been much more accessible than 'red fern' was for him. he is laughing often and spurs me to read more whenever i start falling asleep or slow down to think. just as red fern spawned images of dogs and coonskin caps in our house, michael has taken to re-discovering the plastic figures in his playroom...



thanks for reading. hope all is well for you. amy is looking forward to her trip this week...of which many of you will be a part.

another wicked weekend...

well, time marches on.

***amy says this post is way too long. you were forewarned. stop reading when you get bored. better yet, don't read and just look at the pictures. this post may not be fully enjoyed till i die and some distant relative reads and feels like they can relate to their great grandpa...***

while my family was here for two days (just under two to be exact), the memories already feel like it was much longer. we miss them and are grateful for the memories that you will see captured below.

to begin the post, i have to lament that fact that the night before we left for the whirlwind family weekend, i mentioned to amy that we needed to take a ton of photos. the next morning we both doltedly left the camera in the its place at home on the shelf. therefore, the pictures were taken on a camera far nicer than ours, with a memory card now far farther from us than ours. mom was kind to send us these few pictures. when we get the rest i may elaborate visually on the weekends events...

the weekend began the night i got off work an hour late to pick up lafe and dad who waited at the airport for 45 minutes. they were both good sports about it (except lafe who goodnaturedly reminded me how long he had waited at the airport throughout the ride home:). i enjoyed the hugs i received at the airport and the enjoyment didn't stop till we hugged them after the fireworks show on main street, usa.

banana pancakes (nod to jack johnson and amy frandsen) were the order of the next morning. dad helped me put on the racks and the box uptop so i could bring the stroller and some beach equipment (never sadly to be used). the ride down was pleasant between all parties and we arrived, despite california traffic, within minutes of hannah's performance.

it's hard to say if i was emotional from not having seen hannah for so long, from the spectre of not making it to the beach after having driven so close to it's shores, or from the eyeshadow worn by the men on stage, but i coudln't help but tearing up several times during the performance. these high school kids created something great up there. from the music, to the dancing, to the relevant message they created...it was quality.

**a caveat should be added here about men and eyeshadow. all my comments on the subject must be taken with a grain of salt, since i wore eyeshadow from middle school on**

highlights were hannah's lithe form creating an artful rendition of world hunger and world peace or gabe lee's (joe and amy's brother) high tenor notes above the mass unison below him. to be certain, this first performance was wonderful. i could have left the concert hall then uplifted and happy. my joy was less full nearly seven hours later when we were still at the same concert hall, one hour away from the pantages theater where wicked would be starting in 20 minutes...

not to be a killjoy. we had 47 hours with my parents (minus sleep) and i really enjoyed every minute. those seven specific hours were filled with talking to mom, dad, lafe, hannah, amy, bekah, michael, abby, random high-school kids and their parents. it was really nice to be with my family. no beach is worth time with them... other highlights from those seven precious hours? a target purchase of a memory card that didn't fit my mom's camera afterall, averting my girls eyes from the scantily clad midwest farmer's daughters, seeing mom kindly walk with a girl in each arm back to the theater and allowing us to go to wicked with michael dad and lafe, starting the 2nd in the twighlight series, getting dirty looks from the ushers regarding my girls' behavior, reminiscing about the time amy and i saw 'fame' in cincinatti with her parents (hannah's concert was a 'fame' event), having all-you-can eat at an 'authentic' chinese restaurant (the cooks were asian), talking with bekah, abby or michael individually during the breaks in a new environment. each of them drank in the newness in different ways. the girls are talking so much more now, and it was fun to hear what they had to say about it all. beautiful memories all crammed into seven glorious hours.

back to the issue at hand. the following pictures highlight hannah and gabe. i included gabe since his brother and sister-in-law grace our blog with their presence every now and then...and of course because he did so well.

there is video of the opening number on hannah's memory card in utah. if mom sends it to me i will add it here...

otherwise, a picture of the opening number will have to suffice:


hannah is shown here rhthmically swaying in the arms of the men in eyeshadow to the music coming from gabe's microphone.


when the first place skim board was handed out, gabe was there to accept it in all its glory.


congratulations to all the kids and to mr lunt. this was his first outright vitory at a 'fame' event (fame events showcase the best in showchoirs across the country--sort of like one big audition for byu ambassadors in several venues across the county)...

however, as with all triumphs in life, this skimboard came at a price. those members of the choir who volunteered to stay behind to accept the skimboard and then help clean-up missed the first half of wicked. i know, because gabe and several friend came busting through the curtain into the seats next to us on the balcony to see elphaba break out some really impressive and moving notes in the waining moments of defying gravity...and i thought i was dissapointed to miss my favorite song, 'loathing'(this copy made menzel's voice soft for some reason and it loses much of its punch.)

anyway, we were without a camera to capture michael's love of the theatre...and love it he did. he was enthralled much of the show, despite the fact that it started after his bedtime and that he had been watching other men in eyeshadow sing for seven hours prior to the show starting. i loved sitting next to him and enjoying the songs that truly drew me close when amy and i listened to them over and over while i sang at the top of my lungs during our drive to boise, idaho (then to amy's parents) as i tried to drown out the anxiety i felt for my medical licensing exam that had been postponed because of a power outage at the university of utah (how about that run-on sentence?)

after the show we realized we had a 1 mexapixel camera on our phone and we stood at the top the steps in the pantages theatre and snapped a quick one of the three of us reveling in what we had just seen and heard. michael's emotions are pretty evidence through the blur of the sweet camera phone lens.


we returned to the hotel to find mom had fallen asleep with the girls in her arms and then put them in their cribs later after awakening to a girl on each arm. mom was so good to us in getting the tickets and taking the kids. we appreciated every minute that she put in.

the next day found us at the happiest place on earth...and despite the colder weather, we were all certainly happy. the proof is found here:


we loved to watch our kids interact with my family. each member of the family got 'alone time' with a different kid. the kids loved it, and as far as i could tell my family didn't mind it.




a highlight for the girls was being with mom and another family member while dad jr, dad sr or mom, michael, lafe and myself went on the big kid rides. here is one shot of the girls freeloading off the paddling of those sitting in front of and behind them:


despite being barred from the big rides because of her burgeoning abdominal girth, amy found time to bond with and enjoy her kiddos, my family and the ambiance.


the night ended with a really cool, nostalgic fireworks display and we were off for the long haul home that didn't end till we got the last kid down with a little motrin for her fever at 1 am.

the weekend didn't end there, but i'll write about peter and emily's visit at a later date as this post is way too long, i haven't done the dishes and there is a pile of laundry waiting for us to watch american idol...

the comeback girl...

how 'bout clinton's body-blow to obama yesterday?

i'm still proud of stevie for calling ohians on behalf of obama...