byu...

it wasn't pretty...


but we did it...


and it made us happy...


byu 23 utah 20 in OT

(michael's prediction byu 38 utah 21...)

In Our Backyard...

Take a look at what the city installed in our backyard in September!


... well, kind of. It is about 300 yards from our backyard... so pretty much free playground, right??!?


Then they planted trees around it and put benches on the sides... so nice...



And it is right next to this big open space...


It is the new gathering place for the (many) kiddos in our neighborhood... and we've been enjoying it immensely...



Can't wait until summer... I think we'll be out there a whole lot!!

Come play with us!!!

Michael--Cello Studio Recital--Fall 2009

Michael had his second official cello performance. His teacher, Elizabeth Willey ("Miss Willy"), did a studio recital where all of her students performed (almost 50). She pretty much teaches full time, holding lessons in six different cities. It was fun to see the mix from beginner to expert, young and old. One after the other, they each performed a piece.

Michael had practiced his selection--Twinkle Twinkle pizzicato (plucked instead of played with the bow) throughout the week. Paul accompanied him on the piano, and they had done a few run-throughs. He sat calmly, watching the other students play their pieces, and commented a few times about good things he noticed they were doing as they played. (He kept his elbow up. She kept her feet planted. That was a good bow grip.) He soaked it all in.

When it was almost his turn, we took him to the other room to get his cello. We both told him we knew he would do a great job and have fun. Paul asked if he were nervous... "not really" was his reply.


Without hesitation and with a serious look on his face, he took his place and delivered his piece wonderfully. He even remembered to bow and acknowledge his amazing accompanist! Bravo, Michael!!



I love the sheepish grin he gives at the end. He was pleased with himself, but modest at the same time. This mother never imagined that Twinkle Twinkle could sound so fulfilling.


Good job Michael. I love to see your confidence grow as you work for something with determination and practice. You are such a cute little man!

Family Pictures...

Paul's cousin, Jill Tew, does some photography "on the side" of being a mother of 5 children 5 and under (3 of which are triplets). Whew. Everything she does is done so well... and her camerawork is no exception! We love her... and she got some great shots that I can't wait to print off and frame!

Kudos to her for making the best of stormy, dark evening (clouds were threatening rain/sleet and cars had their headlights on as we drove over) and kids who were cold and a bit less than cooperative.

I am in love with this red wall... which was the whole reason we went here to shoot (Shops at Riverwoods in Orem).

The Three Musketeers!

She managed to get good individual photos of the kiddos... !!! The black and white ones below are going on the wall...

Handsome Michael... he's just getting too old!

Sweet Bekah


And I love this one, too...


Cute Abby


Adorable Ella


Always on the move...


And her Adoring Daddy...

By this time, it was super dark.
(this was a window lit from behind!)



And then... we were done!

Thanks, Jill, for spending time with us in the cold, and spending some good time editing for us.

Her photo website is Day Tew Day Photography: daytewdayphotography.blogspot.com

Pumpkin Mania!!!

The holidays and their traditions keep getting more and more fun as the kiddos get older. This year pumpkins held a special excitement and magic for the kids.

They loved picking out their own pumpkins at the stand we went to. It was fun to see the decision-making processes and hear the reasoning behind the pumpkins they chose.

Abby found a perfectly round, cute pumpkin...

Bekah fell in love with the white pumpkins...

Michael picked a huge "monster pumpkin."

And picked out a cute little one for Ella...

The whole process was exciting and fun.


We cleaned them up and decorated them with the push-in faces that Grandpatty had given the kiddos last year. They jazzed up our porch for a couple of weeks.



The day before Halloween, we gutted our pumpkins, and had our special pumpkin dinner.

The kids drew on the little pumpkins that would serve as bowls for their soup...


The girls really got into gutting the pumpkins. They loved getting covered in slime and seeds. They had been playing "go to the beach" earlier that evening, and were in their swimming suits... perfect for hosing them down afterward.


Michael preferred to keep his hands clean...


On Halloween, Paul was the master-carver, and helped the kids design their own masterpiece. They all wanted scary faces, for some reason...




And here they are, happy with their creations...


I'm okay with not seeing another pumpkin until next year... when I'll be excited to do it all over again!

Halloween 2009

I have so much to catch up on... like the whole month of October and parts of September. But there are people crying from afar for pictures of the kiddos from Halloween. So... I have people to keep happy. Other updates will have to wait.

Halloween keeps getting more and more fun as the kiddos get older and more aware of all the special/fun parts of it. This year, I love Michael's recounting of memories from last year and how they fed his excitement for the traditions to be played out this year. I love teaching Abby and Bekah all over again, and their excitement was thrilling. Ella was happily along for the ride, and you could tell she felt special in her costume.

Lucky for us, the kiddos all requested to be something that we already had costumes for! Without me even prompting!! So although costumes were well-worn and had some well-loved spots that had to be scrubbed/trimmed... the kids felt special and had a wonderful week wearing them any chance they got!

Here they are beside the pumpkins they carved with daddy.

Michael, the BYU Football Player
Really, is anyone surprised by this? At all?? You shouldn't be...

I was excited because this is the first year he has actually sat still and posed for me.
Perhaps decent pictures of my kids will get a little easier!!

Bekah, the Minnie Mouse
A repeat from last year, and still just as sweet!

She noticed every little detail and decoration surrounding Halloween.

Abby, the Tinkerbell
Aunt Melinda found this costume at DI, and it has been Abby's favorite.


She gracefully flew her way through every Halloween activity.


Bellzeenie the Butterfly
Who wasn't sure why mom was leaving her alone on the porch.


Then only wanted to play with the pumpkins.


Grandpatty the Scarecrow came to take them to a Halloween carnival
while Paul and I went to Stake Conference.

When Paul and I got home, we dressed up for the night.
Amy, the Girls' Dress Up Closet... the girls had fun helping me get dressed!
Paul, the Snowboarding Bum who is ready to hit the slopes to earn us a living!!

Ready, set, GO!!

Jonny, Melinda, and Aaron joined us for our neighborhood party and trick-or-treating.
They were Tarzan and Jane with a super cute little monkey
who tagged along for his first trick-or-treating experience!

(I'm sad I didn't get a full-family picture of them, and Jonny is covered up here to stay warm. But they looked GREAT!)

We lasted through our street and the next... but then turned in for hot cocoa and CANDY!!!

Bekah almost demolished hers within the hour.

Can't wait for next year!!

college gameday with michael...

this early morning bit of national television drama played out in provo while michael and i enjoyed every minute. in fact, it was certainly more emotionally satisfying than the game later that evening.

i worked until 2 am the night before the game and had to arise at 5:40am to get michael and myself dressed and fed. when my alarm went off i definitely thought 3 or 4 times about possibly staying home in the warmth of my bed and watching the show on TV. but michael's enthusiasm played in my mind as i dragged myself upstairs to help him into the clothing he'd laid out the night before.

i painted our faces with the paint i'd purchased at smith's the day before and after some cereal we had called mom out to take our pictures with our posters before heading out.


unfortunately, the drive down was not filled with the sweetness of byu pre-game announcements on ksl. it was filled with the depressing sounds of ksl's outdoors talk and gardening talk at 6 am. i opted for some top 40 tunes to keep myself awake and functioning for the drive down. michael dozed a bit during the 40 minute drive, but was wide awake and excited when we arrived.

we parked in the flag football lot and jumped the fence to the parking lot just west of the stadium where the game-day setup was already in full swing.

the first hint that we weren't going to get super-close to the stage was when we had to park way out on the grass at the parking lot.

the next sign was the 25+ tents setup in the parking lot next to the 'gameday bus'.

we found our place in a line (45 minutes before the start of the telecast) greater than a football field in length and waited. the wait didn't hinder michael's wonder and enthusiasm however. he is seen below beaming as he did throughout our time in the line. he would scan the crowd and the newest arrivals to the line and say stuff like, "uh oh, boise state fan" or "uh oh, utah fan", or "dad, that sign says..."

here you can see two of the more inventive signs. it was pretty fun to read the many different signs people made for the event. there were a fair number of signs poking fun at obama, but unfortunately they had to be taken down for the broadcast as they would not allow political signs at the show.

so a word to AJ, if you're going and planning on taking a sign tomorrow. don't make it political. there were also quite a few negative BCS signs, and those were taken down as well.


partway through the telecast (michael had been on my shoulders for the better part of two hours at this point) michael said he was getting bored. we discussed possibly leaving, but he re-energized with a rootbeer and chocolate (from the leftover deer hunt supply in my backpack.) and was ready for more. here we are below after the show ended.

while we didn't get our faces on the telecast (however, we were interviewed by ksl tv--the footage of which seems to have been archived without seeing the light of the internet...) but we did get our sign on TV 3 or 4 times.





all in all, it was a great time with my boy. it made for a long day, but the memories will stick.

go cougars!