Antelope Island

Saturday night I took the kids out to Antelope Island.  Kate has been very sick for the last week and a half, and needed to get out of the house; I knew Alden would enjoy Scooby Doo in the car on the way out and back (of course); and I thought Keegan would like seeing a Bison in the wild for the first time (he really did). 

 But most of all, I have been dying to spend more time there.  Winter sunsets in this place are magic, and you know how I love my sunsets.  It did  not disappoint. Here are a few pics.

And we finished it off with a nice moonrise.  All in all, a very good 3 hours.

Bath Time and Bed Time

The boys have been doing a lot of swimming lately, and really love how swim goggles open a whole new world of seeing under water. Bath time has become just another opportunity on that front.

Keegan is still working on it.

But Aldy is already a natural.  

Keegan does love to float on his back, though, and can do it for some time.  He also loves holding his breath and putting his head under water just like his brother.  While he looks positively pastoral above, the following two photos tell you more about him, and his attitude, than perhaps any others I have taken.

Kind of gives water pipe a new meaning . . .

'nuf said.


This one also says a lot about Alden's general approach to life, unless, of course, he has been watching Star Wars. Then there is this sudden transformation . . . .

Unlike bath time, bed time is a battle around our house. A real battle. Seriously.  I always win in the end, but not before taking my share of blaster bolts to the face.  Explains a lot, I suppose. . . .

And so it was, that the Master Jedi of the house finally prevailed against the forces of darkness and chaos . . . . not.  I had to put in another full hour of maximum effort just to get them to the read story stage.  Ugh.

A Brief Break in the Grind

Bankruptcy is hard, even when it is just your company. Every relationship that the company ever made is immediately thrown out the window, and you have to work hard to reconstitute as many of them as you can, usually on new and more difficult terms. Everyone you call is mad at you, and wants something you can't give.  Everyone else has written you off and thinks you are done for, so they won't give you the time of day.  This has been my job for the past two months, and there is more to do than can possibly be done in a day.  There have been days where, for every one call I was able to make/return, two more came in.   

There have only been a few breaks in this heavy routine. One was last Sunday afternoon, we slipped out to  Farmington Bay for a chance to see Bald Eagles.  There were only a few of them this year, but there were a lot of American Pelicans, American Kestrals, and Harriers. Geese could be seen all over the place. It was a nice, brief respite from an otherwise difficult stretch.  Here are a few pics.

San Francisco Revisited

Well, this evening we saw some very dear friends from San Francisco, the Blairs.  They came into town, and we met them in Salt Lake at a family party.  For some reason, we still cannot convince them, in their numerous SLC visits, to travel the extra eight houses up the street to our house.  Funny, the Drews, the Ballards, Marisa and Bernie Hansen, among others, had no problem at all with a visit when they were passing through.  We are beginning to get a bit of a complex -- what did we do?  (OK, OK, so -- after much fasting and prayer, mind you--I drafted Eric to serve time with me and Steve Johnson in the San Rafael II bishopric -- and that could drive anyone to bitterness, I guess, especially since they had to pick up the load for our dear "Brother Slacker,"  but can't we forgive and forget, people?  That anger will gnaw at you, don't you know . .. ) But I digress.  It was nice to see them even if we had to meet on Neutral Turf.  

Seeing the Blairs reminded me that we never did post pictures from our early December trip back to the Bay Area, so here you go.

Even though we went for a conference in San Francisco, we could not resist staying in our beloved Tiburon. We stayed at the Water's Edge, which was ok, but mostly because it was home.



Here is a view of good old Tiburon harbor from our room.

The very first morning we went by to check out the old homestead, of course, and wow, were we in for a surprise. Here is what it looks like now:

Our good friend Barbara Major took us on a tour. Here is what it looks like inside:

This is where our kitchen used to be.

And here is the master bedroom where our living room used to be.

That hurts.  A nice master bath and cool shower attached to the master bedroom.

And a kitchen like that would have been hard to leave.  We almost could have stayed with a house like that (but not with what it cost to make the conversion . . .). 

It was Christmas time in San Francisco during our trip, which made for a fun visit to Union Square.



We also managed to see the new California Acadamy of Sciences Building. We were shocked and appalled at the price ($59 for the two of us--how do you pay for a family?!?!), but it is really a cool place.

The roof is just amazing.  Below is what it looks like close up.



Here is the underside. Very cool curves.



This dome was really cool. It had a mad aquarium, and was filled with tropical birds and butterflies.

The very best part of the whole trip, though, was going to the San Rafael II Ward Christmas Party, and seeing so many, very dear old friends (Even the Blairs!). All in all, it was a great visit.

A Quick One

I promise not to inflict you with yet another picture of light sabers for this brief story, but, as  you might imagine from prior posts, we end up playing a lot of pretend Star Wars around our house.  Keegan has been enjoying his part, and knows all the lingo, stances, and motions that go with it.  

Well, tonight I was chasing him (as usual) trying to get him into his pajamas.  I lost him for a moment, and went to look  in Alden's room.   Just as I rounded the corner, Keegan jumped out, landed on half bent knees, light saber in hand, cocked in perfect Jedi pose, and shouted "Drop the Jammies!"  I did, because I was laughing too hard to continue.

Valentine's Day Surprises

Clouds lay thick around us these days, with great stress at work, long days, exhausted nights, and uncertainty swirling, ever-present.  Today started true to form, with snow and gray everywhere, and me knowing I had been too tired this week to make any Valentine's Day plans. Time quickly filled with errands and to dos, and ultimately found both of us running to separate stores at 5:00 P.M. just to get the week's grocery shopping done.  We came back to our jumble of  a house (kids toys scattered everywhere) ready for just another evening of fighting the kids to eat and go to bed. And then a surprise or two peeked in. 

Kath had purchased lobster tails at Smiths. I had picked up flowers at Costco. Someone had bought Valentines cookies from Cutlers for all of us.  She cooked the lobster for us while I cooked Mac & Cheese for the eight and under crowd.  The sunset was spectacular.  We found a candle and lit it, which magically captivated the kids.   I ate lobster and thought of Chinois on Main in our beloved Santa Monica.  Kath thought of Bar Harbor Maine, where we had eaten lobster fresh from the sea one morning in a shack right off the dock. 

Then my sweet Alden, surrounded by his cookie, the candle, and a new Darth Vader Force Action Light Saber, said, "Wow, isn't our family great! We like candles and cookies and Star Wars and Light Sabers! It is so fun!"  Kathleen and I looked at each other, and shared a really great kiss.  And so an unexpected and wonderful light parted the clouds this Valentine's night.

Tyrant? What Tyrant?

I know, he looks innocent enough, but take it from me, looks can be deceiving.  Don't believe me, here it is from his own mouth:

Kathleen (after Keegan, yelling, demanded, "READ A BOOK!" and scattered Kate's homework, which she had been helping to do, all over the floor): Keegan, you are a little tyrant!

Keegan:  NO! I'm not a little tyrant!  

Kathleen:  Yes, you are a little tyrant!

Keegan:  NO! I'm not a little tyrant!

Kathleen:  OK, you are an adorable tyrant.

Keegan: No! I'm not an adorable tyrant.  . .  I'm a BIG tyrant!

Out of the mouths of babes. . . . 

The Boys

Well,  we were supposed to visit the Jagers this weekend for a trip to Disneyland and So Cal beaches, but I had to cancel because of work. Then at the last minute work decided I didn't need to be there, but it was too late to change cancelled plans. Bummer.  But I didn't mind, actually. I have been too exhausted -- emotionally, physically and mentally -- by work to go through an energetic Disneyland vacation right now.  Bankruptcy, even when it is just the company you work for and not  you personally, feels like hand to hand combat -- it seems that someone is trying to kill you every second, and the stress level gets pretty high.  

So we just stayed home, and didn't do anything really, for the first time in what seems like a long time. No cleaning. No Honey dos. No home improvement.  On Friday afternoon I went to the chiropractor. On Saturday I got a massage (Brooke in the spa at Colonial Square is really very good -- well worth the time and money).  And the rest of the weekend I spent a lot of time just goofing with the family.  Of course, that meant mean lightsaber duels with my little Jedi.

And much chasing of Keegan each time he did something wrong and knew it.  (Now you see why I need a chiropractor and a masseuse.)

But it was fun to spend time with my guys, and it did yield two brief stories I should relate here.  The first actually happened on Thursday, and involved Keegan as he swam at the community pool with his mom.  A little girl about his age came into the pool near them.  Keegan promptly went over and approached very close, causing his mother to cringe as she expected the worst.  Instead, he stopped short, and just stared into her eyes. She stared back.  They drew closer and closer.  At the last moment before contact, he turned away, ran back to his mom and exclaimed "Mom, she's so cute!"   Yes, he is just two.  And yes, I am in deep, deep trouble. 

The next involved Alden, who has been so anxious to say prayers lately that none of the rest of the family ever gets a turn, it seems.  He doesn't lead them yet, so you have to coach him through it, but he will dutifully and enthusiastically repeat every word you whisper for him to say.  Well, we were saying prayers last night, at the end of a long day when we were all very tired.  I whispered to Alden to ask God to bless us that we would be an eternal family.  He promptly stated, "please bless us to be a nocturnal family."  Given all the trouble we have getting him to bed in the first place, my mind started flashing "WRONG PRAYER!  WRONG PRAYER!" like a big neon sign, and I couldn't stop laughing after that. We went to bed giggling even a half hour later. 

In all, it may not sound like much, but I am feeling a little more recharged for the week to come than I would have been had we travelled.  Now I better hit the hay, because the stress will start all over again at 8:00 a.m. sharp.

How Could We?

I know what you are thinking:   What on earth are those parents doing,  purchasing that many lightsabers for one four year old boy?  Are we trying to spoil him rotten?  Do we feel compelled to support like 5 Chinese families?  Surely this is American excess at it's worst. Have we no shame?  How could we? 

Well, tonight's dialogue should explain a lot.  Over dinner, the following ensued:

Alden: "Dad, I have a great idea!" (Eyes twinkling, happy, innocent.)

Dad: "What is it, Aldy?"

Alden: "We can go to Smith's and buy me another Obi-Wan Kenobi Force Action Lightsaber! Yeah, wouldn't that be great?!"

Dad: "Alden, we can't buy you another one, you already have that one."

Alden:  (Big brown eyes slightly crestfallen, but determined) "Dad, TRUST ME.  We have to buy it."

Dad:  "Bud, we can't.  Why do we have to buy you another light saber?"

Alden: (Bigger brown eyes, almost tearing up, and voice very, very soft) "Because if we don't"  (pause, half sob) "my heart will be broken."

Keegan: (who observed the whole exchange) "Oh, isn't Aldy cute?"

Now what is a guy supposed to do about that?  In my defense, I still did not cave in, but it cost me about an hour of heavy duty lightsaber dueling in the playroom.  Still, I'm certain this collection is destined to grow.  I mean, look at how happy he is here, and just shoot me now -- or run me through with a light saber (your choice).

Belated Christmas Post

We belatedly wish everyone (i.e. the two of you that may still read this blog) the very best of the Holidays and the new year to come. I think everyone we know got a copy of the holiday letter we sent out, but we did it in quite a disjointed fashion this year, so in case we missed someone, here it is in full.

Christmas 2008

Well, with presents now piled under the tree, a Winter snowstorm barreling in on us, and the kids near waking from their “long” (yeah right) winter’s (Christmas Eve) nap, it’s about time to send out Christmas Cards, wouldn’t you say? OK, OK, but it isn’t dawn yet, and if you are on Moon time (my wife’s family’s own special clock, which governs our lives a little more each year) there is still plenty of time left for the annual Christmas Report, brief though it will have to be.

We are just wrapping up (pun intended) perhaps the best year of our married-with-children lives. We have all been healthy, with almost all of our extended family very near. We live in a great, freshly redecorated house, with a great yard, good neighbors, and many long-time friends close by that we wish we could see more often than we do. A wet spring led to a pleasant summer filled with wildflowers, followed by a long, beautiful, Indian Summer of a fall. Snow dumped deeply just in time for Christmas. All in all, it would be pretty hard to complain.

Keegan, now 2, 5th percentile weight (little belly notwithstanding) and 15th percentile height, is a nascent Napoleon Complex barely contained. He will poke, prod, pull, grab and do anything else necessary to get attention, particularly if his brother is involved. To him, the word “no” simply means, “let’s see how far I can push this,” and being chased, as in running away from anyone who doesn’t want him to run, is his very favorite sport. He is the type of kid who will, without any warning, jump down from the dinner table, block of parmesan cheese in hand, and in a blinding flash of speed, run to the toilet, throwing it in and flushing repeatedly, all before his mother can stop him. We are hoping that the Christmas Eve, Parmesan-to-Potty race does not become an annual event. His full grin, enthusiastic hugs, constant, infectious laugh, and of course those big eyes, regularly save him from a fate worse than death.

Alden, 4 years old, is all boyish innocence. Unless you are trying to get him to eat something not containing major sugar, or asking him to stop watching movies, he is the most pleasant, sweet, patient child anyone could want. Give him an Obi-Wan Kenobi Force Action light-saber, any Star Wars movie, and a chocolate donut, and he is in heaven. Simple needs for a simple guy, who seems to wonder why anyone in the world would want more than that. When he says “I love you,” which is almost every night, you know he means it, and is one of the great joys in his dad’s life.

Kate, 8 going on 16, had a big year. She had speaking/singing parts in two plays, “Taming of the Shrew” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat,” started playing soccer with her team, and tested into a new Spectrum School where she is a little more challenged and loves it. She was also baptized into our church this year. She has told us in no uncertain terms that she “is basically a teenager” already, and can be found on most nights awake far past any reasonable bed-time, reading voraciously. Her Dad tried to tell her that you only grow when you sleep, and that if she didn’t get to bed earlier, particularly on school nights, she would be short for the rest of her life. (And believe me, this is something he knows first hand.) Her response: “Dad, I can sleep when I’m 17.” That “I-can-sleep-later” attitude is just part of what makes her one of the greatest girls on the planet.

Kathleen works part time from home for Hoover Investment Management, her old San Francisco employer, and continues to love it, trillion-dollars-gone-in-a-poof market notwithstanding. She started running this year, and did a 5k race on Thanksgiving Day, just before hosting 33 members of her family (four and a half short of the whole darn thing) for Thanksgiving. She continues to pack everything possible into every minute, and stands firm in her belief that 5 minutes is plenty of transition time no matter how far away the next event is.

Brett has found the love of his professional life at Flying J. Recent events (Flying J Bankruptcy) have sobered with uncertainty what otherwise would be complete giddiness at having found work he likes so much. But optimism prevails, and he looks forward to a long career there once the reorganization is complete.

We hope your Christmas was memorable and filled with happiness, and wish each of you the very best in the New Year.

Love


The Baileys

The Babes

Here they are, Kathleen and her sister and sisters-in-law (missing only Tricia who was still in Philadelphia), AKA The Babes. They decided to have not one, but two girls nights out between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The funny thing is, not only do they plan the night out for themselves, but feel compulsion to plan what their poor husbands should do while they are gone. (As in, "now, at 6:30 all of you will gather at the Baileys, so the cousins can play. At 7:10 you will cook 3 Papa Murphy's pizzas, followed by game of hide and seek, then stories, and a christmas movie.")

So I'm curious, is it just me, or does any other husband out there have a wife who thinks he is basically incapable of managing the kids well on a girls night out? Does every woman think, as she leaves the house "heaven forbid we should leave this unstructured, who knows what damage they could do . . . ?"

Where have we been?

So, it has been a long time since our last post. What could have happened to them, you wonder (if there is anyone left to wonder at all)? Well, in order of delay, the causes are: children, company bankruptcy, children, trip to San Francisco, children, family holiday things, children, . . . oh, did I mention children? I know, you are saying to yourself, how bad can those kids really be? I mean, they only have three, right? How hard is that? Let me just explain that the following picture represents exactly 25 minutes of being left alone without adult supervision, and finding, by stroke of great luck, the food storage closet that has wonderfully climeable shelves.


Now think of the damage that can be done to a top heavy christmas tree (toppled three times minimum), or, say, white living room carpet when blue pen is so readily available to those who climb with ease? Add in a bevy of cousins that help us play with lots of toys, and a girl who is true gypsy at heart (i.e. carrying every possession she owns into first one room, then another, leaving little bits --or rather, large piles-- of stuff wherever she goes), and Dad ends up too busy to write anything.

So there you go. But on the bright side of things, I am going to try to make up for it all in the next couple of days, so here's hoping we can keep disaster at bay for a bit.