Happy Birthday To You, CHA-CHA-CHA

Aspen started the day with breakfast in bed: french toast!

Every nine year old girl loves hearts and pink!

Aspen and three of her friends went ice skating. It was colder outside than at the rink!

Present time, present time, open your present, see what's inside!!

We are so glad that Aspen is part of our family. She is so kind and loving and giving. And she is a cheerful part of our day. We love you a lot, Aspen! I can't believe that's she is nine!

The Race is On

So I have been trying to start and stick to an exercise program for a loooooong time now. And because I don't have a partner and lots of excuses, it hasn't happened yet. However, Nate and I decided that we really needed to get on the ball and do something about our expanding waistlines. So we are having a race. The first one to 500 miles gets the prize. I think he has an advantage - he used to run cross country. The kids think I have the advantage - I am at home all day. (Anyone with a baby knows how much you get done with a baby that doesn't sleep much and just wants you to play with her.) So I guess the field is pretty much evened out. We made charts. Nate outdid me there. (Everything is a competition.) On Monday we started the race. Nate called me from work, he'd run 3.14 miles; so I ran 3.2 miles. The next day we both rested; he had a sore foot, I had allergy induced asthma. I took some medication; Nate switched to the elliptical machine. Wednesday Nate was up by a mile. Today I had to catch up. I couldn't let him get ahead of me this early in the game. So I ran/walked 4 miles. Although the effort was valiant, Nate ran 3 1/2 miles today. So the tally stands at Nate: 9.5 miles, Betsy 9.05 miles. I'm kind of feeling that 4 miles today. But tomorrow is another chance. I can't let him win this one. I'm grateful for the friendly competition. It gives me an incentive to get my butt in gear. Besides I really want my prize. Nate usually wins every competition/game we play. Not this time. This is one I actually have a chance at winning. Anyone want to join? (You have to furnish your own prizes.) See you at the finish line!

"YOU'RE FIRED"

Conversation at dinner tonight.

Tomorrow we are supposed to have the missionaries over for dinner. The elders have been ill for the past week and I was wondering if they were still going to make it. Nate said they were for sure going to be there, well or not, because Nate is going to let them use his pottery wheel to make something. But who knows how long until Nate gets his kiln up and running to be able to fire the pots.

So Nate says, "Well, they have 2 choices: take the pots 'green' , or wait until they're fired."

Then about 15 minutes later Aspen asked, "Why would they get fired?"

It took me a second to understand what she was talking about. Nate was referring to the pots; but Aspen was asking why the missionaries would get fired!! That would be funny to fire a missionary: "YOU'RE FIRED!"

Not the ending I had hoped for

We decided that Saturdays would be family activity days this year. We have had passes to go ice skating for the past 9 months and we decided to finally use them today. Nate stayed home with Hazel and I took the other three kids. We had such a good time; Isaac was learning to spin and Aspen made some new friends there (she makes new friends everywhere we go), and Toby was speeding around the rink. We watched the zamboni clean the ice and excitedly got back on the rink for some more fun. But 3 minutes later I saw Toby on the other side of the rink, crying. So I sped over to him to find him holding part of his front tooth in his hands. He had fallen and broken off part of his front top tooth. Anyway, to make the story short, we left and called the dentist, (who was out of town, so we had to call the back up emergency dentist) and Toby had his tooth temporarily fixed. Then we had ice cream (which heals all wounds and bought me the rights to publish these photographs). Next week we'll go back to our regular dentist to see about a more permanent and normal looking solution. But Toby was brave and now has a good story to tell. Just not the ending that I had hoped for today.

OUCH: Commiserating with uncle Harry

We were checking out the Terrill blog and saw Uncle Harry's Malibu OR photos. Nate has a similar photo. This happened about 5 years ago. Nate actually went to the emergency room where he had to have a tetanus shot. OUCH!!!

More ?!?

Toby has more awards and badges and pins than a decorated war hero!! Toby's Webelos leaders are awesome. Toby has earned his webelos badge, numerous activity pins, his religious knot award and many, many belt loops - all just by going to scouts each week! I am impressed by their organization. Toby has been having lots of fun. They are now working on the arrow of light award. Within a few months Toby will be in Boy Scouts. I can't believe that he is almost 11!! Time has flown by. I don't know if I am ready for this next phase of childhood. Why do they have to grow up?

Super Scientist!!

Isaac's first grade class did an experiment together for the science fair. They put chicken bones in vinegar to see what would happen. (The vinegar leaches the calcium out of the bones and they become rubbery.) Isaac was one of the kids chosen to explain the experiment to the judges. Their experiment got a second place super scientist ribbon! Aspen did her project on optical illusions. She found many cool examples. Check out this website http://www.michaelbach.de/ot/index.html to see some great optical illusions. Aspen also got a second place super scientist ribbon!
Toby did his experiment on the greenhouse effect to show why the temperature on Venus is hotter than on Mercury (which is closer to the sun and should be hotter). Venus' atmostphere is more dense than that of Mercury. The dense atmosphere creates a greenhouse effect resulting in higher temperatures on the planet Venus, even though it is farther from the sun that Mercury. Toby got a second place super scientist ribbon!!