Scott & Alyssa

Easter Bonnet

2011-04-25T10:29:00.001-07:00

Time flies when you're changing diapers!

2011-03-07T15:12:00.000-08:00

Okay, so it has been MONTHS and MONTHS since I updated this. It is just impossibly hard to sit down for more than a few minutes.

I'm prompted to finally do this by something Ray did recently. He asked me if he could do something. I said no. He disappeared for a few minutes and came back to me, and said, "I'm asking you again." I said, "I'm still saying no." He said, "Look at this." I looked at him and he was pointing at his shirt. He had changed into a shirt that says "I'm probably not listening to you." HA!

All in all, life is lovely adventure. Raymond is learning a lot in school, primarily about "how" to go to school. School assigns him books from 3rd-4th grade - yes that's right! In kindergarten. What I get for him from the library is even more challenging!

Thomas loves preschool and is adept at all things physical, although he knows his letters and is working on sounds.

Evelyn is a dear, pensive, busy little baby. She had RSV recently, and has had an array of other mild illnesses that have made sleeping even more of an impossibility. She loves barley, spelt and oat baby cereal, and sits like a pro. No crawling yet, which I really haven't been push.

That's a quick update. Scott got me a DSLR camera for Christmas, and I've been trying to take "better" pictures of the monkeys, so here's a slide show.

Love, Lys

I could make a longer slideshow...

2010-09-26T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from July and August. Okay, not just some, a lot.

Included:

About a million picture of Evie...

Ray's first day of kindergarten.

Thomas' first day of preschool.

Rock Star Sheep!

Thank you, Uncle David and Aunt Sheila

2010-09-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

Thank you, Uncle David and Aunt Sheila!

They sent us the most amazing presents when Evie was born. Here is a video of them opening their presents.

It only took me 2 months to post this.....

Welcome Baby Evelyn

2010-06-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

Evelyn May Powers was born on Friday, June 25th at 6:08pm. She weighed 7 lbs 13 oz, and was 19 inches.

Quick Catch Up

2010-06-20T14:23:00.000-07:00

Nothing major has happened since the last time I posted.

Only....

We bought a(nother) house, and moved out of Candace's the day before Easter.

Raymond turned 5.

5 Awesome friends surprised me with a baby shower.

I took the boys to Santa Rosa around Mother's Day and sang for a benefit for the 6th Street Playhouse. I returned a week later to sing for Ern's funeral. It was sad, but beautiful.

We went to Bear Lake for a weekend of bike racing. Scott has been racing quite a bit the last few months.

We had a nice visit with Grandma & Grandpa Kuhni, and Claudia.

Raymond graduated from preschool, and he reads at approximately the 2nd grade level. Oh, and had 8 cavities filled. And....

Sydney and Landon got married (my parents came out, and my mom and I did the flowers.) It was a gorgeous wedding!

Thomas continues to be a character, and I am gearing up for new baby (Amanda took some amazing maternity pictures - thank you!!!)

That's all for now. Stayed tuned for news on Evelyn!

MUSE

2010-04-06T10:02:00.000-07:00

Extreme exhaustion from moving over the weekend didn't stop Scott and I from the amazing experience that is a MUSE concert. I thought I couldn't bring a camera (yes, I'm a dummy). So, I didn't take this picture.

Edit this setlist
More Muse setlists

Soccer

2010-03-22T10:22:00.000-07:00

Ray had his first day of soccer. I think he liked it, although he may have just been excited about the juice pouch.

Potty Training Made Simple?

2010-03-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

I know I'm asking for it, and I can feel doom lurking over my shoulder, just waiting for me to type these words, but...

Thomas has done an amazing job with potty training!

Maybe I've just had more reasonable expectations, but, honestly, it has been a few weeks since we began, and after the first few days, he has been accident free. That excludes nighttime, of course. Sometimes he still goes in his pull-up overnight, but sometimes he doesn't, so I think he's on his way.

I have developed a technique that appears to work pretty well, although I'm sure the American Association of Pediatrics would frown on it!

Keep up the good work, little T!

Thomas wants Ray....

2010-02-27T15:37:00.001-08:00

It's A Girl! (So they say...)

2010-02-08T21:22:00.000-08:00

We had our ultrasound today, and it was really amazing. The technology seems to have improved greatly over the past 5 years, and we were impressed by the clarity of the pictures.

Needless to say, I was in shock when they informed us it is a girl. We are so grateful that everything looked perfect!

You know you're raising you child to be the cool kid when....

2010-02-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

Scott and I have tentatively moved on from over 5 years of playing FFXI (Final Fantasy Online - don't worry, it is just on hold), and have been trying out STO (Star Trek Online).

We were playing the other night, and Raymond was watching as we battled in space. I was probably complaining about not knowing what to do, and Raymond had some good advice.

"Use your phasers, Mommy!"

Not all reverence

2009-12-25T11:17:00.000-08:00

Just in case you thought Raymond was all piety due to that last post, here is another recent comment.

We were at Red Mango, and a hip hop/pop version of "Here Comes Santa Claus" a la Destiny's Child came on over the speakers.

Ray: "A sexy way."
Me: "What??"
Ray: "A sexy way of singing Here Comes Santa Claus."

Religion a la Ray

2009-12-11T19:39:00.000-08:00

Scott was just decorating the Christmas tree.

Scott: Now I'm going to put these ribbons on the tree.
Raymond: No.
Scott: Yes.
Raymond: Nooo.
Scott: Yes!
Raymond: NO! What do ribbons have to do with Jesus?!?

It's About Time

2009-12-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. It has been forever, and we have done so much in the past few months!

I knew yesterday I REALLY had to get things updated when Raymond and I had this exchange.

"Mom, I had a cookie and egg nog at school and now I'm eating this sugary yoghurt."

"Well, Ray, I think you'll be okay because you ate all your lunch, and that was healthly."

"But I had more sugary food than healthy food. What will become of us?"

ANYWAY

What we've missed the past few months:

-2 Week Trip to Santa Rosa (complete with Howarth Park & Beach excursions)
-LOTOJA (Scott did fantastically - and finished 1 minute short of his goal.
There's always next year!) Thanks for helping, mom! (She drove the kids!)
-Fun in Jackson Hole for 3 days after the race. We toured the town, went up
the tram and LOVED the Bar J Chuckwagon BBQ Show. Those cowboys are
some amazing songbirds!
-Boeuf Bourguignon! My mom and I wore pearls while making it.
-Scott to Ray camping, the "hike to the site" kind. Ray loved it, and caught
his first fish!
-Ray starting preschool (He loves it!)
-Halloween! (Ray - T-Rex, Thomas - Dragon, except for that time Ray was
Spiderman and Thomas was Batman.) Thomas said "Trick-or-treat" perfectly!
-A Serious Day of Fun in The Snow!
-A spontaneous car camp where we saw some of the most amazing leaves ever!
That was Thomas' first time camping - won't be the last!

I'm sure there was much more, but I can't remember. And that's just through October!

If you are bored, here are 2 slide shows covering the past 2 months

Never, ever EVER!

2009-08-21T10:10:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't know, we've had an extremely eventful month. Not "fun", eventful, but "holy mess of minor disasters" eventful. It all started in the end of July, when Scott decided to get cozy with the road. While descending Alpine Canyon on his bicycle at approximately 42 mph, he hit a pot hole and flipped over his bike. Miraculously, he landed handlebars took the first impact, then his shoulder and helmet, finally sliding on his hands and rear AWAY from traffic. He also landed by the entrance to the canyon so the guard station had first aid supplies. The bike had a lot of damage, though not the frame, but as he was wearing arm coolers, aside from his fingers and shoulder he didn't even have much "road rash." Hooray!

Then on August 12th, I was using the facilities and let the boys wander for a bit, only to hear Thomas start to really scream. When I arrived in the kitchen, Thomas had stuck his left index finger into a can of mandarin oranges that Raymond got down from an upper shelf of the fridge. The lid was partially attached, and like a finger trap, as he tried to pull it free, the lid cut into the top of his finger. Thus, I was tasked with finding a way to remove the finger from the can. I don't know how much worse I made it in trying to remove it, which I ulitmately did, but by the time it was out, it was cut through to the bone, right at the joint. A few moments of fumbling with bandaids and tape, and I made my first 911 call! The paramedics arrived, wrapped it properly, and told me to take him to the emergency room. By the time we arrived, Thomas was completely calm and behaving normally. What a trooper. After checking his finger, and having x-rays, some time later he was sedated and prepared for sutures. As they were cleaning the wound the supervising doctor observed that they could not see his tendon. As he was already sedated they sewed him up, and then requested the Orthopaedic hand specialists to come. And orthopaedic resident came and said they needed their supervisor. Another hour or so later the supervisor came and said something to the effect of, "It appears he has severed his extensor tendon. I don't know why they didn't call us before they sewed him up because we could have reattached the tendon at that point. Now we'll have to splint it and wait to see if it can repair itself." Well, a week later, off comes the splint, and poot little Thomas' finger tip just flops forward while the rest is straight. The hand trauma doctor says "I don't know why they didn't contact us before the sewed him up." Next morning, Thomas and I arrive at 6:45 am for extensor tendon repair surgery. I tried not to freak out, but couldn't help crying a bit when to took him away (he only complained a little for having been sedated again) for general anesthesia. The procedure went well, and when he woke up, I went into recovery and helped. He was angry as can be and wouldn't calm down until we agreed to take the IV out of his foot.

So, we got home and had a nice relaxing afteroon. He was behaving wonderfully, and everything was fine when we put the boys to bed at night. Until......

At around 1:15 Ray woke up with a serious croupy cough and started screaming and crying that he couldn't breath. We've experience croup plenty of times, but the rapid onset, and his terrified crying sent us to the E.R. They gave him a steriod, and a few hours later we were home.

Thomas started coughing as he woke up. He has croup as well.

So that's the story through today. I think we're going to watch movies all day.

Thomas Says

2009-08-10T18:58:00.000-07:00

Thomas to Scott, post ride.

"Oh maaaaan! You're stinky, d'you know that?"

Thomas to Alyssa.

"Mommy, I love you a million."

I forgot the funniest part....

2009-07-20T20:40:00.001-07:00

On our way home from Sun Valley, both boys fell asleep in the car. Thomas woke up first (with the craziest pursed-lipped face). About 15 minutes after Thomas woke up, Ray suddenly opened his eyes and shouted, "I won't eat it, I won't eat it! Put the cherry back where it was." It was hilarious, but it didn't end there. Thomas started talking to everyone (probably about T-Rexes), and Ray (he's a grouch waking up) said, "Stop talking to me, Thomas!" Thomas replied, completely dead-pan.

"I. not. talking. to. you."

Time Flies

2009-07-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

We've had an enjoyable summer thus far, kicking it off with a great BBQ up Millcreek Canyon with friends. We spent a few afternoons picking gorgeous cherries from Candace's tree.

Thanks to Nelson's recent house purchase, we visited our old haunt, the South Salt Lake Celebration and Fireworks, and had a great evening at Nelson's place. The next morning (the 4th!), we went to Denny's for breakfast, and spent the evening at the North's house. Great food, great company, and (according to Scott), okay fireworks.

The next big even was Thomas's birthday. He had 2 birthday parties! One was at the park with friends during playdate the day before his birthday, where we had pizza and cake (I made a dinosaur cake, as that is what he requested).

On his birthday we went to Kangaroo Zoo, and in the evening had a BBQ up Big Cottonwood Canyon with family. It was a perfect night, and the area was lovely and secluded...except for the visiting bunnies!

We were fortunate to be able to attend a celebration party in honor of Grandpa Kuhni's 90th Birthday. It was great to see everyone, and to enjoy the homemade icecream. Best of all, neither of the boys fell in the pond. Thanks to Aunt Rosemanry & Uncle Russ for hosting.

Then from July 15th-18th, we accompanied Scott to Sun Valley, ID for the Utah Bar Convention. On our way we stopped at the Airforce Museum in Ogden, which was AMAZING!We had a great time in Sun Valley, and I fell in love with Ketchum. We had a great 2 bedroom condo from which we could easily walk into town, or to a bike path with some amazing views. The Convention provided fun activities and food, and the weather was gorgeous.

What's Your Name?

2009-07-20T17:22:00.000-07:00

Raymond: (Indistinct shouting from afar)

Alyssa: "What, Raymond?!"

Raymond: "Is your name Thomas?!?"

Family Pictures

2009-06-29T09:01:00.000-07:00

We attempted to take some family pictures yesterday (6/28/2009). Here are the ones I've worked on so far.

Vegas, baby.

2009-06-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

We just got back from our trip to Las Vegas. It was a whirlwind adventure that included a mega-roadtrip. We drove to Santa Rosa from SLC, staying overnight in Reno. Circus Circus was great fun. The boys loved the Midway, and won something like 10 stuffed animals. We had an amazing sushi dinner there. We arrived in Santa Rosa and the next day Scott and I left for Las Vegas (flying there directly from Santa Rosa was SWEET!). Before leaving we took Thomas to the doctor for some serious croupy coughing. After trying to unsuccessfully bribe the desk clerk at the Excalibur, we ended up paying for an upgraded room, which was completely worth it. The rest of the week consisted of 2 crazy days, and 2 relatively more relaxing days. We went to (big breath), the Bellagio Museum, the Secret Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, the top of the Eiffel Tower, the Wax Museum, Popovich Animal Show, the NYNY Roller Coaster, the Circus Circus Adventure Dome and on a tour of the interior of the Hoover Dam. We also saw Terminator 4, Land of the Lost, and went to the Blue Man Group and Tournament of Kings. We also squeezed in plenty of pool time and tasty food. We walked A LOT. The only difficulty was that on our first day in Vegas my parents had to take Thomas to the emergency room for his extreme croup. Otherwise I think everyone had a great time. Ray was especially lucky, as Uncle Jeff took him to Howarth Park, Scandia AND the movie Up!

I ate a ton of ice cream. It was great!

Some Fun

2009-06-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from May and June. Some of the fun we have had include a trip to the Zoo with friends, bicycle races (including a weekend trip to Bear Lake for a race), the Renaissance Festival, swimming, bubbles, the park and just general happiness!

Thomas just said....

2009-05-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

Thomas brought me a few "spiney" blocks that had been put together. He proceeded to say the following.

"Look. An icecream cone. Ray gave to Grandma."
"Oh no! It broke."
"I fix it."
"It not working! It broke again!"

Remember folks, he's not even 2!

Happy Birthday Little Man

2009-04-25T08:35:00.000-07:00

Raymond turned 4 on April 19th. We celebrated with a party on the 18th at Bywater Park, and overall it was a great success. I had been watching the weather every 5 minutes because it had snowed during the week prior to the party. Luckily, the sun cooperated, and it was a lovely day, if a little brisk an windy.

The theme of the party was SPIDERMAN, which Ray chose about 1 minute after last year's party. So in addition Spiderman cake and decorations, we played Spiderman themed games, surrounding the fact that the Green Goblin stole the gift bags.

The BBQ was tasty (thanks Sko), and the cake turned out really well. I made the cake, buttercream frosting and marshmallow fondant from scratch, which was a huge accomplishment for me.

Ray was spoiled rotten, of course. We got him a Millennium Falcon (circa 1995 from Ebay) and 6 pounds of legos (Scott stayed up until 3am making an amazing ship and robot), as well as BATMAN and IRONMAN costumes. No Spiderman you say? He already has one.

He was also given an abundance of overwhelming gifts from friends and family. (He loves the Tinker Toys, Mom. So do I, because he made a back massager that really works!!)

Thanks everyone for coming, being so generous, and celebrating the life of our wonderful little boy!

ps - Thanks to Candace for taking pictures, Kelly for bringing a knife, and all the Powers for helping watch the boys so I could "do stuff."

RMR Crit Update

2009-04-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Scott has another two finishes under his belt. A second place, and another first! You can read all about it at: http://www.utahcritseries.com/

Sko's Wild Rides - Utah Criterium Series

2009-03-30T08:05:00.000-07:00

After Scott's "success" at Lotoja last year (finished under 11 hours without a team to work with and not knowing what to expect - especially as it was his first year riding after ACL surgery), he has been riding his trainer consistently throughout winter to prepare for this year.

On March 7th, the boys and I met up with Scott at Rocky Mountain Raceway for the first race of the Utah Criterium Series. This is Scott's first year as a "licensed" rider, so he races with the "C flite," (B is better, A is all that). Despite the balmy weather (Thomas was dressed in a sweater, coat, and his snowsuit), it was an very exciting for us (joined by Gary and Kelly, who rode over with Scott).

As the race began I enjoyed listening to Gary, Kelly and Lance observing the race and talking tactics. We had a great view, as they were in the inner track, and the boys shouted "Go Daddy!" every time they went by. The half hour went by quickly and before we knew it, they were in the last lap, and Scott went for it. He stayed ahead and won! It was awesome.

The second week he placed 5th, although the 2 flat tires he had didn't help.

Apparently, fifth was not enough for him, and he won the next two weeks as well.

Of course, we are excessively proud of him, but I know he owes his wins to his teammates from Spin Cycle. If it weren't for Lance, it would not have been possible, and I know he also worked a lot with Alex, Dan, Scott K. and probably a lot of others I just don't know. Whatever else this season brings, we're happy for these successes and are having a great time participating and cheering for the hero of our family! "Go Daddy! Go Daddy!"

Raymond's Big Debut

2009-03-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

Lest I forget this event 25 years from now, I must put it here. Last Sunday Raymond had his first opportunity to sing in Church with a group of primary children and their parents. We had all practiced the Sunday before, and that morning, and both times Ray sat on my lap and I whispered the words to him, and I could hear him doing a wonderful job. He can sing on key perfectly and has a great little voice....when he tries. A few times, when the director (go Hyo!) would ask for the children to be loud, he would simply shout, but only once or twice did he do this, and only for a second.

When it was time to sing in church, Ray his little "Sunbeam" friends were situated directing in front of the microphone. The music began and the director told them to, "Sing Loud!." Now, you never know when Raymond will decide to follow direction. He did this time, He began to SHOUT the children's part as loud as his little lungs would allow, right into the microphone. The second verse was supposed to be just the parents, but he kept right on shouting. About two thirds of the way through the song, I was up with the parents, crying with laughter. I couldn't pull it together, but Candace took the initiative to try and move him away from the microphone and encourage him to be quiet. To which he said, also right into the microphone....,"But she told me to be loud!." So we left him alone to SHOUT the rest of the song. I was a little concerned that he was just goofing off, but Scott could see his face and said Ray was really getting into it, and even had his eyes closed.

It may not have been the most reverent of musical numbers, but at least everyone in the congregation was smiling.

Good job, Raymond. Just next time shout on pitch for Mommy, okay?

Swimming and Playdough and Visits, Oh My!

2009-03-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Well, January and February have flown by, full of fun and adventures. As mentioned previously, we had a great visit in Santa Rosa (aside from the post-Superbowl food poisoning incident). A highlight of the trip was the Schultz museum, which had just opened an exhibit commemorating Snoopy and Charlie Brown's role in the Space Program. This was especially great for Raymond who for the past few months has been saying he is going to be an astonaut when he grows up. We also enjoyed the road trip to Oregon to visit Grandma Marge and Grandpa Tony. (This included Grammie, Grandpa Tim, Uncle Jeff, Alyssa, Ray & Thomas in one van.) My mother was gracious enough to put the boys to bed each night so I could stay and play cards with my Grandparents.

The slideshow I'm adding has pictures from all of January and February, including Ray at swimming class (he is loving it and improving greatly), a visit to Park City with Auntie Lynnie, trip highlights from Santa Rosa/Oregon, a visit to Grandpa Gary's house in St. George, and other miscelleneous fun.

Two Awesome Weeks

2009-02-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

We had the great fortune to visit Santa Rosa for a few weeks, and I have tons of great pictures and stories, but since I don't have time to write about it all right now, just watch this video.

Dance Party

2009-01-26T13:57:00.001-08:00

Over the MLK weekend we went to St. George and stayed at Grandpa Gary & Roberta's (thanks!) Raymond, Thomas and I enjoyed the 60 degree weather, and Scott enjoyed riding the bike he just finished putting together. One evening we were all watching "Ghost Town," and Ray was watching "Legend" in an adjoining room. Toward the end of the movie Scott got my attention and motioned towards Ray's room. The music coming from it did not sound like "Legend." Upon peeking into the room, we discovered Ray had somehow turned off the movie, and turned on the music. He was all by himself dancing his pants off to "Do you think you're better off alone," and it was hilarious. He was jumping up and down from the bed, shaking his hips and waving his arms, just for the fun of it.

That same weekend he also managed to put the original "Batman" movie into the DVD player. This is significant because he told me he had done it, and I didn't believe him because our "Batman" DVD is one of many in our case that has nothing one the face, just text around the center. I thought the DVD must have had the batman logo, but it didn't.

And finally, in case you were wondering, it is official, I am somebody. We went up to Park City during the film festival to visit my aunt who was in town. As we were walking up Main Street, I saw a man staring at me. As we got closer I noticed he was still staring so I smiled. He said, "What's your name?" and as I instinctively started to answer he said, "Because I recognize you." I then realized what was happening and I laughed and said, "I'm not anybody," to which he replied, "Oh, you're somebody." We walked on while my aunt Lynnie (I love you!) said, "She's somebody to me!" That made my day.

A Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful, if very busy, holiday season. We enjoyed spending time our friends the Paxtons (and Mr. Higginson, of course!), and Raymond couldn't get enough Elise. Candace hosted a lovely Christmas Eve party, after which Raymond was especially sweet while looking out his window for signs of Santa Claus. He cried out "Oh! I saw him! I hear sleigh bells!" In the morning, Raymond and Thomas were both overjoyed with their gifts from Santa, and Thomas was adorable since he was excited over every gift he opened, whereas Ray was not as appreciative of the clothing.

We hope that this New Year is a good one for all. Let us all reach out a little more to our neighbors, let our love for each other be a little greater, and have a greater appreciation for all the blessings in our lives.

Santa Claus is SCARY!

2008-12-17T07:33:00.000-08:00

While my Mother and Grandmother visited us in Salt Lake City (which was wonderful!), we took one afternoon to head to Park City. We were excited to find there was a special visitor there. This picture will surely be a great family heirloom.

Thanksgiving and Muma's 80th Birthday!!

2008-12-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

We had the great fortune of spending Thanksgiving in Santa Rosa. Yes, that includes Scott. Thanksgiving was lovely and delicious, and we even picked up a few bargains on Black Friday. The highlight of the trip was Muma's 80th Birthday Party on Saturday, and it was a fabulous event with family and friends, featuring authentic Australian gourmet (complete with Bangers, Lamingtons and Pavlova) and some memorable Karoake performances. (My cousin Nathaniel learned the hard way never to challenge a music major to a karoake contest...). It was just so wonderful to see everyone. Thanks to all who were there, we miss you!

Where does this come from?

2008-12-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

The other day Ray asked me if the speck of dust he found was a molecule.

We also had a conversation about coals. It went something like this.

Mommy, what are hot coals? (Coals are what is left when a fire goes out. We also use coals to burn in our BBQ).

Do coals glow? (Yes, when they are hot).

But when you pour water on the fire, it goes out and the coals are not hot anymore. (That's right)

What are coals made of? (Well, that depends on what you use to make your fire. I think coals are mostly made of carbon.)

Oh, that's right Mommy. Are coals dirty? (Yes, usually.)

Are coals greasy? (No, I don't think so.)

Bicycles are greasy. (........)

It doesn't get any better than this.

2008-11-19T06:52:00.001-08:00

I can't express how excited I am about this concert. Not only do I get to sing with the chorus in one of the greatest classical works ever, but in the same concert the women sing in Debussy ~ La Damoiselle élue, which is so beautiful. To top it all off, my Mom and Muma are coming all the way out here to see it! Awesome.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

From October 16th - 28th, Raymond, Thomas and I visited Grammie, Grandpa Tim & Gigi in Santa Rosa. I was treated to almost 2 weeks of babysitting and pampering, so I could go to the Symphony, the Theater, High Tea, go shopping and enjoy many other events and culinary treats usually reserved for the elite (or at least those without young children.) One of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the Adobe Pumpkin Patch in Petaluma, which was the greatest pumpkin patch ever. It had piles and piles of pumpkins in various hues, a castle, a corn maze, hay rides, animals a barn full of flowers and decorations, cut outs for pictures and more. Ray and Thomas loved it, and so did I!!

Halloween

2008-11-05T08:19:00.000-08:00

Despite being a last minute affair, the Rock Band/Guitar Hero party on Oct. 29th was a great success, and fun was had by all. Raymond wanted to be a knight for Halloween, so it only made sense that Thomas be the dragon that is slain by the knight. Thomas was not fond of having the dragon on his head. Raymond's helmet was made by Scott. We went trick-or-treating with a group of small ones from the neighborhood, and we had to work with him to make sure he didn't ask for chocolate at every door.

T-Ball!

2008-11-03T11:46:00.000-08:00

Raymond had a wonderful time playing t-ball this fall. He became quite good at hitting, but preferred digging in the dirt to outfielding. Thomas took every opportunity to escape onto the field.

Work 'em while they're young.

2008-10-10T18:55:00.001-07:00

Child labor laws don't apply in our household.

Check out these guns....

2008-10-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

We visited Grandma and Grandpa Kuhni today, and had a great time. At one point Raymond was having a discussion with Grandma Kuhni about some toys which were in the garage. Grandma Kuhni was explaining to Ray that they couldn't get to the toys right now because they were underneath some heavy cases of water. Ray lifted his arms into the classic "muscle" pose and said, completely deadpan, "I can lift it, I'm strong. I've been working out at the gym."

How to know if you have to go....

2008-09-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful evening of steak, crab and cake for Scott's birthday, Raymond, Candace and I were sitting in the kitchen waiting for Ray's oatmeal to cool. Suddenly Ray looked up and said, "Oh! My bum is talking to me. It's tooting. I need to go poop!"

Newport 2008

2008-09-10T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is a little late but here it is....the Newport Beach 2008 Slideshow!

We had a wonderful time, and can't wait for next year.

Congratulations Scott!!

2008-09-08T06:46:00.000-07:00

Scott rode the 2008 LOTOJA this Saturday and he did an amazing job. He finished 12th in his class, and 415th overall (out of 1259). He completed the 206 mile course in 10:56:10.987. It was an exciting adventure for all involved. On the 2nd supported feed zone he arrived about 2 minutes before us, due to the fact that we did not get gas the night before only didn't run out due to divine intervention. Raymond was stung by a bee, and I filled water bottles while driving. Kelly had to withdraw after 80 miles because of the tendonitis in her knee so it was nice for me to have help for the majority of the race. I'll post some pictures soon. Three cheers for Sko!!!

I am now Teaching!

2008-09-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

LOTOJA

2008-08-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you who were not aware, Scott and his sister Kelly will be participating in this year's Logan to Jackson Bicycle Race on September 6th. This little event requires them to subject their rear ends to 206 miles of pain in a single day. Myself and the boys will be acting as their support, provided that things like diaper changes and tantrums don't get in the way. To learn more about this sanctioned form of torture visit: http://www.lotojaclassic.com/

Three cheers for Scott & Kelly!!

Photos from June & July

2008-08-11T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the highlights from June & July.

Photos by Amanda Jane

2008-08-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

My wonderful friend Amanda took some pictures to commemorate Thomas' first birthday. I think she did an amazing job. Thanks, Amanda!! Happy Birthday, little T.

Durufle Concert

2008-08-05T10:34:00.001-07:00

As I mentioned in a previous post I will be singing with the Utah Symphony for a performance of Durufle's Requeim. Here's the link!

http://www.utahsymphony.org/concert-detail.php?id=137

NOW I'm laughing.....

2008-07-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

Ray, Thomas and I went to the mall with Sydney last week. As we are heading to Newport Beach in a few weeks, Sydney and I were both looking for swimsuits. After choosing a few we headed to the dressing rooms. Thomas sat on a bench and Ray was in the stroller. Sydney and I each tried on a suit then exited the room to show each other. We then returned to our dressing rooms. We tried on another set of suits. This time, as I was returning to the room, Ray discovered he was not strapped in, and he bolted. He ran into the store as fast as he could. I called to the worker nearest to us that he was leaving, and that I would be right there. I asked Sydney if she could take Thomas, but she was completely naked in her room, so I threw on my shirt and chased after Thomas, who had by now crawled halfway out of the store. I could see the saleswomen herding Ray and headed that direction. He is fast. They herded him towards me and I almost caught him, but not quite. He ran all the way out of the store (into the mall) and I followed. Of course, the alarm went off, as the suit I had on was tagged. A few feet out of the store I caught him, and dragged him back to the dressing room, where a worked had a bag of popcorn to give him as a way to keep him still. Can you picture it? Me, half-naked, carrying Thomas, chasing Ray, who of course is laughing at the top of his lungs.

I did not buy the suit.

Happy Birthday to Thomas!

2008-07-12T11:29:00.000-07:00

We had a little party for Thomas' 1st Birthday on July 9th. It was fairly sedate as Thomas was in the throes of what turned out to be Roseola. This might just be the least enthusiastic consumption of birthday cake of all time.

Not for the faint of heart

2008-07-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

As we were driving back to Salt Lake from visiting St. George for the weekend, Ray decided he needed to go number 2. So we stopped at a gas station and he took care of business. About an hour later, he said he had to go again. We stopped, but he didn't go. About a half an hour later he said he still had to go. There were no stops nearby, so I said I was sorry but he he would have to go out by a bush on the ground. He said, "No! I want to poop in the potty like a person! I don't want to poop on the ground like a dog!"

Thomas' Newest Trick

2008-06-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

Ray thinks we are smart

2008-06-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

Ray playing with a squirt gun.

"Grrrrr.....Bad gun, I've ever seen. You spilled on my pants! I'm trying to use my gun, but it spilled on my pants!! Rrrrrr. (laughing from Mom & Dad). It's not funny, you genius....es."

Ray Speaks

2008-06-09T16:53:00.000-07:00

Scott came home from work today and asked Ray to give him a big hug. Ray obliged and decided that was not enough, so he planted a big kiss on Daddy's face. He then said, "Kisses are better without the scratchy beard."

After that, Scott was making dinner and we were all bantering. Scott was in Kelly's way, so she said "What are you doing, Scott?". Ray said, " He's doin' his ooowwwn thing."

You ought to be in pictures!

2008-05-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

As time is at a premium right now, here are some pictures from the past month or so. Enjoy!

Durufle, do you?

2008-05-29T21:18:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce I have been accepted back into the Utah Symphony Chorus. I called just in time for the auditions, and was even invited to sing with the small choir at this summer's Deer Valley Music Festival performance of Durufle's Requiem. The '08-'09 season is awesome and includes Beethoven's 9th, Mozart's Requiem, an Ives Symphony (!), a Bach Cantata & Bernstein's Mass. Come listen!!!

Check it out:
http://www.deervalleymusicfestival.com/
http://www.utahsymphony.org/

What's your name?

2008-05-05T21:45:00.001-07:00

In case you were wondering, yes, we are moving back to SLC. Scott has been working there for almost 2 weeks now, and we are crashing at Candace's (poor Grandma!). Candace has caller ID, which can be a bad thing for telemarketers. When the ID displayed a questionable number Sydney and I decided to let Ray answer the phone. Here are some of the things Ray said, completely unprompted, to the unsuspecting caller.

Hello.
What's your name.
She's busy right now.
Do you have a girlfriend?
Mmmm...just Sydney & Mommy & Thomas.
What are you doing?

I wish I could remember more of what he said. We were in fits when he asked about a girlfriend. It turned out to be someone calling about Nelson's motorcycle. Whoops.

Food - A Love-Hate Relationship

2008-04-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Okay, sorry about all the old stuff, but now that I can get videos posted fairly quickly, I could not overlook this classic. Back on March 2nd Thomas demonstrated his distaste for the food I was feeding him. Of course, he also seemed to be enjoying the process, although he was probably just laughing at me.

Rayisms:

We were having stew for dinner and told Ray to try dipping his toast in it. He did so and after trying it he said, "I just like it PLAIN."

While trying to convince Scott to let him watch the Transformers DVD we just purchased Ray said the following. "I know you'll like it, Daddy. I promise you'll love it."

How can you not take this quiz??

2008-04-11T12:25:00.000-07:00

Take the Quiz here!

Strong Man

2008-04-11T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ray just LOVES doing what you will see in this video, taken yesterday. Amazingly Thomas loves it, too.

Stair Master - Really!

2008-03-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

I've been TRYING to get the video of Thomas climbing the stairs to upload for ages, so it is completely outdated. Now Thomas can climb the stairs in seconds flat, he cruises the furniture and even places crawling chase with Daddy & brother. So, without further ado....

This video is from the beginning of March. Thomas can now ascend even more quickly, and he checks behind to see if we are coming to get him before he takes off. If he turns around and sees us coming he scrambles up as quickly as he can, laughing all the way.

Shame On Me

2008-03-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

Quite a lot has happened in the past almost month since my last post. In the beginning of February we headed north to Grandma Candace's house for President's Day, and left the sunshine for the snow. Our visit was very nice, although it was punctuated by a visit to Instacare after Ray ventured into the downstairs while Kelly was vacuuming and it was all downhill from there. Raymond has allergy induced asthma, inhaler and all. Of course, he hasn't needed it since, so I think as long as we stay away from animal houses he should be fine.

Thomas has grown a great deal in the past month, and is now a "stair master." He also is officially a Daddy's boy. (see below)

Ray, Thomas and I were fortunate enough to spend a week in Santa Rosa, and it was a wonderful, restful time (although we missed Scott!). Ray was a hoot and a handful (particularly as we were 2 weeks into potty training). A highlight was his antics with a banana. He was being silly and playing with one, talking into it like a phone. Then my grandma asked to see it and said, "Hello, Ray!" into it. Ray suddenly became very serious as he turned to her and said, "Actually, its a banana." Thomas was a little hesitant about everyone. He loved to laugh and smile from Mommy's hip. He was SO excited to come home and see Scott. He wouldn't let go once he was in Daddy's arms.

I had fun not doing dishes or cleaning house, and we ate a ton of good food. We visited Kozlowski farms and drove through Forestville, ending in a walk around Healdsburg square. We shopped the Petaluma outlets, lunched Indian style and walked down SR's 4th Street with a gelato stop. Oh, and I went to an Opera. Excellent. Another hightlight was a Saturday BBQ with friends and family. It was wonderful to see everyone. Thanks for coming!!

Anyway, with the travelling and the potty training, I've neglected posting. Don't worry, I'll be back soon. This slideshow has pictures from February through our trip to Santa Rosa. Enjoy!

Just Driving

2008-02-22T14:21:00.001-08:00

On the way home from the store, I was waiting to turn right and I said, "Where did all these cars come from?". Ray misheard, and said, "Ooohhh, they're not dumb, they're just driving." I explained what I had said and Ray said, "They came from the road. They're going to their houses."

Thomas climbed up five stairs today.

After watching "Akeelah and the Bee" recently, I decided I should broaden my vocabulary by learning dictionary.com's word of the day. Two days ago the word was "factitious." Ray didn't say it properly when I tried to teach him. Today he came down after "nap" time ( = Ray plays in his room with the gate locked) and said out of no where, "What's the word of the day?". I smiled and repeated him. He then said "Factitious!" perfectly and triumphantly.

Blasts from the Past - Courtesy of Grammy Pammy

2008-02-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

More 'Ray-isms':

He was about 18months old & they were driving me to Las Vegas airport to go home after a visit. As we approached the city Ray said, 'Las Vegas. I love Las Vegas!'

When we were shopping at Costco last Christmas he spotted some toy guitars "Oh that's Hannah Montana's guitar!' - no idea where he even heard of HM.

He called GiGi (Great Grandma Joan) on her 79th birthday last December...'Happy birthday GiGi - what's your cake?'

Also called Great Grandma Marge on her 85th birthday in February...'We wish we could visit you but we have a sickness (followed by coughing)'

What a character - there's so many others I can't remember.

2008-02-15T11:39:00.000-08:00

I was on the phone talking with my mother when Raymond decided to raid the fridge. With a knife. To compound a dangerous situation, as I rushed to take the hard-earned meat away from the little scavenger (pausing to take a picture), I neglected to put up the gate and turned just in time to find Thomas about to take a plunge .Life is certianly exciting. Especially now that Thomas is so mobile - and he is pulling himself up to stand. I foresee many bruises in his future.

Teeny Tiny Crawling T

2008-02-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

Thomas was scooting and getting himself into the crawling position at Christmas time. He began to truly crawl a few weeks ago, and is now a master! (Don't tell Ray, but Thomas beat him to this skill by over 2 months!)Here he is today showing off his skills.

What's that smell??

2008-02-10T21:04:00.001-08:00

Today we had tacos. Ray eats the ingredients separately. After all the ground beef, tomatoes, and tortillas were gone, he started on the onions. After a few bites he looked at Scott and said seriously, "I think I'm going to have stinky breath." This was entirely without prompting. We had not said a word about the effect of onions on exhaling.

Calvin Klein for Kids

2008-02-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Ray asked me to put gel in his hair. As soon as I did he changed his mind, but it was too late. Cool Ray was born. We then proceed to have a "photo shoot." It was Ray's turn because we had previously had a photo shoot of Thomas in his Santa Hat, and Ray was a little jealous. We had fun, and I tapped into my creative side to get him to stay still and/or smile. "Look Ray, there is ice cream on the ceiling."

What have I missed?

2008-02-07T20:08:00.000-08:00

Already, I know there have been dozens of Ray gems that I have missed. At breakfast this morning Ray looked at the box of Cinnamon Life that features a picture of a father and daughter. Lately he likes to point out things that are "a little bit girly," and that is the first thing he said about the box. After that he said, "But its a little bit manly, too."

Hooray Giants!! We had fun during the Super Bowl, although our party was pretty sedate with just with our little family. We had to cancel a trip to SLC due to the boy's colds (Thomas had a croupy AND rattling cough - fun nights sleeping on the floor) and the terrible weather. It was a happy day. We have been enjoying a visit from Grandma Candace and Aunt Sydney. Today we swam in Grandma & Grandpa Kuhni's pool, although Ray refused to go in the pool and instead put his feet in the hot tub.

Scott has had late nights teaching Introduction to Paralegal at Dixie State College on Tuesdays and Thursday, and I have it on good authority (Candace & Syd!) that he is an excellent and entertaining instructor.

My two big goals now are to potty train Ray and to convince Thomas that sleeping through the night would be a good thing. I need zzzzzzzzzs. I hope to get some quality video and pictures up soon.

Blog-Tastic!

2008-01-24T09:42:00.000-08:00

Scott really does not like the term "blog." Why not just call it a bulletin board? Remember this, if you ever decide to mention anything from this post to him.

I've given in to this trend for one reason. I'm not very good at keeping a journal (actually, I'm terrible), and our boys do things that scream out to be recorded and remembered. Whether it is Raymond's supreme command of the English language (don't take my word for it), or Thomas' contagious joyful grins, Raymond's horrific tantrums or Thomas' diaper dramas, I am betting there are some of you who will be interested. And if not, at least I will have documented these things for our own memories.

That said, here are my favorite Rayisms from recent weeks.

After picking up my mother from the airport for Christmas, I somehow became slightly lost. As I discussed with my mother what I was going to do to figure out where we were, and expressed some frustration with the holiday traffic, an exasperated voice chimed in from behind. "Do you want me to get out of this seat and drive?!?"

We didn't have enough avocados for guacamole, and only a few tomatoes, so I said to Scott, "I'm going to mix it up and make guaca-salsa." Said Ray: "No! Avocados don't belong in salsa!"

After KBYUs children's TV program was over, a devotional came on. Ray cried out, "No, Mom. Turn off the commercial!"

Remember, he won't be 3 until April.

Well, now I must go and change a diaper. He may speak like a 5 year old, but Ray still can't use the potty! Someday....