What to do for a living?

To pass time while we were driving in the car last night, I decided to ask the kids' opinion on what they thought their Dad should do for a living. I called out, "Hey kids, do you think Dad should be a Scientist or a Lawyer?" I guess Gavin misunderstood but it seemed an appropriate enough response... "He should be a Liar."

Our new pet...

We have a new pet "Triops" creature... thingy. He looks so completely prehistoric that we just sit and watch him all the time. He started as a tiny egg just over Thanksgiving and has continually molted and grown to over 3 inches. We love to watch him eat because once he finds food he immediatly stops swimming and just falls on his back, hungrily munching. We named him "Charlie" but apparently he has a nickname, "Buster". Charlie was a present from Aunt Erin Kulesus. Charlie fits right in with his neighbors: "Sea Monkeys" (brine shrimp).

Temple Square Lights

Mary, Sarah and Elisabeth at Temple Square.
(over processed - I know)

Despite the hazy sky, the lights were beautiful!

This was the first time I was able to actually listen to the nativity on Temple Square. Usually the kids had no patience to stay long in past visits.

Elisabeth really liked seeing the "luminaras" or so she called them. I tried over and over to tell her that it rhymes with "fairies." There were lots of luminaries but the lighting was poor for a picture without a tripod. There were several nativity scenes set up around the area representing different countries. Overall it was a cold but very fun quick trip to downtown with the girls!

It's Christmas Time!

After about 10 shots, I finally got a good one of all three kids but unfortunately, this picture didn't make it on our Christmas Cards. Bummer! Oh well, at least I can share it "virtually." Merry Christmas Everyone!

Thanksgiving

Wow - we had the most family come this year for a Thanksgiving feast since we moved here! I'm grateful that we can live so close at this time, even if it is just for a while. Ben came by with his companion earlier in the day but we didn't get a picture. In the evening, we all played Curses. It was so funny when Erin had the curse to do everything Rich did. It didn't dawn on us until later when Mary gave Rich a new curse, that it actually was a "double" curse! Haha! Oh, wait... (with a straight face) ...."That's not funny."

Happy Meal Blues

Since the kids were missing lunch due to a dentist appointment, I figured we'd have to splurge on McDonalds. The kids all wanted chicken nuggets AND a burger. Thinking to economize (and the fact that they just got a toy from the dentist), I suggested that we just order the nuggets, burgers and fries instead of a happy meal. Then I heard a little voice from the back gloomily say: "You want us to eat a Sad Meal."

Halloween

Happy Halloween 2009!

Spookfest Face Painting

Cinnamon Candied-Apples

My first time trying - not too shabby!

Recipe:

8 Apples with sticks
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup red hots
1/2 tsp red food coloring
I added a little bit of cinnamon extract

Clean, de-stem and dry apples. Then pierce them with the sticks and set aside.
Grease a cookie sheet with butter and set aside.
Mix sugar with corn syrup into a pot.
(I used a little bit more than the recipe suggested, and added a little bit of water too)
Mix constantly and turn on low heat first, then raise slowly to boiling.
(Not too hot or sugar will burn!)
Add red hots and food coloring and continue to stir.
Use a candy thermometer to reach 280 degrees F.

Take off heat. Tilt pan and swirl apples in mixture to coat.
Set coated apples on a greased cookie sheet to cool.

I Love You This Much...

So Gavin's Kindergarten teacher is named Mrs. Becki. She is one of the sweetest ladies you could ever meet! Gavin has grown to love her and truly enjoys going to school each day. Apparently, the other kids in the class love her too. Mrs. Becki related the following experience during Parent/Teacher Conference:

A little girl (classmate) was telling Mrs. Becki that she loved her more than "the trees and the flowers". Mrs. Becki replied that she loved the little girl more than the "whole world". Gavin decided to chime in, "I love Mrs. Becki more that Jesus Christ!"

Gavin's Birthday!

We lost some pictures from our camera, so I don't have any fun shots of Gavin's birthday, but he had a great time! First, we had a party at his school with ice cream sundaes, "decorate-yourself" sugar cookies and ghost suckers. Then we had a party at home with several of his friends and played games, decorated more cookies and had cake and ice cream. He was one happy 6-year-old!

Fall Hike

We decided to hike up the hills behind upper campus and explore.
We ended up with a nice view of the sunset and grabbed a couple of timed shots
before the light disappeared. It was an enjoyable family outing.

Happy Birthdays

Wow, another year gone by and all too quickly too!
Time, slow down!!

Back-To-School

It's a new school year and everyone is ready to go!

Gavin starts Kindergarten!

Beautiful Elisabeth!

Hope we have a great year!

Watch-hunting

Gavin came into the Fossil store with me to help me find a watch. After looking over the selection he pointed one out and said, "Mom, you should pick this one. It looks stylish!" I've never heard him say that before and I asked him where he learned that word. "Oh, I've just heard it on TV."

Horseback Riding at the McPhersons

Sisters Suzette and Karen got the chance to meet during Karen's trip to Utah.
Suzette and Forrest showed us the ropes on how to ride a horse.

It was a great experience for all of us. Thanks for letting us visit!

Hope to see you again soon!

Elisabeth's Baptism

Elisabeth was baptized 2 days after her 8th birthday.

Sarah came to visit before starting college.

Thank you everyone for coming. What a great looking family!

We love Elder Haymore!
Way to go Elisabeth!

Introducing my new niece: Baby Eva Haymore!!

We are staying in Utah.. for now.

So we have finally come to the decision that we will have to put off going to law school in the fall. Rich's experiments have taken a turn for the worse and it will take several months to figure out and complete his project so he can graduate. It may be possible that if Rich gets into the U's law school from the waiting list, he may still be able to start while continuing to work in the lab but that would be a hard road and we are not feeling confident that an opening will come available. We are still unsure as to what path to take post-graduation but for now, we are content to realize that we have no other option but to first complete the PhD. At least I have peace of mind that I will not have to pack as soon as I get back from vacation in July!

Tracy Aviary

Elisabeth's new PJs and Dress

Thank you Grandma Kulesus for making Elisabeth some new clothes. She loves them all!

Update..

Rich received a wait-list letter from the University of Maryland School of Law. It said he was on the "Priority" list. Then we got a call the next day saying he was accepted. Now we are reviewing our current options and hoping we hear more news from some of the other schools soon. We expect to hear something any day from Duke University but think it will be our first rejection letter. Here is a link to Rich's "Law School Status" page that he is keeping updated. We are currently making a list of "pros" and "cons", along with tuition costs, IP courses available, cost of living, etc. for each option. The decision is getting harder rather than easier!!

Easter Egg Fun

Gavin, Elisabeth and her friend Brooklyn all had a blast finding treats at the Univ. of Utah Easter Egg hunt. Logan had to go to scouts but the kids shared some of their eggs and treats to be fair. Overall, it was a very good Easter for our whole family.