Sunshine on my Shoulders

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T23:55:00.004-05:00

to my wonderful wise and beautiful mother is is too many miles away from me today.....

love you all my heart.

First Day of School

2009-09-27T20:37:00.003-05:00

Are you done yet???

Huddy insisted on wearing his "work shirt" to school.

Waiting for the bus......check out the shoes!

Labor Day Surfing (Sort Of)

2009-09-27T20:04:00.004-05:00

These days, Huddy calls anything with boogie boards and water "surfing." The kids were dead set on wearing their wetsuits, so we suited them up and threw 'em in the Rappahannock!

Nielson's 2nd Birthday

2009-09-27T19:37:00.003-05:00

We had beautiful weather and a great dinner on the back deck for Noodle's birthday. So glad that Grandmom and PopPop could be there to help celebrate, as well and Aunt Stephie, Irv, and Catharine. Noodle had a great time opening presents, and Huddy had a great time appropriating every single one!

Stomp Rockets were a huge hit!

I love how Hudson is using Nielson's new dump truck . Hmm.

That looks painful, Irv.

Just look at this picture. Then you'll understand why my hair will be completely gray in another 5 or 10 years.

If only these moments could last longer than 30 seconds. That's about the tolerance that Huddy has for Noodle being his passenger.

County Fair

2009-09-27T18:57:00.004-05:00

In the town where I grew up, we had "Northbrook Days," which was a fair that set up every year on our Village Green (fancy name for town park.) What a great time that was as a kid. Seemingly endless rides, games and food which collectively could be had for under 10 bucks. Of course, that was back in the day when an ice cream cone at Baskin Robbins cost 50 cents. Ah yes, the good old days......

It's funny going to fairs with my own kids. I see the excitement in their eyes and try to play along, while internally checking out all the rusted ride frames and food that costs more than a down payment on a small car. I shared Ellie's first ferris wheel ride with her- just look at her face! All the while I heard every creak, felt every shudder and wondered when the operator's last drug test had been. I hope I hid it well.

Fairs are magical...when you're 6 and 3. But not when you're 1, like Nielson was at the time. He was just bitter he couldn't ride anything.

As some of you heard me say...I'd like it to be more like Charlotte's Web and a lot less like Joe Dirt!

Don't need to see where I'm goin'...long as I know where I've been!

My Family

2009-08-11T21:52:00.006-05:00

One of the perks of being friends with the photgrapher is that you get first peek at the photos! Here are some shots that my lovely and talented friend Bev took of our family while we were up at Aspen Grove(Utah.) You can check out some more of her work at www.bevrobison.blogspot.com. She does live in Prague, so don't get your hopes up for booking her to do your family's next photo shoot!

We are missing two members of our family, my brother Pete and his wife Sheril. They were not able to come to the reunion and were sorely missed! You'll notice the gap in the big group family photo...we're hoping to Photoshop them in!

Matt and Joi and family

Joey and Tiffany and family

Dave and Jolene and family

Sam and Aleatha and family

The two responsible for unleashing the rest of us on the world.
Aren't they great looking?

Almost all of us.

Long time....

2009-08-11T21:11:00.005-05:00

since my last post. My computer is slowly dying. I guess after 8 years, it's entitled. I've been avoiding it since it takes forever to do anything. That's my main excuse for blog neglect. The other being that I have 3 kids. They are consummate time suckers and energy zappers. Luckily for them, they are worth it! Here's some pictures of our trip to the beach last week. Ellie has been learning to boogie board with Doug and is loving every minute of it. The boys are learning to not get swept out to sea by waves. One of life's most important lessons if you ask me! Check out Nielson's short(er) hair. My baby boy is no longer a baby!

Why swim when you can fly?

Perfection

2009-06-01T19:43:00.006-05:00

Couldn't have happened to two more beautiful people...inside and out.
Congratulations, Thompson and Jen... and thanks again for giving us a wonderful excuse to get out of town for a few days!

Ellie's Birthday

2009-04-30T20:41:00.004-05:00

For Ellie's 6th birthday, we had a rock star party. That's right. I had a bunch of Hannah Montanas running around my house shooting music videos and putting tattoos on their faces and arms. We had a great time!

The guitar "shape" was as far as I got for the cake. Considering the fact that I started baking 45 minutes before her party started,

I'm pretty impressd with myself!

Happy Birthday, Dad

2009-04-21T10:56:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to a man whom I have always been proud to call my Dad. Thinking of you and hugging you a little tighter on your special day this year, even all the way from Virginia. XOXO

Carpenters in Virginia

2009-03-29T23:54:00.005-05:00

Pictures now, story later!

The Decline....

2009-03-18T21:26:00.004-05:00

I realized the other night that something I value has become non-existent. I was in the bathroom at 1am the other morning uh- using the bathroom- when the door creaks open (we live in an old house.) From the darkness I see two eyes and a bink (pacifier) staring back at me. In walks my 18 month old, summoned from a deep sleep by who knows what. He stands expectantly in front of the toilet, demanding my full and immediate attention. I...finish...and take him back to bed. My bed. Because once he is up, his bed becomes toxic to him for some reason. Is he a good guest? No, he is not. He hogs my pillow, kicks off my covers and gloms onto me like a monkey backpack.

While lying in bed with said chimp firmly attached to my back, I realize that I have lost any privacy or right to it. If I'm in the bathroom, I might as well hand out printed invitations to my kids that say, "COME ON IN!" If I'm on the phone, the kids either need a snack right that minute, or Ellie thinks I am talking about her which leads her to say, "Who are you talking to and what are they saying?" I can keep going, but I won't. I'll just chalk this up to another thing I'll miss when my kids are older and out of the house....and I get my privacy back. (Cue "Slipping Through My Fingers" on my playlist.)

For those of you who get to go into the bathroom alone, enjoy it and consider yourself lucky!

February into March.....A Retrospective

2009-03-11T21:18:00.009-05:00

Isn't that a fancy way for saying "I've been a slacker and haven't posted anything new in quite awhile?" Here goes....

Our friend David Bonds invited us to his Naval re-enlistment ceremony down in Yorktown. I sure felt fortunate to be able to witness it and I'm so thankful to men like him who put their lives on the line for all of us. Not to mention his wife and family who make monumental sacrifices of their own for our freedoms.

This is a bubba in training if I EVER saw one!

He is wearing is "Troy Boyton" shirt a la High School Musical.

Our annual Virginia snowstorm. It only snows for a day, although this year the snow actually stuck around for a few days, which is unusual.

This is Stosh, our neighbor from down the road. He couldn't wait for the snowplows so he plowed the road himself! Yep, that's our post office in the back. Cute, huh?

Walnut trees in the back yard

PTA Snow Boogie at Ellie's school

Trouble. Definite trouble.

Ellie (in tie-dye) and her crew

First lost tooth!

My mom. She'll kill me for posting this, but I love this picture.
I have the best Mom in the world.

Ellie eating seaweed down at the cottage. Again.

Huddy assuming his usual position. Pouncing.

My little wonderboy.

Ellie and Connor, jellyfish wrangling.

Beautiful day down at the cottage.

My Little Mafioso

2009-02-09T21:11:00.003-05:00

Soooooooo...Huddy has decided to extend his terrible twos into his threes. One minute he'll be singing "I Love to see the Temple" in a perfect little angelic voice, and the next be doing a jump spin into your back. Or leg. Or head. When you tell him to stop, he'll tell you he'll pour water in your eye. And then comes my favorite. He'll finish every threat with "You want that to happen?" Paging Don Corleone.

As if his cup wasn't currently overflowing with enchanting qualities, he has become very fond of the word "stupid," as well as the phrase "shut up" (which he learned during primary at church, ironically enough.) Thanks to the wisdom of the Meanest Mom, I have found a solution that looks promising. To give credit where credit is due, here is her original post: http://themeanestmom.blogspot.com/2009/01/bad-words.html

I have introduced Hudson to Taco Charlie's All You Can Eat Pepper Bar. He gets a warning, then he has to go eat a jalapeno pepper slice (from a jar, you wimps...stop calling social services!) Saturday was the first day of enforcement. True to form, stupids and shut ups were flying. I gave my warning and within minutes he found himself in the kitchen, anxiously awaiting (or screaming bloody murder while looking at) his first slice of jalapeno. He took the fork, touched the pepper to his tongue and let out another shriek. "Mom, I will not say stupid again. Ever!" He sobs. So I didn't make him eat the tiny tiny slice of pepper, but I encouraged him to remember what it tasted like the next time he felt like letting choice words fly. So far, I've given him warnings, but I've never had to take him back to Taco Charlie's. I am cautiously optimistic at this point.

However, he has added, "You're gonna say bad words and have to eat a pepper....You want that to happen?" to his repetoire. At least he does so with a smile on his face!

For Bev, Part 1

2009-01-29T16:53:00.003-05:00

I beat my scanner into submission and here's what I have so far. The scans are down and dirty so the quality isn't great. Too tired for photoshop right now!Remember, I am being kind. Should you retaliate with any hideous pictures of my college past, I will post.......MATCHY LEATHER JACKET PICTURE! Gasp! :)

Thanks for the memories, Bevy...can't wait to catch up this summer!

Whatever did you do to deserve this kind of treatment?

Disco Party....I must've heard Deadhead party. This one belongs on FB for sure!

Some ill-forsaken toga party. Note your artfully and thoughtfully designed toga...and me with a sheet thrown over myself. Also notice the crimped hair. If you were really my friend you wouldn't have let me go out like that.

Who won the scrunchie contest, anyway?

You and Amy (with my brother, Joey in the backround) on top of Squaw Peak, summer of 1990.

MORE TO COME SOON!

Oyster Reef

2009-01-19T22:17:00.004-05:00

Doug and his partner, Irv have been working on a new service for their business where they establish or re-establish oyster reefs in front of people's (waterfront!)homes. They experimented in front of the cottage and the results were amazing! The area above that is on the left and looks green is actually all oysters under seaweed. I remember not too long ago when it was nothing but mud. And old broken glass bottles. Incredible!

Here's what the oysters look like up close.

Oyster farmers in training.

What little girl smiles while holding seaweed??? Mine does!

Oh good...we can finally start making our own sushi.

Virginia Beach

2009-01-19T21:53:00.005-05:00

Nielson mulling over the new surf/swim regulations.

Ellie's treasure of the day..mermaid purses!

My cute little Hud...on the brink of disaster as always.

Mount Trashmore...but not the one in Evanston!

Having a ball rolling down the hill.

Hudson rolled so fast he knocked his boots off!

Connor pondering the meaning of life from atop Mount Trashmore

Ellie's new high tops. Her pride and joy.

A momentary instance of sibling helpfulness

What a great day!

Hat

2009-01-13T00:05:00.001-05:00

I love this hat. Just had to say it and show it.

I Saw Three Kids on Christmas Day

2009-01-12T23:57:00.002-05:00

On Christmas afternoon, we headed down to the water to attempt to take a family picture. Afterwards, it was playtime!

Christmas

2009-01-12T23:47:00.005-05:00

We had a quiet (mostly) relaxing Virginia Christmas this year, which was nice. Unfortunately I didn't get too many good Christmas morning shots...still figuring out this new camera! Here's a few.

Washington DC Temple at Christmastime

2009-01-12T23:35:00.001-05:00

Georgia McMinn Cousins!

2009-01-12T22:48:00.011-05:00

Trenton and Cami (along with their parents) came to see us for a few days on their way up to Delaware for Christmas. We all had a great time. We all went out to dinner at Carolina Barbeque, where everything is either stewed, fried or unrecognizable. For some reason, everybody loved it but me. The kids loved it because there's a soft serve ice cream machine. Doug, Connor, and Steve loved it because it's all you can eat. Amanda and I tolerated it becasue they had hush puppies. After that, we headed down to Bass Pro Shops. Bass Pro Shops? Yep, it entertains the kids and wears em right out. Nuff said. Doug and Steve took the kids to the Festival of Lights in Newport News and Amanda and I headed to Wal-Mart for some groceries. Who says we don't know how to live it up?

Trent and Ellie

Nielson, Cami and Huddy.

Nielson did have a plate, I promise. He threw it on the floor!

Connor and Nielson at the beloved barbeque joint.

Cami and Daddy Steve

Hudson trying to figure out why the combination of melted butter and chocolate syrup is not coming off his hand.

Who cares? I got ice cream!

Test drving the ATVS at Bass Pro Shops

Taking a five second break. Literally. That's all it was.

Ellie showing off the fish tank.

The kids with Cami and Aunt Amanda.

Can you say DISTURBING????? They have a whole Santa's Village and the target shooting booth is in it! Do my kids want to see Santa? Oh No! They want to shoot guns. Pink guns. Yikes.

Trenton and Hudson at church. So cute!

Random

2008-12-29T21:50:00.006-05:00

Hudson is about 99% potty trained. EXCEPT when he sleeps. When he conked out on the couch the other afternoon, I thought I could just wrap a diaper around the outside of his pants and not disturb him. WRONG. Thank heavens for steam cleaners! He's going to hate me for this picture when he's older...

Here's Hudson in his element-OUTSIDE! Taken after church a few weeks ago.

Nielson after his Sunday afternoon nap.

I took Ellie to see the Nutcracker in Richmond a few weeks ago. I used to go as a child with my mom in Chicago and loved it. Ellie was pretty quiet during the entire show, except towards the end when she kept asking if it was over yet! I didn't think she liked it very much until I heard her talking to other people and saying how "cool" it was.

Ellie in the Landmark Theater

Before the show

Is it over yet?

Hudson's 3rd Birthday

2008-12-18T22:50:00.005-05:00

It was the year of the Deere....John Deere, that is. Hudson still has JD on the brain all day every day. With that in mind, we had his friends come over, eat tractor-shaped cake, play on a hay bale tower and go on a tractor (ok-riding lawnmower attached to a trailer covered with aforementioned hay bales) ride for his birthday. We all had a great time, and Huddy was able to add to his ever growing collection of all things John Deere with several new tractors and his requested scale model of a Cotton Picker. I'll thank the "All About John Deere" dvd series for that request.

All ready for the tractor ride.

Check out that cotton picker ready to destroy my masterpiece. The big yellow clumps are supposed to be hay bales. I panicked and didn't think I'd have enough cake so I slapped those together, obviously!

Hudson still hasn't quite mastered blowing without some accompanying spit. Yum!

Moving the hay bales. Thanks, Connor!

Hudson and his pal, Jackson.

Ellie and Bryan, the boy next door. I'm still not worried.

Fishing on the Chesapeake Bay

2008-12-18T00:03:00.005-05:00

We were able to keep our somewhat informal annual tradition of going fishing with the Lynch family every year in November. It was COLD, but we had a great time. Thanks again to Grandma Judy for watching the kids so I could go!

Doug looking like he walked off the set of "Deadliest Catch."

Doug and our nephew, Connor.

This is what happens when the fish aren't biting. Conor Lynch starts speaking Democrat and his Dad starts debating whether or not to give him a ride home.

Conor mugging while poor Mike is freezing trying to put on the whatever you call the thing which keeps the wind and water out of the boat!

Fish on!

Our one catch of the day

Yes, that is a container ship in the background.

Mike Lynch and Doug

Maureen Lynch and I. I know I look doofy but I had everything draped on me that I could find to stay warm. Vanity went out the window the second we pulled away from the dock. I think it's a cute picture of Maureen though.

Oyster Festival

2008-12-17T23:51:00.004-05:00

Doug and his partner, Irv participated in the Urbanna Oyster festival again this year. They tried something new and had roasted oysters in conjunction with the company booth, which turned out to be a roaring success.

It's a festival, for Pete's sake. Food, booths, fake pirates. Where do my kids want to spend their time? On hay bales.

Behind..again!

2008-12-17T23:09:00.002-05:00

I wonder if there will ever come a day when I'll sit down in a chair and drum my fingers, wondering what to do. Doesn't seem likely anytime soon! Once again I find myself with a solid month and a half of things to blog about. As Bill Murray once said... baby steps! Here goes:

The third week in November I was fortunate enough to go out to Utah for my friend, Amy's wedding ALONE! I can't post any pictures because I didn't have my camera (long story) and SOMEONE (ok Camille) was supposed to send me some of hers. No matter. I had a great time and loved the fact that I got to spend some time with my parents all by myself. This makes it sound like I don't love my children. That is not true. Any mother will tell you that a break from the kids is good every once in awhile. I love my kids, always will. Taking occasional breaks from them ensures that I will continue to like them. Any mother that says she doesn't need a break and wants her children by her side 24-7 is lying, by the way.

I digress. I stepped off the plane and was picked up by my mother, who whisked me off to an afternoon at the Grand America Spa. Kill me now, it was incredible! We each got massages and then I got a pedicure and she got a manicure. I really didn't want to change out of my robe back into my real world clothes. Couldn't I just live in the lounge area, with the gorgeous basket of red apples and enormous glass dispenser of cucumber lemon water? Alas, it was not to be and we eventually had to leave. Met my niece, Rachel for a late lunch at the restaurant downstairs and then Rachel and I went shopping for awhile. What a great day!

The rest of the weekend was a blur of non-stop activity. I really didn't have a ton of time so I tried to see friends and relatives who I hadn't really been able to spend time with in August when I was there. Anybody reading this who I didn't get a chance to see, please forgive me and I owe you Cafe Rio the next time I'm in town.

In a nutshell, I had a great lunch with two of my cousins, saw some great movies (Secret Life of Bees and-what else?- Twilight!), had breakfast at the Pancake House with just my dad, did some shopping, went on walks with my mom, and had dinner with my brothers Joey and David and their families on Sunday. There's more that I'm forgetting but it's a month later and I'm tired so I'll fill in the blanks later.

All that outside of the glorious wedding of Amy and Mike. I just love it when one of the "good ones" gets married. Amy is the best of the best and I'm so happy for her. She looked absolutely beautiful and the events were a perfect representation of her. Another side benefit was being able to catch up with another old friend, Camille. I loved meeting her sweet baby, Madden and actually having a conversation with Dean, her husband. I just wish all these lovely people would move closer to the east coast! I miss them.

Pathetic

2008-11-04T23:01:00.004-05:00

So here are our Halloween pictures, such as they are. I got one of Hudson. Here it is:

Now you understand why I entitled this entry "pathetic!" This is what happens when you take the kids trick or treating solo AND have to wrangle a stroller AND have to make sure that two little bodies aren't darting out in front of passing cars (third little body was trapped in the stroller, thank heavens!)

Supergirl Ellie and Olivia the Good Witch

Huddish Quote of the Day

2008-11-04T22:57:00.003-05:00

Doug: Hudson, we're going to go vote now.

Hudson: Yeah, I want to go on the boat!

Doug: No Hudson, vote with a v.

Pauses...

Hudson: I want to get on the vote with a v!

This week's life lessons

2008-11-02T21:43:00.002-05:00

1. Don't wear flip flops through newly-laid mulch. Your feet will look like a hobbit's (dirty and slightly hairy.) This happened to me at the farmer's market yesterday. I didn't notice until I had been there for an hour or so and had conversations with several people. I'll probably be known as "dirty feet Karen" for awhile.

2. Wal-Mart is a great place to show your kids that you are, in fact, NOT the meanest mom in the whole world. Without fail, I can always count on some other mother to hiss at, yell at, spank, or belittle their child in some unspeakable way. It really is sad, but it actually inspires me to be a better mom. I think it also gives my children some much needed pespective on what the meanest mom in the world really looks like!

3. Grandparents are the best thing in the whole world. We are so fortunate to have Doug's parents relatively close by and I am so fortunate to have unlimited long distance mintues to talk to my mother on. I remember as a child loving the time I got to spend with my grandparents. So many good memories. Did you catch that, Mom and Dad? It's time for a visit! Doug's parents were down for a few days last week and Doug and I were able to go to the DC temple EARLY Friday morning. The boys had a great time with Grandmom Judy and PopPop while Ellie was at school. Doug and I had ten hours all to ourselves. WOW!

4. No matter how smart I think I am, my five year old daughter will always be smarter than me. Maybe not smarter, but more stubborn. Methinks she is channeling my Grandma Ila. I''ll have to expound on that later.

5. I wish I would've thought of High School Musical. I took Ellie on a girl's night out on Saturday to see HSM3 and it was great. Cute movie, nothing to worry about content-wise. Nicely done, Disney! I just wish they could get their actresses to sign anti-hooch agreements.....

6. I am listening to Jeffrey R. Holland's talk from conference a few week's back. It is quite possibly my favorite talk ever. You can read it here or listen to it/watch it here.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for Halloween pictures. As soon as I remember to get my camera out of the car.

Catching Up (Again)

2008-10-28T19:19:00.012-05:00

Where the heck did October go???? We've had a busy month and November doesn't look to be any slower. Here's some shots of our recent activities. Stay tuned in another few days when I will have to post another "catch-up post." Right now I'm off to watch Ironman with Doug, which is the closest thing to a night out that I can hope for at the moment!

Huddy on a tractor ride at Family Fun Day at Ellie's school. I love the little spray of freckles across his nose. That alone probably saves him on the days he is being a complete menace.

Ellie and "the boys" from next door: Bryan, Erik and Jack

Nielson doing the tried and true "Frankenstein Walk"

Ellie hanging out...or in

That's a long way up....

but the ride down is worth it!

Ellie and Huddy with a wonder horse. I just wonder what they're good for!

Note the TWO leashes on the llama.

Nielson's reaction after meeting the llama!

Doug's old friends from college, The Nobles, came for a visit. They kept us up way too late , but we enjoyed having them here and catching up.

Yes, that's my son trying to smack poor Griffin Noble. The ironic thing is that's actually Huddy's way of saying he likes you. And no, Ellie doesn't usually dress like a cowgirl Bratz doll (which are not allowed anywhere near our house, by the way!) ...she did in fact have riding lessons that day, and those are her riding jeans!

Ellie at the Farmer's Market in Irvington. She is growing up so fast...is she really only five?

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-14T20:53:00.007-05:00

While we were up in Delaware, we went to the coolest pumpkin patch just over the Pennsylvania state line called Linvilla Orchards. Tractors, pumpkins, and doughnuts...oh my!

Moments later, a duck would mistake Nielson's pudgy little fingers for his afternoon snack. Not a pretty sight.

This is what happens when Mommy leaves the children in Daddy's care while she ducks into the store. Candied apples? Are you kidding me???!?

Nielson literally swimming through the mulch at the playground. When he wasn't channeling his inner Michael Phelps, he was eating said mulch.

Here's proof.

Go Grandmom Judy!

Weekend in Delaware

2008-10-13T21:38:00.005-05:00

We were finally able to get up to Delaware for a weekend! Ellie has only been begging to go for eight months or so. It was Doug's 20th high school reunion on Saturday night so we drove up after the Irvington Farmer's Market and got there in time to drop off the kids at Grandmom and PopPop's and head straight to the reunion. In our haste, I forgot the camera but it was a great night. Doug was able to see almost all of his friends from high school and it was great for me to be able to put faces to names! His school is amazing...looks like a college campus. We took the kids back the next day so they could see where Daddy went to school. I DID remember my camera this time!

This was originally a garage...

for this place! This is the building where the reunion was held. There is a center courtyard with a huge stained glass ceiling. It was beautiful.

Backyard Fun

2008-10-13T20:01:00.003-05:00

Nielson loves to ride in the wagon...

usually!

Ellie wearing her "spirit day" t-shirt

Where good toys go to die...our sandbox

Hudson having a heart to heart with Rogue.

Wings and Wheels

2008-10-13T19:10:00.004-05:00

or "Ings and Nails" as Hudson likes to call it. It's an air/antique car show they have here at the local airport. As you can see, the big hit of the day was the inflatable slide, followed by the flying lawnmower (yes, it's real) and the extensive display of John Deere tractors (no Hudson, you may not sit on those tractors...this isn't Lowe's.) Doug was partial to the T&L Barbeque lunch and Nielson liked the funnel cakes. Ellie was happy to have her best friend, Olivia there. They had their horseback riding lesson together that morning. It was a beautiful day!

Reasons why it was an (almost) perfect evening

2008-09-25T19:59:00.002-05:00

Everyone liked the dinner I made.

Dinner included fresh avocado and barbeque chicken.

My kitchen didn't look like World War III afterwards.

We played with trains and nobody fought.

We had a raging dance party and nobody fought.

Nielson discovered he can turn around in circles and thought that was so funny.

We played grocery store and nobody fought.

Ellie and Hudson put socks on and ice skated on the hardwood floor as Ellie attempted to teach Huddy how to point his toes. Priceless.

We raced cars on the hardwood floor and nobody fought.

Al three children had a bath, brushed their teeth, read stories and went to bed. Wait..except for Hudson. He's my holdout on the couch.

No tv, no computer games. Just playing. For hours.

I am so lucky.

Why wasn't my evening perfect? Doug's not here:(

You snooze, you lose

2008-09-19T23:35:00.005-05:00

Too bad boys, the best of the best has been taken off the market this week. Try picking up the pieces of your shattered lives and move on.

I am so happy for you, Amy!

What Heaven Looks Like....

2008-09-18T09:49:00.005-05:00

if you're a John Deere-obsessed two year old! Hudson is having a hard time adjusting to life without Ellie during the day, so the birthday fairy and Santa got together and decided to come early this year. He truly is in John Deere Heaven (as long as the battery holds out!)

Bowling

2008-09-14T21:26:00.004-05:00

For Family night last Monday, Ellie declared that we were going bowling. Grandmom Judy, Pop Pop, Stephanie and Irv came with us and we all had a great time watching the kids bowl. (Thanks heavens for bumper bowling!) Hudson couldn't quite get the idea of rolling the ball and ended up chucking it down the lane every time. Ellie did a great job rolling the ball and even got a spare. Nielson just spent the time cringing at the loud noises and wondering where his next meal would come from.

One Last Beach Trip

2008-09-14T15:58:00.006-05:00

In the midst of Saturday chores around the house, Hudson ran in to announce that we were going to the beach. Doug followed him in and said they were just looking on the internet at the waves at Virginia Beach...he never told Hudson we were going! Yeah right. Off we went for one last swim. We had a great time...I think Nielson ate his weight in sand! Ellie is getting more comfortable in the water and even let the waves carry her a few times. Hudson just enjoys running up and down the beach, letting the waves chase him, like a little sandpiper. Our best surprise was running in to Doug's sister, Stephanie at the beach. It was a beautiful afternoon.

Another Huddish Moment

2008-09-11T20:20:00.002-05:00

Just had to post about Hudson at bedtime. He was explaining to me how he says his prayers as was lying in his bed.

"Firss I bonk (bow) my head, then I close my eyes, then I budder (fold) my arms like dis."

Tropical Storm? What Tropical Storm?

2008-09-07T14:24:00.003-05:00

Wind is blowing, rain is pouring...and these kids are in their backyard jumping on the trampoline and sucking up muddy water through a hose. Where are their parents???

Nielson's Birthday

2008-09-07T13:55:00.005-05:00

Nielson turned one on Friday. Wow-this year has gone by fast! He came into this world pretty small (by Carpenter/McMinn standards, anyway) and now he is the biggest one year old I've ever seen! I think he knew he needed to bulk up to defend himself from Hudson's love taps, pats, and/or body slams. He is walking and talking (in Nielsonese) like a champ.

While Nielson was taking a nap in the morning, Hudson was helping make the cupcakes. By helping I mean that he would come in every few minutes and ask for one to eat. Finally I gave him an unfrosted one and asked him to go outside to eat it. He came back in a few minutes later, held up the half-eaten cupcake and told me to:

"Put a wid on it ."

Huh?

"Put a wid on it!"

A plate?

"No! A WID!"

This went on for a few minutes before he finally pointed to the frosting.

"That wid!"

We had a little cake and ice cream party with our friends, Miralcle and Laura, the Esplin family and the Graulich Family. Grandmom, Pop Pop, Aunt Stephie, and "Uncle" Irv were also there.

Fancy one year old cupcakes and sunflowers from our garden Sunflower House. I'm glad I cut these because Tropical Storm Hanna blew through the next day and levelled the plants.

My sweet birthday boy!

Beautiful Ellie (even with a chocolate mustache!)

Nielson got some great presents, including a giant green tractor that he hasn't been able to see since it was opened. Hudson has adopted it as his own and turns into the devil if anyone gets near it. Oh boy.

First Day of Kindergarten

2008-09-04T20:59:00.003-05:00

Is this the little girl I carried, is this the little girl at play.....I don't remember growing older, when did they??? Yeah, that's enough Fiddler on the Roof for one night!

Ellie started kindergarten on Tuesday and could not get there fast enough. She sprang out of bed, got dressed, voluntarily hugged her brother (Hudson) and was waiting at the door with her backpack before I could even brush my teeth or get dressed. Couldn't help her with her outfit, couldn't help her with her hair. She had "done it all," she told me. I had to explain that we had a little while before school started...and explain ten minutes later that we still had time...and explain again every five minutes after that. We got to school, she saw her teacher, gave me a hug and was off. I was so proud of my girl.

She told Hudson yesterday that one day, he would go to kindergarten and that every day would be more fun than the day before. Let's hope that holds true! She is growing up so fast and I feel like I can't catch up with her long enough to teach her and show her everything that she needs to see and know. Hopefully she'll let me hang on for the ride, at least for a few more years:)

Our first annual "First Day of School" family picture by the back door. Classic. Yes, that is a giant spider web in the back corner, thank you very much.

Horse Farm

2008-09-04T20:47:00.003-05:00

We are very lucky to have a horse farm across the street from us. And even luckier to consider the owners our friends! Whenever we have anyone over, Ellie loves to take them across the street and show them the horses. She is quite the little tour guide! We had our friends, Devin and Lindsay over for dinner a few weeks ago with their darling little girls, Olivia and Ada.

Hudson aka Pigpen and Olivia (wearing Ellie's outgrown cowgirl boots!)

Nielson in a happy moment between horsefly attacks

My not so little girl! Check out the pink on those boots!

A proper thank you

2008-08-28T19:57:00.002-05:00

As any reader of this blog knows by now, I was recently in Utah. It was a great trip. I had the opportunity to go take my kids to a lot of fun places and do neat things. I also got the oppotunity to catch up with some old friends. One of those old friends was Amy Hutchins. I love this girl. Never in my life have I met someone funnier. I met her when she was a roomate of one of my other good friends, and she was fresh off her mission. I didn't think much about her until we rode together to a party one night and she started quoting lines from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." I knew we were kindred spirits from then on. On my wedding, she gave me a big basket of goodies with a note for Doug that said if he didn't treat me right, she would hunt him down and hurt him.
She's one of those people that everyone gravitates to without even knowing why. That's why she's got a bizillion friends and they keep coming. She is witty, charming, lovely, hil-a-rious, loving, kind and has great square round fingernails:)

So back to the reason for this post. I was trying to find someone to watch my kids so that I could go to the evening viewing of our family friend who passed away. I dind't want to leave them with anybody they didn't know, but then Amy popped into my mind. I figured that at least she would have them laughing through their tears by the time I got home. I called and left a message for her, fully expecting her to be busy. After all, it was a Friday night and she is a single girl with prospects! This was the message I received in return:

"I would be happy and honored to watch your precious little ones. Let me know what time you would like me to be there and I will make it happen. I am supposed to have a date on Friday, but I can move it to another day, unless you aren't going to be too late, so just let me know on the time. Please know that I am HAPPY to do this and feel honored that you would trust me with your babies."

Let me also add that she is also the busiest person I know. She certainly didn't have time for this, but she made time.....and she brought pizza and her niece (who was equally as lovely and brought her own bag of kid toys to boot, thanks Ellery!) The evening went just fine and I am so grateful.

If you know Amy, consider yourself lucky. If you don't, too bad. I am cutting off her friendship availability sho she'll have more time for the friends and family she already has. Unless, of course, you are a single man who is almost perfect in every way and wants to marry her. That's ok, as long as you live in Virginia after the wedding:)

Thanks for your friendship, Amy. I miss you.

PS- Hope you don't mind the pirated Facebook pics. The ones of us in front of Paradise Bakery...not so good!

Guess What? More Utah!

2008-08-20T22:14:00.012-05:00

Lots of pictures again. Sorry!

Kids in front of the Timpanogos Temple where Doug and I were married almost 10 years ago.

Days of '47 Parade, Salt Lake City

Ellie's favorite float...I wonder why???

Heber Creeper Train Ride

I want this barn. Don't know what I'd do with it...but I want it!

Liberty Park

Temple Square

Kennecott Copper Mine

Hudson pondering the implications of climbing on forbidden railing...

Tire from one of the dump trucks they use at the mine.

Thanksgiving Point

Ellie the "pro" on the pony ride

Hudson deciding he like the pony ride after refusing to get on!

What? Are you lookin at me???

Dinosaur bone excavation

Hudson was sitting on the railing a minute before I took this picture...then proceeded to do a backflip into the exhibit. Good times...

Children's garden

Hudson has never met a body of water he didn't like.

Cousins together where they belong!

My friends Jeff and Margaret. It's always great to see you guys, even if it's only for dinner. Margaret is married. Jeff is not. Ladies, take note!

Utah Again-Family and Cabin

2008-08-19T22:40:00.007-05:00

I called to give my brother Pete the heads up that I was in Utah (he lives in Colorado) and he had planned a business trip around the time of my visit so he could see us. Thanks Peabo! Sorry you missed out on the Pancake House, but Hudson sure appreciated the wagon ride down to the duck pond and back!

Uncle Pete with Hudson and Ellie

Dad fly fishing at the cabin

Mom and Nielson

Hudson on the cabin porch

Cousin Josh and Ellie in a right of way dispute

Anybody who wants to hear a scary story about the shack next to this spring, email me.

Father and son fishing trip!

Darling Sophie (Oh sure she looks cute now...we didn't know she was going to cry all night long when we begged Joey and Tiff and the kids to sleep over!)

This is an homage to Connor Carpenter and the infamous Jeffaloe video.

Cousin Zach demonstrating what NOT to do around a campfire as Ellie and cousin Josh look on.

We love the cabin!

Indian Paintbrush

Nielson and Grandpop

Ellie and her Wildflower Crown

Cousin Sophie and Ellie

Doug trying to explain to Joey the merits of panning for gold with tupperware.

Ellie and her "pose" (We're still trying to figure out where she picked that up!)

The cabin. One of my most favorite places on earth. It was built by my grandpa and his brother in law many years ago and sits on about 150 square acres of land. It is rustic...powered by a generator. No phones, no tv (even cell phones don't work up here!). Indoor plumbing-yes, thankfully! The greatest thing about it is that kids never get bored up here. I remember playing for hours as a child, quite happily and falling asleep at night dead tired. My kids did almost the same thing. The getting to sleep part wasn't quite so easy, but they were just thrilled to be up there. Playing in the water, hiking, fishing, picking flowers, hunting for snail shells and animal tracks, roasting hot dogs, marshmallows. Sitting on the front porch watching deer emerge from the woods at dusk...doesn't get much better than that!

Back up at Grandma's...

The boys of summer, Hudson and Zach

We just like to call Tiffany "Flo" around here.

Gracie holding her own with the boys.

Utah Trip-Friends and Snowbird

2008-08-19T21:17:00.005-05:00

One of the first things Doug wanted to do with the kids when we got to Utah was go ride the Tram at Snowbird. We had to drag Hudson onto the tram, but once it got going, he loved it! Doug and the kids hiked down to a patch of snow and made snowballs. It was beautiful up there. I miss the mountains!

The weekend after we got to Utah, we invited some friends over to my folks' house. (Mom and Dad were up at Deer Valley for dad's debut with the Utah Symphony- he got to fire the cannon during the 1812 Overture.) We had a great time, and it was great catching up with old friends. Much to my horror, I realized after everyone left that we didn't get pictures of half of them. Here's what I did manage to get:

Darling Lily lost the fight with the brownie

Matt and Cherstyn Stockwell, Doug and I, Liz and Andrew Florence

My cousin, Becky with the eternally cute hair and me channelling a Flock of Seagulls 'do.

Eli hamming it up with his dad, Oliver. (Note Hudson in the background, using a wagon as a battering ram. Typical.)

Out of the Mouths of (Not -So Much) Babes

2008-08-18T22:23:00.003-05:00

OK- for awhile, I tried to make every title in my blog a song title. Thought I was so clever. Trouble is, it's harder than it sounds. Lotta pressure there. So I'm done. I'm giving myself permission to let the Song Title Theme go. It might rear it's head from time to time for those of you who are paying attention, but don't get your hopes up.

Hudson has been giving me a run for my money the last few days. At two and a half, he's learned to speak in full, thoughtful sentences instead of throwing words together that kind of make sense. My wake up call yesterday morning was him standing next to my bed saying, "Look Mom, poop!" Sure enough, he had taken off his FULL pull up and was holding it triumphantly over his head and precipitously close to my head AND bedding. I have never gotten up so quickly on a Sunday morning. All I know is that my boy has mad skills. He managed to get that pull up off in one piece and not spill anything out of it (so far as I can tell...and I looked a lot) Sorry- pretty nasty picture that conjures up, but still- I was impressed.

This morning, I was on the couch recovering from the remnants of Nielson's hand-me-down ear infection turned cold thank you very much when I asked Hudson if he wanted a waffle. He says, "Yes, I want a cold waffle. No, I want a hot waffle. No, no! I want a WARM waffle. A warm waffle, Mommy." Dang- I think I liked it better when I could just give him a frozen one to gnaw on and he had no words to tell me different. Of course I'm not serious. It has been amazing to see his little personality come through his words as well as his actions and huge smiles. He loves life and his "All About John Deere" dvds. We went to Lowe's tonight and he exclaims, "John Deeres...everywhere! I love it!"

When we got home, he proceeded to let himself out the side gate of our backyard (usually locked and very off limits!), get locked out, and panic for ten minutes until I realized what happened and found him pacing next to my car, tears streaming down his dirt-caked face. Thank heavens for mommy intuition, otherwise he might be halfway to a tractor dealership in Wisconsin by now.

May Your Soul Be Blessed...

2008-07-30T11:27:00.002-05:00

A dear friend of our family passed away last night here in Utah. As one tribute to him read, "Another mighty oak has fallen." Very true. He was a great man and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

Anyone reading this who knew Gary and the Raddons can get more information at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/garyraddon

I wanted to post this song on my blog but can't find any links to it so I'll just post the lyrics for now. It's called "Mark's Song" by EastMountainSouth.

May your soul be blessed
May your body rest
On the mountain where you were born
May your spirit soar
Where there's joy ever more
May you find your way in peace
And there's no more harm
In your saviors arms
See you fly away in the sky
Did you hear the call of angels one and all
May you find your way peace
May you know you're loved
May you shine above on the mountain where you were born
May your spirit soar
There's no pain anymore
May you find your way in peace
And there's no more harm
In your saviors arms
See you fly away in the sky
Did you hear the call of angels one and all
May you find your way in peace
May you find your way in peace
May you find your way in peace

The Party Train

2008-07-11T23:00:00.004-05:00

The time has come...much to my chagrin and dismay...to potty train Hudson. I'll admit I haven't pursued it with the same enthusiasm and consistency that I did with Ellie. I've definitely let him take his own sweet time deciding that's something he wants to do. He's been anti-potty for a week or so, until today when he pulled out his Lightning McQueen underpants and wanted to wear them...on his behind instead of his head. Great! We put them on and not ten minutes go by before he's standing in a puddle in his bedroom. I've never been so glad not to have carpenting in there. On goes a pull-up and Hudson climbs up into my lap where he proceeds to tell me, "Mom, I'm not getting on the potty train."

Ok, buddy. Whatever you say.

God Bless America

2008-07-08T22:29:00.003-05:00

We had a great 4th of July down at the cottage with Doug's parents and sister, Stephanie. The kids had a great time swimming in the river and also using the slip and slide while Nielson happily splashed away the afternoon in a little wading pool. Doug's mom, Judy put on a great lunch and we enjoyed the fireworks right from the backyard next to the river.

Enter Sandman

2008-07-08T22:15:00.004-05:00

This is what happens when you find yourself married to a do-it-yourselfer:

He was crawling under our house running a water line for the ice-maker. A few days earlier he found a mummified cat. Gotta love those old country houses!

My kids think that mulch is something to be played with, and that watching their Daddy shovel it into the yard from the top of an old pickup is the best entertainment ever.

My kids also think that it's quite normal to go visit Daddy and PopPop at the boatyard as they work on their deadrise (workboat), The Ellie K. The only problem is getting them off the boat and back into the car...

Come to my window...

2008-07-08T22:08:00.004-05:00

Or fence, for that matter. Just had to document one of Ellie's favorite new pastimes. She loves to talk to "the boys" next door (when she isn't over there or they aren't over here.) There are three of them (with another one on the way!) ages 9, 7, and 3. Oh sure, it's cute now...but what happens in 10 or 11 years???? Luckily they are a great family and great next door neighbors. But seriously...what happens in 10 or 11 years????

One (Not So ) Bad Apple

2008-07-08T21:53:00.003-05:00

I finally downloaded a bunch of digital pictures to the computer so these are from last month. My friend Sonja and I had a Shabby Apple/Shabby Baby trunk Show at her store, Avolon, in Irvington. We had a great time and loved looking through all the adorable dresses! Here's Ellie and her best friend, Olivia in their Shabby Baby dresses.

You can check out Shabby Apple at shabbyapple.com and Avolon at www.shopavolon.com

You've Got A Friend

2008-06-13T21:01:00.005-05:00

So I haven't posted for awhile because I've been waiting until I download some pictures, which I still have yet to do! Something happened this morning which I wanted to post about before it gets lost in the whirling dervish of caring for three small children on a daily basis.

I got a phone call from a Alysia, a woman I really admire and love dearly, this morning. The problem is, I never talk to her! She was one of my Young Women's (church for you non-Mormon folk out there...and Josh cause you probably forgot) leaders when I was a dumb teenager. Yes, I was very dumb. Now that I am adult, I have a ton of respect for good youth leaders. It's hard to tolerate and love the youth through their drama and silliness! I felt like she always loved and genuinely cared about me... that I mattered to her. I last saw her about three years ago at Kelly Raddon's (another lifelongfriendInevertalktobutlovetodeath's) wedding reception. Had a great time visiting at the reception, Alysia promised to come visit, like we all do when we see people we love and want to spend time with but life gets in the way.

So fast forward to today and the phone call. She tells me that she had a dream about me last night and wasn't even awake yet, but needed to call me before everything got too busy with the day. She asked me if I needed her to come and watch my kids. She was dead serious. Huh? Now I thought I might be dreaming! She went on to say that she dreamt that I needed her to come watch my kids so I could fly out to Utah and see the Raddon family(See reference to Kelly above.)

Gary Raddon, Kelly's dad, has just been diagnosed with Prions, a rare neurological disease which has a very bad prognosis. He has thousands of prayers behind him and we are all hoping for a miracle. (See http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/garyraddon) Anyone that knows the Raddon family loves them, and I am no different. They aren't like family to me, they are family to me. Again, at this stage in my life, not people that I speak to often, but that connection is still there.

Back to Alysia. At first I laughed and said, "Oh-thanks but we're going out there in July so we'll see them then." We managed to talk for another few seconds before two of my three lovely children started crying and I couldn't hear a thing. I hung up and then I started to tear up. What a tremendous gesture on her part. I have no doubt in my mind that if I had told her, yes, please come- she would have come. After all this time, after all these years, I still matter to her. These connections we have, invisible as they may be to us sometimes, are there. They are real. I needed that reminder today. Thanks, Alysia for being a great leader of my youth. Thanks for loving me still.

And Kellygirl, love and prayers to you and your family, as always.

Kumbaya

2008-05-29T22:36:00.004-05:00

Ellie's first horseback riding lesson with "Miss Laura", who owns the horse farm across the street from us.

What happens when Daddy is in charge of clothing....

These are actually a few weeks old but I forgot to post them. Hudson and Doug went on their first father-son campout and survived. Hudson got to fish in the Huie's pond and had a wonderfultime. He just didn't want to get in the tent and sleep. Doug called me at about 11:30pm and said he was trailing after Hudson who was walking around with a flashlight. Better him than me! I think Hudson looks like those guys from "Strange Brew" if anyone remembers that fine feature film from the 80's!

Doug bought the kids new wetsuits for the trip to North Carolina. So cute!

Carolina...oh you get the picture!

2008-05-29T22:20:00.004-05:00

Last beach pictures, I promise! Great shot of Doug's parents

Our House for the week, "Granted Wish"

View from our bedroom balcony

I could've spent all day here in these chairs!

Doug's sister Stephanie and her boyfriend, Irv

Carolina In My Mind Part C

2008-05-29T21:53:00.003-05:00

Oh-we're so excited to go to the beach!

Oh, we're so bummed to be leaving the beach!

Cousins Maddie, Nathan, Trenton and Hudson being induced into a "Veggie Tales" coma.

Doug and Nielson taking in our incredible view

All the McMinn grandkids together for one fleeting moment before total meltdown occurs. (You see my two boys on the end had a head start in the meltdown department!)

We had a wonderful time. Great weather and great people! I feel very blessed to have married into such a wonderful family. Doug's family is scattered between Virginia, Delaware, Georgia and California so we really look forward to these reunions. The kids had a blast together both at the beach and in the house, and us old folks played dominos and watched some movies at night, when we weren't asleep by 10!

We were able to celebrate cousin Camryn's first birthday as well as Doug's and his sister, Stephanie's birthday since they all fall within a few weeks of each other in May. As always, Grandmom Judy had a great meal and great cake!

Hudson came down with some mysterious virus midweek and basically slept for two days straight with a high fever and other assorted bodily functions which shall not be named here! He recovered in time for one more good beach day and managed to pass along a milder case of his ailment to Nielson. Never did figure out what it was or where it came from...other family members had varying degrees of mild ailments but overall no epidemic, thank goodness!

The house was incredible, thanks to the generosity of Doug's parents. Plenty of room for each family to spread out and great space to gather in for dinner, plays, dance parties and recitals! We had some excitement on Tuesday night when a tornado watch was issued. We rode it out on a lower level and all was fine. The week went by way too fast and we are going through beach withdrawal! Hudson keeps saying "Let's go to the beach." I'm right there with you, brother.

Carolina In My Mind Part Deux

2008-05-29T21:24:00.004-05:00

Cousin Nathan and Hudson eating some ice cream with Pop Pop

Cousin Megan with Ellie

Cousin Maddie and Nielson

Cousin Camryn...1 yr old and already gorgeous hair!

Hudson with Grandmom and cousin Megan in the background

Carolina In My Mind

2008-05-28T23:35:00.005-05:00

Waiting for the perfect wave...and to learn how to swim!

Hudson on the mend from his mid-week death virus

Check out Ellie's catch-two fish on one rod!

Nielson kickin' it with Ellie in his beach crib

Little surfer girl!

I finally downloaded these but it's really late so I'll post a few tonight and get the rest up in a day or so, along with a better description of the weeks events.

Happy Birthday to You...

2008-05-28T23:17:00.003-05:00

OK-
So I'm a few days late with this one. Doug's birthday was Monday and all the poor boy wanted was to go to Outback Steakhouse for dinner. Those of you who don't kow where we live are saying, "What's the big deal?" WELL, the big deal is that the closest Outback is an hour away.

Being the dutiful wife that I am, I pack up the kids and we head to Williamsburg for dinner (at 4pm before the crowds appear and we have to add to the torture by waiting for a table with 3 squirmy kids.) I figure they'll sleep during the drive and arrive refreshed and in good spirits. Yeah, right. Hudson slept for about 20 minutes and then woke up just in time to see us drive by a McDonald's playplace. What 2-1/2 year old wants to go to an Outback after seeing a Mcdonald's Playplace? Certainly not mine.

We get to Outback and are promptly seated in a booth. Hudson (who had to be carried in by Doug because he refused to walk at this point) proceeds to remove his Crocs and chuck them across the table. Before we can recover from that, he has located the famous Outback steak knife and is brandishing that at his sister. It didn't get much better after that, but the details go a little fuzzy. I think I've blocked them out. I do remember Nielson deciding that his eating needed some accompanying sound effects that sounded like a cat getting stuck in a thorny rose bush....Yep, we officially became THAT family.

Needless to say, after two spilled drinks, lots of wailing and crying, two loaves of Outback bread stuffed into kids mouths, Doug got to eat his Ribeye steak (And King Crab Legs, which Ellie ate most of.)

Happy Birthday, Honey. Maybe next year we can stick around long enough for you to get dessert.

(On a side note, Nielson decided that today would be the day he could finally hold his own sippy cup and take a swig. Hooray!)

It's A Hard Knock Life...

2008-05-25T20:29:00.002-05:00

A little free word assiociation to describe my Sunday morning...

Up early, too early, head throbbing, sleep lacking, husband leaving, kids crying, Hudson screaming!, wants Daddy, no Mommy, kids breakfast, very hungry, poopy diaper, whoops poopy pjs, clean clothes, more breakfast, more poop, different kid, potty training must start soon! Get dressed, kids crying, me counting 1,2,3 time out! Kids ready, me sort-of, packed up, ready or not, off to church we go.

I just looovveee when the day after vacation end falls on a Sunday!

Pictures to come when I can unearth my camera from the bottom of the pile of swimsuits, boogie boards and sunscreen where it currently resides!

If I Had Only One Friend Left...

2008-05-15T20:56:00.003-05:00

Or two or three friends who actually read this blog, I'd tell them that I haven't forgotten about my blog project. I am neck-deep in packing for three children to go to Emerald Isle, North Carolina on Saturday all the while trying to get invitations out for a trunk show and back up an entire computer onto an external hard drive using an antiquated USB connection. Whew!

Needless to say there will probably not be any new photos or news of note until we get back. Try to hang on till then. I know it's hard.

Mom, do you know what this flower/plant is? Doug and Ellie found it in the "back-a-back." For those of you who don't speak Huddish, that's the very back part of our yard, in the forest.

I'm off to the beach!

Another "Dress Rehearsal"

2008-05-08T21:55:00.002-05:00

Tonight Doug thought it would be a great idea to have a practice campout in the backyard to see how Hudson (2-1/2) would do on the father and son campout tomorrow night. Unfortunately, we have severe thunderstorm watches all night in our area. Do you think this stopped Doug? Of course not! During a break in the storm, he cooked hot dogs and smores on the grill. After an exhausting game of "catch me" (where Doug chases the kids around the yard, all the while beaning them with miscellaneous balls while they laugh uncontrollably) the tent was set up in the soon to be office.

Two kids and one husband almost asleep in a tent downstairs, sleeping baby upstairs. Hooray! Two minutes of quiet, uninterrupted time.... HA HA! I hear the door open from the dining room. In rolls Hudson, wide awake. After some negotiations, he agreed to stay on the couch and watch Cars for a little while. Scratch that, he just came in. What's one more day with that month old to-do list not getting done, anyway?

At least we know that Doug will sleep soundly at the campout tomorrow night...he just better get a lock for the tent door;)

Bella Dancerella

2008-05-06T23:44:00.006-05:00

Here are the photos from Ellie's first dance recital. She was so cute (if I do say so myself!) Very excited the entire time and VERY preoccupied with the idea of getting flowers after her performance. Camille, it made me think of you while I was watching the older girls dance...remembering all those recitals at USU and BYU you made me..I mean that I was SO fortunate to attend! (You know I am kidding...I loved every minute of them...mostly.)

Tiffany, you are her dance goddess. She can't stop talking about coming to Utah and showing off her new skills to Aunt Tiffany.

Glad the recital is over. Very stressful for the mothers, I tell you. Trying to put eyeliner on a five year old is almost as much fun as running out in traffic in a downpour. Not to mention keeping an entirely white costume white!

Be patient for the video...it stays dark for about 45 seconds before starting...also, the camera kept tring to focus in so the quality isn't great. Steven Spielberg has nothing to worry about.
Anyway, she is third from the right once the camera zooms in.

The shape of things to come...

2008-05-03T21:19:00.003-05:00

Today was a big-time kid shuffle day. Ellie went to the farmer's market early this morning with Doug only to be picked up by me at 11:30 for dance recital dress rehearsal. Meanwhile our two unsuspecting boys got dropped off at the farmer's market to be help captive at Doug's company tent for two hours. Luckily Hudson entertained himself with the box truck (or the oyster.com truck, as he likes to call it) and Nielson got some quality Aunt Stephie time. Yeah Aunt Stephie!
As I sat waiting for Ellie to finish her "Goin to the Chapel" number I began thinking, "This is only the begining!. First dance..then what??? Soccer? Piano? T-Ball? Olympic Volleyball Clinics? (hey-I can dream) And that's just Ellie. Who knows what the McMinn boys will end up doing in their spare time? That is, what will they do when they grow out of their sucking on (Nielson) and throwing (Hudson) every toy in sight and when they have been liberated by the oppressive Pampers which have held them back all these many months?"
I'm scared. How will I get our kids everywhere they need to be? How will I do so without losing my mind? Or a child? The truth is that I will get along just fine. I'll do my best and have some faith that everything will work out. Doug will pitch in where he can, and we will be there to support our children in whatever they choose to find joy in doing. Except wrestling...and maybe water polo. Never been a big fan of either of those. But anything else (just about.)
Don't be surprised if in a few years I:
1. am still writing this blog
2. issue an open casting call to any friends or family members wanting to spend some good quality time with some adorable (I think) pretty good (most of the time) almost perfect children. The pay ain't great, but you get all the chicken nuggets and kid hugs/slugs you could ever hope for.
Here's some more temple pics and I'll post little miss sunshine's dance photos Monday.

The Money Shot

2008-04-30T00:42:00.006-05:00

We went up to the Washington DC Temple as a family on Saturday and had a wonderful day. Great weather, no meltdowns...what more could I ask for? Doug wanted to get a picture of our family, which is always entertaining. The ones that we took with the timer (and me in the shot) mysteriously disappeared. Funny how that happens. Here's the natural progression of the photo shoot:

Hudson, the camera is this way!

Hudson?

Hudson? Ellie?

Mutiny!!

Hooray! Everybody looking at the camera!

I still need to fix the color a bit in the picture, but was so excited I just had to post it right away. Gotta run. Nielson's sleeping through the night streak has just officially ended :(

Heaven...

2008-04-24T20:04:00.004-05:00

Yes, I'm in Heaven! My darling almost 8 month old boy, Nielson, has slept through the last three nights. As if that wasn't enough, he started putting himself to sleep in his crib. It's as if he's finally made peace with his bed. Hooray! I'm thinking it might just be a growth spurt, but I'll ride this trick pony as long as I'm able!

Resurrection

2008-04-22T23:42:00.003-05:00

Yes, I am attempting to revive my poor dead blog from the graveyard of the lost and forgotten. I get to give a lesson in Enrichment at church in June about keeping a journal and- guess what? I haven't done anything associated with the word journal since-you guessed it- the last post from February of last year! Better start walking the walk before I have to talk the talk!

I can't think of a better way to start over again than by posting this clip of Hudson. The kid never sleeps at night. He just isn't tired. Except for last Friday. He was so pooped he couldn't keep his eyes open at the dinner table. That's velveeta shells and cheese around his mouth, by the way. Don't buy it, even if it's on sale. It's disgusting! Doug's comment was, " The only time I touch velveeta is when I'm baiting a fish hook with it." That pretty much says it all.

(Yes, I did wipe off Hudson's mouth before I put him to bed! No, Ellie usually doesn't yell at the dogs like that...they just weren't obeying her every wish and command a the moment.)

For those of you who didn't know...

2007-02-21T20:38:00.000-05:00

I am a slacker. It's only been two months since my last post. I originally started this blog as a "test run" for my family blog to make sure I was competent enough to even do a blog. Now I feel compelled to continue as this seems to be the only form of a quasi-journal I have been keeping lately.

Ellie's borrowed dress up outfit from preschool.

Hudson's "I just did a header on the gravel driveway" look

We've had a busy past couple of months! Two trade shows, two perpetually sick kids ( I think Hudson was posessed at one point), an extreme home makeover (ok- that's an exaggeration- but Doug and his Dad built a new deck and Doug has almost finished Ellie's "storage room" as she calls it) a lovely computer virus which harvested all kinds of personal data, including credit card numbers and social security numbers. Nothing like having to put a "fraud alert" on your credit report the day after Valentine's! Let's see...a few temple trips, my youngest brother and his wife having their first child, and...oh yes...speaking of children...I'm pregnant with McMinn number three! We were thinking of having another child, just not quite yet. I have seven or so months to groom Ellie into the Super Nanny and to train Huddy to change his own diapers or use a litter box. Plenty of time.

What Might Have Been...

2006-12-20T19:32:00.000-05:00

So Doug has decided that we will not send out

Christmas Cards unless they have a picture of all four of us (me, Doug and the kids) Therefore, we will not be sending out Christmas cards at all since all four of us are never in the same place at the same time for more than five seconds. I am hoping some time between now and New Years we can take a decent family picture and send out New Year's Cards. I can dream....but anyway- I thought I 'd show you my pick for a Christmas card...the one we're not using....sigh. Funny kids. So Merry Christmas and be looking for your Happy New Year cards...could be Valentine's...

My First School Party...

2006-12-14T00:49:00.000-05:00

As a "parent helper" that is. I use that term VERY loosely, since Hudson was with me. I spent more time keeping him from swallowing legos than I did helping the preschoolers, but oh well. I just kept looking at Ellie and thinking, "When did she turn into a little girl???" I feel like it wasn't very long ago that I was the one gluing glitter onto ornaments and pretending to be a reindeer.... Luckily, no kids got sick from my rice krispy treats shaped like gingerbread men, and all the other moms were impressed with my collection of decorations for the gingerbread/rice krispy men, so I'll call the day a success. I'm just wondering...does the weirdness ever go away? I feel like an impostor when I take Ellie to school, like someone is going to grab me by the arm and say, "You're supposed to be in class down the hall, young lady!" Sounds like I have some unresolved schooling issues I need to clear up! Anyway, it was great to see the kids in all their holiday glory. Unfortunately, I have no pictures to share of the party, only a couple of Huddy being his usual charming self earlier this morning, as well as Ellie the fashionista in her Christmas Light Hanging Outfit.

Is This What I Was Born To Do????

2006-12-05T21:22:00.000-05:00

I love that from Marjorie Hinckley, describing the harried days of motherhood. I'm echoing that sentiment right now, as I am trying to prepare a lesson for Personal Progress tomorrow night as my three year old daughter sits on my lap at 9pm doing "homework" because she "absolutely can't sleep." Exasperated would describe my current state quite nicely. All of a sudden, Ellie says "Oops, sorry Mom. My bad." because she accidentally hit a computer key. My Bad???!?? I fight to hold the laughter in as I tell her it's ok and then I realize how blessed I am that yes, indeed- this is what I was born to do.

There's Got to be A Morning After...

2006-12-02T22:10:00.000-05:00

Hudson's face pretty much says it all! I love these pjs. I have the sneaking supspicion they were meant for Christmas, but let's just say the box accidently opened, all by itself of course. Anyway, Ellie has been running around singing/rapping "I'm a horse girl, just like ya said...." over and over. Just in case you can't tell, those are horses all over the pjs.

Ellie and I just got back from doing a little shopping in Williamsburg. What a mess. I now remember why I do most of my shopping (such as it is) online! The crowds were terrible, and there's nothing like having to explain to your three year old daughter why two women are screaming and swearing at each other over a parking space. Tis the season to get into a fistfight, I guess. Luckily she was pretty engrossed in her ice cream cone from the "Chocolate Store" as she calls it. Big thanks to Grandma K for introducing that store to her! Can't go anywhere in that mall without her insisting we make a visit and get her fix...

But I digress- the whole shopping episode just got me thinking about how far removed a good majority of folks are from the real meaning of Christmas. For a lot of people, this is it- the shopping for gifts, decorating a tree, maybe eating a good meal or a party or two. In today's world it is definitely easy to forget what the underlying theme of Christmas really is. Peace on earth, good will towards men, and the birth of our Savior. Let us all do better (I'm a the top of the list, of course!) to remember and ACT like we remember. Happy Holidays.

Huddy's Practice Birthday

2006-11-27T22:29:00.000-05:00

Since this is my first and therefore practice post, I thought it would be appropriate to commence with Hudson's "practice" first birthday that we had last night. Grandma Judy had a party for Hudson and his soon-to-be two year old cousin, Trenton who was here for Thanksgiving weekend. It was so much fun, complete with Hudson slathering himself with cake and frosting. Glad it was at the cottage and not at my house! It was so great that I'm tempted not to have another party for him on his real birthday (December 2) I don't think he'll notice....

Here's Ellie and Trenton waiting for their dads to come back from fishing to take them on a boat ride on Saturday. Fleabo the dog is just waiting for someone to drop some food.

Last but not least, I have to give credit where credit is due to my old pal Amy Hutchins, who inspired me to get on the blogger bandwagon. She has, hands down, the funniest blog on the planet. She is so famous that she even has her own trading cards (see above.) http://www.hutchgirl.blogspot.com/