A few photos of the week

Sonoma and her cousin Beckham.

Example of a meal our kids eat (whole foods; they love it all) ... since people ask us quite often.

 Homemade chocolate ice cream (honey sweetened)

That thing was bigger than my head!

Making a batch of homemade gnocchi ... molto buono!

The girls got a hold of a marker ... Holly told them to brush their teeth and this was the result.

The first snow of fall 2010.

Halloween 2010

This week was a lot of fun. It started with an early Halloween party at the USU Field House for the kids. Then the girls also got to head to “Nana’s” (Grandma Linda) house for some holiday fun like decorating a candy haunted house, painting pumpkins, and eating pumpkin cookies. Later in the week carved pumpkins at our house. And after carving a traditional Jack-o-lantern for Ru, Adam broke out the power drill and made a polka-dot-pumpkin for Viv. It was a big hit.

On Friday, we went to Advent Creative’s 4^th annual Halloween party. The costume contest was intense, as usual. I’m always impressed that people go all out. Adam and I went as H.I. McDunnah, Edwina, and Nathan Jr. from Raising Arizona. Bailee, our babysitter, asked if people would recognize who we were. I thought that it would be terribly obvious, but when we got to the party, less than half of the people there had ever seen the movie. Boo. I guess we are getting old and Raising Arizona is a generational show that has past its prime. Too bad. Oh well, I still thought our costumes were funny.

We spent the holiday cleaning out the garage and house and trying to keep the kids at bay as they waited patiently for the moment of trick-or-treating. Olivia chose to be a "Vampire Princess" for Halloween and did her face make-up all by herself (she was so proud). Ruby wanted to be a "Princess Unicorn". The blended costumes were adorable, and the girls felt so cool. Sonoma and I weren’t feeling well, so we stayed back while Adam took the girls around to the Morse’s, Kidd’s, and a few houses in our neighborhood. We finished the evening at my mother’s house where she had prepared a Halloween feast. It was a great day.

I splurged this week after being completely sold on a product. It will be my birthday and Christmas present and a few other things as well, but I was sold. It is a Blendtec. You can check out some of their viral marketing youtube videos by searching “Will it blend” (they blend things like marbles, an iphone, etc.). It is insane. So far, we have LOVED using it. It makes hot soups, icecream, peanutbutter, juice, smoothies, grinds wheat, etc. The clean up is incredibly simple as well. I am a big fan. It really helps if you are serious about eating a lot of produce, raw food, and “real” food...which we are. This morning (while I stayed in bed sick) Adam made 6 loaves of banana bread, and an amazing “Fall Harvest Vegetarian Risotto” (See photo above and recipe below). It was delicious!

Fall Harvest Vegetarian Risotto

1 cup hot water

1 small can tomato paste

6-8 roma tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic

1 red onion

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 green pepper (whole)

¼ cup chives

2 large carrots (cut into chunks)

¼ cup pepper jack cheese

6-8 cups cooked rice

3 cups black beans (warm)

In a powerful blender, combine everything but the rice and beans. Blend until smooth. Pour over rice and beans in a pot and heat (unless you have a Blendtec, in which case, it will already be hot!). Garnish with chives and grated cheese. Can be served with tortilla chips. (The blended ingredients will be mostly raw). Enjoy!

Fall Has Fallen

I went on a run up Logan Canyon yesterday. I usually listen to music to keep my pace as I run, but as I found myself deeper and deeper into the brilliantly painted fall hues of crimson and yellow, I started feeling like I was breaking some sacred law by having my ears plugged as I ran through the forests. So I turned off the tunes and unplugged when I got to my turn-around point. The half-hour run down the trails through the canyon became an amazing and spectacular gallery of God's work...I was completely inspired and mesmerized. What an amazing place we live in.

The past few weeks have been fairly eventful. Here's a quick update.

A few weeks ago Holly and I put on our teenage faces and took off to a James concert in SLC. It did take us back to younger days before our gray hair and wrinkly skin ... James performed fantastically.

I spent the last month working longer hours than ever in my life. We even managed a 23 hour shift one day in order to get all the work done for a particular client who was having a huge convention and needed 150+ designs (print pieces, web pages, promo stuff, etc) to be pumped out beforehand. It was out of control, but we managed to get everything done and the convention was a smashing success. Phew!

Because everyone around us knew that Holly was living life as a single mother during that period, my oh-so generous brother, Sam, invited Holly to go down to Salt Lake to the Grand America for a weekend of luxurious pampering and exquisite food, together with a few of my sisters and Sam's wife, Kristen. Kristen calls these events "TLC", which stands for Total Luxurious Care, and boy did Holly soak it up and love every second of it! She and I are totally indebted to them for that (since I was a neglectful husband working late every night).

A few weeks ago we also got to run with our little family in another race for Holly's friend who has cancer. It was in Kaysville. The girls ran a 1 mile fun run while I did a 10k. Olivia actually made it the whole mile by herself! Later on we went down to a Real Salt Lake game with Holly's sister and husband (Kristen; Marshall), Holly's brother who was visiting from NC (Jackson), Holly's sister-in-law (Jen), Holly's sister's boyfriend (Rick) and all our little munchkins. It was a great game ... and even the very most nosebleed seats are perfect at that stadium. Fun indeed.

Two days ago Holly presented at a conference (ITESOL) in Ogden with her sister Kristen about a human rights curriculum that they developed for their ESL stuff at USU. And yesterday Olivia was in the USU Homecoming parade on the Cache Children's Choir float. She was quite the adorable little tot in her red stocking hat and red shirt, rolling down the street hitting sticks together and singin' her lungs out. Ruby, in the meantime, stocked up on gobs and gobs of candy being tossed along the side of the street. Dreams do come true now and then.

We also cleared out our garden yesterday in preparation for winter. We unearthed quite the wagonful (see photo) of veggies. Gardens are one of the most fulfilling activities one can do with a small family and a little plot of land. They teach so many important life lessons and provide healthy, local produce right in our own backyard (literally!). It's so valuable for kids to discover and understand where food comes from, how it grows and then watch as it becomes their supper. Viva la local food!

Recipe of the Week (errr, month...heh): Sweet Potato Fries (we LOVE these)

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into wedges
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Set your oven to 450 degrees, cut your sweet potato(s) into wedges, like fries from a fast food joint, sprinkle with salt, oil and any spices you'd like, then bake until browned - usually appx 20 minutes.

Just Be. Fun Run. Girl Power.

This whirlwind week began in normal whirlwind fashion. The girls and I keep busy running from school to work/babysitter to choir (for Viv) to dance (for Viv and Ru), and to a number for other miscellaneous things.
It is difficult to know how to balance all of the good opportunities we are blessed to choose from in life. On the one hand, we want our children to benefit from the many options out there – so many extra-curricular activities. On the other hand, they are still so young, and life will only get busier and busier. They need time to just be, and to enjoy downtime to discover who they are.

That being said, we are trying to expose our children to activities/lessons that we believe they are interested in. Olivia (5) has tried soccer and gymnastics. She is now trying dance and singing. Ruby (3) is just starting out with dancing. Next we may try rock climbing, swimming, and piano. Who knows where their real passions lie, and where they will excel. I think there is a reason why there are financial and time constraints on the amount of activities that we can try at a time. So, we are just doing the best that we can and feeling things out.

On another note, we had the opportunity to participate in an event celebrating International Day of Peace. It was Sonoma’s first peace vigil, and appropriately, she slept peacefully through the whole thing.
The next day (Saturday) we got up and went to a 1 mile fun run race to benefit an old friend of mine, Christina McEvoy. She has been diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma cancer. She has two young boys. Her husband Eric was a good friend of mine in high school. I was explaining all of this to my daughters (about why and for whom we were going to run). They were very serious, and then all on their own, suggested that they donate some money from their piggy banks. I was so touched by their thoughtfulness. It was so sweet to watch them bring their bank to the race, dump out some change, and take it to my friend, Eric (Christina stayed home because she didn’t feel well). If anyone reading this post would like to help them out, or run in the upcoming race for her in Kaysville, or would simply like to know more, visit http://www.iwillwinthisfight.com/ (Incidentally, it was the first race for all three of our girls – and for me, now that I think about it. They were troopers! We will definitely do more in the future… Kaysville).

Finally, I had the opportunity to go with my mom and sisters (and Sonoma and Bailee) to the General Relief Society Conference in SLC last night. We rode the Frontrunner from Ogden, then took Trax into downtown. We ate at my new favorite restaurant in SLC: One World Café (http://www.oneworldeverybodyeats.com/). The food was delicious and organic and local. More than that, their philosophy is amazing. I highly recommend that you check them out and go eat there.

After that, we headed to the Conference Center. I sat in a theatre room away from the crowd because that’s where they sent all the nursing moms (you can’t have crying babies in a room where a live broadcast is happening). It was a good conference. I really liked the prophet’s talk about not judging. My favorite part of the meeting was when Julie Beck announced an upcoming book about the history of Relief Society. In my adulthood, I have discovered women like Emmaline B. Wells (among others) and studied them. For a long time I was confused and disappointed by the fact that people in the church don’t learn about the women in the early church at church (aside from brief mentions of Emma and Lucy Mack Smith and Eliza Snow). So, woohoo! Now those women will be much more commonplace in church settings, and young women will have more female role models to look to. Yea.

A Cockroach Marathon

Yeah, strange title, I admit. But let me explain.

Last weekend Ruby's bilingual preschool asked us to take our turn watching the oh-so adorable pet cockroaches that reside at the school during the week. Not plain old cockroaches, mind you, but giant madagascar hissing cockroaches. The girls kept begging to hold them when we brought them home. You would think they'd be terrified of them, but they had almost no fear of them at all. It seems more and more clear to me that fear is a social construct. For example, hundreds of thousands of people die every year in America in car accidents, but only a handful from deadly spider bites. Yet the ratio of arachnophobia vs automobiphobia (my invention) proves our fears are illogical and absurd. Why doesn't the hair on our necks stand on end every time we step into a car ... as we are exponentially more likely cheating death than if we see a spider on the ceiling. In attempt to summarize–fear is organic and mortal. It can take whatever shape you allow it to, but you have the ability to mold it, trim it, or even kill it. I'm working on killing some of my own.

One example - a marathon. I wouldn't say I was terrified of running a marathon. What I would have said 18 months ago would be to say that the work and discipline required to reach that ability is greater than my desire to do so. (if that makes any sense) In the end, my fears were buried in several layers of justification. The fear of giving up junk food, being a fat guy at a gym, failing and gaining everything back, setting a goal I couldn't reach, and on and on.
In the end, in fact, I decided to commit to a half-marathon. And once I finally committed to douse those fears in Round-Up until they shriveled into nothingness, only then did I realize that all of those fears were nothing but self-deception - they were a mirage created by my poor habits in attempt to stay alive and thriving in my mind. And once I realized that they were nothing more than smoke and mirrors, it was then that I broke through the false barriers of fear and lost the weight and began running and training. The half marathon was difficult for a formerly-fat newbie, but I realized a marathon would be the most appropriate slap in the face for those habits that fed on my fears for so many years. It was one of the hardest, if not THE hardest thing I have ever done, but I'm so happy to be able to shove that marathon medal into the faces of those fears to remind them that they no longer have a home here ... that they have been exposed for what they truly are. Freedom from fear is critical, beautiful and profound freedom in life. I have many more fears to expose and purge, but I'm happy to be making progress. This marathon was a great milestone (pun intended, unfortunately) in my battle against fear.

In other news, life is good. It's the day after the marathon and my new fear is that I'll walk like a 94 year-old for the rest of my life! I'm more sore than ever in my life. Holly has been kind enough to massage my legs now and then, but they're so tender I'm afraid the meat will just fall off the bone! But I suppose I'll heal and be back at it in ... a few years :)

Sonoma keeps growing and getting more and more adorable. We're about to start letting her cry through the night and are dreading it. It's so hard to listen to that ... but not quite as hard as losing sleep for endless nights to come. She's generally a very mild and happy girl -- she's fantastic.

Ruby and Olivia are enjoying school and just love spending time playing with each other. Lately they've really taken to the CD player downstairs and love to sit and dance and sing along to all the random CDs Bailee and Holly have given them. It's entertaining to watch ... and if you don't watch, they'll make sure to stop and remind you to watch them.

I'll try and shorten the soapbox for next week!

This week's recipe: Homemade Tortilla Chips (they were so tasty!)

2 cups corn meal
1 cup white flower
Add water and mix until it sticks but isn't sticky
1 tsp salt
1 cup veg oil

Put the oil in a pan and heat it up to fry the dough. Mix the dough and add the salt in. Break the dough into small balls that are roughly 1 inch in diameter and roll out as thin as possible. Then cut into quarters (triangle shaped) and toss in the pan for a few seconds, then flip them over. When they're just turning golden, quickly grab with salad tongs (or whatever), let the oil drip off as best you can, then place onto paper towels or some material that can soak up some of the oil.

I like them unsalted, Holly perfers a bit of salt. Throw them all in a bag, toss in a few pinches of salt and shake the bag. There you go.

Everything Matters

I've recently been listening to a brilliant podcast series called "Design Matters" by Debbie Millman. Debbie is a designer who interviews some of the greatest minds in the design industry. But before each interview she gives a monologue about a recent experience in her life. The experience usually seems very insignificant, but she finds profound meaning in any and every experience in life. Where most of us dig for diamonds among the coal of the everyday life, she seems to recognize the unforeseeable value of every single experience.

I'd love to change my perspective ... to see life for what it really is rather than pass it off as uninteresting, unimportant or insubstantial. I believe more than ever that every event, every conversation, and every experience in life has far more meaning than we give it credit for. I'll do all I can to start seeing with this new perspective.

And now, stepping back into the superficial updates ... as there's rarely enough time to write with the heart and thought that I'd like.

Olivia has started kindergarten at Bear River Charter School and seems to sincerely enjoy it. Ruby is doing her last year of Union bilingual preschool and should be fluent at this point! Sonoma is 4 months today and is realizing that she has vocal chords ... especially during quiet times at church :) She's adorable and growing faster than her hand-me-downs can handle.

Apart from that, our garden is giving us more tomatoes and zucchini than we can handle ... and the fall is always a fantastic time for local whole foods. We've been making mango leather, zucchini brownies and fresh salsa. Such a stellar season for food!

Here are a few photos from the past few weeks.

103 Photos and a few words of summary...

So, we sort of fell off of the blog-wagon for a few weeks. What can we say? It’s summer time and life with three kids takes getting used to! This week’s update will have to be a summary of those we missed.

We had the opportunity to go up to Myrna Redd’s cabin in Bear Lake for a few days. It was wonderful to spend time with family and friends up there. It was especially nice to see Andy and Erin Buteau and their children who were visiting from London (their kids have the CUTEST little accents).

Olivia turned five! It’s hard to believe that she is that old. It’s hard to believe that we were in Thailand that long ago, but yes, it has been five years. She is so fun to have around and we learn so much from her every day. She is excited about kindergarten. She loves princesses, pink, and all things girly. She loves sugar more than any of those things, but thankfully, she is very good at eating vegetables as well. She is a very loving big sister. She and Ruby love to sing and be either “mommy and baby” or “rock n’ roll girls” together.

Ruby's 3rd also happened in May...and we neglected to mention it. Sorry, Ruby! She's got to be the most adorable 3-year-old in the history of the world! She's pleasant, easy, sympathetic, (usually) obedient, and loves just about anyone who will talk to her. She's a fantastic little sister for Olivia and a loving and helpful big sister to Sonoma. What a gem (pun intended).

This month my sister Kristen and her family moved to Provo so that Marshall could attend law school at BYU. I got to go down for a couple of days and help them move in. Wish them luck! Also, my brother Clay and his wife moved to Salt Lake City so that he could work full time for the non-profit organization Fight the New Drug. Both families will be sorely missed here in Cache Valley.

In other news, we found a wonderful live-in babysitter named Bailee who will be with us for a while. We are very excited about her and love having her around. She is a Junior at USU majoring in special education.

Other than that, we’ve just been having a ton of fun and staying very busy this summer! Enjoy the photos ... we're using Picasa so the viewing and uploading is easier. You can watch the slideshow above, or click here for all of them.