Working Down the Line in 2009

The following list is NOT a list of resolutions and or goals. Although, I have always been very good at making a New Year's resolution and keeping it. These are just things I really want to do in 2009, things I am so looking forward to and things that I"m not going to slit my wrists over if they don't happen. This may be an ongoing list if I can't remember them all right now.
1. Go away with Ryan and company for our 14th wedding anniversary. We always take our kids with us on our anniversary get away. It's such a blast.
2. Visit Paris and London with my great friend, Kelly. I have to each lunch on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower and stand at the Globe Theater and cry.
3. Marsh Lake with Ry's whole family. If you know me at all, this is just a given. We do this rain or shine or illness.
4. Work out with my husband at the Clearfield Aquatic Center. We bought a family pass, good for a year. I am not working out to lose weight. That, my friends, will never happen. But to just go with him, to do something together. He's lost about 60 pounds and wants to keep feeling great. I am so proud of him!
5. I need to go get a massage at least twice a month.
6. I am going to go tan once a week. THis is not for my body, but my mind. If you know me, you'll know what I'm talking about.
7. I want to stay more connected to friends who have been there for me.
8. Add #4 to our family! I am very excited for this.
9. I get to direct "Peter Pan" or The Boy Who Would Not Grow Up." I can't wait to fly~~

Amylee is 2!!

Or as she says it, "Toooooooowa." I can't believe she is so big. She is talking like crazy and still acting like she owns this house. She was a cuss before she ever exited my body. She quit growing at about 34 weeks. I knew from the beginning of the pregnancy something was wrong. But everyone just kept telling me "Every pregnancy is different." Well, I know that. But there is nothing mistaking a mother's intuition. Ryan's mom and sister believed me. I looked about six months pregnant the day I delivered. My dr decided on a Friday that we would start me the next Wed, which would have been the 20th (My birthday! I was so excited. I had always, always wanted a Christmas baby.) He said she needed to come out. She wasn't due until January 8th. But that Sunday I woke up and didn't feel her move all day. I tried everything I could to get her going and nothing. So I went to the hospital to just get on a moniter and make sure everything was okay. I even went up by myself, leaving Ry here. I thought all would be well. The nurses took one look at me and freaked out when I told them I was 8 1/2 months pregnant. I had lost about 20 pounds with her. So, they called my dr who said "We are doing this tonight." They let me try to have her vaginally, but she was in distress. So at 1:45 am the dr came in and said, let's have a baby. And at 2:04 she was here. Weighing in at a whopping 4 pounds 1 ounce. The tiniest thing I have ever seen in my life. She had a hard time at first, so she was in NICU for one week. We brought her home Christmas Day. The best present I have ever received. Below are some pictures so you can appreciate her tiny-ness. Up against Ry she is itty- bitty. The one of me holding her, you can see her in relation to my hand. And I have small hands. I think back on that and I am grateful for intiuitive women in my life and a skilled dr. And a husband who kept me calm while I was FREAKING out during the C-section. Oh my litte Lee-lee. I love her!

OOH MOUSE DROPPINGS!!

So Ann found mouse droppings under the Christmas tree skirt and around the front room. She was so disgusted that we might have brought a mouse in with the decorations(this might be from having mice in our other house, RyLeigh picked one up when she was like two, but other story). She immediately got out the vacuum and started cleaning up. I got home and she said,"You remember how I thought we might have a mouse in the house?" I said yeah. Then she went to the cupboard and pulled out the container of chocolate sprinkles. "Well this was left on the table and Amylee got into it."

That's right, she got into the sprinkles and must have been saving some under the Christmas tree.

I knew naming her Amylee was a bad idea!!

My Duncan's 6th Birthday

I have so much to catch up on, so I'll start with Duncan's birthday. On November 4th, Duncan turned 6. I can't believe he is that big. I want to keep him little forever. He is the funniest, most tender kid I have ever known. He cracks us up. His Aunt Kristie just likes to sit and talk to him for hours. I know long ago, I promised to be his mom. Not because of what I could teach him, but because of what he would bring to me. He pretty much has me wrapped around his little finger. Here is he is just a few days old, then on his first haircut at Jana's, then last May on our way to a wedding. Oh how I love him!

Wow . . .

I am a serious slacker. I can't believe I have not blogged since October. Really cool things have happened. Like, things I can't even really remember to tell but I feel like there were some. So, until I can catch up and talk about Halloween, Dunc's Birthday, my Mom coming HOME! and all the other good stuff, I shall just tell you a wee story. So, yesterday we, the chilluns and I get into the van. There is a poster in there on RyLeigh's seat so I throw it out the window. Well, it rolls under the van. Except I'm not sure if it's under the van, so I lean my head out to see if I need to get it and move it or if I can just pull out and my finger is still on the little button thing to roll up the window which I am proceeding to do with my head still out the window. Yes Friends, I rolled my lip up in my van window.
That is all.

Family Pictures with the Thorne's

So, this picture pretty much sums up family pictures. We call this 'mad face.'

Crazy!!

Trying to take a picture with Lee-lee.

Ryan's whole family.

My Little Family!

Family Pictures

"Tell Me I'm a Dork . . ."

So, the musical "Lion King" has a song in it where Scar sings, "Tell me I'm adored. Please, tell me I'm adored." We were driving in the van tonight listening to that CD and Ryan says, "Did he just say tell me I'm a dork?" Well, that's all it took. My kids started laughing and we had to listen to it about ten times. Every lyric in the song turned into a lyric about a dork. Dork, dork, dork, dork, dork. With my kids laughing their guts out in the back of the van, and Ry and I laughing in the front, RyLeigh says, "Oh man, that's never gonna get old."

Fair Lovin'

We love the state fair! We go every year. We get there about 4:00 in the afternoon. We have to walk around and see all the 'boring' stuff first, then the kids get wrist bands which let them ride on all the rides all night long. RyLeigh started to take Amy on some rides about 9:30 and that was all she wrote. We couldn't keep her off. Her new word, "gain" and the point, happened this night. (As in, again). My kids are carnival freaks themselves. They run from ride to ride for like, four hours. We didn't even leave until 11:30! We had such a good time. There is the cutest picture of the three of them with their heads sticking out of a painting of carrots. But it didn't seem to make it's way to the blog.

Great Things Can Happen at Savers

I went to Savers this week to get a few things for a scene we are doing in my Advanced Theater class. When I walked in I noticed there was only one cashier. I shopped for a minute, grabbed my stuff and realized I only had about ten mintues until my class started. I walked up to check out and the cashier was gone. The manager called her two times to come to her register. There were three of us in line. When she finally came you could tell she had been crying. I felt bad for her, thinking she may have gotten into trouble. The first lady went through and didn't say anything to her. I thought, "If I get the chance I have to say something." So then it was my turn. She said, "How are you today?" And I said good. Then I said, "How are YOU?" And she started to cry. Sob, acutally. I asked her if she was okay and she said,"I am better than okay. I gave up my two children for adoption 18 months ago, and my daughter's new mom just brought her in to see me." I was stunned. And overwhelmed as I could see how emotional it was for her. She went on to say that she had been in an abusive marriage and the only way to get away from her husband and to save her children was to give them up. Can you even imagine?! In order to save her children, she had to let them go. So the father couldn't get to them. I had more respect and admiration for this woman than I can even tell you. I almost started to cry with her. She kept talking and I asked if her daughter recognized her. She said no, but that was okay. Hard, but okay. The little girl had brought her flowers. I felt like I was treading on sacred ground. This bond between mother and daughter. I felt so much peace knowing that in the life to come, they will have time to be together, to know each other. And that baby will realize what her mother did for her. When I walked away, she said, "Have a good day. And thank you for listening." I told her I was honored, and to have a good day too. She replied with, I already have."

Should I be worried?

I have to preface this post sharing with you how much I HATE spiders. It's not just a, 'I am afraid' thing. They seriously make me want to vomit. Like, right now I am thinking of them crawling, and sometimes furry, and I am nauseated. So, last night we unpacked from our Marsh Lake campout and low and behold, we had a stowaway. A very large, black, crawling all over my stair wall stowaway. I gagged. I just couldn't do it. Vision of Mr. Spider jumping at me while I ran to him with my husbands size 12 was just too much. I said, "RyLeigh, get in here." She runs in. I say, "Kill that spider." She says, "No way!" I say, "Please." She says, "No way." I say, "If you loved your mother, you would do this for me. I am going to throw up." She says, "Sorry." I say,"I'll pay you ten bucks." She says, "Really?" I say, "Yes." She says, "Okay." And goodbye Mr. Marshlake stowaway. Now, here's what worries me. Apparently, my daughter will do anything for money. Now, while this was a benefit to me last night, I worry a bit that this skill of doing anything for ten bucks could possibly follow her into her teenage years. So my question is, do we squelch this now and I kill my own spiders from now on OR .. . do I train her to get more money when she does whatever questionable activity she may pursue. Let us pause to take this all in . . .

Do you Amylee, take Taylor, to be your . . .

How stinkin' cute is this picutre! Oh my gosh. He actually looks a bit unsure about the whole thing. This is Taylor. He is my best friends grandson. We have decided him and Amylee should totally hook up. His mom said he's been a bit aggressive lately. And Amy always is. I think things would run smoothly at their house.

So, how are the Mom's?

My sister-in-law Kristie is one of my best friends. Even if we weren't related I would need her in my life. She helps me be more spiritual, a better wife and mom and I can make her laugh so hard she almost pee's her pants. Case in point: her little baby Ethan was quite sick last week with a fever that had no cause. No other symptoms like an earache or anything. Well, when a 3 month old runs a high fever with no symptoms doctors don't like that. To make a long story a bit shorter, she ended up with Ethan down to Primary Children's emergency room. Her husband was out of town so I went with her. We get there and she hands me Ethan so she can talk to the receptionist. I was worried, thus I had a worried expression on my face. Kris was worried to and I kept telling her it was okay. I'm pretty sure I put my arm around her or touched her knee in a re-assuring manner. NOT, I repeat, not at all like a lesbian. However, every single person who helped her thought I was the other mom. Serioulsy. Someone asked "US" if we had insurance. Then the dr came in and asked how the 'Moms' were. I was about dying and wanting so badly to lean over and kiss Kristie. I didn't want to say anything because she wasn't in a joking mood. But I couldn't help it. After the dr left I thanked her for being my lesbian life partner. We laughed so hard. So hard. Not to make fun of lesbians. Just, well, picturing me as her life partner was just too much. We could have really gotten the staff going thinking we were. But I decided I better not. Just way too much fun in an emergency room. (PS, little Ethan is okay. )

"All Night Strut"

Here is a picture of my most cutest cast for the Clearfield City Production of "All Night Strut." They are the most fun group of people I have worked with in a long time. Roger, the moustache man, was my very first musical director ever. He is so very talented and I made him be in the show. 5 of the eleven (Rachel, Jon, Erik, Shelly and Kelsie) are former students who I never thought I would get the chance to work with again. I love them! Deanna, the gorgeous blond in middle, Cheryl whose face is somewhat hidden and Kris are all new friends to me. Roger brought them along for the adventure and they are hilarious. I am so grateful they showed up. Not only to perform, but to be great friends. The cute blond in the middle is Ginny. I worked with her 14 years ago and by chance saw her in Wally world three months ago and begged her to come and play. The cool dude in the back is Todd. I have worked with two of his daughter in my program at Davis. He is such a great man. This show has been a highlight of my summer. I havent' directed summer stuff in 13 years and this was definetly the show to come back with. Come see them! Not only are they talented, they know what it means to perform and give of themselves to their audience. The show runs August 14, 15, 16, 18 ay 7:30pm in the Clearfield Amphitheater. (Behind the Clearfield Library). The show is a musical revue of 1940's/big band/WWII music. It's great fun!

Hollywood Doesnt' Even Care If You're Dead

So, I was at the Wally World tonight. Just got back, actually. I don't go during normal person hours because I have yet to find the joy in grocery shopping with three children. I was standing in a very long line so I grabbed a tabloid. I opened it up to the middle and saw a small article at the bottom. It read something like this:
"Batman, the Dark Knight, Heath Ledger's last film (and it has a picutre of him) tromped on Meryl Streep's Mamma Mia 158 million to 28 million opening weekend." And I'm thinking, "What the hell?! Like it's a contest? The man is dead, I dont think he cares." I saw both these films this week. They aren't even in the same venue othere than you eat popcorn when you watch them. And even though he's dead, it's still so monetary. He's the one who made that film what it was. So while Meryl Streep only has her piddly 28 million, and I guess the point that was brought home to me was, she's still around to spend it. And Heath Ledger, well, unfortunately he is not. (Sigh)

Get Use To Those Bars, Kid!!

In a 25 minute time period the other day, my daughter had:
1) Ripped down my front room window curtains.

2) Dumped her macaroni and cheese on my kitchen floor and danced on it.

3) Poured her brothers paint water (green) on my carpet (beige).

4) Smacked her brother twice

5) Climbed on my kitchen table and dumped salt all over the place.

Now,you are thinking, "Where is this girl's mother?"
1) Re-hanging the curtains

2) Wiping up squished macaroni and cheese

3) Cleaning my carpet

4) Hugging the brother

5) Wiping and sweeping up salt.

Below is a picture of what I had to resort too. Confined to her crib with a book because I was going to kill her. My parting words were, "Get use those bars, kid!"

I have this problem . . .

I am obsessed with chips and salsa. I eat it all the time at school. Like, if I had to choose between chips and salsa and say, a really great salad from Wingers with extra balsamic vinegar dressing because it's so good you want to drink it, I just might choose chips and salsa. I have this really yummy recipie for fresh salsa and I thought it sounded good yesterday for our bbq with some friends. I ate the entire bowl. Actually, let me rephrase that. I am currently finishing off the entire bowl. And it's not like I grab a chip while I walk by on my way to change laudry or dust or something. I sit and inhale the bag and bowl. It might be good for me except it's the ENTIRE bowl. It goes along well with the half a chocolate cake I polished off last night. I think I need to get out of my house.

Bear Lake

My friend Kristin invited us up to her parents cabin at Bear Lake this week. It was so great! We swam, ate, played, talked and talked some more. This is the view off the deck of the cabin. It is so peaceful there. So quiet and life moves at a slower pace. I could get use to sitting around in the sun.

All the kids in the lake!

This is Anna (Kristin's litte one) and Duncan having lunch together. They are only two weeks apart. I would say they may hook up later to wed, but they are both fairly bull-headed. So I don't see that really playing out.

Here we are sitting at the lake. She played in the sand for about an hour while I roasted my shoulders in the sun. I love summer!!

Here we are at the pool! I doused her in sunscreen and her hair stood on end. Oh, the hair. We are working on it.

More Marsh Lake with Aunt Vicki, Grammy and Uncle Brock

I was going back through pictures and found a few more that I just love and wanted to share. I love pictures with people in them. More so than just scenic stuff. I love to try and capture a feeling or a moment. I'm in no way a photographer. I wish I was. These are just moments I caught with Lee-lee that were too precious to pass up. These three people (Grammy, Ry's mom, Vicki, Ry's sister, and Brock, Vicki's husband) love my Amy so much. I think you can tell that by the pictures. The one of her and Vicki breaks my heart it's so tender. I am lucky to have so many people who care so much about me and my family. (I know I don't have alot of pictures of Dunc on this trip. He was off playing. I barely saw the kid!)

Marsh Lake 2008

Every year Ryan's entire family, his mom and dad, all six siblings, spouses and children go to Marsh Lake for the family campout. There's something like 45 of us. It's a riot. Ry's parents have done this for 40 some odd years. This is where Ryan proposed to me. I had to gut my first fish to prove my worthiness that year. But it was so worth it. It was a great year and tender as none of us thought Ry's mom would be with us again this year. But she was a great camper even feeling so icky. I love this place. There is a spirit here that I love to feel when I'm there. I can focus, re-group for the next school year and spend time with my brothers and sisters-in-law. I love playing with my nieces and nephews too. And yes, Marsh really is as beautiful as this picture.

This picture has a story. The boy in the picture is my nephew Justin. When Justin was only 2 years old, he walked across this ledge on the mountain and brought me my engagement ring and asked if I'd marry his Uncle Ryan. I still can't believe his mom let him do that. Justin has always been prone to falling over. So, every year we go up to 'our spot' and take a picture. But notice, no Ryan or RyLeigh? There were both home sick from our trip!! We were so sad, but Ry and I felt like I should still go and take Duncan and Lee-lee. I even drove our new motor home up all by myself. It was awesome! (Thanks to Scott, Brock, Steve, Britney, Emma, Justin and Braxton for helping me so much on the trip with everything I needed. I love you guys!)

Here are my camping monkeys! There were so good while we were there. We all missed RyLeigh and Dad though. Marsh Lake just wasn't the same without them.

Here's Dunc and his cousins in our motor home. They are all such good friends and look so cute in this picture. Camping is so hard with little ones, but these memories make it all worth it.

Okay, so Uncle Scott (Ry's brother) tied Amy to the dog chain then Uncle Steve (Ry's brother) put an Oreo just out of reach. Notice, she already has one in each hand, but dangit, if there's one more to be had why not!? A girl after my own heart.

I love this picture. We were just sitting around the campfire one afternoon and she crawled in my lap. She's such a monkey.

Amylee and her Pop

This is Amylee's favorite person on this planet. This is Pop, Ryan's dad. They have been best buddies for awhile now. When we pull into his driveway, Amy starts squealing and we can't get inside fast enough. She runs to his chair in the living room and if he isn't there she freaks out! When this picture was taken, I told her to "go sit by Pop and let me take your picture." She snuggled right up against him. This picture is the most tender thing ever. There is a picture of Grammy and Pop in Lee-lee's bedroom. WE have to say goodnight and sing to Pop every night before we go to bed. Amylee's Pop is an amazing man. He is taking care of Mom who is in her final stages of cancer. I admire him and love him for the example he is to me and my children. If a picture really is worth a thousand words, than this says it all.

4th of July

I love the 4th of July. It's one of my top four holidays. It just makes me happy. I love to be hot and eating a hot dog and sticky from my kids' hands after eating taffy at the parade. The best tradition of all is our family water slide. We use to do this at Mom and Dad Thorne's house, but this year we moved the party to Aunt Vicki's. Uncle Brock turned on the sprinklers and the kids ran for it. Here are my two monkies hitting the slide like the wild children they are. YEA for Independence!!