Squeezing Every Last Bit

I came home from work the other night to a group of red cheeked children and neighbors in the backyard. It was it little cool and the sun was setting but they were squeezing the last bits of play out of this summer.

I know you always idealize your childhood, but this is exactly what I remember about mine, and it was perfect to watch my kids enjoy it too.

Happy Halloween

It was a banner year at the Morgan house.

1. No Princesses - It was very nice to take a break.

2. Paige was old enough to go with trick or treating with her friends.

3. Callie broke 140 in pieces of candy received.

Here's our scary group.

The Wisdom of 5

Kate: Mom mom, look what I got. I was the Scholar of the Month.
Me: Wow, that's great, why did you get that?
Kate: Because I'm one of the smartest kids in my class.
Me: Oh, why are you so smart?
Kate: Because I have a large brain.

Happy Birthday Clint

I remember when Dad came to my school when I was 10 years old and told me I had a baby brother. I was in Mrs. Robinson's class and I couldn't believe you were a boy. I think the reason you can't do math is that mom did barrel racing when she was 7 months pregnant with you. Just a theory.

Back to School

August was a time of mixed emotions for many of the Morgan clan it was back to school time. Joyful the kids are messing up the school all day instead of my house - saddened by the burden of homework and responsible parenting. Joyful Kate starts K - sad it's only 1/2 day. Joyful Paige has a great teacher - sad Paige says even a great teacher can change the fact that it's school. Here are our back to school pics.

What Have We Been Up To?

You are probably wondering what we have been doing since our last post - well here you go. We've been growing giant produce. Yes, that's right giant produce and I tell you it's a lot of hard work to get your produce to grow this big. You have to stick it in the ground and pretty much ignore it for 4 or 5 months.

We have also been working hard building a playhouse for the girls. As you can see they are a great deal of help. When I say "we" I mean in the general sense like "we" had a baby. Really the mom has the baby and that dad is just supportive. So the roles are reversed for the playhouse - it's only fair. Right?

Run, run, as fast as you can. Can't catch us we're the Morgan Clan

We have certainly been busy running (literally) around.

Rick and I ran the Wasatch Back Relay on June 19 & 20 - A 188 mile relay race from Logan to Park City. It was great, except for the hail on the last 2.5 miles into Park City. Lucky for me I got to run it. Rick has really become a runner this year. He was awesome on his 9.6 mile leg and his 8% up hill climb. After the relay we woke up Sunday morning and took our family to Moab

We had a blast in Moab, but if you are sleep deprived when you pack your car up - you might forget your bag. That's right, we got all the way there before we realized I didn't have my clothes. Lucky for us we stayed in a condo with a washing machine. I was able to get by with a few strategic purchases.

We all agreed that the best thing we did while we were there was a river run. Not too bouncy, but a little, and we all had a blast.

That's Callie on the front being our mermaid. Paige and Kate loved it also. That's our guide Alisha on back - she was great. We used Red River Rafting company and would totally do it again.

We got home from Moab Thursday - and Friday I went and did the Murray Relay For Life to benefit the American Cancer Society. It's something I put together for work because my boss has cancer and we wanted to do something positive. To close out the running week I got run in the rain and hail again.

We are expecting family in town for the 4th and we are all ... that's right running the North Ogden Cherry Day's 5K.

A Summer Ritual

Though the weather here isn't sure, we know summer break is here because we just completed. swimming lessons! Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa who did much driving to make it possible for the kids to enjoy this summer ritual. I have some terrible pictures I took with my phone that I can't figure out how to download. Maybe I'll add them later.

It was Kate's first swimming lessons. She can completely submerge in the water open her eyes and retrieve rings from the bottom of the pool, but there is no way she is jumping off the edge without touching someones hand.

Callie had a friend in her class so it was perfect for them. They spurred each other on and both passed with flying colors. She does lovely windmill arms and rollovers.

Paige is a natural swimmer who looks smooth and beautiful in the water. Her class had a lot of swimming the length of the pool in it. It wore her out, but she did great. She learned the breast stroke and dolphin kick and finally conquered the diving board.

It's a good thing we took lessons in an indoor pool. Maybe when the monsoons pass we can try out our new skills at an outdoor pool .

Random Thoughts

Why can't I ever get those squiggly letters that you have to type in order to make a comment right? Is it just me? Is that an n or an h, and l or an i - it always takes me two tries.

We were driving in the car the other night Rick had his ipod playing on the stereo. He is going through some sort of weird eighties nostalgia kick so it's all eighties hair bands all the time for us.

Heart starts to play - and then Kate and Callie join in on the chorus...

"All I want to do is make love to you"

Everybody sing!

I'm going to have to put a stop to this.

Overheard while listening to that "crazy rock music"

"Wow those guys are crazy."
"Why do they look so weird?"
"I don't get it, why are they wearing all that makeup?"
"That is weird."
"What!" "He smashed his guitar."
"Why would he smash his guitar?"

Who made these comments?

An old person,

Can you guess?

These comments were made by Paige, 10 years old, while watching KISS perform on American Idol. I have now recorded them for future use on her when she is the teenager listening to her crazy rock music.

And we ran - we ran so far away

Saturday was running day for the Morgans. Rick and I ran the Ogden Half Marathon and the Kids ran the Kid K.

I have been running for about 10 years, and after my boss talked me into a 10K 4 years ago I have been running further and faster each year until the culmination of my running at the Ogden Marathon last year - where I lost my sanity and thought running a Marathon (26.2 miles) would be "fun." Unlike many predicted -I did NOT become addicted to the marathon, and have decided that the 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) is as far as I want to run. I have had a good 5 years of running further and faster than Rick. Last year Rick said he would do the half with me and we started training together in about March. I drug him along for a few months, but by May he was keeping up fine and even pulling me along sometimes.

Rick has finally caught the running bug and my days of kicking his butt are over. We ran together for our first 1/2 marathon and finished in 2 hours 55 seconds. We were very close to our goal of 2 hours. The truth is I held him back and he could have run at least 5 minutes faster. I had some congestion and didn't sleep well, blah blah blah. The truth is he is taller and stronger than me. Maybe running with him now will make me faster.

We ran with our kids later that day in the Kid K one mile run. They did great! Paige chugged along through a side ache and didn't let Kate beat her. Kate ran with Rick and they "didn't even stop one time!" They did some "power walking" and "regular walking", but they didn't stop. Callie zipped off at the start and we didn't see her again until the finish. "I ran the whole way Mom, and I looked up and there was the finish line, and I couldn't believe I was finished already!" Jim and Ryley joined us and Ryley beat everyone from his gym!

I wish we had some pictures, but when everyone participates there isn't anyone to snap photos.
When the "official photos" get posted on the Ogden marathon site there might be some of our gang. If you want to search for photos of us you can look here: http://www.zazoosh.com/events/201

OK Wendy here you go

Note from Wendy - Oh come on, just do it...


TYPE *ONLY* *1 WORD*...

1. Where is your cell phone? purse

2. Your significant other? handsome

3. Your hair? brown

4. Your mother? Retiring

5. Your father? Babysitter

6. Your favorite thing? Family

7. Your dream last night? none (you have to sleep to dream)

8. Your favorite drink? water

9. Your dream/goal? Peace (at home, at work, at play)

10. The room you're in? office

11. Your fear? Death

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Europe

13. Where were you last night? Home

14. What you're not? Alert

15. Muffins? blueberry

16. One of your wish list items ? Faster or Skinnier

17. Where you grew up? N. Ogden

18. The last thing you did? make copies

19. What are you wearing? khakis polo

20. Your TV? distracting

21. Your pet? none

22. Your computer? distracting

23. Lonesome? i wish

24. Your mood? anxious

25. Missing someone? Amy

26. Your car? dirty

27. Something you're not wearing? lipstick

28. Favorite Store? Clothes

29. Your summer? busy

30. Favorite color? orange

31. When is the last time you laughed? Yesterday

32. Last time you cried? Wednesday

33. Who will/would re-post this? Amy

34. Four places I go over and over? work- home- running-church

35. Four people who e-mail me? Rick, The Gap, Cooks Illustrated, Ragnar Relay (too much junk)

36. Four people who call me? Sara, Amy, Wendy, Not Clint

37. Place I would rather be right now: Home

5 Reason I Love My Mother in Law

Today is Mother's Day and I want to express love and appreciation for my other mother. My Mother in Law, or as she is know around our house "Grandma Connie."

5 Reasons we love you:

1. You raised a great, responsible son who knows how to treat people with love and respect.
2. You always made me feel welcome and a part of your family. From the moment I meet you I knew you would be a great mother-in-law, and you have never disappointed.
3. For helping us raise our kids. Knowing that your kids are being watched by someone who loves them almost as much as you do makes it easier to go to work.
4. For being the grandma who always has a treat, a movie and a tease.
5. For helping Kate learn how to read the grocery ads and that we shouldn't send our money to the gold jewelry people on T.V. You have saved us a ton of money!

Happy Mother's Day

What can I say about my mom? People cherish and love their moms for tons traditional reasons that you hear about every mothers day. I love you for all those reasons, but mostly, I love you for the non-traditional ones.

For pushing me out of the boat and telling me I couldn't get back in until I got up. It wasn't until I had kids that I appreciated how hard it is to make your kids do things that they are afraid of and don't want to do.

For making me read and then feeding my reading habit with thought provoking books that weren't always the "safe" choice.

For taking me skiing even when I didn't really want to go- until I wanted to go, and still being better than me for a long long long time. Though, I think I finally caught you.

For being an independent thinker and making me one too. You created a whole family of independent thinkers that I enjoy talking to and spending time with.

For making me know that I didn't want to be the mother who sat on the side lines, I want to be right in there with my kids having fun - because that's where you were.

For making me feel like I need, and can do everything. People all the time tell me I do too much, but I still don't think I measure up to the memories of all the stuff you did with/for me.

For making me a runner. Yes, I think you are to blame. When my 50 something mother said she was running a 5K- It inspired me to want to too.

For losing it and then finding your way back. When I'm on the edge I know if I fall off I can get back too. (Come on, you know I couldn't leave it out)

I love you Mom.

My Name is Julie and I have a Problem

Please help me I am addicted. To what you ask? Well, I just call it Food Porn.

What- you are not familiar with the term. Well let me introduce you. Some of my favorite food porn sites are http://smittenkitchen.com/, http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/, and http://foodgawker.com/. Be warned these sites are gateway drugs and can lead to more and more food porn.

I waste hour after hour looking at yummy things I'd love to cook. Recipes filled with butter and chocolate and fat. There are always beautiful pictures that speak to me - yes they say - try this recipe it will fulfill you. But do they fulfill? No, they leave me craving, empty, and with my recipe binder cluttered with printouts of recipes I don't have the time or occasion to make.

My addiction, is unfortunately, geared more toward desserts, which isn't very helpful. If only I could be drawn to healthy dinner recipes.

Don't these look delicious. I have a burning desire to try them and I'm not even that big of a cupcake fan. http://cupcakestakethecake.blogspot.com/2009/04/cherry-coke-float-cupcakes-for-iron.html

This recipe was so interesting I had to try it : http://smittenkitchen.com/page/2/ And let me tell you -it was addictive - I even made it twice.

Please help isn't there some kind of net nanny that will block food sites from my Internet?

A Heartwrenching Tale

Did you know that this book is a sad sad story? Me neither, I thought it was a cute book about a bunny who says he's going to run away and a mom who let's him know she'll always be there.

For those of you unfamiliar with the story: the bunny says he is going to run away and the mother says if you run away I will run after you, for you are my little bunny. If you run after me, I'll hide in a garden says the bunny, If you hide in the garden, I will become the gardner... etc etc until at the end he decides to stay home. Cute pictures - good message - no matter what, your Mom is always there for you.

I was reading it to Kate the other night at bedtime and Callie happened to stop by to join us for a moment. As I moved through the book I looked up and tears were welling up in Callie's eyes. "That is so sad, why does that little bunny want to run away from his mother?" "Doesn't it make his mom feel sad?" I don't know how many times Callie has heard this story or why she suddenly sympathised with that poor, poor mother. It was strange. I explained to her that the book was really about how your mom will always be there for you no matter what. The strangest part for me was that out of all of my children Callie is the only one who ever says really mean things to me like "I hate you" or "I wish you weren't my mother."

There is something special inside of you Callie. You feel things deeply, you have lots of empathy and passion, and feel the need to make everything in the world "right." Some day we hope these gifts will give you the passion, desire, and will to acheive great things. But, heaven help us when you are 13.

Note To Self

A good mother doesn't let her 10 year old get obsessed with, and watch a movie 10 times that she hasn't previewed.

I finally saw it and... Twilight = Creepy

It's taking a break at our house.

The Defender of Dad!

Every dad needs one.

The child who thinks he's the best. In our family it took three tries but Rick finally got a defender in Kate.

Me: Who's in charge of our house

Kate: Dad

Me: Who's the smartest one in our family

Kate: Dad

Me: What about mom?

Kate: Well, Dad is smarter, and don't make him sell his motorcycle.

I wouldn't dream of it.

Here we go

We're joining the blog universe. I think this might fulfill my "keep a daily journal" requirement.