Who let the Emmett Doggies out?

A Little Less Talk, A Lot More Pictures

2011-11-19T20:31:00.004-07:00

That hurted a little bit

2011-01-06T19:19:00.003-07:00

Jack got a couple days skiing in at the Beav after Christmas. I might be stretching it a bit by using the word 'days'. They were true Emmett ski days, you know where you ski just past a half-day so you can justify the full-day pass. He picked right up where he left off that one day last year. After lunch Uncle Michael took him out and had him skiing without the edgie wedgie. I might not have gotten around to that until he was 13.

No children were harmed in the filming of this video. And least not permanently. Jack astutely points out that it did hurted a little bit.

Growing on me

2010-12-16T18:44:00.004-07:00

Not the best quality but is the most recent photo.

I'm really starting to like this little girl. Now before you get all upset notice I said 'like', not 'love'. I'm sure in one of my many recent posts I talked about the instant love I feel and felt for each of my children. With Isabel's extra traumatic entrance to this world it was possibly even more defined when I set eyes on her. I love her A LOT. Having said that......

I'll be honest I didn't really like her all that much at the start.* What's to like? She cramps my style, she is an extra person to worry about, an extra diaper to change, an extra person to attend to, an extra thing to carry. And what do I get in return? Nothing! Zero! She doesn't ever acknowledge that I exist let alone seem appreciative.

Of course that all starts to change with the exercising of 12 little baby muscles. You know what I'm talking about, the smile muscles. I CAN NOT wait for babies to start smiling. That's all I ask. Up until they do that I really don't want much to do with them. But when they eventually show recognition in the eyes and curl those little lips up you just melt. Suddenly it's all worth it.

So yes she may have made me wait a few more days to see her smile than she did for EVERYONE (and I mean everyone) else that held her but I have forgiven her. Now one of the many favorite parts of my day is greeting her whether it be after a nap or arriving home and see her do one of those full body smiles where even her torso gets in on the action. She really is growing on me.

*it should be noted that she was and still is a REALLY REALLY good baby so I at least appreciated her for that.

Isabel's Blessing Day

2010-09-07T12:36:00.005-06:00

We Blessed Isabel on Sunday in Midway in Scott and Ann's Ward. FYI you were all invited, we just didn't communicate that very well (or at all). It worked out great that family could come in from out of town for the holiday weekend, Swiss Days, and the BYU football home opener. Emily and Greg also blessed Baby Evelyn who is just two days younger than Isabel. It didn't work out for Kurt and Jordan to bless Madden (two days older than Isabel) but we look forward to that later this month.Here is most of the gang that attended. Stop standing on your tippy toes Michael!
The Emmett Family.
Afterwards we gathered at the Heber House for a fiesta. Good Mexican food, good company, mediocre volleyball, great times.
Lily definitely was not shy about getting in photos. I love that she and her cousin Bobby are separated by almost two years but only about two pounds.

The coolest part of the weekend was Isabel's blessing gift from her Great Grandpa and Grandma Emmett. It is an antique telephone brought across from Denmark. I must admit that I have had my eye on this for a long time. Not only is it an awesome good looking antique, it's from Denmark. I wondered how I could somehow get on the will for an inheritance. Turns out all I had to do was name a daughter Agnes. The antique organ was already 'won' by my cousin Katie Agnes. It is going to look great on the wall next to my KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL CLEAN UP YOUR ROOM eye chart.

Tour Of Utah

2010-09-07T11:55:00.004-06:00

A couple Sundays ago the final stage of the Tour of Utah came through Midway. Church got out just in time for us to come and watch the battle for the sprint points on main street. Taylor Phinney won the sprint but ended up losing the sprint jersey by a single point. Jack and Lily were mostly excited for a reason break out the cowbell from the 2002 olympics.

After that we immediately jumped in the car and drove down to Highland to watch them again at the feedzone in front of my parents house. The kids were able to collect half a dozen water bottles discarded by the pros. Lily immediately picked them and started to drink whatever energy drink they happened to be drinking. It was gross. I rode the same course as the pros the week before and it was one of the hardest days on a bike I've ever had. Last year doing the same thing was the hardest day ever. I was amazed at how fast they go. I posted a video of the kids and the sprint at the bottom.
I like how Lily answers my question with a question. And not just any question, her single favorite word. Why?

Introducing Isabel Agnes Emmett

2010-09-02T22:45:00.006-06:00

Isabel Agnes Emmett was born July 28, 2010 at 9:28 a.m. She was 7 lbs. 5 oz and 19 inches long. I am 88% certain those numbers are right. Score one for reasons not to wait 5 weeks to blog about it.

It was a Wednesday morning. I know that for sure because I just looked it up after originally typing Thursday. She was 3 days past her due date. We showed up to the hospital late Tuesday. Beth was pretty sure she was in labor just at an early stage. I didn't want to mess around since we made it to the hospital with only 40 minutes to spare with Lily. Plus Beth had to go on antibiotics for several hours before birth. And I needed that baby to come so I could get back to work, it was the end of our quarter and I had a ton of business to close. So it was good we went when we did. There was a slight chance they would send us home after an hour if Beth didn't progress enough. After checking the baby's heart rate they agreed to keep us and get the baby out. More on that later.

Beth got her antibiotics going then it was time for the epidural. That was the first drama of the event. See they clean an area on her back with that awful smelling hospital smell stuff. Then they start sticking other stuff into her back including a large needle. Beth hates this part and to sympathize with her I decided to try and pass out. I went white in the face, thought about puking, could not stop the smell from violating my senses, and started to go down. The nurse grabs me and the Doctor takes his attention off Beth to give me care. Soon after another nurse brings me a glass of orange juice and Beth's epidural is finished problem free as I sit across the room. You are welcome honey.

We got some sleep at that point, it was around 3:00 am. The Dr. came around about 7:00 and checked on Beth and the baby. Beth was progressing but not that fast, we probably had 5 or more hours. The baby's heart rate would drop a bit during contractions but was still in the safe zone. Fast forward two hours...still not a lot of progress but the baby's heart rate is getting harder to read. This concerns the staff and they might have to get the baby out ASAP. Fast forward 3 minutes and Beth has gone from a 7 to 10 in a matter minutes and it's time to push. This was truly a blessing as Isabel needed to get out. The on call Doctor was not even in the city yet so the Dr. from the same practice, working the office upstairs, ran down to catch Isabel. Beth pushed once and the Doc could see the cord was around her neck. He had her stop pushing for a second then on the next push the baby popped out. The cord was wrapped around twice and had a tricky hitch over her shoulder as well. Everybody in the room was so calm and matter of fact it blew me away. And was completely comforting. No big deal just got a little hang nail here...

I still long to be a father in the 50s. I don't need all this. I want to sit in the waiting room with my cigar and SportsCenter (they had that then didn't they?) with the other dads. At some point the nurse would bring me word and I could light up and celebrate. They would then bring me the baby, but only after it was been cleaned up. I paid closer attention this time than I did with Jack and Lily. The Miracle of Birth is exactly that. You find tears streaming as this perfect being enters the world and it would be hard to miss that. But I don't need to see Jack's freakish conehead after the Dr. sucks his sideways body out. I don't need to see the nurses working feverishly for a minute to get Lily to breathe. I don't need to see the Doctor carefully untangle Isabel from the cord. I just need the baby and mother healthy and happy as if nothing was ever amiss.

The rest of the hospital was relatively event free. Isabel had a hard time keeping her temperature up so a couple times she had to go under the lights. We will now go in reverse since Blogger is stupid and puts the first photos uploaded on the bottom. If I had to fix it I might never get this posted.

Here she is in the carseat ready to get home. Little did she know the hospital is actually a freaking awesome place to be. So many people to tend her.
Showing off her going home moo moo.
This is a pretty typical scene these days. Someone holding the baby and the other kids all up in your personal space. Just take a step back for a minute and let me breathe.
Isabel had lots of visitors including Uncle Michael and a girl whose name I forget and we may or may not ever see again.
Jack was especially interested at first with the feeding. What is her doing? What are you doing?
With Aunt Kristin.
Grandma McEuen
First time holding their baby sister. Of course the first time had to be together so nobody would fight.
This is the first time she set eyes on mom. If Lily were there she would be announcing to the world "her eyes open! eyes open!"
First meeting.
Skinny legs.
We just love her to death. 100% smitten. What would we do without her?

Wait, 8? Are you sure?

2010-08-09T14:31:00.003-06:00

I found myself looking at this photo above my desk today and smiling. Both of us were pleasantly surprised to learn our anniversary was today. Happy day honey. I look forward to celebrating many more. Especially looking forward to the ones where our desired gift isn't a babysitter.

Baby Watch

2010-07-23T22:10:00.003-06:00

I was recently reminded (again) that I haven't updated to blog in a while. Um, hello...there is a baby countdown ticker on the right that updates like EVERY SINGLE DAY.

No news to report yet. Beth has continued to regularly grab her stomach or back in such a manner that one might expect a giant contraction is just about to force the baby out, only to say it was nothing. She probably won't come until long after her due date. I say that because I believe in the power of prayer. Once the baby comes it creates too much work, much easier for me if she just stays in the womb.

yesaCnorI

2010-05-06T19:19:00.006-06:00

After work Friday we headed down to St. George with some friends to cheer on Casey in the inaugural IronMan St. George. It was a bit up in the air if Casey was actually going to join us since he had to checked-in in St. George Thursday at 4:00 pm and Ryanne had just given birth to their baby Thursday at 1:00am. Turned out he could check in Friday morning and after much debate they figured what the heck he could head down, race, and be back in time to take the baby home. Meanwhile Ryanne was in good hands with her friends and family.

Before the 7:00 am start time we could not find Casey. Finally 6-7 minutes before the horn Casey comes flying into the transition area still in his clothes. I immediately started freaking out on him because it takes me longer than that to pull my wetsuit on. He didn't seem concerned, the long bathroom break was worth it. He was fast and made it into the water before the gun. Plus the water was so dang cold it wasn't like he was going to get a warm up in.Sand Hollow Reservoir is a great setting for a race. Here is everyone at the start of the 2.4 mile swim.
Casey was out of the water in 1 hour flat and looking for his bag, screaming fast.
Next came the 112 mile bike. Due to the way the shuttles ran we had to wait around another hour and half before we could get back to the cars. Back in St. George we relieved the wives of kid watching duty for a while before all heading to the Brick Oven for lunch. For some reason they elected not to wake up at 5:00 am to make it out the watch the swim start. Here is Casey starting his bike ride.
6 hours later Casey was done with the bike and stoked to be doing his strongest strength, running. 7 hours in and all he had to do was run a measly marathon (26.2 miles)
Some of his support crew. There were Team Casey shirts everywhere and we would all look at each other like..who are you? You know we're his best friends, right? We're from The I-R-V!
I mentioned Casey appeared to be stoked to be running. Well that wasn't quite the case 8 miles later. I have never seen him in such a dark place. And I have seen him throw up so many times at the end of a race that is saying something. He was tired, sad, missing his wife and new baby, exhausted and wanted to just go home. 7 minute miles creeped closer to 10. His sister Aymee (below) and I hung with him for a minute trying to get him to eat and just put one foot in front of the other. 5 miles later we saw him again. This time we were ready with bananas, Dr. Pepper, and a frozen strawberry popsicle. The old smiling Casey was back. It was very rewarding.

I'd like to make a quick note for those familiar with St. George. You will notice in the picture below we are on Red Hills Pkwy. An hour earlier we were all downtown with 8 kids between the ages of 1 and 6 and a pregnant lady. We hauled/pushed/carried/whipped the whole crew up that insane hill. We felt like we deserved a finisher medal just for that.
Here we are waiting near the finish line. We kept trying to take pictures that would show just how dirty the kids were but nothing could do it justice. Sand, streams, grass, rocks, popsicles, sun, lotion, sweat, it was hilarious.
Any minute now he was going to run by.
Not quite ready for daddy's bike.
And then he finished. I didn't get a picture after that. 10:53 was his incredible time. Not only was it an IronMan but it was his first one and on an incredibly difficult course. Nicely done bro!

Trevor and I went back to the finish line at 11:00 to watch those racing to finish before the cutoff at midnight. It was a total party and quite inspiring.
I was totally worried that I would get inspired and want to sign up for next year's. I didn't know how that conversation was going to go with Beth. But thankfully that course is hard, that water is cold, and the winter is long. I had no desire to sign up. But I did get super excited for November and IronMan Arizona. So it was win/win. For those that missed this race (and those that didn't) join us in Tempe November 21 for my crack at an IronMan. It's the Sunday before Thanksgiving and there are great rates at that time.

Of course this wouldn't be complete if I didn't reminisce the first time I brought Casey to St. George for a triathlon:

Påske

2010-05-06T17:55:00.008-06:00

Now that it is May I feel it's safe to do a bit of blogging about Easter. I hate how in Blogger the pictures you upload first end up a the bottom of your post. Seriously it's enough to make me miss a month, again. Oh well I'll just leave them in the order here.

Los Ninos on Easter Sunday
Our kids are so obedient. This is right after I said "Jack, your sister is trying to get down. Choke her out!"Strike an adorable pose!
Mommy and Lily after the hunt.
I think this picture best captures Easter Sunday for the kids. Look at Porter's face. Seriously? Another group shot? We haven't even had time to eat the captured eggs! I often felt like a sheepdog.
Kids...you look over there while your parents look at the camera.
Seth and Jack showing off after finding the two money eggs.
During the hunt.
More herding....Great Grandpa McEuen came to visit. We grabbed some photos before lunch just in case he had to leave immediately after his last bite of food.
Elena close your legs no close them put them together your knees. Oliver scoot in front of your sister so we can get a photo.
Before Easter and just about every morning and afternoon. My cast stayed relatively odor free before this trip.

The kids were alright at coloring eggs. Nobody really got close to my multi-colored egg skills.
These guys like each other.
Marci and Emily also did a good job documenting here and here. So did Jordan and Heidi but their posts are privatized.

riditditdo

2010-03-29T19:10:00.002-06:00

Beth and the kids are spending this week in California. I drove down with them over the weekend, flew home, will spend the rest of the week in New York for a work reward trip, and return next weekend to celebrate Easter in LA.
We stayed over night in Vegas and the kids had a blast holding their new second cousin, Juliette. It amazes me how kids somehow learn in the womb that when presented with a hotel room bed it must be jumped on and when you come upon a hotel corridor you must run and scream as fast as you can.

We spent Saturday in Irvine and got to eat our favorite tacos, get some new boardshorts and t-shirts at our favorite shop, and swim with our favorite friends. We couldn't find a new suit for Lily but she managed to have fun just the same.

Only 16 more days in that cast!

I wanted to take a moment and wish Beth's Grandpa Miller good luck this week. When I left yesterday there were 10 kids (9 under 6), four pregnant ladies, and no dudes in his house. Our thoughts are with you.

mmmbop

2010-03-19T13:10:00.007-06:00

in case you missed the update on the last post we are having a girl. due date July 25. oh and I wasn't even mildly disappointed. :'')0(-

Thursday marked two weeks since surgery. I didn't quite celebrate the way I did at the one week mark. How did I celebrate you ask? By strapping the Smith's Enriched White Bread* bag over my arm and taking a shower. Don't worry it wasn't my first shower that week (but it wasn't my third). The doctor and nurses really spooked me about getting it wet and causing an infection and for some reason I paid extra attention this time.

*The Smith's Enriched White Bread bag is actually a perfect arm protecting bag. Great size and very tough. However, I have been informed to NEVER buy that bread again. Apparently my family is now too good for $0.99 bread. They have to have the $1.99 bread.

As far as I can tell surgery went well. It almost didn't happen again because I was honest and told the anesthesiologist about the half a bite of yogurt I had. Without even thinking what I was doing I cleaned Lily's spoon at breakfast. The ligament was completely detached from the bone so they had to attach it back by inserting a piece of metal into the bone. Afterward I had a lot of pain in my thumb but otherwise felt OK, was even able to attack a Del Combo Burrito when we left. Beth instantly regretted asking me what I felt like eating. She thought maybe the drugs would reverse my recent aversion to all things Cafe Rio.

For the first two weeks I had a brace around the thumb and wrist and the bulky bandage you see below. Beth said it reminded her of Hellboy and his fist, which actually made it cooler.
Here's an action shot, celebrating March birthday's at Texas Roadhouse. At least 4 of the ladies in this picture are pregnant.

Tuesday I went in for my two week appointment and they eventually cut through the dried blood and removed the dressing. They started to remove the stitches and the first couple didn't bother me but the closer they moved to the tip of my thumb it got very painful. I've had my fair share of stitches removed over the last four months and this was nothing like any of those. After one particular stitch I felt myself start to lose it, breathing harder, trying not to move at all. The technician asked if I was OK and I insisted I was fine and to keep going. But could I get a glass of water? He asked if I was sure, pointing out it's easier to lay down than for him to pick me up off the ground. I played tough and just wanted him to finish. He took out one more stitch, I winced, and he looked at my face and immediately opened the door and waved the nurse in. They noted that I didn't have any blood in my face and needed to lie down. This time I agreed. The nurse said it was very normal whenever something is removed from the hand for the body to think it was no longer protected and over compensate. I don't know if that's true or if she was just trying to make me feel better about being a wimp.

Anyways I now have a hard cast covering my thumb and halfway up my arm. I went with Cougar Blue because as a face painted David Puddy once put it you "gotta support the team." And by Cougar Blue I don't mean the superior original royal but the current and shared with others navy. The actual incision looked pretty ugly but the Dr. told me not to worry that I wouldn't even recognize it in four weeks when the cast comes off. Which is two weeks earlier than I originally thought. Great news! And after much lobbying I got a water proof cast. Don't ask me why they aren't the default. I asked and didn't get a satisfactory answer.

I am getting better at using my left hand for things. Daily tasks like brushing, shaving, wiping, buttoning are the weirdest. I'm just glad I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and will soon enough be able to do things like run, ride, swim, and help change Lily's diapers.

Baby Three Poll

2010-03-08T18:31:00.000-07:00

Hello it's me, your favorite 9 fingered blogger. Actually more like 7 fingered when it comes to typing. Gotta keep the right hand at a special angle to prevent the large brace and bandage on the thumb from hitting buttons.

I mentioned briefly that my wonderful mothering caretaking wife is expecting our third child. We actually have her 20 week appointment with ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow. I always enjoy a good poll and have therefore given you 12 hours to make your boy/girl prediction.

Here is some pertinent information to help make an educated guess:

I am a boy
Beth is a girl
We have a boy and a girl
The moon was waxing gibbous at conception
Jack wants a "boy not girrrrll"
Lily wants a "baby". Baby boy or baby girl honey? "baby!"
If it's not a boy I'll tell my daughter I was only mildly disappointed.

Seriously for what it's worth we have both found ourselves referring to it as she/her.

Update: It is a girl, due July 25th. You now have a couple hours to cheat and vote accordingly.

Broken

2010-03-03T08:10:00.000-07:00

As I type this I have never been more broken, beat down, and pathetic. Seriously it almost sounds made up at times. As I alluded in the last post, one of the greatest cliff hangers in emmettdoggies history, the story wasn't quite over. It still isn't but at least I can now see how it is going to play out.

Let me set the stage. We were in Snowmass for the annual family ski trip and we were of course stoked out of our mind to be there. My mom and brother Michael were taking excellent care of the kids so we were free to enjoy the good times, food, company, and of course skiing. On Tuesday we were treated to one of those blue bird days you dream about. Well maybe you dream about them. My dreams usually include a couple feet of new snow and that wasn't the case but still it was very very nice and I was anxious to get out there.

See doesn't it look perfect?

In hindsight that, the anxiousness, was maybe where my problems started. I really wanted to hit the slopes at a respectable hour. I mean we are staying on the darn mountain, you walk out the door (in the background) and you are on the slope. The early start I gently pushed for didn't quite happen and when we did hit the hill I was extra motivated to attack the fresh corduroy.

The very first run we all went to the top of the mountain to ski The Edge, a favorite run that had been groomed overnight. It is a run similar to Stan's at Beaver Mountain if you are familiar. That's right it's a black diamond. But not double black because that would just be crazy. Once the group starts down I basically bomb the top to get past some skiers so I will have the run to myself. Then I start carving and my frustration over just then finally getting on the mtn turns to joy and then back to frustration. I totally picked the wrong skis for the day. I'm on the 8800s a fantastic all mountain ski but I had some brand new (to me) race skis back at the condo. I can't believe I wasn't using them and start to think about skiing all the way down the hill to get them. I fly by one then two different stopping points. Right before the steepest part there is a series of four rollers. I go over the first two with the biggest smile on my face as I go weightless. I go over the third and start to think I don't know that I've ever gone this fast on skis and should probably dial it back. Well that roller threw me a little off balance and before I could get back in control I hit the fourth roller and went seriously airborne.

I remember thinking two things, 1) this is going to hurt, and 2)it's official: can't think of time I went faster on skis. The ironic part was I wasn't even on skis at that point. The skis weren't even the closest thing to the snow. That title went to my left shoulder, with my face a close second. I landed on those two things and then landed a couple more times in various ways. Amazingly I didn't black out and was immediately grateful I was wearing a helmet. Eventually I rolled over on my stomach and found a pool of blood melting the snow from my nose. I looked up the mountain and saw Kurt come across my skis. He later said he thought I had somehow disappeared because my skis were there but I was nowhere to be found.

Luckily my equipment and legs still worked and I could ski down the hill. My nose really hurt but I was more worried about the fact I couldn't use my left arm. I was hopeful it was just a sprain and just numb at that point. I borrowed various bandannas to try and stop the blood flow and that is when I realized my right thumb too wasn't working properly. Beth skied with me the Ski Patrol shack where they helped clean up my face and lead us down to the on hill Urgent Care Clinic.

To speed up this story...we were there a couple hours while they took x-rays of my shoulder and hand, stitched up the cut under my nose, gave a tetanus shot because I had not idea when I last had one, and sent us on our way with my thumb in a brace and shoulder in sling. The x-rays were inconclusive on my shoulder and no broken bones in the hand but we were given instructions to see an orthopedic surgeon the next week. The highlight of the day was the look a guy gave us as we walked across the parking lot, me carrying the poles under my right arm, and Beth a few feet behind carrying both our skis over each shoulder. This is how I roll bro, be jealous.

I was still hoping to be able to possibly ski again that week but it became apparent over the next couple days that wouldn't happen. I thought about possibly catching a ride home but that wouldn't have worked. I needed someone to drive me around. I could have gone to my parents and hung out but that would have just been an additional burden on my mom. Hey mom, after you change Lily's diaper could you button my pants? I had four working fingers, and they weren't even the useful ones. So instead I spent my days lazily waiting for everyone to come back so we could hit the hot tub and then go to dinner. It wasn't so bad.

The McEuen clan. This picture cracks me up, you can see how swollen my face is and not just the usual winter swelling. I'm actually trying to smile.

Here we are at the end of the week and I can sort of smile again without even stressing the couple stitches under my nose.

Not the greatest photo but you can see how bruised my thumb was even two weeks later.

When we got home things finally got interesting. Over the weekend I noticed a sharp pain in my calf develop Saturday night after returning home from my cousin's wedding. By Sunday morning that pain had started to spread through my incision area and lower leg. I had an appointment to see my doctor Monday morning to get the stitches out so I figured I'd wait to see him about the obvious infection. In the middle of the night I woke up with worst case of the shivers I've ever had. I could not stop shaking. It freaked Beth out and she called the hospital even though I tried to tell her I just needed some Ibuprofen and a hoodie. The same doctor that I had an appointment with in just 4 hours was on call at the E.R. and said the infection was probably systemic at that point and I should come in. Well I did eventually stop shivering and just wanted to sleep so I convinced Beth to wait. I should also admit I much prefer a standard co-pay to the Urgent Care and E.R. fees.

Sure enough the infection was bad and spreading. To stay on top of it I had to go to the hospital everyone morning that week for I.V. antibiotics, followed by 10 days of oral antibiotics. I had a couple large band aids that I put over my incision for my own peace of mind while we were in Aspen, even though it had healed and closed up. When I took the band aids off after several days I noticed there was blood under them. Not sure when or how, maybe while in the ski boot, but there had been an opening in the incision. That and the fact that I hit the hot tub time machine every day for a week are probably to blame.

Eventually the pressure from the infection split my pretty little scar open and started to drain really yummy stuff.
Four a couple days the nurses convinced me it was easier for me to keep the I.V. set in my arm. That was a terrible idea, I much prefer being pricked each time than walking around with this under my sleeves. Try explaining to a 1 and 3 year old that they need to be careful with daddy because he has a needle and tubes coming out of his arm. Plus the smell of hospital made me ill. Needless to say the last couple days I had them take out.

I got in to see Dr. Scott Jackson a family friend and orthopedic surgeon. He recommended I see a Dr. Richards from his practice about my thumb and ordered an MRI on my shoulder. The MRI was the single most terrifying thing I've done in my life. I just about lost it when I got rolled into that thing. Is it just me or should we have already found a better way to do this? This is the exact same thing I heard my Dad talk about hating 25 years ago. Doesn't TSA have something that does this now? On a related note where is my hoverboard? Instead of freaking I just shut my eyes and didn't open them again for 40 minutes and managed OK. I even fell asleep at one point. I kept trying to think of open spaces and for some reason kept focusing on the default background from Windows XP. You know the one with the green hills and blue skies. The MRI revealed a fracture of the greater tuberosity. I guess that is where the rotator cuff meets the bone. Luckily it isn't displaced and as long as I don't displace it it should slowly heal.

Now nearly four weeks after the crash I am going into surgery tomorrow to repair my ruptured ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). Also conveniently know as Skier's Thumb. We were originally scheduled to do it last week but apparently you can't have one surgery while still battling an infection in another part of the body. All the details of the procedure are a little blurry, I know metal will be placed in the thumb, and I'll have a cast or splint for a couple months. I'll learn more tomorrow and maybe pass it along...stay tuned.

Just a quick note on how lucky and blessed I am. Did you know my wife is amazing? I have been useless around the house while my shoulder started to get some life back. And she never complained, always helped me get my t-shirt off, took care of the kids, cooked, cleaned, and on and on. And instead of taking it easy she decided to potty train Jack. And did a great job, after the first day he didn't have any accidents for four days. Granted that was a costly accident at someone else's house and carpet but still. She is the best. And did I mention she is pregnant? Superwoman.

This is too long to proof read so cut me some slack.

Rest of the story

2010-02-24T17:30:00.010-07:00

At least I wish it was the rest the rest of the story. As I detailed last month I was scheduled for surgery at the Huntsman Cancer Institute January 8th to have a larger incision and make sure all the cancer was cut out of my leg. It was a success, all the margins came back clear and now I just have to see the oncologist a couple times a year for a few years to make sure it stays that way.

At check-in we got some good news. My insurance had waived my co-pay. I guess they figured what's $20 when they are on the hook for 100 times (or more?) that. Thank you Altius! Despite the good news there was still a sense of foreboding. Not because I was scared, or nervous, or because I hadn't eaten in 12 hours, but because I was afraid they would find out I cheated and had a sip of water at 6:00 am. It's just so dry in this state, how can they expect no food or water after midnight?

There was bit of role reversal as Beth watched me slip into the ever revealing hospital gown and then get my first IV. Then there was the waiting game which went longer than expected. At least I had a T.V. But as SportsCenter began for a third time I decided to check out what else is on. I've said this before but daytime television is the worst! The total lack of options is infuriating. Even more so now that I can't watch any Olympic skiing or hockey live. The only interruptions came in the first 15 minutes as the heart monitor alarm kept going off as my hear rate kept hitting the low 40s. That made me feel good considering it had been 6 weeks since any sort of a work out. Now if I could just do something about the high blood pressure.

Eventually my doctor came and took me away, then I was put away into the magical land of no recollection or pain. Eventually I woke up with a huge bandage on my leg but otherwise I felt OK and walked out of there. While Beth got the car I got myself a Twix and Haagen Dazs and water and Diet Coke. Couldn't eat any of it and it wasn't until that night I felt OK enough to finish the kid's mac n cheese, only to get violently ill a few minutes later. The sad part was despite all that I don't think I got close to pre-Thanksgiving weight. There was some pain and nausea for sure but my parents took care of all for the next day or so.
The bandages stayed on for five days. Yes I did the ridiculous grown man in a tub with his leg up thing. Hated it.
Once removed an adorable 6 inch incision with 15 staples was revealed. The staples came out slowly over a three week period. I was told to take it easy for at least that long as there isn't a lot of extra skin in the calf/ankle cankle area and wounds often open up in that area. At one appointment I asked the nurse if it was just me or is the pain getting worse each day. She smiled and said that was a good sign that I was healing and the nerves were regrowing. I did think it was weird I couldn't ever feel them removing the staples.
This picture was taken February 2nd, almost four weeks later. As you can see my surgeon was some sort of magician and it had closed up and healed nicely. Well as I said at the start I wish that was the rest of the story. And since my doctor called this afternoon and I won't be going under tomorrow morning (delayed until next week) for another surgery (sorta unrelated) I should have time to that part.

Jack skis again

2010-02-15T18:17:00.002-07:00

We got Jack out on skis again a couple weeks ago at Beaver Mountain. We need to put his season pass to use so hopefully once his dad recovers from various skiing related injuries we'll get some good days in this spring. He immediately figured out how to control himself much better than last season but as you can see he still struggles with double fall lines sucking him towards the fence and being distracted by his mom.

Happy Duck Song

2010-01-28T19:40:00.008-07:00

Earlier this week Jack called us up to his room after he had gone to bed and was just streaming tears. Apparently he was sad because he wanted to sing Happy Song before bed. Every night since we've made sure to sing it and it just cracks me up. Not wanting to embarrass anyone I'll just say Jack gets his singing ability from one of his parents.

Midway Happenings

2010-01-11T12:38:00.003-07:00

(this photo taken today also serves as an "our air is cleaner than your air" in your face.)

Big news in Midway this month. We got a store of our own, cleverly named The Store. I know it's crazy, next thing you know they will put in a round-about to handle the heavy commuter traffic. Wait they jumped the gun and did that already. It is an important part of the master plan to lessen Midway's dependence on rival Heber City.

I'm very excited for The Store, in fact I'm blogging from there right now. Not only is the Wi-Fi fast, it is also quiet. Seems most other hot spots like to blast crappy music making it impossible to make or take phone calls. The Store is one of those half-size markets but I cannot for the life of me figure out what they don't have. They have had everything I've been sent to get including skim milk, 2% milk, chocolate milk, and milk of magnesia. There is a bakery, deli, salad and salsa bar, espn, and two underrated but important aspects of any store, speed and cleanliness.

The Store also brought Midway's first Red Box. Now I no longer have to sit on the couch at night and calculate whether it is worth returning a movie or paying another $1 to keep it a night. It was a very detailed calculation factoring in the average cost of gas, which car and miles per gallon, outside temperature, number of kids involved, likelihood of crying, opportunity cost, wind direction, the time value of money, movie rating, and chance of running into the Bishop. It was a hassle but I'm happy to share the Excel Spreadsheet with those interested.

Recap: December

2010-01-11T11:07:00.007-07:00

A whirlwind tour of December . . .We put the kids to work clearing the snow.Toured the grounds and saw the lights at Temple Square.
Took the kids to see Santa with their cousins. Lily was terrified but was overheard saying it was "totally worth it" after getting the sucker.
Greg and I took all the kids sledding at Wasatch State Park. Greg was able to capture one of the few moments where Jack wasn't complaining about the sun being in his eyes. This also was one of the last rides taken on our trusty Torpedo, before it broke. That night Jack said "maybe us tell Santa to bring a new sled. That's an idea." We then called Santa (listed under Brian Cell in my phone if you need his number) to inform him of the idea. Santa didn't come through on Christmas with a new sled but Brian made up for it by making a sledding course at my parents house after Christmas.Christmas eve at Grandma and Grandpa McEuens. Her shirt says snow cute.One of the few photos in any month of all four of us.
Christmas morning. We spent the night at the Heber House so the kids could be with their cousins. I think we let them down the stairs sometime before 7:00 am.
Lily was by far the loudest entering the room with presents and I'm pretty sure she had no idea why she was excited. There was just so many people. Here they are waiting for their turns.
Jack with the Millenium Falcon. This was the toy Santa tweeted about and was way excited to give Jack but almost didn't because he wasn't sure Jack would fully appreciate it. Well in true Christmas miracle fashion Empire Strikes Back was on TNT Christmas Eve and I had Jack watch it for a minute. He was hooked, didn't want to stop watching. I knew he would love it and it has barely left his side in the three weeks since he got it.
What a little girl.
Christmas day we drove to Logan for the extended Emmett and Smith parties. We spent a couple days hanging out, hitting the movies (Sherlock Holmes), Brian and I went skiing. This photo has a couple interesting points. Notice the gang sign Jack is flashing. You might also notice Jack is dressed as a shepherd but has a thin halo in his hair. He decided he couldn't fully commit to being a shepherd or an Angel so he just picked the parts he liked best. The last couple years we started using a Nativity story that starts a couple years before Christ's birth with Samuel the Lamanite prophesying. My dad filled the role to acclaim.

Recap: November

2010-01-06T16:49:00.007-07:00

Looking back at the 19 photos we took in the month of November was no help jogging my memory of what went on, especially since 6 of them were similar to this one. Made you look. I know that I turned one year older but couldn't for the life of me remember what we did. Then I looked in my BlackBerry and was reminded I spent it in Denver for a couple days work. But I didn't fly out until after taking the family out for a luxury breakfast with all foods starting with Mc. That night I did go out with some friends from work and they bought my dinner at one of those expensive and delicious restaurants that make you stop at Walgreens afterward for Peanut Butter Twix and E.L Fudge just so you can get full.

November also brings Thanksgiving which for the first time I think ever we spent in Logan with extended family. Which was great but at the same time depressing to be reminded my parents no longer live in California. The food was amazing and Beth and I somehow ended up sitting at the adult table and able to enjoy it. It was like everyone brought a dish and because they only had the one dish put all the love and magic into it and the end result was dozens of the very most magical dishes. Lily did come join us later as can be seen in one of the photos I stole off other blogs.

In other news these two really started becoming good friends. It has been so fun to watch them play and interact together. Lily has always loved her brother but just in the last couple months has Jack been excited to include her in all things he does. He has a ton of patience. Lily also hit 18 months meaning she could go to Nursery with Jack. The first week he just grabbed her hand and walked her in and started showing her the ropes. We were so proud. He still does the same thing every Sunday and also when they get dropped at the "kids" gym.

Lily FINALLY got more than just her four front teeth.She also FINALLY has just long enough hair to put in tails. She is such girl, loves when people take notice of her hair, shoes, or outfit.
Oh and of course the month couldn't have ended better than with a BYU overtime thrilla victory versus the Utes. Actually it could have been better if Max Hall would have just kept his trap shut and not ruined the taste of victory by running his mouth, oh well.

(edit)ancer sucks

2009-12-30T13:03:00.012-07:00

Who would have thought that "sucks" wouldn't be the word that was edited? My mission president would be so disappointed. But the C word is on the top of my least favorite words of 2009 so it got the title edit.

A lot of you know that I was diagnosed with Melanoma skin cancer a couple months ago in my leg. It's fine, I'm fine, it was in the very early stages and is fixed easily enough. If only the same could be said for my Grandpa who was diagnosed with an advanced stage of Melanoma and started Chemotherapy this month. I was tempted not to blog about it and not just because I'm a lazy blogger. I just didn't need any more people to bug me about putting on sunscreen. But it is one of the events that shape the future and deserves to be documented.

Back in May I saw a mole on my back that looked darker than it should be. I asked the following questions in my head "has that always been there? was it always that dark? did it change shapes?" And of course the answer to all those questions was "I have no freaking idea." So I called Beth in to look at it and she proceeded to ask the same three questions but I decided to answer questions with questions "how am I supposed to know? I mean, really? I've never measured and mapped and color coded my body, has anyone?"

I decided to at least bring it up with my doctor and set an appointment. He too walked through the same questions and I replied with the non-committing "maybe". He took an interest in the mole I pointed out but really focused on the birth mark on my leg. I wasn't even thinking about that because I see it all the time and no doctor has ever thought it a concern. But this time I knew that it had changed shape and color and it just never clicked. It looked like I scraped it on rose bush or something and left a little white scar in the middle. I didn't think anything of it until the doctor said it should be tested. So he laid me down, took off the mole and did a few stitches on my back, then did a punch biopsy from my leg with a single stitch . . . see photo.Those test results came back negative for cancer but were the ever popular "pre-cancer". The one on my back was moderately dysplastic and my leg was severely dysplastic. Both needed to have larger incisions and samples but since we were leaving soon for Asia for a couple weeks (continue staying tuned for those posts ;)) I didn't do it then. Then it was summer and I was busy and had races and didn't want stitches or holes. Plus I kept getting those annoying statements from insurance and the pathology lab "This is not a bill but you might get a bill so look out for a bill even though you shouldn't be billed but we might not be able to figure it out so this could be used as a bill."

September rolled around and I finally went to see the doc for more cutting. He took off a wider bit of skin on my back and then took off the discolored part of my birth mark on the leg. Each had 7-8 stitches but I didn't get those photo documented. When I went to get the stitches out the test results still hadn't come back. The doc said that was unusual but not necessarily bad. Two days later I got a call from his secretary saying the doc needed to see me and wanted me to come in on Monday. That was an annoying weekend. He broke the news that my back was fine but my leg was positive (which is actually negative) for melanoma, an invasive and aggressive form of skin cancer, but thankfully it was early and wouldn't require anything other than larger and deeper cutting. The lab originally diagnosed it as in Situ (stage 0) but further examination by a trained pigment pathology fellow said it was actually Clarks level II or stage 1a. More confusion found on Wikipedia.

My doctor referred me to a surgical oncologist in SLC that we went to see before Thanksgiving, Dr. Dirk Noyes. Apparently one of the differences between an oncologist and family doctor is not the questions they ask but the number of people they have asking them. First there was the secretary, then the nurse, then the nurse practitioner, and finally the doctor. The doctor looked at my leg and before he was done with the examination had me on my stomach and prepping my leg for more skin removal. I hardly knew what was going on other than the doctor rolled me over, give me a couple shots, broke out the scalpel, and then the blow torch. Beth was in the room and saw him remove the rest of my birth mark and then cauterize it. Since he knew he was going to have to eventually cut a larger amount he didn't close it up.
I often do or say something that makes me realize I'm turning into my dad. For example, I am always complimenting Jack on his haircut and asking who is awesome barber is months after the actual cut. But when I post gross photos of a surgery I feel like I'm turning into my Grandpa. You can see the horizontal scar on the bottom from the original removal. You can also see that it is the off season and my leg hair has grown back.

Further tests of the entire birth mark came back as good as we could hope, only the discolored white area was positive for melanoma. It has now been over 5 weeks and the wound has finally started to scab over. I go in to the Huntsman Cancer Center for surgery on the 8th so it should be close to healed at that point. Just in time for the doc to knock me out and cut a 1 X 3 inch area and go down a little deeper into the muscle but at least nothing to do with the lymph nodes. I don't think there will be any skin grafting going on but if so I'll be sure point out my problem areas as potential sources for skin.

I included this photo taken today of our sheets for context of how much this hole in my leg has been oozing. If you want you can look closely to see the mess I've been dealing with. I try to make frequent band aid changes to keep the mess down. The fact that my "owy" terrifies Jack and Lily is just a bonus. "Me no like yours owy! No take off your band aid!" Anyways these were spotless a couple days ago and like I said it has been 5 weeks and the oozing has drastically decreased, plus I wear band aids and sweats to bed.

I'll plan to update after the next and final surgery.

Howdyeen

2009-11-02T10:44:00.005-07:00

Jack and Lily and their cousins Porter and Seth all went as Cowpeople this year. Unfortunately Seth was ill and couldn't join us for the trick or treating. Fortunately I was there to tell the various neighbors that we were also collecting additional candy for our brother/cousin who was home sick. This was much more successful than when I tried the same line as an 11 year old with my pillow case and rollerblades.

Can you tell who was the most photogenic of the evening? Lily just loves people paying attention to her clothes, shoes, and hair.

It wasn't very long before Lily's bag was just about as heavy as her.

Celebrating our haul. Just an hour later with a sick stomach of my own and two sugar high, sticky fingered, chocolate drool stained kids tearing it up as they ask for more I had a different opinion of the event.
Couldn't resist .... Check out how nicely I pull off the cowboy as an almost three year old.

Rivertrip October 2009

2009-10-27T12:28:00.019-06:00

Yes that's right I limited this post to 26 photos. It's my blog and I'll do what I want to. For those not in the know the river is a strip of the Colorado just below Lake Havasu. Beth's family has been going to the river house on the California side for ever. We spent the first week in October down there.
Probably one of my favorite photos. Lily waves goodbye to the boat with her cousins in tow. We spent one day down at the Wagon Wheel, 20 miles or so down river, with Ruben Kathy and gang.
The gang: Sara, Tony, Jason, Heidi and Nick.
Nick was a super good sport to play and entertain the kids. He also introduced Jack to the Scooby Doo movies which I could not be more thrilled about.
Would somebody please potty train this kid. Diapers in general are a bust but really cramp your style with boats and swimming.
We all had to keep an eye out for Jack, Nick and their water cannons.
Highlight of the week was surfing. Tony's boat throws an awesome wave and we spent many an hour trolling up and down the river.
This trip was my first time trying wake surfing and I could ride without the rope but if I really wanted to carve it up I preferred using it. With any luck I'll grow up to be as good as Jason and pull off 360s etc. without it.
Just look at the water that waited for us at just about all times of the day.
She's so cute with her little hat. Now if we could just get her to ever keep a bow or a clip in her hair.
Jack rocking the gun, holster, and diaper look while checking the traps. He got those for his birthday and has barely let him out of his sight since.
Beth getting in on the surfing action. She picked it up fast and too had a lot of fun. She had the advantage of being goofy foot along with everyone else. I was basically the only regular and had to wait for all of them to take a turn. But I did have the advantage of the cleaner wave. So there! I guess the way the prop rotates helps one side more than the other.
We still got out to lay down some slalom ski turns. Once again Tony's boat was just too fun.
Lily was in heaven with all these adults around her to giver her squeeze its, capri suns, fruit snacks, etc. anytime she wanted.
Jack loves his mommy but can you blame him?
I spent most of the week trying to clear the wake on the wakeboard and consistently landing just short. Finally on the last day my coach, Jason, told me I was wimping out and needed to attack the wake. That made the difference and also created a lot less stress on my shoulder.
Jack and Lily playing on the dock. We had a few bandannas left over from the birthday celebration.
Some pretty sweet sunsets. The weather was actually on the cool side, hovering around 90 degrees instead of the usual 93.
Lily watching from the boat.
She's ready for a turn on the tube. Did not happen.
Bringing me sunscreen for her fair little legs and arms. You might notice the beginnings of the riverstache.

Lily did not want to be left out of the goggle fun. Here she is with her aunt Heidi. Nick didn't appreciate anyone trying to out-nerd him in a photo.
It took pretty much the whole week before Jack started to get as comfortable in the water as he was in the pool just a few weeks before. Finally by Friday he was jumping off the dock and diving head first off the swim deck. By head first I of course mean lowering your chin to your chest and jumping in feet first.
Blanket? Check. Cowboy hat? Check. Goggles? Check. Gun? Check. OK Jack's ready for the day.
Isn't this nice when the two boys gang up on the baby girl? Lily thought it was the best thing ever.
One of the standard activities for any successful river trip, reading. On the way home we stayed a night in Vegas to see BYU-UNLV and attend Will's baby blessing the next day. You might notice the riverstache really coming into it's own.

It was a great trip and could not have come at a more perfect time. The sun, water, friends, relaxation, mexican food, board shorts, good tunes, are all very therapeutic. And for the heck of it here's our theme song of the week. Must have listened to this two dozen times.

Adios Señor Stache

2009-10-22T13:49:00.003-06:00

Just for an update since the poll closed. The mustache is gone and was actually gone while the poll was still tied at 18. Thanks goes to the last minute voter who pushed it over for not turning me into a liar.

In reality I was always to shave before my next customer meeting (two days ago) for one simple reason, I look like a jackass with a mustache. For that reason alone I wanted to shave before church on Sunday but in the end I decided I was having too much fun getting new reactions from people. And boy was it fun. My Sunday School class (14 and 15 year olds) never went better. They kept their eyes up front and couldn't stop smiling. The only off topic discussions were whether I made a better Mario or Luigi. They settled on Luigi because Mario was "too fat". I wasn't sure if it was because they think I'm skinny or just not Mario fat. EQ was also fun. Those that you know well enough have no problem laughing, or even asking "WTH(eck)?" It's those that you only sorta know that provide the most comedy as you can watch them debate "is this for real?"

This brings me to another problem that I've been struggling with. Are the people that voted to keep the stache really my friends? I mean really? Did you do it because it made you look like a better husband? Made you feel better about your man? Hey at least I don't grow a ridiculous mustache like Emmett. Or do you truly wish more non-firemen wore one? I'm curious because the only person I found that could stand looking at it for extended periods was Lily. She's so nice to me.

Now that I acknowledged I'm aware of how I look I should warn you not to be too surprised to see a return. Just for amusement's sake. Like the time I bought a fridge pack of Tab because I thought it was ridiculous. Every time I opened the fridge I would laugh. Much like I would laugh every time I looked the mirror. Christmas/New Year's is too soon. Maybe Hawaii in February. Who wants to go to Hawaii in February? We do.

Jack turns 3 proceeds to crash

2009-10-20T10:23:00.001-06:00

Jack turned 3 on October 5 and before we left town on the 3rd we gathered at Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate. Thanks to all those that came. We got Jack his first bike and I can't rember the last time I was this excited for a birthday. Beth also found some cowboy gear in Jackson Hole that he just loves.
I'm glad Brian didn't listen to me and turn the video off after 38 seconds. Jack promptly grabbed his helmet and took his bike for his first spin, only to crash into the table. It was hilarious. Brian put more photos up here. WARNING: Chuck E. Cheese music playing in the background!

coming snail mail soon

2009-10-15T12:01:00.005-06:00

In an effort to push that previous photo down the page we'll rewind to the last day I did shave.

Coming soon via Christmas card (assuming this is the photo Beth selects and you happen to be one of the six addresses we have):

This is when Jack announced "I already did one more" and stood up, pulled the smarties out of his shirt pocket, and walked away.

I like this one with Jack reaching to give his sister a hug.

With Michael paying us a visit from BYU-Hawaii over Conference Weekend and we used the opportunity to get some family photos. The conversation with Michael before this photo went something like this ...
Michael: Hey family good to see you, this is Tashina.
Family: Nice to meet you Tashina.
Michael: She's going to need to be in the picture because I asked her to marry me this afternoon.
Family: Oh great, that's fantastic!
Michael: yeah we are super excited. Well it's been real...see you guys in SLC January 2nd for the wedding.

The Riverstache Poll

2009-10-14T09:12:00.003-06:00

Soon I'll post some pictures from our week at the river but first a matter of business. As is custom at the river I went a couple days without shaving, then as a joke I shaved everything but my stache to try and get a reaction from Beth. She went on to ignore it for several days hoping it would go away and not wanting to give me the pleasure of a reaction. Next thing you know it had been a week and I'm in too deep. I felt like I have to let this thing ride. Beth seems to think it has to go, and fast. So I told her we'd put it to a poll. What do think? Be sure to vote on the right.

Although I don't like the reactions I get from parents when I smile at them and their kids I do like the possibilities this creates for Halloween. I could be Magnum P.I., Mexican, Super Mario, Uncle Bill, and um uh lots of others I'm sure.

What am I missing?

2009-09-25T13:35:00.003-06:00

I look at the length of this list and I feel like it's gotten out of control, I've turned into such a loser. Yet at the same time I can't help but feel like we are missing something. So with the Fall T.V. season kicking off I have to ask, what are we missing?

The Emmetts DVR series record list:

The Office
Monk
Chuck
Kath & Kim
30 Rock
The Simpsons
Burn Notice
24
Lost
Scrubs
Cycling
Better Off Ted
Desperate Housewives
Parks and Recreation
Southland
Psych
Phineas and Ferb
Royal Pains
The Mentalist
Glee
How I Met Your Mother

As far as I know these are all coming back at some point this year*. There's really only 5 shows that I would really care if they didn't (Lost, The Office, 24, 30 Rock, Psych). The bottom 4 shows are the newest additions based on buzz and recommendations. Each one shows promise, although I thought Glee was way overrated. Any other new shows worth a try? Community, The forgotten, etc? Any old shows that we missed the boat? We haven't ever really given House or Bones or The Amazing Race or the CSIs, etc. a chance. Let us know, we Emmetts take our T.V. very serious.

One show I will probably be adding shortly to the list is Curb Your Enthusiasm. I broke down last week and paid for premium cable just so I could see the season premiere of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I kept reading about the Seinfeld sort-of 'reunion' on Curb this season. Well the season premiere had nothing to do with Seinfeld and I generally had no idea what was going on but I literally have not laughed that hard since Arrested Development went off the air and before that it was Seinfeld. Larry David is just as bad an actor as Jerry Seinfeld and the humor is right up my alley. There is some Adult Language and hopefully it doesn't turn any worse but I am really optimistic about it.

*R.I.P. Life. I found out this week Life would not be coming back (thanks NBC) and when I told Beth she was plunged into a deep depression. It's really too bad, he was one of the most likable characters on television.

Why not? trip to California

2009-09-18T19:20:00.006-06:00

I just had to get this photo up. Look at that beautiful little girl.
Not sure what makes her look smaller, Uncle Morgan or the Pacific.
Possibly the three worst sand castle builder helpers ever. They got the sand castle destroyer role down.
Everyday and sometimes multiple times in a day swimming in the back yard while simultaneously enjoying a Beverly Hills apple from the tree.
They can't read yet.
A trip home wouldn't be complete without a flashback to the '70s visiting Grandpa McEuen in Oxnard.

Beth, Marci, Ann and the kids spent a week in and a half enjoying themselves in Palos Verdes. It's too bad things get in the way preventing me from being there the whole time, forcing me to fly in and out for part. I would really like to be there in the car with them for what they turn into a 14 hour day.

Weekend of Me

2009-09-10T18:05:00.001-06:00

Some time within the last four weeks I had one of those weekends where it was all about me. And it wasn't even my birthday. It started Friday night with MBA graduation. Those that really cared about me chose to attend. Thanks everyone. Actually I wasn't all that excited about the pomp and circumstance myself, mostly excited to see the other guys from the program again. Classes had ended July 1. (For those muttering "what the heck?" I spent the past two years in the Executive MBA program at BYU. Classes were every Tuesday and Thursday night.)

The ceremony itself was spectacular and I can't even remember what was said. I spent the whole time thinking "This is awesome! We are absolutely cruising, this could take under an hour!" Not quite but we sure came close at one hour four minutes. Best graduation proceedings I've ever been to. My sister did a better job documenting the event and post more photos here.

Here I am holding the little lady at the pre ceremony party. It got wild with lemonade and vegetables with dip. We were careful not to get anything on the suit I got myself for graduation while we were in Bangkok.

Here's the family in the new edition to the Tanner Building (Marriott School of Management) after I finally figured out how to put on the bat cape, but was still working on the scarf thingy. Is it old school to be one of the two not looking at the camera when there's a two and one year old? Behind us is a plaque with the donors including all the Marriotts and if you look over my left shoulder a couple ending in "ARET MILLER". I wonder if they know Beth's grandparents Marvin and Margaret.
The buddy hugging me after it was over. Notice the tassel is still on the right, I guessed wrong before the diplomas. Speaking of diplomas I got an email this week saying mine was in the mail. I guess they forgave the unpaid parking ticket that kept me from ever getting my bachelor's diploma. Good for them!

That night those that could make it joined us at Gloria's Little Italy for the requisite carbo loading before the Utah Half Tri. Coincidentally I got to use the other part of the my graduation scores, the new to me Specialized road bike from my dad. The last time I got a new bike and a new suit was 2003, the last time I graduated. I don't know what I'm going to do in a few years when I need another suit and another bike.

Weekend of Me (cont.)

2009-09-10T18:04:00.003-06:00

The race was a half-iron man distance. 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13 mile run. Due to crazy weather the event organizers ended up cutting the swim in half, which was annoying but better than canceling it all together. I finished in 5 hours flat, just one minute off the podium and a chance to stand next to my buddy Casey who got first. I still owe him a Slurpee for a stupid bet I made. We finished the bike portion of the race at the same time and I said if he beat me 20 minutes I'd buy him a Slurpee. He went on to run the half marathon more than 30 minutes faster. Don't know what I was thinking.

Upon reflection I wondered where I could have made up the minute I needed to get on the podium. There's the fact that I'm fat and out of shape but that's a given. If I got a Tri or Time Trial specific bike that would more than make it up. Even if I added aero bars to my bike it would have gotten me out of the 30 mph head and cross winds we had before the storm hit. Maybe if I hadn't gone off course (with lots of others) and added an extra mile on the bike I could have made up the minute I needed. There's also all the walking I did after mile 8, that certainly didn't help. Finally I figured out where I wasted a minute and turns out it was on the swim. But not really the swim as there was no stroking going on. It was spent trying to get out of the water on the moss covered boat ramp. It was impossible!

You'll have to take my word for it but that is me and my right arm behind the guy in front. I'm in 2 inches of water and still on my hands and knees trying unsuccessfully to make progress. Eventually one the of the volunteers took pity and offered me their hand while they anchored themselves on dry land. Just like a quicksand rescue.
Giving it my all and hitting 12 mph. Stupid summer storms.
At the start of the run when I could still run.

Wasatch County Fair

2009-08-13T09:19:00.006-06:00

The Wasatch County fair came to town a few weeks back and brought with it some of our favorites; dutch oven cook-off, The Mountain Valley Stampede, and of course the rides. Also of note are the carnie folks, whose slowness and ineptitude is only rivaled by anyone in the "service" industry in Parker, AZ. Anyone who has tried to get a McFlurry, A&W Float, or Dairy Queen shake at the river knows what I'm talking about.
Jack and Seth whizzing by on the Pirate Ships.
Jack picked an appropriately named ship.
Lily couldn't go on much and at the start of the merry-go-round wasn't totally sold on the idea of riding a metal black stallion.
Jack and Seth on the other hand got a kick out of it.
Jack and Ollie on the race cars.
Lily looks longingly through the bars at her cousins as they go around.
Seth the cheeze ball.
Porter and Jack about to make their escape out of the fun house.

It was a fun couple days at the fair. We went back another day to ride some more rides and it was so funny to watch Jack. Like his Grandma Emmett he loves the thrill of roller coasters. Kurt and I went on The Zipper (did not break my high school record of 49 flips on the Zipper) and Jack cried the whole time because he wanted to go too. We did take him on the adult rides he was big enough for and he wanted to go again and again. Lily came with us on the Ferris Wheel and lost her breath every single time at the top. It was too funny to be heartbreaking.
Some photos from the rodeo. We had the seats closest to the starting stalls and had a couple bulls come up and stare us down after disposing of their cowboy. Like most terrifying situations I didn't think of any good trash talk until long after the moment was over and the bull(y) had walked away. Oh yeah! Well watch out or you'll be on my bbq grill next week! I totally should have said that.

Haircuts by John

2009-08-13T09:05:00.003-06:00

I'm considering turning this into a flyer to advertise my free (tips accepted) hair cutting service. Between my crazy eyes and the screaming child I should get all the customers I want.

While we were away

2009-06-19T10:13:00.004-06:00

So apparently when you are gone for a couple weeks your kids go ahead and grow up without you. Lily turned one, started walking, grew a mullet, and began dispersing kisses. Jack grew an inch, improved his verbal skills, turned into a negotiator with said verbal skills, figured out he can escape from crib, and also grew a mullet. They didn't miss a beat carrying on with their happy selves thanks to the excellent care and attention from all their favorite people. Thanks everyone!

W had a blast in Asia. I will eventually get around to posting more about it so stay tuned. Just be thankful for the break, the longer I go the more I forget and the less verbose I will be.Kristin had some great photo sessions with the kids. More can be seen here on her blog.

Little Big Girl

2009-05-21T23:25:00.005-06:00

We will be gone for Lily's first birthday on the 26th. So we baked her a cake and had a small celebration on Sunday. Here is the birthday girl picking blueberries off her cake.Just two of the best moms around.Cousin Kru, who is two days older than Lily (yes I said DAYS), made sure to get the frosting worked into a good lather before applying to Lily's hair and back.

Stay Tuned for Engrish Lessons

2009-05-21T22:02:00.004-06:00

Beth and I are leaving in the morning for two weeks in Asia. We are super excited and only Beth is only kind of freaked out about leaving the kids. At least we know they are in the good hands of Grandma and Grandma McEuen, Aunt Marci and Uncle Morgan, and Grandma and Grandpa Emmett and Aunt Kristin.

The trip is part of the Executive MBA program I am finishing in just over a month. My trip is included with my ridiculous tuition but we have the option to bring our spouses. As long as we pay for them. It is a great opportunity and we couldn't pass it up. Here's a rough itinerary of what we have to look forward to and fodder for future posts and tweets.

May 22-23 Depart and arrive in Osaka, Japan
May 24-26 Kyoto, Nagoya, Tokyo, Japan
May 27-28 Seoul, Ulsan, Bulsan, South Korea
May 29-31 Beijing, China
June 1-3 Hong Kong
June 4-6 Bangkok, Thailand

T.V. Season In Review

2009-05-20T22:18:00.006-06:00

Now that the 2009 television season has wrapped up I feel it's safe to give a few of my thoughts. I previously didn't want to influence so many people's opinions through my blog. I mean our blog. "I did refer to it as OUR nausea" -Buster Bluth

Lost and 24 are still far and away the best shows on T.V. They are the only two shows that no matter what is going on I will not go to bed on Monday or Wednesday without watching. A couple months ago I read this article in USA Today about the two shows. (On a side note I just love that newspaper. I honestly believe everything I read and agree with all of their reviews. It could be because they do such a great job appealing to those with attention paying disorders. Short, colorful, and almost no "continued on page 10" garbage. Reminds of the "Yada, Yada" Seinfeld episode) At that time I didn't quite share his complete and total enthusiasm for the two shows.

Lost was really ticking me off. I have never been a fan of time travel. In fact I have openly spoken against time travel whenever asked. It wasn't until this conversation between Hurley and Miles that I lightened up and appreciated the ride. It felt good to see the writers seemed to be having fun with the at times ridiculous ideas. I will always hang in there with this show no matter what because of the characters. I'm addicted to them. I can't think of another show that has relationships this well formed and developed. I still think the love story between Sayid and Nadia was fantastic. George Lucas really could have used these people to help write the Anakin-Padme disaster. Ben is one of the best bad guys ever. I loved when Desmond pounded his face in. Actually Bianco said it best in his review "Lost is one of TV's best series not because of the intricacies of its myth but because of the depth and richness of its characters."

24 this season was back (finally!) to their old tricks. That's why we always come back. The whole Tony is good Tony is bad thing was messing with my mind but I think they did a good job of resolving his motivations at the end. I'm one of the few people in the world that doesn't care for Chloe and yet has no problem with Kim. I know I'm weird but at least Chloe seemed to have a smaller role this year and Kim helped defend herself against all the haters by turning into an actual asset. It's too bad Jack is dying and won't be around for next season. I wonder who they will get to replace him. My vote is Jason Bourne.

The Office and 30 Rock are my next two favorite shows. It was weird this season because about a month or two into the season 30 Rock surpassed The Office in what I wanted to watch first when I got home from class on Thursdays. It made me laugh more and laugh harder. But then the two shows slowly switched places again and The Office was back on top. I do look forward to finding out what the big secret was the Dr. told Jim and Pam that kept them from returning to the volleyball match.

New shows that I hope return include Better Off Ted and The Unusuals. The best new show in this house is Phineas and Ferb. You gotten check out this show. I still haven't quite nailed down when it's on but sometime during Playhouse Disney before Tigger and Pooh and after Little Einsteins. Not only is the show funny but it is hilarious to hear how Jack says "Phineas and Ferb" when you ask him what he wants to watch. I actually caught myself wanting to watch an episode I hadn't seen when the kids were already in bed.

T-T-T-Tag

2009-05-20T21:56:00.003-06:00

So I was reminded recently that I had been tagged. And by reminded I mean completely minded! (Dr. Doofenshmirtz anyone?). I tried to forget and then I tried to pretend to forget. Eventually too much time passed and I couldn't do it anyways. I couldn't take a "candid" picture after more than a week. I would look too good, too put together. Plus I overheard one woman at work tell another woman at work how to look good in self portraits. You hold the camera up high and look up, this avoids the double chin.

But then I remembered I kind of did it while trying to figure out how to upload to Twitpic on my phone. It was 6:00 a.m. and I was trying to stay warm before the triathlon started by seeking shelter in a port a potty. I actually didn't want to leave because this particular port a potty had never been used and it was really sad knowing what it would be like by the end of the day.

Anyways you can go here if you wish to see my unflattering photo per the rules of the tag.

I tag the three people least likely to pass it along. Or most likely to ignore. Or most likely to let it die.

Dad
Trevor
Scott

Poundsies

2009-05-15T22:36:00.003-06:00

Jack came with me to packet pick up at the St. George Triathlon and got in on the body marking action. He went with #2.

Slightly Biased

2009-04-29T14:46:00.010-06:00

Isn't she just adorable?

Not normally very good at taking photos it has been especially tough the past couple weeks since misplacing our camera. Is it at your house? In your car? Please let us know. Here are a few from the past couple weeks taken with the backup.

Lily had the hugest smile while sleeping the other night in the car. I am sure she was dreaming about when daddy comes home, the other time she busts out that smile.

At her Grandma Emmett's house in her new dress.

Perfecting the backwards navigation of the stairs.

Jack, not one to normally be shown up, puts on a show by demonstrating that he too can go down stairs backwards on his stomach.

Family photo op before church Easter Sunday.

Pops are out right?

2009-04-18T21:26:00.004-06:00

We got to spend a spring break of sorts in California over Easter. Beth and her sisters and mother drove down together and I was able to join them over the weekend. They were able to keep busy doing the usual and even made a field trip to Disneyland. It was certainly a nice break from the extended winter going on around here.

Here's a few photos from the park.

Lily having fun and not so fun on the slides.

The female version of this photo. Same sweater and everything.

We found a handball in the bushes at the school and got busy. Which brings me to the subject of this post. Pops are out right? Beth and I disagreed on this fact. Probably because she is the one who hit it. Here I am busting out just one of the moves from my childhood. Cucumbers! Not even a surprise Watermelon! could catch Beth. She is a handball wizard.

Girlfriend Rock

2009-04-18T21:11:00.001-06:00

According to my resume (anybody know how to get the ' over the e?) a few of the things I have to offer the world include "Strong written and verbal communication skills. Ability to think critically and analyze information to produce results. Effective team player and motivator."

I've always thought that if there wasn't some crazy hard rule about a resume only being one page I could include some of my real skillz. Maybe I could just edit experience and take out "#1 fastest drive-thru attendant at El Pollo Loco summer of 1995." One of those skillz would be "EXCELLENT mix maker."

I was reminded of this a couple weeks ago after a letter from my little brother Elder Michael. Apparently earlier that P-Day he had borrowed his Mission President's computer and made a quote "sweet mix" and asked if I remembered all the "sweet mixes" we used to make. Do I remember? Of course I do, I made one that morning as well. His mix would probably only be considered sweet by other missionaries or mothers on a Sunday afternoon but still. Upon further thought I wonder if it's hereditary. The next best mix makers I know are my little brothers, both tied for second.But will we be able to teach Jack?

Since blogs are an excellent forum to share bits of wisdom I thought I might occasional share a mix. This particular one is called Girlfriend Rock. If you can't figure out why take another second. Yes these were all on my computer, including Elton John and Avril Lavigne. With the exception of Ocean 11 I'm sure they are all available for download (now $0.30 more!). I haven't been able to find them since the glory days of Napster.

Rock 'n Roll -- The Sounds
Girlfriend In A Coma -- The Smiths
The Rock Show -- Blink-182
Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend -- Mr. T Experience
Rock Your Body -- Justin Timberlake
Ex-Girlfriend -- No Doubt
Rock Lobster -- The B-52's
She Has a Girlfriend Now -- Reel Big Fish
Punk Rock Girls -- The Queers
My Girlfriend's Dead -- The Vandals
Solid as a Rock -- Ocean 11
Swiss Army Girlfriend -- Mr. T Experience
Crocodile Rock -- Elton John
Girlfriend -- Avril Lavigne
Rocksteady -- Ocean 11

Best Friend?

2009-04-09T20:59:00.001-06:00

*Note from JohnE - after a couple weeks this is the best I could come up with for my 100th post.

One of the things I love about living in what some consider the middle of nowhere is the excellent recreation available. The cycling, running, and swimming around Heber Valley is an absolute treat (OK maybe not in Winter). On a run you are more likely to see an Osprey, Sandhill Crane, Bald Eagle, or of course the Hawk than a pigeon or a crow. However, there is a potential danger to running in the country. Because of this danger I have been become quite literally a scaredy cat, always on the lookout. I switched earphones because noise canceling earphones open me for not so sneak attacks. What is this danger you ask? It's the country family dog.

Now I am a dog lover and a former dog owner. I hope to one day own a dog again. I just have to wait until my kids are old enough and I can trick them into wanting a dog so bad they'll sign away their life promising to care for and clean up after it. But I was and will be responsible about it, no matter how "nice" or "loving" she is. Cheyenne, while crazy, wouldn't hurt a fly. Actually that's not true, I once saw her eat a fly out of the air. But whenever I was outside with her she was either on a leash or tied up, because other people don't know she's crazy friendly. Apparently this common courtesy doesn't apply to families that own more than one acre. Once you hit the acre mark it is no longer required to fence or tie your dog. I have a couple favorite routes and have over time learned and named every stinkin dog. Luckily I've never been attacked let alone bitten. At least not since the mission but then I was actively trying to get onto properties so I guess it was bound to happen.

My short run is an excellent out and back. It's 4 miles to the top of Memorial Hill and back. Plus from the bottom of the hill to the top is exactly a mile so if you want a good 10K you just run the hill twice. Here is who you need to be on the look out for:

Grendel (Mile .67 and 3.4) - This house is actually the worst I have come across. Grendel is an Irish Wolfhound. If you haven't ever seen an Irish Wolfhound think Shetland Pony but instead of ridiculous think terrifying. The size of a small horse and looks of something bred to kill wolves. And it's not just Grendel because also at the Nielsen's is . . .
Killer (Mile .67 and 3.4) - Killer is a champion German Shepherd. Very pretty and almost jet black. For a period I was the Nielsen's home teacher and know both these dogs to be gentle giants but it still doesn't help when they come running. They are only outside if someone in the family is working in the yard which is amazingly often when there is 3 acres to tend. Plus I know Killer is employed by Wasatch Search and Rescue. Whatever his intentions may be his job is literally to hunt humans and that is scary.
Tad (Mile .75 and 3.27) - Tad is a six month old Golden Retriever and reminds me of my dog growing up. I guess I spoke too soon when I said I hadn't been bitten because Tad (who is a tad) did run up to me and do that jump on and mouth thing puppies are so fond of.
Bucky (Mile .88 and 3.14) - Bucky is the ultimate pound rescue mutt. Even though he doesn't wear a collar it does look like he treats the property as an invisible fence and just gives a few warning barks.
Danger Zone (Mile 1-3) - You aren't in the clear once you get to the hill. Like any road with no one and no houses around this is where people come to walk their dogs who need a leash without a leash. Just be ready if you see any cars parked at the bottom.

A popular long run is 10 miles and is sort of a half tour de heber. It's a picturesque run over the river, through the woods, to grandma McEuen's, by the lake, along Soldier Hollow, and home. These roads are particularly populated by families with many acres therefore not required to follow the guidelines set by society. Here is a quick sample of who to look out for:

Orange Lassie (Mile 1.64) - A descriptive name but I actually haven't seen the Hyde's dog in a while so maybe the obstacle has been handled.
Ren (Mile 2.61) - The first of two annoying toy dogs on Casperville Road. About the size of shoebox this dog has the best hearing of any dog I've seen. No matter which way the wind is blowing you can't sneak by Ren. Ren is persistent and doesn't stop barking but because of his size it wouldn't bother me if it wasn't for his effect on . . .
Stimpy (Mile 2.64) - Stimpy is a yellow lab and honestly would not give a care if it wasn't for the noise his friend and neighbor makes. If Ren is out then Stimpy gets up and puts on a show. If I run up and see Stimpy alone all he does is lift his head look to Ren for instructions. If Ren isn't around then Stimpy goes back to sleep. Gotta love old labs.
Napoleon (Mile 2.83) - This dog has made me madder than any dog. A miniature pinscher with a true Napoleon complex. This dog actually chases and tries to attack cars. Napoleon is also one of the few dogs that I can run faster than. The annoying part is he doesn't give up. Unless you turn and face him at which point he turns and runs like he just got beaten. But eventually he turns around and starts chasing again only this time a 1/4 mile behind.
Grizzled (Mile 3.35) - This is a true cattle dog and looks like he is about 20 years. Even though he sits right on the road he doesn't bother to investigate. Which is a good thing because despite his age I would pick him in any scrap.
Amigo (Mile 4.3) - Amigo is a border collie mix. After a few initially intense moments where he thoroughly checked me out and began following just behind me (forcing me to keep my head on swivel) I invited him to come run next me so I could more easily watch him. He ended up keeping me company for over a mile at which point he turned (hopefully for home). Since then he has joined me one more time.

And it goes on with 5 more named unfenced dogs before mile 8 and the civilization of downtown Midway. Sure there are pluses like I get to work on my neck muscles for swimming and I've heard that running backwards is good cross training for something. I guess I'm just jealous that I probably won't ever get to be one of the those people the rules don't apply to.

Spring Skiing

2009-03-23T09:47:00.002-06:00

Original plans to do a complete post of our day at Beaver Mountain were scrapped. I'm lazy and my dad did such a good job here that I'll just send interested parties to Emmettville. Special thanks to Norda's for the new gear and the original Norda for filling in on Lily duty. A couple money shots:

Four Generations of skiing the Beav.

Jack rolling solo. Still has no idea how to stop.

Jack's first season pass, free with the purchase of an adult season pass. Beth and I laughed at this picture for days.

Dear Mr. Hawk

2009-03-20T21:47:00.002-06:00

COME ON! I know it was my first ride of the year but am I really that slow? Did it look like I might keel over any minute and provide a tasty treat? What about that large doe and raccoon I passed earlier? They were already dead. It's really disconcerting and slightly depressing to see your shadow constantly circling me for the entire climb up S.R. 32.

Regards,
Not so fast

skithebeav

2009-03-19T13:34:00.001-06:00

Check out the first couple photos at skithebeav.com.

Annoucement: In less than 9 months . . .

2009-03-13T16:32:00.005-06:00

Lily will double in age. How cool is that? She had her 9 month appointment this week and although I don't remember the details I do remember she was in the 25th percentile across the board. I'll probably come back and insert the actual numbers so I have them available for reference. Earlier this week I couldn't remember how much she weighed at birth and came back to the blog to check. I was shocked to find out she was over 8 pounds! That just seemed too big for the little girl.

She loves pulling herself up onto anything, especially her brother if he stops long enough. Luckily she really hasn't experimented with stairs yet, at least beyond the first stair. She did seem to inherit the same toughness as Jack which comes in handy for all the face plants she pulls off. While trying to play with her cousins she made it up the first step only to roll off onto the hard wood floor. 4-year-old cousin Porter ran to report to Beth that she fell down the stairs and didn't even cry "It was like a trick!"

Her first tooth is making good progress and I can't think of any food she hasn't liked. The Green Pea baby food causes her to make funny faces but she'll eventually open her mouth up again.

Showing off her tooth to mommy.

Car trips are fun especially in Aunt Marci's minivan. Gives her a chance to get those darn socks off.

One of my favorite things to do is have two-year-olds give each other 5. They both want to be the one giving the 5 and end up whiffing several times. Porter understands a little better that someone has to take the 5.

Ice Cream treats at the Dairy Keen.

Jack finds out he's not the only "heaby" one.

Spring Forward

2009-03-07T19:04:00.006-07:00

You know Spring is on it's way when Nativity scenes start showing up for an encore.
(one of several I've noticed that probably haven't been seen since the Christmas day storm.)

Good day

2009-03-06T10:10:00.004-07:00

While I'm firmly in the iPod Love Group I've had quite a turbulent relationship with the little miracles of late. Amazingly we've owned 7 iPods (six models) but only ever bought one ourselves. That is what happens when you work in sales for an organization that figured out salesmen will do anything short of trading their first born into slavery for a chance at a free iPod. Sure the promises of hitting quotas, increasing job security, potentially $1000s in commissions, pleasing bosses, and job promotions are all nice but fleeting. However, give someone a whack at $149.00 of hardware in a cool box and watch them line up to run through fire.

In just the past few months the iPod gods have been angry:

The iPod video was removed from my back pack with what appears to be a bullet hole in the screen. But not a bullet from a gun, more like a bullet pressed at a slow speed with someone's palm. Or maybe it was from a gun and it actually saved my life. Maybe the iPod gods weren't angry. For $179.00 the Apple store can try to fix it but no promises. Or you can buy a used one eBay for way less.
While flying from Irvine to Dallas I had a layover in SLC. Jeff was on the flight so I put out the seat occupied card and walked with him off the plane. 15 minutes later I return and my iPod Touch and iPod Shuffle are missing from the seat back pocket. The cleaning crew was nice enough to leave the gum wrappers. When contacted by the airline the crew had no recollection of finding two iPods.
I kept the original iPod shuffle in my gym locker at work. A few weeks ago I couldn't find it only to later find it in my pocket. Of course it was after my shorts had been through the washer and dryer.

Now we were down to the originally purchased iPod mini* and the newly won iPod nano. Until yesterday they have been more than sufficient for the two of us. Turns out I own a lot of crappy music and don't need 60 GB to hold it all times. 8 GB is plenty. Plus my running shoes had Nike+ and I have loved connecting to the nano. I don't know about anyone else but I am terrible at estimating how long and far I have been running. I guess I could wear a watch or chart a run ahead of time but whatever. I would usually return after 27 minutes and 3.5 miles thinking it was more like 45 minutes and 6 miles. Nike+ has been 99% accurate on distance for me. (Disclaimer: this is for workouts in unknown territories, I'm not that big of an idiot at home).

Back to yesterday . . . I started really wanting another shuffle to keep at work. They are so convenient with the clip and the size. While thinking this I looked at the shuffle that had been washed, spun, rinsed, spun, and tumble dried. I had repeat visions of plugging it in and melting my own hard drive but decided to try it anyways. Nothing happened for several seconds and just as I thought I better not push my luck the orange light turned on. I then held up the earphones and pushed play, again nothing happened for several seconds until I hear the sweet sounds of The Mr. T Experience. I was so stoked to be back in business and immediately called Beth with the news.

"You broke another one?"
"This is the one that went through the wash."
"You put your iPod through the wash?"
"I told this, remember?"
"Which one the blue one?"
"No it was the white one."
"The video?"
"No the shuffle, the one that looks like a thumb drive."
"Oh, hmmm . . . good day."

Yes. Yes, it was.

* Looking at the iPod mini today brings back memories of Macs in elementary school. Little gray screens used to play Oregon Trail (that game owned!). But the mini to this day still has something the other iPods with screens don't, a clip that works. What is up with that? Why do we either have to use the arm bands or have it bouncing around in a pocket. The sweet spot on the arm bands is impossible to find. Either it's a tourniquet or it's falling down around my wrist. I just want to clip it to my waste and not have to dislocate my shoulder to adjust the volume.

First Tracks

2009-02-25T13:21:00.009-07:00

This was one of the most exhausting ski days of my life. And it was only for an hour. And we never left the rope tow. The recent warming trend finally forced me to load Jack up and take him on a proper ski hill. We went to Sundance where you can ride the rope tow for free, as long as you can get to it. It's just a short hike up the mountain with your skis and a two-year-old who will tell you himself every time you pick him up that he is heaby (it's not a typo, it's a quote.)

The trip started out bad with Jack refusing to wear his snow coat and REALLY wanting his mom to come. He doesn't get the Lily is sleeping excuse. Well if Lily is sleeping then you are free to come with, right? If Lily is sleeping then we must therefore take full advantage of our time without the little shadower. Probably a good thing he didn't wear his parka because it was warm and that kid runs hotter than anyone I know. Not one time this winter has he played in the snow without sweating profusely. Just like his uncle Michael.

But the trip ended well as I decided to quit while we were ahead, leaving him wanting more. A little trick I learned from George Costanza. Plus our liftie friend Creed gave Jack a giant chocolate chip cookie to "sweeten the experience."

This is actual footage of Jack's first trip down the hill. It is a total roller coaster of emotions. First it was the apprehensive "whoa! daddy! whoa!" Then after 30 seconds he is feeling good and gets into his tuck to pick up speed. Then a near death experience prompts the ever popular "up! up!"

A couple more short videos toward the end of the session. He's getting good at the green part of Red Light Green Light but needs a lot of work on the red.

At one point I did start to wonder if he was tolerating the downhill just for another opportunity to ride the rope tow up.

Snowmassssssssssspen

2009-02-20T09:19:00.006-07:00

We were able to join the extended Miller family for a few days of the annual trip to Aspen last week. Per Grandpa's rules no kids under 7 unless they are still attached (literally) to their mom. Luckily my mom was nice enough to accept our Christmas gift of a plane ticket to come watch Jack for a few days. Aren't we awesome gift givers?

The trip was great as usual. It started out fantastic with Jack basically pushing us out the door so he could watch The Incredibles with his grandma and Lily sleeping for more than 4 hours of the 5 hour 20 minute drive. We had three days of fun skiing and excellent lunches with each day getting a couple inches of new snow. Unfortunately we missed Thursday and Friday which turned out to be the only blue bird and powder days of the week. The drive home did not go as well as Lily's lack of sleep gave us flashbacks to 2007 and a horrible drive home with Jack. I still need to ground him for what he did as a four month old.
Lily has since gotten a haircut to reduce the effect of the widowhawk.

The after skiing schedule went like this. 4:15 Swimming/Hot Tub, 5:45 Meet for dinner, 8:00 make every effort to avoid the family "fun" card games by playing Wii, Guitar Hero, reading, blogging, or in extreme cases homework.

This is about as close to an action shot that was captured of me.

Cami was just one part of the army of helpers with little Lily Ann. Thanks everyone!

Pizzas the first night in Snowmass. I love any place that still puts enough cheese on the pie.

Beth and Grandma Miller on the balcony.

Finally a special thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for making it happen and letting us come. Also Amber for watching Lily so Beth could get some runs it. We love you!

February 14th

2009-02-14T15:53:00.002-07:00

What does February 14th mean to you? To us it means only 2 more weeks of the fried Twinkies at Dairy Keen! You don't want to miss these and have to wait until next February. Make the drive and come say hi while you're in the neighborhood.

Funny buddy

2009-02-14T14:56:00.004-07:00

Here's just one of the things we can't get enough of, Lily laughing at her brother.

You can see Lily is getting pretty good at moving around. Jack now enjoys an even longer bath because it's one of the few places Lily can't get him . . . yet.

Making a pizza

2009-01-21T13:57:00.002-07:00

This is Jack wondering why in the world I am referring to a pizza. After a couple days of wearing skis around the house to work on his balance we ventured outside. In true Emmett form he was ready to quit early in favor of lunch but promised to try again. Just as soon as his dad finds some other sucker to carry him around. Grandpas????

2008 Year in Review

2009-01-15T17:37:00.010-07:00

Before I start I'd like to make a quick public service announcement. As we dive into the depths of winter people need to remember one thing. Coats, parkas, sweaters, sport jackets, etc. can get dirty. Just because they have layers underneath and you don't wear them as often doesn't mean they can't absorb B.O. Please keep others in mind as you enter the 4th season without washing that coat.

2008 Year in Review

Best/Worst Commercials: This post can be contributed to a question asked by my professor in the Advertising/Promotion class I just started. He asked what our favorite commercials were this year and I drifted into my thoughts from there. Thanks to the wonderful world of DVR (would be in the discussion for best invention) my commercial viewing is limited to what' s on Sportscenter before bed and Playhouse Disney in the morning. Commercials I will rewind for are 1. Anything with Peyton Manning, he always nails it 2. DirecTV posing as the cable company commercials, mentioned in a previous post 3. Sonic with the two funny guys in the car and 4. The beer commercials with the NFL coach rants.

I could immediately identify the two worst commercials. Did that commercial just tell me to use TV to keep my kids from school work and sports? Or I don't know what you are selling just make that lady stop dancing.

Favorite/Most Inspiring books of 2008: My favorite book of last year was probably The Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor. I picked it up by chance at the airport because it sounded intriguing and part of it takes place literally in my backyard Midway, UT. The book is actually several years old and was the first novel with Scot Harvath, the ex professional skier turned Navy SEAL turned Secret Service Agent turned CIA assassin. Lions was fast and fun and the insights/comments on Mormon and Utah culture were quite funny and only slightly wrong. I have since read and enjoyed the next 6 books with Scot Harvath. He reminds me a lot of me. Except for the blond hair, blue eyes, and daily expert use of guns. I shot a black powder rifle once when I was 12. But he's a guy who just really likes America, like me.

Most inspiring book of the year by a long shot was Breaking Dawn. After finishing that book I felt a little sick and kind of guilty about having just read all four of those books. The fact that I mostly enjoyed them probably made matters worse. Nothing inspired me more to change and do something with my life than when I finished reading. In fact I couldn't even start another book of fiction for several weeks and was stuck trying to make my way through John Adams.

Movies of 2008: Because I felt none of the sequels lived up to predecessors my movie of the year award goes to Twilight. This was the first movie made after 1969 that made my wife smile from the first second, all the way through the credits, and into her sleep. It was amazing to witness. And that wasn't even the first time she saw it. For me I had a hard time getting over the disappointing castings of Esme and Rosalie.

The one "worth it to own it" award goes to WALL-E. Simply because of the sheer volume of viewings you can get out of anything from Pixar. Jack is a big fan.

Race of the year: I've blogged about both the Battle at Midway and LOTOJA. While I loved those races and look forward to them again this year there were two other races that tied for race of the year honors: Irvine Stake Triathlon and Novell On-site Triathlon. Two very prestigious races, one against software geeks and the other against high schoolers on single speeds. But they gave me my first two first place overall wins and will hold special places in my heart. Special thanks to my competition, Casey Robles and David Warden, who have beat me before and will beat me again for not racing this year.

Television 2008: Most of the shows this year were abbreviated but that wasn't all bad. Although nothing will top the Lost season finale from 2007 when they introduced the flash forward I thought Season 4 was the best since the first season. So many things were finally answered it actually makes me nervous for what they might do this year. It's probably my favorite show. The best "new to us" show goes to Psych.

My Miscellaneous awards:
Accessory of the year = Reversible belt by Banana Republic. Matches brown or black shoes and does not need to be removed at airport security. Honorable mention ECCO's 'New York Bicycle Toe' Slip-on.
New addiction of the year = Blackberry. Honorable Mention Facebook, be my friend!
Funniest post of the year = Still laughing about my buddy Wes and the Urine-Nation. I could relate. Honorable Mention, too many of y'all.
Sports news of the year = Lance Armstrong returns, this is going to be awesome. Honorable mention, Elder Emmett reports he still has mad soccer skills.

It was an awesome year and we felt extremely blessed. Here's to a great 2009.

Flippin Busy

2009-01-03T13:30:00.005-07:00

We have really enjoyed the new Flip camcorder Lily gave us. Beth captured a couple videos of her "crawling". She started experimenting a couple days before Christmas and is now getting pretty good. Her destination is usually wherever Jack is and it is a crack up to watch him try to play as she crawls all over him and his stuff. Yesterday she had him cornered behind the Christmas tree as he tried to play cars. As you can see she takes inspiration from the worm, the spider, and of course the army man.

Seinfeld Scene It?

2009-01-03T12:31:00.006-07:00

The worst part of December was the 11 days we went without internet. The Comcast guy was on the side of our house fixing a neighbors internet and next thing you know I go upstairs and nothing works. The soonest a guy could come back out between our schedules and the holidays was over a week. Bust! Luckily between the office, the Coffee House, friends, family, and Blackberry I was able to keep the shakes to a minimum. I still have some catching up to do but there is one thing I gotta post.

Beth came through and got me Seinfeld Scene It? for Christmas. It is awesome. Jason and Heidi and Kurt and Jordan came over to play and although I failed to capture the event live I was able to recreate the board for the photo. Here's how the first game went. That's my piece (the puffy shirt) in the winner's circle and their pieces (cereal box and cigar shop indian) less than 1/3 of the way done.I have to give them a hand for the second game and making me sweat. It was me against all five of them, including Beth is no Seinfeld slacker, and it came right down to the end.

Christmas OEight

2009-01-03T11:38:00.006-07:00

Once again a successful Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve and Morning in Heber and then drove to Logan. It was the whitest Christmas I've ever seen, Highway 40 had feet of snow but thankfully the storm hadn't hit the rest of state (yet!). It was all good though because it meant 18 inches of fresh snow at The Beav. Not quite the 30 inches Deer Valley got but it still held up for two days of skiing down to Spring Road.

Here are some photos from the events:
Most of the cousins on Christmas Eve in their new pajamas.
This is pretty much how Lily rolls.
Jack woke up excited but had no idea why. It must have been because his cousins were already up and running around up stairs. You can't see it in this picture but a minute later Jack opened his stocking and to his delight was an apple! After that it was like "hey Jack look you got new skis!" and he was all "It's a Red Delicious!"
He could still mostly play without letting the apple out of his sight.
Lily had a blast sitting with Grandma and observing the action. She was mostly indifferent about the clothes but the wrapping and ribbons were the best.

Everyone playing later that morning, mostly with other people's toys. Jack tries to once again horde Hallie's balls and Ollie plays with Jack's helicopter. Elena was the lucky one because nobody else seemed to want to play with her dolls and dresses. At least one kid we didn't have to listen to yell "Mine!" over and over and over.

In Logan Lily dazzled as one of three baby Jesus and gave new meaning to the phrase "I scream, you scream, we all scream for (Great Grandpa Emmett's) ice cream!"

Point Five Years

2008-12-15T10:52:00.005-07:00

Seriously how cute is this little girl!? She is growing up fast and continues to bring lots of light to our family. Lily had her 6 month check up and is just over 15 pounds and 25 inches, 30th and 40th percentiles. She is sitting up nicely and has become somewhat mobile, especially if you are trying to change her. She loves eating and trying to eat whatever is in front of her. She is most vocal when she sees food and feels we are not moving fast enough. She got her first haircut as well. Like Jack at that age the mohawk is the only thing growing and it starts to look a little silly. Her favorite things to do include watching her brother's antics and trying to grab the sippy out of his hands.

Here they are showing off their twin band-aids. Lily was a champ and didn't even react until the second shot. At that point she let out a "not cool! definitely not not cool!" Jack on the other hand reacted any time the nurse walked by or spoke to him. The Dr. was OK but the lady professor of torture was not welcome.

Busted

2008-12-08T09:17:00.006-07:00

You know how when kids get caught playing with something they know they shouldn't be they immediately hand it to you as if to say "I was just getting this for you, relax."

"Oh Dad, I didn't see you there. Anyways, I found your Blackberry and was just getting ready to bring it to you. I may have downloaded a new ring tone but it's all good."

To further emphasize his helpfulness whenever Jack is busted with one of the cameras he hands it to us and proceeds to say "cheeeeeeeeeeessssse." Sometimes he just says "me. me. me." Maybe he really did catch a glimpse of himself in the mirror and thought he was just too cute to not capture. See below for a few caught red handed examples. Yesterday morning while rifling through the purse he finds the camera again, gets busted again, immediately hands it over and poses for a photo again. Not necessarily wanting another photo of him in his pajamas in front of the T.V. Beth asked him to go stand next to Lily for the picture. This is what happened next, you've never seen a boy's feelings get hurt and tears flow so fast.

Lily found the exchange totally entertaining.

Lights at Temple Square

2008-12-05T10:46:00.003-07:00

It hasn't felt as Christmasy around here with the complete lack of snow. After such a long winter last year I've actually been OK with it. But now it needs to snow, and snow a lot. It's hard not to get in the Christmas spirit after a Temple Square visit. Lots of people, spirit, lights, and cold air. Although I once again felt like there were fewer lights than the year before and one person in particular was missing, a Danish sister missionary to hilse. Nevertheless it was a fun evening.
Lily was content to spend the evening slinged against her mother and would only occasionally peak out.
Gotta love these kids but man it can be frustrating taking a photo.
Jack loved the short TRAX ride from Cafe Rio to Temple Square. He entertained those around with his non-stop "woo-wooooo! woo-wooooo!"

Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-30T22:24:00.004-07:00

Hope everyone had an excellent Thanksgiving. We sure did. This was our first Thanksgiving in Heber and the first time we haven't traveled. It was nice and relaxing. All of the McEuen clan was there except for the Winslows. Ann and her helpers did wonders with the food and Tony Romo once again led my fantasy team to a big win. What a great day!
Before the meal Jack was curious about the toy that kept Lily so entertained. Lily was interested in the celery in Jack's hand.
Lily and the boys. Nick, Seth, Porter, Kru, Jack.
Without the babies to hold there was spontaneous hugging.
Come evening we all had to change into our stretchy pants. By the end of the night Jack had to go without pants. We'll spare you the details. Kru and Lily also got the celery they had been coveting.
Aren't these two just the cutest?

California Trip

2008-11-30T22:08:00.004-07:00

Here are a few photos from Beth and the kids' recent trip to California. The week was filled with swimming, playing, and eating (of course!)

I was there

2008-11-21T10:58:00.003-07:00

Along with the the standard answers of wedding, birth of children, first time you conquered Mario Bros., etc., this probably makes it into the top 10 moments of my life. Sad I know but it was just so wild. Three seconds left, down by four, at your rival's house, touchdown, sheer pandemonium. I fear I may be walking into the fire tomorrow but I'm doing it anyways. There's always that chance something like this could happen again and I can't pass it up.

Enter to learn, go fourth and 18.

Lily Potter

2008-11-15T12:13:00.005-07:00

Speaking of sleeping habits . . .

Please address Lily's mail in the future to "The Cupboard Under the Stairs". She has been doing her best Harry Potter impression for a few weeks, hopefully it won't be as traumatic an experience for her. She graduated from our bedroom and I wasn't ready to give up the office. We thought about putting her in Jack's room so that he could teach her the beauty of sleeping until 8:30 a.m. However, the risk of her teaching him to wake up any time from 4:00 to 7:00 was too great. So it was off to the cupboard for Lily, a role once filled to some acclaim by the lovable Labrador, Cheyenne.

A Boy and his Blanket

2008-11-14T11:16:00.009-07:00

It's official, Beth has finally left me. For the week. She packed up the kids and along with her sisters and mother are in California for a week. I miss them like crazy but it's even crazier how productive I've been without them. I've been able to get ahead in work and school, start and finish Spring cleaning, organize closets, wash cars, and even see a couple movies. Tonight it's Quantum of Solace stay tuned for my review. Maybe I'll just preemptively give it now, it was awesome!

Maybe the thing I'm most excited about is the newly cleaned and organized refrigerator. While detailing the fridge I came across a teriyaki marinade. The "Best By" date was November 7th, that's not bad, wait for it, wait for it, 2004! The most disturbing part is we have only lived here since 2006 meaning we moved with this marinade. That is highly unlikely since I am quite literally terrified of any food even near the sell or best by date. So the only logical conclusion is that somebody planted it there to freak me out when I was home alone. Come forward Mr. put old teriyaki in someone else's fridge and explain yourself!

Back to what I was originally going to post about. The pain of missing family is strongest whenever I walk in the front door. Usually one of two things happen, I am greeted with chants of "dada, dada" with hands in the air or if that doesn't happen it means I can go and peek in on the sleepers. Peeking in on the kids sleeping is one of my absolute favorite things in life and I do it several times before going to bed myself. Often Jack is out like a light with his blanket shoved halfway into his mouth. Jack has always had a weird habit of sucking on his blankets. We never could get him to take a binky but shove some soft cotton into his mouth and it calms him right down. We mostly limit the blanket experience to bed and the car in an effort to keep them close to clean. The worst is when he finds a blanket in the wash after or around a meal and pops it into his mouth. Oreo drool blankets are my least favorite. It's a crack up to watch him feel around a for a dry spot to put in his mouth. Apparently sucking on a wet spot would just be gross. Gotta love him!
May 2007
November 2007
February 2008

May 2008
July 2008

On a related note Lily is now at that stage where everything gets put into her mouth but even before that we caught her sucking on her blanket.

Aspen and 30th Birthday

2008-11-10T11:55:00.009-07:00

Last week we spent an extended weekend in Aspen. We used my birthday as the excuse to get out of town. Why should I be depressed at home when I can be depressed elsewhere? It was great timing with a slow couple days at work and the off season in Snowmass allowing us to stay at the Grandpa Miller condo for cheap. Brian and Jackie joined us as well for a couple days. It was a nice low key weekend and just what I had in mind for my 30th. It's a number I didn't want to publicize but since my mom and grandpa and very aware of my age I feel safe putting it on my blog.

A few highlights included eating at some of our favorite restaurants (minus the Weinerstube which was closed for remodeling), church meetings only a small branch can deliver, shopping, playing, and relaxing. On the actual birthday we took a drive up to Maroon Bells, then lunch at Beth's favorite pizza joint, swimming at the Snowmass rec center, naps, birthday shopping, MNF at The Hickory House, back to the Condo to finish Breaking Dawn. While birthday shopping I got a new t-shirt and something else, oh yeah a new diaper bag.

One selfish thought that was in the back of my head while planning a trip was I knew there was a chance Elder Michael would be transfered from Lakewood on the West side of Denver. Aspen happens to be in his mission and I thought maybe we could bump into him. He did get transfered but to the other side of Denver but when he found out we were going to be in Aspen he said that one of the cities he could have been sent to because of an opening was Rifle, which is in the same zone as Aspen. While stopping for gas in Rifle ($2.19/gallon!) on the way home I kept thinking how crazy it would have been to run into Michael. Next thing you know we were heading out of town when we past the Elders walking down the street. We stopped to say hi to Elders Cooper and Tefault and tell them to give Michael a high five from us. Maybe that's why his Mission President didn't send him there, there was a chance his brother would stalk him down and not leave him alone. Or maybe it was to keep my parents from overwhelming jealousy.

Brian showing Jack how it's done.
Maroon Lake in the shadow of the Maroon Bells. I'm going to try and tell Jack to NOT look at the camera next time.
When in Rome climb on the Romes. Or something like that.
"Even reading is better in Aspen." -Beth
Everyone loves swimming in water as warm as the tub.

Halloween

2008-11-04T18:43:00.003-07:00

Any guesses what Lily was for Halloween? Besides adorable. I didn't hear anyone guess correctly on the first try. Jack was a pain-in-the-butt. Sure he looks happy with the fireman's hat but that was the only thing he would try. The intended Tigger costume made him break out into tears (and sweat in the warm weather). We tried to trick him into wearing "pajamas" and at first he agreed but when he saw the Spiderman shirt and pants he wasn't buying. Beth and her sisters threw an excellent party for the kids and they had fun trick or treating. I even got some satisfactory reactions from the kids when I put on my rubber mask. Jack kept getting distracted by the candy already in his bucket and it was a constant battle to keep him walking. "Dad, explain to me again why are we not stopping to eat all this candy the nice people gave me?"

No Duh

2008-11-03T23:49:00.005-07:00

Thank you online quiz for confirming what I've known for like 30 years.

Fall Television

2008-10-30T14:18:00.006-06:00

While we patiently wait for the next installments of 24 and Lost we have given a few news shows a try. We've found a couple that we like but nowadays it seems like that is only half the battle. Now we wait and see if the show gets rearranged one week and then never returns. Here are my thoughts on the new shows, I watched each one at least twice before I reviewed.

Knight Rider D -- Not good. Cheesy and the only thing nostalgic about it was the theme music.
Fringe C- -- This was the show I thought had the most potential. J. J. Abrams said that fans of Lost would identify with this show. I just didn't get it and didn't care. The story line is government agents trying to figure out "the pattern" of weird events. My problem was each episode followed the same pattern and it got old. Something unexplainable happens, it turns out to be related to experiments done by a Dr. at Harvard 20 years, and the company Massive Dynamic is involved, the end. Beth wants to keep giving a shot but I think it's because she has a crush on the guy from Dawson's Creek. Plus another nail in their coffin is they fell into the same trap Chuck did. I can't tell if the main character is cute or not. I think she's cute, no she isn't, maybe if they changed her hair, no . . definitely not pretty. I'm not trying to say that every show needs to have beautiful people but I want to be able to tell one way or the other. And I know it's not just me because I have run this by Beth and others.
Kath and Kim C+ -- This made the DVR cut list because it has one of my favorite actors. The sad part is I don't even know his name but he has cracked me up in everything he's in from DirecTV commercials, episodes of Seinfeld and Arrested Development, and the Christopher Guest movies. John Michael Higgins, took 4 seconds to just look it up. Unfortunately the women characters are made to be too stupid and it makes it almost unwatchable. It's only 30 minutes so it will probably remain on the DVR list until it is cancelled.
My Own Worst Enemy B+ -- I thought the pilot episode of this show was excellent. It had more blood and showed more skin than we were used to on network television but that didn't continue beyond the pilot. The second episode bugged me because the company still sent Henry(as opposed to Edward) on the top secret missions. You'd have to see it to understand what I'm talking about. However, this weeks episode was entertaining and resolved my concerns.
Pushing Daisies A- -- I realize this show isn't new but it is new to us. It made the cut based on a recommendation from a friend who also caught us up as much as we needed. It is original and quite clever. Plus I don't have to debate whether Charlotte is attractive. The narrator is Jim Dale, who many will recognize as the narrator of the Harry Potter books. Another reason to try Pushing Daisies, it's one of those shows that looks awesome in HD.

If there is something else we've missed or you have enjoyed please let us know. The Office and Life are our two favorite shows right now. When Life was relegated to a Friday time slot we saddened knowing it was only a matter of time before it was canceled. But it keeps getting special showings on a Monday here or Wednesday there so maybe there is hope after all. The Office had a new all time funny moment a few weeks ago when Jim's review of Battlestar Gallactica involved Dumbledore Calrissian and his trip to Mordor.

Disneyland

2008-10-25T23:17:00.008-06:00

For part of the extended weekend we took the kids to Disneyland for the first time. My parents and sister joined us for an excellent day. The weather was perfect, crowds were low, and the smiles would not quit. All of the sudden Disneyland is fun again.Jack was content to look at the characters including Winnie the Pooh. He would simply shake his head and smile when asked if he wanted to give them a hug.
Such a good little girl.
First stop of the day was the "new" Finding Nemo ride. Unfortunately it was the first stop for a lot of people and was the longest line of the day but since Nemo is one of Jack's words it was totally worth it. Who knew the submarine ride would ever attract a crowd again.
Dumbo was another big hit. Jack was so funny when he would get to the front of the lines and see the car/teacup/boat leave with the people that were in front of us. He would get impatient and almost worried that we had just missed our chance at happiness only to see another opportunity come his way.
Woody's Roundup Show was a big hit for a couple reasons. Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl is not only an excellent performer but also Jolie, the family friend that got us into the park for free.
Here we are the Jungle Cruise. Jack was at first cautiously anticipating seeing an elephant.
Then we saw it.
And he wasn't so sure he liked it after all. At least on this boat he didn't force his Grandma to cover his eyes with her hand like he did on Pirates of the Caribbean.
I like this picture because I never thought Lily could pull off the evil look.
Here we are over in California Adventure. The things around our necks are Dream Passes that gave us fast passes to all the cool rides regardless of the time. We were randomly selected as winners while coming of Big Thunder and the envy of those in the know.
This was taken on the tram back to the parking lot, maybe the kids favorite ride of the day. It might of just been the knowledge that In-N-Out was in the very near future.

Introducing . . . .

2008-10-22T14:52:00.004-06:00

The Robleses. Casey has somehow managed to become a minor character of sorts in the tales of the Emmett Doggies. So I had to give him and his beautiful bride a shout out. However, tales from the bachelor party will need to be kept private. Unless you go here. Thanks for giving us a reason to go home for the weekend! Couldn't quite get my glasses off in time.

Here's one with the kiddos.

Foliaged Again

2008-10-16T11:12:00.006-06:00

Every fall I eagerly anticipate chlorophyll's demise. You remember chlorophyll, the remarkable chemical that turns sunlight into starch. As days shorten and temperatures cool the green substance in leaves starts breaking down revealing the previously masked array of colors. Can I get a "Chlorophyll? More like Borophyll!"

I thought this was a pretty good year for foliage in the Wasatch/Cache national forests, not as good as some but still decent. Spring was a little too long and summer too dry but fall cooperated nicely (until the snow flew this week). Yesterday as the wind picked up you could literally watch all the leaves get blown off the trees around town. Apparently Mother Nature's little fling is over and we are about to be abandoned for the winter. It's times like this I wonder why I ever wish chlorophyll harm.

We made a couple half of half-hearted (quarter hearted?) efforts to capture a family photo displaying the colors. By the time we got around to the first two photos we were about 10 days too late for the reds and oranges on the hills in the background. The photos were taken on top of Memorial Hill in Midway. The next couple photos were taken over the weekend on a drive above Wasatch state park. This time we were about 10 days too late for the yellows of the quaking aspen.

Emily was able to get a good shot of my ladies. You can see that Jack has entered a phase where he is possibly the least cooperative participant ever for family photos. However, if it's just him in the picture he is often all smiles.

Jack Turns 2!

2008-10-07T09:19:00.007-06:00

About the time Jack went to bed on his birthday he started to figure out that it was some sort of a celebration of him. But on a daily basis the kid celebrates and his mom spoils him so why would October 5th be any different?Thanks everyone for coming and helping blow out all those candles.
Aunt Heidi look what I got . . . now open them.
Jack gave the OK to have his cousins help open this present and one second later . . .

Little cars into the back of the dump truck. We had to keep convincing him to come back and open his next present.
Brian and Jackie look on as Jack opens their present to him. Beth and I were really excited about the Play-Doh.
Oh look another box! I'm so excited!
Take the shirt away I got to get to the bottom of this one.
Dad, you take the sweater. If there are any more boxes like this, give them to my mother.
As you wish . . .

Finally the big wheel came out to oohs and aahs. Unfortunately Jack can't reach the pedals so it will go into the attic until Spring. Maybe we'll give it to Lily for her 1st birthday.
After all the excitement, carbo loading with the delicious cake.

St. George

2008-10-03T11:21:00.004-06:00

Here are some photos from last weekend's visit to St. George. It ended up being a family affair as most everyone decided independently that the football bye week would be a good time to catch a show at Tuacahn. We saw Big River which was just awesome. As usual they put on a great show in a spectacular setting. At one point they literally turn the stage into a big river. I even recognized a few of the songs. Apparently Big River was one of the tapes we would check out and cycle through during my 8 month stay in Herning. At first I couldn't place it and then when they started singing "Arkansas! Arkansas!" it hit me, I heard this in Denmark.Everyone before the show started.
I thought the seats are pretty comfortable and roomy. The guy sitting behind Morgan would probably beg to differ.
Jack and Oliver reunited at last.
"Hiking" around the red rock bluff above St. George.
Jack and Seth chilling in the shade.
Lily loves watching Jack but isn't so sure about his methods of holding her.

BCS Bound?

2008-10-02T14:18:00.004-06:00

Being the sports starved male that I am it can be hard living in a market where there are not that many shows in town. What I mean is I miss having access to every game the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers, Ducks, etc. play. I don't like any of the Denver teams and The Jazz may be growing on me but the appeal of the NBA as a whole is dwindling. However, there is always ample news and coverage for the Cougar fans. I am partly blaming this for my growing, borderline annoying, obsession with BYU football.

Thus far the college football season has been good for the Cougar fan. Now expectations are through the roof and many consider anything other than a BCS bowl game a disappointment. I think it's still early to make plans but now that BYU has moved up to #8 in the polls it certainly looks possible. It would require a third straight year of undefeated conference play, including tough games at TCU and Utah. Not an easy task. I was there two years ago at Utah when BYU needed a last second touchdown to beat a Utah team that wasn't supposed to be a challenge. I keep telling myself things like this so if they do lose my depression won't last more than a few hours.

It's been kind of cool to see BYU get national love. But what I really wanted to talk about was something Bronco said after the Wyoming game, a second straight shut out for the defense. He was asked if he considered margin of victory before benching the starters after 2 1/2 quarters.

"I think notoriety comes in a lot of different ways and certainly that's one way to do it. That's not the way we'll do it. Our hope is to impress in our consistency and execution, really honoring the game, maybe in defiance of the system. We will win with class and integrity. If that's at the expense of polls or rankings or points, it's at that expense. I have been around selfish teams that do that. That’s not who we will be.”

I am so glad that Bronco feels that way and I have no problem admitting selfish interests. Beth's baby brother came into game part way through the 4th quarter at Quarterback and we were freaking out. It was so much fun to see him start warming up on the sidelines. I was a nervous wreck and yet he seemed cool and collected. He did awesome, getting several first downs and the team getting a field goal while in the game. I wish somebody would correct the box score. #19 is not C. Comer it is K. McEuen. We'd even settle for K. Mcewen or K. Macewan.

It's frustrating that the BCS system encourages teams to put up ridiculous numbers in the name of recognition. I texted into Bronco's weekly radio show last night and asked him a similar question. He replied (on air after thanking "John" for the question BOO YEAH!) that he believes the 3rd and even 4th teams deserve opportunities in situations like those against UCLA and Wyoming.

So here's to more shut outs and plenty of "scrub" time. Tomorrow we are off to Logan to watch BYU-USU. I am surrounded by Aggie alum at every family function and would not survive the Holidays if BYU doesn't win.

A ghetto version of just one of the highlights from the last game. But isn't everything about The Mtn. ghetto?

Kid update

2008-09-29T18:51:00.004-06:00

The kids had their 4 month and 2 year doctor's appointments last week. FYI, if you schedule them for the same time with the same doctor you still have to pay two co payments. I figured I better record the details before the post-it note we have it on disappears. Lily was 12 lbs. 14 oz. and 24 inches. 50th percentile for height and 25th percentile for weight. Jack was 36 inches and 31 lbs., both in the 90th percentile.
Lily continues to grow at alarming rates and is a very observant little baby. Always taking in everything she can with her wide eyes. This is especially true while feeding, much to Beth's annoyance. She hasn't rolled over in a couple months and for the most part is very happy and content. She continues to lose hair everywhere except for the mullet. She does enjoy talking but the antics of Jack seem to be the only thing that makes her break into full on giggle fits.
Jack is still the happiest boy we could ever imagine. He loves doing just about anything but especially if that anything involves his cousins. Still isn't much of a talker but does seem to add words on a regular basis. Just don't ask him to repeat them, he doesn't play that game. No word used more often than "no" and no word as classic as "Lily". To say Lily he just moves his tongue up and down, in and out, while making noise. He is a very good brother as evidenced by the pictures below. Always testing out Lily's toys to make sure they are safe and then showing her the fun things you can do with them.

So long suckers

2008-09-23T14:00:00.003-06:00

I wanted to quickly say good-bye to y'all. I received some good news via email today and apparently I am so rich that I will probably never take any of your calls again.

David Smith ESQUIRE of London wrote and informed me that as of this morning I inherited $30.1 million! Apparently the late Jurgen Krugger, member of the Helicopter Society and the Institute of Electronic & Electrical Engineers and a German property magnate, either met me in his world travels or a friend of his nominated me as the beneficiary of Mr. Krugger's estate. The email was filled with typos and incomplete sentences so I may have mixed that up. Either way I just have to send my credit card and bank information to David Smith ESQUIRE and they will transfer the funds. Oh and I need to use his yahoo.com email address instead of his work address.

So farewell, if we happen to run into each other at some fancy restaurant I guess I could pick up the check or something.

LOTOJA 2008

2008-09-15T13:24:00.012-06:00

I'll break this report down into two versions. The 2.06 mile version (pictures included!) and the 206 mile version. First 2.06:
Carbo Load/Race Prep
Lose some skin/crack a helmet.
Dominate the sprint finish.
One happy family.
Third place.

And now the 206 mile report:
Lotoja (low-ta-juh) is once again in the books and I'm not sure who is happier, Beth or my hindquarters. Those two will have to discuss amongst themselves. All things considered it was a pretty good day. This was my 5th race and it serves as a great motivator all summer to stay in a shape. Not necessarily in shape but a shape. Training was certainly better than last year when I re-injured my knee four weeks before the race but I still didn't get the miles I would have preferred. Thus my motto "next year is the year".

We arrived in Logan Friday afternoon in time to check in, visit the team shop, and join family, friends, and the rest of Cache Valley at Olive Garden for the requisite carbo loading. Afterwards is the real highlight of the weekend, Grandma and Grandpa's homemade peach ice cream. That night we prep the water bottles, load the musette bags for the various feed zones, give last minute instruction to support team members, and of course talk strategy. The strategy is something like this, I won't wait for you if you won't wait for me. I've waited for two people in the past, one paid my entry fee and bought me a jersey, the other took 30 minutes to help me fix my cleat in the freezing rain. Unless you do one of those two things I'm not prolonging what is already a very long day in the saddle.

Casey and I had one of the last start times around 7:15 am. My brother Brian started even later around 7:30 a.m. There are over 1000 racers but they break us up into groups of 50 or 60 based on age and category. The first 33 miles to Preston are traditionally a group warm up with no attacks. This year's pace was frustratingly slow with too many riders taking long slow pulls up front. It turned out to be an omen of things to come. As pathetic as our pace was we actually caught the group that started 3 minutes in front of us outside Preston. I checked to make sure Casey was on my wheel as I started to battle through the congestion so we could get to the first feed zone at the front of the pack. I don't know what happened but that was the last time I would see Casey that day. I was pretty aggressive as I tried to get away from the rest of the gomers. It's my opinion that you can't win the race in Preston but you certainly can lose it. If you don't have a quick stop and get out fast you may never be able to catch the race leaders.

Thanks to Uncle Bill I did have a lightning quick refresh of water bottles, dropped off my cold weather gear and was on my way. There was a couple of us that hooked up right after Preston and started reeling in groups to make sure nobody rode through the feed zone and broke away. We caught my dad and some of the others from his group and rode down the hill to Riverdale together. By this point there were three other leaders that had started with me. We continued to pick up people as we past them heading up the hill to Mink Creek. Then contrary to the basic laws of physics as the group got bigger we got slower and slower. Remember the theme, too many long and slow pulls by gomers. The four of us then took control and rode away from the rest of that pack. As the hill ticked up a notch going over Strawberry the four leaders became three. It was at this point that a rider came flying by us at a wicked pace. I had flashbacks to 2006 when I actually tried to hang with this same guy, Nate Pack, for a while. This year he started three minutes after me but two years ago we were in the same group. That year he went on to ride the last 175 miles by himself and take first place over all. This year he missed first place by a minute. The guy is an absolute machine. It's weird that I am starting to recognize riders who I have ridden with in the past. If I saw these guys on the street I wouldn't know them from Adam but give me a nice view of their butt in lycra and I know exactly who it is.

I was really suffering but couldn't believe I lasted this long with two guys who were obviously very good climbers. I am not a very good climber but the combination of an awesome loaner bike and the amazing Lifewave patches I was able to hang on until just about 100 meters from the false summit. As I hit the first false summit the leaders' lead of 100 meters quickly turned to 500 meters with their head start on the downhill. At this point I was caught by another guy in my group and together we set off to try and bridge the gap on the saddle before actual summit in a couple miles. We flew down the hill and were cruising at good pace on the flat and could still see the two leaders a few hundred meters ahead. I was sitting second wheel when we came up on three other guys. I thought for sure we were just going to go around and continue the pursuit but for some reason the other guy thought it would be good to sit up and duck in behind them to draft. I did not see this bonehead move coming and before I could hit the brakes I rode right into the back wheel of the guy. I went down hard on my right side and my helmet bounced twice on the pavement. Immediate answers to "are you alright?" went unanswered as I tried to clear my head. My first thought was I wonder if this is bad enough to climb in the van and quit. Then my left calf cramped up like never before and thoughts changed. Turns out it wasn't very bad. My bike was mostly OK, my helmet had a crack but was still in one piece, I lost some skin on both knees and my right thigh has some road rash but amazingly my shorts didn't rip. You can see some the blood through the Norda's logo on my shorts above. The neutral support helped me rinse off the wounds and apply some band aids that lasted all of 6 or 7 miles, I took a nature break and was back on the bike.

At this point I had no idea how long I had been down or how many had passed me. I was surprised that I hadn't seen Casey or my dad yet. I caught one guy who was one of the original four leaders and he said we were at best 5th and 6th. So of the 100 people that passed me while I was on the side of the road only a handful were in my group, that was nice. The ride into Montpellier was the slowest and most frustrating ever, terribly slow riders failing to point out the simplest obstacles in the road. In fact that was basically how it went for me the rest of the day, making this my most frustrating Lotoja ever. I think next year I will try to race in a different category. Competition will be stiffer but I will get an earlier start time and hopefully find people to help me set a pr and break 10 hours.

My sister Kristin was stellar on support. This was the first time in a few years that my support person was at every stop and didn't leave me standing there wondering where they (you know who you are Beth and Casey) were. Casey's stellar support even hooked me up with Advil out of their 'just in case' box. This year I added two new pieces to my race food, orange slices and turkey and cheese rolled up like a taquito. Both hit the spot and kept me going. Probably the highlight on the course was seeing Beth and the kids at the feed zone in Alpine. Jack was stoked and tried to be helpful by handing me the empty water bottles I had just discarded.

After the last climb over Salt River I was joined by another rider from my group named Jess. He and I rode the last 100 miles together. As good as a rider as he was we still were plagued by bad groups. We hooked up outside both the Afton and Alpine feed zones and we thought we might be racing for third place but could very easily be racing for 6th and a spot off the podium. With about 30 miles left we were with 2 other racers from his team who had started earlier. I went to shift gears and my chain fell off, a by-product of the crash. By the time I got it back on I was about to give up catching those guys, figuring that the three team riders weren't going to sit up and let me chase back on. Then Uncle Tom to the rescue. Tom and Shelly teamed up to do a relay this year and Tom had just gotten back on the bike in Alpine and caught me. He said he'd help me catch back up. He set a blistering pace that I couldn't match but then backed it up a notch and let me recover for a bit as we eventually caught Jess and his group.

The last 30 miles were more of the same and Jess was still on my wheel as we neared the finish line. I had yet to have a sprint finish that actually mattered and was pretty excited for this one. I kept telling myself that if I lost this sprint it wasn't going to be because I went too early, as is usually the case. I needed to be patient and release the fury inside the last 100 meters. With 1 KM to go Jess pulled up even with me and we started to ramp up the speed. There were other riders in the group that wanted in on the action as well and joined us in the left lane. With 400 meters to go another guy said something like "well I might as well win this" and took off, sprinting into the right lane. I won the sprint to get on this guys wheel edging out a fifth rider. Jess was now sitting on my wheel and soon as the pace barely slowed he attacked swerving into the left lane with 200 meters to go. He had opened up a lead of 4 or 5 bike lengths and I wasn't sure I could reel him in. My left calf had been on the verge of cramping since the crash. Sure enough I got into his slipstream and nailed it back, sat on his wheel for 2 seconds and before we ran out of room came around him as fast as I could. I owned. Such a fun way to finish. Based on the finish photo above it looks like I won by a bike length or so. It was even better to find out that the sprint was for third, which at that point was the best I could hope for. After we crossed the line Jess came up and slapped me on the back and said "that was #@$%&*#@ awesome!"

It was a great day and even better to be done. Mostly sunny, comfortable temperatures, the head winds could have been dialed down but also could have been worse. The majority of team Norda's gathered at the Teton Club courtesy Pam and Gary to tell and re tell our war stories of the day. And after we've done that we tell war stories from the past and speculate on next year's adventures. It's all part of the experience.

The next day, when the adrenalin wears off comes the real pain. It became apparent that I bruised a rib or two along with my hip in the crash. I also woke up to blood covered sheets. Remember that scene in The Godfather where the guy wakes up with his sheets soaked in blood and finds his horse's head in bed with him? Well it wasn't like that all. But I was patting myself down trying to figure out what was wrong, but it was just a leaky band aid.

Thanks everyone for a good time, see you next year.

*I wish my 25 page paper due next week in Business Strategy was on my Lotoja experience because I could totally do it.

Nice Tetons

2008-09-11T16:57:00.007-06:00

After LOTOJA the family stayed a couple nights with my aunt and uncle at their place in Teton Village. Thanks Pam and Gary! I can't wait to invite myself in December. We spent a lot of time just relaxing but did get in a few favorites like eating at Mile High Pizza, walking around Jackson Hole, and a Gondola ride up the mountain.
Everyone but Elder Mikey the day after the race.
Here we are riding up the mountain on the Gondola. The new tram looks like it will be ready to open about the time the snow flies.
Lily loves seeing her mom walk up.Up on top of the hill, or the mid mountain lodge. Jack was less interested in the photo op and more interested in . . .
picking up rocks
and trying to throw them into the river below (while we held onto his collar to prevent any tumbling down the mountain).

The drive home was surprisingly quick and easy. We stopped in Afton and I was excited to hit Rulon Gardner's Burger Barn. That guy looks like he knows a good burger. Well he may know one but certainly doesn't make one. The Gold Medal and Farmer's Wife Burgers were a total disappointment. Not driving by that Subway again! I chose not to make a scene though. I was reminded that there may or may not be a warrant out for my arrest in Afton. We can't quite remember what happened with the speeding ticket from 2006.

Twilight is for girls?

2008-09-04T22:39:00.009-06:00

It's possible that someone somewhere is asking themselves "I wonder what this guy has been reading?" Well, let me answer that for you Mr. Imaginary Person.

There is a general opinion out there that Twilight is for girls. I for one subscribed to that opinion. Sometime last year I picked up a copy for Beth based on the recommendation of few co workers. She got it that night and the next day at work I get a call at 9:00 a.m. (no joke) telling me not to come home unless I had the next book. I don't remember what time she came to bed that night. When I got home my curiosity got the better of me and I asked her what the books were about.

"It's about vampires but they are actually good blah blah blah"

I stopped listening at vampires. But going back to the Twilight is for girls opinion. I started casually asking around if any guys had read the books. A year and half later I had found three guys who had. And I actually respected these dudes opinions. I felt is was now safe for me to try. It's all your fault Justin, Jason, and Brian. Plus the timing was right, I thought I should read before the movie release in November and I needed something to break up the adventures of Scot Harvath novels from one of my new favorite authors, Brad Thor.

I did like the book and plan to read the rest in the series. I'm even kind of excited to do so because I heard they get better. But dudes you need to understand and be prepared, Twilight is absolutely for girls. It's told from the point of view of a girl and it confirms a lot of the things we've long suspected go on their head and we never understand why. It wasn't until page 378 that the action picked up to a point where I wasn't going to put it down and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. It continues to build until the climax when I actually wanted to throw the book out the window. Without giving anything away I can say that right at the climax, Bella, who is telling the story, does a very girly thing and faints. I couldn't believe it. For the most part you find out what happened later on but the movie will have one built in advantage over the book, we'll get to see the action.

One last thing I feel must be put out there. The middle part of the book, I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say over 100 pages, revolves around the love birds asking the dreaded question "what are you thinking?" They find slightly different ways to ask this like:

"I want to know what your thinking."
"Will you promise to tell me what you are really thinking?"
"What's going through your mind?"
"I'm thinking I wonder what you're thinking."

You'd think that the answers, some variation of "how much I love you" or answering with a question "how come you love me?" would be the most bothersome but it isn't, it's the questions. I'm so glad Beth, as much as she hates it, understands my dislike for this question, or at least acknowledges it. The answer for me is really very simple. Both Jerry Seinfeld* and Ray Romano have created entire bits and episodes answering this question. Edward is a much better man than I (no duh! chants the chorus) for encouraging those conversations.

*for what I'm talking about please refer to this clip. The specific part is about 2:40 into the bit. If you listen to the whole thing Jerry will tell you what he likes about Chinese people as long as he is on the subject.

Goooooooo Cougars

2008-08-26T22:38:00.001-06:00

College Football begins Saturday and after a trip to the BYU Bookstore the Emmetts are ready. How 'bout you? Be warned Northern Iowa Tech State Community University.

Yes it's true that Lily's onesie is pink and yes I realize that pink is a shade of red. Whoever in merchandising or marketing thought it was OK to create BYU paraphernalia that had anything to do with red probably made a lot of money but it's blood money. And I feel bad contributing. But as much as I don't like it I also don't like answering the questions "What's his name?" "How old is he?" "Well isn't he just the cutest?" "Hey buddy, you gonna be a linebacker, huh?"

Century Fever

2008-08-17T22:29:00.013-06:00

Team Norda's Central Utah Chapter (currently accepting applications) hooked up Saturday morning for our own private century. With LOTOJA coming up in three weeks we figured it was a good idea to get in at least one triple digit training ride. We wanted to not only do 100 miles, but also not hit a single stop light. Not an easy task but possible in this neck of the woods. Here's how we did it, sort of.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=2171181
That's actually how we planned to do it but had a couple minor changes. At mile 75 the security guard at Glenwild community turned us away. "oh this is a private road? No I didn't see the nine signs at the bottom of the hill." It just meant we had to do a couple laps around the neighborhood to make sure somebody's computer read 100.00. I had a brief panic attack at mile 90 when coming down the hill from Park City. I completely forgot about the light at the intersection of Highway 40 and River Road. We were going to make it 92 miles and then fail. I quickly ran through our options and really the only way to get back into Heber Valley without going off road was to turn around and head back to Park City, Kamas, Francis, Woodland, and over Wolf Creek the same way we got out of the valley. Which wasn't an option at that point, nor is it ever really option with the 15% grades on that side of the mountain. Then I thought to myself, as long as we are turning right that stop light is really more of a suggestion than a hard and fast rule. A guideline of sorts. You don't even really have to look at, it's for other people. So we squinted our eyes, turned right, and forgot about it.

In other news from the weekend . . .
Jack and I had a good time at Fathers and Sons Friday night. It was up Little Hobble Creek Canyon above Wallsburg. A very pretty setting. It was good food and good company. Unfortunately the people we loaned our tent to haven't returned it. I was really bummed too because I totally would have stayed and camped. It was just what I wanted to do, not get any sleep on a hard ground next to a restless 22-month-old.
Oh and Lily still inspires us to say "she is so stinkin cute" at least a dozen times a day.Brian and Jackie hung out Saturday night to attend the Sorensen Family Bluegrass Concert in Oakley. Our friend and neighbor does this once a year with his family. I've never been much into cowboy music but something about a good banjo makes me smile.

Baby Blessing

2008-08-12T11:23:00.003-06:00

Lily is a very lucky girl. She had Great Grandparents come from Oxnard, Palos Verdes, and Logan to be there for her blessing. Her Grandma McEuen sewed her beautiful little dress which was a very big hit. She's wearing it in the video below. Which is one of the cutest things ever captured on film. Once she starts cooing she really gets going.

Emmett Family Reunion

2008-08-11T20:33:00.004-06:00

As hard as it is to tear myself away from watching Misty May and Kerri Walsh dominate the beach in Beijing I need to get a couple posts up. Last weekend the Extended Emmett Doggies gathered in Logan to celebrate my Grandparents 60th anniversary. The festivities actually started at Lagoon on Thursday but worked called and we were not able to make it for that. It had nothing to do with the disappointment I experienced as a 12-year-old when I first and last visited Lagoon. Apparently it is still hot there but there are several more fun coasters to ride.
The weekend was a blast and as always it is good to get together with family. Lots of good food and company. Friday was spent at Bear Lake and most of Saturday was spent at Twin Pine Ranch. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a fun weekend and for starting a great family.
Here's Jack setting foot on land again. He braved the tube with his mom and aunts Kristin and Jackie. He thought it was particularly hilarious when water swamped the tube. I also like this picture because it actually proves I was there that day. You can see people in the background at a shift change. We pulled the boat from Midway and once we put it in the water I didn't get off it again until we pulled it out 5 hours later. Judging by the screams heard that day people were either having fun or really really hated it. Special thanks to the in-laws for letting us take the boat. Bear Lake is such a pretty lake. The water is totally different than most of the mountain lakes we frequent. Really blue and crystal clear.
Lily mostly enjoyed sleeping on grandpa in the shade.Here's the Irvine Emmetts with Grandma and Grandpa. Saturday morning everyone gathered to pick special heirlooms and other "junk" as described by Grandma. Everyone got a pick based on when they joined the family and we rotated for 7 or 8 rounds before it turned into a grab what you want free for all. My dad picked second and grabbed the eye chart I wanted. It's no ordinary eye chart, the letters spell out "KEEP AMERICA BEAUTIFUL CLEAN UP YOUR ROOM". I remember as a young child when I first realized it actually said something. My mom picked seventh and grabbed a hand knitted sweater, originally made by Grandma for Uncle Bill. It is over 55 years old but looks great. Fits Lily perfectly. Since my parents used their picks for us we let them have our first couple picks. We got to pick for both Jack and Lily so our picks really added up fast. Beth was in her element. She is such a natural forager that this type of thing is better than a kid in a candy shop. She cleaned up, especially at the end when nobody else seemed to want all of my Great Grandma's things. The women out there probably want more details but I don't know how to describe it other than "stuff". There was a really old table cloth, baby bonnet, fabrics, silver stuff, and other related things that probably came from pioneer times. I was stoked with my eye chart and couple Hi-C mugs.
It worked out that my mom's family had a reunion that afternoon in Logan as well. Before heading to that we worked up a sweat playing backyard soccer. For the second time in as many days I really missed Elder Mikey. He'll be home in time for next summer's festivities. I didn't appreciate my cousin Samantha making me look bad.
There were a few slackers but just about everyone made it for the photo.

Lily at two months

2008-07-30T22:48:00.006-06:00

It's hard to believe she's been around for two months already. It's also hard to believe how much she has changed in those two months. She has been sleeping through the night on a regular basis for a while now and like her brother is always good for a smile. She has also turned into quite the talker and will coo at you for extended periods. Very cute. So pretty much she and Jack both love speaking anything other than English. Last week while standing next to Jack and his cousin Porter (3) Jack pointed at something and did the usual "gishkkkk uukkcurrlll". Porter then looked at me and explained "He can't talk very good."

Lily was a champ at her 8 week Doctor's appointment. We held her back a week so that she would excel physically over the other infants. Very similar to why I was "held back" in kindergarten. That second year not only could I hang on the monkey bar for 4 seconds longer than anyone else but I could also count to 20 in Spanish faster than anyone else. She was 11 lbs. 6 oz. and 23 inches long, both in the 75th percentile. I can't remember her head size but it was in the 50th percentile.

We've been extremely blessed so far. At some point nearly ever day since Lily was born I have wondered to myself how we could ever stop having kids. That's how pleasant it's been so far. I'm not an idiot, I realize they won't always be this easy going. Jack gave us glimpses over the weekend when the word "no" replaced "ut-oh" as the phrase of choice. I'm just trying to convey that we love them and are very thankful for them.

Anyone who can make it is welcome to attend the Midway 1st Ward this Sunday, August 3rd for Lily's blessing. We'd love to see you. The meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. and we will be having lunch afterwards. Mixed grill, "yummy" potatoes, raspberry jello, and watermelon have been mentioned. Directions to the church can be found here.

El Rio

2008-07-20T23:01:00.004-06:00

The second week of July we headed to another part of California lovingly referred to as The River. Beth's family has a house across the river from Parker, Arizona. If you didn't already know where it is that probably doesn't help. You can see the place here. It is the L shaped dock in the middle. We look forward to this trip every year and it always delivers. This year was no different. Lots of fun, good company, water-skiing, swimming, reading, sun, and just relaxing. Most of the family went down a month earlier but we were unable to make it with a two week old. Same situation for Beth's brother Kurt whose boy is two days older than Lily so we planned to come once the babies were a little older. Caroline, Paul, Ben, and Kate joined as well to help fill in the beds. It was a blast.The fam damily sitting on the back of the boat.
Sleeping was a major part of the trip. Lily enjoyed sitting under the deck and sleeping in her stroller. The 104 degree weather and noisy boats were conducive to excellent naps. Jack too was a champion sleeper. He would go down for monster naps during the day, a couple times exceeding 5 hours. Which was a welcome relief to me for more than the obvious reasons. With Jack awake we were always on Red Alert 5 because you never knew when he would decide he wanted to swim and would just walk off the dock or climb down the steps. It wore me out.
Jack loved putting on his swim diapers. If you tried to put on a regular diaper he was ticked because he knew it meant he wasn't going swimming. As you can tell he also enjoyed not wearing his swim diapers. Here he is filling up the pool after I emptied out. Or maybe he's just watering the grass in this one. The Johnsons stopped by for a day on their way home from Pheonix. We witnessed Porter dropping his trunks and peeing into the pool while Jack laughed and laughed. I am fully aware that kids pee in the pool all day every day but to actually see the stream was cause for a refill.
Jumping off the dock never gets old. Literally you do it and love it no matter the age.
Sitting in the shade with mommy.
Here's another instant classic. Lily (red) and Kru sleeping in their life vests. I'm sure we'll plenty more photos of those two together over the years.

July update

2008-07-20T21:24:00.004-06:00

I'm doing the Executive MBA at BYU and just finished the first year. The program goes year round for two years except they give us the month of July off. As soon as class ended the end of June we packed up and headed west for what turned out to be 2 1/2 weeks of fun and sun.

We made it home in time for Brian and Jackie's open house in Irvine. My mom did a great job of getting the house ready and organizing the event. The cake wasn't Portland good but it was way above average. We got to see lots of family friends and meet more of Jackie's family. The newlyweds were a big hit but as a proud papa I'm going to go out a limb and say Lily may have been just as big. My cousin Melissa is holding Lily in this picture. The beginning of the next week I had to attend to some business in San Antonio and left Beth and the kids in Irvine. I understand there was plenty of play and shopping time.

The Fourth started out early for the Irvine Stake Triathlon. More on that likely to come in a separate post. We spent most of the afternoon at the pool getting the kids tuckered out for their afternoon nap. Mom and Kristin volunteered to watch them while Beth and I went and saw Hancock. Luckily the first time leaving them went off without any tears (from any of the parties) and we can't wait to do it again. Hancock was just what I was looking for in a movie. Funny, Will Smith, some good action, and short enough to leave a still breast-feeding baby behind.

The Stake festivities continued that evening in the church parking lot with a few different bands and more good food and company. Jack did a little bit of dancing but spent most of the evening trying to jump the speed bump in his car.I realize I may get branded as un-American for admitting this but the day was punctuated perfectly by not attending the fireworks show. Maybe sometime down the road when the kids' attention spans are long enough to handle the epic shows we seem bent on having will I be able to sit and enjoy them again. Let's be honest, there hasn't been a lot of new technology in the fireworks arena in the last 10 years so you're not seeing anything new. And then it gets dragged on for at least hour, probably more like two. At least that's what it feels like. My ideal fireworks show would be 45 seconds and it would be the entire supply of fireworks shot off as fast as possible. Like a huge grand finale without the boring introduction.

Wedding Bells

2008-07-03T23:39:00.004-06:00

I feel a little bad that this post is less about the couple and more about, well, Jack. But I figure the wedding has been well documented already by others, it's my blog and I'll write what I want to, and Brian and Jackie don't care. This is a pretty good shot captured as they walk out of the Portland temple. In fact I may go as far as saying it's the second best photo I have seen of a couple emerging from the temple. I'll give you a hint as to the first, it's somewhere else on our blog.
I also like this shot taken soon after. It went something like this:
Jackie (to older brother): Why are you wearing a platinum colored vest and tie?
Brother (to Jackie): That's what I was about to ask you. Why did everyone else get black and I have to wear silver?
Turns out Men's Warehouse was to blame. They did offer to let us come back and pick up a "similar" black vest and tie. Sure that's real convenient right before pictures.
A lovely family photo with Jack's blanket. Of course it wouldn't be anywhere else than in his mouth.
Family photo without the blanket. You be the judge.
The wedding party. The reception was later that night and was a lot of fun. There was singing and dancing, even from the newlyweds. My favorite part was the cake. It was seriously the best cake I have ever had at a wedding. I honestly can't remember the last time I had a cake I liked at a wedding. I'm sorry if I just offended one of you. The only way I can describe it is it was a lot like the lage kage in Denmark, delicious and fruity.Excuse me ladies. You seemed to have forgotten to invite me into your photo. No worries I can just back that thing up. Instant classic.
Jack also managed to find time to flirt with the pretty girls.

Portland, with a capital P

2008-07-01T20:52:00.004-06:00

Before the wedding festivities began we did get out to see some of the sites around Portland. Portland is a very pretty setting. It's one of those really cool places to fly into. The seemingly out of nowhere snow covered peaks that surround the area automatically make it "livable" in my book. My criteria for "livable" is pretty simple. If it's flat then it better be next to the ocean. Sorry Midwest.
We drove out to the Columbia River Gorge Area (that's what Neverlost called it) and stopped by Multnomah Falls for a photo op. We left the sleeping kids in the car. Don't worry, we cracked the window.
Taken on the "Bridge of the Gods". At first I couldn't tell if this was up or down river but then I used my awesome deductive reasoning. Looking towards the sun, it was closing in on 5:00 p.m., the sun sets in the West, the Columbia River follows I84, even numbered interstates run East/West, picture down river.
Dam family photo. That is actually Brian's joke but it was sooner or later stolen by everybody else on the trip so why not me?
Dinner that night was at the Rheinlander. A restaurant Jackie worked at off and on for a long time. The food was excellent and the company even better. Jack got a little hungry while waiting and started in on the lemon slices. When it was time to eat he preferred to show off his toy to his Great Grandparents.