The McRae Diaries

A Merry Christmas.

2011-12-26T22:54:00.000-08:00

It seems that since I haven't been blogging a lot lately, I'm not taking as many pictures. So I tried to document this Christmas, but didn't do a terrific job. I took ZERO pictures of our fabulous prime rib Christmas Eve dinner at Ann & Garry's. I took ZERO pictures of our traditional shrimp curry Christmas dinner with my side of the family.

I did manage a few photos of Christmas morning. I think I'll try a bit harder on New Year's Eve. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas too :)

It can't hurt to try...

2011-12-11T16:09:00.000-08:00

So it's been 7 months without a blog post. And yes, I know that this post is completely self-serving. But... if you happen to know Santa personally or one of his elves named Joseph, would you whisper in his ear to check my blog. Christmas is rapidly approaching after all. :)

Links to make things as easy as possible for Santa's Elf:

Ipod: http://www.amazon.com/Apple-classic-Black-Generation-NEWEST/dp/B001F7AHOG/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1323645726&sr=1-1-catcorr

Hobo Internation wallet in Orchid: http://www.zappos.com/hobo-international-sadie-celeste-vintage-leather?zlfid=111&recoName=zap_pdp_sub

Rice Cooker: http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-ARC-1010SB-20-Cup-Digital-Steamer/dp/B004O828KE/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_1

Iphone 4 Case: http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/petunia-pickle-bottom-iphone-4-4s-case/3218524?origin=PredictiveSearch&resultback=263

Silver Drop Earrings: http://www.etsy.com/listing/78850237/sterling-drop-earrings

Ipad Case: http://www.etsy.com/listing/62655766/ipad-1-or-2-cover-case-water-resistant

No need to call the fire department.

2011-05-15T21:17:00.000-07:00

Apparently some people (mom... Suz...) are getting annoyed that I made this big statement about updating my blog weekly, then I didn't. Also, my mom told me last night that she particularly hated the picture that was on my blog every time she checked it (the movie poster for Rabbit Hole). So, since I haven't been taking pictures a whole lot and have just been working, I found something that Betsy & I cracked up over last month.

Betsy & Steve were here visiting with Charlie on Jacob's birthday last month and Bets made Jake a lovely cake. Jake hates cake, so really it was for us. I forgot my regular camera so I had to use my iphone for all his birthday pictures.

I give you Jake, Betsy & the flaming birthday cake...

And again...

Really it looked like this...

I guess the iphone has a little trouble with flames :)

Movies...

2011-03-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

We've seen quite a few movies lately. A couple of week ago we saw Rabbit Hole with Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart. It was amazing. Two thumbs way up. That said though, it was really tough to watch. Definitely not a "feel good" movie, but incredibly honest performances. I couldn't stop thinking about it for days.
Next up, The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon (sigh). It was ok. I think it would have bombed if it hadn't been for Matt Damon who carried the whole film. It was a really cool idea, but it didn't come together. Rent it.
And finally, Winter's Bone, with lots of people I don't know. It was really good, but again, a real downer. It was a fascinating look into the lives of "mountain dwellers". (That's my own description of people who live in the Appalachians). It always amazes me that a huge segment of Americans live like that. Crazy. Rent it.

On deck for next week:

Battle: Los Angeles

Not my favorite type of movie, but a marriage is give and take, right? :)

Two Weeks in Review.

2011-03-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

The iPhone app that is sweeping the McRae household right now is Tiny Wings. We love it.

Joseph was featured in Utah Valley Magazine this month as one of their "Fab 50." I tried to link the article to this picture, so hopefully it works.

I bought school lunch for only the 2nd time in 3 years of teaching. It wasn't terrible. Although when Joseph saw this picture he thought it was fish. It's actually a pizza roll-up thing.

During the Academy Awards we got bored. Scilla paid the price.

I got to see the Carl Bloch Exhibit at the MOA with all these lovely ladies.

If you're local, go see it now.

And finally... Emma had the nerve to turn ELEVEN on me. She and ELEVEN of her besties had a girls-only dinner at Pizzeria 712. They were the picture of maturity. Joseph & I sat as far away from them as possible and we didn't once have to walk over and check on them or tell them to quiet down. I was so proud.
The "after-party" at home was another story, though.

I'll just let the pictures and video tell the story.

Week in Review (a day or so late)

2011-02-22T19:09:00.001-08:00

This is a picture heavy post, and it's not in chronological order (which really bugs me).

Did you know that doggy medication comes in huge blue bottles? I didn't, until now:

Sweet Scilla tried to hop out of the car last weekend and couldn't. She also couldn't jump up. When she stopped eating, we took her to the vet. It's a hip injury. Don't worry, she'll be fine. Here are some pictures from my doggy photo shoot this week. Obviously I have a cheap point and shoot camera, but Scilla was very cooperative.

When I was doing the dishes one night this week I dumped the "water" out of theses bottles and was greeted by dozens of little creatures that had been "swimming" for days:

Sophie has decided that one day she will own a spa. She has given spa treatments to everyone in the family and a good number of people in our extended family. She's actually getting quite good. Thank you NuSkin for the gift basket you gave to my husband. Sophie couldn't have wished for a better present:

We had the Science Fair a couple of weeks ago which meant SLIME...

...and FOOD COLORING.

It was also Valentine's Day.

Joseph got me a Kindle and I absolutely LOVE it.Emma got sick which included a fever and HIVES... (don't tell her I posted this. she'd be mad)I got an awesome new mirror at Ross and talked the cashier down in price because there was a small crack. Success!

Suzy & Ryan's baby boy Cole was blessed last Sunday so we made the trip up to North Ogden. It was a great day (despite Scilla's hip injury which occurred sometime between when we got to Suzy's place and when we got home. hmmm.... NALA?)

Other news of note...

Our beloved cat Sammy has a new home. He was tormenting little Bells and then started "marking" his territory. That was the final straw. The great news is that our cousins took him! Yay for the Gleasons!

Sammy loves his new home. He is king of his castle. I was a little surprised at how quickly he seemed to adjust. I mean, we did love & care for him for YEARS. Now he barely even acknowledges our presence, but I'll get over it... eventually.

Brenden & Sammy

Do you know who's really happy now that Sammy's gone? Bells is in heaven.

No more living in fear of the big orange monster.

That about wraps it up. I've been working full-time for the entire month of February. I'm ready for a break in March. I'll need it since March begins "Birthday Season" for the McRae children.

Until next week...

Don't Faint. I'm back. Sorta.

2011-02-15T20:19:00.000-08:00

I'm thinking about trying something new. The blog thing has become slightly overwhelming for me. With working full time, Joseph gone all the time and the general demands of three kids, a dog, a cat, a home, a church... blogging has obviously taken a back seat.

My new idea is that I'll commit to blogging once a week -- a "Week in Review" of sorts. I'll post about the previous week... a little, or a lot.

We'll see how it goes. I'll probably do this posting on the weekends, so maybe by next Monday the McRae Diaries will be back in action. Just maybe :)

Communal: 1 year old.

2010-09-28T19:13:00.000-07:00

Yep, Communal is one. The year flew by... sort of. We had a great time celebrating last night. And though I did not take any pictures of the food or of the crowded party, I did get pictures of the Communal "family".

Right when we got there, we saw Grandma & Grandpa McRae:
The girls would not leave Megan alone all night. Good thing Megan loves us so much.

The boys: Derek, Brenden, Jake & Trever (after gorging themselves on fine food).

The fabulous Joseph McRae (nice purple shirt):

The McRae's and the Gleason's:

The McRae's and the Gleason's in the dark:
The very attractive Alec & Taylor:

And the lovely Megan & Ethan:

The very cool Scott, Taylor and Ethan:

The dirty side of Alec:

The masterminds: Colton & Joseph.

Colton giving Jake a nuggy (I have no idea how to spell that):

Still friends:

Very nice:

And even nicer, Tom & Joseph:

A little dance for your entertainment:

Good night...

Summer Randomness.

2010-09-24T22:18:00.001-07:00

I haven't been blogging much because I haven't really been taking pictures. So, here's a little recap of the past month. It's very random. It's all I've got.

The week of Charlie Green Santos:

Bets & I took Charlie to Communal for lunch. He loved it.
Especially the s'mores for dessert!

"The Virgin Charlie"

Jake had a way with Charlie. We called him "the baby whisperer."

Suzy's baby shower. Don't ask me why I don't actually have any pictures of Suzy.

I don't know why.

Cute cousins: Sophie & Kevin

This is the tube of toothpaste the girls dropped on the bathroom floor... with the cap off...

then I walked in and stepped on it. Nice.

Westridge Carnival

The girls decorated their door with animals that they drew.

The "super" harvest moon. It doesn't look so super on my point and shoot camera.

Maybe I let Scilla go a bit too long in between groomings.

Can you find her one eye?

Oh, there it is!
For some reason I ended up with many strange pictures of Sammy... in his dog bed... on the kitchen table... don't ask.

So there you have it. I told you it was random. I'll try to do better in October.

I think I've found my new calling in life...

2010-08-31T17:41:00.001-07:00

First, the back story. We own a large cat. We adopted Sampson (aka: Sammy) when he was large and we thought it was cute. Never mind the fact that Joseph thought I was seriously demented for adopting a cat that looked identical to Frisco, our cat that had just died. But that's another story.

Over the past several years Sammy has seemed to grow even larger.

Remember this?

Because of his size, he has a little trouble cleaning a few areas on his body. Namely his back. He can't reach. So his hair has been getting really matted and gross. We called the vet and set up an appt. to have him shaved, but then discovered it would cost $100, so we cancelled the appt.

Then yesterday I just couldn't take it anymore. I told Joseph to grab a towel, wrap Sammy in it, and I'd give him a haircut.

I don't know about you, but I think he looks great!

If anyone wants to procure my services, you know how to reach me!

Another back to school post.

2010-08-24T20:18:00.000-07:00

First day of junior high for Jake... ...and third grade for Sophie...
...and 5th grade for Emma.

Arriving home from school...
...looks like it was a good day...
...for Sophie too!

Some scenes from summer.

2010-08-13T21:35:00.001-07:00

It was a big night.

2010-07-26T19:40:00.001-07:00

Tonight was quite a night. Every month, Pizzeria 712 & Communal host a "dinner club." If you've ever been to one, you know how fabulous they are. This month though, we did something quite different. Tonight's dinner club was a fundraiser for Jacob's Cove Farm. This farm produces the most delectable heirloom tomatoes. They are unbelievable. They opened their farm to all who attended this evening. It was so cool to see how they grow their tomatoes.

As we were driving down Geneva Rd., we were shocked to see how crowded it was!

Then, when we finally made our way into the farm, we were shocked to see how many people came to support the farm and enjoy great food.

The boys were working HARD. Here's Taylor, manning the wood fire oven.

Joseph, doin' his thing.Colton & Joseph (oh, and Sophie too)

The portable wood fire oven. We actually didn't wait in line for food. We went straight to the massive tent where the tomatoes are grown.

The thing that really cracked me up was that Cortney & Meghan turned into traffic cops for the event. Funny that I mention cops. You know it's a great party when the cops show up.Meghan, you don't seem to be taking this very seriously :)

The nice officers wanted to speak to someone in charge, and Colton was the lucky one who got to deal with this.

Colton's mom Sherry & wife Millie don't seem to be too worried.

I guess it turns out we needed an event permit for our little dinner club party.

The evening was a huge success. Here we are making the trek back to our car.

Until next year...

Scenes from a rodeo.

2010-07-23T09:35:00.000-07:00

It was military appreciation night.

They had all veterans stand up, war by war.

Go Korean War heroes!! Woo Hoo!!

I had a fascination with photographing the flag all evening. It was so pretty.It was HOT when we first got there. Very hot. The kids were not too happy.
Well, Sophie didn't seem to mind. She was keeping well-hydrated. Sophie, Emma & Allie

The popular "squirt bottle fan"

The mountains were very pretty as the sun was setting.

I took a lot of video of bull riding and calf roping, but this is my favorite. Sophie playing with that squirt bottle, totally oblivious to the rodeo taking place behind her. Enjoy!

Move over Mia Michaels...

2010-07-15T21:19:00.001-07:00

Summertime.

2010-06-30T20:27:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention by several people that I've let my blog slide. Yes, it's true. So here I go... here's an all-encompassing update of our summer so far.

First thing on the list for summer. Clean bedrooms. I told the girls they could pick 5 stuffed animals to keep on their bed.Sophie didn't get the memo:

Emma got braces... and one of our very favorite people had the nerve to tell us she was moving to Houston! We'll forgive you Liz, but we'll miss you like crazy!

For mother's day I got a beautiful painting by Casey Childs:

Memorial weekend was fun. Joseph & his "chef posse" went to Vegas, and I took the kids to the zoo! It was a beautiful day.
The saddest camel ever:

A most beautiful peacock:

These guys creep me out:

Nice try guys:

The most humongous seagull ever:

We watched a TON of this:

We went to Park City for a week:

Sophie bounced....high....

snow cones...

we swam... a lot...

Utah Olympic Park

We saw this and loved it:

Scilla was showered with love when we got home:

We marched in Provo's Freedom Festival Children's Parade:

Godscilla (as John nicknamed her) got groomed, much to her dismay:

Emma and Olivia made elaborate crowns.

Which they then wore to see Toy Story 3:

And finally...

Jacob had three molars pulled this morning in preparation for his braces that are coming in a few weeks. See how busy this first month of summer has been?

It's time to relax :)

End of School Wrap-Up

2010-06-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo/video diary of our last day of school. At the end of the year, each class awards one student the "Citizen of the Year" award. Two McRae kids won it this year!

Emma, walking up to receive her award:

Wanna hear the Westridge Wildcat school song?

Sophie & her fabulous teacher, Shannon Allen:

Jacob and his favorite 4th grade teacher, Margo Christensen:

Emma and her wonderful teacher, Kara Cosby:

Jake & his most awesome 6th grade teacher, Carrie Rawlins:

After their assembly on the last day of school, the kids wanted to go to Carl's Jr. Check it out...the sky was giving a thumbs up! Come on, use your imagination.

Yep, moms & dads are different.

2010-06-07T15:44:00.000-07:00

I was so lucky this past weekend. Since Joseph is spending the week in New York City, he thought it'd be nice if I took some time for myself this past Saturday. I could go shopping, run errands and he would take the kids. Nice, huh?

Well, the kids had a great day. They all had friends over. Sophie & her good friend Audrey spent the entire day outside playing in the sprinklers, jumping on the trampoline, coloring with sidewalk chalk... you know...summer in suburbia.

When I got home around 3 p.m., I noticed Sophie looked fairly pink, so I asked her if she had put sunscreen on. She told me that dad told her to put it on herself. Hmmm. Really? Well, you can now see the aftermath of an 8 year old applying her own sunscreen:

And the blisters have gotten bigger since I took the picture this morning. When I questioned Joseph sweetly about the "sunscreen issue" (ok, maybe I wasn't so sweet), he told me that she wanted to do it herself.

Yes, moms & dads are different.

Adios Westridge...

2010-05-25T20:33:00.000-07:00

Jacob graduated from Westridge Elementary today. It's weird to think that he'll be starting Junior High this fall. On to the next adventure I guess!
Jacob & his most awesome teacher Miss Rawlins:
The proud parents:

Grandma & Grandpa Heywood:
Grandma McRae & Grandma Heywood:

I know this is a strange picture, but I wanted to remember that Grandpa McRae was there too (he just had to leave a few minutes early)...

Dance Weekend

2010-05-15T15:03:00.001-07:00

We made it through another fun Jive dance program weekend. Emma & her friends all did great. Here are some highlights & some video!

Emma & Kaylee:

Emma & Annie:

Dressing area backstage:

Posing in front of their dressing room.

They performed two dances this year, Welcome Back & Ghostbusters:

All the girls ready to go!

Emma and her besties, Annie, Sarah & Olivia:

Annie, Emma & Olivia:

The waiting in between shows:

Sophie, Emma & Allie:

Mother's Day.

2010-05-10T17:07:00.001-07:00

Yesterday morning I awoke to not one, but TWO Mother's Day treasure hunts. I'm lucky.

I will begin with Emma's.

So sweet! Thank you Emma. And thank you for not freaking out when your little sister decided to copy your idea and replicate your treasure hunt!

Now for Sophie's:

Happy Mother's Day to me! I love you kiddos!

Sophie's Baptism & Betsy's Baby Shower Weekend

2010-05-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was BUSY. Not only did I co-host a fabulous baby shower for Bets, it was also Sophie's baptism.

On Friday evening we had Betsy's baby shower for little Charlie Green Santos. Here is Betsy showing off some of the adorable fashions she recieved:

This shower was "girls only"The Heywood sisters, pictured with "honorary" Heywood sister, Amanda :)The boys stayed far away from the baby festivities.

I believe they went to some boy movie like Clash of the Titans or something.The next morning Sophie was baptized!

Here is Emma, Sophie & Allie just before her baptism:Grandpa & Sophie:Shannon, Sophie's teacher & my dear friend:The McRae Family:Grandma & Grandpa Heywood:Uncle Steve & Aunt Betsy:Aunt Suzy, Allie & Uncle Ryan:The men. They all took part in Sophie's confirmation. Left to right they are: Tom Gleason, Ryan Taggart, Steven Santos, Joseph McRae, Ernie Heywood, Steven Pelham & John Johnson. Thanks guys!The boys:
Our dear friends, Marlene & Steven. Where the heck is Kevin?!

Besties ~ Alyssa J., Sophie, Audrey & Alyssa C.:

As is tradition for McRae baptisms, we headed over to Utah's own, Chuck-a-Rama for a post baptism lunch. It was a wonderful weekend filled with lots of love and laughter. Thanks to everyone who took part!

Future Artists of America

2010-05-06T22:25:00.000-07:00

I was so lucky to teach Mrs. Christensen's 3rd graders this week. They are the most fabulous class EVER!! They are so talented . . . just look at some of the wonderful pieces of art they made for me during my time with them:

Teaching is an ego boost for sure.

2010-05-03T15:07:00.001-07:00

Two years ago, when Sophie went into the 1st grade, I started substitute teaching. It is a great way to work, and be home with the kids at the same time. It's definitely hard sometimes,

but other times, like today,it can be a real ego boost.

Maybe this happens to all teachers, I'm not sure, but for some reason, children love to draw pictures of me when I teach them. Sometimes the pictures are flattering. Sometimes... not so much.
Today I received two such portraits of myself:

Not too shabby... I've looked much worse! Notice my eyelashes in both though. Maybe I need to lighten it up a little :)

Then, another student handed me this sweet note as we left school today:

As tired as I get sometimes, days like this reaffirm

why I love what I'm doing.

I'll miss teaching this summer...really!

iphone dump

2010-04-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

Every so often I clean everything off my iphone. Here's a sampling for you.

String cheese as corn-on-the-cob:

Happy 8th Sophie:
Bells, Emma & Scilla:
Pita @ P712:
Goofy face:
Yummy pizza:

Girls night @ Communal:Grandpa had an accident with our dinner:

Best friends, Sophie & Audrey:

Fashion Show @ Grandma's:

Freakish 2-headed boxer:

Doggie perfection: Annoying movie title of the year award:

(now my kids think it's ok to say)

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Cast...

iphone, you fail miserably at night photography:

Shocker! Joseph is sleeping:

Chuck E. Cheese:

Cool mountain picture:

Silly videos of Emma & Allie at grandma's house:

Happy Birthday Sophie!

2010-04-11T08:53:00.001-07:00

Eight years old today. Happy Birthday sweet Sophie!

An animal lover from the very beginning...

I have no idea what's up with this picture.

I just thought it was hilarious that she had a gun in one hand

and the hose in another.

She is definitely our most "dramatic" child.

I love this picture because it epitomizes the personality

of each one of our kids perfectly:

Sophie had a tendency to get into things she wasn't supposed

to and get really messy.

This sink bath happened after she rubbed an entire jar

of vaseline all over her body.

What did I tell ya... drama...

Um, Soph, I think you're supposed to face up, not down...

Sophie, you are our baby and though you might be the smallest, you've always been able to make your presence known. You are so funny and sweet and we love you to pieces!! Happy Birthday Soph!

April so far...

2010-04-08T18:33:00.001-07:00

The month started with Jake asking me if he and his friend Kevin could build a fire pit. I told him no. It's way too dangerous. So of course, several hours later, Jake & Kev asked me to come check out the side of the house.

This is what I found:

It's big.

It's too bad for Jake & Kevin though.

All that hard work and by this time next week we should have some lovely garden boxes located in this very spot.

Jake turned 12 on April Fool's Day. He didn't want a big party, he just wanted dinner at Communal. So that's what we did. Suz & Ryan and Mom & Dad also joined us.

Another dream of Jake's came true on this day. Xbox 360 Elite. Shortly after this picture was taken, he disappeared for 12 hours. He beat Halo 3 already.

Family portrait of Suz, Ryan & the dog they wished they owned, Priscilla.

What kind of weirdo doesn't like cake? This weirdo. Nice blueberry muffins.

Next up, Easter.

Thank heavens for grandma & grandpa. They had everything ready for us.

Hmmm... what's that?

Need a closer look?

I wonder which of my children did that?

The freak snowstorm on Monday night while I was driving home.

(Don't say it Bets... Oprah will be mad at me for snapping this photo... I can't help myself.)

Today we headed up to the Living Planet Aquarium.

Just like we did last spring break.

Unfortuanately, every family in the state of Utah also decided to go today.

We bailed.

We racked our brains for something fun to do.

This is what we came up with:

The dreaded Nickelcade.

Yuk.

The kiddos are starting to look a bit tired, don't you think?

A closer look:

What in the world are "electronic cigarettes?"

Warms your heart, doesn't it?

Not pictured?

Allie's fabulous birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese last night.

You'll have to check out her blog to see all the fun.

Dinner Club @ Communal

2010-04-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

Check out the new video just posted on Communal's blog. It features the dinner club held last month featuring the art of Brian Kershiznik. Great food & great art.

Happy Birthday Jacob.

2010-03-31T19:16:00.001-07:00

12 years ago today, Jacob played the best April Fool's Day joke ever on our family. After 3 days of a crazy labor, he finally entered the world by c-section, and he was a BOY! Our doctor had assured us that we were having a little girl. And for about 4 months, we prepared diligently for our sweet Zoe.

When I awoke from surgery I was quickly informed that our little Zoe was actually our sweet little man Jacob. This explains why we had to bring him home from the hospital in this little red rose-covered outfit:

Grandma was beaming over her new grandson:This is one of my favorite pictures. We affectionately call this, "I don't want an easter basket, mommy": This was the picture we sent out in our birth announcements:
So maybe we overdid things a bit...

This little hooded towel has been used thousands of times.

We still have it and Sophie still uses it sometimes:

I have to pull these pictures out from time to time to prove to Jake & Emma that they really were best buddies:

So sweet:Jake has always adored his uncle Matt:We still have this teddy, although now it's packed away in his closet:

Happy 12th birthday Jake. We love you more than you know.

Nursing Nana.

2010-03-21T19:20:00.000-07:00

I did not blog about our Christmas this year. I think it must have been because I was so sick in December that I was just happy to get through the holidays with my kids fairly satisfied. While I was picking up the girls' room tonight though, I stumbled upon Sophie's favorite Christmas present, which I definitely think is blog-worthy.

The present was from Aunt Betsy & Uncle Steve.

Have an open mind.

It's "Nursing Nana"

Sophie's face in the picture in no way portrays how elated she was to receive this gift.

Take a closer look:

Yep, Nana is nursing her puppies!

Nana has little magnets so their noses latch on firmly.
Sophie's always had a fascination with nursing. Maybe because she was my last baby and never saw me nurse her siblings.
Who knows?

Now for the kicker.
Guess what she wants for her birthday in 3 weeks?

It's Nursing Nuna!

AND, Nursing Nina!

It's time to come down.

2010-03-19T08:35:00.000-07:00

He's moved down from the cupboards and into ... a basket?

I removed his food from the top of the fridge last night.

It's time for him to come down.

I don't think he's happy about it.

Does anyone else do this?

2010-03-11T17:27:00.000-08:00

Apparently my kids think the answer is "no."
They think I'm a little weird.

Sometimes (ok, a lot of times) when I'm driving I see something that is so beautiful that I pull out the iPhone
and snap a few photos.

Sometimes the pictures turn out,

and sometimes (for obvious reasons like I'm driving!), they don't.

I have also been known to pull the car over to the side of the road and snap a quick picture.

See the double rainbow?

This past fall I was driving to my parents house and I looked over at Jake and it struck me that he had turned into a young man. His feet were getting so big. He seemed gangly. I could imagine him as a teenager, looking just like this, sleeping in the car. So... I snapped a few pictures to remember this moment. :)

Whenever I pick up the kids from school, I always drive by these birds:

Just driving down 8th North and the mountains looked stunning on this day:
And sometimes the pictures don't turn out, or,

I can't remember what I thought was so great.

Some things just don't translate well onto iPhone:

I think Tom (Joseph's cousin) said it best. He told me I do this because I'm getting old. In your 20's you don't care as much about this stuff, but as we age, we learn to appreciate the world around us a little more. I think he's onto something...

Randomness.

2010-03-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

Some random thoughts and pictures this evening.

We've really been enjoying the sugar snap peas at Costco lately. My kids have figured out that the average pod has six peas inside. We hit the mother load with this one:

Jake and two of his friends are now in charge of raising the flag and taking it down everyday at school:

Every time I leave Scilla home alone, when I return, there is always a random piece of my clothing sitting in the middle of the living room. Once it was my robe, another day it was my sweatshirt and on this day it was my shoe:

This make me happy:

Bella & Scilla have decided to be friends.

They actually slept on the foot of my bed last night.

Getting Scilla is probably the best thing that ever happened to Bella.

Now she is no longer tormented by this:

Sammy's not so tough now that there is a dog in the house. In fact, this is where Sammy has chosen to live for the past three weeks. We actually moved his food dishes up there.

As if he not sedentary enough, now he literally never moves.

Lame, I know.

Emma's 10th Birthday.

2010-03-09T12:58:00.000-08:00

For Emma's 10th, she had a pajama party.

We had pancakes, bacon & cake of course!

She begged all night for a pillow fight.
I finally gave in at the very end of the party...

Then on Sunday night, we headed over to Grandma & Grandpa McRae's for a family party. Grandma & Grandpa Heywood were there too!

Emma & her two proud grandpas:

Emma & Grandma McRae:

Emma with her two adoring grandmas:

(notice the pyro in the background)

The coveted iPod Touch:

I wish I had a video of the melt-down Sophie had when Emma opened her iPod Touch. She was screaming "No Fair! Now everyone has a iTouch or iPhone but me!" Joseph actually had to pick her up and take her out of the room. Oh, sweet Sophie...we love you.

Happy Birthday Emma.

2010-03-06T21:48:00.000-08:00

One decade Emma...it's so hard to believe.

Just yesterday you were a tiny ball of sweetness and chubbiness.

Our little baby girl.
This is what would great me each morning when I woke up.

You were always an early-riser and still are...

We are so proud of you. You have a kind, sensitive heart and always reach out to help others. You are smart, talented and beautiful, but are so modest. We love you and hope your 10th birthday is everything you've dreamed. We can't wait to see what the next 10 years bring.

Isn't she cute...

2010-03-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

Westridge Music Festival 2010

2010-03-01T09:55:00.000-08:00

It was music fest time again last week. This was Jake's last festival. That means we've already been doing this for 7 years! I figured out that we have 4 more years to go until Sophie is done at Westridge. They did great as always.

Getting ready to leave on the first night.

This year, Emma has been going to school early twice a week to sing in the show choir. They did a fabulous job!

Jake and Kevin were "stagehands" this year. They were in charge of spotlights & curtains. Then they came out to sing with the 6th graders.

Sophie and her best friend Audrey singing with the 2nd graders.

Emma singing with the 4th graders.

I have lots of great video, but Blogger apparently doesn't like my video anymore. I'll try to figure out how to get it loaded. Maybe I'll just post it on FB.

They did it again...

2010-02-25T11:43:00.000-08:00

Tuesday evening Communal was awarded "Best Restaurant" from Salt Lake City magazine. I don't mean to brag, but Pizzeria 712 won the same award last year! Looks like we've become our own competition.

Congratulations Joseph & Colton!

Priscilla (the one-eyed wonder dog)

2010-02-21T14:29:00.000-08:00

Thursday evening I took the kids & Rosie to Petco to pick up some cat food. I NEVER go to Petco. I'm a PetSmart girl, but my mom had given me a gift card to Petco, so there we were. As we walked in, we noticed a pet adoption drive going on, and immediately saw this adorable black dog.

We played with her for a while and the kids begged for her, but really, my life is busy enough as a pseudo single mom (you know with Joseph gone most of the time), why would I ever add the chaos of a dog to the family.

But... she was sooo cute.

We decided to take her home and "foster" her for a night. Those tricky adoption people...

Long story short... she's ours!! And, she is missing one eye. Sad story. She was attacked by a bull-mastiff who took her eye out.

She's 5 years old, potty-trained, uses a doggy door, rides in the car well.... and did I mention she was really cute? Of course, we can't change her name, she's been Priscilla for 5 years. We've been calling her Scilla - we like that better. She needs a good bath and grooming which she'll get tomorrow. I'll post some more pictures then.

The Box.

2010-02-18T08:17:00.001-08:00

A while back, we got a new vacuum. I love it, but the best thing that came from this purchase was "The Box." Look closely.

Museum of Art

2010-02-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

Last week we spent some time at the BYU Museum of Art. There are some really great exhibits right now. Of course, we aren't allowed to photograph any of the art, so you'll have to go see for yourself. What's really cool is the exhibit called "100 Years of Collecting Art." BYU has some amazing stuff. My favorite is a Norman Rockwell called "Look Up Thine Eyes." They also have an Andy Warhol of Marilyn Monroe. Our sweet, youngest child was not that interested though, so I'm going back by myself next week to really explore with out distractions.

When we left the museum, the mountains looked so beautiful.
We ended the evening at Pizzeria 712. Everything was delicious as always!

Cookies with Grandma...

2010-02-09T19:57:00.000-08:00

Saturday night we headed over to grandma & grandpa's house to spend the evening with them. Grandma is the best cookie maker. Good thing because heaven knows the kids never get homemade cookies from their mom!

Rosie, patiently waiting for any accidental droppings.

Not pictured: Jake & Grandpa

Jake was too busy setting up grandma & grandpa's new Wii.

By the way, Grandpa kicked all our booties in bowling!! Who knew!

Our hearts are with you today.

2010-02-05T13:42:00.001-08:00

Lindsay and Patrick,

We love you guys so much and wish we could be there with you today to celebrate Cooper's life.

We are definitely there in spirit.

One of Cooper's many visits to Pizzeria 712.

Jacob and Cooper

We'll miss you Cooper.

We've gone national...

2010-02-04T19:39:00.000-08:00

We're pretty excited. For the first time since we opened, we've been featured in a NATIONAL magazine! You can see our write up in Sunset Magazine here.

Tuesday @ 9:25 p.m.

2010-02-02T20:44:00.000-08:00

I went to go get the girls into bed tonight and look what I stumbled upon:

Here's a brighter view:

Scenes like this warm my heart :)

Not too shabby!

2010-02-01T20:13:00.000-08:00

Jacob got a 1st place ribbon for 6th grade at the science fair last week!

Emma got a 3rd place ribbon for 4th grade!

TGSFSIO!

(Thank Goodness Science Fair Season is Over)

One down, two to go.

2010-01-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

Science fair season again . . .

Not quite sure what was up with Sophie's pose in this one. Kind of hilarious!

Friday Night

2010-01-22T20:21:00.000-08:00

I'm continuing my "blogging the ordinary" theme. Tonight, I'm focusing on Jake. He was not a very willing participant in my evening photo shoot. I love him to pieces anyway :)

And in case you were wondering what was going on in the McRae house at precisely 9:48 p.m. this lovely Friday evening, here it is:

Stuffed animal school with Sophie:

Emma & her friend Mary playing with Barbies, I think:

Jake's making sausage & eggs:

There you have it. Until next time...

I love these kids.

2010-01-21T19:22:00.000-08:00

I'm not doing very good so far at keeping my blog current this year. I just haven't been taking any pics. I'm not giving up. When I don't have anything to blog about, I'll blog about the ordinary. Here are the girl's this evening at bedtime.

Sophie, freshly bathed and ready for her bowl of lucky charms:

Emma, looking glamorous, even in dad's shirt:
Not pictured: Jake, who would not crack a smile and wanted nothing to do with this post.

Good night all.

Move over Picasso.

2010-01-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

I know every parent likes to brag about how cute or talented their child is, but seriously, Joseph & I were just blown away when we saw what what our sweet Sophie did. Her raw talent just stunned us.

Take a look:

Sophie baby, we've never been more proud!

(p.s. if you read the Christmas card post below, the answer is yes, I really did just use my kid's school pictures as my Christmas card photos. What can I say? I was really busy last month!)

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-11T13:20:00.000-08:00

I know. I'm a few weeks late. I have 50 of these sweet little Christmas cards sitting on my counter. Right now. At this point, I'm too embarrassed to send them out, so I'll just post it here and let you know that if you didn't receive a Christmas card from the McRae's this year, don't feel bad. No one did.

Fashionistas

2009-12-13T14:16:00.001-08:00

Knits hats & Sophie's skirt purchased at the Beehive Bazaar.

The Bella Saga

2009-12-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

Where to start. We received Bella from Joseph's mom this past summer. We instantly loved her. She is sweet, cute and clean.

She wouldn't leave Emma's side when Emma had the flu:

Of course, we already have a cat as you know. Sammy is sort of sweet, kind of cute and honestly, not that clean. He tries, but due to his size, he has a hard time reaching everywhere when he's cleaning himself.

At first Sammy & Bella weren't too sure about each other. But eventually, much to our delight, they became friends!

Enter the evil neighbor cat I like to call "Hitler". Hitler started showing up in our backyard toward the end of the summer. I would chase him away and so would Sammy, but Hitler kept showing up and taunting my two kitties.

As this continued to go on, Sammy's demeanor around the house started to change. He wasn't so nice to Bella anymore. In fact, he started chasing and pouncing on her frequently. He even starting "marking" his territory around the house. Ewwwwwww. He had NEVER done that before.

We took Sammy to the vet to see what we could do, and $300 later our answer was "Get rid of one of your cats."

We were debating what we should do, when suddenly one night, when Joseph got home from work, he opened the front door and before he could stop them, Sammy chased Bella out of the house, down the street and around the corner. Joseph went running after them, but could not find Bella.

We called Bella all night and morning, but she didn't return. We put up signs around the neighborhood, checked the animal shelter several times a week, but no sign of Bella.

More than two weeks had passed and we had all just about given up hope for her return. All of us except Emma that is. She prayed every night that Bella would come home. I did too, but the reality was starting to sink in. It was COLD at night. Bella was tiny. It had been weeks. It didn't look good.

Then, on Thanksgiving weekend a miracle occurred! Emma looked out the front window and thought she saw Bella running across the street. We all ran outside and called her and searched for her, but no luck.

Then about 30 minutes later we received a call from a neighbor saying he had our kitty! And he did!! Almost three weeks to the day, Bella came home. Really tired, very dirty, extremely hungry and thirsty, but she's home! Emma calls it a Thanksgiving miracle.

All is well again in the McRae house.

WOW Sophie!

2009-12-13T13:07:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. I've let the blog go lately. Those in my family should cut me some SLACK though, since we've been playing ring around the rosy with sickness lately. Anyway, I'm recommitted, so today will be the first of my "catch up" posts.

At Westridge Elementary each month, they hold a "WOW" assembly. This is an assembly where the school recognizes the "Westridge Outstanding Wildcats" for the month. Sophie won the award last month which was great! If you win, your name is entered into a drawing for an iPod shuffle and guess who won?

It just so happpened that on that same day, she won a gigantic chocolate bar for being the best fundraiser in her class. Sophie calls it her "Best Day Ever".

(By the way, if you click on the Westridge Elementary link, you'll get to see a picture of Jake & Kevin on the ski lift at Sundance!)

Name That Logo!

2009-11-06T09:07:00.000-08:00

I took this corporate logo quiz this morning. I got 33/36 correct. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Give it a try and let me know how you score.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T21:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from the McRaes!

2nd Grade Halloween Party

2009-10-30T20:17:00.000-07:00

Do you know what it's like to be the room mom for your second grader's Halloween party? Here's a crash course:

And trust me, this video does not do justice to the actual decibel level in the room.

A night full of horror.

2009-10-30T19:54:00.001-07:00

The night began with the most delicious dinner at P712. There are some new appetizers on the menu for fall that are to die for. Roasted potatoes with chimichurri sauce... they were so good that after sharing two orders, we ordered a third! Outrageous! Plus, there is a new roasted squash with pine nuts and braised bacon. Yum. Not to mention the pizza. Eat there soon.

Courtney is our favorite host at P712 and he joined the girl's table for some riveting convo. They can always spare a moment to mug for the camera though. All smiles:

Eating pita & hummus:

Mom's reaction to tasting an experimental anise seed soda:

Suzy's reaction to the aforementioned soda:

and Jake's:

The kids nearly being eaten by the carnivorous "Audrey 2":

The star of the show:

Fun times.

We're so excited to see this tonight!

2009-10-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

Go Bulldogs!

2009-10-09T16:07:00.001-07:00

Last night Emma & Sophie were able to cheer at half-time for the high school football team. They went to cheer camp all week to get ready. Emma has done this twice before, but this was Sophie's first time.

Arriving at Provo High:

Annie, Olivia & Emma:

Emma & Sophie:

The Provo Bulldog:

Just before half-time:

Audrey & Sophie, watching their big sisters do their cheer:

I have some cute video of them both, but blogger doesn't seem to want to load it. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

Into The Woods

2009-10-03T11:19:00.001-07:00

Last night was great. Mom & Dad treated us to tickets to see "Into the Woods" at the Scera Theater, and in return, we treated them to a fabulous dinner at Communal. This was dad and Jacob's first time at the new restaurant, since Jacob came down with the stomach flu on opening night and couldn't go :(

The first thing we noticed is that the stained glass windows are almost done! They are beautiful. Colton's dad is painstakingly making and installing every one. They are amazing.

Dinner was delicious. We got to sit in the private dining room. It's great for people with kids. There's no anxiety about bothering the other guests.

The private dining room has a window that looks right into the kitchen. The kids had fun watching dad cook.

As we were finishing up, guess who walked in? Ann & Garry! We had a nice visit with them. The kids were happy as clams to have BOTH sets of grandparents there!

Then it was off to the play. Our good friend Lara Johnson is the lead and she was fabulous. It's really not fair that one person is so talented. Couldn't she spare just a little for the rest of us.

This is a picture I took as we were walking into the play. Utah is so beautiful.

The play was great. There was an on-stage accident about 1/2 hour into the show though. It really scared Sophie & Emma. The actress playing "Little Red" got her foot caught in a huge, rotating tree and she started screaming. We all thought it was part of the show, but then the house lights came on and some yelled for a doctor. 911 was called and she was taken to the hospital. They were able to get her understudy, but it took them about 45 minutes. Needless to say, the play didn't end until about 11 p.m. We arrived at 7 p.m., so Sophie was getting pretty tired. She did great though, and I'm so glad we stayed. It closes tonight, so if you have no plans, you should definitely check it out.

Girl's Night Out

2009-09-30T09:45:00.000-07:00

The girl's and I had a great time last night at the Miley Cyrus concert.

As you can see below, the girls were VERY excited to get there.

The favorite moment of the evening was when Miley strapped herself onto this Harley and went "flying" around the audience, while singing "I Love Rock-n-Roll". The girls were shocked that I knew all the words to this "new" song.

It was loud, there was screaming - a LOT of screaming, but the girls had a blast. And actually, Miley put on a very entertaining show.

Jake got to spend the evening (and have some great 1-on-1 time) with Grandma & Grandpa Heywood. They ate dinner at Cafe Rio, then Grandpa took him to the movies to see "9". Thanks mom & dad!

Opening Night

2009-09-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

We made it! Communal opened this evening. Everything was beautiful and the food was delicious. The restaurant opens to the public on Friday evening. You'd better get in line early.

Jacob unfortunately woke up this morning with the stomach flu, so grandpa stayed home with him so we could all go and enjoy the opening. Suz & Ryan were there too, but somehow I managed to get through the evening without a picture of them!

My goal was to photograph all of our food, but as you'll see, that didn't last long. Every dish look so yummy that more often than not, we were half-way done before we'd realized we forgot to take a picture.

The charcuterie plate:

The halibut:

The flat-iron steak:

And that's it for food pictures, so I'll just tell you what else we had.

1. Charcuterie
2. Mixed greens with roasted peaches and toasted almonds
3. Heirloom tomato salad
4. Seared scallops with a cherry tomato relish
5. Halibut w/a delish sauce
6. Flat iron steak with a savory butter
7. Fingerling potatoes roasted in rock salt w/lemon aioli
8. Potato gratin
9. Potato puree
10. Roasted orange & yellow squash
11. Chocolate caramel tart
12. Butterscotch pot de creme
13. Peach pandowdy

I know. We were very spoiled. Sitting in between Amanda and mom was hilarious. When the chocolate tart arrived, they were both in chocolate heaven.

Colton & Joseph at work...
...and flashing their "we did it!" smiles...

Amanda & Casey were there:

Grandma & her gorgeous grand-daughters:

Brian & Joseph:

The calm before the storm:

Cleaning up after our feast:

Communal. So good.

2009-09-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

Isn't it weird how music can bring you back instantly to another time in your life? Tonight on the way to mom & dad's for dinner, Joseph & I were listening to "Rent"(don't worry, I turned the volume down in the the appropriate places.)

We were such dorks in the car belting out every word of every song. Sophie kept yelling at us to turn it down, even though she was listening to her ipod. Then we started talking about all the times we saw it. And how great it was that we were able to see the closing night performance.

Then I started thinking about Harvey, and how he was the person who first took me to see this musical. And then I felt kind of sad. I miss Harvey. It's pretty much the best boss/friend ever that takes his team to see "Rent" in San Francisco for "team-building".

When I got home tonight and checked my email something freaky happened. I got an email from Harvey. I know, impossible, right? Actually it was from "Harvey & Kian Frank" asking me to connect with them on Plaxo. But Harvey's picture popped right up when I logged on to Plaxo.

I like to think that Harvey enjoyed our little concert in the car this evening.

Love you Harvey!

Picture day.

2009-09-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

School picture day is almost as hectic as the first day school (for the girls, at least). Last night the girls spent hours, literally hours, trying on outfits and then minutes later changing their minds. I kept reminding them that it didn't matter what they wore on the bottom half of their bodies... just pick out a cute shirt! Once the shirts had been decided, the dilemma of accessories came next. You'll see they both settled on the oh-so-trendy-scarf as the accessory of choice. Then came the need to wake up extra early so hair could be curled and lip gloss could be applied. There's definitely something to be said for boys. Jake threw on his favorite brown t-shirt, ran his fingers through his hair and was done.

These pictures are proof positive that they all left the house looking picture ready. I'll post their actual school pictures when we get them back in a few weeks.

Dinner Club

2009-09-05T14:34:00.001-07:00

On the last Tuesday of every month, Pizzeria 712 hosts a "Dinner Club". Occasionally, if there is space, I bring the kids down for a delicious meal. This is what July's dinner club was all about.

Remember how Jake loves to ruin every picture I take?

Well, here's Emma's payback.

Seared sea scallop with sea beans, tomato confit, heirloom tomatoes and corn. Yum.

Flat iron steak with a butter sauce that was to die for. On the side was roasted veggies in a cute little packet.

I forgot to take a picture of the cheese course, probably because, you know, I think cheese is basically gross.

I also forgot to take picture of our dessert before we ate them, so you'll just have to trust me, it was good.

The menu is never the same at the dinner club, and reservations are a must. If you get a chance, give it a try. You won't be disappointed.

Things are moving right along.

2009-09-04T18:36:00.000-07:00

Construction is moving along quickly on the new restaurant. The tentative opening date is September 22nd. We stopped by the other night with my parents to take a look.

Notice the piles of beautiful reclaimed wood flooring here.

The floors are being installed tonight!

The windows in this building are stunning:

The outside of the building. The corner location is perfect.

I'll post some pictures of the completed floor next week.

Back to school.

2009-08-20T10:06:00.001-07:00

It's going to be a good year.

Twenty Years.

2009-08-16T14:28:00.000-07:00

Whew...I'm tired just thinking about it.

2009-08-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

Today Joseph rode in a bike race affectionately called the "ULCER." It stands for "Utah Lake Century Epic Ride", I think. Basically, it's a 112 mile race around Utah lake. This is his second century ride, but he did this with almost no training. Not to mention we just got back from a vacation filled with fine dining and late nights.

Good job sweetie. How about relaxing by the pool on your next day off though, ok?

We're off!

2009-08-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

We are heading out in the morning to the Utah Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City. It's a joint birthday/20th anniversary present for us.

We are planning to see Henry V

and Foxfire

and either Private Lives or Secret Garden.

Thanks mom & dad for taking the kids for us!

I'm married to a good man.

2009-08-03T21:18:00.001-07:00

Look what he got me for my birthday today:

I'm trying to act really cool, like I know how to use it and everything, but then Suzy pointed out that I kept calling it a G3, when it's actually a 3G. Those close to me know that this is the first "Apple" product I've ever owned, so bear with me (I'm a diehard PC girl).

Thanks sweetie, I love it!

Ouch.

2009-07-31T21:10:00.001-07:00

I was bitten by one of these this week. I thought it was a mosquito bite, but it kept looking worse and worse everday. Finally this morning I went to the doctor and it seems I've been bitten by this:

It's a Hobo Spider. I don't know what is worse -- having a gross bite on my leg, or just knowing that at some point I had a spider crawling on me and I didn't know it!! Ewww!

My bite isn't near as disgusting as most of the bites I saw on-line, which is good, but the doctor is worried because my bite is sinking in and becoming dark in the center. This could mean my skin is dying and apparently there is no way to stop it. Fabulous!

I'll keep you posted. I won't post pictures though.
This is a family friendly blog, afterall.

Happy Birthday Mom!

2009-07-24T14:43:00.001-07:00

I love this picture. It says it all . . . you are the best, most hands-on grandma around. You make wonderful memories for our family. It's only fitting that your birthday is a state holiday in Utah!

Have a fabulous birthday!!

R-O-D-E-O

2009-07-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

On Monday night we headed up to Ogden for the annual Pioneer Days Rodeo.

I have not always been a fan of the rodeo. It's VERY hot. It involves a lot of dirt, stinky animals and sweaty people. This was our 3rd trip to the Ogden rodeo. I reluctantly agreed to go this year mainly because the kids really wanted to go & Suzy really put the pressure on. And I must admit, I really had a blast this time! I know, it's amazing.

Going to the rodeo is like stepping into another world. It's a world I was never a part of and now I find it facinating.

Before we left, we made sure we all had hats and umbrellas and suncreen to protect us from the scorching sun. Emma fully embraced her cowgirl persona:

When we got to the rodeo, it was hot, but not scorching. I was so happy!

We started our evening off with some good old-fashioned rodeo junk food. Foot-long corndogs, curly fries, navajo tacos and snowcones. Suzy looks so happy in this picture because she's finally eating the curly fries she'd been talking about all day.

Jacob is not really enjoying the heat. Of course you'll notice he is shaded by grandma & grandpa's umbrella and he's eating a snowcone. How rough can it be?

The rodeo started off with a bunch of skydivers. Very cool and patriotic.

Sophie, Allie & Emma were in heaven when they got to meet all the rodeo queens. Emma & Sophie actually asked each one for an autograph. Emma asked me how she could become a rodeo queen and I told her she had been born into the wrong family for that. Sorry sweetie!

Some very "rodeo-looking" shots:

Allie, Emma & Sophie. Take note of our awesome front-row seats. Good job Suzy.

This shot reminds me of Friday Night Lights.

More rodeo junk food. Over-priced churros that were hard as a rock.

Emma with the Rodeo Clown. He was really funny.

The highlight of the night was definitely the bull-riding. It's crazy to see it in person. It's terrifying actually. Take a look:

The night ended with some motorcycle stunt riders.

They did stuff like this:

It's better to see it like this though:

We didn't get home until 1 a.m. and we were all exhausted the next day, but I'm pretty sure we'll be going next year.

They're friends!

2009-07-17T19:07:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I walked by the girl's room and saw this:

Sammy was sound asleep on Emma's bunk. Nothing unsual about that. Sammy sleeps for about 18 hours a day, afterall. But upon further investigation, I discovered this:

They're friends! They really like eachother! Well, "like" may be a strong word, but they're hanging out together! I'm so happy. I was very worried that they'd never really get along.

All that worry for nothing.

By the way, isn't the girl's new bedding cute?

Thanks for helping me with that mom!

Two Peas in a Pod

2009-07-17T18:25:00.001-07:00

We were lucky to have cousin Shannon with us for almost two weeks this summer! Emma & Shannon may live far apart, but within minutes of seeing eachother, they are like long lost twins.

Take a look at some of their adventures:

Sad to say goodbye...

Thanks for the fun times Shannon! See you this Christmas!!

Lazy Sunday

2009-07-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

It seems like we've been busy since the day school let out for the summer. In fact, yesterday was the first Sunday of the summer that we were just home by ourselves, as a family. So after barbecuing some hamburgers, we decided to take a lazy Sunday drive.

First stop . . . Squaw Peak. Joseph rides his bike up here about 3 times a week. He's insane! Our car struggled to get up to the peak! It was worth the drive though. Absolutely beautiful.

Next stop . . . Bridal Veil Falls. Very pretty, and very crowded. We hadn't been here in a long time. The kids had fun splashing around and skipping rocks.

Final stop . . . Sundance. I haven't been there in over a year. I guess since I no longer get the awesome discount at the General Store . . . it's not as much fun :) It was as lovely as ever and of course Joseph got to visit with lots of old friends.

Fabulous

2009-07-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

Joseph & I took the kids and cousin Shannon to see this at the Hale Center Theater this week. It was absolutely fabulous. If you haven't been to the Hale Center Theater before, this is the play you should start with.

The newest McRae.

2009-07-03T16:40:00.000-07:00

We'd like to introduce to the world, Bella Boo McRae.

As with any family reunion...

2009-07-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

. . . there will be several trips to Pizzeria 712. This year it was especially fun because neither Jim & Linda nor John & Kim had ever been before!

And by the way, there is a beautiful new Kershisnik painting that just arrived.

Park City Reunion 2009

2009-07-03T15:29:00.000-07:00

About every other year we head up to Park City for a Heywood family reunion. As always, we had a blast. Here are some highlights:

Jake's favorite pastime in Park City was trying to ruin every photo he could.

Here is the perfect example:

Thanks mom & dad for another great reunion! Can't wait 'til next time!