Mom's VIsit

My Mom came to visit a few weeks ago. It was fun to have her here. I love to drive her around and point out why Kansas City is so much better than Salt Lake. (And the only real reason I do that is because she is constantly trying to convince us otherwise. She thinks she can get us to move there..... I don't think so.) Anyway- It was nice having "Nonnie" around. We made yummy food, shopped a little and played with the boys a lot. One place Brody loves to go is called Paradise Park. It's this great discovery play place in Lees Summit. He couldn't wait to take Nonnie there.

We also went to another Pumpkin Patch with Greg. The reason we wanted to go to this one was because it had a train ride. We also got to see an amazing pig race! (Okay totally kidding about the amazing part. But it was fun to watch the boys get excited about the piggies). We had a great time with Mom and like every trip. It ended much too soon!

Apple Orchards & Pumpkin Patches

Last month we decided we really wanted to be festive for fall. We had heard about this fun Apple Orchard just out of the city that lets you pick your own apples. We got the boys in the car and headed for the drive. That in itself was fun to see the changing leaves. Once we got there we walked around the orchard, posed with the photo opts and had a yummy apple treat. It was pretty fun, but it was starting to get crowded.
We noticed across the street was a farm that also had a pumpkin patch. In the spirit of being festive we went to check it out. It was so fun. They had a big hay maze, animals and the most variety of pumpkins & gourds that I have ever seen. It was a really fun way to start off the fall season. I think we'll make this a tradition.

BITTEN TAKE 2

So, Some of you may remember from last year that when my friends & I read the first three books in the Twilight series we (like the rest of the world) were hooked. I really hadn't taken time to read much before, but these books were so fun it inspired me to start a book club. Our first meeting was to discuss these three books. I called the book club bitten because I had been "bitten" by the reading bug (and also the whole vampire thing made it sound clever. ha ha)
We have continued through the year not as often as we'd hoped, but we're working on that. Last week we hit our year mark & celebrated by discussing the fourth and final book, Breaking Dawn. I hosted.


I personally was VERY disappointed with the book. I felt like it was boring, slow and extremely cheesy. The only real good thing that came from it, in my opinion was the excuse to have another fun get together with my girl-friends. Most of the other girls felt the same way, only not quite as strong. There were a few who liked it.
I also read Stephanie Meyer's book The Host. I didn't enjoy that much either. I think it put a bad taste in my mouth for her writing, which honestly makes me sad because I LOVED the first 3. I'm curious, dose anyone else feel the same way? Any thoughts on this subject are welcome, just don't try to convince me I'm wrong. My opinion is that Breaking Dawn bit it. She could have done so much more with the story...... UHG! Okay- I won't get into it. The book club was really fun though-

One thing that I absolutely love about my friends out here is that they know how to cook!!! We did a dinner and had everyone chip in by bringing a soup, salad or dessert. I supplied the bread bowls. Everything was SO YUMMY! See, you can tell I grew up a fat kid because I still love to talk about food! But come on a Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake, doesn't that make everyone drool?

We had so much fun chatting, catching up and discussing the book. I really feel like I'm home here with these girls. I hope they all know how important they are to me. (sniff sniff) Okay, and I was complaining about Stephanie Meyer being cheesy?

Even though I didn't love this book like I had the others, it just wouldn't be fare not to make a CD like we had before. So Melessa and I got together again to create our soundtrack for Breaking Dawn. Can I just say it was really hard! Harder than I thought. There were so many little story lines that happened, but didn't always mean a whole lot to the story, so we had to decided what we felt had to be represented or not.( I think this made me like the book even less). We are pretty happy with the outcome, However we did have to cut a few songs that we really wanted because of CD space. I'm going to post the complete playlist here, even though the CD doesn't have all these songs. Could someone please make a CD-R that is longer than 80 mins!
The cover

The Inside Playlist

THE SONGS-
*The only song I couldn't find this time was Stay Down by The Smoking Popes. It's a great song and it fits between
Dark Blue & Hemorrhage.* (scroll down to view the complete list)

Last years CDs. Click here if you want to check out those playlists.


...... Now, I wasn't going to post these. But in the interest of super fun girls nights, I must divulge. (I maybe kinda sorta went to the American Idol concert when it came in August). SEE! I wasn't going to tell you because I don't want you to think I'm a nerd or something. Okay, well we all know I am, but what can I do? I had to see David Cook again. But it was good because it helped me get over my little crush.

We had such a fun night. We went to dinner before and had "some adventures" driving there. We were a little late and missed the first act. I was very surprised how well they all did. They were so good. They really do make it look easy on tv.
After the show we saw David Archuleta's Dad and Kristi went over to say Hi and tell him she was from Utah. He was super nice and We got a picture with him. Then it just steamrolled into seeing the other performers and meeting some. We had to wait around a bit and I felt kinda silly about it, but it was all part of the fun. We met Kimberly Caldwell who is dating David Cook. She was very cool & easy to talk to. Since this is his home town she came to met his family & friends. (Don't I sound like I'm one of them? I'm trying hard not to sound so dorky, but I know I'm failing. Oh well, it was fun to hang with B-list celebs).

Surprisingly Kristy Leigh Cook, who was my least favorite- was the nicest to the fans. We talked with her a little while and she seemed pretty normal and very friendly. Brooke White was of corse sweet, but she was rushing to go to dinner with her hubby. Half of the cast didn't even come out to say Hi, which I though was pretty lame of them. I did give David Cook another High 5, but no picture this time. I wasn't about to take another stalker shot. See, I've grown in the past few months!
I still love his voice & he is a fantastic performer. I also talked with his brother Andrew a little bit more. I think we're almost friends. :}
After the AI hoopla we stayed Downtown a little to hang out and chat some more. It was such a fun night. We drove home blasting the music and dancing in the car. I felt like I was 16 again!
My friends are so great! And I have to add that Greg is so great for taking over with the boys every now and then so I can go have a little kid-less fun. :)Thanks!

Tate's Turn

I was looking at the blog today with Tate trying to find some cute videos of him. It seemed like most were of Brody. I have to be fair, so here are some random (and darling) pictures & videos of Tater.

I filmed this two nights ago. He just started doing this cheer out of nowhere. He's done it a few times now. I really don't know where he learned it, or what he's trying to say, but he is SO cute. I only caught the end of it here.

I grabbed the camera because he had been dancing around a lot the past few days, just acting extra happy& singing.
I figured he'd do something cute.
We have been working with a speech therapist once a week. I think it is helping. He is so smart and knows what he wants to say, it just doesn't come out very clear. He is trying to talk more than he did before.

This was when we went to Indiana. He put the googles on and thought that meant he could now swim like his cousins. He just dipped his head into the water and was ready to go!
Tate loves to eat frozen blueberries. I have to be quick to clean him up or else there is a big mess. Actualy that's pretty much the case with everything he eats. He always ends up wearing it!
Tate is starting to potty train! We are doing some re-flooring to our downstairs bathroom and until that is finished I'm not "officially" going to teach him, but we do get him going sometimes. He really wants to be a big boy.


This was when we visited my Mom back in July. Tate started playing peek-a-boo with her. He is such a fun kid to have around, so full of personality.
Okay, Now I feel better. He will love seeing this in the morning. My boys are so vain, they love watching videos of themselves... wonder where they get that from?

G-O-A-L!!!!

the Airplane soccer pose

I have been excited for this moment ever since we found out Brody was a boy! Greg and I both grew up playing sports and I couldn't wait to see our little guys trying different ones out.
Our first one is soccer. The kids were kinda thrown into the game on Sat. because the first practice was rained out. (It has rained SO much lately. In fact it's raining right now.)
Anyway- We met early for the kids to run a few drills and meet each other. It was SO fun to watch. I know We're totally first timers, As you can tell from the bu-zillion pictures and video, but Greg and I totally had a blast watching Brody play.



Waiting for his turn to kick
Look at him! What a pro.
Brody with his buddy Evan. We didn't even know he was going to be on his team. Another friend from school is also on the team. Brody is so happy!



I think all the kids did a pretty good job. There is one little boy (Noah) who you can already tell will be playing in High school. He was the only one who was focused and fighting for the ball every-time. The best was when this little boy was following his team mate, who had the ball, toward the goal. Just when our team was about to score, Noah grabbed his team- mates jersey and pulled him back because he wanted to make the goal. It was so funny!



Getting ready to start the game.
Tate really wanted to play too.


The post-game interview

Ina- Anna Trip

Earlier this month we went to Indiana to visit my brother Glenn's family. That has been one perk of living here in KC, it's only an 8 hour drive to their home. Well, that was before they moved to Japan for a few years. With it being summertime they were able to come home for a visit too. Greg couldn't come, so that was a bummer, but we made sure to stay really busy so we wouldn't miss him too bad.

The first day was rainy so we went to a place there in Bloomington called Wonder Lab. It was so fun for the kids, (and Tracey& I) to play and explore. My favorite was the bubble room. We spent the next two days at the pool. Brody & Tate had a blast going from the baby pool to the big one. They were both very brave, and very protected with their life jackets & floaties. I actually got to sit a few times and watch! I thought that wouldn't happen for years to come. Although I am realizing that Brody is getting a little old for his lifejacket. I think I need to teach him how to swim now, opps!
Later that night some of Glenn & Tracey's friend's invited us (adults) to come hang out & play rock band. I love that game... We gotta get a wii! Their friends were super nice & didn't mind Glenn's kid sister tagging along. What a difference a few years can make!

The main reason I came at that time was to be a part of Emma's baptism. The boys & I drove out a few days before to spend some extra time before the rest of the family came out. When they did get there we broke the ice by having a karaoke night. (Dad & Mom are both re-married and it was the first time Dad was going to meet David. I knew it would most likely be fine, but I was still a bit nervous). Everyone seemed to have a good time and it was not too weird at all. The next day was Emma's baptism, followed by a BBQ back at the house. The boys had a blast riding bikes & climbing trees. Ann Marie surprised Tracey & I with copies of Breaking Dawn, it had just been released that day. She is the one who turned us on to these books in the first place. We couldn't help but take a few silly pictures to commemorate.

After church on Sunday we went to see Tracey's parent's land. They have built a barn and will start on their house soon. It is beautiful and so fun for the kids to ride on the trailer & play on the tire swing. Before I left Shailey wanted me to cut her hair. She wanted to donate it to locks of love. We cut 11 inches and she loves it. The only thing I was worried about was how grown up it made her look!. She is so sweet & giving to do that. We had so much fun with them that it was hard to say good-bye. Thanks for a WONDERFUL trip!! We love you!

"One year older & wiser? too"

Last week I had my 27th B-day~ It was a really fun day. Thanks to everyone for your calls & notes.
They made me feel so special!
A few friends from here put together a fun B-day play-date for me. We had hoped to go swimming, but mother nature had other rainy plans. My wonderful friend Kristin invited 7 mothers & 16 kids into her home so we could still play. She was sweet, brave, & best of all a fabulous cook.( She made a yummy soup for us all too).
While Mandy, Angela, Kristi, Whitney, Melessa, Kirsten, Kristin, & I visited, the kids actually played really well together. We made an indoor picnic for them and then sent them downstairs so we could enjoy a few moments together. I feel so grateful to have such wonderful, fun friends here in KC.
That night Greg & I went out for a date night to a new Italian restaurant. We had fun walking around shops before & enjoying some much needed time together. It was probably one of the best B-days I'd had in a long time.

Thanks again!

Also on the slide show- We helped surprise Kristin's husband Chad for his B-day the previous week. (Chad, Kristin & My B-days are all one week away from each other. It's been a full month). He had no idea that a few friends had come over for some treats & a little rock band. I think the main reason I wanted to post these pictures is because I think Brody is SO cute playing rock band. He totally got into it. He sang "Underdog" & "Greatest American Hero". I couldn't be more proud.

Going out on a limb Here....

Last week I did something I've wanted to do for about 7 years.... I auditioned for American Idol! (Don't laugh!) I don't really know why I wanted to, it's not like I want to be the next Kelly Clarkson. I know I'm not that great of a singer. It's just, I've always loved to sing. (I remember telling Mrs. Martin in 5th grade that I didn't need to learn math because I was going to be on broadway. Yeah, um- That didn't happen). Truth is, I get SO nervous singing for other people. It's really something I want to get over. AI is one of my favorite shows and I figured what better way to attack my nerves that to sing for a bunch of strangers and TV producers?

I heard that auditions were coming to Kemper Arena in downtown KC. I thought about it A LOT. I didn't want to look silly or like some total crazy Idol wanna be. This was more for me to stretch my comfort zone, than anything else. I knew I would regret it if I didn't at least try. Also I thought it would be cool to be "behind the scenes" a little, to see how this show really worked.

First thing was registration. Two days before you the actual audition you have to go register. This is to make sure you're "legal" to be on the show. I've heard even this can cause big lines. I also heard that the order you reg. is pretty much the order you audition. So I decided to get there at 6:00 am to get a good audition time. I waited in line for 2 hours before I finally got in and spent the 5 mins it took to actually register & get my wrist band. It was fun though. They had camera crews, of corse- but I was trying to avoid them. I met some fun people and watched some crazy ones too. One new friend was Cassandra. We talked the whole time we were in line and decided to stick together for the auditions on Friday. She was super nice, and had an amazing voice.



One person I recognized there was Andrew Cook, David's brother. He's the one that got David to audition last year. The local Fox news team had him interviewing "Idol hopefuls". I kinda wanted to say Hi, I mean it's not like he (is) his brother, but it would still be cool. I only saw him with cameras around and I wasn't about to sing on the news, like lots of other people were. Once I finished my registration. Cassandra and I saw him walking away with a few friends. It was my friend Kristin's B-day and I had already called her & had random people in line sing her Happy Birthday. I joked with her that I would get Andrew Cook to do it next. She thought that would be SO COOL. "I'll never erase it from my answering machine" She teased. When I saw him with just a few friends and no cameras I though- Why not? He had been eating up the attention earlier. I was sure he wouldn't mind. Besides I'd already mad a dork of myself in front of his brother, "David Cook- High Five!" What's one more embarrassment for a Happy Birthday wish?

So I did it. Here is what we got off her answering machine-

We talked for just a quick minuet more and I said Thanks & Bye. It was pretty fun. That's what this whole idol thing was about for me- soak up every moment, Every silly opportunity! Yeah, I know I'm a total dork! :) Anyway back to the audition-

We were told to meet at 5:00 am on Friday morning outside the arena. They did cheesy group shots and chants for the camera till 7:30 when they finally started to get us into the arena. I met up with a friend Lindsay outside in the line. She was so fun to hang out with. I think people thought we were a little strange to be so friendly and excited at 6 in the morning. She had her cousin Jamie come with her for moral support and We met Ashley there too. She traveled from Oklahoma to audition. We waited there for 3 hours. Making friends, being dorks, yelling for the cameras.... It was a blast!



With 10,000 people auditioning, I had to do a little something to stand out. Plus, I hated the question they always ask, "Why are you the next American Idol"? So with some help from Glenn, I came up with a fun way to answer. " Well, Have you seen my shoes? They have American idol written all over them"!

Dorky maybe... okay yes, but I don't care, they were fun.
I used scrapbook stickers, so they come off easy. This picture is from the Fox news website. I figured a shoe shot couldn't hurt.

The crowd nearly filled the arena. The hallways were full of singers some good, some amazing, but most...... not so much.
It was so fun just for all the nice people I met. We all sang for each other to practice- I never would have thought I'd do that,
sing for random strangers, but it was fun pretending I wasn't too embarrassed. These two girls I sat by were AMAZING!! They sang a lot through the day and I truly thought they would make it to the next round. Neither one did though. In fact not one of the amazing voices I heard made it through. And some not so wonderful voices did make it. I have no idea what they were looking for that day.

So here's how it goes down. After we got into the arena @ 8 am, We did more group cheers and songs over & over for the cameras. We sang, "Singed, Sealed Delivered, I'm Yours" & "Get ready 'cuz here I come" like fifty times.
If I have to say,"Kansas City Rocks" one more time I think I might...... wait, Oh no... Here it comes.......

Finally about 11 am they brought out the tables & curtains to start the actual auditions. They stared to bring people down by seat sections and lined them up in groups of four. Then they would tell you what number booth to go to and you would wait till your group was the next to go.
We had waited forever to finally have the auditions start. Then about an hour into it they stop, break down the tables, clear everything out and they won't tell us why. We all guessed it by the time they announced that Ryan Seacrest was "In the building". I was a little bugged that they couldn't do this earlier. They had already gotten through 2 sections and our was coming soon. I didn't know how much more my nerves could take!
It was really cool to see him though. He is a really nice guy. He was talking pictures and hugging a lot. It would have been cool to be closer, oh well, I got Andrew Cook right?

Ryan Welcomes the crowd-

Finally, we finished the PR shots. It took like 6 hours of film that I'm sure will be cut down to like 90 secs. CRAZY!

It was almost our turn to audition. Once your group is up, they call you one by one to sing. You have about 25 secs to make an impression. I had gone through all sorts of emotions that day as I waited. I thought I had finally gotten them under control until I stepped forward. My heart was pounding. I was SO nervous!!! But I couldn't let it show. There were two producers sitting there waiting for me to sing... What was I doing there?
I sang George Harrisions, "Something". ( I have it at the bottom for those who don't know it. No it's not me singing- I'm still not brave enough to put that on here).

I was actually really happy with my "performance". For just jumping into it and not having a lot of formal experience I think I did a pretty good job. Thats all I had hoped for.

After everyone in your group sings they ask you all to step forward to give you your results. The producers were very nice and took the time to tell us that he thought we were good, but now with it being season 8 the bar has been raised and we're not quite at a Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood level..... REALLY?? What a shock!
He did suggest to come back next year after I work on my performing skills. But I don't know if I will. This was going to be my year to work on my nun-chuck skills or computer hacking skills.... We'll see.
Honestly, He may have just been being nice, but I don't care. I'll take it. Most of the other producers were not that kind.

So, off I went to stage left to get my wrist band cut off. Oh well, I'm not the next American idol, but I did it! I faced my fears, made new friends and just maybe you'll see an orange dot on the show that will be me!

We're not in Kansas Anymore....

I am SO behind.... Lots of catching up to do.



Last month we went to Utah to spend the Fourth of July with Mom & David. Thank heavens for DVD players in the car. It made the 17 hr drive much smoother.

While we were there we had lots of fun swimming, golfing, playing at the park, eating WAY too much and watching fireworks.
I never had taken the boys to see an "official" fireworks display before. It gets dark so late and I don't like the idea of messing with bed time, (Sleep is sacred to me). This year we were already off schedule because of the drive and I figured they were old enough to really appreciate the show. I still put them to bed about 8, then we woke them up when it was time to go see fireworks. They were pretty sleepy, Brody didn't wake up till I got them in the car, but they loved the fireworks. It was so cute to watch them enjoy it. Now I'm excited to take them again next year!

One day we went to the Hogel Zoo. I thought it was a great little zoo. Big enough to spend a morning and see some animals, but not too big that you have to stay the entire day.
We rode the train and played on their playground. My favorite was after the Zoo we got Jamba Juices! Jamba- Oh, How I miss you!



Riding the Train Whoo Whoo!




Brody riding on the trunk of an Elephant


The boys especially enjoyed the indoor exhibit that had all the desert animals. We all were scared by the GIgantic python, Eww- I get chills just thinking about it.

I love this picture of Tate. This is totally how he was in there, running around so crazy and excited.


Our last day in South Jordan was probably my favorite. First we went to an Alpaca farm that a friend of my Mom owns. They are such funny looking animals. They are raised for their fur which is super soft. There was one named Carlotta who took a liking to the boys. Alpaca aren't normally so friendly to humans, but this one was so sweet. She let the boys love on her and they thought she was so cuddly.

The funniest part was we weighed the boys on the farm scale there only to find out that Brody weighs 37 pound and Tate weighs 36!! They are almost two years apart, but only weigh one pound different! Honestly I was surprised Tate doesn't weigh more than Brody, he is so solid!
Then we drove up the canyon and had a picnic in the Mountains. Now I can be hard on Utah, It's not a place I'd like to live, but being so close to such beauty was amazing. It almost made me think I could live there, (Sorry Mom- It's not gonna happen).


After our picnic the boys played off road with their big trucks. They were so cute to watch. Then we took them on a little hike. It was Tate's first "real" hike. Both boys loved being out in nature like this. We could have stayed all day, an we mostly did. Brody was so brave. He didn't want any help climbing the boulders. He said if Daddy could do it, so could he.

After the hike we played by a little stream where the boys threw rocks into it. Who knew that could be so fun? They we entertained for almost an hour with that. Tate has a super strong arm, I know because one of his rocks hit me right on the shin, it hurt! It really was a fun day, so peaceful and relaxing. I think next year we'll go to the Mountain everyday!

The drive home was another long one. We were so tired when we finally rolled in at 1am, But we had a great time and lots of fun memories. Thanks Mom- Can't wait till next year!

*** Okay- Totally funny! As I am finally taking time to update the blog, Tate & Brody are watching Polar express, it's Sat. morning and they just woke up. Brody come up to tell me that Tate got into the cookie dough. What?.... I go check. Sure enought the fridge door is wide open and Tate in on the couch with the container of cookie dough, (purchased by Daddy- not me) and a spoon! TATE!!!!! As I take it away he grunts and says, "Hey, Mys!"
And you wonder why I'm not Blogging much lately?! Ah! :)