Christmas Greetings

Here is our Christmas card and picture this year. I'm sure it won't get to everyone we know and love, so I thought I'd put it up here for fun.

It was the best of times. . .
It was the worst of times.
2008

This year held lots of changes for our family – primarily Darren’s anticipated graduation from USC Dental School in May! Lots of family joined us on this special day and we were all so proud of Darren.
Mostly we were just happy to stop paying tuition and finally, finally be “making” money instead of “paying” money.

We were so sad to leave all of our wonderful friends in Los Angeles (we miss you still), so we drove away in late May with our eyes full of tears and our hearts full of memories.
The tears could’ve been from the inland smog or just frustration from the downtown traffic on I-10 at the 110, it’s a toss up.

We spent a week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in June with Stacie’s family – enjoying the scenery, white-water rafting, Yellowstone Park, horseback riding, wildlife, alpine slides, hot springs, trams, and all kinds of fun with the cousins.
The best part was seeing all the grandparents in their wetsuits. Priceless.

In July, after a month of enjoying the perks and fun of living by family in Arizona, we made the exodus to our final destination – beautiful Boulder, Colorado – where we’ve settled and Darren has bought into a dental practice. We love Colorado – the “family-land” lifestyle, the outdoor activities, the mountains, and the great weather. We’re sold.
Last week it was 13 below zero. 13 below zero. They tell me it’s abnormal, but I don’t know.

Sweet little Davis turned ONE on July 11th, and we celebrated with all our family. He’s walking and talking (“No”, “I want”, “Bye”, and “What’s that?” being the favorites)
Stacie proved what a great mom she is by putting his birthday cake right in front of him as everyone sang to him – only to have him curiously reach out and grab his flaming birthday candle. Let me tell you – it was party OVER! Call C.P.S.

Darren became a legit and licensed dentist in June and began seeing patients in July. He really enjoys finally practicing and being a partner in his own practice.
He’s had some interesting experiences – like when one patient came in wearing dentures he bought off e-bay, sold because the owner died. True story.

This fall Dane started preschool with great enthusiasm. He attends a cute little Presbyterian Preschool where he’s made new friends, learned to do the monkey bars, is starting to read, and has picked up the habit of saying an abbreviated version of the Lord’s prayer over his snack.
Now his belief that our prayers are WAY too long have some confirmed validation.

In September we took a road trip to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota – a very fun and educational destination. Did you know there are crystal caves all over the Black Hills?
Poor Dane threw up all over the car as we drove through Custer State Park, attracting buffalo from miles around.

We traveled to Canada for Halloween weekend to surprise Darren’s parents on their 45th wedding anniversary. All 9 siblings, spouses and offspring (minus 3) were in attendance and the surprise was successful.
The kids favorite part was the new kittens in the hay shed. We don’t know why the kids’ forearms were covered in scratches. Could it be because they kept putting the kitties in pots with lids? Hmmm.

Dalton turned 8 in November and chose to be baptized a member of our church. He was so earnest in his desires and we enjoyed helping him prepare. Lots of family traveled to attend and it was wonderful to share the experience.
Deep down Stacie truly believed/hoped that he’d forever be more obedient and never trip his brother or say “stupid” or “fart” again. Wrong. But he is a great kid.

Darren got to take a 5-day unlimited golf trip to Palm Spring, CA, with some colleagues in November. He seriously golfed 2-3 rounds a day (that’s 18 holes per round?!). He was in heaven. This was his reward for such hard work in dental school . . .
at least that’s what Stacie kept telling herself as she slipped into the depths of insanity. That, and “I am earning one sweet girls’ trip.”

Darren and Stacie took a trip without the kids to New York City to celebrate their 10 year wedding anniversary. They packed it all into 4 days and made wonderful memories.
Stacie realized that she can leave her children and they’re OKAY! (thanks Grandma!) They don’t die without her. Isn’t that amazing?

Well, after this eventful 2008, we’re hoping our 2009 is full of peace and happiness. We wish the same for you and extend our love at this special time of year.

Thinking of you,
Darren, Stacie, Dalton, Dane & Davis Rennaker

Shock . . . a new post

There's a little pressure when you don't post for say, two months or so, because it feels like the ice-breaking post should be significant. Well I'm going to buck a trend and just write pretty much nothing. Blah blah. It's two days til Christmas and we've had tons going on. Living life, not blogging it. Blah blah.

I'm so lame. Does anyone even check this anymore with my infrequent posts?

If so, you're in for a treat . . . here's some significance:

MY LITTLE SISTER ELIZABETH HAD HER 1st BABY TODAY!!!!

Hooray!

Welcome Brogan Ray,

son of Beth and Darrell.

I can't wait to eat him up, he's so adorable! Congratulations guys, and don't worry I won't let my kids touch him. As a matter of fact, I'll bring some face masks, okay?

No Snow

We thought that last night would bring the first snowfall of the season, but no such luck. The temps dipped below freezing for the first time, but we woke up to sunshine and green grass. It'll be cold today, but the forecast calls for the 70's through the weekend. We want snow!!!

Dane, oh Dane

Some tidbits from the trip - it occurred to me that each day included some special and unpleasant event for Dane. Poor guy - he's so fun and bright, but I think the stars were aligned to dish him out some H - E - double hockey stix.

Our first day, after Rushmore, we spent some time at this park to give his highness, Davis, some time to snooze in the car before the next attraction. It was a pretty area, centered around a small lake, with a bridge out to a gazebo on an island. The kids burned some energy running around, and where did they play? Right at the water's edge, of course. And what should occur while Dane is traversing the slimy, bird poopy covered rocks? He falls in, of course. Shoes, socks, pants, underwear, half of his shirt - SOAKED! And with our hotel roughly 17 miles away, we had three choices: 1. Stay soaked and stink. 2. Wear his buddy Sam's pants from the day before that had been peed in. or 3. Find the nearest Walmart or Target and get some new duds.
What did we do?
We hit up the Walmart in Rapid City - hands down the busiest Walmart I have EVER seen. It was like the center of the universe. Everyone was gravitating there and everything revolved around the action. Well I made it out safely with some sweet $3.50 pants, some clearance shoes and some Star Wars undies. Dane was kicking it South Dakota style and lookin' FINE! Here's his new outfit. (not the hoodie) He managed to survive the rest of the day incident free.

The next morning we visited a crystal cave and had a good time going down, down, down and seeing the sights. The boys were a little nervous at first, but nobody fell . . . that is until after we safely exited the caves and the kids were playing on some stone steps near the picnic area. Dane fell down a couple steps and we heard that ugly THUD you hear when a big human noggin hits a too hard surface (cringe). He was a mess and I wish I'd gotten some pictures of his injury - especially a day or two later when it was all scabby and the bruises were at their height of color. Yuck. Well, he was fine - but he slowed down a bit after that. Here he is a mere 20 minutes beforehand, exploring a little side cave with a flashlight.

*Incidentally, when I snapped this shot I was in complete darkness. I took the picture and was amazed at what I couldn't see. I had hit my head a couple of steps before because of course the kids wanted to carry the flashlights.

You may not know, but motion sickness runs strong on both sides of our family and Dane is severely afflicted. He's just like his Daddy. So on the last day when we took a scenic drive on the Wildlife Loop through Custer State Park, it was no surprise that Dane got a little green. We were listening to the Beatles, ironically, and really feeling the lyrics "The long and winding road . . ." when Dane (already prepped with a puke bucket) opened the flood gates. He felt better, but we had to hold on to that puke for WAY too long. I think the buffalo smelled it on his breath and wanted a closer whiff. They got pretty friendly.

But despite all his haps, Dane had a good time and said his favorite part was the Chuckwagon dinner where he rode the pony. He's lucky he didn't get thrown off into a pile of yuck. Aaahhh, I love that little guy.

Rushmore

Okay, be prepared for picture overkill. I took a bizillion pictures from a million different angles, but only posted some - and it's still too many. I just didn't feel like doing a slide show this time.

So Mt. Rushmore was amazing. The scale and scope of the whole thing was unreal. It was our first time there and we were really impressed with it. The memorial is in the Black Hills of South Dakota, about 20 minutes south of Rapid City (a bustling metropolis). The granite is abundant all over the area (it looks just like the granite used in SLC at the temple and conference center) and we discovered that the hills are really like giant geodes because they're all full of crystal caves! (I think I read that 68 of the world's 72 calcite caves are in the Black Hills. ) So we also visited a cave and I'll have to post those pictures later.

Anyway, the clever folks who take care of the area went to great lengths to enable visitors to have some pretty cool views of the mountain from the roads leading to it, especially Ironman Road. We went through 4 tunnels that perfectly framed Mt. Rushmore as you entered them. The whole thing was pretty cool. Here's a view through the trees from the same road on a turn.

It was pretty sunny so the lighting was tough, but you get the idea.

It was interesting to learn why they chose this spot - it had a large expanse of granite, mostly flat, and it faced into the path of the sun. It was very visible.

This is a shot of the valley that the mountain looks down on. Low rolling hills and meadows.

This is a shot from the visitor's center. Good idea of scale.

Here are Darren and Marc (his dental partner) hefting the stroller down some stairs. There's a trail you can take to get some closer views.

Here are our boys and two of Marc and Deb's girls, Ashley and Courtney. Of course, none of them are looking at the camera. BTW - Dalton slipped into his cowboy mode. It all goes back to the Rennaker farm, but it came on REAL strong earlier this summer when we spent about 8 days in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Uncle Lee got him this sweet cowboy hat.

An up the nose shot - just to emphasize the undulating surface.

President Lincoln all by his lonesome, as seen from the trail.

Good Ol' George as seen through a crevice in some rocks at the base of the trail. He has such grandeur.

Their prominence in the rock face actually gives them more prominence period.

All four gentleman as seen from the viewing terrace. Classic, right? The pile of rubble at the base is interesting - from the blasting.

The entrance to the memorial is flanked on both sides by all 50 state flags. It was pretty cool.

So patriotic.

Hard to see, but this is Darren, Marc, and the kids at the entrance - just to give an idea of scale.

It was a fun trip and we were surprised at how much the surrounding area offers. Maybe I'll post some pics of the other stuff we did, but for now I think this is plenty.

Off We Go!

Headed with the Cannons to Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota! Pictures when we return.

Smitty Romney

Smith is Dane's new best friend. He lives right across the street and they're in our ward. The boys also go to preschool together. (His mom also went to high school in TULSA! Small world, eh?) Well, Dane and Smith hit it off right away and I've never seen him play like this with anyone except his cousin Benjamin. They are inseparable from morning until dinner time every day. They play elaborately imaginative games with their legos, communicating details of their adventures as though communicating by telepathy. They're totally in their own world.

Well, yesterday was cute little Smith's birthday. And yesterday we found out that his fun family is definitely moving to guess where . . . LOS ANGELES!!!

We are just switching places. Stinks for us, but I guess I am happy for them. Lots of you that I love are still in LA, so I guess we'll have to arrange blind couple dates so you can all be friends.

I just don't know how I'll tell little Dane. He was at the door at 6:30 this morning, dressed and heading to the Romney's before I could stop him.

September 11th

I haven't read any blogs or watched the news today, so I haven't felt inundated with reminders about 9/11. I've just been doing my little family thing and been thinking about how I felt that morning and thinking about how we were all affected by that day. Considering this is an election year - and there is no incumbent favorite, the polls are pretty split, and the climate is tense - a reminder about how unified we can be is so refreshing. It makes a sad commentary about our society that it takes a national threat to bring us together as Americans, and more fundamentally - as humans. I don't want to sound like an endlessly forwarded cheesy, but I hope I never forget that day. I don't mean the horror and terror and devastation, but I mean the compassion it inspired, the love for my unknown brother, the desire to reach out to help and give. Those feelings are usually strong for those in our immediate influence, but not always for those outside. Okay, enough soapboxing.

Croak

R.I.P.

Freddie the Frog

Freddie the Frog

Hi, my name is Stacie and I am not a pet-lover.

This may seem cold-hearted, (I have no problem with other people's pets - I really loved our old neighbor's dog Riley - I just don't really want one in my house until my kids can take better care of themselves) but it’s not personal – it’s completely practical and logical.

Practicality:

I am allergic to cats and most dogs. This means that I don’t enjoy the consequences of most animal encounters, so I avoid them.

Logic:

Animals = mess, mess = enemy, therefore animals = enemy. (it's an occupational hazard as a mom/housekeeper to have a desire to eradicate the source of a mess; I can't get rid of my kids, but . . . you see where I'm going)

Darren's with me on this, too. Growing up on a farm has made him see animals as functional - they all had a purpose (cats kill mice, cows give milk, chickens give eggs, whatever), plus you can't get attached when the animals die at regular intervals. (Some day I'll recount our experience when we were visiting the farm and they slaughtered a cow. ) Anyhoo, my non-animal-lover status coupled with Darren's functional view of animals (companionship isn't enough; they have to pull some weight) leads to circumstances rather unfriendly for pets in our house. I guess we're just plain old meanies.

I only explain this because I think my anti-pet sentiments have created a frenzied pro-pet environment . Perhaps our attempts to postpone the acquisition of a family pet have caused our children to exhibit such enthusiasm around little animals that it's possibly dangerous. And that brings us to this:

Our cute little neighbor boy, Smith - Dane's partner in crime, went on a walk and found a frog. His cute family left town this weekend and let us care for the frog while they were gone. The boys were, needless to say, THRILLED! Darren was not. He was mandating the application of toxic levels of hand sanitizer at every turn, but the boys didn't care. They manhandled that thing constantly, obviously putting him on a motorcycle and a little car and dancing him around all over like the performing frog from the old school Looney Tunes.

I just knew he was gonna croak (hee hee) from the overload, but he's still hoppin'. They christened him "Freddie the Frog"and they're gorging themselves on the fun of having a pet. Truthfully, I can tell they adore this little frog, but they treat it like a toy not a living thing - and that's a wee bit scary. I've given them the countdown. We're releasing him for FHE tomorrow night. Hopefully he'll still be alive amd can return to his family!

Please don't report us to PETA.

TEEF

This just in - 2 HUGE FRONT TEETH!!!

After months of drooling anticipation and sleepless nights, the stars of Davis's mouth have appeared center stage. Their arrival was greeted by an anxious gum exam from Dr. Dad, who promplty prounounced that the chewing show could begin! Applause erupted around the house from nearby family members, eager to see the end of not only the cranky nights - but also the beginning of a whole new world of cuisine for the baby. Immediately following the grand entrance, the central incisors got right to work - creating a beautiful cacophony by grinding heavily on their lower jawed counterparts. All are eager for what lies ahead for these lovely dientes.

Oh Ace!

Okay, don't laugh - and just pause a minute before you think "Whuh? why is this doof front and center?"

Let me explain . . .


Dalton (shortly after returning from school the other day): "Guess who my music teacher's son is?"
Me (rather uninterested and distracted due to my service as a jungle gym for Davis and fielding snack requests from Dane): "Uhm, who?"
Dalton (ecstatically, complete with hand gestures and high eyebrows): "ACE YOUNG!"
Me (thinking fast - trying to remember who the heck that is and why it sounds vaguely familiar): Really? Cool!
Dalton (rather quietly): "Um, who's Ace Young?"
Me (after retrieving a file from my brain labeled "useless tidbits lifted from past reality tv shows" ): He was a guy on a show called American Idol; he's a singer.

Dalton sees the guy's pictures all over his music room - a veritable shrine to Mrs. Young's son - she's so proud! It reminds me of when Dalton found out what his name meant and rejected it completely, insisting instead on being called "Ace". I guess he can give up that dream since the name is clearly taken. Too bad.

Brian Regan

The other night Darren and I couldn't find much to do but channel surf, and with the lame late summer lineup there wasn't much to choose from. We went to "on demand" and watched a Brian Regan stand-up set, and it reminded me how funny he is. And he's CLEAN! Imagine that - humor without profanity. The novelty.

So check out this clip for some good laughs - which we ALL need, right?

*Also, Jenni 's (my sister) husband Jim is a pilot and a Brian Regan fan, so Uncle Jimbo - this one's for you.

seriously so funny

okay - another funny blog, a spoof if you will. a blog making fun of blogs. a friend told me about it and it keeps me laughing so I linked to it and now I'm blabbing to all of you. checkitout. s'worth it.

First Day of School x 2

Dane started preschool today and so I thought I'd take the chance to report on his first day and on Dalton's first day- which was about 2 weeks ago.

Daners:
Dane was so excited to go. He and Dalton picked out matching shoes and almost identical backpacks. He packed his snack and decorated his school bus with his picture and name and he was ready. The best part is that his buddy across the street and in the ward is in his class. He and little Smith has become two peas and having him in his class makes everything dandy. Hopefully next week he'll even add another pal, Sam, who is the son of Darren's dental partner. Dane already has plans for them to play the 3 Musketeers! So Dane is all set and hopefully will have a great year.

Dalton Bear:

Dalton was so brave this year, starting at a new school in a new city. He put on his tough face and meticulously planned his outfit, his lunch, his bike route, etc. We headed out at 8:30 on the dot and every door on the street seemed to open in unison as we all marched toward the elementary school. (If it hadn't been so exciting, it would've been creepy) After we arrived, we lined up and Dalton's cute teacher, Ms. Payne ("But she doesn't cause pain") came right to Dalton and gave him a hug and some sweet words of welcome and encouragement. She knows he's new and nervous and she was so kind about it. Luckily, he has two little boys from the ward in Ms. Payne's class with him.

Funny story - in his class they all brainstormed to pick a mascot/class name. He said he wanted to be the "Monkeys" (?) but the "Mustangs" won out. He said one kid named Tyler really wanted to be the "Beverly Hills Ninjas", but alas it only got one vote (Tyler's) because, as Dalton said, "it was just too long". Little did they know what they'd be if that name won - fat wannabe ninjas, a la Chris Farley.

Anyway, we all love his school (Boulder Valley School District is the best in CO) - and hopefully his 2nd grade year will be fantastic. I still remember gazing out the window of my second grade classroom and staring at the clouds. We learned multiplication that year. Wow, how time flies.

Sunset Boulevard - Colorado Style

We have some great trails around our neighborhood - well around the entire state, actually. They section off land for public use and call it "Designated Open Space", filling it with trails for walking, hiking and biking. It's great! So here are some pictures from our sunset walk for FHE the other night. I went a little overboard with pictures of the sky, so be patient. It was just so breathtaking.

A Day at the Pool

We spend a lot of time at our community pool. It's been really warm and the kids have turned into little fish. It has a great waterslide and waterfall and spouts and a kiddie pool and playground. The boys love it and frankly - so do I. (Free entertainment - and afterwards they're pooped!) So I took the camera a couple of weeks ago and decided to snap a few of them playing. The pictures could've been better, but it's tough trying to keep the camera dry while chasing around Davis. He still thinks he can step right into the pool from the side - like walking on water. All he wants to do is dig through the pool toy bins - as you can see.

Davis & the Balloon

The big boys now have a standing Friday movie night with some neighbor boys, and this week it was Mason's turn. So while they were watching Robots and downing popcorn we gave Davis some 2 - on -1 attention. He was perfectly happy playing with a balloon. I just love his jabber-wocky talking and his Frankenstien walking. He loves to say "bye" and "hi" and "dad", but otherwise it's nonsense. AAaahh . . . the joys of babyhood.

And as you can see, we're still short on furniture.

Sweet Home Colorado!

Okay, if you didn't know it already - we moved to Colorado. Darren bought into a practice in Boulder and we are living in Superior, just a few minutes south of his office. And guess what? We love it!!! I think if I were to create the perfect place to live (for us/me) this would be it. Yeah, yeah - talk to me in 6 months when it's FUH-REEEZING outside. Maybe I'll change my tune, but I doubt it. I love the snow, too.

Pictures to come of the house, the neighborhood, the beautiful scenery, the kiddos, etc.

This past summer has really been a whirlwind of adventure - packed with thrills. In a 2 1/2 month period we had my 30th birthday, Darren's graduation, Darren's 35th birthday, Davis's FIRST birthday, our 10 year - yes 10 year - wedding anniversary, a move across the country (broken into two stretches), plus mother's day, father's day, july 4th, and a 8 day family reunion again across country. It was wonderful, but lots to celebrate!

Needless to say, after all the action I am thrilled to be settled. We're getting all adjusted and I'm realizing that life was more stressful in LA - it wasn't just in my head. The space, the fresh smelling air, the kiddies all over the neighborhood - well it's just Familyland here and it's so great. We love our house, our new neighbors, upgraded cars, the new school is awesome and most importantly Darren loves his practice. (I'll post some pics of that too!)

So, if any of you want to visit - feel free.

Tick Tock

It's almost here! Graduation. Commencement. The end and the beginning. I feel so full of emotions - like a rainbow of fruit flavors. Excitement, sadness, stress, longing, anticipation, and yet . . . YEEHAW!!!!!!

I said Goodnight L.A.

In this case it's Goodbye L.A. And when we come back to visit biannually, we will not just go to Orange County - I promise.

I still can't believe that the 4 years have already come and gone.

MoFash

The coolest Stake Activity EVER!

Our Stake goes all out in the name of activities and once again they've outdone themselves. It's MoFash, a modest fashion show - bringing high fashion together with practical ideas for modest styling. It's sure to be fun, and hopefully will spur a trend toward more classy dressing. Check out their list of "Sites we Like" for some truly good shopping.

The Final Countdown

Well, we're down to less than a month left here in Los Angeles. I wish I had more time so I could post all the great pictures I'm taking of our final moments.

I've had an "LA List" of our favorite thing to do in the area that I wanted to revisit for the last time and a couple things we hadn't gotten to yet. Our favorites- The Getty, Zimmer Museum, Santa Monica pier, favorite parks - Kenneth Hahn, Aidan's Place, etc., the Grove, Travel Town, Zoo, Legoland, Hollywood & Highland, "Whimsic Alley", aka - the Harry Potter store, Gene Autry Museum, Shrine Circus at the Shrine, LACMA, Tide Pools in Malibu. I still haven't managed to get to the Griffith Observatory yet, but that's slated for next week. I'm going to an Ellen show taping tomorrow afternoon and I hope to get down to the Pantages to see Wicked once more (front row for $25 in the nightly lottery - can't beat that!) We're also doing one last bonfire at Dockweiler beach this weekend. It's also my bday this weekend, #30, but I got my present a couple weeks ago - tickets to Phantom of the Opera. We're also doing weekly Disneyland trips to savour our passes, so we're heading down to Anaheim in a couple hours.

The boys are playing tball and 5-pitch and doing really well. Dalton can snag a ball and throw it from 3rd base to first with spot-on aim. He totally didn't get that from me. Darren is coaching Dane's team and it's just a riot to see him chugging around the bases with the giant batting helmet on. He also like to draw pizzas in the dirt.

This is a rambling post that I'll surely edit later. I just want all to know that we're alive and kicking and trying to prepare ourselves for some huge and exciting changes.

Just in Time, eh?

Looks like we're headin' out of Dodge just in time. Check out this article packed with stats about the high probability of quakes in the near future of good old Southern California.

california_quakes

And the ladies at Target looked at me like I was loco when Dalton told them we were making an emergency earthquake kit. Who's loco now? HUH? Yeah, that's right.

But seriously, they're reporting this as though it's groundbreaking, jawdropping information. As if every single person who lives in Southern California, or the entire state for that matter, isn't painfully aware of the impending doom awaiting. They've been predicting "the big one" for eons. We send little earthquake kits to preschool with family pictures and beef jerky and a toy. We have little teasers quakes to keep us on our toes and remind us not to get too comfy. We just choose to pretend that it's not a serious threat so that we can get through the day. My mom warned me to sleep with clothes and shoes near the bed so just in case it's in the middle of the night we won't be caught unaware. I don't. Denial is a beautiful thing.

WORD!

Anyone else LOVE Elder Ballard's talk yesterday? A friend put it best - "If I could've clapped afterwards, I would've." It was so validating and practical.

Great New Blog

A friend referred me to this great new blog:

www.enlightenedhomemaker.blogspot.com

It's all about feeding your family the right way, practically. It's really informative and helpful. I'm off to clean out the pantry!

Dancing with the Stars

I admit it - I love Dancing with the Stars. Yeah, the girls wear skanky outfits, especially Edyta, but it's so fun to watch! I wasn't always a fan, but last year I went to a taping with my friend Maegan and have been into it since. (She has a friend that writes for the show so we got good seats - mine even said "Stacie Denneker" HA HA!) It was two seasons ago - when Apollo won, and I was pregnant and it was Maegan's first time leaving her newborn. Although we were preoccupied by needing to potty and having milk let down, it was so fun just to watch the dancing. You forget that it's celebrities out there and just enjoy the excitement. And not to age myself, but I was actually more excited by who was in the crowd by us - Boyz 2 Men and some cast members from Beverly Hills 90210. Good memories of the 90's right there.

As for this season, my early favs are Kristie Yamaguchi and Jason Taylor. First elimination tonight!

Happy Easter

Easter was super early this year, and although Aunt Jenni didn't make it out to visit - we had a happy day! And no, much to Darren's dismay, we did not give the kids carrots in their easter baskets - they got good old chocolate.

It's always hard to make sure that the kids understand what we're celebrating - not the arrival of Spring, but rather Christ's resurrection. Luckily the stake was putting on a performance about Christ that we could take the kids to. It was actually the second act of the same show that the church put on in the Conference Center during the Salt Lake Olympics in 2002.

It was a nice addition to the holiday, but Darren and I had a silent laugh at an older sister who was sitting in front of us. She turned around shortly after we arrived - about 10 minutes before it started - and said to Davis (in respons to his slapping the metal chair), "It's cute when you do that now, but after the show starts I'll turn around and give you a mean look." Then she looked me and said snidely, "I had 9 kids you know, but we never took the babies to performances. That's what babysitters are for. " HAH HAH! IF we had more than 3 young women in our ward I might have better luck with that, but even so - isn't the church all about families? Momma mia.

This picture is the night before, Easter Eve if you will.

On Saturday we went to a couple of Easter egg hunts at local parks - one that started at 9am SHARP and was over in literally 30 seconds. The kids just stared at the mayhem and didn't get squat. So we headed to another hunt at Aidan's Place (site of the Christian Bale incident) for a "festival" where they had millions of eggs but kept shouting "only get ONE egg!" Did any kid listen? Of course not, so after everyone caught on, we all dumped their baskets out and took the one egg to trade for a goodie bag. It was weird, but much fairer. And they also had some hot rap music playing while the kids rocked out in the bounce houses. Only in LA. Then the kids got their faces painted by the BEST face-painter ever. NOT. Dalton wanted a spider and as she was painting she said, "All spiders have 6 legs you know. " Then Dane wanted a Harry Potter scar (shock) and she put a big yellow blob on his forehead. Good thing there was no mirror or he'd have been all put out. He's kinda picky like that. Anyway, it was a good time.

Here the boys are with the Merrells and Marshes at Lindburgh Park, the first hunt. The Merrells also have three boys almost the same ages as ours.

On Sunday we had the Merrells and Coveys (family away from family) over for dinner and it was nice to enjoy the Spring weather. Oddly enough, Maegan and I made the EXACT same dessert - strawberry shortcake trifle. Great minds think alike, eh? Hoppy Easter 2008!

Life's a Beach

Last weekend we experienced what happens when you don't make plans. After about 30 minutes of "What should we do?" " I don't care. What do you want to do?" We ended up heading down to 3rd Street in Santa Monica, where of course we got in some great shopping (window shopping in some cases - we had all the kids) and saw lots of bizarre street performers. Check out this guy - atrophied legs in a cross position, then up on his arms. Crazy!

Here he's magnified, but a little blurry. He stood like this for like 5 minutes straight. I'm sure gonna miss all the weirdos around here. But maybe not the shirtless guy with the hairy back and the Arnold mask complaining about how we "Don't need Sacramento! They're idiots up there!"

Afterwards we just walked along the cliffs above the PCH and I realized I'm already starting to miss the beach. Darren doesn't understand, but I would spend all my time there if I could. I wish I could stuff it in my suitcase and take it with me.

Motivation

As Dane was eating his veggies at lunch today, he turned to me with a steely look and said, "I am going to eat my vegetables so that I can grow up to be as tall as Daddy. Then, I won't have to sit on the couch when I hold Davis."

Little Daners just loves Davis. He'll frequently come away from whatever he's doing and just plant a big one on Davis's cheek. Or he'll bring his cherished blanket over and shove it under Davis's nose so that he can smell it as Dane loves to do. Too bad that by the time Dane is as big as Darren, Davis will probably be close to his size and won't want anything to do with being carried around.

Why is the grass always greener? When you're a kid, it always seems so powerful and exciting to be bigger. When you're grown, you look back on childhood as such an idyllic an simple time. Human nature I suppose. For now, it's a great motivation to eat the greens and chug the milk.

Christmas Revisited

Long overdue, but here's a Canadian Christmas slideshow.