Happy 70th Birthday Dad!!

My dad turned 70 this last Friday. I love my Dad and think the world of him. He has such a great outlook on life and is a great example to me. Even in his times of struggle he manages to tell a joke and keep a smile on his face. He has a great sense of humor and enjoys making others happy. He really is just a big teddy bear. I am so grateful he is my dad and I feel very blessed to have my children be a part of his life. They love their Papa very much. We went to see him on his Birthday & Lauren wanted to bring him a gift. She decided to bring her two favorite books so Papa could read them to her. I am not sure how that was a gift for Papa, but I think they enjoyed themselves nonetheless.

We love you Papa....Happy Birthday!!
Dad reading some facts about 1938


Disclaimer...by having Neil Young's song "Old Man" play in the background on this blog is in no way stating my dad is an old man. I just know you like this song, Dad..and I think of you whenever I hear it.

Did you know???....in 1938 The law changed in the US that meant the minimum hourly wage was 40 cents per hour for a 44 hour working week. On October 30th Orson Wells dramatisation of "War of The Worlds" radio programme caused panic when it was broadcast more like a news breaking story than a play.

How Much things cost in 1938

Average Cost of new house $3,900.00

Average wages per year $1,730.00

Cost of a gallon of Gas 10 cents

Average Cost for house rent $27.00 per month

A loaf of Bread 9 cents

A LB of Hamburger Meat 13 cents

Average Price for new car $763.00

Blanket $5.00

Liptons Noodle Soup 10 Cents

What Events Happened in 1938
New England Hurricane of 1938 (or Great New England Hurricane or Long Island Express)
Freak Waves at Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia cause 300 swimmers to be dragged out to sea
The State of Israel is founded
Floods and Landslides in Los Angeles cause 200 deaths
The First use of A seeing eye dogs occurs
German troops enter Austria
Agricultural Adjustment Act is passed helping farmers affected by Dust Bowl
Germany begins its persicution of Jews
March of Dimes Polio Foundation Created.
A 450 metric ton meteorite struck the earth in an empty field near Chicora, Pennsylvania
Italy wins the 1938 World Cup in France defeating Hungary

Popular Culture
Action Comics issues the first Superman comic
Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is broadcast, causing mass panic in the eastern United States.
Adolf Hitler is Time magazine's "Man of the Year" (as most influential during the course of the year, not as 'best' man of the year)
Popular Films
Disney releases Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Boys Town, starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney
Jezebel, starring Bette Davis
Technology
Oil is discovered in Saudi Arabia.
Steam locomotive "Mallard" sets the world speed record for steam by reaching 126 mph.
Ball Point Pens are introduced
Teflon Introduced
Du Pont announced a name for its new synthetic yarn: "nylon".
The First Nylon Products Toothbrushes are marketed

Snow Day

We had a Snow day this past Monday....waahoooo!! I think we had an impressive 2 inches. School was canceled and my gymnastics class was canceled, so we were set for a day of fun. I decided to put Kate down for her morning nap so I could sled and have a snowball fight with the kids. It was great! Even Mitsy (our foster dog) had a great time playing with us. She liked sledding down the driveway with me. The kids played until they were frozen. We came inside for some hot chocolate, and soon after, Kate woke up. The PLAN was to take her outside later and get some pictures of her in her first snow....However, the afternoon came and the snow melted. :( So, I missed that photo opp. Sorry, Kate.

We went to the store to buy Ethan and Lauren snow pants because it was suppose to snow more that night. But, no more snow yet. Thankfully, I bought the snow pants a size too big...so there is always next year.

Here are some pictures of Ethan and Lauren enjoying themselves in the snow.

Ethan's Snow Angel Ethan and Lauren--First snow in 2008

Mitsy (our foster dog)
snowball fight!!

Big Throw

Snowball right on the head

Three Great Video's

We now have church in the afternoon. It kind of stinks, in my opinion, because Jason is gone ALL morning in meetings and the kids and I get restless waiting for church. We watch all the church videos, color pictures, and wait. It seems like it's an all day process; getting ready for church. Then, by the time it comes, Lauren and Kate need a nap. Sacrament Mtg has turned into an hour of struggle trying to keep the kids happy and quiet, which equates to either Jason and I out in the foyer with one of the kids, or me in the Mother's Lounge.

With that said, yesterday was an exception. We had a good time practicing Ethan's Primary talk. He wanted to do it all by himself, so he wanted to practice reading it at home first. After a few run-throughs, Lauren decided she wanted to give a talk too. She grabbed a puzzle piece (her talk) and stood at our pretend podium. What came out, was her singing "I Am a Child of God". I absolutely LOVE hearing my kids sing. It makes me smile and touches my heart like nothing else. So, I had to take video of her. Then, I HAD to video Ethan's talk as well. And why stop there?....I captured Katie's crawl, too. Her crawl really resembles something like "the worm" break dancing move from the 80's. It's great. She gets around, nonetheless. I hope you enjoy these three videos. Go to the sidebar and pause the music first, so you can hear the kids.

Kate sitting up

Our girl Kate is getting so big. She can sit up all on her own. If she doesn't have any toys close at hand, she goes for the toes. First the left....ummm, yummy.
Now the right, mmmm....mmm...good.
And the sock for dessert.

Bath Time

We love bath time at our house. Well, not everyone. Daddy is afraid of "slippery babies" so he stays clear during bath time. Sometimes, I still wonder if this is just a ploy so he doesn't have to risk getting soaking wet. Anyhow, Katelyn was having so much fun during this bath, I had to snap some pictures of her. I think all the excitement is really over the fact that she can now sit up with no help from me. This is her first bath since this latest development. While on the subject of her latest developments...this has been a busy week. She is not only sitting up with no support, but she is also crawling. For this reason, I am having difficulty finding time to post. She is all over the place discovering her world and loving every bit of it. Katie-bear at 7 1/2 months

Hubby Tag...

Thanks Rebecca...this was fun. I tag Katie, Tiffany, Mimi K., & Kjersten.

What is his name? Jason
How long have you been together? We will be celebrating our 11th anniversary in June. How long did you date? 1- 1/2 years

How old is he? He just turned 38--oh my gosh, that's close to 40!!

Who eats more? Hands down, it's him (unless I'm pregnant). You wouldn't know it by looking at us though. We tie when it comes to eating Ben & Jerry's.

Who said, "I love you" first? Him. I was shocked out of my mind, and giddy as a school girl.

Who is taller? Him.

Who sings better? That's tough...we both sound horrible.

Who is smarter? I have always admired Jason's intelligence. He is a wiz in geography, history, english, political science & foreign affairs and great at so many things. However, when it comes to decorating or dressing or medical issues....not so much.

Who does the laundry? I do, and according to my wonderful husband, "(I) don't do laundry very well". That is one comment he will NEVER live down. I was pregnant with Kate and it slipped out of his mouth one day. After many tears and hours of him back pedaling, I can bring it up as a joke now and then. It's particularly useful when I need a favor. He still feels horrible for saying it.

Who pays the bills? Me

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me

Who mows the lawn? We both do. Jason loves doing it, but rarely has time. So, I will do it if I am outside with the kids and it needs it. It's a great work out.

Who cooks dinner? I do. I am not a great cook though, sadly.

Who drives? He does, unless I am feeling particularly impatient. He is a grandpa driver (hello...he's almost 40)

Who is more stubborn? Well, since I am answering these questions....He is. However, if truth be told, I think it's a tie.

Who kissed who first? He kissed me. We were up in Provo Canyon riding his motorcycles. We took a break in this beautiful meadow and had the "DTR" talk. He explained he'd been having fun hanging out with me and he wanted to be friends, but didn't want to be serious or exclusive, and he wasn't into "casual kissing"...if he kissed a girl it meant he really liked her and would want to be more than friends. We got back on the motorcycle and I drove this time...I went through this huge mud pit and popped a wheely sending him flying off the back into the mud. Since then, he hasn't been able to resist me and he kissed me that night.

Who asked who out first? We had a mutual friend and hung out a lot before we had an official date. He asked me out first and that was to go ride motorcycles.

Who proposed? He did. He had this elaborate plan to dress as a knight, with armour and everything, and ride up on a white horse and propose. However, the horse died a few days before he was to propose. Isn't that hilarious? Thankfully, he didn't take that as a sign and he went to plan B which was to drive up Provo Canyon to this spot that over looked the city. We had a picnic dinner, because he was late getting off work, and in the middle of dinner he said he had to go to the bathroom. He disappeared and came back dressed as my knight in shining armour and proposed.

Who is more sensitive? It's a tie. He isn't afraid to show his emotions publicly, but I am.

Who has more siblings? I do...he's an only child.

Who wears the pants? (Since he will probably read this) HE does. I like to let him think that :)

Ballerina

Lauren just started taking Ballet classes and she LOVES it. It helps that she loves her instructor, Mimi, who is awesome. Yeah for Mimi!! I am so excited for Lauren to be involved in something that she really enjoys and has absolutely nothing to do with her older brother. I hope that doesn't sound bad. I just worry about her being the middle child (thanks to all the stories from my sis, a.k.a "the middle child"). It's nice for Lauren to have something of her own. Plus, I was never involved in dancing as a kid, so it is totally fun for me to see her in her little ballet outfit. I am eating this up. I can't wait for her recital.