Saturday, October 17, 2009

Happy Birthday, Ryan!

Ryan turned four this year, and to celebrate being such a big boy, he planned his whole day himself. First, we went to story time at the Bean Museum. Then Ryan got to choose where we ate our weekly lunch with Nate (El Pollo Loco-"the tortilla place").



Ryan helped plan and decorate his Scooby-Doo cake. He was so excited! We got some Papa John's pizza and then went to Fat Cats for bowling.









We all had a great time, and he's already making plans for next year!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Happy Birthday, Sofie!

It's a couple of days late, but I thought I'd share some highlights from her second birthday.

The kids and I went to Hogle Zoo with Warren, Lindsay, Megan, and Peter. The kids loved the train.






We loved all the baby animals, especially the baby elephant, Zuri. She was adorable and such an entertainer. We also watched baby monkeys, baby cats, baby snow leopard, and the baby giraffe.





The kids also enjoyed the carousel (who doesn't love riding on a tiger or a panda?).





Sofie loved opening her presents and was so excited for each one that she wouldn't pit any down and we had to encourage her to open more. Among her presents was a Minnie Mouse purse with a gigantic lipstick.



Her cake was pink with pink frosting and Disney princesses dancing around a castle.



I love my independent little chatterbox with a heart of gold!

Monday, September 28, 2009

It's Fall!

This is always my favorite season of the year: crunchy colorful leaves, apple and pumpkin pie, crisp breezes, warm sweaters, corn mazes. . .


This year, I'm loving it even more. It's so fun getting ready for the kids' birthdays just a week apart (Sofie wants a pink bunny cake, and Ryan wants an Oreo train).



We've been out enjoying the beautiful weather. This is Ryan on a walk around Cascade Springs. The fall color was wonderful (see the leaves above), but I also loved how his red jacket stood out.



We also took the kids to the Tracy Aviary. Sofie wore this sweater-hoodie and the pigtails to match!

And though I'm still in the middle of making applesauce (with no more mishaps, I hope), I am already pleased with my progress. So here's to a glorious fall!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Harvest

With the summer (and two weeks in California) behind me, I've been learning how to can and use what I've started harvesting. A big shout out to Machelle and her sisters for teaching me the wonders of canned peaches (see below) and to Lindsay for letting me help make applesauce.


I've been gathering tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and the occasional pepper or strawberry. I have also kept some basil, rosemary, and dill alive; there's nothing better than thinking an herb would be perfect and then using a sprig I just cut.

And I just discovered a quince tree hidden behind our roses. I had no idea there was anything there until I cut the roses way back this year and the twigs behind it started producing squat apple-like fruit. Apparently, they were really popular when our house was built. So I'm going to learn how to make quince jelly!

Though many have learned the joys of planting, harvesting, and storing from their own garden, this is a new discovery for me and I'm loving it!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, July 27, 2009

In Memoriam: Arlene Mickelsen Waters 1936-2009

(Thanks to Lauren for the picture.)
My dear Aunt Arlene died yesterday after a short battle with cancer (she was diagnosed just over a month ago). I haven't yet written my post about my anchors in Christ, but Arlene was one of them. She is one of the most wonderful people I have ever known. She had the patience of Job in caring for my grandmother. Her marriage was long, deep, and truly unifying. Her love for her family and for the Savior was evident in everything she did. Nate and I have often said that Arlene and Ted are who we want to be like when we grow up. She blessed us with her hospitality, generosity, care, and devotion.

For her sake, I am glad that she did not have to suffer long and that she has returned to her Savior and loved ones. For myself, I am grateful to have had her in my life, and especially to have gotten to know her much better in the last few years. I will sorely miss her, but I hope to eventually become the kind of person that she was.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

A week in the life

This is our most recent family photo (thanks for all your skill, Dan!).
I posted a lot of pictures in my Facebook album (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=281188&id=593110721&l=0cea2a5525), but I thought I'd also write a short blog about my crazy busy week last week.

Last Saturday, my beautiful niece, Mandy, was baptized.
It was wonderful, and it was such a great opportunity to feel our Savior's love and to remember those things that keep up us anchored in Christ. In addition to all the family meals on Saturday and Sunday, we also took family pictures (including the one above).

Monday, my mom went with me and the kids to Sundance to pick up tickets to the Utah Symphony concert on Friday night. Then we had a picnic lunch at Bridal Veil Falls.
In the evening, we took a FHE to Battle Creek Falls, which was very pleasant.

On Wednesday, we picked Joey, one of the young men from our Phoenix ward, up at the airport and took him to lunch before we dropped him off at the MTC. I loved getting to hear Nate share his mission stories with Joey and see how he has grown and how excited he is to serve a mission.
Thursday, bright and early, I went up to Camp Mia Shalom with a couple of other leaders. We got to Girls' Camp in time for the five mile hike.

We also participated in the humanitarian project and were there for the testimony meeting. I particularly liked the theme of this year's camp: Anchored in Christ (I'm going to post something about it later).

Friday morning the kids woke up in time to see some of the hot air balloons flying. We missed takeoff, but the sleep was necessary.

After a pancake breakfast, we went to Colonial Days and some of the other downtown festivities. Ryan even got to help Grandpa print out a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

That night we went to Sundance for the Utah Symphony. Ryan and Sofie loved the music (what's not to love? Star Wars, The Planets, swing and patriotic music). Ryan's absolute favorite, though,was Beethoven's Fifth. He could even sing a few bars of it (he recognized it from Little Einsteins).

I woke up with a bad sinus infection on the Fourth, so our activities were pretty low key, just hot dogs for dinner and a $7 pack of fireworks.

However, our neighbors down the street were having a huge fireworks program, so we got to enjoy that, and my mom enjoyed the kids watching fireworks so much that she went out and bought a lot of them for the 24th (which is truly a first in the Daynes family).

After a long week like that, I'm exhausted!! But I'm really looking forward to our trip to Cedar City starting tomorrow and Pioneer Day!

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Welcome to the garden!

So after months of planning and weeks of work on the new sprinklers, I finally put my garden in last night. First I started with Klay's truck full of topsoil (Nate won 2 cubic yards of it in a contest). I shoveled most of it out by myself to add to the garden, which looked like this before I started:



Nate helped me put in the drip system, and I was able to plant most of it last night. Ryan helped me plant some seeds in the rain this morning.

I found these beautiful flowers along with some lemon mint that actually survived from last year (this is a real surprise since I thought I killed all the herbs I planted).

Here are the trellises. So far we've planted a few winter squashes, zucchini, crookneck squash, watermelon, pumpkin, sunflowers, spinach, tomatoes, basil, peppers, strawberries, dill, parsley, and summer savory.
I'm still preparing the side and flower gardens with extra soil we have from the project, currently housed under the carport. Great motivation to get it finished. Anyway, I hope to share our bounty later in the season. :D

Friday, June 12, 2009

To Zoo or Not to Zoo


Tuesday the kids and I met Keri and Sadie at the Hogle Zoo. The kids had a great time (my kids were there for five hours!), and we still didn't see everything. It reminded me of a discussion that I had with a coworker once who told me she hated zoos because it is unnatural to keep animals in captivity like that. I've thought a lot about it, and I respectfully disagree.


I mean, I've been to zoos that have made me extremely sad for the animals in chainlink cages and an environment that is totally unsuited for them. However, most of the zoos I have been to have genuinely tried to provide appropriate living conditions, participated in coordinated breeding efforts, and have tried to educate the public not only about the animals themselves but our impact on the world around us.

Because of zoos, my kids love animals and have developed concern for their world. There are other ways to develop that, I know: hiking, camping, etc. I love to spend time outdoors, but the zoo allows them to see the animals up close.

So now we're proud members of the Hogle Zoo, and the kids are really excited for our next trip (me too)!The kids try to show how big they are.

Getting a drink out of the lion's head.

Ryan, Sofia, and Sadie make friends with a little tiger.

Greeting the bald eagle after the World of Flight show. Sofie was fascinated and kept telling the keeper, "That's a bird!"

Sunday, June 7, 2009

I'm still alive and grateful!

So it's been more than six weeks since my last post, so I thought I'd check in and say that despite the atrocious behavior of my kids of late, I have a lot to be thankful for.
  1. We have sprinklers! Thanks to the efforts of a LOT of people (Matt, Dan, Dad, Mom, Ryan at times, and especially Nate, Ben, Warren, and Lindsey), we now have water at the touch of a button. The drip systems for the gardens will follow this week. :D
  2. I have an amazing support system! I am surrounded by family members that love me, friends who lift me up and remind me I'm not insane, and ward members who are there to help.
  3. We are out of debt! I know I've already said it before, but I can't tell you the peace I have not owing other people.
  4. I'm surrounded by amazing mothers! This may sound like #2, but this is something that has meant a lot to me lately. I am inspired by the women who surround me.
  5. I am going to plant my garden this week! Though it's been delayed because of the sprinkler project, I am finally going to get to plant at least some of what I planned this year. And my goal is to have at least 60% of it come up (last year, I got 30%).
  6. I am married to my best friend and my best tether to sanity!
  7. I have kids who usually try to behave and are usually extremely good (at least for other people).
  8. We have a slide! Jen and Klay got a Little Tikes play structure from someone in their neighborhood and brought it over; it makes a HUGE difference when we're outside trying to get something done.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

The Best Nine Years!


Nate and I have been married nine years today! As the years go by, we grow together more and more. So thank you to my best friend, the yang to my yin, the Bert to my Mary Poppins. You are my wailing wall, my consolation, my warm snuggly blanket. And you're my sanity, my everyday vacation, and my favorite pastime.

I'm a much better person for being married to you and can't wait to see what the next nine years bring!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

I'm Thankful For . . .

Nate's patience with me and the kids. Sofia potty training herself (yes, that's right). Ryan deciding to use the potty . . . again. Disneyland!! Getting to see family in Las Vegas (I'd love to see as many of you as I can!) and in California. Traveling with people that I really enjoy. Getting to spend Linda's birthday with her. Grandpa's haircuts. My dad's surgery going well. Water aerobics with Mom. Sofie finally liking child care. Getting to go on the BOM retreat. Singing with the choir. Fabulous spring weather in February. Book club starting again. Oscar parties and actor tributes and Ben Stiller spoofing Joaquin Phoenix. Getting to go through the Draper temple. Ryan trying to make me happy by playing "All Creatures of Our God and King" on the CD player.

Book of Mormon Retreat

Thanks to Nate, I got to go with the Laurels on a retreat last weekend. We went up to the Wildings' property, which is overwhelming in both size and beauty. They were so kind to let us stay up there. A couple of the girls were able to bring their mothers. We ate great food and enjoyed reading the Book of Mormon for hours on end. After 10 hours of hard reading, we were able to get to the beginning of Alma! I appreciated the spiritual discussions and especially being able to see how everything fits together. Below are Whitney, Lauren, and Katie as we read!


Sunday, February 8, 2009

Finally . . .


. . . I think that we've turned the corner. We started trying to potty train Ryan last year in September. He had been showing a lot of signs of being ready: interest, telling me when he was dirty, actually using the potty a few times. Once we started trying to teach him in earnest, however, he seemed to want nothing to do with it. We begged, pleaded, reasoned, cajoled . . . and nothing. We prayed, cried, tore our hair out . . . and still nothing. We took him out for ice cream to celebrate a dry diaper all day . . . and didn't see another one for days.

We promised him a trip to Disneyland when he could go to the potty when he needed to and kept underwear dry for three days. This was back when they had just put out the Halloween decorations. I started getting really excited and thought that he would be more motivated. He talked about Disneyland all the time, but it didn't move things along any faster. Last week, we made plans to go in March before our passports ran out for one last trip despite his potty habits.

But finally this week, with no fanfare and no warning, Ryan started keeping his diaper dry, asking to go to the potty, and going when asked. After three days of dry diapers, he started wearing underwear during the day and keeping them just as dry. So congratulations, Ryan, on taking that next step! I couldn't be more proud or relieved, and I'm fully aware that it had nothing to do with what Nate and I did and everything to do with Ryan's will to do it on his own schedule!

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

A Winter Story

One winter day, Sofie wanted to play out in the deep winter snow,

So out we all went, and some time was spent making a snowman grow.And then for more fun, we walked in the sun,
And Austen read in a chair.
And then they desired to sit by the fire. Oh, what a busy pair!

Monday, February 2, 2009

25 Random Things about Me

This was actually started by several people I know on Facebook, but I thought that I'd also post it here.
  1. I am a Hoosier (or was for the first 12 years of my life). Nothing takes me back like corn on the cob, covered bridges, basketball, or the Indy 500.
  2. I only met both of my grandfathers a couple of times, so I really don't have any clear memories of them, part of the reason I wanted my kids to live close to our parents.
  3. I love the Little House books and wish I could write books similar to those.
  4. One of my life goals is to sing in the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
  5. I love to travel. My favorite places I've been so far include lots of places in SoCal, San Francisco, Washington DC, Mexico City, Victoria, and England.But I'm always up for a trip anywhere.
  6. I taught Mexican women to read one summer in a village, an experience that reminded me how blessed I am and how much we have in common despite large barriers.
  7. I am constantly working on improving my bad temper.
  8. Though I've lived in Utah for 16 years, I have never been downhill skiing (although I'll be remedying that soon).
  9. I love to cross-stitch, but I stopped doing it in middle school and didn't start again until after I got married.
  10. I really enjoy editing things; now if I could just get work again.
  11. I sat on a jury for a capital murder case when I was eight months pregnant with Ryan; it was absolutely fascinating and gut-wrenching.
  12. I am a total list person. I write lists about everything . . . and I find them all over the house, in my car, in my pockets. I lose my lists a lot too, so I end up rewriting them all the time. :D
  13. My jazz piano teacher in high school gave me one of the most helpful exercises I've ever done: she had me write out a list of 100 goals and told me that writing things down is the first step to accomplishing things. I ran across the list ten years later, and I was shocked at how many of them I had actually accomplished.
  14. I love to cook and read cookbooks for fun, though I didn't really start using recipes for anything but cookies until a couple of years ago.
  15. I used to have a CDL and drove tour buses in Juneau one summer.
  16. I have never hiked to the top of Mt. Timpanogos, although I hope to do it in the next summer or two.
  17. I love couponing; between clipping and watching sales, I've started saving a lot of money when I go grocery shopping.
  18. My favorite foods include sushi, stroganoff, soup, salads, and almost anything breakfast related.
  19. Growing up my heroes were Jesus, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr. I have many more heroes now, especially my two moms, who are amazing examples to me.
  20. I attended the 30th anniversary of MLK's March on Washington.
  21. I started reading when I was three, and I've never stopped. I especially love reading mysteries and biographies.
  22. My two kids are full of spitfire and energy, and I wouldn't have it any other way (though it is forcing me to work on my patience a bit).
  23. I am married to my best friend.
  24. I am named after my mom's sister, Elizabeth, who died before I was born.
  25. I am currently the Laurel advisor, which I think is one of the best callings in the world.

A sure-fire way to get out of debt

Thanks, Jandee, for posting this on your blog. These may be the the truest words SNL ever spoke!

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Five courses later . . .


Tonight Nate and I threw a "Fancypants dinner" for some of our friends as a belated Christmas gift. I don't have any pictures (I totally spaced it!), but we went to Mom and Dad Burt's house and brought over our china and silver (we haven't used it in almost six years, so I thought we should break it out again). Mom put together a beautiful centerpiece with angels and candles, and she and Dad did all the serving and plating. They were amazing. Thanks to them and Nate for their help.

I did almost all the cooking and spent the better part of two days doing it. And though it was all eaten within an hour, I enjoyed getting dressed up, leaving the kids at home, and having some great food and adult (and some not-so-adult) conversation. :D Below are the courses:

Appetizer: Poppers (I had avocado and bacon deviled eggs planned, but the eggs ended up not cooked enough . . . so thank you, Nate, for bailing me out).
Soup: Ginger pumpkin (finally got to use the pumpkin that we bought to make Ryan a jack-o-lantern; I really am behind)
Salad: Pear, almond, feta, and bacon on greens with berry vinaigrette
Entree: Chicken Teresa (with a balsamic orange sauce), caramelized onions, mushroom rice pilaf, and broiled zucchini with asiago
Breads: Sourdough wheat and banana
Dessert: Lemon-lime sorbet
Drink: Cranberry mango punch

Thanks to everyone who came and made it a wonderful night!

Food for thought: "Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy. And cooking done with care is an act of love." Craig Clairborne

Need a Laugh?

This is a complaint letter written to millionaire Richard Branson, head of Virgin Airlines, and it is seriously one of the funniest things I've read in a long time. Thanks for sending it to me, Nate. Enjoy!

Dear Mr Branson

REF: Mumbai to Heathrow 7th December 2008

I love the Virgin brand, I really do which is why I continue to use it despite a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years. This latest incident takes the biscuit.

Ironically, by the end of the flight I would have gladly paid over a thousand rupees for a single biscuit following the culinary journey of hell I was subjected to at thehands of your corporation.

Look at this Richard. Just look at it:

I imagine the same questions are racing through your brilliant mind as were racing through mine on that fateful day. What is this? Why have I been given it? What have I done to deserve this? And, which one is the starter, which one is the desert?

You don’t get to a position like yours Richard with anything less than a generous sprinkling of observational power so I KNOW you will have spotted the tomato next to the two yellow shafts of sponge on the left. Yes, it’s next to the sponge shaft without the green paste. That’s got to be the clue hasn’t it. No sane person would serve a desert with a tomato would they. Well answer me this Richard, what sort of animal would serve a desert with peas in:

I know it looks like a baaji but it’s in custard Richard, custard. It must be the pudding. Well you’ll be fascinated to hear that it wasn't custard. It was a sour gel with a clear oil on top. It’s only redeeming feature was that it managed to be so alien to my palette that it took away the taste of the curry emanating from our miscellaneous central cuboid of beige matter. Perhaps the meal on the left might be the desert after all.

Anyway, this is all irrelevant at the moment. I was raised strictly but neatly by my parents and if they knew I had started desert before the main course, a sponge shaft would be the least of my worries. So lets peel back the tin-foil on the main dish and see what’s on offer.

I’ll try and explain how this felt. Imagine being a twelve year old boy Richard. Now imagine it’s Christmas morning and you’re sat their with your final present to open. It’s a big one, and you know what it is. It’s that Goodmans stereo you picked out the catalogue and wrote to Santa about.

Only you open the present and it’s not in there. It’s your hamster Richard. It’s your hamster in the box and it’s not breathing. That’s how I felt when I peeled back the foil and saw this:

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking it’s more of that Baaji custard. I admit I thought the same too, but no. It’s mustard Richard. MUSTARD. More mustard than any man could consume in a month. On the left we have a piece of broccoli and some peppers in a brown glue-like oil and on the right the chef had prepared some mashed potato. The potato masher had obviously broken and so it was decided the next best thing would be to pass the potatoes through the digestive tract of a bird.

Once it was regurgitated it was clearly then blended and mixed with a bit of mustard. Everybody likes a bit of mustard Richard.

By now I was actually starting to feel a little hypoglycaemic. I needed a sugar hit. Luckily there was a small cookie provided. It had caught my eye earlier due to it’s baffling presentation:

It appears to be in an evidence bag from the scene of a crime. A CRIME AGAINST BLOODY COOKING. Either that or some sort of back-street underground cookie, purchased off a gun-toting maniac high on his own supply of yeast. You certainly wouldn’t want to be caught carrying one of these through customs. Imagine biting into a piece of brass Richard. That would be softer on the teeth than the specimen above.

I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was relax but obviously I had to sit with that mess in front of me for half an hour. I swear the sponge shafts moved at one point.

Once cleared, I decided to relax with a bit of your world-famous onboard entertainment. I switched it on:

I apologise for the quality of the photo, it’s just it was incredibly hard to capture Boris Johnson’s face through the flickering white lines running up and down the screen. Perhaps it would be better on another channel:

Is that Ray Liotta? A question I found myself asking over and over again throughout the gruelling half-hour I attempted to watch the film like this. After that I switched off. I’d had enough. I was the hungriest I’d been in my adult life and I had a splitting headache from squinting at a crackling screen.

My only option was to simply stare at the seat in front and wait for either food, or sleep. Neither came for an incredibly long time. But when it did it surpassed my wildest expectations:

Yes! It’s another crime-scene cookie. Only this time you dunk it in the white stuff.

Richard…. What is that white stuff? It looked like it was going to be yoghurt. It finally dawned on me what it was after staring at it. It was a mixture between the Baaji custard and the Mustard sauce. It reminded me of my first week at university. I had overheard that you could make a drink by mixing vodka and refreshers. I lied to my new friends and told them I’d done it loads of times. When I attempted to make the drink in a big bowl it formed a cheese Richard, a cheese. That cheese looked a lot like your baaji-mustard.

So that was that Richard. I didn’t eat a bloody thing. My only question is: How can you live like this? I can’t imagine what dinner round your house is like, it must be like something out of a nature documentary.

As I said at the start I love your brand, I really do. It’s just a shame such a simple thing could bring it crashing to it’s knees and begging for sustenance.

Yours Sincerely,

XXXX