College Life

Jillian is handling College Life like a pro...she's walking miles lugging her backpack and computer. She's navigated the "system" and purchased books and a parking pass...she's navigated the "other system" and gone to church and FHE. She's trying hard to stick to her budget and is eating lots of cereal and carrots : ) I love her so much and I'm so proud of her!
Here is a picture of her opening her new Dell Laptop that she got for her graduation present/going away to college present! It's bigger, faster, stronger, better than mine...which is how it should be, right? EVERY SINGLE GIRL IN HER DORM has a laptop. What the heck? We thought this was a luxury? Apparently, according to her, the auditoriums are full of students with laptops on their laps taking notes.

She had to purchase a $40 stick that looks like a Wii control...this is how they take tests now. Like the audience on America's Funniest Home Videos when they all pick up the little control and cast their vote.
Ummm, when I went to college, we used PENCILS and PAPER. We registered by standing in line on campus and actually had physical "add" and "drop" cards that we handed to an actual human being. We took tests in pen in a "blue book." Yeah, and Betty Rubble and Wilma Flintstone were my neighbors.

She's gone, she's gone...oh I...oh I...I'd better learn how to face it...

First of all, can you name that song and the artist? AND the year??

We left Jillian in Logan today. Here is our day in pictures:








I don't really have any words right now...I'm searching. But this was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I'm so excited for her though. She. Is. Going. To. Shine:)

First Day of School

I am so retarded. I thought I uploaded these pictures in the order that I took them...but no. The exact opposite.
Anyway. 1st Grade, 9th Grade and 11th Grade! Whoo hoo :) And no, I'm not favoring Grace by her having more pictures...the boys won't LET me go to school with THEM and take pictures of them sitting in their desks, on the bus, eating lunch. Sheesh. What killjoys.

In Which the Thing under the Bed Grabs Your Ankles

Do you remember that first moment when it occurred to you that something under the bed might grab your ankles if you got off? So you'd gear up, and LEAP as far off and away from the bed as you could and RUN!
Well. I watched this moment happen to my sweet innocent little baby Grace last week. I actually watched as this tiny piece of innocence fell away, and terror took it's place. Here's what happened.




I was watching CNN on my bed and she came into the room right at the exact moment they flashed THIS picture on the screen. She looked. And it was over. I hurried and changed the channel, but the damage was done. She jumped up on the bed, looked at me in horror, happened to hear them say "Montauk Monster." I tried to explain that it wasn't real, talked quickly about seals and manatees...the ocean is REALLY far away from us etc...
Well, who could've predicted that the word "manatee" would sound similar to "montauk monster" to her? It all happened so fast. So now she's crying and shaking and saying "don't say that word! don't say that word!"
Of course, here is when the boys come in the room. I'm beginning to get the giggles, which isn't good. They quickly size up the situation. Ryan tries to get her to go into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed (she was supposed to be brushing her teeth when the incident happened.) She's folding into herself, REFUSING to step foot off of the bed. Her arms are clutched tightly around herself, he cannot pry them open. She's crying more and more hysterically. I'm explaining to them what she saw, without saying any of the forbidden words, but of course when Tyler realized the word "manatee" is somehow involved, he's beside himself with joy.
Ry finally gets her on his back to go into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She's standing on top of the toilet with her arms still clutched to her sides when Tyler feels the moment is right to break out in the Veggie Tales song "Barbara Manatee...you are the one for me..."
Oh the humanity. Toothpaste and tears are mingling together on her face while she breaks out into even more hysterical, gut-wrenching wailing. Ryan and I finally have completely lost it, and are laughing so hard we can't breathe. Unfortunately, everything we've tried to say to fix it has just backfired, (would YOU appreciate and believe someone who is doubled over laughing?) and Grace is getting more and more upset.
We finally get her back on my bed, I wrap her in her blanket and snuggle her on my lap. She's still folded in on herself, and every bit of her little body is clenched under her blanket with my arms and legs around her so nothing can get her.
Ryan breaks out the computer to show her a map of the USA, where the ocean is, where Utah is, how far away the montauk monster, or any manatees might be. She condescends to peek out of her blanket and the fingers clutched around her face to look. It's not helping. Now she won't even get on his back to leave the bed and go to her own room to go to sleep.
I had a snuggly little bed partner that night.
And she is now really adept at jumping on the bed, and leaping off of it all the while protecting her ankles.

5K

Tyler and I walked/ran a 5K this morning! Ty actually came in 2nd in his age group and got a medal...and he even was stopped along the way by some of his friends in a car who were coming back from a Krispy Kreme run. He chatted with them, ate a donut and then continued on his run.
I WALKED, but finished! A year ago I would have never dreamed of doing something like this. But now I have the t-shirt to prove it!

Tag! I'm It

I've been tagged by Lilian, so here goes:

4 Places I visit frequently
1. WalMart
2. Cafe Rio (but I got sick on this last night and I'm SO done with Cafe now!)
3. my laundry room
4. the State of Denial

4 People who call/Text/Email me regularly
1. Andrew
2. Jillian
3. Ryan
4. 6 people from Renaissance Academy

4 favorite Foods
1. strawberries
2. chicken tostada salad from Cafe (but never again...see above)
3. Kashi dark chocolate chunk cookies
4. chips and salsa (any kind)

4 Places I'd rather be
1. home (I'm there now, but it's where I want to be ;)
2. Ireland (I'm desperate to go there)
3. Disneyland (never taken the kids..I'm desperate to go here too!)
4. Washington D.C. (we've been here! But I love it)

4 Movies I'd watch over and over
1. Pride and Prejudice (BBC version OR Hollywood version)
2. Sense and Sensibility (love Emma Thompson!)
3. Steel Magnolias
4. Rat Race (pee my pants laughing every time)

4 Bands/Groups I like to listen to...
1. The Geoff Show on Virgin Radio
2. Sara McLaughlin
3. anything on Broadway
4. Keith Urban

The 4 People I am tagging are....
1. Joy
2. Jana
3. Angie
4. Jillian

And here is another one from Lilian that is cute, but was VERY hard!
scattegories...
use the first letter of your name to answer the following. they have to be real places, things, names...nothing made up! try to use different answers if the person who tagged you had the same first initial. you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.

what is your name? Karalee
4 letter word: Kind
vehicle: Reliant K (we actually had one of these)
tv show: @#$&'s Kitchen
city: Kalamazoo
boy name: Kyle
girl name: Kaitlin (I wanted to name my first child this, but alas "katie ditty" is so wrong.
occupation: King
something you wear: kilt
food: Kashi
something found in a bathroom: Kaopectate
reason for being late: kegel exercises
something you shout: "Karma!"

You'd Think We'd Have Figured It Out By Now

Jill overheard Grace talking to her friend the other day. Here is the conversation:
Friend "My baby sister had to have shots today."
Grace "Ohhh...that's sad! Is she ok?"
Friend "yeah."
Grace "I remember when I had to have my Kindergarten shots. I tried really hard not to cry. You know, I thought that those shots were going to make school easier. It didn't work."
Jill is trying her hardest not to burst out laughing at the disillusioned resignation in Grace's little voice. But she had tons of fun relating the story to me. "What the heck, mom? Didn't you explain it to her?"
I don't know. You'd think by the 4th kid I would have a clue about things. Just yesterday, I ask Grace if she wants cheese on her sandwich, and she said "Yuck! No! Cheese is made out of cows!" (Jill happened to be in the room then too...oh the eye rolling!) I told her, no it was made out of cows MILK, exactly what she eats with her cereal...and like the milk we shook to make butter a few weeks ago. Some milk is for cereal, some gets made into cheese, some into butter. "Ohhhhh!" she says.
Now this child is not dim. She's actually quite smart. But perhaps her mother just isn't doing a good job relating the world and her place in it to her!!!???? You'd Think We'd Have Figured It Out By Now.

Roller Coaster!

Grace has been begging to go to LibertyLand, a new "theme park" here in Lehi. It's $16.50 for an all day pass, which times our family is just too expensive. So we haven't gone.
Last night the older kids went to a concert, so I saw my opportunity to make her dreams come true. Andrew and I took her, did the miniature golfing thing and then I bought enough tickets for one ride. There are bumper boats, a little airplane ride, go-carts, a "tidal-wave" boat, a miniature "rocket" like Lagoon has, and a roller coaster. She picked the roller coaster. Oh boy. I haven't been on a roller coaster for, oh, at least 25 years.
We watched it go around a couple of times so she could see what to expect. It's such a small ride, with barely any turns or twists they don't even really strap you in. We got on. I kept trying to explain to her what was going to happen, and made sure she knew once we were on, there was no getting off!
It started up, and 2 seconds in the first TINY turn comes...she starts freaking out "I want to get off I want to get off!" I put my arm around her to try to stabilize her as best as I could, but I could not stop laughing. I'm laughing, holding on to her, and saying "whoo..isn't this fun?" It went around 3 times. Stopped. She hopped off, and said "This is the best day of my life! That was so much fun!"
Andrew was freaked out. He said the look on her face was unbelievable...
She can't wait to tell the boys that she actually did it. Yay Gracie!