Walsh Wrap-Up

Family Pictures and Concerts

2011-02-11T16:27:00.000-06:00

It always seems like less of a hassle, and less expensive, to do our own pictures to send out with a Christmas card. But, seriously, it's practically impossible to get all five kids looking in the same direction and smiling. Maybe some day I'll learn my lesson...

Aidan was a stinker...no smile, or totally goofy.

Notice Ellie's newest trick...cross eyed, she was doing it in at least a quarter of the pictures.

Maybe if we swap the little brother for the dog?

We could always get Liam back from the upset crying by singing Pat-a-Cake...so he's clapping in most pictures.

Enough is enough. We took at least 100 pictures, and none of them were very great. Ho-hum.

Ellie's Christmas Concert was cute, as you might imagine a Preschool Christmas concert would be.

At the end of the program she noticed how soft her friend's dress was, and wouldn't keep her hands off.

Colin's winter concert

Aidan's, too.

Liam's 1st Birthday

2011-01-27T14:19:00.000-06:00

Liam turned 1 on Dec 11th. The year has FLOWN by!!!! We had a fun family party, and even Oma was there to celebrate with us. Please excuse Liam's sore, red runny nose...he's almost always suffering from a cold this winter. Poor little guy.

Ellie and I call Liam "Chunky Monkey", so I thought this cake was be perfect. It didn't turn out as cute as I had hoped. Oh well. It was fun to make a big and a small one.

More pics

2011-01-25T14:15:00.000-06:00

Liam went through a stage when he put everything on his head. Kinda cute.

I can't keep my kitchen clean....

Ellie and Colin thought Liam was onto a great idea.

Family Movie Night welcomes Liam

Picture Catch-Up

2011-01-22T13:40:00.000-06:00

Time flies when you're havin' fun...

Here are some pics of what we've been up to the last few months. I hope to get caught up in the next few days, so keep checking back. :)

Ellie had her first preschool field trip to a fire station.

On the field trip I found out the fire station was having an open house on Saturday, so we went back with the brothers.

Ellie tried on her dance costume (Is it just me? I think $75 dollars for a costume, plus you have to pay for tickets to go to the recital....for a 4 year old who may very well freak out and not want to do it when the day comes, it just doesn't seem right. So, we don't do all the costume, pictures, recitals, etc. She enjoys dance class, and doesn't even know about the stuff. Maybe next year, or the year after that....)

Snaggletooth Cade

Girl after my own heart...sleeping with her favorite (that day) handbag.

Cutie Liam

Halloween

Tom was out of town on Halloween, so I enlisted the help of one of our babysitters for trick or treating...I think she was pretty excited to have an excuse to go too. (Notice how non-freezing it is, yeah!)

I just have to mention my Halloween miracle. First off, I really hate Halloween, it's such a waste of money/time for the costumes and then all the blasted candy just drives me crazy. So I asked everyone what they wanted to be for Halloween this year. I was so glad Aidan wanted to repeat his Army man costume-I even had the camo make up from last year still. I started looking online for the other costumes. I bid on a bunch of Harry Potter and unicorn costumes on eBay...I'm so glad I didn't win though (because I always bid more than I really want to pay because I just want to WIN). SO, once I gave up hope on eBay, I started looking for no sew homemade costumes. On my way to JoAnn's to get some felt for a cheesy looking unicorn costume I had found, I decided to stop in at Saver's, which is next to JoAnn's and had a huge HALLOWEEN sign posted. I thought I'd just check it out real quick. JACKPOT! I found everyone's costumes for less than $10 each...Harry Potter and Dracula were new with tags even. The unicorn costume I had bid $20+ was just $6, it needed some cleaning, but that's okay. I was one happy momma!

Awesome Autumn

2010-10-28T13:55:00.000-05:00

This year we've had an unusually warm Fall - and it has been sooooooo great!!!!!

Unfortunately, I think we are back to normal, and we'll quickly spiral down to the long, cold winter that is Minnesota. But, I am so grateful for the awesome weather we have enjoyed this year...makes me want to move back to CO. :) Lot's of sun, warmth, and colors. Here are some pictures we took at the playground in early October.

Ellie's getting so big and brave now.

Always a gun....

Another swing lover

What a monkey

I'm hoping that the photographer stopped this progression of photos to tell Colin NOT to eat the candy he found on the playground.

Cute little Liam, loves being with the big kids.

This fall I've discovered something I love - kite flying!

We've been very successful with this Blue Angels kite.

Uh-oh, good thing Daddy is there to save the day!

Back to School 2010

2010-09-21T22:13:00.000-05:00

Aidan and Colin go to a school on a year round schedule, so they started school in mid-August this year.

Old pro. Aidan's in 4th grade this year.

Colin, an excited Kindergartener!

Cade and Ellie started after Labor Day. I'm really hoping we can get all three boys into the same school sometime this year. Cade's been on the waiting list for almost 2 years now. It will be nice to just be running to one school.

Cade's in 2nd grade.

Ellie just started preschool last week, and she LOVES it.

We made some fun Back to School cupcakes. I think they turned out cute, and they were pretty easy.

With kiddos back to school, it's just Liam and me for a couple hours....ahhhh!

Summer Shenanigans

2010-09-20T13:51:00.000-05:00

Just some random pics of summer fun....

Boys

Aidan's first concert.

MN Zoo with friends

Goofy kids. And, when one does something, they all must try it...

Lots of lego work was done this summer.

Como Zoo with more friends.

Tom is a Scoutmaster, so he was off to Scout Camp for a week. And, my fellow Girl's Campers, judging from the pictures, Girls Camp is a sorry comparison. Scouts get to do lots of fun stuff...we do hikes and skits. I mean, it was fun, and I have great memories, but seriously, how unequal!

Historic Fort Snelling

And, as a final hurrah to summer, the amusement park at the Mall of America on Labor Day.

Too little, too late

2010-09-19T15:55:00.004-05:00

So, let me just get these other pictures taken care of, then we can move on with life. Like I said before, I left the camera at home during our big summer adventure, so I just have a couple pics from my phone. (Which I dropped while taking pool pictures-luckily not in the water, but on the cement. So it works, but has a crack down the screen...my souvenir, I guess.)

Huggin' a tree

Ellie and Cade completed their Jr. Ranger workbooks.

Off to visit a gold mine.

About all the excitement during our drive across eastern WY.

All we did at my parent's house....SWIM! It was awesome! Hopefully there was no permanent skin damage. We sunblocked alot, but whenever the kids popped there heads out of the water they wiped their eyes, or rubbed the sunblock off pulling goggles on and off. So, the cheeks got pretty pink.

Cade perfected his diving skills.

Colin stressed me out by doing these weird jumps with his head coming too close to hitting the board.

Aidan impressed us with his flips.

Ellie was most improved, from clinging on to my neck the first day, to actually swimming by the time we left. Yea for Oma swim lessons!

Liam did great in the water! He loved Oma's poolside swing, especially for naptime.

The goal every day-wear those kids out!

After about a week and a half, the kids and I headed over the mountains to CO to meet Tom, for his sister's wedding. Doing the drive by myself was a lot harder than I expected, especially when I ran into a horrible storms in the mountains. It was sooooo scary!!! But, alas we made it and had a great time with Tom's family (no pics, though).

We are a fully loaded minivan!

It was a terrific, low-key summer vacation!

I've got to do better with my picture taking though. Ho-hum. I am so turning into my mother.

Road Trip!

2010-08-13T15:20:00.000-05:00

So, I think the only thing I forgot on our road trip was the camera. What a bummer! I took a few pics with my iphone. Otherwise, the trip will just have to live on in our hearts....

My mom was nice/brave enough to fly out to MN, help me paint two kids' rooms, hop in the car and drive to Utah. Actually, the drive wasn't too bad. We broke it up with a day at Mt. Rushmore. By the time we drove into Alpine, UT, we were all ready to be done with the car for a while!

Walsh Kids at Wall Drug...I've always wanted to stop there.

These nerdy-looking boys were wearing matching t shirts that read, "Internet was down so I thought I'd come outside today." And, they didn't mind me taking their picture...he-he-he.

Okay, for some reason, it won't let me upload my other pics...so, that's all you get for now. At least I got rid of that Twilight post.

I'm not a crazy Twilight fan, I promise.

2010-07-02T16:47:00.001-05:00

I will admit, they were some of my favorite summer reads when I read the series two years ago-lounging by my mom's pool. Perfect. I was a pretty big fan of sappy love stories when I was a teenager, so it wasn't too far of a leap for me to enjoy these books. I liked the original story line. Just a fun read. I think the movies are HORRIBLE, though. Maybe I liked the books because I could edit some of the over the top sappiness, and imagined the vampires less vampire-ish than portrayed in the films. That first movie was the worst! The movies do seem to be getting progressively better, so that's good.

A few weeks ago a friend of mine said she was taking her daughter to the midnight showing of the latest Twilight installment, Eclipse. She was getting a group together to go and asked me if I wanted in. Sure. I don't think I've ever done a midnight showing. I think we ended up with more moms than daughters going. She asked me to pick up the tickets last weekend. I realized as I was driving to the theater that I would totally look like one of those weirdo middle-aged fans. So I tried my best to play it cool as I bought the tickets, and nonchalantly ask if they were for the big theater. :) Tuesday night was the big night. I was definitely on the old end of the age spectrum in the theater. It was a lot of fun though. It was just fun hanging with some of my girl friends, and fun to watch and listen to all the giddy teens around us before the movie started. (We got there about an hour and a half early, and still couldn't get enough seats together for our group.) So, the movie started, and I thought it was pretty good, actually. I kind of want to see it again, to decide if I actually liked it, or if it was just the excitement of the evening...or maybe the gallon of Diet Pepsi coursing through my veins.

After the movie we headed to Perkins, which ended up being VERY slow. So, I didn't get home until about 4am. Crazy, huh? Super fun. The late night didn't really catch up with me until Wednesday evening.

So, all in all, I had a blast. I've been hesitant to share my adventure, for fear of being judged as a crazy twilight fan (have you seen the Burger King commercials?). It wasn't the love of Twilight, Edward or Jacob that made it such a great night. It was the fun adventure with some great friends. Thanks, ladies! What's our next midnight movie?

Food for Thought

2010-06-29T11:49:00.000-05:00

A couple weeks ago we started Liam on "solid food". He was greatly anticipating it...

But, alas, rice cereal is totally disgusting.

You would think he would just gobble food up, given his chunkiness, but he's not too thrilled about it. I guess we'll try some sweet treat, like apples, I bet he'll go for that.

Ironically, the next photo on the camera was taken of Colin's stash drawer. He was SUPER upset when his brothers found this and turned him in. Totally gross, huh?

I'm kind of concerned, I don't think this food hoarding is normal...

Aidan is 9!

2010-06-21T13:03:00.000-05:00

Aidan turned 9 on June 7th. Here are some pics of his celebrations:

We opened gifts.

Candy, always exciting.

We just bought a fire pit, so Aidan chose to have s'mores for his birthday treat.

Cade has the reputation in our family for being the messiest eater, and definitely kept it up with ooey gooey giant marshmallows.

Miss Elle wasn't too into the s'mores.

Then, it was off to a Twins game at the new Target Field.

Aidan got to bring 3 of his best buddies, too.

Tom said it was practically impossible to get a picture of all four boys looking, and no bunny ears. Ahhh, boys. He also said it was pretty fun bringing four enthusiastic boys to the game-lots of cheering, high hopes of catching a homerun ball (they brought gloves, just in case), and everyone around was giving them high fives, knuckle bumps, etc. There's just something about boys and baseball. I'm so glad the rain held out and that they all had fun.

One happy 9 year old!

We love you Aidan!!! So glad you are part of our family!

SCISSORS!!!

2010-06-07T18:04:00.000-05:00

(All of the following pictures were taken with my iphone-so the quality is not great.)

This is Ellie on Thursday at Colin's last day of school ice cream party. Notice the hair. It was getting long, so I asked her if she wanted to grow it out and have long hair. She said she wanted it short. Okay. She's pretty grumpy with her hair lately-lots of tears when we comb it and she is picky about letting my do her hair and put bows in it (so sad for me). Plus, she's been getting lots of food in her hair-yuck.

I asked her if she wanted to go to mom's hair lady or to Kids Hair. She said she wanted to go to the mom place. So, I set up her appointment at a 'real' salon, and she got her haircut on Friday. It was cute. She ended up with a pretty short bob...a total mini me cut. :) I don't have a picture, but it was cute-and well done, especially in the back, which has proven challenging for the Kid's Hair people.

You all know where this is going....

Today I was upstairs with Liam, I thought Ellie was watching a movie with her brothers. When I came downstairs I saw lots of little piles of cut paper-you know, just those sliver cuts, a tell-tale sign of preschool cutting. Uh-oh. Where's Ellie? "Ellie where are you? Are you doing something naughty?", I called. "Coming, Mom", she says as she hops down the stairs with a big grin. "Aaaaaccckkk! Ellie! What did you do!?! You cut your hair!!!"

I know it's not THAT bad. My friend, Brenda, has school pictures, if I recall correctly, of the bangs she cut down to the roots as little girl. I think Ellie was just sitting with the scissors and cutting where she could see her hair. I guess one good thing is that we won't have food in the hair anymore...it's too short to fall forward and get in her mouth.

So, off we go to the "Hair Store" with much discussion about how only the ladies at the hair store cut hair. This is the second time she's done serious hair damage with the scissors (which I keep out o sight and hidden-in fact the only pairs I know of are two kiddie scissors in the kitchen cupboard). Of course the last cut just recently grew out. So, here we go again....

Off to get it fixed. They just charged me $5 for a recut, and my hair girl wasn't there, so we had to have someone new. Ellie was super chatty...informed the ladies that mom said she looked like a boy, mom was so mad, etc.

Here is the fix. Her bangs now start at the back of her head, eventually as things grow and blend we can comb it over to the side again.

I still love her, but the hair just makes me sad.

Nail Salon

2010-05-27T19:13:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm working on being technologically savvy. I tried to post this in my last blog, but all I could get was the link, and then I couldn't make it stand out. Anyway, I guess I figured it out...not really sure what I did differently, but here it is. It's old-I think my sister sent it to me a few years ago. It's one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Wedding Weekend

2010-05-25T10:28:00.004-05:00

My little brother, AJ, got married last weekend. Liam, Tom and I got to fly out for the festivities. It was a quick trip. I did a lousy job taking pictures. I brought my camera, but didn't actually use it. I just used my camera phone to catch some pics for my sister Whitney. She couldn't be there because she was back in DC going into labor! (Welcome Baby Matthew, born 5/24.) I had an awesome weekend, so I'd like to recount it here. Sorry for so few pics, I need to be better at remembering that while I don't scrapbook, I do blog, so I need to take pictures.

We left the kids at noon on Thursday with a capable babysitter, who would tag team with her sister for the weekend babysit. We made a pitstop at the outlets and had lunch.

I was looking for some crocs for the kids, Ellie particularly. Crocs are my favorite summer kid footwear. They offer toe protection sandals don't give. Tom accuses me of ruining our boys' running abilities because they spend so much time in crocs that you have to 'hold on to' as you run. Oh well. They're easy. The first time I went to the croc outlet I scored 6 pairs of crocs for $30 total. It was awesome. Unfortunately, I've never been able to repeat that success, and on Thursday I totally struck out. Bummer. I thought I might check out Hanna Andersson, but was disappointed to find that store closed.

Luckily, The Children's Place saved the day. I was able to pick up a few things for the kids. I wish we had one of these in our mall.

Off to a fine dining experience...

I love Culver's. I am the kind of girl that can appreciate a good burger and fries. Culver's butterburger and crinkle cut fries are my favorite, not to mention the delicious custard. Their root beer is great, too.

Mmmmm.

Okay, then off to airport. Our flight was delayed, so we were worried about making our connection in Denver. But, when we got to Denver we found out our next flight had been delayed 2 hours. I have to admit, getting stuck in the airport isn't so bad when you are with a buddy. We finished our movie, got a bite to eat. No big deal-except it did put us into Salt Lake pretty late.

Okay, this post is way too detailed....let me speed it up.

We had a great time hanging with family, stayed up talking til 1am every night. My trip highlights:

Friday:

Mani/pedi with my mom and sis-in-law. It was Rhiannon's first ever, so it was fun experiencing it with her. :) I spent more time with my SIL this weekend than I think I ever have before, and it was so good!!! I had lots of fun with you, Rhiannon, and this is for you (and anyone else who's had nails done in a salon filled with Asian nail technicians) Nail Salon.

Meeting my BFF, Brenda, for lunch at Cafe Rio (mmmmm) and meeting the girls she is in the process of adopting. Those girls are so lucky to have you, Brenda! And, vice versa, huh? :) It was also fun to help Brenda overcome her frugal ways and spend $ at Ikea.

Dinner with family without chasing kids. Although, we did have to ride in the backseat while my dad drove the winding road to Heber. He's got this stop and go style that makes you want to puke. I think it's harder on the inlaws, 'cause they weren't raised with it.

Saturday:

Long day. And, we weren't even the principle players. It was Tom's first experience with a stereotypical LDS wedding...temple sealing followed by pictures followed by luncheon, complete with program, followed by reception prep followed by more pictures followed by reception. The last two weddings were way more casual. Tom and I spent most of the dsy talking about what we would and would not like for Ellie's wedding. :)

The reception was at my parents' house. The weather was pretty chilly, so most of the day was spent in debate about what to set up inside/outside. Luckily the weather held, it was chilly, but not real rainy-they ended up with a couple of inches of snow on Monday. Ah, spring weather.

Just Married. They got married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. It was funny-just as AJ and Christina came out some fighter jets flew over head, so we were all turned the other way to see the planes, instead of cheering for them as they came out the doors.

This was the table at the entryway.

They ended up putting the cake there instead.

Food was good.

Eclairs were so yummy! I need to learn how to make these.

My nephew, Reed, with a mouthful of crackers. What a cutie. Love his blonde hair and alphabet prowess.

My dad in a tux. He really hates formal wear-he probably would've given Christina some serious cash as a payoff to not dress up. Oh well, Dad. Looked good. (Notice one of the four rented heaters in the background.)

One of my favorite parts of the reception was the music-originally planned to be outside, ended up in the loft area. It sounded great, was out of the way, and reminded me of the good ol' days of music balconies. Pretty cool, and totally unplanned.

Oh, it was also super fun to rifle through the wedding gifts with Rhiannon after all the guests had left. (I had flashbacks of Christmas Eve sneaks of years gone by.) Totally tacky, but totally fun.

Sunday:

Off to the airport, where we ran into the newlyweds. It was fun, and only slightly awkward, to share breakfast with them. Hope they have a fun, and safe, time in Mexico. Christina seems nice, I look forward to getting to know her better.

Liam was an awesome flyer! Slept on every flight. It was fun to just be parents of one for the weekend. He missed his bros and sis, though. They can get the best smiles and giggles from him. :)

Came home to happy kids, clean house, dinner in crockpot, and laundry cleaned...awesome babysitters!!!

What a great weekend! The worst part of a great trip is getting back to reality....

Blog Surfing

2010-05-13T13:32:00.001-05:00

So, I just wasted a significant amount of time checking out friends' of friends blogs. What can I say....anything to avoid housework! Do you ever check out strangers' blogs? Kinda nosy, and the reason people block their bogs, I guess. It's amazing how many people are out there-and I don't know any of them. Lots of seemingly cool people with really cute kids.

Perhaps this hasn't been a total waste of time...I have decided we need a nice family picture, and I need to learn how to take better pictures of my own darling kiddos. Any ideas on how/where I can learn some basic digital photography tips?

Okay, time to get to work.

Munsinger Gardens

2010-05-11T19:00:00.000-05:00

Munsinger-Clemens Gardens is about a mile or two from our house, right on the Mississippi River. It's one of our favorite places to go in the Spring and Summer. This is our first trip this year, in time to catch the tulips.

I let all the kids choose their own pretty picture spot and pose:

Chunky Monkey

2010-04-23T17:09:00.000-05:00

I've been needing to post an update on Liam, but haven't taken any pictures to go along with it. (What can I say...he's the fifth child.) So, here, I busted out the camera and took a few-not that he was particularly happy and ready to bring out the Gerber baby attitude. Nonetheless, it is a pretty good representation of life with Liam right now.

Oh, and here are his stats from his checkup about two weeks ago:

Liam, 4mos

20lbs, 11oz (100%)

28 1/4 in (100%)

head: 43 1/4cm (78%)

He is a fat baby! I love fat babies! His family nickname is Chunky Monkey. Sometimes I call him Chunk-a, Chunk-a. It's funny to hear Ellie playing with her dolls, saying 'Who's a chunk-a chunk-a?' Tom has told me we better not allow that name to last too long-it might scar him for life. None of our baby nicknames have lasted beyond the baby years, so I'm not too worried. FYI, Aidan=Chubby Bubba, Cade=Cutie, Cutie Cade-e aka Tootie, Tootie, Tade-e (big bro couldn't make the 'c' sound, cute either way), Colin=Boodgie, Boodgie, Boo or, just The Boodge, Ellie=Sweet pea and Baby Gurl

Binky Boy

(Ah, yes, we've created another little binky monster. I have friends that tell me their babies never would take a pacifier-I don't think any baby really wants to have the bink, but there must be an art to keeping in their screaming little mouths that helps them learn this is a good thing. That, or just desperate parents...you will take this, trust me, you'll like it.)

This picture is one of those that doesn't tell the real story, but it's a cute pic. (He was fussy and Ellie was tapping his face, which distracted him, so actually she was trying to help him...this is the before rather than the after picture. But, I think it's funny cuz it looks like he just got poked.)

It's pathetic how much I rely on the swing. It broke last week, and I had to have Ellie give him little pushes, just so I could get the dishes done. She's a good little helper, and loves to make Liam giggle and smile. (I can't tell you how grateful I was when Tom was able to perform a miracle-he fixed it.)

Liam has just started "playing" with toys. Everything into the mouth...and I was worried about germs before.

He's so cute, and growing and changing so fast!

Grumpy Bug

2010-04-19T09:54:00.001-05:00

Several years ago Nickelodeon played a little short, from a book, entitled "The Grumpy Bug". I am feeling like a grumpy bug today. Here's why: (and please don't feel obligate to read this post, it's really just whining)

1. Fussy baby. Maybe he's having a grumpy bug day, too. Or, maybe he's getting sick. Or, maybe it's gas. Who knows? I wish he could just tell me.

2. Lack of sleep. I've gotten into this horrible schedule...feed Liam, put kids to bed, put Liam to bed, take some time for me (usually spend vegging in front of the TV). The time for me goes way too late though. I am so tired, and I know I should go to bed, but it seems like as soon as I go to sleep Liam will wake up to nurse. So, I just stay up which means I don't go to bed until after midnight!?! That's crazy, especially since I have to get up and going by 6:45 at the absolute latest (and don't forget a feeding in there, and Liam usually wakes up around 6-sometimes goes back to sleep sometimes not). I'm perma-tired.

3. Uncoordinated morning schedule with my husband. I'm starting many more days grumpy the past few weeks since we've been doing family scripture study in the morning instead of the evening (when patience is at a premium and just can't last through scriptures, baths, teeth, pjs, bed). This seems like the opposite should be happening, and it's true-starting the day with scriptures is great, however, it is the race to the shower that's frustrating. For example, today - I ended up having to go without shower, got myself all ready, went downstairs and Tom said he would take the kids to school...great, but had I known I had more time I would have taken a shower, but now I already have mascara on which will just be a mess, and a waste. Silly, right? Whatever. Still makes me feel grumpy. I've talked about needing to improve this daily situation...someone has to get up and shower before scriptures. (However, due to #2, it is difficult for both of us.)

4. Laundry is never ending. I've come up with a new system for sorting and doing laundry continually throughout the week. However, this makes me feel like it's never done. Some days I don't mind, and some days I do. Kinda like other daily chores...dishes, dinner, etc.

5. The perfect shade of pink. We bought some furniture for Ellie's room, it will be delivered Wednesday. I have been trying to find the right color to paint her new room, it would be so great if I could get it done before the furniture arrives, and I still think I could knock it out in the next two days - if only I could chose the paint color! The problem is, the shade I think looks the best with the woodwork, is not the shade I like the best. There is one more color I could try (I've already brought home three paint to go buckets). Is it a waste to try one more, or should I just choose the one?

6. I'm a procrastinator. I always have been, but that doesn't make it okay. In fact, I find it depressing that I haven't kicked the bad habit yet. I think my problem lies in my lack of list making. I used to make so many lists, then they would just build up and become way to unbearable. So, now I do less lists, which is good, except for when I keep putting off things I need to do...half procrastinating, half forgetting. I've got some phone calls I've been meaning to do for days...

7. I hate phone calls. There are few people I don't mind talking to on the phone. For everyone else, there are always awkward pauses. Or bits of conversation that my phone, or just my ear, doesn't catch, and then either I have to ask someone to repeat themselves or just try to fake it along in the conversation. Not to mention the 'thinking on your feet', and not being able to see the visual feedback of what you are saying. I love email, facebook, and online ordering.

8. Guests. I invited some friends for lunch tomorrow, which will be nice. But, I stress way too much about the menu, and the house being clean-although I'm getting much better at relaxing on the clean house thing.

9. I LOATH OUR DOG!!!! The weekend is good-the kids and Tom are around to deal with the dog, but now I'm back to being 'in charge' and I hate it. Really, how has this dog lasted this long? I can't stand him. In and out (a dog door would help-but we don't have a place to put one), barking, nosing the kids when they have food, constantly trying to escape out the front door. Not to mention the naughty chewing-usually a stuffed animal or doll (which really makes me mad), or maybe something out of the recycling bin-although that is typically in the backyard, so I don't care so much. This morning was a poopy diaper he got out of the baby's garbage. Argh. Stupid dog.

Okay, I'm gonna take my ornery, unshowered self to the grocery store and Sams Club for a couple of quick items. Maybe getting out of the house and watching Ellie on the penny horse will help me find some happiness today. I need to get to that part of the story where the grumpy bug laughs and then people want to be around him.

Sorry to be so grumpy.

UPDATE (2:03pm): Feeling much better...got some errands done and cookies in the oven. :) Fresh baked cookies make just about everything a little better. Mmmmm. Getting back into the weekly routine-just another manic Monday.

Projects

2010-03-29T14:36:00.002-05:00

Not much has been going on lately...so I've started some projects. (This is what I choose over doing dishes and making dinner.) After living in our house for almost five years, I am actually going to decorate the kids' rooms. Ellie was the closest one to have a decorated room, but she peeled the border off her wall during "naptime".

Ellie peeled the border and slid it under the door. Nice.

And, since we will be putting Liam in Colin's room, it makes sense to move them into Ellie's bigger room. I've decided to do a sports theme in the big boy room, monkey theme in the little boy room, and shabby chic in Ellie's room. I did consult the kids on their room choice, but ultimately mom's choice one. Bahaha-the mom reigns supreme in this house. I think everyone will be pleased in the end, although Colin really knows how to hold a grudge, I'll probably be hearing about how he wanted a dinosaur room for years to come....my one comeback is that they didn't have a dino bean bag chair, so I couldn't do it. I've got bed linens for everyone, and some accessories. I even found some monkey fabric to play with...valance? bed skirt? throw pillow? We'll see. I've got paint picked for the boys', and I'm working on the perfect shade of pink for Ellie's room. I'll post pics as things progress. I am super excited!

Ellie and her Bitty Baby

I have a friend who got a group of moms together to sew dresses for our daughters and their dolls. We are all novice seamstresses...I haven't used my sewing thing for anything but hooded towels in the last 7 years or so. It was fun, but I had an uncooperative baby that night, so I didn't get hardly any of it done. Bummer. I am such a social project person. I hardly do a thing on my own, but give me a buddy and I'm good to go. I'm excited to see if this little group will continue to do some little projects-it's great to learn with friends...and it feels like such a productive night out.

Cat's in the Cradle

2010-03-16T17:30:00.006-05:00

Walsh Kids 2009

For some reason I have been feeling very nostalgic lately. Perhaps it is the realization that the child bearing stage of life is coming to a close for our family. Or, maybe it is a result of holding Liam while looking at his older brothers, and thinking of how quickly the years have passed by. It has made me want to make the most of these years of young childhood. It has made me feel that time is so fleeting. It has made me think of the song, Cat's in the Cradle, by Harry Chapin. It has made me want to do all I can to cherish the time I have with my little kiddos. I love them so much, and I love being a mother. Often times I find it difficult to really be 'present' when I am with the kids. I'm usually multi-tasking-you paint while I do the dishes or you play with toys while I talk on the phone, you play outside while I make dinner, etc. I suppose parents have to do that to get anything done. However, I need to make more of an effort to stop squeezing so many things into a day, and just stop to play, draw, create, smile, and laugh with my kids. To help me remember, I'm gonna download Cat's in the Cradle and put it on every playlist-just so I am reminded often. :)

I hope we all make time to enjoy the present!

Teeth

2010-03-11T16:31:00.000-06:00

This is a picture of Cade's first lost tooth, a few month's ago.

Aidan just lost a tooth as he took a bite of a muffin. Which doesn't speak highly of my muffins...I didn't think they were THAT hard, though. ;)

About a year and a half ago I took the kids for a family picture. Aidan's teeth were wiggling, and I knew it would be years before we could get a picture without someone smiling that goofy, gaping smile. It's not so much the missing teeth, as the mix of large and little teeth in a kid's mouth, that is not very appealing. Endearing, yes. Attractive, no. Oh, well. Such is life. And Aidan is only the beginning. When do kids move out of that, by age 12? Because that means we're basically looking at 14 years of pictures with goofy teeth from at least one member of our family. Well, better to have big teeth coming in than no teeth at all. (I cringe when I think about bottle mouth kids I've seen. Ick.)

My real problem with lost teeth is this whole tooth fairy thing. How did that get started anyway? I think the first tooth loss is pretty exciting, a sign of growing up. However, I have a hard time maintaining enthusiasm for tooth after tooth. And, now that we have more than one kid losing teeth-there are a lot of teeth floating around here. These poor kids expect the tooth fairy to come for each tooth-and frankly, by 10:00 at night, she just forgets. Another problem is that the Walsh tooth fairy very rarely has cash on her. I feel bad every morning the kids wake-up, disappointed that the tooth fairy didn't come. I tried to talk the boys into writing a note to the tooth fairy requesting a lump payment, something like $10 for the first tooth, and all the other teeth. They should've done it. Now, it's pretty much $1 for the first tooth and nothing but disappointed mornings for all the rest of the teeth. I was a Santa believer for a ridiculously long time, but even my belief in the tooth fairy bit the dust at an early age. The Wilson tooth fairy apparently couldn't keep up either. I guess that's just part of life. Another sign of growing up.

Still, I feel guilty right now, knowing Aidan won't be visited by the tooth fairy tonight. Humpf, parenthood.

Movies

2010-03-03T16:30:00.001-06:00

I've started a blog for my movie reviews. The link is in the 'Blogging Buddies' list to the right, Movie Mondays. I'm not particularly discriminating, but somehow writing a review validates the time I waste watching movies. Please add your thoughts about the movies and let me know of any you recommend.

Birthday Boys

2010-03-03T14:17:00.001-06:00

Here are some birthday pictures of Colin (2/4) and Cade (2/26).

Colin turned 5, and had a family party this year...we went to the zoo and the Rain Forest Cafe (with no camera).

Here he is with his red cupcakes-they ended up being more of a neon pink. Or, as Ellie says, 'ouchy mama' - I'm not sure why.

Cade turned 7 and had his first official, with more than one friend, birthday party. (I know, I'm a slacker.) He chose to go to Bounce Depot, which is one of those inflatable warehouse places. The kids all had a great time, and it was super easy for us-just show up and pay. :)

Even Tom got in on the fun.

*Picture removed...Tom was offended that I put such a bad picture of him on the internet-for the whole world to see. I thought it was a funny picture, besides, I think there are only about 2 people who actually check my blog...

Liam was great-slept through the whole party.

Birthday Boy got to go in the 'Cash Vault'. Clever Cade grabbed all the (paper) money on the floor before they turned on the fan, then just held on to it all. He got to redeem the $ for a prize.

Pizza and cake

Cade got to sit in the birthday throne as he opened his gifts.

As I put this together, I realized how few pictures we got of Cade-well, ones in focus anyway-he was busy running around with his buddies.

For those of you who remember way back when, my first job was as a party hostess at Leaps and Bounds. I was having major flashbacks throughout the evening. :)

Happy Birthday Cade!

2010-02-27T10:12:00.003-06:00

Wow, Cade is 7 today. I remember his birth like it was yesterday-it was pretty quick, and my last one before I started getting induced... What can I say, with a bunch of friends having babies this week, and planning a baby shower for another friend, I've got births on my mind.

We love Cade!!! He brings such a special personality to our family. He has a great sense of humor, dances a mean robot, and is the messiest eater in the family. He has his softer side, too. He is sensitive and thoughtful. I love taking Cade gift shopping, and I love receiving gifts from Cade, because he puts so much thought into what other people would like. He is easy to get along with and very helpful. He is a hard worker and a good student. He loves his brothers and sister and Champ, the dog. (Lucky for that dog, the kids are VERY attached.) Cade loves legos, Bionicles, bakugans and playing video games.

Happy Birthday Cade!!!! We love you so much!!!!!

*I didn't get this posted yesterday, which is when I started it...Cade's birthday is February 26th. :)

Something's Gotta Give

2010-02-22T14:12:00.003-06:00

Okay, five kids, a husband, and a dog-and all the food, laundry, cleanup, homework, activities, driving, etc that goes with them overwhelms me. Well not really, but I do feel like I am constantly in survival mode ever since Liam was born. I pretty much just do what needs to be done. Consequently, no blogging. However, I really want to do better-I love keeping up with my friends and family via their blogs, and want to share what's going on with us. I'm going to try to get going again. I like that my friend Brenda has a blogging day-I know to check her blog on Fridays, but I'm not ready for that kind of commitment. I am just going to start now though-no backtracking through vacations/holidays/births and birthdays that I've not posted about in the last 6 months. Maybe I'll do that sometime in the future...but right now, I'm going to just start fresh. So, blog world-I'm back! And, here are some pictures for a super fast catch up...and in no particular order.

Christmas Eve excitement

Baby Liam born on Dec 11th

Liam

Trip to Disney World - October 2009

Birthday season is upon us...Ellie, Tom, Colin and Cade all in Jan/Feb

Summer Catch-Up: Random Pictures

2009-10-27T11:21:00.009-05:00

Okay, so here are the last of the catch-up summer pictures. Just some leftover fun ones...

Check out the training wheels...just there for moral support.

Never fear-he braved it without training wheels and loved it.

I'm afraid Tom and the boys didn't get their fill of fishing in this summer, we were so busy with sports in the evenings. They certainly enjoyed the time they had though.

Whitney and Marty came to visit in August. We were able to catch one of the last Twins games in the Metrodome. (Baseball was meant to be played outside...can't wait for the new stadium!)

We took them to the zoo, one of our favorite places. There is this cool new Grizzly Bear exhibit, and it was so fun to see the bears splashing around.

Tom and I got iphones this summer. I have enjoyed it WAY more than I expected. Now I can take all kinds of pictures on the go...so Tom can keep up with our day.

Like when we go to McD's for lunch.

Or, find a super huge spider that keeps me from opening the front door.

We also got our mudroom/bathroom area tiled. We are now officially done with floors on the first floor-painting, too. Decorating...not so much.

Ellie likes to wear sunglasses, especially ones in her favorite color.

Summer Catch-Up: Back to School

2009-10-27T10:48:00.008-05:00

Kids started back to school after Labor Day. Everyone got real salon haircuts in preparation for the school year. Ellie went to Kid's Hair and the boys went to Sports Clips-they got the full treatment (warm towel, massage chair, etc.) since it was their first time there. Funny stuff!

Aidan started 3rd grade (and Cub Scouts) this fall. Cade is in 1st grade. Colin goes to preschool 3 days a week. And Ellie can hardly wait until it is her turn.

Summer Catch-Up: Tom's trip to the Boundary Waters

2009-10-26T13:58:00.009-05:00

Tom looks forward to (and plans) his week in the Boundary Waters all year long. This year he went with some friends from Utah. They had a great time! Here are some of the beautiful pictures from this year. Put in your reservations now for next year's trip...

August 2009

This is Tom's favorite, favorite picture.

I like this one, too.

The Boundary Waters is a canoe/kayak only kind of wilderness. Tom usually rounds off the days camping there with camping/scenery in Two Harbors and Duluth at the beginning or end of the trip. He's taken so many people to Split Rock Light House he could give the tours on his own. One good thing about Daddy's trips, is he brings home Betty's pie for us. :) Tom and the boys are looking forward to doing a father/son Boundary Waters trip soon. (I'll still expect a pie.)

Summer Catch-Up: Baseball

2009-10-26T13:27:00.005-05:00

Okay, I'm gonna try to get some pictures up real quick this week...lots of catching up to do. We'll start with baseball...Aidan did coach pitch, Cade did t-ball/coach pitch, and Colin did BamBam ball. They all had a great time with baseball this summer.

I actually took Cade to the eye doctor because he struggled so much with his throwing/catching/hitting skills. (He was due to go anyway.) His eyes are fine, I guess his skills are just those of a 6 year old.

Colin's personality can be rather volatile, here he is a a good moment...

Colin bats left. Interesting, huh?

Aidan's team actually made it to the championship game-no win, but lots of fun!

Ellie and I did A LOT of spectating this summer...it's hard being the little one.

Summer Catch-Up: July

2009-08-17T23:17:00.011-05:00

Father/Son Canoe Trip

Aidan looked forward to this canoe trip with his best buddy for months. They were soooo excited for the overnight down the Mississippi River with their dads. They had a blast fishing and farting...boys. Aidan loves to fish. They caught a lot on this trip, including Aidan's first Small-mouthed Bass.

Wisconsin Dells

We met Tom's old friend, Dustin, and his family in Wisconsin Dells for a fun vacation weekend. We had so much fun, despite horrible, cold, rainy weather. Luckily, our resort had several indoor water parks to try. We had so much fun, I can't wait to go back...hopefully with nicer weather.

The Boys

Six kids, one cabin = lots of noise. And, lots of fun. :)
It was very cute to see the two girls (Ellie and Ella), so used to playing with big brothers, play with one another.

Tom, Dustin, Aidan, and Cade shooting out of the Black Hole (I think). Those boys have the perfect combination: height (to meet the necessary requirements for the big rides) and bravery.

Even Ellie tried this family waterslide.

Ellie and I were buddies, hanging in the kiddie pools. Swings-always Ellie's favorite.

Tom and Colin made a good team.

Aidan and Cade are such buddies. They have so much fun together!

Walsh Men

We were worn out. Ellie loved the kid-sized lounge chairs. (Training her right, huh, mom?)

The wave pool was a big hit-and one of the few things our WHOLE family were able to enjoy together.

The enigma that is Colin: you never know what you're gonna get.

(The time lapse between these two pictures was less than 20 seconds...oh, Colin.Sigh.)

Signs of a good vacation:

Summer Catch-Up: June

2009-08-17T22:32:00.011-05:00

Yippee!!! Summer's here!

We started the summer with buzz cuts for the boys...Colin's was REALLY short. He was excited at first, but then it turned to tears for a while. Eventually he came to terms with his 'Bald Monkey' look.

It's Great to be Eight

Aidan turned 8! We celebrated at home on his birthday, and again at his skating birthday party. The celebration continued with a special visitors, Oma, Opa, and Uncle Mikey coming for his baptism.

The birthday feast, per Aidan's request: Homemade Mac n' Cheese, Rolls, Corn, and fried Walleye (caught by Dad) and Ice Cream Sundaes-with sour gummi worms, cherries, whipped cream, and oreos.
I don't know what was going on with this picture..good thing we had another party, so I could try for a better candle photo.

Goofy 8-year-old

Skating Party

Brownie cupcakes

Baptism

Aidan was baptized by his father on Saturday, June 20th. It was a very special day for our family. We are very proud of Aidan for choosing to be baptized.

My cousin, David, and his family were able to join us, too.

While my parents were here, we were able to go 'up North' to explore the Duluth/Lake Superior area. We had fun at a hotel with a water park, then set off to take in the sites.

Betty's Pies

This is one of Tom's favorite spots in MN, Betty's Pies. He stops there after his Boundary Water trips, it gives me and the kids something added to look forward to when Tom is off doing the wilderness thing...mmmm, maybe he'll bring us home a pie. Tom talked Betty's Pies up so much when we were in UT, my dad actually ordered one-and paid and absurd amount to have it shipped, but it was awesome! And, you know us Wilsons-we're all about the food. We had to make a visit to Betty's Pies while they were here.

Gooseberry Falls

(yeah, easier said than done)

Hey, my brother, Michael just got his mission call! Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Mission! (FYI-I guessed it!?!)

Split Rock Lighthouse

The weather was horrible...foggy and cold, appropriate for a lighthouse visit, I suppose. This is a pic from a previous trip Tom had been on.

Mikey Goes Fishing

I'm not sure Michael has been fishing, other than Scout requirements. We were able to squeeze in some time for Tom to take him out on the canoe for a quick fishing trip. Look at those big fish he was reeling in. :) He caught a couple of fish, and had fun, so it was a success.

Big News

The timing was perfect: Tom's parents came through town on their way up to Leech Lake while my parents were visiting, so we were able to share our baby news with both families, in person. We've never had that opportunity before. It was a lot of fun! That's right...five kids (yikes!). So, I'm as crazy as my mom, but only half as crazy as my mother-in-law. :)

(This is not our baby, just a generic photo I found. We have had our ultrasound...things are looking healthy, I'm feeling great, and we are waiting for our Christmas delivery to find out if it's a boy or girl.)

Movie Monday

2009-08-14T14:12:00.003-05:00

Well, it is obvious that the boys' sports are over and that Tom's been traveling a lot lately...I've logged some serious movie time. A couple of these I watched earlier this summer, but most of them are from the last two weeks or so. Yippee! Movie nights any day of the week, that's what's summer is all about.

ps- I know I need to do a family update...but I've been so busy enjoying movie watching I haven't had time for blogging. I hope to get some pictures up soon! :)

Making Mr. Right - 1 star I know I recorded this off the tv, it was probably a Lifetime movie. It was pretty dumb. It's a My Fair Lady update/switch around. Every once in a while I like to see good ol' Dean Cain and remember the days of Lois and Clark (with Terry Thatcher). This movie took me several days to plow through, it was just so predictable and lame-o. Don't bother with this one. (And, I'll try my best to keep my thumb from hitting the record button on anything on lifetime...until Christmas, that is.)

Saving Sarah Cain - 1 1/2 stars...not as bad as Making Mr. Right, but not quite good enough for a whole two stars. This is about a journalist who ends up raising her Amish nieces and nephews. It was an okay storyline, and the Amish lifestyle is very interesting to me, but I really didn't care for Sarah throughout the movie. It just wasn't that great.

Forever Strong - 3 stars This is a movie Tom and I wanted to see for quite a while. First, let me just say, rugby is such a tough sport. Wow. Tom liked this movie a lot more than I did. I am generally all for these story lines...basically chick flicks wrapped in sport themes. But, this one just didn't get me. I'll stick to Remember the Titans, thank you very much. I did find the impact of the coach, and the awesome success of his team over the years, interesting. It's amazing the influence a coach really does have on a team. It's movie's like this that makes Tom remember his great, and horrible, coaches...and inspire him to want to do some coaching because he knows what a profound effect a good coach can have on a young man. I think my biggest problem with this story was the father/son relationship...the resolution just didn't resonate with me.

Lucky Seven - 3 stars This was a cute chick flick (which I did see on Lifetime...proof that all Lifetime is not bad. Although I will admit anything made specifically for Lifetime is horrible). I liked this one well enough that I would be willing to watch it again some day. It was pretty predictable, but the chemistry was good. :)

Shooter - 2 stars Tom was excited to flip to this at the beginning of the show one night. It's rated R, which we don't normally watch. I guess we assume the tv editting brings it down to a level we are more comfortable with. I'm not sure that's entirely true...but it's enough for us to rationalize the occasional R show here and there. This one was okay, fun little plot twist, but otherwise predictable. Typical guy movie-lots of action and only the necessary mumbled dialog-not to mention one pretty girl who the main character will obviously hook up with... I will say, go Marky Mark, still looking good after all these years. :)

School of Rock - 4 stars Caught this one on tv, it's one of my favorites. I have no problem flipping channels and missing parts here and there. But, I do think it's fun. I am a Jack Black fan...and frankly, I wonder if he actually acts in this movie, though? His character is just how I picture the real Jack Black to be. :)

Adventures in Babysitting - 4 stars One of my old school favorites. I still have most of the lines in this movie memorized, on of my favorites..."Don't f---(tv edit says fool) with the babysitter". Oh, good times. We gave a copy of this movie to our overnight babysitter in a little thank you bag...Tom was concerned that we gave a movie that drops the "f-bomb" to our stake president's (church leader) daughter. Oops. She hadn't seen it before (what!?! wow, I am getting old), and told me she really liked it. :)

Bride and Prejudice - 4 stars This is Bollywood, baby! It is fun, my kids like it, too. (Well, they never watch beyond the first dance, but they really like that one.) Good old Pride and Prejudice spin. If you haven't seen it, give it a go. It has intrigued me to the whole Bollywood scene, but I haven't braved any other movies, let me know if you know of a fun one to try.

A Plumm Summer - 4 stars This was a cute family flick. "The Fonz" was in it - yea, and so was a Baldwin brother - boo, but he played a loser dad, so it wasn't so bad. The little brother in this movie is so stinkin' cute! And, I totally fell in love with Montana...it's one place Tom and I have thrown out there as a possible move option, and the scenes in this movie have sealed the deal for me. It is beautiful. Bozeman here we come...maybe...someday. Anyway, the story was cute, my kids weren't into the father/son relationship issues, they would have like to focus on the mystery, but overall they liked it ok, and I liked it quite a lot.

Paul Blart: Mall Cop - 2 stars Well, it's pretty much just as you would suspect...very silly. So, it lived up to the low expectation. It was fine in a silly way. Kids liked it.

He's Just Not That Into You - 1 star This is one of those depressing "is that what the world is really like?" kind of movies. I did like the ending...happy, in a everyone gets their just desserts kind of a way.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince - 3 stars Okay, maybe it should get more than 3 stars, but I'm just tired of HP-let's get on with it already. It was as good as you expect HP movies to be...so very good, very Harry. There were some parts changed/left out of the movie that I would have liked included, but that's how it always is. It was a good movie, but I'm ready to move on...after reading all the books and watching the movies-it's a lot in the past 8 years or so. At least Star Wars was spread out over what, 20 years-plus no books. That's tolerable. I heard the last book is going to be made into 2 movies, which adds to my exhaustion with it all.

Julie and Julia - 5 stars Wow, did I really give this five stars!?! I guess so. I really enjoyed it. I'm not a Meryl Streep fan, nothing personal-I just don't dig her, but I thought she did awesome. Really, this is the first movie I've watched in a very long time (well, I guess you know all the drivel I typically watch), that enchanted me with the actor's portrayals of the characters. I vaguely remember seeing Julia Child on PBS when I a kiddo, and I thought Streep's portrayal of her was great. I loved learning more about her life and her desire to make great food accessible to the regular folk. The modern portion of the movie was also quite good. I really enjoyed this movie, despite the ending not being as I would have liked...such is real life, I suppose. I read a little of the book, but it wasn't so great-I'm glad the movie was much better. Plus, I am a foodie, so this movie had me happy just at the thought of it. :)

Stranger than Fiction - 2 stars I was pretty tired when I watched this one, and started to doze off here and there. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind, when I watched. It was just sort of blah to me. Good, but not great.

Sydney White - 2 stars This is a modern spin on Snow White. Pretty decent teen movie, I guess. I like Amanda Bynes, but all of her characters are pretty much the same...maybe she should try changing something up a bit. Then again, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. If you like teen movies (yo, Brenda) it's pretty good, not too crude. I like the teen and tween movies, but I have to watch them on the down low...sometimes I'm even embarrassed when Tom catches me at them.

Strictly Ballroom - 4 stars Watching this movie was paying homage to my early years in college, at USU, and my roommate, Jen-dance major, who introduced me to the beauty and the art of dance. It was fun to watch it again. It's rather cheesy, in an international film kind of a way, but it's good. It's got an ugly girl makeover and a love story, not too mention ballroom dancing. (Which I now understand so much better...thank you to 'So You Think You Can Dance', and one season of 'Dancing With the Stars'.) What more can you ask for?

Inkheart - 4 stars I thought this was a good family movie. A little bit scary at the end. I am curious to read the book some day. The boys seemed to like it, but not love it. They like sillier stuff, ie. Paul Blart. It's an intriguing idea...people who can bring characters to life. I think we should own this one someday. I'm all about watching movies that encourage reading....ha-ha.

Material Girls - 0 stars Seriously, this is probably one of the worst movies I have ever seen. It sat on the DVR for months, and after Tom being gone for so long, I was desperate enough to watch. DUMB. DUMB. DUMB.

Deadliest Sea - 2 stars This photo is for the tv show on discovery channel, Deadliest Catch, which I have been thoroughly enjoying of late. There is something about the danger, and the type of person who would fish those perilous, freezing waters that intrigues and fascinates me. Deadliest Sea is the made for tv movie about the fishing boat that inspired the series. No name actors, pretty good action at the end. What a crazy, dangerous life.

Kit Kittredge, An American Girl - 4 stars This movie was a good family flick. (Warning: it is weird to see Chris O'Donnell looking so old, yet the same.) I really appreciated that it opened some dialog for me, with my children, regarding the Great Depression. It was also interesting to me to see so many families divided, and think of my own family history during that period of time. It helped me to better understand some of the trials and decisions my great grandparents had to make. I think American Girl dolls are so awesome, with there little stories and accessories. I've been holding off getting Ellie started, I know she's too young-but, oh I just want them so bad. We got Happy Meals at McD's today, and the girl toy is American Girl paper dolls. Ellie thought it was neat for about 15 seconds, I, however, had a lot of fun putting it together, reading her story, checking out the activities in the book. American Girl dolls came out just after I passed the doll phase of life (I don't know if I ever pass it, so I am referring to the time they were no longer socially acceptable to be getting any more...and trust me, I pushed that to the limit). My sister had one though. Ohhhhh, I hope Ellie likes dolls! She's pretty girly, so we are on track for now...

So, that's a lot of movies! I wonder what I'll watch next? Good luck keeping up with me. :) And, please feel free to make suggestions on movies to watch. :)

Catch-Up: End of School

2009-07-11T11:44:00.008-05:00

I've not been doing so well on blogging...June was super busy for us. So, I will attempt to get things caught up a bit. So, as we ended May and rounded into June, the big happenings were: Tom bought a canoe and took the boys out for the first time. They've been several times since (in fact, this weekend Tom and Aidan and another father/son are doing a canoe/camp trip on the Mississippi River). The boys LOVE to go fishing with Tom-Tom is still working out the kinks to make it a smooth experience (last time ended with the three boys running around buck naked-having got wet and sandy and told to take there clothes off before getting in the car. FYI, they were NOT the only people in the parking lot). The boys had their end of year concerts and finished up preschool (no pictures though...Colin has one more year, and will be with the same teacher-so we'll get sentimental next year), kindergarten, and the 2nd grade. They all had a great year in school, despite our mid year move. I am glad they had great teachers in UT and MN, and were able to make good friends at both schools. Anyway, here are the pics:

The Canoe

Do you name canoes? If so, I don't think she has a name yet...

The inaugural sail.

At the end of May Spring finally sprung in MN. One of our favorite signs of spring is the dandelions along the street, before they get mowed.

Aidan's 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Kruger.

Aidan's concert

Cade's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. ET (short for Erikson-Thoemke, pretty fun)

I just realized...I think Cade wore this same shirt the first day of school...

Cade's concert

Eager concert goers...well, they were eager for the fruit snacks I had stocked the camera bag with...

Ellie

Colin (peace out, dude)

Here's a pic of the dang dog, Champ. I really lost it with him in May, and I thought he would be leaving us. But, alas, he's still here. Champ is Tom's hunting dog and, apparently pretty good at it, which is lucky for the dog-but I wish he could go fishing with Tom, too. And, on camping trips...and business trips...and to work with him everyday. Okay, so my feelings are pretty clear. At least the kids love him.

Next installment: June-Summer begins!

PS-For those who care, I've totally been wasting my money with Netflix. We are so busy every evening with sports, then so tired at bedtime, I've not been watching ANY movies. I did catch one last night though...

Dear Frankie **** I quite liked it. It is a drama, I don't know how Tom would have liked it, could go either way. For me, it was a tear jerker here and there. It was kind of sad, yet happy. Plus, I think the guy in it was also in my last tearjerker, PS I Love You. I think I might be getting a crush on him...

Another PS-For those of you who knew me in high school...this 5th grade graduate at Aidan's concert reminded me so much of my own high school graduation hair. Well, it's cute enough on her, on me...finger stuck in socket? Ah, the memories....

Trip to KC

2009-06-03T16:05:00.011-05:00

We drove to Kansas City to visit some old friends for Memorial Day Weekend. The kids got along great (they've got an awesome stock of toys...including legos, swords, and a tramp in the backyard). The parents had fun catching up and sharing stories of the good ol' days. I have to admit the best part of the whole trip was Brian and Tom sharing true confessions about their 'relationship' with Keri Russell (who did, indeed, go to jr. high with them). Sooooooo funnnnnny! I'm laughing right now just thinking about it. Maybe sometime I will blog about it...or maybe you'll have to wait until I can tell you in person, which may be a long time for some of us. Anyway, we'll keep to the family va-cay for this blog. We had fun just playing around, going to a children's farm, eating dinner at the T-Rex Cafe, and doing quick driveby of my grandparents old KC home. Okay, I was also pretty excited to stop at Lamar's donuts-my fav, as well as pick up some KC Masterpeice for a picnic on our way home. It was a fun weekend. We really like KC a lot, but, oi, the heat and humidity. I forget that just about everywhere in the country is warmer than we are up here in MN. I realize that all through the winter, but I just forget to expect warmer weather in the spring/summer, too. Someday I'll learn. Anyway, here are some pictures-apparently we only took our camera out at the farm...

Brian and Tricia (I think Colin was the photographer on this shoot, because thoush they are a tall couple, I don't think they are giants.)

Ellie

5 Boys on a Fence

Feeding goats - Ellie preferred to place the food on the ground, rather than the hand feeding.

It was so hot, we definitely needed a popsicle break.

Mmmmm, and messy.

5 Boys on a Tractor

Ellie's most favorite pastime!

The boys insisted on fishing at the crowded pond.

The bait. (And yes, Tom saved the day-he helped the mom next to us with the fishing experience: After catching a fish her kids asked how to get it off, and she said I don't know, then she put it back into the pond and tried to shake it off the hook!?! I am not a fisher, but I think even I could have figured that one out. I suggested to Tom that he offer to help, which he did for that, and all the other fish they caught...)

We didn't have to wait too long... it's a well stocked pond, plus Dad knew the best spot to stand.

Cade was excited to be one of the first to catch one.

Aidan kept "reeling them in".

Seriously, Aidan probably caught as many as the other kids combined. Tom was pretty excited to see his natural ablility come forth-as well as the drive to fish, fish, fish! It's gonna be a fishy summer.

Colin's big catch.

Ellie's got her mom's approach-look, but don't touch.

The drive back to MN was long and leisurely-we made lots of pitstops at rest areas with playgrounds. It seemed to help the kids with the long travel, yet made the overall drive much longer-I don't know what the happy medium is. One lesson learned: do not spin Colin on the tire swing too long, then feed him dinner 20 minutes later. Yuck-o, just as we are back on the road. In addition to that excitement, Tom and I were excited to witness, and photograph, this milestone on our good ol' mini-van.

Yea Honda! She should be good for 200,000 more, right?

Monday Movies

2009-06-01T13:04:00.003-05:00

Yikes, I am so not going through my Netflix fast enough...hopefully I can pick up the pace as we come into summer. Here's our latest:

Oklahoma! *** I'm a big fan of the old 1955 Oklahoma, but was excited to try this out...Hugh Jackman. He is totally hot. I think he would be a good Bollywood star, cuz he can do it all-act, sing, dance. The boys started watching with me and enjoyed it for the most part. They didn't get all the way through (warning: it is 3 hours long). They thought it was pretty funny to hear me sing along...I just can't help myself. I usually fast forward through the parts I don't like so much (ie. the dream dance), but made myself watch the whole thing, since I'd never seen this particular production. It is a filmed live stage production, which is a bit different than the 1955 version. The boys thought they were very clever as they figured out some of the stage tricks, like when people went into the house, there were really stairs inside for a way out. Overall, it was good, if you are an musical fan.

The Tale of Despereaux * I didn't watch this with the kids, and though they watched the whole movie, they only watched it once (movies they enjoy get played over and over...I cannot even guess how many times Star Wars has been watched). I asked Cade today if he liked it...he said, "No, it's boring". So, apparently, it didn't meet their standards of adventure and silliness. I don't even know what it is about... Maybe it is okay, just not their 'cup of tea'.

P.S. I Love You ***** I postponed watching this one. Even though I'd heard it was quite good, I'd also heard it was a tearjerker...and I really hate to cry. But, sometimes, the mood is right. Tom was out of town, the kids were in bed, and I balled my eyes out. Seriously, this is not a cry at the end kind of a movie...I cried through the ENTIRE film. It felt good. I liked it quite a lot. I wish Harry Connick, Jr. looked better in it, though. Good chick flick. Be sure to have tissues nearby! I'm not sure if guys would like it or not. Tom doesn't like movies that make him cry, so he doesn't think he'll ever give it a try...

Hmm, I wonder what's next on my queue?

Monday Movies

2009-05-18T12:49:00.002-05:00

Due to popular demand, well, just Jacqui and the fact that I've signed up for Netflix again, I've decided to bring back Movie Mondays. So, here's what I've watched lately...

North and South ***** Be forewarned, this is a BBC mini-series, so it's a four hour deal. I watched in in two evenings, which was great. I just finished the book the week before. I liked the book quite a lot, I"ll have to read more Elizabeth Gaskell, and it was fresh in my head as I watched the movie. I thought the adaptation quite good. But, then, I knew all the other stuff that the movie didn't portray. I'm curious what someone who hasn't read the book would think of the movie. The kiss was much anticipated, and well done. He-he-he. If you are in the mood for a bonnet-movie, I'd give this one a go. I don't know that it is very husband friendly-pretty long, and not much comic relief (ie. Mr. Collins)...yes, I've made Tom watch P&P. He handled it, but I don't think he could make it through this one.

Taken ***** This is a good action/suspense film. I actually saw it in the theater not too long ago, and told Tom we should rent it some time...so he picked it up this weekend. It is rather disturbing to think of how real this whole scenario could be, though.

Monsters vs. Aliens **, maybe ***. We actually took the kids to the theater to see this one. It was a fun, but expensive, family outing. ("Multiply anything by 6 and it's expensive", right, Dad?) The movie was tolerable for Tom and I-not particularly funny, the kids really liked it...but their standards aren't too high. If you've got kids it would be a decent rental, otherwise, I wouldn't go out of my way to see it.

Moms and Floors

2009-05-10T08:44:00.012-05:00

It's been a while, so I have some catching up to do. But, first...

Today is Mother's Day. I am thankful for this special day to honor mothers, and all women.

I have been blessed with a great mother of my own. In some ways we are so similar, and in some ways so different. I am glad for both. My mom has always been, and continues to be, an example and teacher to me. I am thankful for her.

Here's my mom, doing the grandma thing with my nephew, Reed, last summer.

My mother-in-law, Barb. She is like a super woman! I really wish I could have seen her in her prime-all 10 kids at home. I think I might get a taste of it when everyone's over for Sunday dinner. She really is an inspiration to me, I think she is wonderful. Having so much of her own mothering experience, I could feel really intimidated, but I don't. She is so non-judgemental and very supportive...what great mother-in-law traits! Also, I appreciate all the hard work she put into raising her son, my husband. I am really reaping the benefits-thank you!

Grandma Walsh and kids, just after Ellie was born.

My own grandmothers. Wow, grandmas really do have a special relationship with their grandchildren. I am so thankful for the time I spent with my grandmothers, it was always so much fun. As an adult, I am thankful for the examples of faith, devotion, and love my grandmothers lives' have shown me. Both my grandmothers are gone now, but I look forward to seeing them again someday and learning even more from them. I am so thankful for eternal families.

Grandma Jo with kiddos last summer. The past few years she had been battling Alzheimer's, she died last summer. I'm glad we were in Utah last year, and got to spend a little more time with her before she died. Grandma Helen died when I was in high school.

My sister, Whitney. Sisters are the best. Talk about love-hate relationships. I'm glad that with age and maturity things swing heavily toward the love side. My sister and I have shared so much over our lives, and I wouldn't want to share it with anyone else. Thanks for the fun memories, and for being a fun friend.

Whitney has really been working hard the past several years...she wants to be known as 'the fun aunt'.

Girlfriends, old and new. Where would I be without my friends? Friends teach me, support me, laugh with me, share with me, cry with me (well, I hate to cry, but if I do, I know they would cry with me). Friends are essential. I am so thankful for the great women who have stuck it out with me for so long as well as the newer friendships I've formed-I hope they will last just as long. You guys are so awesome!!!!!

High school friends-I'm so glad we remain close. Isn't it so cool how we can get together after so long, and have it feel like we've never been apart. I depended on you guys so much in the school days, now you just amaze me with how wonderful you are. I am so thankful for our friendships.

New friends. One of the great things about moving around is meeting amazing new women to become friends with. Whenever I move somewhere, I am so excited when I meet someone and think, 'yeah, she could be my next bosom friend'. This is a picture of Carina (and her daughter), one of my MN friends. I love all these friends that I've met over the past 10 years, or so. It is so fun getting to know you and sharing with you. Living away from my family, I've really come to rely on friends. Thank you!

Me. What a blessing motherhood is. I am so thankful for my beautiful, talented, funny, sensitive, silly, happy, wonderful children. I am so blessed!!!! I'm doing my best...it's hard work, but I love it. Thank you kiddos for being wonderful. (And, thanks to the school teachers who do projects with them, so they can give me their own special gifts on Mother's Day....it is so fun to see how proud and excited they are to give me the things they make.)

Here I am with my brood, in Southern Utah last fall. I love those guys!!!

Okay, let me finish up this post by sharing some belated pictures of our recent projects-painting and wood floor installation. Tom worked hard, and the floors look awesome! Thanks Tom for being so dedicated.

Dining Room - before

Dining Room-after

Living room-before (pic taken before moving to UT, thus my bald little Ellie)

Living room-after (don't know why this is underlining...)

Tom also installed the kitchen floor, but the kitchen is always cluttered...as soon as I get that cleared off I'll post the kitchen pics. It is awesome. Tom's hard labor is done...well except for replacing some lights. Now, I've got to decorate-yikes, I just don't have that natural ability. Wish me luck - send any decorating tips. Next projects: tile in the downstairs bath/garage entry, and new toilet, mirror and paint in the downstairs bath. Painting upstairs hallway and boys' rooms this summer. Ah, home ownership.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-16T13:48:00.003-05:00

Well, here are some pictures of Easter weekend. We ask the Bunny to come on Saturday, so we can spend Sunday focussed on the real meaning of Easter. The kids were total rag-a-muffins this weekend, but they cleaned up nice.

I believe my indoctorination is now complete...Ellie loves all things pink. She runs around calling for "My Pink"-which could be a pink egg, basket, jacket, etc. She also loves to watch "My Dora".

Look at all those eggs! We had great weather-I don't know if the Easter Bunny has ever hid our eggs outside before...there is usually snow.

More eggs!

What can I say? We are not used to seeing the sun again....squint, squint, squint. Not to mention, trying to get four kids to stand in the same spot, look at the camera, and smile...yeah, right.

Another Birthday Boy

2009-03-18T13:46:00.003-05:00

Cade's birthday was a month ago...not feeling the blogging vibe lately. Here are some pictures:

Yes, this is a very sorry looking cake. I tried to talk him into cupcakes. Oh well, it tasted pretty good.

Cade invited his best bud to party with us.

Cade chose to go to Space Aliens (similar to Chuck E Cheese, with an alien theme and, hard to believe, even grosser food). We had a big snow storm that day, and almost had to postpone the celebration...but, we braved the roads and had lots of fun!

Birthday Boy

2009-02-16T16:30:00.005-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN!

Colin's birthday was last week, and as we were traveling, we ended up celebrating it all weekend long (gifts on Friday, Chuck E Cheese on Saturday, cupcakes on Sunday). As most of you know, I really don't care for the years 2-4...so many tantrums, separation issues, the whole 'I am my own person' thing. As many of you also know, Colin has really tried my patience these last two years. He is sooooo mischevious. His brothers were difficult at that age, too, but 4 was a magical birthday-all the sudden they became people pleasers. Colin hasn't seemed to find the magic...I'm hoping it'll come sometime this year. I love him, but whew, what a workout he is.

Open the cards first...

Brothers can help with the reading...

YES! A music card, with a favorite song..."Who let the dogs out..."

Oh, the epic sibling struggle...let me help...no, it's mine!

Oh yeah-a noisy toy from Oma!

Skip forward to Sunday in Appleton, WI...

Mmmmm, cupcakes. Colin was excited to put in his own candles...don't worry he didn't light them (so help us if he figures out how to work lighters/matches in the near future).

Happy birthday to you!

Happy Birthday Kiddo! You're a wild one - we love you!

PS-Did you notice the paint patches in the gift opening pictures...painting will commence soon! I'm excited to change the color. :)

Monday's Movies

2009-02-16T15:58:00.002-06:00

This week was pretty good for movies...

The Rocker **** (redbox, free movie monday) I remembered Tom mentioning he might want to see this movie, so I picked it up at redbox. I was definitely not expecting much from this one, and in fact the first ten minutes of the movie I kept thinking to myself how glad I didn't actually have to pay for it (at some point I signed up for redbox to send me a text code for free rentals on Mondays). I don't know if it was because I like School of Rock, silly teen movies, The Office (Rainn Wilson was so funny in this movie...and though his charcter was in many ways similar to Dwight Shrute, he was softer around the edges), or if it was just because my expectations were so low, that I liked this movie so much. It was pretty funny. I reccommend this one, but maybe it's best if you don't expect much-maybe you'll like it better.

Confessions of a Shopaholic **** (girls night chic flick) This was really cute-and I haven't laughed that hard in a movie for a while. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it, as did the friends I saw it with. I would definitely see it again. I think I might even make Tom watch it with me sometime. I think he could stomach it. I haven't read the books, and hesitated seeing the movie because I would like to read the books, but one of the ladies I went with had read the books and said the movie was pretty different. I look forward to reading the books in the future. One question for this movie...is that her real hair? It is gorgeous.

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason ** (dvr) I love my dvr, I don't think I could sit through this movie AND all the commercials. I've watched Bridget Jones on tv before, this one was similar to the first, I guess. It is an amusing story, but I can't really see what is so appealing about Miss Jones. And, frankly, I know it's the point of it all to have such a mousy looking girl, but I was having a hard time enjoying the plump, poorly dressed Renee Zellwenger. I kept hoping for a makeover scene. I don't know, the story is kinda fun, but I think I just watch because I like Colin Firth. (Will he ever escape Mr. Darcy? Do I want him to? Ewww, let's try to erase Mama Mia from our memories...)

Monday's Movies

2009-02-09T14:01:00.003-06:00

21 *** (rental) At the beginning of this movie I was really concerned to see the deterioration of the main character, a good dorky kid, as a result of gambling. I didn't really like how discouraging this movie was for dorky people. I mean if you've got a brain, don't waste it in Las Vegas. Which leads to a side note...I really hate Las Vegas and the whole notion of what goes on there is wrong, but it's okay. I think Vegas is a destructive, miserable place. The whole idea of the kid going to Vegas was troubling, not to mention the cheating and danger of getting caught. Vegas aside, I guess this movie was okay. It did have a decent ending, albeit not particularly believeable. I'm not a Kevin Spacey fan, but it was still a tolerable movie.

Fool's Gold ** (rental) I typically like the treasure hunt genre, but this is no National Treasure. There were some pretty funny parts (ie, when she knocks him out with an old guy's cane). But the villian, a rapper dude with a couple of dumb thugs, who happens to own the island the treasure is on...silly. It really reminded me of all the silly kid movies villians-think Air Bud, Home Alone, etc. So, one would think it shouldn't be too hard to outwit him, right? Also, the storytelling to keep the audience up on where the treasure might be was pretty uneventful. The movie as a whole was rather predictable. All in all, this movie had potentional, but fell short.

I think I would choose to watch 21 over Fool's Gold, although the second one did offer a couple of laughs.

This weekend we drove to Appleton, WI to visit my good friend, Laurie and her family. (Laurie-Thanks for everything, especially right at the heels of your trip...you are wonderwoman.) We chose to go this weekend so we could see Wicked. (Yes, Appleton, though a relatively small town, they have quite a nice, large theatre. We'll have to see what other awesome shows come there, if the Munsons can brave our visit again.) Wicked was awesome!!!!!! LOVED it! Everyone has told me how great this show is and I definately agree. You must seek it out and go! So fun, great story, so much talent. Just amazing.

Oh, I forgot one

2009-02-03T16:35:00.002-06:00

I forgot to include Wuthering Heights, I watched it early in the week...

Wuthering Heights**(tv) I have a friend who gets cable the first part of the year, specifically to watch Masterpiece Theatre Classics series. We LOVED the Jane Austen movies last year. This year...yikes. Some seriously downer movies. Charles Dickens is coming up soon, and I'm just not sure I'm gonna be able to do it. But, maybe I need to give him another chance. My book club likes to read a book then discuss and watch the movie. I wonder if we'll try any Dickens this spring.

Anyway, onto Wuthering Heights. I finally read this book two or three years ago. I was looking forward to reading it because it has been touted as this passionate love story. Ugh. I HATED it!!! I mean, I guess it's good that it made me have such strong emotions, but I really do not understand why this is such a noted piece of literature. I think it is such a horrible story. The main characters are so selfish and they totally destroy everyone around them. I feel they never really came to their just desserts, either...death was too good for them both. I suppose Bronte tried to sum it up with a bit of a happy ending for the next generation, but it wasn't enough for me.

I really debated watching the movie because I hate the story and the characters so much, but I watched a little bit one night, and got sucked in to watching the rest of it. I will say, in this adaptation I feel they let Cathy off pretty easy. I remember thinking she was just as bad as Heathcliff, but in the movie she was portrayed more of victim. Okay, I guess the movie itself was pretty well-done, although they sexed it up quite a bit. I just hate that story. Enough. I am done with that spiteful miserable Heathcliff and idiot Cathy. I don't know if I can recommend it or not...

Monday's Movies

2009-02-02T13:45:00.002-06:00

Kind of a slow movie week. I have a couple waiting to be watched, but this week we only got to the kiddie ones...

Cinderella 3 *** (library check out) As far as cartoon sequels go, this one was pretty good. The boys seemed to like it well enough, too.

Speed Racer *** (rental) We watched this one for family movie night. Both Tom and I were plesantly surprised. I hadn't heard anything good about it, thus we haven't bothered watching it before. I liked the bright colors. I had a hard time following the storyline, which is pretty silly in the first place, but that is probably due to my inattention during the first half-dealing with popcorn messes, noisy toddlers, blanket fights, and the other joys that come with family movie night. I actually do like Christina Ricci enough that I would have liked her to have a stronger role. And, I was happy to see Matthew Fox...I think I've secretly had a crush on him since Party of Five. The kids loved all the humor provided by the little brother and Chimp. The kids really liked this movie and watched it again the next day. I won't be surprised if this one is added to our collection soon (afterall, we are in the peak of birthday season in our family).

I'm hoping to find more movie time this week ...

More Pictures

2009-01-29T14:29:00.008-06:00

Here are the pictures I promised. They are out of order though...

Grandma and Grandpa Walsh gave the kids some snow toys for Christmas...our MN yard is flat, but the kids improvised. (Not a big surprise though...did I tell you the story of Colin sledding in my parents backyard-right down the steps towards the pool? Or, how about the one last year when the boys, after seeing A Christmas Story for the first time, took their sled down the stairs in our house...right into the wall?) Sledding down the slide-almost as good as stairs.

Back to the MN clime. Actually, this was a warm day-it's been too cold to play outside for most of January.

The Wilson Clan on Christmas morning.

Ellie's favorite part of Christmas...chocolate for breakfast. Yep, that's my girl. (Do you like the exercise equipment in the background of this picture...poetic. Nice one Tom.)

Ellie really does take after me...up all night on Christmas Eve. She was soooo crabby Christmas morning, though.

Santa was here!

Oh yeah!
Skip forward a few weeks to Ellie's birthday.
A birthday package from Oma!
Big girl!

This was the first time she has enjoyed opening gifts (not as crabby as Christmas), it was fun to watch. She was so animated, and really excited to see what was inside.

Her favorite gift was a new baby doll...she loves her babies! (And, I love having a girl who loves girl toys!)

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Happy Chinese New Year! We made our own fortune cookies. I'm not very good at coming up with the fortunes though...not enough wisdom yet, I guess.

It was pretty quick and easy, and the kids thought they tasted great. We'll definitely do it again next year.

So there you have it...the latest in pictures at our house. Now I don't have to feel guilty about doing my movie reviews.

Movie Monday

2009-01-26T10:02:00.004-06:00

Okay, so ideally my blog will be more than just movie reviews. I still need to plug the camera into the computer...I'll put it on this week's to do list.

Here are the movies I caught this week.

Traitor *** (Red Box) This was Tom's choice. It was pretty good, required a bit of thought to keep up. It had some suprises and is one of those storylines that makes you wonder if this could really happen...or if it does really happen? Overall, I liked it and reccommend it. It's a good one to watch with the menfolk-some action, but not too much.

Bride Wars ** (theater) Chick Flick - I went with some girlfriends to this movie, which is always fun. The movie started out pretty good, but after the first half went downhill quickly. There were some funny parts, well funny lines here and there. I will say the movie made references to Kate Hudson's character having a chubby past...c'mon, that's pretty ridiculous. I might watch this again with my mom or sister, maybe I'd like it better, knowing the second half isn't that good. Though the lead characters are hot, I don't think any man would appreciate watching this one, save it for a girls night or a hunting weekend, and don't bother seeing it in the theater-more of a rental.

Castaway *** (caught it on tv, and we own it) SPOILER ALERT This is Tom's favorite movie. ??? I think he likes the perseverence and that the ending isn't a cliche happy ending. I remember seeing it in the theater-it was so intense, the plane crash, the tooth pulling, the despair of being stranded, the amazement of a rescue, going home and realizing that life has moved on without you. Okay, it is a good movie and a great story. It is also long. We just watched the beginning-I can't really take more than that. If I could just fast forward the rescue I would have, but it was on tv, so I just flipped the channel.

A Cinderella Story ** (tv) This one is better than Another Cinderella Story. I just watched the end tonight, but I've been sucked in by this movie before. As far as Cinderella movies go, I actually like this one. As I mentioned before, I'm not a Hillary Duff fan. I do like that this movie is pretty clean. I don't like it when they put innuendos and inappropriate/tacky stuff in teeny bopper movies. SPOILER ALERT One thing that really bugs me about this movie is the 'Prince Charming' who runs off the football field at a crucial moment in the game-talk about letting your team down. The step mother in this movie is so horrendous, I think it's funny. Tom watched the end with me(in fact, I think we watched the end of this which led into the beginning of Castaway-gotta love TNT and TBS on the weekends)...I had to keep making apologies for watching this one. "Oh, this part is pretty lame." "Oh, wait this next scene is pretty dumb, too." Why then do I watch these silly movies...and more than once? I don't know. But, Tom loves me anyway. If you haven't seen it, and you've got time on your hands, go for it. It would probably be a good one while sewing, folding laundry, etc. You know, so you're not totally wasting your time. (Not that I have a problem with that...)

Movie Review Monday

2009-01-19T11:46:00.003-06:00

We don't go to the movies very often, but we watch a lot at home. So here are my thoughts and ratings on the movies I watched this last week.

Hancock*(rental) A couple of funny scenes/lines, but otherwise a pretty dumb movie. I found it much of the storyline predictable, and the rest just didn't make sense.

Hitch**** (own it) We just watched the first half of it on a weeknight. It always makes me laugh. The dancing scene is one of our favorites.

I am Legend*** (own it, thanks to a Black Friday deal) This was way more suspenseful than I had anticpated. It was kinda creepy too...not as icky as Disturbia, but still a bit more scary than I expected. I don't know that I would have bought it had I seen it before, don't know that we'll watch it again.

ID4*****(TV) We just caught a bit of this movie the other night and thought we would round out our Will Smith week. This is one of my favorites. I think I need to own it.

Another Cinderella Story * (TV) Okay, so I"ll admit, I like to watch teeny bopper movies. And, any movie that might include some sort of makeover in it. Tom never watches with me...since he was sick this weekend, I indulged. Sometimes Aidan likes to watch with me...he's my High School Musical buddy. Yeah, this movie was bad. I little too much bad language/innuendos to watch with kids, so I'm glad they were in bed.

The Perfect Man ** (TV) Just watched the last half. Pretty silly story. I am not a Hillary Duff fan, either.

Wow, I watched a lot this week....

Thinking Positive

2009-01-16T11:28:00.004-06:00

"Freezing my butt off"

Boy, am I grateful for the seatwarmers in our cars!

Brrrrrrrrr.

I know there are cold temps all over the midwest/east coast this week. But HELLO it is beyond cold up here. What a way to welcome us back, Minnesota. I've lost count-3 or 4 days of sub zero weather. We are hoping to move up above zero this afternoon. The kids got yesterday and today off...no snow, just super frigid. (The first day off of school is fun...day 2, boring. Plus, it's not like a snow day when you can go out to enjoy the snow...you have to just suffer inside-talk about cabin fever!)

I don't know if you can appreciate how cold it is, unless you have actually experienced it. It is so cold it hurts...one guy on the news described it as having daggers thrown into your face. It's so cold you can't breathe-your nose freezes together and you start coughing because of the cold air in your lungs. Our temps have been in the -20's and -30's. Yep, that's the real temp, not even including wind chill. Okay, so you are thinking "C'mon that's like a 3am when no one is outside". Nope, that's just during the day. FYI when I dropped kiddos off at school on Wed morning it was -11, windchill -33. Having weathered a few MN winters (ave temp this time of year is around 2o...not including the ever-present windchill factor), I know we usually get a couple of days like this, once in a while. But, to have them bunched up like this---eeek!

Here's hoping that we get out of the frigid-ness today!

Photo Update

2009-01-12T13:59:00.008-06:00

Okay, I'm back online...here are some pictures, in reverse order, of the month of December. I haven't plugged the camera in since we moved back home, so this is just up until Christmas Eve. Things are going fine back in MN. The drive went well (as well as can be expected with two cars, two parents, four kids, and a dog)-the roads were good the whole way. We are busy getting re-settled here, but it's not too difficult. In fact, it's kinda trippy-like the past 7/8 months have just been a two week vacation, and now we are back to real life. This past year has been crazy, but it's nice to be home. It is DANG cold though.

Christmas Eve excitement

This year my family had a Christmas Eve pie contest...Whit's Key Lime won.

We did lots of baking.

The family curse...Santa cookies. So cute, but labor intensive! It was nice doing them with my mom this year.

My mom did a gingerbread house with the boys...the amazing thing: it survived three weeks before being eaten.

The boys took ski lessons at Brighton-and loved it. Here's Aidan, Tom, and Cade on the lift.

Cade loved skiiing! He likes "to go fast on the big mountain."

Aidan is a snowboarder.

The lessons were a gift from my ski-bum mom, I'm sure she's sad we aren't there for the rest of the season, but she has definitely started some skiiers to go with her in the future.

Aidan's Christmas concert

He loved wearing this Santa hat we found at my mom's house.

We took the kids on the Polar Express...which deserves a post on it's own.

Quite the adventure...FYI trains wait for no one.

Colin had a hard time focussing on his singing...he was loving the mirror in the dance room they did their concert in.

Colin's preschool concert.

We were so busy in December-we wore everyone out!

My family still goes crazy with the holiday lights...one more strand to Griswall status?

The Alpine Elementary concerts were really quite cute and pretty quick, the perfect combination.

Cade's kindergarten concert.

We tried to get a family picture, but Colin was being stubborn...

More skiing

and snowboarding.

Tom finished work on the 12th, so he was able to spend LOTS of time with us-and made it to all the festivities and concerts at school. It was great to have him home so much...maybe he should get into academia, I could go for the professor lifestyle.

Sunset from my parents porch...before the snows of Decemeber came.

Aidan played basketball this year (Tom got talked into coaching), it ended in Nov, but I thought I'd throw in a pic since I'm overloading you all with pictures.

So that's that. I'll catch you up on the rest later. :)

We're outta here

2008-12-29T22:52:00.003-06:00

WOW, December absolutely flew by!!! I'll have to update later.

This is my last Utah post. We are hitting the road-back to Minnesota. I hope the roads are clear, the kids are pleasant, and the Diet Pepsi keeps me awake. Wish us luck! I'll talk to you when we're hooked up to the internet again.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2008-11-30T21:57:00.005-06:00

Here's what we did:

(I didn't bring my camera, so thanks Michaela for sharing the photos.)

WEDNESDAY

We met my friend, Natalie, and her crew at the Dinosaur Museum. I had much to in preparation for our road trip-but the kids were wound up and needed to get out of the house. Consequently, we got a later start, but it was worth it to get the wiggles out and spend time with a fun friend. The roads were good and the kids slept (hallelujah). We got to Denver in the wee hours of the morning.

(It was like this only some of the way...)

TURKEY DAY

I got up and made rolls-I was excited to share a recipe I'd been practicing/perfecting. I was so disappointed when they didn't turn out-in fact in all my roll making the past few months, this batch was the worst. Sorry Walsh family. (They were edible, but far from great.) Everything else was delicious and it was terrific to be with family for the holiday. The boys were especially excited to see their cousins, aunts and uncles.

Kid Table

BLACK FRIDAY

I really like Black Friday shopping. There is just something about walking out in the quiet, dark morning hours, breathing in the cool, crisp air, the snow crunching beneath my feet. Hopping into the cold minivan, turning the seat warmer to high and blasting the Christmas music. I seriously get giddy as I drive down the deserted streets. Then I turn into the parking lot of the first store on my list and think, 'Wow, it's already pretty crowded'. I walk into the store, take a look at the line wrapped up and down the aisles, to the back of the store and think, 'Holy crap, there's a lot of people here'. At this point, I generally abandon the first store or two, deciding the great deals are probably already taken, and not really worth the two hours of waiting in line. I finally settle on one place, and just shop-trying to grab the super-marked down items on my list, as well as other fun finds-until the lines are more reasonable. Then I'll try another store or two. Black Friday is like amusement parks, it's totally worth it to get there early, but if you miss the early hours, you might as well stay home-because it's just crazy busy. I'm usually home by 10am.

This year I actually had most of my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving, and there wasn't anything on left on my list that was on a Black Friday sale. But, I love the experience. Tom was not too enthusiastic about me hitting the stores, as I didn't really NEED anything (and he knows I wouldn't come home empty handed). As I went to bed on Thursday, I debated whether I really wanted to wake up and brave the craziness. I thought I'd just go to bed, and decide in the morning, depending on when I woke up. Enter Whitney...she texted me at 4:30am (6:30 her time) to wish me a Happy Black Friday. I forgot to turn my phone off-so it woke me up, and I couldn't get back to sleep, so I hopped out of bed and hit the stores. And, yes, it was fun. (Thanks for the wake up call Whit.) No, I did not come home empty handed-what fun would that be, Tom?

Colin, Aunt Michaela, and Ellie

Later that day, Michaela invited the boys over to play - thank you! They had so much fun, I wish we lived closer so they could play with the cousins more often. I guess we'll take what we can get.

SATURDAY

We took the boys to Madagascar 2...Colin is still not movie ready (we try every once in a while-but he just can't make it through), unless supplied with endless candy and popcorn. Later, we did some shopping for Tom at his favorite Cherry Creek store (Filson). Then headed to my neices' first birthday party-another fun family event. Happy Birthday Mary Frances!

SUNDAY

We made an early start (well, 7:30 is early for us), the weather was bad through the mountains-which made the trip sooooo long (I am thankful for our DVD player...and Redbox).

We had a fun weekend, but I'm sure Tom's parents are glad to have their peace and quiet back. (I know my parents enjoyed having some of that this weekend. Hmmm, I wonder what peace and quiet feels like? I guess I won't know for another 20 years.) I am so glad we could visit with Tom's family this weekend.

Now it's back to real life...menu planning, grocery shopping, mountains of laundry, wake up for school...

Wedding Weekend

2008-11-23T22:17:00.003-06:00

This weekend I left the kiddos home with Tom and took off to Denver with my mom for my friend's wedding. She is a friend from high school-the last of the bunch to get married. (You may recognize her from the pictures of the fun shower we had for her a few weeks ago.) This weekend was a Mother/Daughter shower and the wedding. I love my old girlfriends! I am so glad we are still friends. It was great to be in Denver and to visit with so many people I haven't seen for so long. I am so grateful for the influence of so many terrific people during my youth-they still inspire and support me.

Stephanie, everything was beautiful! I am so happy for you.

PS-Tom and the kids survived.

Books, Birthday, and Baby Hair

2008-11-13T14:23:00.007-06:00

Here's what's been going on lately:

BOOKS

Alpine has no library. Isn't that absolutely atrocious!?! I think it is appalling. This situation has caused me to search the shelves in my parents home, or actually buy my books on Amazon.com. I have not been reading lately-and I've been so bored whenever I've had a few minutes of 'down time'. So, I put in my amazon order. I was sooo excited when they arrived yesterday! I already finished one book, and I'm ready to move on to the next. (I think I devoured it because it's been a while since I've read anything...feast or famine. The next book I'll try reading during the 'down times', rather than ignore all responsibilities.) I love to read!

BIRTHDAY

Tuesday I turned 32. I had a great day celebrating with my family - thanks guys. 32 doesn't seem as old as it used to sound...

BABY HAIR

Last Friday Ellie got her first real haircut. (I forgot to bring my camera...) I always imagined my daughter with long, flowing locks - but it just wasn't happening. So, we cut off her baby hair. We'll see how things grow...maybe the long, flowing locks will come eventually? I think her new cut is pretty cute. I bought a little round brush and once in a while she actually lets me dry it cute. She really looks like a little girl to me now. Where's my baby?

Ellie with 'long' hair.

The big girl cut.

It's all a matter of perspective

2008-11-04T14:35:00.002-06:00

While at Disneyland we gave each of the boys a disposable camera so they could take some of their own pictures. They thought it was great, but were disappointed they didn't have a screen on the back of the camera to see what the picture looked like. Of course, it only took about 20 minutes to use up all the film.

I just picked up the photos this morning and couldn't stop laughing! Aidan and Cade got some lovely pictures of sidewalks, walls, bushes, and a few cute posed ones of Michael and my parents. The funniest was Colin's...all he sees are butts! Seriously, walking butts, standing butts, butts going through turnstiles. 28 pictures of our family's (and lots of strangers') butts. Oh, and a couple looking up at my dad and brother-they are GIANTS from Colin's perspective. It was so funny, and helps me remember how tough it is to be a kid.

Halloween

2008-11-03T21:56:00.004-06:00

Here's a Halloween picture. (I'm having technical difficulties, so after several tries on a stack of pictures, here's just one.) It was a pretty low-key Halloween for the Walshes. I am always torn with the expense of Halloween. There are some awesome costumes out there, but when it comes down to spending lots of $$$ for one evening of wear, maybe a party or two, it just doesn't seem worth it. This year we had two Storm Troopers, Superman, and a witch. Trick or Treating was great-the weather was so mild. The kiddos had lots of fun, which is what it's all about, right?

Now on to Thanksgiving...and Christmas!

Girls Weekend

2008-11-01T11:54:00.003-05:00

Last weekend I took a road trip all by myself (brave, I know) so I could get together with some of my favorite high school friends. I was able to make a quick pitstop in Fort Collins, too. Then on to Denver to reunite with the girls. We had soooo much fun! We stayed up late laughing and talking. I had so much fun, I actually lost my voice!

This isn't the whole group...just the ones who made it to Saturday afternoon. (Thanks for sharing the pictures Brenda!)

Our excuse for getting together this weekend (not that we need one) was to have a lingerie shower for Stephanie Z. She was so funny. We all had a blast!

I am so grateful for these women in my life - we have been friends for so long. It is great to get back together after so long, and just slide into our old friendships. I admired each one of these girls when we were younger, and I continue to do so as we all have grown up (yet in many ways, stayed the same). What amazing women! Thank you for being my friends.

PS-A couple of quick shout outs:
Jayne-Thanks for the shower-next time I hope we can play longer!
Courtney-Thanks for the use of your house, the bathroom was great...nice work Jeremiah. And, by the way, your kids are like little angels.
Brenda-Thanks for letting me stay with you, the whole weekend was so fun!!!
Ami-So good to see you after so long! Hope things continue to go well with your guy-keep us posted.
Stef-Congrats on being pregnant, not fat. (I wonder if it'll be another redhead?)
Natalie-How are those shoes working out? I'm loving mine! I've forgotten how fun shopping with friends can be.
Stephanie-Good luck with ALL the wedding plans! Look forward to seeing you again soon.
Laurie and Amy-We missed you!

We've been Disney-fied

2008-10-21T14:33:00.007-05:00

We loaded up and headed west for UEA weekend. Disneyland was our destination (along with everyone else in Utah...it got more and more crowded each day we were there). We had a great time! Here are some pictures of our fun:

As soon as we walked in the gates we saw Mickey Mouse and were first in line for a picture. Tom didn't appreciate how lucky this was, until he saw the long lines waiting for Mickey photo-ops the rest of the weekend.

It was a lot hotter than we expected (notice our red faces). It was in the 90s the whole time we were there - Yuck.

Teacups were a favorite for the kids. Ellie also loved the carousel and Dumbo. The boys loved all the big rides...Matterhorn, Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, etc. I am impressed with them-no fear.

Staking our claim on our parade spot. We downloaded Ridemax (a software program that plans your rides, to minimize walking and waiting time) to help us make the most of our Disney experience. I highly recommend it...it helped us have a plan rather than walk around aimlessly. It also shared some great tips, including a terrific parade spot.

This is a picture of the line to get into the park on Thursday morning. I was so proud that we were so early...we were only about ten people back from the entrance.

Lots of waiting in line....

Ready for 3-D shows...in air conditioning!

My mom, dad, and brother, Michael came, too. It was fun to have them... and very helpful!

Cade and Aidan were so excited for the Indiana Jones ride - it was fun!

Brothers. These guys are tall enough to meet all the ride height requirements...and they did them all. Cade is one brave five year old...anytime he saw someone in front of him put their hands up, he would too-even on the big Screamin' roller coaster.

After the first day...we decided a stroller for Colin would be helpful. He loved it!

Ellie did a lot of stroller napping.

Yikes! Suckers!?! Oma....

Brothers

Look how high!

This picture seems to capture the fun and magic...it's great to be a kid!

Sweet Elle-belle

It was an exhausting vacation. I really pushed them hard...arrive early, leave late, go-go-go. We had a blast though!

Instead of going straight home (because Tom and I are total masochists...extending an already long drive with four kids) we drove through Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon. We are looking forward to going back because we couldn't make it to Cedar Breaks. It was beautiful.

All-in-all we had a terrific family vacation! I can hardly wait to start making plans for our next adventure!

Sleepy Hollow

2008-10-11T00:41:00.004-05:00

Tonight we did something so fun! We went to a production of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, performed in the American Fork Amphitheater. Colin and Ellie stayed home with a babysitter. Oma, Opa, Kevin, Rhiannon, Aidan, Cade, Tom, and I bundled up and braved the cold, windy night. We arrived in time to have a hayride through the Hollow, grab some hot chocolate and stake our spot on the cold stone steps.

You never know what you will get with a small town production, but I thought they did a great job. (They even had a real black horse for the Headless Horseman to ride!) It was just the right blend of silly and scary. The cold, windy night added just the right ambiance for the story. It was so fun - this may become a new Walsh tradition.

Scared

2008-10-06T22:40:00.002-05:00

It is the Halloween season and I am scared. No, it's not the ghosts and goblins, it's my weigh in tomorrow. How shall I put this...I have added a lot to myself over the past few years...I am pleasantly plump...I am fun to hug...I've been preparing for hibernation...for my fellow foodies-I'm looking more like Paula Deen than Giada,...or, as my sweet 3 year old says, I've got a fat tummy. Okay so there it is. I am overweight. And, I am ready to change. Since moving to UT I haven't exercised much, so I joined a gym to get back into my old routines. Of course, I joined one that isn't even built yet...so in a few weeks it will be great-I hope. I enjoy the fitness classes most. But, until then, I am trying to walk a few miles most days of the week. It's been going okay, but now the weather is getting colder, and it is more difficult to get out of my cozy bed. Exercise is not my real problem though-I'm confident I can get into the routine with a little more time. What's really hard is the eating. So, I joined...

I did it with good results after Ellie was born....but I've gone back to the dark side. I just did the online stuff last time, now I'm actually going to the meetings. The couple I've been to have been fine. I've lost two pounds in two weeks, but I am really SCARED to weigh in tomorrow. I am having a really hard time combining my love for cooking and my desire to lose weight. I've been trying so hard to just watch my portions, but I'm concerned it may not be enough...I've done a lot of baking this week. Another contributing factor to my fear is a new cookbook I bought at a craft show. (She signed my copy-fun!)

I am loving this cookbook. Great family food and each night of the week has a theme ie. Italian night, Mexican night. I know, it's not rocket science, but the menu planning has been going great. And, the food is good. So food-wise life is good. Eating-wise, it's still difficult. Wish me luck tomorrow morning!

Warning: Music Playing

2008-10-06T15:27:00.004-05:00

What can I say? I haven't been in a blogging mood lately. So, instead of working on a blog, I picked some music...maybe you can hear it by now. Gotta run.

Cooking and Driving

2008-09-24T23:02:00.002-05:00

COOKING
I really love to cook. I love baking, too. I don't have any desire to go pro. (Frankly, the whole chef hierarchy would intimidate me - it's like the military.) I'm not a fancy cook, I like making good food for our family to enjoy. I just got home from a cooking class and I loved it. It's fun to watch and learn, then go home and try it myself. Although I picked up a few good tips tonight, I'm happy say that I think I am a more advanced cook than the level of class I took tonight. I am looking forward to upgrading. (Kelsey Nixon, from the Next Food Network Star is a teacher-I'm looking forward to trying one of her classes soon.) The recipes from tonight I am most excited to try are the black bean and salsa soup, french bread (actually I'm just excited to buy the cool pan the teacher used), BBQ meatball sandwich, and pear cobbler. I really love to keep trying a recipe until I can perfect it. I've been working on dinner rolls lately, in preparation for Thanksgiving. There is also a pie recipe (from Betty's Pies in MN) Tom wants me to work on.

DRIVING
I love listening to music. Especially in the car. Especially at night. Especially by myself. Especially when it is LOUD. I love it when I find a good song and crank it, then another song - a little louder, and so on. By the time I got home tonight I had to turn it back down, I was worried people would be able to hear the bass. This activity is much more fun in Tom's car, although I have done it in the minivan, too. When I crank it in the minivan it really does make me feel like a teenager again...cruisin in the family van. Aw, yeah. I am really Jonesin' for a car with a sunroof though. Unfortunately, there are no car purchases in our future. But, whenever that day comes... we will only consider cars with a sunroof, right Tom?

=

Facebook

2008-09-08T23:02:00.002-05:00

I recently started my facebook page. (? - I don't really know the proper terminology.) It kinda makes me feel young and hip. (Although my little brother Michael is still trying to decide if I am cool enough to be his friend...punk.) At first I totally didn't get the point of it, but now I'm really liking it. It's been so fun to reconnect with long lost friends. And, I've actually chatted to some friends online-very cool. So, if you haven't tried out facebook-give it a try. If I can do it, anyone can. (I also think it is way easier to post pictures on there than on this blog.)