Some Time Away

So we're back from our little vacation and boy was it nice to get away. We just took it easy and had a nice relaxing time. It was very cold and makes me want to move some place warm like southern Arizona like half of my family has already done. But we do like it here even with the nasty cold winters. Anyway, we stopped at the Sweet Palace because we've seen so many commercials for it - advertising is the darndest thing. We actually drove the long way to our destination just so we could check out the candy store.

(Tim pretending to be Master Shifu)

We spent way too much money there and then set off for Fairmont Hot Springs. Andrew was so excited to go swimming in the warm water.

Doesn't that look inviting?

It was about 5 degrees outside. They also have an indoor pool but that's no fun when you can swim in 5 degree weather. We'd get out and make snow angels and then jump back in. I don't think that's very good on the heart but it was fun. Our hair didn't take long to freeze and turn white and we had to constantly dip our heads in the water to keep from getting an ice cream headache. The warm water sent up so much steam into the cold air you couldn't see very far ahead. The pictures don't look that foggy but it was pretty dense. Now, that slide doesn't look like much but it's screamin fast. I managed to bruise my hip and twist my ankle. I don't know how you twist an ankle going down a waterslide but I did. We swam until we were pooped (and a little sea sick from the vertigo inducing fog) and went in and changed for dinner.



The next day was our ski day and I forgot to take pictures. Just a couple of after pictures.



The snow was hard packed but not icy - great for cruiser runs. There was a big warm up in mid January that melted a lot of our mountain snow but the conditions were better than I expected at least (I'm sure this isn't the least bit interesting). On our way home we stopped at this little gas station/restaurant that clips your ski ticket in exchange for a free drink - we always stop here after we ski, it's tradition. So we went and had some yummy free hot cocoa and stayed for dinner.

Fun stuff.

Playin Hookie

Okay so that last post was a little weird and apparently freaked some people out. Moving on...

Tomorrow we start our little mini vacation. We were planning on going skiing and then spending the night at Fairmont Hot Springs, then skiing again on Tuesday but the snow conditions aren't all that great. So instead, we're going to hit this place on the way up, then spend the rest of the day soaking in the hot springs, then of course still ski here on Tuesday. There's nothing like skipping school and work for some good family time.

Man Stench

What is it about men and boys that makes them smell bad...particularly when they sleep? Years ago when I was still working, I had this conversation with a coworker, so I know it's not just Tim and Andy. (Andrew used to smell absolutely yummy as a baby but he is eight now ya know). We discussed how our husbands leave greasy marks on their pillows and how they just kind of smell weird when they sleep. My head gets greasy if I don't shower for a week but even then I don't know if it would be enough to smudge my pillow case. Hmmm...I really have no idea where I am going with this post. All I know is, last night I needed to get some laundry and dishes done so I let Andrew snuggle up with his daddy in our bed. They drifted off into dreamland as I finished up the housework. When I got done I headed down the hallway to my room where the two male specimen were fast asleep. The closer I got, the more it started to smell like a fish tank. I was confused. I don't have a fish tank in my room. I don't have a fish tank anywhere in my house. Could it be the cats? No, they smelled surprisingly non-smelly. It was definitely those two sleeping things in my bed. I don't know what happens when they go to sleep but apparently when you combine them it can make an entire room smell like a fish tank.

I'm not really sure what my point is except that maybe I'm really glad I'm not a smelly man. Yeah, maybe that's my point. I love men dearly but I'm sure glad I'm not one of them. I'm pretty sure when I sleep I smell like vanilla, or buttercream or maybe even pumpkin spice (shut up Nik, I'm sure your out there somewhere laughing sarcastically). I sure hope there are other smelly husbands and little boys out there making all you women a little more glad to be a woman.

Or it's just our family, and I've just completely embarrassed my two boys.

The Entrepreneur

Andrew came home from school last Monday asking for a box about "this big" - motioning with his hands. I said we probably didn't have anything but to check in the garage. So we went to the garage and he points at the cooler and says, "that will work". I had no idea what he was up to. He then disappeared into the office for awhile. He came out with six "deasine books" that he had made and was determined to sell them to anyone walking by. They were just a stack of white computer papers stapled together with a cover page he'd drawn.


He got his little fold up chair from his closet and headed toward the front door. My mom was still here with us and offered to buy one. Andrew was going to charge her an inflated price of $5 and then offered one to her for free because she is after all grandma. Then he headed out the front door with his chair and cooler and set up shop next to the sidewalk.


Mom and Tim and I sat inside watching him, feeling sorry for the poor little bugger. Not only is it the dead of winter and the chances of anyone just walking by are pretty slim but most people aren't in the market for a "deasine book".

So we just might have had something to do with this...


...a good sport of a neighbor who just happened to be walking by at the perfect time and just happened to have a 5 dollar bill to snatch of the remaining 5 deasine books. Hmmm...how lucky is that?

After selling all of his books to one customer he immediately said, "I should have made ten!" So now every stinking day after school he has come home and set up shop on the sidewalk. I can't bribe all my neighbors so I just decided to let him get a taste of what selling is all about and just let him do his thing without parental interference.

Day 4...



To my surprise...an extremely nice lady who was out walking, saw the blue cooler and turned around to see if this little boy was selling lemonade. When she saw what he was actually selling she immediately pulled out a dollar bill and said "he should be rewarded for his ingenuity." What an angel!

I guess he's on to something.

KONKED Out

Indoor football tag got the best of both of them.

Squirt and the butter box

This has turned into an experiment.

I got home from Costco one day with a bunch of groceries. As I was putting groceries away, emptying out all the Costco boxes, I looked over and Squirt had taken a liking to this butter box. I didn't think much of it. Cat's like cardboard boxes. So I just kind of left it there for him for a couple of days figuring he'd eventually get bored with it. Then I noticed he was gradually eating it. And it was becoming his new favorite place to sleep. Andrew thought it was funny so he made a permanent home for the butter box behind our recliner right next to the heater vent. Squirt LoVeS it. He snuggles up in his nice warm box, eats the top layer, then goes to sleep. If Andrew is chasing him around the house, Squirt will run straight to his box, chew on it, then snuggle up. It's like his refuge.

Out of curiosity I'm leaving the butter box exactly where it is for now. I want to see how long it will take him to eat the box right out from under himself. I'm pretty sure he'll do it.

You can still see the Kirkland emblem on the top left side of the box.

The Kirkland emblem is gone

Andrew made a little sign that says 'Squirts kitty home'

Nighttime Sledding

We did some late night sledding the other night just a couple blocks from our house. Not much of a hill but enough to have a little fun on. Someone had made a little jump at the bottom of one of the runs and Andrew insisted on doing that run and nothing else despite the fact that he kept hurting himself every time he bounced over the jump. He is soooo stubborn! It was snowing heavily and was just beautiful. I love how the white snow makes the night so eerily light out. My mom is still in town so she came along. It's fun to have her here. She's is so wonderfully quirky. She leaves in just a few more days and I'm already feeling a little bummed. A girl needs her momma every now and then!

Andrew's Baptism

Today was Andrew's big day. A double big day at that. We crazy Mormons baptize our kids when they are eight. This year Andrew's birthday landed on the first Saturday of the month which is when they prefer to do baptisms so he got to be baptized on his birthday. We showed up with very little time to spare so we barely had time to get just one before picture and it was right next to the bathroom at that. Oh well...I think the world would stop spinning if either the Yules or the Diesens were ever early for anything. It was a great evening with lots of friends and family. Thanks everyone for traveling in to see him, or helping with planning and all that good stuff. Grandma and Grandpa Yule helped out with talks and prayers, Grandma Sue put a little book together for Andy - a collection of testimonies from his family members and friends, and Maddy, Kelsey and Bailey sang. Andrew was very excited for his big day and loved seeing everybody.

8 Years Old!

Andrew turned eight on January 3rd. Holy cow, I never thought I would be the mother of an eight year old. He is growing up WaY too fast.

He had a really simple party this year. I have no complaints! Last year 13 kids showed up and it was a zoo. This year Andrew just wanted a couple of friends and I didn't try to convince him otherwise. I helped the boys make their own homemade pizzas, then we had cake and ice cream, opened presents, played and that was it. Nice and simple just a way a birthday party should be if you ask me.

One of Andrews' friends wasn't sure if he wanted to try to make pizza. He told me it was too hard. So I asked, "If I make it for you will you eat it?"

He replied, "Oh yeah, I'll eat anything except for poop."

Yeah, because that just might be on the menu.

Boys...good grief.

Ten Years

January 2,1999

Ten years of marriage in the bag. Check.

I remember my now-brother-in-law, who at the time was still married to his first wife (confused?), told me and Tim shortly after we were married, that if we could make it through the first year we would be okay. A year went by and we were like, "what the heck was he talking about?"

We are kind of an odd couple and yet we are perfect for each other. I say odd because, well...if I so much as put flip flops on, I am taller than him. And I don't think I have ever weighed less than him...uuummmmmm...moving on. He is very social, I like to sit back and people watch and not say a thing. He's musical, I'm not. I was a dancer, he is probably the suckiest dancer you will ever see (he gets his moves from the Caddyshack gopher). I could keep going...but these are all the little petty things that actually make a marriage kind of funny if you ask me.

It's crazy how much you think you know a person when you first get married. Looking back ten years ago, Tim and I didn't know squat about each other. Even so, it's been a pretty smooth ride. I can honestly say in ten years we have never had an honest to goodness FIGHT. Ever. We are very lucky.

Some of the things that make our marriage work:

We make each other laugh every day.

We don't "sweat the small stuff".

Tim never leaves for work without kissing me goodbye, even if I am still asleep.

We are honest with each other.

We allow each other independence.

We both thoroughly enjoy toilet humor, we disgusting children of the 80's. (I have to make this count for something).

We respect each other.

We have stupid nicknames for each other: Peaches, Swan, Poo Poo Face, Sir Poops A Lot, Stinky...you get the picture.

We prefer being addressed by our stupid nicknames rather than our real names.

We flirt.

We trust one another completely.

It's been a pretty easy breezy ten years and I have no reason to think the next ten will be any different. I have no complaints. I snagged me a good one. He is a good guy, this Tim of mine.