Rock Chalk Jayhawk - Goin' All The Way Baby!

Tune It Off

TV Turnoff Week is April 21-28, 2008. I challenge all of you to turn it off, get off your behinds, and get active with your kids. (If you absolutely can't miss a show, hit record and watch it the week after). :-) 1. On average, American children will spend 1,023 hours in front of TV in one year while only 900 hours in school. 2. 40% of Americans frequently watch TV at dinner. 3. The average American watches 4.5 hours of TV per day. 4. The average American home has 2.7 TVs, yet the average household only has 2.5 people. All I have to say...... GAME ON!

To Be Little Again

I have borrowed the following article from the April 2008 Kansas City Parent magazine. I thought it was very profound. It was written by Tisha Foley in Belton, MO. Last week before we headed to the grocery store, I asked our 3-yr old daughter to change out of pajamas and put on some play clothes. Kaelyn ran to her room and emerged a few minutes later wearing a colorful polka-dotted mini skirt, a white Planet Hollywood t-shirt that's about two sizes too small, a pink Dora the Explorer cowgirl boots, and the blue headband I use at night to hold my hair back while I wash my face. Of course I had to smile. "How do I look, Mommy?" she asked. "Perfect," I told her, and we headed off to the store, where she received many compliments from other shoppers. Other moms gave me knowing smiles. Kaelyn is not really a girly girl. She doesn't care much for pigtails or frilly dresses or kid-size jewelry. She doesn't mind getting dirty, and she'll comb her own hair, thank you very much. But she does like to dress herself, and she cares nothing about matching colors, fabrics or patterns. It's not unusual for her to go to the park wearing a turquoise shirt and pink pants, or a striped top with plaid bottoms. Most of the time her shoes match, but she's wearing them on the wrong feet. Bandaids - for looks only - may adorn her arms. She usually has a dusting of my facial powder across her nose and a shiny spot in her hair where she likes to spray her leave-in conditioner twelve times a day. She's our Little Miss Independent. And you know what? I like this about her. I like the fact that she does not care one iota what people think about her outfit. In her world, pink and orange go together and who says stripes and polka dots should not be combined? Oh, to be three years old again and feel this way. To not wonder what I'm going to wear every time I open the closet door. Or worry whether my pants are too tight or whether my shirt hangs funny. How I would like to just grab the first thing I see, throw it on, leave the house and not worry about what people think. And that's why I have absolutely no problem with taking a mismatched Kaelyn out in public. Too soon she'll be an image-obsessed adolescent - what young girl isn't? Too soon society will be telling her what to wear and how to wear it. So I'll let her independence fly now. And who knows - maybe down the road she won't succumb to the pressures that other young girls and women face. Maybe she'll always believe that stripes and polka dots go together and wear them proudly. I hope she will. Amen Sister!

Easter Weekend

We spent Easter weekend at Silver Dollar City in Branson. Could have been a little warmer but it was still fun. The Easter Bunny came to our hotel. Fortunately we were in an Extended Stay that comes equipped with a kitchenette. We ended up having to buy more eggs and cook them because the ones I cooked prior to leaving for Nashville had some funky smell eminating from them. We spent the day with Brad/Connie doing an egg hunt and a huge lunch. It was a lot of fun.

Nashville or Bust (cont)

The Parthenon. Exact replica of the one in Greece.

The Memphis Temple

Elvis is not dead - he's just gone home.

Nashville or Bust

Spring Break was March 17-21 so we decided to drive to Nashville/Memphis/Branson for eight days. Thank goodness for portable dvd players. We checked out 10 videos from the local library that the girls had never seen and they were set for the 9 hour drive. This will mostly be a pictorial blog of things we did. First of all was the Country Music Hall of Fame (notice the piano keys)?View from inside the Opryland Resort and Convention Center: Miss Di'Vine (get it)? Dukes of Hazzard all the way baby! Nashville Temple

I Can't Believe its Number 10

Anniversary #10 came on February 27th. Since my mom was here for a visit, Mike and I stayed overnight at Chateau Avalon. For those of you from Utah, it is the sister B&B to the Anniversary Inn. We stayed in the Tahitian Suite. We ate dinner at Em Chamas which is a brazillian restaurant (sorry Utah extended family - it beats THE PANTS OFF Rodizio Grill). Breakfast was brought by room service the next day and we came home in a snowstorm.

Better Late than Never

Happy 6th Birthday to our Haylie Bug! Granmoo from Utah was able to come visit (as a surprise). We had the party at Power Play and the best thing is I didn't have to bring anything! They provided table settings, decorations, cake/ice cream, and drinks. All the girls were able to go on rides. A fun time was had by all.