lisa.n.tom

Esme: 2 months old

2012-01-28T19:19:00.004-05:00

Lisa's sister Debbie writes: Esme had her doctor's appt today. She's 24 inches long (75th percentile) and 10 lbs (30th percentile. She has grown 5 inches and 4 lbs in two months. They gave her three shots simultaneously and she didn't appreciate it. She's been drugged and sleepy all day. Paty (Kellen's mom) bathed and massaged her while I was working and I put a warm compress on her sore tetanus leg once I got home.

Went snowboarding tonight. Super icy. Pao (sister-in-law) bruised her back and I landed on my tailbone. Fun times had by all.

Paty made the ladybug hat. Cute, huh?

The other white meat...

Blue eyes (for now).

[commence bragging] Aunt Lisa made this outfit [end bragging]

2012-01-18T19:47:00.003-05:00

Lisa writes: I made this baby gown out of a t-shirt Christi gave me for my college graduation. It has a picture of an ant on the back and says something about being a hard worker. I also made another one from the 1993 Rocky Mountain Dog Track Annual Wiener Dog race. We entered our wiener dogs in this event two or three times. One time, our dog refused to come out of the box when they sounded the buzzer. Another time, our dog stopped and peed in the middle of the track. Needless to say, we never won any prizes, but there was a lot of nice swag just for participating, including a t-shirt.

If you'd like to make your own wiener dog racing t-shirt baby sleeper, click here.

Got some new diapers today. Oh yeah...

2012-01-18T19:45:00.000-05:00

Cumpleaños feliz, Kellen!

2012-01-08T18:08:00.001-05:00

Esme says "Hi"

2012-01-07T18:14:00.001-05:00

Gramma's favorite pictures of Esme

2011-12-20T18:15:00.000-05:00

Click to enlarge

Santa's reindeer live in Lisa's parents' backyard -- and they have the droppings to prove it

2011-12-18T18:23:00.000-05:00

Click to enlarge

Lisa's Mom's Christmas Letter

2011-12-16T18:25:00.002-05:00

Joyous Wishes to All ~ Merry Christmas

~ Roy and I send love and joy as we reflect on the blessings of 2011 ~

Our children continue to live as far away from us as they can. So Roy and I can’t retire. We have to work so we can make short visits. :) They are all our greatest joy.

☆ January ~ we visited Donny in Huntington Beach, CA and Rexene got to see the Rose Parade for the first time. “Happy New Year!” (Thank you, Michael)

☆February ~ we traveled to Utah (Logan) to see our Star ~ Christian ~ in “Music Man”.

☆March ~ wonderful week with best friends, Marilyn & Ken McAllister, in Branson. (Picture by Ken).

☆April ~ our Lori, Dave, Cameron, Ava, Benjamin & Evy came to see us from WA.
BYU GRADUATION! (Easter weekend) ~ Deb did it! This brought us all our children together in Utah for 3 days. Joy! Extra bonus ~ Kellen & Deb are expecting their first baby on “Christian’s birthday, Dec. 8th!”

☆May ~ Christian (9 1/2) Aunt Deb & Uncle Kellen came for Memorial Weekend. Free dental work brings our children home! Christian stayed & helped us in the office shredding records. We read together, cooked for the missionaries, watched Andy Griffith shows, played ping pong & games. Grandpa & Christian got a “pet squirrel.” We went to the Zoo & to HS graduation parties & we had his “1/2” birthday party & an over night trip to Breckenridge with Aunt Sheila & Uncle Harry.

SUMMER -”Lawn Rescuers” killed our lawn -“wrong spray”- then disappeared. Much Work & nightmares. After 4 months, assisted by Roy, Madi,Christian, and friend, Kelly Meyers our grass is green. Great Joy!

☆ June ~ Christi came for Father’s Day (Making points for the Tupperware collection!). Then we went to California to be with Donny and celebrate my birthday (6/23). Donny gave me 2 dozen red roses and Roy took us for lunch at Las Brisas in Laguna Beach. Dream come true ~ I danced with both my guys.

☆July ~ Eden, Utah with girls and “OLIVER” UOF&M Theater Michael & Laurie Ballam.

☆August ~ Loved having Madison (14) come to be with us and Christian too. We all went to the “North Pole” and saw Santa early! We attended the LDS Academy of Dentists at BYU. We celebrated Roy’s 65th Birthday and visited wonderful “Aunt Juanita” Newsome in Bountiful, Utah (90 this 6/21/12).

☆September ~ 42nd Ann. (9/12) - Oahu, HI ~ Christi, Madi, Christian, Lisa, Tom & Tom’s sweet mom, Trudi Anderson. MELE KALIKIMAKA!

☆October ~ General Conference in SLC. Washington with the Weller’s for Evy’s 4th birthday & celebration of Dave’s miracle back surgery. Lori’s took us to fun sites of her world and Halloween Fun.

☆November ~ Thought we would be alone. “Thanksgiving” to Tom & Frequent Flier miles from DC. We love our LISA & TOM. (Lisa ~ heading for 1st place for the Tupperware collection) Thank you!

THE BEST FOR LAST ~ Our 1st newborn, for us, in 10 years joined our family 2 weeks early ~ Esmeralda V DeAlba arrived November 27th ~ 6 lbs 3 oz ~ 19 inches long and is so beautiful. We got to hold her for three days then back to work. We will be in Utah Dec. 21st and are so grateful for our good health and a job that lets us travel to be with our family and friends. Joy! Joy! Joy! We Rejoice in this Season of the Year as we Celebrate our Savior and His constant Love for us All.
Lisa's Mom and Dad

Meanwhile in West Virginia...

2011-12-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

The new niece: Esmeralda V.

2011-11-28T12:30:00.001-05:00

Lisa writes: Debbie and Kellen had a baby. I have a new niece. Prepare to view a lot of pictures like these.

Thanksgiving in Vail, CO

2011-11-26T18:14:00.001-05:00

Lisa writes: We're back from Thanksgiving with my parents in Vail. Skiing, Wii, at least one pre-dawn travel day, lots of food and pie, and somebody has to wear the turkey hat. You know -- what every family does. (Tom takes his 100-pin bowling VERY seriously.) Lisa's mom writes: We had fun going over the Beaver Creek for the Chocolate Chip Cookie contest. These girls won 3rd place and $100.

Old Picture: Grandpa Lester in SLC

2011-11-24T20:50:00.000-05:00

Lisa writes: Not exactly sure what's going on in this old picture, but this is my mom's dad, Grandpa Lester, in Salt Lake City, high-fixing a bunch of little kids, some of whom appear to be in swimsuits.

Recipes: Pie Crust & Banana Cream Pie

2011-11-23T09:08:00.000-05:00

Lisa's mom writes:

Rexene's Easier Pie Crust

1 c. Canola oil
1/2 c. Water
3 c. Flour
1 1/2 teasp Salt
1/2 teasp Baking Powder

Mix flour, salt, and Baking powder in a bowl. In a medium size pan bring water and oil to a bubble (NOT A BOIL).

Take the pan off the heat, and add to the flour mixture and mix well with a fork until all the flour no longer sticks on the side of the bowl.

Divide the dough into 2 or three balls for 3 crusts. Roll out the balls, one at a time, in between two sheets of wax paper. An eleven inch circlewill make a 9 inch pie crust. Peel off the top piece of wax paper. Put the pie pan upside down on the crust and flip it into the pan. If needed, Trim the edge of the crust with knife or scissors. The cooler that the mix is the less sticky, but harder to roll out.

For cream pies, you perforate the crust with a fork on the bottom and around the sides with a lot of pricks to prevent large bubbles.Bake at 424 degrees for 10-15 minutes depending on oven, until lightly golden brown.

For filled pies bake as directed for filling. Do not perforate crust. My apple pie with a top cooked for 1 hr and 15 minutes at 375 degrees andcame out perfectly with out using a protective aluminum edge to prevent burning. Pumpking pie baked at 425 degrees for the first 15 minutes and 350 degrees for 45 minutes more.

Rexene's Banana Cream Pie

(This is inspired by the Lion House Basic Cream Pie)
5 T. cornstarch
1 cup sugar
1/4 t. salt
2 eggs put through blender
1 can evaporated milk (12 oz)
1 1/2 c. milk - 1 %, 2 % or whole milk
2 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
1 c. whipping cream
Baked 9 inch pie shell
2 Bananas

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and salt in a 3 quart saucepan. Add all the milk and cook over medium heat (I do high) with a metal pancake turner constantly stirring and scrapping the bottom to prevent burning. As the mix becomes smooth and thickens add a small amount of the hot mix into the blended eggs and them pour into the hot mix stirring constantly. Cook 2 or 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir for a minute or so until it is not longer hot. Slice 2 banana's into the cream mix and place into a cool pie crust. Place in fridge to completely cool and top with whip cream. Enjoy! Love, Mom

Lori's kid update

2011-11-22T09:26:00.002-05:00

Nov. 22, 2011

Benjamin turned 5 years old on the 17th! He had a good birthday. It started with Ava getting up early to pack his lunch box. She came and woke me up to find out what kind of jelly Benjamin likes. It wasn't until after school, when I was cleaning out his lunch box that I found a note from Ava, "Happy Birthday Benjamin! Love, Ava XooOxxX." Nothing is sweeter than witnessing your kids showing kindness to each other. [I read the note to Benjamin and he gave Ava hugs]. For B's party we went to Odyssey 1 which is a big indoor play area with tunnels to climb thru, slides, rope swing and video games. He had a great time with some friends from school and church. Cameron made Benjamin's night by giving up ALL his tickets (won from the arcade) inorder for Benjamin to get this cool, neon light-flashing sword ( I think Cameron secretly wanted it too :) ). That was an awesome present.

Benjamin, as we all know, is quite the climber and jumper. His P.E. teacher stopped me in the hall today and said, "Did you hear what Benjamin did?" I'm thinking, "Uh Oh! That's never a good question from a teacher." Thankfully he just wanted to tell me Benjamin jumped 123 cm (just over 4 ft) when they did the long jump. He out-jumped a lot of the older kids in 4th & 5th grade. Not to mention that Benjamin isn't even quite 4 ft tall. That's my bouncing baby boy!

Another thing I noticed about Benjamin. He's not a big hugger in general (he'll give high-fives), but he ALWAYS has hugs for Mommy. I feel special :). Makes it all worth it.

A little bit about Evy now: We had teacher conferences last week and Mrs. Miller confirmed Evy is one smart little four year-old. She's a worker too. She likes to pull out worksheets and practice her letters and numbers. She's a bit of a perfectionist wanting to color inside the lines, use the right colors and do things exactly right. That's a good trait I suppose. I would worry that her imagination is suffering, however she and Benjamin are constantly playing "in their own world" with their stuffed animals and cars. They're so cute in the morning. They wake up, turn on their bedroom light, and start making up their own games. It's fun to listen to them thru the door, conversing and laughing. Evelyn is also my singer...songs from school, songs from church. She'll get Benjamin going too. Despite being around cars and other boy toys, she's quite the little girl. She's loves to dress up, have Ava put make-up on her and paint her nails. I love it when she "fixes" my hair. She's fun and my snuggler.

Ava is my other snuggler. She's quite the interesting mix...stubborn and tough as nails sometimes...yet helpful and loving in the same hour. I think this strong-willed girl will go far. So far she's happiest wrapped up in a blanket on the couch, reading a book or watching a movie with me, her dad and siblings. She has been doing a basket-ball camp and starts playing on a team in December. I 'm excited because I like basketball, it's indoors, and Ava is fun to watch. She plays well & makes baskets, but even when she doesn't she has a good sense of humor about it and is friendly with her teammates. She's also continuing her after school art class and has her bedroom wall decorated with her masterpieces. I really need to get her into a baking/cooking class. She loves to cook more than I do...so, she's welcome to take over in the kitchen :). That would be great!

Cameron and I just started going to an indoor rock-climbing gym (we're members now). We're going to get our certification to belay next time. He's a good climber and it's great to find something active to do indoors in the winter. Cameron's enthusiasm for the trumpet is waning, but I hope he sticks with it. Their band concert is coming up in December. Tonight Cameron is conducting the Scout pack meeting. He and a few other boys are going to get several merit badges, including their biking merit badge. They finished several shorter rides plus the 15 mile, 30 mile and 50 mile bike rides thanks to David's planning and coordinating efforts (what a good Scout Master). David also put together a cool video of the scouts activities this past year. It's set to music and looks pretty professional in my opinion. We're finally getting some use out of the MAC.

That's our update. We're sending out Christmas cards with pictures this year....hopefully you'll actually get them before Christmas. Love you all, Lori

Mom's new hairdo

2011-11-19T14:06:00.002-05:00

Lisa writes (from Denver): Mom let her bangs grow out. I think it looks good.

We're at La Casa Bonita watching cliff diving and eating sopapillas.

Do parents still have to run to the store at 10 p.m. on Sunday nights to buy those giant posterboards for kids' school projects anymore?

2011-11-10T09:54:00.001-05:00

Lisa's mom writes: Christian was well rewarded for his great job with his website, Diversity in Energy Sources, at 9 years old.

Boston with cousin Dave

2011-11-06T21:16:00.005-05:00

Lisa writes: I had a work conference in Boston for a couple of days. We met up with Tom's cousin, Dave, who took us on a walking tour of the harbor and Mecca (aka the Apple Store) where Tom did his best Twilight imitation.

I should make a series of these: "Tom does tai chi in unlikely places, to the amusement of the locals."

Bionic Dave

2011-11-01T18:47:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: My brother-in-law, Dave, had back surgery a couple of weeks ago. They expected him to be pretty much bed-ridden for four weeks, but he's already back up and at 'em. Go Dave. Dave says "I am still in one piece and they put all the pieces back with a few extras. I am the bionic man!"

(P.S. I originally tried to post a small picture of the Frankensteinish stitches on his back, but then good-taste, propriety, and the fact that Blogger kept cropping off the left side of the image prevailed. You can thank me later.)

Halloween with Lori's crew

2011-10-31T19:33:00.002-04:00

Lisa writes: My mom and dad went to visit Lori's crew last week for Halloween and Evy's birthday. There was a pony. What else do you need to know?

Where in the World are Lisa's Parents: Washington Air Base with Lori's crew

2011-10-29T19:28:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: Mom and Dad are in sunny Washington State with Lori's crew. Today, they are looking at big airplanes.

The pumpkin farm with the Lori's crew

2011-10-28T19:04:00.006-04:00

Lisa's mom writes: Our second day in Washington, Lori told us we had to get outside while the Sun shines. She took us to Schilter Family Pumpkin Farm.

Lori, Grandpa, Evy and Benjamin. (Click any pic to enlarge.)

They had more than pumpkins for touching. Evy liked the baby goats.

And Grandpa recalled his Porky and Petunia from when he was growing up and got "Porky"……

... to smile for the camera!!!!

This was a fun surprise. One of the goats went back in the barn before I got the picture.

Evy's smile is pure sunshine.

The hay maze.

How quickly Benjamin and Evy have grown since we saw them last.It will be fun to go back and take a picture here next year.

Evelyn's 4th birthday

2011-10-23T19:21:00.002-04:00

Lisa writes: Happy 4th birthday, Evelyn.

Also? Hello mini-Lori! Ava looks exactly like Lori's pictures from that age, but without the horrible 1980s braces, headgear, and feathered bangs. (Not your fault, Lori! We all had them. I'm just saying, "Ava, kiddo, you are luckier than you will ever know.")

Things that are extraordinarily good

2011-10-19T21:40:00.004-04:00

Tom writes:
Hot showers
The Harry Potter series in Spanish
Fast Internet connections
Oatmeal raisin cookies
Sleeping in
Beautiful cycling weather
Clifton, VA

Lisa writes:
Toasted, slivered almonds
Wild wallabies in Hawaii
Flannel sheets
Jimmy the hamster's new haircut
Nutella
Clean floors
Sunglasses
Pumpkins

Addendum: Lisa would like to add, "Things that are NOT extraordinarily good: turnips."

Where in the World are Lisa's Parents: Steamboat Springs

2011-10-18T10:03:00.000-04:00

Lisa's mom writes: No patients today. "Let's go take a hike in Steamboat Springs." We have lived in Colorado over 20 years. We are having a nice time. I was so surprised at how big Steamboat springs is. It is a town of over 12,000 with all the usual stores. The drive up ~ through Woodland Park, Breckenridge and I-70 back to Silverthorne to route 9 brought amazing scenery all the way. On the last part, I could not believe the views and how we were surrounded by mountains on four sides. Their were lots of big farming areas. I said, "Look at all the cows." Dad smiled, "Which of our kids on one of their first road trips saw cows and said, "Look! Wild Cows!"

The waterfall we hiked to this evening was not far. Tomorrow we may check out the hot springs up the mountain that gave the first visitors to this area the impression that a steamboat was on river. When they did figure it out, they thought "Steamboat Springs" would be a good name for the town.

Deb's baby shower

2011-10-15T20:20:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: My sister, Debbie, and bro-in-law, Kellen are having a baby in December. His mom and sisters put together a baby shower with what looks like some excelente food and a mind-blowingly cute baby cake. But first, click to enlarge and spot the katydad!

Next, click to enlarge and spot the booties!

Paty, Gabi, and Paola working the food line. (Mexicans do not do tiny little sandwiches with the crusts cut off and lemonade. Por favor. It's a party? It's a MEAL.) Madison and Christian either loving on each other or possibly jockeying for position in line.

Deb and her best high school buddy, Meggie.

Back to front: Christi, Madison, Christian, cousin Teresa, Aunt Bev (my dad's oldest sister), and Deb.

Wildlife

2011-10-05T20:49:00.000-04:00

Lisa's mom writes: The squirrel stole my zucchini bread!

For all your dropping-girls-on-their-heads-in-the-middle-of-a-dancefloor needs

2011-10-04T20:49:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: My brother Donny has a new website. TrueCountryDance.com. Buy the DVD if you dare! He's a good dancer, but let's just say there's more than one woman out there who wishes she'd been wearing a football helmet instead of a cowboy hat.

Auntie May teaches us about Hawaiian culture

2011-09-16T22:09:00.009-04:00

Lisa writes: Auntie May Parker has been a family friend since the 80s. She's always been a keeper of Hawaiian stories and traditions and more recently she became the official docent of a local history museum and cultural center. Here's Christian pounding fresh taro into poi. (Correction of my earlier impression: Fresh poi tastes like sweet potatoes and is not bad. Commercial poi is sour and not good.)

Using a shell to scrape out the meat of a slightly unripe coconut. The meat is like coconut-flavored Jello Jigglers.

Hawaiian gift wrap -- ti leaves. The gift was a bunch of papaya.

Polynesian sugar cane. This is bigger (and purpler) than the Filipino sugar cane that they grow commercially. Peel it and chew it and it's like a candy toothbrush.

Christian and I were both fascinated with this thing: It's a kukui nut lamp. The nuts are very oily and burn for about 3 minutes each. So, the ancient Hawaiians would carve these lava rock bowls (sort of like an incense holder) and string a bunch of kukui nuts on the rib of a palm frond. Light the top one and when it burns down, it will light the next one. The one pictured here would have given 15 minutes of light. She refused to light this one up for us. Auntie knows us too well.
Both of us had the same thought: "Hey, they gave us whole NECKLACES of these on Sunday, let's burn them!" We haven't actually done it. Yet.

Johnny Vali

2011-09-15T21:51:00.009-04:00

Lisa writes: This is a good story, and it would probably be even if told by Christi... On her honeymoon in Fiji, Christi went to church at the small LDS branch. The branch president said his son was working on raising enough money to go to BYU-Hawaii and go on a mission. Christi was very impressed by this family, so when she got back to Utah, she started rounding up funds to help out this kid, Johnny Vali. Fast forward to tonight: We're at the PCC getting paddled down the canal by a cute polynesian guy. ("Watch your head, we're going under a bridge. And don't look back because your tour guide is squatting and wearing a skirt.") As we're getting off the boat, somebody asks where he's from and he says, "Fiji," and Christi asks if he knows branch president Vali and he said, "Yes, that's my dad!" Christi says, "We helped one of his kids go to college." Johnny said, "Yes, that's me!" Johnny served a mission in California, where he learned very good English. He's now at BYU-Hawaii, part-way through a degree in tourism and hospitality services. He hadn't met Christi before, but he knew exactly who she was and was so excited, happy, and grateful for her and her friends who had helped him.

It was cool.

Johnny surprised us again by finding us at the end of the show with his arms full of gifts. He had fancy shells leis, some shell toys, and a Fiji national rugby team lava lava. They swapped email addresses and the next time any of us find ourselves in Fiji, we have friends.

Laie, Hawaii

2011-09-15T21:35:00.002-04:00

Lisa writes: The Laie Temple is open again after a two-year renovation. It looks fantastic -- beautiful stained glass and painted details on the inside.

Next stop: The Polynesian Cultural Center. We had to spear and kill our own dinner. It's a very authentic native experience.

Christian is about to turn 10. How far in advance to they send out the Hogwarts acceptance letters?

Dinner, courtesy of Dad. ("And for this very slow wild hog, we give thee thanks...")

I'm kidding. Nobody speared anything. This was the luau. Kailua pork is good; poi is not.

Tom and his mom, lei'd up.

Mom and Dad at the new PCC show, "Ha: Breath of Life." It was just as good as everything they've ever put on. Anything with guys in ti leaf skirts spinning flaming batons is always a good time.

Jenny-Bud teaches you how to take a good picture

2011-09-15T21:25:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: Say hello to my junior high school friend, Jenny-Bud, and her husband, Big Red. Jenny is super-smart, successful, and well-read in a wide range of subjects, including how to take a good picture. Here's what to do:

1. Stand up straight with your body at an angle to the camera. (Straight on makes you look wider.)
2. Hold your arm out to your side. This also purportedly produces some sort of slimming effect.

3. Jut out your jaw a little bit. This feels strange, but prevents or reduces the appearance of double-chin.

There you go, Tom! You've got it! Beautiful!

Scuba / Snorkel trip

2011-09-14T18:13:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: Christi set up a scuba/snorkel trip for the gang. Christi is famous for finding deals and then talking them down even cheaper, but what would you say to an outfit that bills itself as "Discount SCUBA -- No Experience Necessary"? Yeah, me too.

The non-Christi contingency (myself included) were wimps and went the snorkel route. We saw turtles, a brown manta, and lots of fish. The Christi contingency (Madison and Christian) saw the same stuff, but from 30 feet deeper and while wearing funny outfits.

I'm ok with that.

Dole Pineapple Plantation

2011-09-13T23:40:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: Dole Pineapple Plantation outside of Wahiawa, Hawaii. I went to intermediate school (a.k.a. Junior High) and high school in Wahiawa and rode the bus through these pineapple and sugar cane fields every day. That was in the mid-80s which, it turns out, was the apex of both of those industries in Hawaii.

Since then, cheaper sugar from other places has beat out Hawaiian prices, and a newer, consistently sweet variety of pineapple grows better in Costa Rica. For me, seeing the bushes and trees growing in the abandoned sugar cane fields felt like fall and decline of a tiny, important empire.

But on the other hand, Dole only began in 1950. Industrial sugar cane plantations began back in 1800s, but that was an inovation too, at the time.

Sometimes you go on vacation to see new things. Other times you go on vacation to see the way things used to be. I think for my family, trips to Hawaii are always both.

Pearl Harbor

2011-09-12T23:26:00.002-04:00

Lisa writes: Tom's mom, Trudi, at the U.S. Arizona Memorial. Trudi was six years old when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and she has memories of it and of growing up during WWII.

The ship behind her is the U.S. Missouri, site of the official Japanese surrender of World War II at Tokyo Bay. In other words, within a couple hundred feet of each other are where the war effectively started and ended for the U.S.

While we waited for the tour, Trudi made friends with the local wildlife. (Zebra pigeons)

Christi and kids do the Mud Run

2011-09-06T21:03:00.002-04:00

Lisa's sister, Christi, writes: Hope everyone had a fun Labor Day Weekend...we played in the dirt (Man vs. Mud 5k) then washed off in the River (Jackson Hole:) Good stuff...

New MLK Jr monument

2011-09-04T23:04:00.004-04:00

Lisa writes: Went downtown on a muggy Sunday night to see the new Martin Luther King Junior Memorial. The official unveiling was cancelled last week because of the hurricane, but the memorial is there and open to the public. It's a little tricky to find because there are no signs pointing to it yet, but when we got there we discovered that we were definitely not alone. It was PACKED with families; mostly African-American families with grandmas and moms and dads and teenagers and little kids, everybody taking pictures. It sort of felt like a high school graduation.

I don't want to get all rhetorial or whatever, but I was struck by the different reactions of the people of different ages. The grandmas were reverent. The moms and dads were respectful. The teenagers posed in front of the statue, taking pictures of each other while flashing gang signs with their hands. The little kids wandered around like little kids. (One little boy was yelling, "Dad! Dad! I caught a rolly-polly! Dad!" while his dad was trying to get a picture of the memorial.) Looking at the little kids, and thinking about that Douglas Adams quote about how "anything that is in the world when you're born is normal and ordinary and is just a natural part of the way the world works," I had the thought that, for them, there will always have been a black president and there will always have been a memorial to MLK on the National Mall.

Rotating the water supply

2011-08-30T22:11:00.000-04:00

Tom writes: We have three 15-gallon emergency water storage tanks in the basement and we've been told you should rotate the water every year. The first time I tried this, I tilted and poured the water into the drain in the middle of the basement. Or at least, that's where I attempted to direct the water. I made a mess all over the place. This year, I got smarter.

Just suck it up...
... and away it goes!

It reminds me of my time in Equador. After they cleared out the cisterns, they had to get the water going from the pipes up above again. Lung-power was the most available pumping system.

(Lisa writes: By the way, those a brand new hoses, purchased just for this purpose. The old ones in the yard are full of amorous slugs this time of year.)

"Madison Angelo"

2011-08-29T16:41:00.000-04:00

Lisa's mom writes: When Dad and I put away the ping-pong table we discovered what our "artist' was doing laying on her back under the table on the dry eraser board on the back side.

Keep creating works of art ~ you are an artist. Love you, Grandma

Buddy Walk 2011

2011-08-28T16:36:00.000-04:00

Lisa's mom writes: I had such a good day along with 3,000 others for the Annual Down Syndrome Buddy Walk in Manitou Springs, Colorado. I walked 3 1/2 miles for my our friends' grandaughter, Isabella, and my great-niece, Chelsea.

Come see us the last weekend in August next year and be a part of our team to support a group of angels! Love, Grandma Rexene/Mom

Donny and Paty

2011-08-27T16:31:00.002-04:00

Lisa writes: My brother-in-law's mom and Donny Osmond both ended up at Rumbi Island Grill,a Utah-based chain of Hawaiian food restaurants ... I'm not making this up.

Warning: May not be appropriate for under-age gastropods

2011-08-20T23:50:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: My question was, "Debbie, what are these slugs doing?" Then I hit the internet and found the answer HERE. Be sure to scroll down the absolutely charming description of slug love life.

Oktoberfest at Snowbird

2011-08-20T21:11:00.004-04:00

Lisa's mom writes: It is AUGUST -- NOT October -- but to our fun surprise Snowbird Ski area celebrates Oktoberfest every weekend from August to Oct. 9th. Roy's birthday continued the day after with Madison leading me, Grandpa Robbins, and Aunt Deb to the festival.

Kellen and Christian went ahead to do the alpine slide and Christi and Lori rode the gondola to the top with bikes.

(Lori) When I saw the "cliff" they headed down I said to Lori, "Was your sister trying to kill you?" The view was amazing. I was born and raised in Utah and had never been here.

(Christi)

A wonderful white tent had constant free entertainment and German food, lots of beer. I loved my Root Beer. Free dance lessons and dancing. Kellen and Deb were so much fun.

11,000 feet in the air with the Salt Lake Valley in the background and on all sides more mountains SPECTACULAR!

THEN another surprise: These Alps Guys rode the gondola behind us and came to play for us and invited everyone to have their pictures taken. He even gave me his hat (for the picture).

Roy watched. They even had his name right under him -- tee hee :) [Click to enlarge and get the joke.]

Anyone who will be in Utah these next weekends, check it out.

Lisa's dad's birthday in SLC

2011-08-20T20:57:00.005-04:00

Lisa's mom writes:

We returned back to Salt Lake and in the evening went to the Planetarium/IMAX to see We walked to the free downtown trolley. Oh - the love! Kellen, Deb, Madi, Lori, (Christian's legs) and Christi. (Such joy watching your children and grandchildren.)

(Madison) Fun in the gift shop.

(Grandma Rexene and Christian) Ooooh we are scary!

(Christi) Everyone needs a "Hoberman Transforming Sphere!"

Sunday we were blessed to enjoy being next to Temple Square and enjoyed "Music and the Spoken Word" in the Conference Center.

More good memories and a very memorable birthday weekend for Roy.

Quilts: Babies Emma and Darcy

2011-08-19T22:47:00.005-04:00

Lisa writes: I don't think anybody from either of these families reads this site, so I'll fess up -- these quilt tops were made from pieces of a king-sized quilt top I made, but never quilted, about six years ago. I cut it into baby-quilt sized pieces and appliqued the babies' names in the same fuzzy red fabric that's on the back. The pattern was called "Fence Rail" or "Window Pane" or something, but my choice of the gradiated white-to-black fabrics makes it look more like "Nazi." Argh. Anyway, I very much doubt either quilt will match whatever baby room decor their parents have come up with. I'd describe this look as sort of "101 Dalmations Go To Las Vegas [Where They Inadvertently Run Into the Hitler Youth]."

P.S. I have a bunch of fabric left. Next quilt goes to the first person to name their kid Heathcliff.

Ridiculous things: Spock the cat

2011-08-19T21:32:00.001-04:00

Lisa's mom writes: We are home from Cherry Hills Water Park. Deb and Kellen made it after a trip to the Vet for Spock (the cat). They thought he was choking to death, but it seems to be allergies. Ever try and give a cat Benadryl?

Baby Don Don and the great big fish

2011-08-12T20:52:00.001-04:00

Lisa's brother, Donny, writes: Look what my friend caught!! Well her dad helped... And I guessed the weight exactly right -- 120 lbs. -- and I won a free dinner. =)

Lisa wonders: What was for dinner, Donny? Chicken?

Trash weasels

2011-08-11T20:44:00.003-04:00

Lisa's mom is visiting Lisa's sister, Debbie, and writes: Guero-the-ferret can open the door to the garbage can. He will take every thing out and hide it! Time for child locks.

There is no point to these pictures besides "Awwwwww!"

2011-08-09T22:17:00.002-04:00

Lisa writes: Jimmy really likes Cheerios.

Cousins in town

2011-08-07T22:12:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: My cousins were in town! Stephanie is my mom's sister's daughter and, family? Am I right? Does it look like Aunt Joyce is standing in this picture clinging to Jason's arm? I'm starting to think there are no new people -- just the same people over and over again.

They were in D.C. for their wedding anniversary (11th? maybe?) and Jason organized the whole thing, right down to getting them scheduled tours for the White House, Capitol, National Archives, Supreme Court, AND Washington Monument ... all in one day.

They were a little bit tired.

I think the mail just arrived

2011-08-04T22:20:00.004-04:00

Lisa writes: Big owl sitting on the next-door-neighbor's swingset this morning.

Run, Evy, run

2011-08-02T16:56:00.000-04:00

Lisa's sister, Lori, writes: Evy at soccer.

Donny and Andie-the-chinchilla take on the world

2011-08-01T17:19:00.000-04:00

Lisa's brother, Donny, writes: I am Andie-sitting while my friend is on a work trip in AZ. This chinchilla is a lot more spoiled than ours ever was. Look at the crib he sleeps in!

Chinchilla Death Run / Donny has too much time on his hands

2011-08-01T17:15:00.002-04:00

Lisa's brother, Donny, writes: Andie takes on the first ever Chinchilla Death Run!!! Higher risk with even greater rewards!!! Order now on pay-per-view Chinchi!

Judy and Gary's wedding

2011-07-30T21:34:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: My friend Judy married Gary in Maryland this morning and Tom and I helped with the reception. Judy's mother was from Japan. She passed away a couple of years ago, leaving Judy with boxes and boxes of beautiful kimonos and sashes. She wanted to honor her family and heritage by incorporating them into the reception. I think it turned out really nicely. (Tom risked life, limb, and ACLs hanging all those paper lanterns.)

Bellies full 'o butterbeer

2011-07-18T17:20:00.000-04:00

Lisa's sister, Debbie, writes: Yea! We went to Harry Potter land and drank butterbeer and rode the castle ride and took lots n lots of pictures!

Evy in French braids

2011-07-17T17:22:00.000-04:00

Lisa's sister, Lori, writes: Evy Haircut n French braids. Too cute!

Bridal Vail Falls

2011-07-16T08:09:00.001-04:00

Christi writes: Christi and Deb at Bridal Vail Falls in Provo Canyon cooling our toesies.

Lisa writes: You know you're from Colorado when you can't stop spelling "veil" as "Vail."

Harry Potter at midnight

2011-07-15T15:57:00.004-04:00

Lisa writes: Debbie, did you end up going to the midnight Harry Potter?

Debbie writes back: Heck yes!

That's Rita Skeeter and a Deatheater. You can't really see them here, but Kellen made some really beautiful hand-carved and polished wands.

Heads up, Washington State!

2011-07-12T16:22:00.001-04:00

Lisa's sister, Lori, writes: Dave's angry bird style water balloon slingshot. 200 yards!

The Bahamas: March on, Bahamaland

2011-07-11T20:32:00.007-04:00

Lisa writes: Today was the 38th anniversary of the Bahamas independence from Great Britain. They're really happy about it. They had fireworks (at midnight) the past two nights, a concert last night, a performance by the Bahamian National Police Band the night before, and a parade today. We didn't know about the parade until we got stuck behind it on the way to the airport. (I like the cop in the 2nd picture. I think she looks natty.)

Donny at the kids table

2011-07-11T10:50:00.001-04:00

Lisa's brother, Donny, writes: Stephanie's cousin's wedding... Yes, they put me at the kids table... and yes I'm 30.

Bahamas: Sunday

2011-07-10T21:07:00.002-04:00

Lisa writes: We went to Mass last night and then to the LDS services this morning. Who do we tell that the "Meetinghouse Finder" app on the lds.org website has the address of the church wrong? It directed us to a Mason lodge. Masons ... Mormons ... whatever....

It's a very nice, very new, very air conditioned (hallelujah!) little green chapel once we finally found it. In Mass and in Relief Society we sang the Bahamian National Anthem in honor of Independence Day. It was really quite moving. Lisa's Travel Tip: Go to church when you're traveling. I know it's vacation and whatnot, but church is an excellent way to see real, normal, local people doing their real, normal, local stuff.

Later, Tom and I went to a concert at Port Lucaya. The audience was about half local, half tourists. Below, little kids gathered around the stage at the concert.

Bahamas: Strange things we saw

2011-07-08T22:22:00.002-04:00

Lisa writes: You can only spend so much time on the beach. Especially if you're pasty like us. So we cruised around the island and saw some strange things.

We called these birds "suicide chickens" because they were always standing in the middle of the road at night, trying to get run over. They're really some type of heron and they're in the road because crabs like to hang out on the warm asphalt at night. (Suicide crabs.)

The rusting what-ever-it-is in the 2nd picture is left over from the Pirates of the Caribbean set. Hey Disney, nice way to clean up after yourselves, dudes!

Speaking of leaving stuff behind, that's the abandoned East End Missile Library. The mural salutes the astronauts of Mercury 7 who splashed down near this site ... I like that the names of the astronauts include two men and a monkey.

They also left behind a great big dish antenna -- think SETI -- but I didn't get a picture and Google Images has failed me for the first time ever.

And then there's us. We brought those hats all the way back from Ubatuba, Brazil. Totally worth it, don't you think?

Bahamas: Harassing the wildlife

2011-07-08T20:26:00.000-04:00

Bahamas: Viva Fortuna

2011-07-07T20:43:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: The rental car map had all the major resorts marked, so as we were cruising east through weirdly undevelopment neighborhoods we stopped at Viva Fortuna. It's an all-inclusive sort of place where you get an orange wristband and then have access to everything on the grounds including the trapeze equipment (?!?) and giant chess set. The place WE were staying issued green wristbands, so it wasn't long before we were noticed and politely evicted.

Bahamas: Fauna, food, and flora

2011-07-06T20:36:00.005-04:00

Lisa writes: What should we start with? That's a curly-tailed lizard. They're as fast as they are cute. And then there's Deb and Kellen polishing off a fish in the absolutely most literal sense of the word. Finally, some kind of flower I hadn't seen before, and Kellen pointing out some sort of fruit he thought he recognized.

Happy 4th! Let's blow some stuff up!

2011-07-04T23:59:00.000-04:00

Lisa writes: We are so lucky. We went downtown late, but scored an excellent spot on the Mall. We got free food from the Hari Krishas. It only rained for a minute. The fireworks were groovy as usual. And then we caught the last train out of L'Enfant Plaza before they closed the gates. Awesome! AND we live in America. AND we were in Washington, D.C. for this excellent holiday. We are so, so lucky.

Deb & Kellen & Air & Space

2011-07-03T20:16:00.000-04:00

isa writes: My sister, Debbie, and bro-in-law, Kellen, are in town so we made our semi-annual trek down to the monuments and the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. Can you spot The Spirit of St. Louis, the replica of the lunar lander, a reassembled V-2 rocket, and Kellen pinching at Deb's bum with robot claws?

Family Photos: Not for the faint of heart or squeamish of stomach

2011-07-02T21:52:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: So, a couple of months ago my mom bit down on just the wrong popcorn kernel and cracked a tooth right down to the root. No way to repair it, and it hurt hurt hurt, so out it came. Today, she got a screw implanted and in four months when the bone heals around the screw she can get a permanent tooth put in. Here is the "before" photo. My dad was happily documenting the proceedings on his new iPad."After." Fascinating, in a ghoulishly dental kind of way, isn't it?

1976 - St. Louis, Missouri

2011-06-30T14:51:00.002-04:00

Get it right, it's a 30-minute pleasure cruise. Get it wrong, it's a free trip to Hawaii. Win-win!

2011-06-29T16:24:00.003-04:00

Lisa's sister, Lori, writes: Cameron sailing. Taking lessons.

Where in the world are Lisa's parents: Dancing through California

2011-06-26T19:48:00.005-04:00

Lisa writes: My parents are in California, visiting my brother Donny. He gave them some dancing lessons and then took them to a country dance club, Montana's, for their big debut.

The hamster ball in action

2011-06-23T20:29:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: This is good for HOURS of entertainment.

Quilt for baby Reagan Isla

2011-06-21T21:45:00.003-04:00

Christian is in Colorado

2011-06-17T20:04:00.004-04:00

Lisa writes: My nephew Christian has been spending the first weeks of summer vacation with my parents in Colorado Springs. Here's the gang in front of the "Kissing Camels" rock formation in Garden of the Gods, and on the gondola at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

Quilt for baby Niles

2011-06-13T21:50:00.002-04:00

Picture doesn't accurately display the color. The front and the back are pretty much the same orange.

Christi is in Hawaii ...

2011-06-12T22:28:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: ... and you are not. (Unless you are -- Hi, Jenny!)

West Virginia wedding

2011-06-12T20:12:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: Madison was a bridesmaid at a wedding in West Virginia on Saturday. We trekked out to see her get all dolled up.

Madison and her first cousin caught the bouquet and the garter. It's West Virginia, but it's not that West Virginia.

The bride's colors were light green and pink. In the spirit of the event, Madison color-coordinated her rubber bands.

Texting with Lisa's dad

2011-06-11T22:52:00.002-04:00

Dad: TV works now.

Donny: I am a genius...

Dad: I rebooted it. But yea if you want to be a genius that's okay.

Donny: Oh that's fine take the credit... If making me feel little makes you feel big... By all means.

Dad: I thought you were lifting weights.
You need to go on a date

Donny: Haha whatever bully... I have more dates than I know what to do with... Just got overwhelmed trying to pick just one out of all of them tonight and decided to stay in instead :)

Dad: I didn't mean hurt your ego. Don't pout. Girlfriends are very good at putting scattered egos back together again.
Forget what I said about your ego. Yours is seriously over inflated

Donny: It's funny... When you are being sassy your thumbs work just fine when you try and text...hum... Strange how that works.

Dad: Hands of a surgeon.

Donny: You're a dentist... Please don't insult the real doctors =D

Me: Ohhh oooo... I'm gonna get into trouble huh :)
It's yours and christi's fault for making me this way... So sarcastic. Girls I take on dates have to constantly ask, "You're kidding right?"

Dad: Your mother wants to talk with you right now.

Donny: Hahaha... That was her texting me the while time huh?
I forgot you didn't put the code letter up!
That's fine if you can't handle the heat... I'll talk to your mommy.

Donny dancing on the beach

2011-06-06T19:59:00.002-04:00

Lisa's brother, Donny, writes: My friend Stephanie's little cousin made me do the lift 3 times so she could get her leg just like Savannah does it in the video... This was the one she liked the best :) Spot on.

The weasel harvest has been bountiful this year

2011-06-05T16:27:00.004-04:00

Lisa writes: Christian bringing home an armful of weasels. (They're actually Debbie's pet ferrets and I know they have official names, but, looking at this picture all I can think is, "Weasels!")

Old age and treachery will over come youth and skill: Christian and Grandpa play ping-pong

2011-06-04T20:06:00.003-04:00

Christian's close encounter with a squirrel

2011-06-03T20:16:00.005-04:00

Lisa's nephew Christian writes: I wanted to touch a squirrel, so I asked Grandpa, "How do you catch a squirrel?" Grandpa had a cage to catch a squirrel, so we put peanuts in the cage so the squirrel would go in.

And in five minutes we caught a squirrel ... and he started to freak out. (The squirrel, not Grandpa.)

He started to try to bite his way out of the bars, so then Grandpa let him go. The end.

P.S. Aunt Lisa and Uncle Tom had an encounter like this, too. It ended ridiculously. You can see it HERE.

2011-06-03T20:08:00.002-04:00

Scene from my parents' dental office just outside Ft. Carson, CO

2011-06-02T20:24:00.000-04:00

One semester of Bio 101

2011-06-01T22:30:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: Update! Um, so, puberty, etc etc etc and long story short, Jenny-the-hamster is now JIMMY-the-hamster. He also answers to James, Jimbo, Jim Bob, and Jim.

Christian at Bubba Gump's

2011-06-01T22:08:00.000-04:00

Lisa's mom's rock 'n roll past

2011-05-23T14:41:00.002-04:00

Lisa's dad writes: Checking out of Lowes nursery today, the young girl at the cash register was all excited. As mom walked up and down the aisles, the girl trying to watch her from a distance was sure she was Ann Wilson of the band Heart.

Wooley Bear caterpillar

2011-05-22T22:33:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: This picture has nothing to do with anything, except I now know what a Wooley Bear caterpillar looks like ... and so you do.

Debbie had a birthday, got some ferrets, that is all.

2011-05-18T14:27:00.001-04:00

Lisa's sister, Debbie, writes: I'm not one for lots o' pics, but I had a fun birthday. Thanks for the cards n calls guys! Kellen and I took a nap then went canoeing/bird watching on Friday.

Then Saturday, we went to the Pasifika festival and ate Samoan food (well, I just ate rice, cuz I was nauseous). We invited friends for a BBQ and then it rained. Okay that's all!

Oh and I got ferrets for my Bday presents! Guero is the big white male and Morena is the lil brown female. Meggie got me a hand mixer which for some reason I still didn't have after 2 yrs of marriage. I guess I just enjoy making cookie dough with a fork.

Tablecloth

2011-05-15T20:25:00.000-04:00

Lisa writes: It's a slow news day ... I sewed a tablecloth. Unable to buy a tablecloth to fit our odd-sized, square dining room table, it became a do-it-yourself project. Two curtains from the as-in bin at Ikea and a couple of seams and here ya go:

Happy birthday, Debbie

2011-05-13T14:32:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: Happy birthday, Debbie! [Insert something funny about being a bundle of joy / bundle of fun / potato sack of happiness / pillow case of love here.]

Christi and Debbie, circa 1987

Benjamin and Chompers-the-Crab

2011-05-08T21:46:00.001-04:00

Lisa's sister, Lori, writes: Chomper the crab. Down by the water on Mday. Happy Mother's Day!

Where in the world are Lisa' parents: Royal Gorge

2011-05-07T14:57:00.001-04:00

Swing kids

2011-05-06T18:45:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: Donny and Madison last month.

D.C. United vs. Seattle Sounders

2011-05-04T22:53:00.003-04:00

Lisa writes: One of Tom's coworkers gave him a pair of D.C. United soccer tickets that she was unable to use. We took the Metro straight to RFK Stadium right after work. It was $2 hot dog night. Tom is not a hot dog kind of guy, but I sold on the idea that it was all part of the "experience." (Truth be told, so is $10 beer, but neither of us was going to fall for that.)

The United won against the Seattle Sounders, 2-1. This was made even sweeter by the charming, charming Seattle fans themselves.

You can click to enbiggen the pic ... ah, nevermind, I'll just translate for you:

Sign 1: "SEND BEER"

Sign 2: "D.C. YOUR STADIUM HAS WEEDS"

Sign 3: "SO THIS IS WHAT A NON-SOLD-OUT GAME LOOKS LIKE"

Sign 4: (Picture of a trophy) "OURS -- NOT YOURS"

Sign 5: "WE GOT STATEHOOD. YOU?"

Twits.

When we roll back around to the Old Testament, I'll want a parakeet named Onan

2011-04-29T10:07:00.007-04:00

Lisa writes: We finished the Old Testament and we're working through the New. We're in John at the moment and it's taking a while, what with reading all the footnotes. From the footnotes, I learned a new word and now I want a new bird: a parakeet which I will name Paraclete.

Some more pictures from Park City

2011-04-23T21:07:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: More pictures from Park City, just for the heck of it.

Here's Christi in her natural environment.

And in walks in Donny.

Everybody: "Donny, it's maybe 40 degrees outside. why aren't you wearing a shirt?"

Donny: "Would you cover up this body?"

Dad, in his natural environment. Donny's friend, Stephanie, complained that her gums were puffy in one spot. We should have warned her.

Like father like daughter like daughter.

At the Olympic Center, Madison running by.

Madison and Christian on the luge sleds. This is one of those Olympic sports that falls under the "bad idea" category in my mind. (Along with ski jumping and freestyle and cyclecross.)

And this piece of weirdness from the SLC airport baggage area: The Tyson's grilled chicken sandwich vending machine.

Graduation: the afterparty

2011-04-23T12:29:00.001-04:00

Lisa writes: After graduation, we had a party in the park behind Kellen's work. Spock came along, wearing his rabbit-tracking collar.

Kellen's mom made a very sweet little, hand-smocked dress for Lori's youngest daughter. Just 'coz she wanted to.

Some of the ambitious members of the grad crew hiked the Y.

And Lori did THIS. I didn't know Lori could still do THIS.

We spent that night in Park City. Here's a buffalo at the Olympic Center. Perhaps you remember him from the Opening Ceremonies?

Maybe you remember this guy running in? (My brother, Donny.)

And then many of us had to go our separate ways. They lost Christian for a while and finally found him stowed away in the back of Donny's car. He had decided that going back to California sounded more fun than going home to northern Utah. You can't blame him for trying.

Debbie and Kellen graduated

2011-04-22T22:22:00.006-04:00

Lisa writes: Whirlwind trip to Utah to see my little sister, Debbie, graduate from BYU. Her husband, Kellen, also graduated from Utah Valley University. Congratulations, kids!

This is Spock, the cat. He is more interested in the tassle-related parts of higher education.