The New Sorensen Formula

Some of my favorite things

2010-11-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's been eight years since we had a newborn in our house. It has been a wonderful experience for all of us. I had forgotten all the little things that seem so small but are so amazing that I wanted to put them down to
remember.

How fun it is to watch them sleep.
How they sleep with their arms up above their heads.
All the fun little grunts and sighs they make awake or asleep.

How they mold and snuggle right up to you.
How you wish you could hold them forever.
Oh, how good they smell!

How tiny and perfect everything is about them.
How they grip your finger with their tiny little hand and how it melts your heart.
All their beautiful and sometimes funny facial expressions.

Especially that first "non-gassy" real smile that just makes everything worthwhile.

Poor Baby Girl

2010-11-15T12:27:00.000-07:00

The first few days of Maren's life were spent under the bili-lights. Her bilirubin level was high when we left the hospital, however she was nursing so well I thought it would correct itself without any problem. The day after we came home we had to go to the doctor's to have her level rechecked and long story short by that afternoon she had her lovely little bed delivered and was soon spending all of her time "tanning". I was a little bit sad because she literally had to be in there all the time and only came out to eat. I wanted to hold her dang it! However the level kept rising and they were threatening to admit her to the hospital so we were diligent in keeping her under the lights no matter how much we all hated it. Finally after 4 days under the lights and many heel pokes she was given the all clear. She really was a little trooper and she came through it okay because we held her constantly after that to make up for lost time. Especially her big brothers.

Life Comes At You Fast!

2010-11-11T13:43:00.001-07:00

When we were ringing in the new year of 2010, we didn't have a clue that our lives would change forever. I realized towards the end of January that something was amiss. I wasn't feeling well and was extremely tired!

I was worried so I went to the doctor the day before we were leaving on a family trip to Zion's National Park. He confirmed my suspicions. I was petrified!! What was I going to do? This wasn't part of the plan. What would Troy think? I was afraid to tell him.

I decided to tell them all together on Valentine's Day. That way Troy couldn't freak out to much if the kids were there right? We were still in Zion's, and after Troy had hiked us for 9 miles that day, I gave them their valentines with the news. The boys got a baby bottle pop with the message "You are going to be a big brother", and Troy's was the ultrasound picture bearing the message "Will you still be my Valentine?" My fears were unjustified. Troy was thrilled!! I couldn't believe it! I was in tears and he is thrilled. The boys were jumping around and giving each other high fives. So began the Sorensen's adventure of 2010.

The plot of our adventure thickened when we found out that the new addition to our family would be a girl! I couldn't believe it and had them check the ultrasound twice that day, and every time after that when I had an ultrasound. Every time it was confirmed. So, I spent my time growing larger and sleeping, ALOT! I also started to shop.

The boys continued to be so excited and couldn't hardly wait for September to come. They kept very busy and Conner started the 6th grade, and Nicholas began 2nd grade. This of course freaked their mother out further. I would have an 7 year old, 11 year old, and a newborn. Who's idea was this??

Troy began to plan and work hard. We had to make room for her. So Troy started finishing a room in the basement for the boys. He worked very hard. He also started honing his baby skills. Baby Kate was gracious enough to be the stand in. He also admonished me to keep my shopping to a minimum.

Troy the sanding bandit.

Then suddenly she was here! How did 9 months fly by that fast?

After 1 1/2 weeks of false labor our sweet baby girl arrived on September 15th at 7:58 p.m.

She weighed 8 pounds 5 ounces and was 19 inches long.

We were all in love with her from the moment we laid eyes on her. The boys couldn't get enough and Conner was pretty irritated with the grandparents at the hospital because they were cutting in on the time that he got to hold her.

Suddenly we were taking her home. It was still pretty unbelievable at this point.

However, Maren Dawn Sorensen is here to stay. She is the most beautiful thing we have ever seen. No matter how much you think you are in control, the Lord is in charge. And He knows what he is doing.

Our adventure continues. We can hardly wait to see what will unfold.

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

2009-08-17T13:33:00.008-06:00

We have loved watching the Oquirrh Mountain Temple being built. Every week on our way to piano the kids and I couldn't wait to pass by and see all the progress that had been made. We love it so much and feel very blessed to have a beautiful view of it from our back window. Actually we can see the Oquirrh Mountain, Jordan River, and Draper temples from out our back window. In July we went with my whole family (except for Christy and Phil) to the Oquirrh Mountain open house. Hard to believe that it went from this....

To this.

This is the whole group. Such a great experience to be the temple all together. We spent time alone in one of the sealing rooms. Can't describe how I felt. It was really amazing.

Just our beautiful little family. We are so blessed.

We can't be serious for too long. Troy just had to have this picture. Nicholas was very concerned that we were breaking the rules, and at the temple no less. He is such a good boy!

Brace Face, Metal Mouth

2009-08-17T13:02:00.003-06:00

BEFORE....

AFTER.

He is really growing up. I HATE it! But he does look cute with his braces. He chose blue and orange rubber bands to complete his new metal ensemble. He handled this new turn of events well until he found out that he can't eat corn on the cob this summer. Bummer!

Apple Pie and the 4th of July Part 2

2009-08-17T12:40:00.010-06:00

I really didn't get very many pictures taken for all of our activities on the 4th for both families. I guess I was having too much fun and forgot. Just know we had fun!

Okay, again we didn't have apple pie. We did have some of this amazingly yummy cake made by my sis-in-law Angela.

We also had some more homemade ice cream. It was raspberry, made from the berries in Angela's garden. Yes, she is all that and a bag of chips.

Then there was the annual badminton tournament. Conner did pretty well this year. Troy of course stayed true to tradition and heckled his sister Angela something fierce. I didn't get too many pictures because my skills were needed in the game :)

Nathan is now a police cadet. For real! Isn't he handsome? He had to leave and go work the Murray fireworks directing traffic and fighting off the opposite sex. It's a tough job but he assures me that he is up to the challenge.

This is his Uncle Troy having a little "badge" envy.

We had our own little fireworks display and Nicholas loved every minute! Again Happy 4th of July!

Apple Pie and the 4th of July

2009-08-17T11:45:00.016-06:00

Okay so we didn't have apple pie but I wanted to rhyme. I like rhyming so there you have it.

We had a lot of fun on the 4th weekend this year. I didn't have to work at all which was our own little 4th of July miracle. I always have to work so we tried to enjoy our little miracle as much as possible.

We started our weekend at the Millett's. Swimming was first. Troy spent most of the time throwing the kids in the pool. They thought this was fabulous. Troy spent the next day complaining of sore muscles. The kids are really getting big.

Nicholas got thrown the highest. Although he is growing, he is still a little bit of nothin'.
Look at the line up behind Troy

This was my attempt at getting a picture of the all the kids together in the pool.

Mom it's sooo bright.
Okay that's it. Photo shoot over.

This is Erik's "army talk" for let's wrap it up. Time for food!

We had a BBQ of course. What's the 4th of July without BBQ?

We had a very intense game of Bocce ball.

And then onto the homemade ice cream fest!

Even Grandpa and Grandma got in on the ice cream action. Because the rule is you have to help if you want to eat it later.

Uncle Rich really loves this rule.
Even the little peanuts pitched in. They were incredibly cute!

Here are the boys enjoying the fruits of their labor's. I did take a picture of the whole group but it turned out dark. Darn camera. We might not have had apple pie but the ice cream was sure yummy!

We then went to the front to let the kids throw "poppers" and watch the amazing fireworks display. Troy was concerned about what the neighbor's had growing in their side yard.

This is an attempt at getting a picture of the annual "robot" fireworks. The kids and Uncle Troy get up and do the "robot" to strobe fireworks. So entertaining! Wendi said that Maura practiced so that she would be good for the event. Oh yeah, this is serious business.

We had a great day. Happy 4th of July!

Angel Moroni

2009-08-10T11:42:00.016-06:00

I am a little behind (ahem) but I wanted to share this little adventure we had in April before moving on to other more recent things.

Troy is the temple prep teacher in our ward. We have had some really neat blessings and experiences that have come of his calling. The DeSpain's are a fabulous couple in our ward that took the class, and it just so happens that his father is THE guy who does the gold leafing on all of the Angel Moroni's. Who knew? Such a small world! Anyway, this last April, he invited us and few others to tour the place where the statues of Angel Moroni are made. It is right here in the valley over in the Taylorsville/Kearn's area. It a warehouse building in a back out of the way place that you would never imagine, and they have made all the statues for the temples for years.
What made this particular Angel Moroni so special is that it is going to the Philippines to be placed on the Cebu temple. I thought this was really neat since we obviously have a interest in the Philippines right now. Mom and Dad might even go back to the Philippines (after the retirement is official) to attend the Cebu temple dedication.

A few fun facts that we learned about the Angel Moroni that day:
1- There are 2 sizes of statues. They started making a smaller size to
accommodate the smaller temples that are being built.
2- All gold leaf is put on by hand with a brush.
3- There is less than 1 oz. of gold that is put on the entire Angel Moroni. It
seems like it should be a lot more doesn't it?
4- They have to repair the statues in some places where it gets blasted by sand
more frequently. Or perhaps hit by lightening. They do a lot of the repairs
also.

The room is surprisingly small and Moroni pretty much takes up the whole space. It was a little tough getting a full length photo of him. On the right you can see the tip of his horn, which they gold leaf separately and attach when he is put in his rightful place at top the temple.

The detail is amazing! It looked so real. I really loved his feet.

The hole where his mouth should be made him seem a bit surprised. Of course this is where his horn will eventually go.

This is the cute little man, Mr. DeSpain, who does the gold leaf by hand. He started doing this after he retired. Just wanted to keep busy he told us.

Troy really wanted me to take his picture "shaking" Moroni's hand. They were really patient with him there. He was in true "Troy" form and he must have asked 100 questions about everything!

Just us with Moroni.

This is the whole gang. We had a lot of fun and learned a lot also. They do not do tours for the public so we feel very lucky to have had this opportunity.

Public Service Announcement(s)

2009-08-06T09:24:00.004-06:00

WE INTERRUPT YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING FOR THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS:

When you come home late one night after work,(extra late because of the 3 week's of symptoms that suddenly became an "emergency" at 2 minutes to closing) and you are thinking to yourself; "My husband works so hard and he gets up very early in the morning to get to work". So being the thoughtful person that you are you decide to not turn on any lights in the bedroom so as not to disturb his peaceful sleep. (And you know he is deeply sleeping from the moderately loud snoring you can hear from the hallway!) DO NOT DO IT! I know you want to be thoughtful and all, but you will trip over the clothes that your husband left in the middle of the floor and hit your hand on the dresser and your head on the closet door that has been left open. There might be some crying out and a swear word may or may not slip out, and your momma didn't raise no potty mouth girl! No sir! You will eventually turn on a light anyway and said husband will have slept peacefully through the whole experience, his snoring not even sputtering, and he will not even have the faintest recollection of why you have a large bump on your forehead in the morning anyway.

The next morning, (because you may be still a little "off" due to the mild concussion and the late night) you might realize that you need to change the water out in the garden. You will be tempted to just quickly throw on the shoes that are sitting outside the back door. Please, please I beg you NOT to! You don't have your socks on even, and there will be a spider in the right shoe that has taken up residence there. It will be sooo horrifying (as you are deathly afraid of spiders, second only to moth's) and well, really just plain ICKY! There may or may not again, be some screaming out, swearing, and/or, uncontrollable weeping that could take place. Trust me on this, I am just trying to help out here you know? And that's what I am all about. Helping others.

Your welcome.

WE NOW RETURN YOU TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED PROGRAMMING. HAVE A NICE DAY!

Philippines Part 5!

2009-03-27T18:53:00.019-06:00

The last day before I left we took a trip to Pagsanjan Falls. It was very beautiful. It was so green and there were smaller waterfalls all the way because it had been raining. We had river guides that paddled us up the river and back down again. The were cute and kept asking us if we were having a good time.

Our guides literally "pushed" us up the river. They would hop out of the boat and push or just stick their feet out and push off the rocks.

People live up and down the river and these guys were out washing their clothes!

Me and mom heading up the river.

Dad and I in our lovely lifejackets in front of one the smaller falls.

When we got to the big falls you could pay extra to go up under. Wendi, Mom, Benny and I were brave enough to try. (Along with a cute Japanese couple who were intent on wearing their hard hats the whole time.)

Look how much fun my cute Mom had! (Look at the guide peeking over our shoulders. What a look!)

The brave crew in front of Pagsanjan Falls.

Trip to Banue (Philippines part 4)

2009-03-27T17:55:00.005-06:00

This is the part of my trip where I almost died! Oh yeah! I was on the brink. Did I mention before that there are no straight roads in the Philippines? I know I did, anyway that's where my near death experience comes in. We took a trip up to Banue where they have 2000 year old rice terraces. It was an 8-9 hour trip. A lot of slowing down and speeding up, bumpy crazy roads, and of course some killer switchbacks! I don't do well with motion anyway but this was crazy! When we got to the hotel I couldn't even sit up, let alone walk. It was all I could do NOT to toss my cookies :( I was pathetic, it really wasn't pretty. I had to get help out of the car and up to my room. I was a lovely shade of green. I did however live to see another day, yay! After a good night's rest (and a lot of medication) I emerged in the morning for another day of fun and adventures.
I think Benny thought that I had a weak constitution because when I came down the next morning he was pushing for me to buy a walking stick from a cute little lady in the lobby. I'm pretty sure that he thought I was a huge wimp and that he would have to push me all the way. (BTW he wasn't pushing a walking stick on Wendi or Erik!) So in the pictures you can see the famous walking stick and the cute little lady who sold it to me also. (She jumped in the picture in front of the hotel. The Filipino's love to have their picture taken!)
It was an amazing place and I'm glad that I didn't die :) and was able to see it.

Part 3 WWII Sites

2009-03-27T10:49:00.005-06:00

There is a lot of U.S. history that occurred in the Philippines especially during WWII. We were able to visit Corregidor which is where the Japanese landed and where MacArthur returned later. The POW's from Corregidor were part of those that endured the Bataan Death March. We were also able to visit the American Cemetery in Manila which is pretty amazing. These 2 days were the only days when the weather wasn't fabulous. It poured on us the day we went to Corregidor (which is why I have such lovely hair in all the pics), and the day we went to the cemetery it was really windy, (again, the lovely hair). However the weather didn't affect us too much and I am glad I was able to visit these places.

Philipinnes Part 2

2009-03-27T09:19:00.007-06:00

One of my most favorite things that I got to do in the Philippines was to go to the Mabuhay house with my mom. Through a foundation, children (and sometimes adults) are brought from all over the Philippines for surgeries to correct birth defects or other problems. While they recuperate or are between surgeries they stay at Mabuhay house. My mom and a group of ladies go most every week and do some activity with the kids. They bring lunch with them too, and usually it is the only day they get meat. They just don't normally have the funds. I was able to go and see my mom in action. She is loved by those kids and the people there. They all came running and gave her a hug and she loves them back, it was very evident. They welcomed me with open arms too. It is amazing how loving the Filipino people are! The children are adorable and I wanted to take them all home with me. Especially the little peanut in the picture below. She was singing Twinkle Twinkle at the top of her lungs and doing the actions and it was just too much. Sooo adorable!
As part of our Christmas tradition we as an extended family try to find someone to help with the money we would normally spend on each other. The last 2 years we have sent our money to Mom and she would get supplies for Mabuhay house. This year my mom saved the money for when I was able to come. I was able to shop for them and get what they needed and deliver it to them. It was an indescribable experience. One of the little girls got so excited when she saw the powdered milk we brought (she loves milk and they cannot afford to buy it in any form) I had to hold back the tears. We are so blessed, crazily so, and sometimes we need to see others in need before we really understand this. I am so glad that I was able to have this experience with my mom. She is really an awesome lady.

My cute mom in action!

The cute little peanut I wanted to take home with me.

The boy with the funky goggles was born with cataracts due to mom's poor nutrition while pregnant. They were able to remove them and he is now just seeing for the first time. The little girl on the left is having her club feet corrected. She took a big chunk out of the middle of her bangs with scissors. Hee! Hee! Kids are the same no matter where you are!

Back in the Saddle!

2009-03-26T15:27:00.003-06:00

I'm back! I'm sure the few people out there who actually read my blog were starting to wonder what had happened. I wish I could give you a fantastic reason for my absence but mostly I just procrastinated, and got a little lazy. No more! I am up and running. So hold on here we go!

Philippine Trip

2009-03-26T15:23:00.004-06:00

I had the amazing opportunity to go and visit my parents in the Philippines all by myself. That's right! No husband or kids, I left them here in the inversion, cold and snow and ran away for almost 2 weeks! Needless to say it was hard to leave them, but I had a FABULOUS time! I had so many adventures and it was difficult to pick just a few pictures to share. I left the end of January and got back on February 8th. I had a few days by myself with Mom and then Wendi and Erik joined us for the rest of the time.

THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES:
*The beautiful people (especially the children, so adorable!)
*The fresh mango's, pineapple, and banana's
*Mango shakes!
*The weather and how green everything was
*Seeing Mom and Dad and hearing of their day to day adventures
*Just being able to be there and see all new things

THINGS I DID NOT LIKE ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES:
*The horrendous traffic in Manila
*The noise
*That there is not a straight road to anywhere!

The first day I got to experience the fresh market. It is outdoors with a roof overhead and you go there to get fruits, veggies, and meats. No FDA there to regulate things so you could find just about anything there out in the open. Fish of all kinds, including sting rays and eels. Chicken, goat, beef, or pork which they would cut (or kill if needs be) to your specifications! It was an eye opener and the first of many adventures! We picked out fish for dinner that night and Benny (my parents driver and basically do it all guy) cooked it up for us. It was delicious!

Christmas Eve Part 2

2009-01-16T01:23:00.001-07:00

One of our favorite Christmas traditions is new pajama's that we get to open on Christmas Eve. I was excited to find Star War's Lego pajama's, two of the boy's most favorite things. They were so thrilled and couldn't stop jumping around so of course I had to post the pictures.

One nice shot for mom. But that's it!

This is of course a light saber duel re-enactment.

Awfully cute little buggers aren't they?!

Christmas Eve

2009-01-16T01:00:00.001-07:00

This year we spent Christmas Eve with the Sorensen side of the family. LaDawn made a delicious ham dinner with her homemade rolls that are always amazing! Then the kids dressed up and acted out the Nativity story, with Grandma reading. The Sorensen's also indulged Nicholas and played the bells with gusto. (See Millett family Christmas party post) Thanks everyone, it made his whole night.
My favorite moments:
*Our angel (Shelbey) bringing her tidings of great joy with one of Grandma's fabulous rolls in her mouth.
*Watching Chad and Nathan trying to fit into the costumes. They have gotten so big, but they were good sports and squeezed into them anyway.
*Seeing how excited Conner was to play Joseph.
*Nicholas pretending to "herd" his invisible sheep.

Below are some of the highlights of the grand production.

We had a great time, and wore Grandpa out completely! Say Goodnight Gracie.

Millett Christmas Party

2009-01-15T23:26:00.000-07:00

The annual Millett family Christmas party was a great success this year. There of course was a fast paced, very tense BINGO game. Great food. (Brad said the food was what finally put him into the true Christmas spirit.) Lot's of playing with the cousins, talking with Grandma and Grandpa in the Philippines, and of course the yearly opening of the ornaments from Grandma and Grandpa. Alas there was no time for the playing of the bells which is a much anticipated yearly tradition. This unfortunate incident has scarred Nicholas for life. He cried all the way home and said it just wasn't the same because we didn't play the bells. It will HAVE to be a priority next year so that maybe we can repair some of the damage to Nicholas' little soul. Who knew? Thanks Brianne and Rich for hosting. It was fabulous and a great time was had by all!

Watch out! Serious BINGO players here. Erik had 8 cards going at once.

Canon and Brad hoping for BINGO.

Rich our amazing BINGO caller.

Joann and cute Addie.

Nicholas went for the big sucker of course. You are not shocked are you?!

Maura and Conner with their BINGO loot.

Oh yeah, Brad's favorite part, the Super Nacho's. Feliz Navidad!

My cute husband!

Dawn and her favorite little Punk!

Dawn's other favorite punk Conner displaying our new ornaments. He can produce a 3rd hand upon demand. He's very talented.

15th Wedding Anniversary

2009-01-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Troy and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary this November. We decided to go all out and go on an adventure together. For those of you who know Troy this is truly a monumental thing! He even took 2 days off of work! Incredible I know, and we had an incredible time. Troy had been to San Antonio twice before with Ballet West and always wanted me to see the city. We went the first week of December and so everything was lit up for the holidays. It was so beautiful at night, almost like a fairyland because of the lights. We saw the Alamo, the Tower of the America's, Market Square, and spent a lot of time on the River walk. The River walk is like a little city of it's own. It is a collection of restaurants, shops and hotels along the San Antonio river. It sits below the city and there are 100 year old trees and beautiful flowers that line the banks. There were caroler's out at night and mariachi bands. I loved to watch the boats of people that went by. My favorite was a boat of Nun's. There were 2 Nun's that were obviously younger and enjoying the ride FAR more than the other's who sat quietly with no expressions. The other 2 were squealing and pointing at everything, they clearly do not get out much. We had mouth watering Mexican food at Casa Rio on the River walk, and also at Mi Tiera at Market Square. Mi Tiera seats about 600 people and has a scrumptious bakery in the middle of it where you can buy any Mexican pastry that you have ever heard of, and many more that you haven't. SOOO YUMMY! There were always tons of people there milling around the bakery case. The one picture I got was just a small brief opening in the crowd that happened and a split second after I snapped the picture it was gone again. The restaurant is decorated with so much stuff that it is sensory overload but a lot of fun, and the food is delicious! It is a great city to visit and I highly recommend it, especially at Christmastime. I really do love my husband and was so glad that I got him all to myself for 4 days! Thanks Honey for 15 fabulous years and here's to many more!

I tried to get a picture of how beautiful it was on the River walk at night. This was as close as I could come with my camera. It really was like being in another world!

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

2008-11-14T11:34:00.001-07:00

Nicholas turned 6 the day after Halloween. He is such a cute little runt and we love him dearly. It doesn't seem like 6 years since that Halloween night that I spent in labor saying over and over, please don't come tonight, please wait. He humored his mother and waited until the next morning, and it's been a great adventure ever since. I thought I would share 6 things (get it?) that I love about my little boy in honor of his birthday.

1- He is small for his age but WILL NOT let it slow him down, or let it leave him out of something. He is always right there in the middle, and loving every minute of it, even if he gets injured in the process.
2- He is so thoughtful. He will share anything, even if it's his favorite thing in the world. (see #3)
3- He has a HUGE sweet tooth! This also comes with superhuman powers. He can hear a candy wrapper being unwrapped from the farthest corner of the house. He can smell candy being eaten clear across the room. (Ask Uncle Brad about this one!) It seems fitting that he wanted to come on Halloween :)
4- He loves his music. He will go in his room and listen to his CD's and sing at the top of his lungs and dance too. It's FABULOUS!
5- He has the most beautiful blue eyes. I love how they sparkle when he is excited or being mischievous.
6- He is a big tease and loves to try to scare his mother or play jokes on her.

We Love You Tons Lil' Pete and are so glad that you are a part of our family. Happy 6th Birthday!

HALLOWEEN

2008-11-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

I woke up at O'Dark thirty on Halloween to put the finishing touches on Conner's class party that I was in charge of. (lucky me) I was a little bummed to be up that early until I looked outside. The sunrise was AMAZING! Pictures never seem to do it any justice. I just stood at the window and watched the sun come up. It was a great start to a crazy, hectic, but fun day :)

Yes the boys were characters from Star Wars again. They love it though, and are such cute Clone troopers. (Even though they were mad at me for calling them cute! They are scary or ferocious or something like that, according to them!)

Troy dressed up like Luke or Obi Wan (or whoever) and hammed it up with the boys! He's such a good dad, I did not dress up, I was not in the Princess Leia mood :)

We went to Grandma Sorensen's of course. She was thrilled to see our 2 Clone trooper's.

Conner did most all of his pumpkin by himself. From the gutting to the carving. I was so excited for him. (Mostly because it meant that I didn't have to. I could watch him and enjoy!)

Troy enjoying the "cleaning o'the pumpkin"

Nicholas was concentrating so hard while he was putting his pattern onto his pumpkin. His brows were furrowed and everything. He is so cute!

>
MILLETT GRANDKIDS GROUP SHOT

My 8 Favorite Things Tag

2008-10-29T13:05:00.000-06:00

Joann (my sister from another mother) tagged me, so here goes!

8 T.V. shows I love to watch

If you've ever been to my house you know that I only get a couple of channels and they are fuzzy at that, so honestly I don't ever watch regular TV. So I will put down some of my favorites through the years; Bewitched, The Incredible Hulk, Simon and Simon, The Muppet Show, Designing Women, Seinfeld, That 70's Show, and Alias (Which I actually watched on DVD)

8 Favorite Restaurants

Johnny Carino's, Rumbi Island Grill, McGrath's Fish House, Wok-King Cafe, Chick-Fil-A (I'm addicted to their original chicken sandwich), Neil's (Fish Taco's baby!). Any new restaurant, I love to try new places. Oh and I'm under pressure from Nicholas to add the Moab Diner:)

8 Things I did yesterday

Got the kids off to school. I put my pressure cooker away for the year, yahoo! Went grocery shopping. Cleaned off the pile of papers on my counter. Went to work at Kidscare. Held down a screaming 2 year old during stitches, who kept saying stop, stop, stop! Came home from work and pretreated the chili stains on the kids' Halloween costumes. Watched 20 min of The Spy Who Loved Me to detox after work.

8 Things I am looking forward to

Aunt Angela's Halloween party on Thursday (always lots of fun), Getting Conner's class Halloween party over with, learning to make apple butter, Nicholas' 6th birthday (even though I don't want him to get older), going to lunch with my friend Cyndie, Thanksgiving, planting more bulbs, my 15 year anniversary trip to San Antonio!

8 Things I love about This fall

Sharing produce from our garden, salsa making parties, eating fresh veggies from the garden, kids' excitement about Halloween, planting new bulbs in my flower beds, the amazingly warm weather, Halloween parties, all the beautiful sight and smells.

8 Things on my wish list

Being more organized, getting the hall bathroom redone, getting all my painting projects done, becoming healthier, more time for just Troy and I, Obama the Antichrist to lose, getting a decent family picture, learn to make decent bread and rolls.

8 people I tag

Anyone who feels the need. No pressure ;)

Salsa Party!

2008-10-29T12:19:00.000-06:00

To bring in the fall good and proper I had a salsa making party.(parties) It was so fun to be able to hang out with my friends and sisters and make some yummy salsa. I was kind of like the Jedi Master and they were my padawan's. (Sorry about the star wars reference it's what goes on a lot here at our house :) I'm glad that I could pass on my salsa making knowledge that I learned from Yoda (My awesome MOM!) I had so many peppers from my garden this year that 15 batches of salsa were made without having to buy any peppers at all! Very cool I thought! I hope all that came had fun and will now pass on their salsa making knowledge to others so that we can make the world a better place. (If not more yummy!) Thanks to Brianne, Wendi, Jo, Lisa and Cyndie for coming. I had a blast!

Brianne and I peeling tomatoes.

Wendi sporting her happy salsa making face.

Cyndie and Lisa working hard!

My cute sister did a batch of freezer corn in the middle of all this also. She's such a domestic goddess!

Filling up the jars with all that gorgeous salsa.

Lisa slaving over the hot stove!

Joann measuring out her tomatoes. Look how nice those tomatoes look!

Look at all Lisa's pretty salsa!

These are the fruits of our labor all spread out on my counter top! Look how productive we were!

Testosterone Fest!

2008-10-29T10:01:00.000-06:00

I am living in a sea of testosterone, and labor day weekend proves it. I know I'm a little late posting this, however it was such an adventure that I had to share. We went to the mountain man rendezvous at Fort Bridger. Troy and the boys went nuts! All things manly were there, like furs, and of course weapons of all kinds. It is quite an experience. There are people who dress up like mountain men, Native Americans, women in period dress and even men in kilts! There were even those that were in nothing but loincloths. Oh yeah, nothing but loincloths. Troy wanted to go so badly, as he needed some closure for some wants for badger and coyote skins that were lingering from his childhood. Hallelujah, we were able to help him with this problem! We searched the whole place until he found just the right ones, and now we are fulfilled. (we hope!) The kids were excited to find just the right raccoon hats and even though it was a billion degrees they wore them the whole time. I thought Nicholas was going to melt, but he didn't want to take it off! Grandpa and Grandma Sorensen came along also and so did my nephew Dallas who also joined heartily in the manly event. It was pretty fun to watch them have such a good time and see them get so excited over the loot they found. We came home with furs, fur hats, hatchets, powder horns, turtle shells and Dallas took home a coyote skull. (I'm sure Sacha was thrilled!) Grandpa even bought us buffalo burgers for lunch. They were actually pretty good. LaDawn and I were able to find a booth that had handmade quilts and rugs so we were able to salvage a little estrogen amidst all the craziness. I did enjoy looking at all the people that were in character. My favorites were of course the men in kilts. They were playing the pipes also so I got my fill. The Native American dancers were neat and of course the dad with the full bear skin on and all his children. He was pushing a stroller with his daughter in it who was wearing pink crocs. I thought it was FABULOUS! It was all in all a good day. All the "boys" had a blast and that is what is important, however I will need some recuperation time with just the girls. (Lori understands this!) I'll keep you posted on what we decide to do with the furs if anything, because I know you are all dying to know!

2008-09-18T17:34:00.001-06:00

Brett's Cookout Party

2008-09-15T16:24:00.000-06:00

While the Sorensen's from Texas were here visiting, they worked on some scouting requirements. One of the things Brett needed to do was plan a party. So we were invited over for a cookout at Grandma's, but put on by Brett. He did a fabulous job! We roasted hot dogs and marshmellows and had smores of course. The Dimonds came up to and it was fun to see them again. Brett kept commenting on how hard it was to put on a party but he did a fabulous job! Thanks for a fun night Brett!

This is Brett our super scouter and party planner extraordinaire!

We roasted our hot dogs over Grandpa's fire barrel. Brett of course started the fire for his scouting requirements.

All of us enjoying our food!

Nicholas showing off his marshmellow roasting skills. Wow! they are "just right"!

Ryan loving his smore!

Conner enjoying his marshmellows!

Janet, Jill and Lori showing off their marshmellow roasting skills.

Grandma and Grandpa Sorensen with Troy.

Shane sewing Jared's scout bag. What a good dad!

Kindergarten Big Boy

2008-09-15T15:52:00.000-06:00

My baby started Kindergarten today, August 5th. Although Nicholas is adamant that he is not a baby anymore! He tells me that he is practically a grown up! Well our big boy is so excited and could hardly wait. Conner started a week ago, and it has been pure torture (his words exactly) to wait a whole week to start Kindergarten. He is so thrilled to be going to "Conner's school" and really didn't want to wait another minute. You can tell by the picture above. Look at his hand and the way he is standing. He was saying "Mother, I want to go now! No more pictures!" I walked him to his door, and he didn't want to give me a hug but I did get a kiss "blown" to me. Sigh! I really am kind of sad, but I did not cry!

Conner with Nicholas on his first day. Both were convinced that the photo session was going to make them late.

Nicholas found a buddy (Bryant McMullin) from our ward walking to the Kindergarten area.

This is Mrs. Roe his teacher.

Waiting in line. I did get a kiss blown to me, but no hugs like the mom up the line!

Who's ready to start kindergarten?

After his first day. Still slightly annoyed with picture taking but he did indulge his mother again.

This is the Place Heritage Park

2008-09-15T11:39:00.000-06:00

When Shane, Lori and their family were here for a visit in August we all went to the This is the Place State Park. We ended up staying the whole day until closing time. There were a lot of fun things for the boys to do, like hatchet throwing, horse rides, wagon rides, leather stamping, and train rides just to name a few. Then there were all the houses and shops to look through. We were able to go inside the Atkin home that is usually not open to the public and take pictures. This was neat because this was Troy's family ancestor's home. We heard some stories about his ancestor's from Darwin and we able to recreate a picture up on the upper deck from one we have of the original home. There was also a group heading out for youth conference pushing handcarts that were dressed like pioneer's and that was an experience for the kids to see. My favorite moment of the day was when Conner took Nicholas over to do some leather stamping. Nicholas was not able to negotiate the hammer and hold the stamp. Connner being the good brother that he is held the stamp and let Nicholas whack away at it. I thought this was extremely brave of Conner, but very sweet. Thankfully we did not have any smashed fingers! The kids thought doing wash on the washing board was loads of fun! (no pun intended) They kept at it for at least a half an hour and wanted to do more. I guess I need to do wash this way at home to get them to help. Nicholas also thought beating the rugs was a great activity. Who knew? Thank you to Troy's parents for the fabulous day!

4th Grade Here I Come

2008-09-15T09:58:00.001-06:00

On Monday July 28th Conner started the 4th grade. I'm a little distressed by this event, I mean when did he become so old and so grown-up? He was distressed that he had to start the 4th grade with a puffy face. He got stung by a hornet right between the eyes on Saturday and both of his eyes are very swollen! I was nervous yesterday that they where actually going to turn black, but he actually looks a lot better this morning. He is also not very happy that I am documenting this with a picture, hence the strained smile. Sorry buddy, mom's need to take pictures! So he headed off to school a little nervous and upset that he had swollen eyes. He came home from school very excited and the swollen eyes seemed not to have played a very significant role on the whole experience. 4th grade here we come!

24th of July

2008-09-15T09:32:00.000-06:00

Okay so this is one of those mom guilt moments. I had grandiose plans for the 24th of July. We usually are in Tropic for the 24th and enjoy all the festivities there. It's a great little town celebration and we were sad that we missed it this year. So in the past, (when not in Tropic) we make homemade ice cream and do some other fun events. I however was such a slacker and basically almost forgot that it was even the 24th! Imagine my shame when Conner came to me that afternoon and asked what we were going to do for Pioneer Day. Ugh! What a bad mother! So we quickly prepared a FHE lesson on the pioneers, and since I didn't have much enthusiasm for churning our own ice cream (my arm is still numb, okay?) we did the next best thing! Peach shakes at Artic Circle! Hooray for Artic Circle! Luckily the kids thought that this was a fabulous treat and not a bad substitute for making our own. Then we watched the fireworks that were going on in the whole valley. We have such an awesome view from our back porch, and it made me very grateful for this beautiful place that we live. The kids declared it a fun night and as you can see, Nicholas enjoyed his shake immensely. (Anything sweet is okay with him) So maybe some of the mom guilt has passed...........maybe.

Bryce Canyon 1/2 marathon, Yeah Baby!

2008-08-28T16:37:00.000-06:00

As part of our trip to Pine Lake our family decided to run the 1/2 marathon at Bryce. (More like Brad decided that we were doing this and dragged the rest of us kicking and screaming all the way. Yes, it was Brad even though there are those who are trying to pin this FABULOUS idea on me!) All kidding aside it turned out to be really great. The night before the race was a little rough however. What with crying children, a various assortment of farm animals that made sure we weren't sleeping (what was with the Stewart's rooster at 2 am anyway?), failing fire alarm batteries, the bed wetting alarm, and of course just general jitters, there just was not much sleep going on! We had to be at the shuttle stop for pick-up at 5:10 am, not much fun. The picture above is all us at o'dark thirty before setting off to the shuttle stop. (Erik is asleep on his feet!) It was early but turned out to be a lot of fun. We chatted with the people around us and learned their stories. Phil also kept yelling out and jumping around. He had way too much energy for that time of the morning. (Could it be that those lovely John Stockton shorts were allowing the cool air to get easily to his umm..vital parts and invigorating him?) Anyway there were a lot of characters to look at, and talk to, and there where a lot of people who ran the race, 1007 to be exact. Up at the starting line it surprisingly wasn't hard to get excited. There was a lot of energy around and of course we had Phil.

My whole family ran the race and did sooo awesome. I am so proud of all of them. Wendi had had an injury and wasn't planning on running, but after some serious wardrobe planning the night before she ran the whole way! Troy and I did not run because of an injury that I had. Troy was so great to stay behind and walk with me. It's not very manly you know, but he did. It turned out to be a fun time together, walking down the dump as the sun was coming up and being able to talk together kid free. The scenery was gorgeous and although we've spent a lot of time down at Bryce I can honestly say I have not seen it at that time of day and it is so worth it. The colors were indescribable and it was cool and peaceful. (Mostly it was peaceful because we were at the end of the race!) We did not finish, we walked 8 miles to Tropic and then I limped home. I was proud of myself for making it that far, especially with a numb right leg. The picture below is Troy and I coming into Tropic, and yes those are the pace cars in the background. There are 2 other people behind us though, so we weren't dead last. I'm so glad that we did it even though I wasn't sure it was such a great idea at the beginning. We just might do it again next year. Thanks honey for keeping pace with me, I loved every minute of being with you!

Pine Lake

2008-08-08T21:59:00.001-06:00

AAAHH, Pine Lake. One of our favorite places to play. We love the sights, sounds and smells of this place. We were able to spend the better part of a week there in July and we had a lot of fun. My mom and dad were here from the Philippines, Christy and Phil came from Boise and the rest of the gang from the Salt Lake Valley were there to complete the Millett crew! It was just the right temperature, and while we did have one crazy downpour, the weather was fantastic. There was an amazingly bright and huge full moon every night and you didn't even need a flashlight. We rode the 4 wheeler's, swam in the lake, and of course made our traditional trek to Powell Point. The kids were thrilled that Uncle Phil was there. He is our mighty hunter and was able to catch many frogs, a snake, and the chipmunk that raided our food tent! (That is what he is holding in his hand in the pictures above!) Brianne and Mom didn't want to be outdone and they battled some skunks (yes, two!) that also had invaded our food tent. (We have very good food on these trips and the critters seem to know it!) Like I said the food was fabulous! Mom and Dad did dutch oven mutton and barbecue chicken. Aunt Christy had us making our own ice cream, and for her breakfast she made bird's nests (bread with egg in the middle and cheese on top)which my kids thought was great! Brad and Jo did Bulgogi a tasty Korean dish and Troy and I did our usual make your own omelet in a bag which is always a yummy favorite. We did finally break camp on Friday and made our way down to Tropic where it was sooo HOT, at least compared to Pine Lake. We love spending time in Tropic also and spent a couple of days there until we decided reluctantly to head back home. Thanks Mom and Dad and everyone for a fabulous trip!

4th of July

2008-08-07T14:39:00.000-06:00

We had a great time at the Curtis' for the 4th. We made homemade strawberry ice cream, barbecued, and played some amazing games of badminton. My husband has such form, I wish I had a picture for you! The kids had a great time swimming and of course we watched fireworks. We always have such a great time over at the Curtis' and are glad that they invited us.

Nicholas using all his muscles!

Troy enjoying every minute!

This is classic Chad. Reading, and highlighting while taking his turn making ice cream!

I love Nathan's face in this picture!

The kids oohing and ahhing over the fireworks.

Are Pigs Flying?

2008-08-07T14:12:00.000-06:00

I know that most of you are looking outside right now to see if there really are flying pigs. I know that it has taken me forever to figure this blog thing out, and please stand by as there may continue to be many technical difficulties. Everyone keeps telling me how easy this is and I guess we will have to agree to disagree, because I do not think "easy" is the word I would use to describe it. Of course I will concede that I am computer challenged, but I will not give up! I will conquer this computer beast. Now I cannot promise inspiration, witty comments, or even proper grammar and/or spelling. However, I can promise some darn cute pictures and the everyday craziness and randomness that make up us, The Sorensen's. :) So here we go!