Can you say homogeneous?

Leah finally cashed in on Ed's promise to make crepes for breakfast. He learned to love them on his mission and occasionally he will whip up a batch. Well, Leah was right there by his side when he did. It was like a little chemistry lesson (Ed is a Chemistry professor at Weber State). When I came up for breakfast, Leah told me the new word that she had learned-homogeneous. She even knew what it meant. I guess the crepe lesson was a little advanced, but they sure did taste good!

Bowling

Nice shoes!

Check out that concentration

Helping Annie

For Family Home Evening, we went down to this place called Fat Cats and went bowling. It was quite fun. Leah and Annie had a combined score of 80 points. I was the big winner with a wopping 118 points. You must know that this kind of performance is hereditary. My mom is somewhat of a professional bowler. When she was a teenager she asked for a bowling ball for her birthday and was disappointed when her friend opted to watch Neil Armstrong land on the moon instead of going to the bowling alley with my mom to try out her new ball. She has played on numerous leagues and even broke her arm during an intense moment in the game. I'm glad to see that this skill has been passed on to my girls.

Take me out to the ballgame

A lesson in peanut eating

Annie working hard for her nut

Leah practicing her new found skill

Oggie hats!

We scored free tickets to go and see the Ogden Raptors play. Leah loves to go to the games. She mostly enjoys watching the whereabouts of the mascot, Oggie. This year she was brave enough to go and give him a high five. She was quite proud of her accomplishment. Brian and the girls all have Oggie baseball caps, so of course they wore those. The Raptors even won the game!

Tag, you're it.

My first blog tag-oh what a feeling! Thank you Mical for giving me this opportunity.

Blog Tag...
Blog Tag Rules:Answer these 15 questions on your blog.
List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts.
Tag 5 people by leaving their names at the end of the post.
3 Joys:
1. Leah and Annie
2. Watching Brian stage dive at a punk concert
3. A new book to read
3 Fears:
1. Being a major contributing factor to my kids having a need to be in therapy for years.
2. Being shot in the head while driving on the freeway.
3. When Brian flashes his lights at a car whose headlights are off. I was told on my mission that gang members would use this tactic as a form of initiation. They would drive around without their headlights on, when someone flashes them, they follow that person and kill them. A bit paranoid, I know, but I can't help it.
3 Goals:
1. Getting a PhD.
2. For my girls not to poop in the shower at girls camp.
3. To go on a mission to China.
3 Obsessions:
1. Chapsticks-I have at least fifty.
2. Flip flops
3. Tricot-I love this fabric and I have had three tricot blankets (woobie) since birth. I obtained my most recent one from Brian as a graduation gift. I have some on reserve so I will never be without. It is a lovely fabric-warm in the winter, cool in the summer.
3 Random Facts:
1. I pretended to be blind in the first grade.
2. I absolutley adore Ramona Quimby-she is my idol.
3. In college I lived in a house with 6 other girls and we referred to our humble abode as the "Maxi pad."
Now I tag...Whoever looks at my blog and feels inspired to participate.

Pioneer Day

Leah is deathly afraid of loud noises associated with fireworks, guns, and sirens, so this her normal stance when there is loud noises in the vicinity.

Annie kicking it at the parade

Annie getting ready to ride

Leah on her horse, Misty

Since we are still on sabbatical in Utah, we got to be here to celebrate Pioneer Day (July 24th). It was a busy, fun-filled day. We started bright and early (7 am!!) with a breakfast hosted by Brian's parents ward. Then we trucked on down to downtown Ogden for the parade. There were quite a number of fun floats and then of course the usual parade entries (police, fire engines, rodeo princesses and their horses, high school marching bands, cheerleaders, etc). I was disappointed that no candy was thrown. Apparently there is concern about small children running out to gather candy and then being run down by a float. That's the risk you take, I guess. After the parade we headed down to the "This is the place" state park in Salt Lake. It was fun to see pioneer life and be at the place where they were finally able to rest from their long journey across the plains. The best part was Leah and Annie got to ride on a horse. It wasn't anything fancy, but it fulfilled Leah's desire to mount up (see Rodeo Queen post). After we all had heat exhaustion we headed back to Ogden for a BBQ and fireworks. What a day, but we were glad to be in a place where the Pioneers are officially recognized for all the sacrifices that they made for us.

Rodeo Queen

Leah showing off her red cowgirl boots Leah with Jenna Whitaker, Miss Rodeo Utah

Annie and the princess

Leah and Annie with Grandma and Grandpa Walker

I have been going to the rodeo in Ogden since I was a kid. It brings back such fond memories. I remember trying to smuggle in goodies and my brother letting a package of licorice drop out of the blanket right in front of the ticket taker and worrying that we were all going to be searched and our treats confiscated. I remember when my mom got into a small altercation over seats. The rodeo had started and we were looking for a place to sit. As we were climbing up the bleachers there was a woman with about eight blankets spread out and no one in sight coming to sit on them. My mom told her that the rodeo was started, so she needed to give up some seats. This woman stood her ground. I was hundled next to my mom trying to remain calm, but at the same time I wanted my mom to kick the crap out of this woman. In the end my mom was victorious and we ended up with great seats to watch the action. I was so proud of my mom! Well, the rodeo tradition continues. We went with Brian's family last night and we weren't disappointed. I love to watch the people at an event like this. The hair height that some girls can accomplish is worth the ticket price alone. Of course, you always have the drunk lady that is so smashed she is gyrating to every song played over the loud speaker. This year we got a special treat. Miss Rodeo Utah came into the stands and ended up visiting with some people in the row right behind us! Well, Leah can hardly resist a "princess "dressed head to toe in sequins, so she went right up and started talking to her, she even sat on her lap for a few minutes. Leah got an autograph and a picture taken with royalty. Although Leah was a bit distraught that none of the "pretty ladies" would let her ride a horse (believe me, she asked) she is well on her way to some very special memories at the rodeo.

Microbiology Moment

I have added a little area labeled Microbiology Moment to my blog. I am a nerd and I love microorganisms. I hope that this little project will help me keep on top of what is going on in that little (and I mean little-ha ha) part of our world. I will update it often with news, statistics, and anything else that I find interesting enough to pass on. Enjoy!!

The Golden Arches

I am somewhat embarrassed to share this little tidbit, but I think it is just too humorous to pass up. For those of you familiar with Annie and her passion for food, you will appreciate this. So yesterday my friend and I agreed to meet with our kids at McDonald's for lunch. As we approach the entrance to the parking lot, Annie recognizes where we are and actually raises her arms in the air and starts cheering (I must admit that this was not one of my proudest moment as a mom, but what do you do?). We go in and walk to the play area where I notice signs everywhere indicating that the play land is closed. There is no information to say when it will be open for business, so I let my friend know what is going on and we agree to meet at a different McDonald's. I start to head for the door and Annie has a complete meltdown. She is in hysterics and can not comprehend when I try to explain that we are just going to go to a different McDonald's. She cries the whole way to our new lunch location, and doesn't perk up until she sees the shining Golden Arches. There is no cheering this time, but she is beside herself with joy when we walk in and she realizes that this time she can stay and have lunch.

p.s. When it was time to leave, she wouldn't come down out of the play area, so I (at 6.5 months pregnant) had to hoist my body up into that grime pit and pull her out. It was quite an afternoon.

p.p.s. The word Mcdonald's is actually part of the spell check. How alarming is that??

Sneakers

So about a month ago, Leah was playing with some ribbon and happened to tie a bow around the ear of her stuffed rabbit. Brian thought I had been the one to tie it, but I hadn't. Leah undid the ribbon and showed us how she could tie a bow. Well, we were impressed with her new found skill, but she she hasn't done it again until yesterday. She comes in and shows me that she is wearing her sneakers and has tied both the bows by herself. What is that all about? Has the curriculum in Sunbeams switched to basic skills that include shoe tying and I was unaware? I assumed that the lesson in shoe tying would be this great bonding experience with the bunny going under the branch into the burrow, or whatever the story is. Obviously I have a Doogie Hooser on my hands. Hopefully Annie and I will be able to have the bunny/tying shoe experience.

Girls camp is over!

So, I returned home on Friday morning from Girl's Camp. What an adventure that turned out to be. We went to Camp Potosi and it was very hot and everything was very spread out. On a more positive note, there was a beautiful swimming pool, showers, and flushing toilets, and the girls got to shoot guns, canoe, and try out their hand at archery. I hope that the girl's in the ward had a good time. I had to chuckle at one of our Camp Director meetings when the Stake Camp director mentioned that the calling of camp director is a two year stint and our bishops should have mentioned that to us when extended the call. This was news to a majority of us. I am going to written explanation from a member of the first presidency verifying this rule before I can consider going again next year.:-)

Fourth of July Breakfast and Parade

Our stake has the tradition of hosting a breakfast on the morning of the Fourth of July. A children's parade always follows where the kids decorate their bikes, scooters, or wagons and take a loop around the church showing off their decorations and waving up a storm. It is always a fun event and this year was no exception. We got together with some friends in the ward and decorated Leah's scooter and Annie's car yesterday. They turned out quite festive.

*Normally I am against matching outfits for my girls, but there are some occasions where it is fun to do, so I oblige. These shirts were just too cute to pass up and they are so fitting for each girl in her own special way.

The vegetation is so lush part 2

I finally got around to posting the pictures of Annie's allegric reaction (see original post). Now I have a question for the world, or whoever happens to stumble upon this blog entry. What do I do with her now? Do I take her in to be tested for other allergies? Do I patiently wait for her to discover another one on her own? What is the corse of action I should take? Any suggestions regarding this matter would be very helpful.

Ears Pierced!

Manhandling the gun before it shoots a small, sharp piece of metal through her earlobe.

Inspecting the aseptic technique to enure that infection will not occur.

The infamous purple dot to make sure that the earrings won't be lopsided

A few tears shed over the loss of her childhood.

What a woman!!

Leah has been tossing the idea of getting her ears pierced around for some time. Everytime we would pass an establishment that did piercing, I would ask if she wanted to take the plunge, but she always said no. I think part of the problem was that I told her a gun is used to get the earrings in. Granted it's not a 22 rifle, but I'm pretty sure that is the technical name of the tool used. Now I must metniton that I have a certain belief system regarding ear piercing. I feel that the person being pierced should be able to verbally indicate that they want a hole in their ear, and Leah was finally able to express this desire. Annie was able to do some form of sign language to let us know that she also wanted her ears done, but do to the aforementioned rule, she will have to wait a bit longer. Leah was very brave and she only cried for a few seconds. She loves her new earrings. In fact she asked Brian if he thought they made her look like a five year old.

Picture perfect

This one of Annie is slightly pornographic, but hey, we live in Vegas, so why not go with it?

So it is that time of year when my girls have both had their birthdays, and pictures need to be taken. My mom made a dress for each of them, so the drama of choosing an outfit is practically taken care of. I decided to give JCPenney Portrait Studio a whirl. I had heard a few good things, so I thought what the heck. Let me just mention that Leah loves to pose for the camera. She has no problem striking a pose and letting the flashes fly. Annie on the other hand is more shy and experiences slight confusion when she is told to say "Cheese" and isn't given a piece of cheddar to snack on. We managed to make it through the session without too many setbacks. Here are some of my favorites.