NaBloPoMo is NoMo

I am actually a bit surprised that we were able to post an entry everyday for the month of November. I know that most of you are breathing a sigh of relief that you won't half to read my ramblings every day anymore (remember - no one is forcing you to read!), but I've discovered that it's nice to write daily. I think it reinforces the idea that the best way to write better is simply to write more often. Sure there's more to it than that, but writing everyday has given me a broader voice on a variety of subjects. I think I'm still going to write as often as possible whether or not I'm involved in a blogging event. So if you're sick of me, too bad!

Visions of Snow

I guess we all have a different opinion of the falling snow. When I woke up this morning the only thing I could see was the driveway, covered in white. Blame it on my obsessive compulsive behavior, but I can't go to work without shoveling the snow off the driveway. I absolutely hate it when cars drive over the snow and pack it down on the asphalt. It didn't take long, still it was cold enough outside that my beard started to freeze..

Then there's Kennedy's view of a winter wonderland. The first thing she said as she woke up was, "Ohh, snow!" She couldn't wait to get into her winter clothes so she could get outside and enjoy the fluffy white powder. She did it all: made snowballs, an angel, even had a light snack. She just couldn't get enough. Let's see if she feels the same way when I hand her a snow shovel!

Closer to Fine

We had a major development in our attempt to adopt Alex today. For the past few months we've gone to different court hearings, only to find out that the birth mom wanted to try to get Alex back. With her checkered past we merely saw this as a minor inconvenience, something that would drag the process out. Today was just another court hearing, but then the impossible happened. The birth mom relinquished her rights to Alex!!! Tara and I couldn't be happier as it looks like our path to adding Alex to our eternal family is moving forward. There are still several things that have to be accomplished before we can legally adopt Alex, but if all goes well we should be sealed to our little boy by the end of February!

Set in Stone

I guess it's really plaster, but still we've immortalized Alex as a little guy. As you read last week Dick came over to make a casting of Alex's tiny hand and the results were really great. It's fun to have such neat remembrances of Alex and Kennedy as babies. Every time we turn around I'm amazed how big the kids seem to be getting. Before you know it, we'll be have someone asking for Kennedy's hand rather than us making a casting of it. I'm not ready for that yet.

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas?

Even though it hasn't snowed and we were over 60 degrees last week we started getting ready for the holiday over the weekend. It was nice that I didn't have to brave life and limb to put up the Christmas lights on the roof this year. Still it doesn't really feel like the end of the year. We're going through the motions and everything is going up around the house, but I don't know about playing Christmas music while kids are running around in shorts.

Diary of a Ute Fan

I don't really know what to say about today's game. Tara and I were there, and like 40,000 Ute fans I think we're still in shock. Utah did so many things right in the game, but there were still some glaring errors. Why did the Utes go into a prevent defense? As can be expected the only thing the defense did was prevent a Utah victory! John Beck must have had 15 seconds on the last play to find an open receiver. I think the Ute defense was a fundamental error in coaching. By not putting pressure on the QB, you're basically saying that you hope he makes a mistake or the receiver drops the ball. Rather than going for the win on your own, you're hoping that the other team makes the mistake to lose the game. I don't agree with that strategy! Play to win or don't play at all.

byu was supposed to blow us out today and we let them off the hook. I just hope that Kyle Wittingham goes Denny Green in an interview so we can have something to talk about. "We knew who they were when we took the field and we let them off the hook!"

Happy Turkey Day!

Click To Play

Best wishes from our clan to yours!

TurkeyBowl

Before you start thinking that we've started a new holiday tradition using nothing but bowls for dinner, I'll state for the record I'm talking about football. Every other year I get to participate in the annual ward touch football game - affectionately titled the TurkeyBowl. Basically it's a chance for a bunch of middle aged guys and their kids to run around for an hour or so and try not to get hurt in the process.

This year's game was an epic contest between two evenly matched teams. The Orgill team captained by Cole against the Williams team led by Crew (this was my squad). It was a see-saw battle for the 1st quarter with each team trading TD's. By halftime however the Orgill team had the advantage with a 42-21 lead. At halftime our team regrouped and as the game entered it's final play it was 49-42 for us. Cole stepped up to tie the game with a last second TD, but I managed to intercept the pass and the game was over. Final tally = no injuries, no swearing, lots of fun. Let's just hope I can get out of bed in the morning!

4 Months Old

Yesterday marked Alex's 4th month and it was time for a checkup. It is a little different taking Alex to a doctor, since he is on Medicaid. We can't go to our pediatrician, rather we take him to a clinic in South Salt Lake. As you can imagine, there's a pretty interesting crowd at the Medicaid clinic. Still, the staff there are nice and they have taken good care of Alex.

When Alex first came to our home, he weighed a paltry 6 lbs and change. He was very small for his age, due to the fact that he was born a month early. Now, at four months old, he is a healthy and happy little boy. The scales tipped at about 14 lbs and he looks great! It is so amazing to watch him grow and develop. Let's just hope he continues to grow up with us!

What's Going On?

Last night, Dick Engar came over to make a hand impression of Alex. He did one for Kennedy when she was about 9 months old and we decided to get one done for Alex. Kennedy's turned out really cute. It's fun to have something physical like that to remember just how small they were. We will get Alex's back sometime next week.





Alex wasn't too sure about the whole process. Dick had to put Alex's hand into some kind of gooey stuff that eventually hardened. Alex had this worried look on his face during the process, but he did okay. The end result will all be worth it.

Holy Week

I received an email today that demonstrated the difference between UTAH and byu. Classic!!!

Best Way to Alienate the Neighbors

I think I've discovered the best way to get your neighbors to scatter. No, not a loud party. Not a tacky lawn ornament. Even becoming a part time distributer of water purifiers won't make people disappear as quickly as......


Asking your neighbors to help you move a piano.

Wait it gets worse. Moving the paino downstairs. And did I mention that we'll have to lift the piano to get it past the banister. Tonight I went 4/9 in getting people to help me with this 600lb. problem. Still it was a lot of fun to get the thing downstairs and now we get the joy of being a musical family. You can't beat having pictures like this (even if it took enduring an hour at UHaul trying to get the Xterra wired to the trailer, two traffic jams on the way home from Brigham City - where we picked up the piano, four scratches in the wall, one chipped tile, and a possible broken thumb - sorry Brant!).

New Look

As you've read earlier I've been toying around with the idea of changing the name of the blog. Right now, the leader in the clubhouse is "half truths and mild tales". In changing the name, I think it's about time for a total blog makeover. So, over the weekend I've experimented with a few different templates to give the blog a new look. Tell me what you think about a red look.

Diary of a Jazz Fan

Earlier tonight I received a call from Ian about an extra ticket to the Jazz/Suns game. When he told me that the tickets were on the 7th row it was a done deal. I've been interested in the Jazz all season. They've been playing great and it's fun to see the development of some of the young players. After watching the comeback win over the Suns tonight I've come up with a few observations.

1) Deron Williams is the man. This guy totally took over the game when the Jazz made their 4th quarter comeback. Chris Paul may have better stats, but Williams was the right fit for Utah.

2) Watching a game on the 7th row is amazing. I've sat that close at the Huntsman Center before, but this was the closest I've been at the DC. It's unbelievable to see how athletic the players are. It's even more incredible to see how athletic and crazy the Bear is. Watching him jump through a ring of fire and dunk the ball was pretty impressive.

3) Paul Millsap may just be the unsung hero of the Jazz bench. Sure other guys get more publicity, but Millsap does all the dirty work that energizes the team. He was fantastic tonight.

4) Halftime shows are usually pretty lame, but tonight we saw a woman who could contort her body into just about any position. She actually did a stunt where she shot an arrow with a bow using her legs! I couldn't believe it.

Maybe I'm easily impressed, but tonight was a great experience. The Jazz are back! The games are exciting and fun to attend. The crowd was loud and fun. Now if I can just Ian to invite me to a few more games....

We love church callings

So last night was the last night of the Murray East Region young women's volleyball tournament. Ask Jared how excited he is. After a couple of months of preparing and me being gone almost every night for the past 2 weeks, Jared is not so sure he likes my church calling (region womens/young women's athletic director). I'm not so sure I like it myself. Once again we had to find too many babysitters and "farm out the kids" as Jared likes to say. We are just glad that our family members and friends have been so willing to help us out.

Overall the tournament went well. My own women's team somehow took third place. I thought we would be done the first night. It felt great to play some volleyball again. It's a little discouraging that I play about half as well as I did in college, but that was 12 years ago. It's still fun to play.

Now I need to start preparing for basketball, both mentally and physically! We start in January (don't tell Jared).

Father of the Year?

I think I'm officially out of the running for Father of the Year after my bonehead move from last night. After another 12 hour day at work I went to pick up Kennedy and Alex from Alicia's house. Everything was great and the kids were having a blast with their cousins. Still, at 9:00, it was time to go home.

Now Kennedy isn't the best traveler when she's tired. Typically we can bribe her with her "milk," but the cup had run dry. I don't know where she found it, but Kennedy had discovered a baggy full of "candy."

"Daddy, I want some candy."

Who could deny his little girl asking for a piece of candy - especially since I knew I was out of milk! The baggy had two large peppermints and several "tic-tacs." Knowing the mess we'd get into if I gave her the mints, I chose a little white "tic-tac." Kennedy scarfed it up and began sucking on the candy.

"Daddy, I don't like this candy."

The words had barely escaped her lips when I heard a strange sound coming from the back seat. Coughing and choking ensued and as I turned to see the result, there was Kennedy - covered in vomit.

"Daddy, I puke."

With another two minutes before we got home I tried to make a bad situation fun. Jokes, pointing out the lights, talking about mommy - nothing worked.

"Daddy, Clean it off. I want Mommy"

Finally, we pulled into the driveway and I rushed to get the puke stained girl inside. By this point tears and screams were in full force and I did my best to get Kennedy out of the foul smelling garments. I was just finishing getting Kennedy into her PJ's when Tara walked through the door.

I explained how I had given Kennedy a "tic-tac" from the baggy when Tara burst into laughter. "Those aren't tic-tacs. I keep a baggy full of Ibuprofen in the car for emergencies!"

Needless to say, I won't be waiting for my Father of the Year award any time soon.

Flashback 2005

Click To Play

I've been making a dvd of all of our digital video footage this week and came across this fun little clip of Kennedy from Christmas 2005. You've got to love the shimmy-shake!

Change of Season

Yesterday Kennedy helped Tara clean up some of the fall leaves. It's always fun to see how willing she is to pitch in when there's a project (let's see how long this lasts). Still the falling leaves are a big reminder that the weather is changing and it's time to prepare for winter. It isn't hard when you look out the window and see....

Power of Democracy

I've been thinking for a while that I'd like to change the name of the blog. I know that "the covili family" says it like it is, but I'd kinda like something with more style to it. Write in and tell me which of the following names you'd like to see in the upcoming month or so.

• tall tells


• half truths and wild tales


• Daddy Gets Mad


• 5 Dollar Words


• Creased Pages


• blog about us

I really can't make a decision, but I know the name will be changing soon. Help me out!

Portraits

Kennedy has enjoyed playing with the digital camera lately. I consider it her form of self expression. Most of the time she simply takes a super close up of herself, as she likes the hold the camera backwards. However, she was quite successful in snapping off her first self portrait earlier today.


While we were in a posing mood, I asked her to take a picture of Alex (with a little help from her mom). Isn't it amazing how comfortable kids are with digital cameras - I only wish some of the teachers I work with were as at ease with technology!

My 2 Cents

Yesterday, Tara wrote about us finally graduating from our parenting class. I've decided to share my 2 cents about the class. First of all the classes were too long, too off topic (at times), and too full of people who are too full of themselves (how many stories do we have to hear about how you were raised!). Next, explain the logic that I have to go to a class for eight weeks to learn how to be a parent, while during these classes I have to drop my kids off to be watched by someone else. "I can't be a parent right now. I have to go learn how to be a parent." That makes sense!

Still, all that being said there was a classic moment during our two months of classes. In the Discipline class a few weeks ago we were at the point where we were wrapping up and the instructor asked if anyone else had something to add before we end class. Of course there's a long pause (who wants to stay later than they have to) and then a woman on the front row raised her hand.

My husband and I have always felt strongly that we won't take our child out into the foyer when she acts out in church. Too many kids think of that as play time.

So, far so good nothing I don't agree with yet.

We think it's best to take her out to the car for a time out.

You're losing me on your strategy.

It doesn't take long to get her to quiet down. Especially on really hot days.

At this point there's a collective gasp from the rest of the class. What?! Are you admitting to a DCFS caseworker and a room full of people that you lock your child in the car when it's over 100 degrees to have her quiet down. Of course she's quiet, she probably fading in and out of consciousness.

After listening to this woman's strategy the instructor asked, "Does this work for you?" After replying that it's always worked, the teacher responded, in classic fashion, "I'm a bit troubled by you placing your child in the car. I'd recommend not doing that in the future."

Where do these people come from? Why do they want to bring innocent children into their homes? What if I am one of them (I'm not, right?)?

I am so glad the classes are over. Yes, I learned some great things about parenting, but I also learned that there are some interesting people out there!

Parenting 101

It's official. After 32 hours of finding babysitters and then sitting through hours of classes, ranging from how to help kids that have been abused in every way, to the ins and outs of foster care policy and adoption, we are officially licensed to be parents. Foster parents, that is. For us to be able to keep Alex in our home, Jared and I had to become licensed as foster parents. We "graduated" last night from our class and now just have to have our home study done to complete our license.

This all sounds like a pain, but it will all be worth it if we are able to adopt Alex. We love this little guy and he is already a part of our family. He is such a sweet baby. Kennedy loves baby Alex and calls him her little brother. She loves being a big sister. We hope that it all becomes permanent soon!

Talking with a Two-Year-Old

Tara was gone last night with Region sports so Kennedy was quick to let me know how she felt about her absence.

Kennedy, Do you want to play with your dolls?

I want Mommy.

What if we watch Little People?

I want Mama.

I know. What if we play with Alex?

I want Mommy.

Ok, I understand. She won't be home for a while. Should we listen to some music?

I want Mom.

I want Mom too.

En Fuego

Jason just called to let me know that the 31st Ward was vandalized and set on fire last night. What a tragedy! Tara and I attended that Ward from 1997-2001 and really loved the style of that old building. The ward was over 100 years old; sure the building had been remodeled several times, but the character was still there. The only good thing to come from the story is the kids responsible were caught by neighbors. I sure hope they gave them the laying on of hands before the cops arrived!

Leaving my Mark

Earlier today I took advantage of my civic duty and voted. There's nothing really to say about voting in Utah except that none of my votes usually matter. Since, I tend to vote for the Democrats it seems that I only help 1 out of 10 get elected. Maybe my vote will swing the tight race for County Auditor - who knows?

The one cool thing about voting today was the new electronic voting booth. Since the botched 2000 presidential election, it seems that the state has been looking to update from the ol' punch ballot. It was pretty impressive to vote using the touch screen. From start to finish it took about 10 minutes, most of which was standing in line. The best part is there won't be any hanging chads in the Beehive State.

Marathon Week

This marks the beginning of my last marathon week for a while. For the past two months I've been out every Mon. - Thurs. until 9 pm or later. They're all good causes: Basketball for the car payment on Monday, Bishopric visits for the Ward on Tuesday, Teaching for the U on Wednesday, Parenting Class for Alex on Thursday. I am just glad that it's all nearing an end for a while. I'm worn out!!!

Party Poopers

Last night we had a neighborhood party. Nothing major, just some good soup and a chance to meet your neighbors. We had hoped to get beyond the whole Mormon vs. Non-Mormon divide that seems to exist in most Utah neighborhoods. In total we invited 35 couples that live in our area. About half were active members of the ward and the other half were a mix of non members and less actives.

Grand Total in attendance:

Active Members: 21

Non Members/Less Actives: 0

I guess the divide is wider than I thought!

Morning Conversation

While Kennedy, Alex, and I were alone this morning I decided to pull out the voice recorder and discuss some of the recent events in our lives. Kennedy covered topics like: Halloween, Kindermusik, Pooping on the Potty, The Little Mermaid, and Mommy. All in all it was a pretty eventful 4 minutes. So, sit back and enjoy another Morning Conversation with Kennedy.

Home Alone

Okay, so I'm not really alone. But for the first time, I am home alone with both Kennedy and Alex. Tara is off at a Girls' Night Out and so I get to hang with my peeps. It's been a lot of fun so far. Kennedy and I have had a good chance to play with each other and Alex has...well, he's been typical Alex, which means he's slept a lot. Still, we did coax a great smile out of him.

Jason and Kristin came over earlier and brought dinner with them. Who can complain about that?! We watched Nacho Libre and I don't know what to make of that one. Is Jack Black funny or he is just fat? I can't make up my mind. Still, there were a few good moments in the film whether or not you wear "stretchy pants." So, it's 11:00 and I'm the only one awake right now. I only hope that no one is awake around here within the next hour or so. Wish me luck!

LOVE

Yesterday started out as another long day. I was at work before 8 am and left around 7 pm, having taught a workshop during the day and my college class last night. Needless to say, I wasn't in a big hurry to go out and visit members with the Bishop last night. All of that quickly changed as we entered the TICU (Thoracic Intensive Care Unit) at LDS Hospital. Verle Perry is recovering from having a valve replaced in his heart last Friday, so we visited with him last night. It was difficult to watch Verle struggle with all the tubes and machines connected to his frail body. He couldn't speak, since he is on a ventilator, so we did most of the talking. As we were preparing to leave Verle started spelling something with his finger. I couldn't make out what he was trying to say so I found a pad of paper and had Verle right out his comment. In a shaky hand he scrolled:

I LOVE YOU

Yesterday may have started out as another long day, but it ended far too soon when you're in the company of the spirit.

Halloween Frenzy

Don't worry, you won't see me posting everyday on the blog. I will leave that up to Jared. I just wanted to share a few pictures of our marathon Halloween day.

We spent the morning with Liam at Kindermusik. As Miss Carol read a Halloween story to the group, all the kids sat quietly and listened, except for Kennedy. She seemed to have to yell out "skeleton", "ghost", "witch" and on and on, every time a page was turned. Half way through the book, Miss Carol commented that Kennedy really seems to like Halloween. It's great that our child is the loudest of the group. She definitely is not shy.

After Kindermusik, we met Char and headed to Jessica's school to eat lunch with the Duncan clan. Chris and Cari also joined us. Alex was the star of the show and smiled at everyone he met. He had all the teachers in love with him. Kennedy impressed the speech pathologist at the school as she now talks in full sentences and isn't even 2 yet.

We then headed over to Gardner Village to see all the witches and ride the pony. Kennedy's favorite witch was the one that was "shaking her booty". She loved seeing the witches and feeding the ducks. We ended the visit with a short pony ride and a walk through the petting zoo. Alex was as happy as ever. That kid is so calm. I drug him all over Salt Lake yesterday and he was just happy to be there. What a cute kid he is.








After Gardner Village, it was time to head home and both kids crashed. While the kids slept, I made some cookies and Jared carved the family pumpkins for the doorstep. When Kennedy woke up, she took Daddy trick or treating.

The fun didn't last long as the cold was stronger than the desire for candy. Kennedy and Jared came home soon and Kennedy seemed to have more fun eating the frosting off of mommy's cookies than trick or treating. She ended up spending the rest of the night answering the door and showing off her witch costume to the trick or treaters.

We are all still recovering from Halloween, but we sure did have fun.

NaBloPoMo

Novemember is National Blog Posting Month which means that you'll be reading a lot more entries from me for the next 30 days. The challenge is to write an entry every day for the entire month. Normally, I write about every 3 days or so, meaning this will require me to step it up a level. So ready or not, here I come.

Over the next 30 days you'll read more of my thoughts on the mundane details of life, things like: Why do teenagers come trick or treating when they're too "cool" for a costume? How come kids won't take naps, when that's all I want to do? Does it really make a difference to post a political sign on a fence that has every other candidate already displayed? We'll have to see how this month goes, but I choose to accept the NaBloPoMo Challenge!