A Day to be Dad

Father's Day was a lot of fun this year. The kids in the ward got together on Thursday and made personalized ties for all the dads. We all donated a few of our old ties and came away with a priceless memory. My tie came courtesy of Cole Orgill and I was proud to sport the JareJare's tie at church today. However, this classic tie will now live forever in my closet.

Yesterday my mom sent me a little present to commemorate Father's Day. It was one of those dollar store special books entitled, "The World's Greatest Collection of Quotes for Dads." Tara and I spent the drive down to visit her parents reading from its pages. Here are a few of the gems inside:

"When I was a child my family's menu consisted of two choices: take it or leave it." Buddy Hackett

"To be in your children's memories tomorrow you have to be in their lives today." Anonymous

"To her, the name of Father was another name for Love." Fanny Fern

Isn't it great to be a Dad?

Extra, Extra

I guess it's a slow enough morning that I've decided to post twice. Summer's here and it's time for an update to Alex and Kennedy's photo pages. You'll see pictures of our trip to Park City, Alex's Adoption, playing outside, and a sexy swimsuit shot - ok, so it's just Kennedy getting ready for pool season. Enjoy!

Saturday Mornings

I love Saturday mornings. I think it's the only real chance I have during the week to sit down and explore/read various blogs on the web. Sure, I check friends' blogs throughout the week, but Saturday is when I look at the rest of my favorite blogs. One of best blogs on the web belongs to David Pogue, the technology writer from the NY Times. He always brings out the most entertaining and innovative new websites and technology tools. This week he shared a fun new site called Videojug, the world's first how-to video website. You can watch "how-to" videos on about every topic imaginable. This week: How to Give a Great Man to Man Hug. Enjoy!


VideoJug: How To Give A Great Man To Man Hug

Back to Work

I have to admit that the week I had off after having my appendix out was pretty relaxing! I wasn't in too much pain, and Jared was very protective of me. He wouldn't let me do anything . We had dinner brought to us every night and my mom and sisters helped do laundry and clean the house. I caught up on some much needed sleep, read a lot and enjoyed some quiet time while Jared took the kids. Kennedy was very conscious of the fact that I had surgery. I would ask her for a hug and she would say "but mommy, you can't hold me because your tummy hurts."

It was fun watching Jared with the kids while I was down. He did a great job with them and it was interesting to see how they would be dressed and if Kennedy's hair would be combed or not. It usually was not combed, but in Jared's defense, combing Kennedy's hair right now is a battle for even the best. Even when we get it combed, within a couple of hours it looks like she just got out of bed.


The kids now think of Jared as the "fun" parent. He got off easy last week because as I said, we had dinner delivered every night, people helping with the house. He was able to play and wrestle with the kids all week. Now that I'm back on duty, I still have to keep the house clean, fix meals, and keep the kids happy. Needless to say, the kids seem more excited to have Daddy around now. On my first day back, Kennedy woke up and asked where daddy was. The rest of the day pretty much went like that, her asking for daddy, especially when she was in trouble with mommy.

It has been good to get back to normal. We have spent the week playing with friends, going to the park and playing in the yard. I have been feeling pretty good and was even able to jog a couple of miles this morning with Kennedy in the stroller. It was nice to have some time off, even if it was for a minor surgery, but it's good to be mommy again.

Life in Suburbia

There a lot of different ways that you can tell we live in a crowded world, where everyone is caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life. Overcrowded freeways, lining up at the pump, even long check outs and the grocery store all tell us that we need to take time out to find those who are important to us. Yesterday I realized just how large the superstore Costco really is. I had stopped by the warehouse to pick up a new card and get gas for $3.09/gallon (I guess that's a bargain). After parking the car I called Tara on her cell to find out how her day was going. Here was our exchange:

So, what's going on Tara?

Not much, just shopping at Costco.

Costco, that's where I'm at. Where are you?

I'm near the milk.

You can find me at customer service.

We better stay in contact, so we can find you.

10-4.

A moment later, there they were. It's not often you can find a moment of peace and clarity at a superstore, but I found my favorite people at Costco yesterday.