Three Redheads and Counting . . .

I love these guys!

2012-01-29T19:59:00.003-06:00

Today was one of those days that I couldn't help but love my children. They were so good. Sunday's can be a really hectic day with church and meetings associated with it. Not to mention the fact that we have late church, 2-5 pm and Hannah really needs to be in bed no later than 7 pm. It means a lot of juggling and clock watching.

Again, though, the kids were great today. We had to be to church early then Jonathan and I had to hurry home right before church started but he was so cooperative it didn't take long. We hurried back to church and had to sit in the foyer while the sacrament was being passed and Jonathan was more reverent than the teenagers sitting there too. Little did I know, Hannah was all by herself in the chapel. She was also extremely good. They sat almost the entire meeting without getting after each other. They sat through one talk without complaining, coloring or eating and then did great when they got to bring out their crayons and games.

It was a Kodak moment if ever we've had one. They were so good when we got home and everything just worked out really well. They are such good kids and they are really trying to make good choices and do what's right. I love them and they are such a blessing to us.

The Big Rock

2012-01-18T08:25:00.006-06:00

Monday Hannah was out of school and Hyrum decided to take the day off too. We decided to have a family adventure. Since we moved here, Hyrum has wanted to hike Enchanted Rock. It's basically a granite mound that rises from the land around it. It's pretty barren and really quite pretty in a rugged-sort-of-way.

We packed a picnic and headed off to the rock. The kids had no idea where we were going and Hyrum just kept telling them we were going to see a big rock. They were pretty excited to be on a family adventure. We started up the rock about 11 and boy oh boy was it windy. The sun was out and that was nice but the wind was a little chill and whipping around like crazy.

We made it up with Charlotte on Hyrum's back in the kid carrier and I encouraging and then at times pulling the other two kids from behind. It was a beautiful site from the top. We could the Texas mountains around us and various valleys all with neat rock outcroppings around. The top was pretty windy so we didn't stay long. We went around the back side and found a nice windbreak and had a snack. Charlotte was happy to get out of the pack for a while though we had to watch her so she didn't stray into an cacti.

We headed back over the top after a brief rest and then it got exciting. The wind was now headed against us and Hyrum estimated maybe 45-50 miles an hour. Hannah and Jonathan were pretty scared. At one point they were clinging to me in tears because they were afraid they would be blown away. We assured them they were fine and I would hold on to them. After a few steps down the rock the wind eased up and they relaxed a little. Going down was way harder than going up.

We walk through Echo Canyon and then around Enchanted Rock back to our car. We got back to the car around 1:40. The kids were tired and hungry but they did a great job. Hannah and Jonathan walked the whole time. Charlotte finally figured how to sleep in the carrier just as we got within site of the parking lots. We ate our lunch, ran around for a few minutes and then jumped back in the car to head home. We were tired, sore and sunburned but it was a good family adventure. We were so proud of Hannah and Jonathan. They are great adventurers and we're glad we can share things like that together.

Boy, oh boy!

2012-01-11T07:48:00.003-06:00

I just realized that we hadn't told everyone that we are having a boy. We found out in early December that Baby #4 is a boy. We are all excited but maybe none so much as Jonathan. He is eager to have a little brother to play with. In some it is unfortunate it will take a little while before they can really play together. There are times it makes my head spin : )

We are doing well and just looking forward for things to come. There is a lot of work to be done before our little guy gets here so we are keeping busy. I feel good that I already have almost 20 boxes packed and ready to go. I only have about a million to go, or at least that is how it feels.

We enjoyed a great Christmas break with Hyrum's family and are glad to be home and going after a bit of relaxation. We hope you all had a great holiday season as well.

Christmas is in the Air

2011-12-06T16:47:00.005-06:00

I can feel it in my bone, see it everywhere I look, and smell it in my kitchen. I love the scents of cinnamon, sugar, chocolate, peppermint and whatever else happens to be around. Right now, we're enjoying the scent of pecan pie muffins. So tasty. Later I have some sugar cookie dough I need to bake.

I love this time of year with it's happy busyness and my bouts of creativity. Most of all I love it because of the general feeling of goodwill I feel everywhere I go. I love that because it really communicates why we celebrate Christmas and this time of year. It's all because a babe was born over 200 years ago. That baby is the Son of God. I know that is true.

We believe in Christ and we believe in Christmas. These videos are amazing portrayals of the happenings of the New Testament starting with the birth of the Savior. I hope you take a moment to check them out. Enjoy and I wish you a Merry Christmas!

One Step Ahead . . .

2011-10-31T10:12:00.005-05:00

Lately that has been my goal, just try and stay one step ahead. Mostly it has worked, though as you may have noticed our blog has suffered. The last few weeks have been busy. We've had lots of doctor appointments, three birthdays over the past three months, work, school, and just all of the changes that Hannah starting school has brought. It really has taken an adjustment.

My day doesn't really get started until about 10 am, though I'm up at 5:30. I get up and do some scripture study and then Hannah gets up at 5:50. The other two kids follow her pretty quickly and then it's hurry and get ready. I get her on the bus and the other two kids and I go for a walk. I walk about 5 miles while Jonathan runs around with his friends, Ben and William. We get home between 8:30 and 9 and then by the time I shower and feel ready to go out if need be it's usually 10. It means my days go by really fast when lunch gets here and then naps and then the bus and then dinner and bedtime.

I find I'm not getting as much done as usual but I still feel really good about things. The kids are happy and learning a lot as we work on things at home. Charlotte is so happy and easy going. It's hard to believe my baby is 1. It's even harder to believe that in April #4 will be joining us. Life is fun and crazy all at once.

I have lot's of sewing to do between now and Christmas and then packing and planning and preparing for all the changes that April and May will bring with a new baby and graduation. I have a feeling these next 6 months are going to fly.

Hannah is doing great at school. Her reading has made amazing strides the last few weeks. She now tries to read just about anything she sees. It is so exciting. Jonathan is just loving being the man of the house. It kind of cramps his style when Hannah is home from school. He is a great kid and makes us laugh a lot. Charlotte is super sweet. She is an explorer and adventurous but will give anyone a hug that will give her one. She loves to laugh and the other day tried to run after Jonathan. I don't know if I'm ready for another climber though.

What blessings the Lord has given us. I am so thankful for our family and friends. I promise, you are all on our thoughts and in our hearts.

What I've been working on

2011-10-11T16:39:00.000-05:00

[Caution: this is something of a technical post. Feel free to ignore it if wish.]

For the last several years I've been working on the development of Apache Subversion, a version control system tool primarily intended for use in developing software. While it isn't the only such system out there, Subversion manages to strike a balance between power and usability which works for many people, even those working on non-software projects. I use it personally to manage source code, financial data, my personal journal and lots of other content.

Subversion also has the nice property of being open source software, meaning that anybody can look at and edit the source code. In fact, that's how I first got involved in the project, as I started fixing bugs which concerned me a few years ago. Since then, I've spent the past few year doing consulting or working for companies which provide Subversion services and products. It's given me a lot of freedom to do interesting stuff, while continuing to pursue my PhD and other activities.

My primary Subversion-related work over the past couple of years has been working on the next release: Subversion 1.7. It's been a long road, but I'm happy to announce that we've finally gotten there: Apache Subversion 1.7.0 was released earlier this week. I'm sure there will be further improvements in the next few weeks as we find and fix bugs, but this is a big milestone for the project, and elicits a certain sense of professional and personal accomplishment.

So if you're into this kind of thing, feel free to download the new Subversion, give it a spin, and let me know what you think.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Today

2011-10-08T21:04:00.003-05:00

I haven't been very diligent in posting so I decided I would try to do better. I also decided to apply the common axiom, "There's no time like the present."

I wish I had some pictures from today but alas, the camera didn't make it in my bags. It all started at about 4:30 when Charlotte started fussing. It was only intermittent and I was able to ignore her until 5:30 when I had set my alarm to go ff anyway. I got up and gave her a bottle and put her back to bed. I jumped in the shower only to hear a tapping on the door about two minutes later, Hannah. Needless to say everyone was up by about 5:45 this morning.

We got ready for the day and headed off to San Antonio following a brief hello to Hyrum. What was in San Antonio? Well we had a ward temple trip planned and there was babysitting at a church building nearby. With our family growing and all of our friends' families growing as well, it has become increasingly difficult to ask someone to watch the kids for 6 hours so Hyrum and I jump at whatever chance we get to attend the temple.

I dropped the kids off and proceeded to the temple where I participated in some work there. It was a good experience and it was so nice to be able to pick my kids up after an hour and a half instead of 6. I went to pick them up and we all ate our lunch and headed down the road to see some friends from my BYU days.

A little sidebar--It rained on and off all day. It was lovely. The kids were a little sad they were in nice clothes because they so wanted to jump in puddles when we got home. Thankfully this was one time they decided to obey me.

After getting a little lost and turned around--apparently Mapquest and Google both have yet to figure out the right way to Joe and Sally's house--we finally got there, only to find them away. I was kicking myself for not calling and telling them we were coming. Jonathan was almost hysterical which is kind of comic because he was only 14 months the last time we saw them. Lucky for him, as we were just finishing up passing provisions around for the ride home, who should pull up but Joe and Sally.

It was so fun to visit with them. I am always amazed at how there are some people I can meet up with again after ages and we don't seem to miss a beat. Caleb is one of my new best friends and I think Jonathan was quite happy we got to see our friends. Poor Ella was so tired and didn't quite know what to do with us. Hopefully we'll get to see them again soon. We got home late and just in time for dinner, baths, and into bed.

What a day but it was a good one.

Clarification

2011-09-10T09:07:00.002-05:00

So, that is the last time I let Hyrum write a vacation blog post. I won't add a lot but I do want to say that Hannah has declared this, "the best family vacation ever." I am grateful for that because I found it hot, sweaty, and not very enjoyable. The great part is that my family had a great time.

The kids loved the water, the sand and all the interesting animals. I enjoyed the animals and the scenery, I just wish there had been shade and it wasn't blazing hot. The kids and Hyrum came away with 2nd degree sunburns. It was not pretty and we tried so hard to keep everyone sun-screened. It was a good thing we were only on the beach for one day. I'm not ready to go the beach again for a long time but I think we'll remember this as a good trip for a long time to come.

Camping at the Beach

2011-09-04T18:19:00.003-05:00

Last month, it was getting hot in Austin, so we went to the beach.

We went to Padre Island National Seashore, where we set up camp.

In the morning, we saw the sea turtles swim to the ocean.

We spent most of the day at the beach, swimming getting sunburned.

Charlotte had a great time too, and enjoyed eating the sand.

The children enjoyed swimming in the ocean.

We saw many birds and other wildlife.

Heather made some good dinner, but the burn ban meant the s'mores needed some imagination.

In the end, we're glad we went.

On the way home, we stopped at the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi.

It was a good vacation, and great family adventure.

When Little Girls Grow Up

2011-08-23T12:59:00.006-05:00

Yesterday marked a momentous day in our family. Hannah started school. Last Thursday we visited her classroom and met her teacher Ms. Lampman. We dropped off the plethora of school supplies and she explored her new surroundings.

All weekend she kept asking when it would be Monday. She only got up ten minutes early, for which I was grateful. She wore her back pack around for about 15 minutes before we left for school. She got up and got ready really well. She was so happy to head off though I think Jonathan was a little sad. He gave her a few hugs and kisses before he would let her go.

We arrived really early because there is no parking at the school. So we sat in the car and talked for about 10 minutes. Then we made our way up the school, taking a few moments for a couple pictures.

Hannah found her cubby and hung her back pack up. Then she picked out her sticker and without hardly a glance said, "Bye mom." Then I sat around in the cafeteria for a little while only to hear the same thing I had heard twice before. I felt like I had kind of wasted my morning by taking her to school yesterday but it was nice to see her to her class.

I wish it had been as easy as that, however, we went to pick her up from the bus and it was not the "butterfly bus" we'd been told she should ride. There was a lot of traffic on the bus drivers radio so we couldn't find out where she was. So they told us to go to the school and they would take her back there.

We went and quickly. I knew she would be so upset when she got there and I didn't want to miss her. We waited and waited. Finally just as I volunteered to go check where the office people thought the kids (there were two other kids on the wrong bus too) may have gotten off the bus, the bus rounded the corner. Hannah slowly made her way off the bus, wide eyed and scared. All I could do was hug her and cry with her. I finally found my voice and reassured her that she was fine and I was grateful that she had stayed on the bus. The principal was out there along with her teacher by them and they too, comforted and did what they could to help. The principal brought Hannah in for a little snack and a drink before we left. By the time we got in the car I think Hannah was all better and we headed to the Library.

That afternoon Hannah called her grandma's and her dad and related the story of her day to them. She started each time by telling about her bus adventure. By the time Hyrum heard it when he got home from work I think she was over it and she just felt like it was a real school adventure. Today she was ready to go back and all was well. We've figured out the real bus for her to ride and today, I have no doubts I will see her walk off the bus at our stop.

All in all, I am excited for this experience. It opens up our world a lot and while that has it's challenges, I really believe it will help us all grow and be better people. I look forward to Back to School Night in a couple weeks where we can learn more about the curriculum and more details about her class.

And time keeps rushing by . . .

2011-08-04T20:04:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to share a few pictures and tales of our July adventures.

July 2nd we had a picnic at church in honor of the 4th of July. It was fun. The kids especially loved dressing up in the shirts grandma sent. Jonathan asked Hyrum and I if we would match so we obliged him by wearing striped shirts as well.

About once a week the kids and I go for a long walk. We walk the bike and hike trail around the lake by our home. We recently discovered about halfway around just beyond our usual walk is a splash pad. We walk there, I let the ids play for a few minutes and then we walk back to the car. They're only damp by the time we get home and it makes it a little better experience for them with something to look forward to.

The 10th of July brought a huge change for us as far as church goes. The Stake President announced our Ward was being split and a portion of it combined with a portion of another ward to created the Zilker Park Ward. We were released from our callings since we are in the new ward. It is an exciting new phase for the Church here in Austin and we are excited to be a part of it. There is a lot of work to be done but we are glad we get to roll our sleeve up and take part. Hyrum has been called as the Young Men President and I am the Compassionate Service Leader. This is a picture of the Austin Ward Bishopric the Sunday before the split.

Charlotte has officially joined the crew. She spends most of her time these days with Hannah and Jonathan. Here they are all enjoying a picnic.

Charlotte's new favorite position is standing. If she can get up, she will. It is so much fun to watch her. She's great fun. She has two teeth and is now 9 1/2 months old. We are so glad we have her.

The 23rd we celebrated Pioneer Day (usually the 24th of July but it was on Sunday this year) which is the day the LDS Church celebrates the first pioneers arriving in the Salt Lake Valley. We celebrated Texas Style with fried chicken and baked beans, along with some singing and parading. The snow cones were great because it's hot.

The last week of July Hyrum was out of town and though I don't have any pictures we finally made it to the Children's Museum for the first time since we got here. The kids liked the trains and Hannah enjoyed the flying pig station. You put a parachute with a pig on it, in a clamp, with a pulley, moved the pig up to a cone which released the parachute and the pig would glide to the ground. Thanks Angie and Josh for sharing that with us.

It was a good month, a hot one but a good one. We are praying for rain continually and invite anyone who wants to join us to do so. We went swimming a couple times and enjoyed that. We are trying to make the most of this summer since in just two and a half weeks Hannah will be officially a school girl and family weekday playtime will come to an abrupt halt.

What have we been watching?

2011-07-25T13:13:00.004-05:00

Hannah: "Jonathan you're the green jersey."

Jonathan: "Yeah, you're the yellow."

Hannah: "No, I'm the pink with sparkles jersey."

Jonathan: "Well, then I'm the yellow because I go fast."

Well If you haven't guessed, we've been keeping tabs on Le Tour De France. It's been a fun thing to check in with Hyrum everyday and on the days he's worked from home we even joined in watching the day's stage. All I have to say is that I'm glad Hyrum doesn't ride like those guys. They are crazy. I never thought of cycling as a crazy man's sport but it definitely could fit in that category. There were a few times I held my breath watching them zoom down a mountain, cutting the corners on the switchbacks so tight I was sure they would lose control and careen down the mountain head first. Not a pretty picture and I was glad that didn't happen.

Anyway, It was pretty sweet. The Tour officials better watch out though, because if Hannah has any say in the matter they'll have a pink, sparkly jersey next.

Books, Books and more Books

2011-07-17T19:41:00.004-05:00

This is the pile of books on our piano, well half the pile.

Matthews Elementary School does a summer reading challenge every year and this year is no exception. They even invited the incoming kindergarteners to join them. Hannah is suppose to read 100 books this summer. Well she can't read but, I am allowed to read to her. We have been going to the library a couple days a week for the past couple of weeks so we can get this challenge done. I think we will probably continue even once we've reached our 100 books. It's been pretty fun. We've found some cute books and we've found some not so cute books.

One I particularly like was this one:

It is a cute little story about a little girl getting ready to go to school. I probably enjoyed it because of Hannah's coming entrance into the world of formal education. It was a good little book and this has been a pretty fun challenge. We're halfway through.

Friday Walk

2011-07-11T09:19:00.003-05:00

Friday, we decided to walk around the lake with some friends. Walking with six kids is not a speedy process especially when we only had four seats. We also started out with two bikes. We only have a trike for our kids so after about 5 minutes I quickly ran it back to the car. It didn't work very well.

The kids walked quite a bit and followed Ben as he rode his bike. It was fun. Reianna and I got to talk a little bit bit there were a lot of people on the trail. We stopped for a bit and fed the turtles, grackles, and pigeons. There weren't any ducks until we left and there were only two. Maybe they don't like the heat either.

We saw this turtle on the edge of the trail. It was fun to watch the kids get really excited. I don't the turtle was too excited to be the center of attention.

Charlotte and Sam were good sports just hanging out the strollers.

Day with Dad

2011-07-11T09:02:00.003-05:00

Last Week Hannah asked if we could go up and see Hyrum on campus. We finally decided that Thursday was the day.

We rode the bus from our apartment through the city to campus. The kids had a blast. They don't have to be buckled in and Jonathan was so happy not to have to sit on my lap. They enjoyed looking out the windows, counting flags they saw and seeing the capitol building which they remembered visiting with Grandma and Grandpa H.

We got to campus and enjoyed our picnic in the lounge near Hyrum's office. I was so happy Hannah consented to an indoor picnic. It's hot and humid here right now, not exactly wonderful picnic weather.

We then made our routine stop to the turtle pond. There was so much algae that the turtles just swam through, under and around it. I even saw a few take a bite and enjoy it for lunch. There were tons of turtles and they came right over to where we were standing watching them. Hannah and Jonathan just loved it.

We then headed back to the bus and we were homeward bound. It was a fun activity and it's always nice to have lunch with Dad.

Untitled

2011-07-03T20:18:00.003-05:00

I don't really have a very good title for this so I'm just going to fore go it.

We are finally feeling better after over two weeks of sickness. It wasn't the flu (I almost wish it had been then I would have know it would been 7-10 days) but instead a cold that just went on and on. I started feeling sick over two weeks ago and then Father's Day Hyrum wasn't feeling well. Wednesday we went to his parent's and he had a 103 temp by that afternoon. He was the only one with a fever but over the course of the past two weeks, we have all had a terrible cough, Jonathan is taking antibiotics for an ear infection and I am still battling a sore throat. Apparently Charlotte has gotten through this unscathed and we hope it stays that way.

I have lost one of my dearest friends this past week. Their family moved away after finishing their doctoral work. It's wonderful to see them moving on and accomplishing this dream that we all share but I will miss Editt and all the things that her friendship meant to me. I am so thankful for telephones and skype. It will be great to see them again when we drive to my parent's house again because they are on the way. Look out, we're coming : )

It has been a rough couple of weeks but hopefully soon things will calm down and get back to some measure of normal.

More Data Please

2011-06-06T09:53:00.003-05:00

Ever since I've been riding my bike, I've been obsessed with collecting data about those rides. For many years, I've had a cyclometer, usually a Cateye Mity 3, and most recently the wireless version of the same. They are great little devices, and do a wonderful job of tracking horizontal distance.

However, recently, I've been riding a lot of hills, and have been interested in other parameters. How much vertical climbing am I doing? What is my cadence like? How steady is my heart rate? What's the profile of the ride?

To really answer these questions, I needed a new solution, and so after several months of wishing, I finally broke down and used our REI dividend to fund the purchase of a Garmin Edge 500, including the ANT+ heart rate monitor and cadence sensors. While I haven't yet figured out all the functions, it is fun to track all kinds of data and learn more about my riding style and the terrain I ride over. Using Garmin's software makes visualizing the data pretty easy, and as I do longer rides, I'm hoping to use the data to actually improve, rather than just describe the kinds of riding I do.

Below is a ride I did Saturday evening down Loop 360. It actually turned out quite eventful, as I got a flat at mile 11.6, and didn't have any inflator cartridges to pump up my new tire. Through the kindness of strangers, I eventually got it inflated and got going again, but by that time it was dark, and I accidentally turned the GPS off during the biggest hill on the climb. Argh!

Hopefully future rides are just as data rich, but much less exciting.

Kindergarten Round-Up

2011-05-03T15:27:00.003-05:00

Today I took Hannah to the elementary school she will be attending in the Fall. She was pretty excited. After being in the building, I must say that I am too. I think she will really enjoy it and have a good time.

I can't believe she is ready for school. She doesn't turn 5 until August but it is still so close. School will bring with it a new set of challenges and experiences but I am really excited about it. I think it will be a really positive experience for all of us.

Strawberry Picking

2011-04-24T20:40:00.004-05:00

The day after I got back from Utah we drove as family to the strawberry patch. We had been planning on doing this for a couple weeks and it just kept getting moved. We finally fit it in and we were so glad we did. The picking wasn't great but the were decent and still on sale if you bought a lot. We certainly bought a lot. We picked 31.5 lbs of strawberries.

It was a perfect day. It got a little warm as the day wore on and we all came home a little pink. It was fun though. I am so glad Hyrum was able to join us. Hannah and Jonathan helped for about 30 minutes and then for the rest of the time made sandcastles and probably would have tried climbing the peach trees had I not stopped them. Charlotte spent most of the morning in the stroller and the last little while in Hyrum's arms.

We finished after picking for 3 hours and then enjoyed a picnic before the two hour drive home. Over the next few days we mashed, sugared, and jammed most of the berries. The best part was that everyone helped. Hyrum spent a bit of time helping my stir and measure in sugar and pour it in jars and wiped them clean for me. I love it when my family helps. We canned over 40 jars of jam and right now my freezer is bursting. We are so excited.

Rexburg or Bust?

2011-04-24T20:11:00.004-05:00

My sister graduated from college the first weekend in April. There are a couple more things she has to do to get her diploma but she is done with BYU-Idaho. We are all so happy for her. It has been a long road for her and I am so proud of her hard work.

I talked to my parents as they were preparing to head out for the graduation and I was just so sad that I wouldn't be able to be there to spend the special day with my sister and see my brothers. My whole family hadn't been together since Hyrum and I graduated five years ago. I really wanted to be there. We talked about it and I thought and thought and thought and finally through a lot of praying and thinking decided I could give myself permission to go.

Hyrum's mom watched the kids for us since Hyrum has a crazy weekend that week and I flew out to Utah few days later. It was great. I met my parents at the Salt Lake Airport and we drove north to Rexburg, Idaho. It was snowing, a lot. Charlotte was with me and I was a little worried about how she would do, but she was a great little trooper.

We shared a room in Idaho Falls and surprised my sister Friday morning. We helped her pack and clean her apartment. Then we spent the day running errands and wasting time. We had dinner and watched the snow heavily fall outside. With so much snow we took Kallie home and headed back to our hotel. We enjoyed the Food Network while we were there.

Saturday was graduation, check-out, move-in and the drive back to Provo(again, in the snow). We got up at 5 to be ready to graduation and didn't get to Provo until 9 pm that night. Poor Charlotte was ready for bed. Sunday we spent the day with my brother, Nathan and for the first time in five years my immediate family was together. We missed Hyrum and the other two kids but it was so great to be with my family. I love them and miss them so much.

My niece and nephew loved Charlotte. Quinn just kept stroking her face saying, "cute." They were sweet. She loved it. I think she missed Hannah and Jonathan. Monday we visited Konni, and just hung out with my family. That night we had pizza at Nathan and Emily's. It was great fun. It was so hard to leave that evening.

I had such a blast. It was hard to leave knowing that I will never again be sure when the next time I will see my whole family together again. I am so grateful for the promise of an eternal family. I know that I have to live worthy of those covenants but I know it's possible. I also realized the importance of my own family. I am so grateful for Hyrum, Hannah, Jonathan, and Charlotte. They are such a blessing.

The real problem with federal spending

2011-04-13T15:46:00.003-05:00

I have some fairly strong opinions about the way government ought to be run, but I usually keep them to myself. I don't know why this particular issue is blog-worthy, but it's something I've been pondering ever since the "Road Construction Ahead" signs went up outside my apartment complex last week.

I am a cyclist. I am a cyclist who commutes daily, often in an urban environment. I ride move than 10 miles on uneven potholed roads while competing for space with cars. About ¼ to ⅓ of the roads I ride on have bike lanes in various states of repair. They are a blessing to both the cyclists and automobile drivers.

The construction signs went up last week on the main street in front of our apartment complex. While it will be a bit of an inconvenience, I'm generally grateful for public works projects which improve infrastructure. However, I was curious what the construction was for. Were they widening the road? Resurfacing? Adding a sidewalk to the north side?

After a bit of searching, I discovered a couple of news stories briefly mentioning the purpose of the construction:

Cyclists in Austin will soon have more room on the road.

Thursday the city council approved a plan to create bike-only lanes along Lake Austin Boulevard at Lyons golf course.

Cyclists say the lanes will tie together pre-existing lanes in West Austin. They say they should also make the road safer for cars and bikes alike.

"Cool!" I think. This is a road I ride multiple times per day, and they are going to improve the bike lanes. What could be bad about that?

Then I found this little nugget at the end:

The lanes come at a cost of more than $800,000. Federal tax funds will pay for them.

And that's where I have a problem. Neglecting the fact that almost a million dollars will be spent on this project, it's the source of the funding that I really take issue with. Why in the world is the federal government paying for the 1¼ miles of bike lane outside my apartment? How in the world is this remotely related to anybody beyond my immediate locale, and why should they be funding this? If anything, the funding should be coming from city coffers, since it's the citizens of Austin who will benefit, and none of the other 300 million members of our democratic republic.

But you know what? The citizens of Austin probably are paying for this anyway! The city can't raise the money it needs to because of the onerous tax burden placed on its residents by Washington, so they have to get those same dollars by chasing grant money coming from Congress. Instead of keeping the money locally, where is it taxed and spent, it gets to go on a 3,000-mile trip to Washington and back, with dozens of people and organizations taking their cut along the way.

The end result is little accountability, and lots of overhead, meaning that a $800,000 project is probably paid for by taxing 2 or 3 times that.

And that, my friends, is the real problem with federal spending: the fact that the vast majority of it exists at all. It should be local or state spending, but not federal. Unfortunately, the little sentence known as the Tenth Amendment has long ago lost any meaning for the vast majority of American leaders.

(You may now go back to your regularly-scheduled programming. I promise not to wax political for at least a few more months. :) )

April Fool's Day Delight

2011-04-04T15:44:00.003-05:00

April Fool's Day is an interesting thing. Most people really don't seem to like it. I'm not into the pranking aspect of it because frankly they generally seem a little mean. I do however love to have fun with food.

We had a silly April Fool's Day Dinner with a bunch of our friends. It was pretty fun to see and hear everyone's reaction to their dinner. We had meatball sandwiches, cupcakes, fruit skewers, and cinnamon rolls, accompanied by berry sodas.

One of the kids was so disturbed when his succulent cinnamon rolls tasted like a cheesy beef roll up that he wouldn't eat anything else. We laughed as the kids tried to suck their berry sodas through the straws and it was fun to have fun with our friends.

My kids keep asking when we get to have a silly dinner again, I think it's just because they liked eating their dessert first.

Camping Trip

2011-04-03T19:59:00.002-05:00

We went on our annual camping trip. (Annual in the sense that we go camping about once a year.) The early spring and late fall are the best places to go camping around here because it is so hot in the summer. We camped at Buescher State Park and it was really pretty. We were almost the only ones there. It was funny because we found out the other group was a bunch of LDS homeschooling families from the Houston area. Come to find out we even knew one of the families as they had lived here when we moved in five years ago. Pretty crazy.

We bought fire wood and s'more supplies, along with all our other camping gear and headed out Monday just after lunch. We all slept on the way out except our trusty driver, Hyrum. We set up camp and went to play on the playground at the park. It was a beautiful day, if a little on the cool side, it was still perfect weather for camping. At this point, the only down side was that we couldn't use our fire wood due to a burn ban. For me, camping isn't camping without a camp fire so I was a little disappointed. It was a good thing we brought enough charcoal though so we were still able to enjoy s'mores, and enjoy them we did.

Tuesday morning I woke up early and definitely not bright. I had to take Hannah to the bathroom and felt a slight mist in the air. I was still optimistic it would burn off and we would have a lovely day. Well the mist got a little heavier and soon we had very large rain drops. It wasn't pouring or raining very hard but it rained for a few hours so things got wet. It let up late morning and the kids and Hyrum went for walks while I cleaned up breakfast and waited for Charlotte to wake up from her nap.

We went back to the playground and then ate lunch and mid-afternoon we went for a little walk. It was a little gray still but I hoped we had seen the last of the rain. As we started coals for roasting hot dogs It started to rain again. The only other people there had decided to rent the shelter to keep warm and dry. (You burn fire wood there) They invited us to join them so after eating dinner and cleaning up we went over there. It was nice and warm and because of chimneys, we didn't smell too much like smoke afterwards. We had a bit of excitement that required a shower for Hannah but we made it through the day without too much trouble and a little fun to boot. Everybody slept great that night too.

The next morning was freezing. The wind had blown all night and moved the front through leaving a lot of cold air around. I was grateful that the shelter was still rented and fire was still burning. I made breakfast and we headed over there to enjoy it while the morning warmed up. Hyrum had a couple of call for work that morning but we broke up camp around 11, headed to the playground for last time. We ate lunch there and headed home. We dragged our tired, dirty selves into our apartment about 3 pm on Wednesday afternoon. As quickly as we could we got things cleaned up and by the time everyone went to bed that night I really only had laundry left to do.

It was a good trip. It was nice to be able to spend time together as a family and watch Hyrum with the kids. He was a good help with them while we were camping. I look forward to next time and hopefully rain won't be in the forecast.

Just a fun picture

2011-03-21T22:27:00.004-05:00

I saw this tonight while I was sitting here and decided to post this fun picture. This is Hannah to a tee.

I love this girl.

Nothing new

2011-03-05T20:18:00.003-06:00

A friend of mine asked what we've been up to and honestly not a whole lot. There have been trips to the dentist and doctor, story time, playtime, school time, and down time. I have several a sewing project I'm working on and several on hold for now. We are having a Relief Society Meeting this week which always means a little more stress, but all in all we are doing well and nothing too exciting going on.

The best new is that the weather has been pretty nice for the past couple of weeks. Last Friday we hosted a "Perfectly Pleasing Pie Party." (I love a little aliteration.) We had close to 50 people just outside our apartment. It was alright because the neighbors were there too. We asked everyone to bring pie, ice cream or whipping cream. We had several different kind of pie, cookies, cream puffs and even popcorn. It was great fun. The evening got really cool once the sun went down but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I spent most of it inside helping my children but it was great. The best part was that it was outside do there was very little clean up and hardly any mess inside; most of the inside mess was from Jonathan.

With the good weather continuing. Hyrum's brother and his family joined us for a little while this weekend. They came to the Ward Kite Flying activity. The kids had a blast and were so happy with their kites. Hyrum made a goods showing with Elmo as well.

So we are on to another week filled with spilled water at dinner-time, smiles from Charlotte, scream of pain and delight from Hannah and Jonathan and hopefully some more good weather to enjoy being outside.

Knee Surgery

2011-01-23T15:33:00.002-06:00

January 10, Hyrum has arthroscopic knee surgery. It went well and he is up walking around. The swelling has gone down quite a bit and he starts PT next week to get the rest of it down, improve range of motion and strengthen it.

He thinks that the surgery has helped with the pain he had been feeling, for which we are grateful. Hopefully it will continue to improve and soon he'll be running and jumping like a little kid again or at least with the little kids again : )

Happy Birthday, Hyrum

2011-01-23T15:23:00.003-06:00

We celebrated Hyrum's 30th birthday while we were in NY.

He was happy to finally be able to open his present. I had sealed it in a #10 canned. We enjoyed the day together and had our favorite chocolate cake for dessert.

Where have we been?

2011-01-23T14:31:00.003-06:00

So I think its been over a month now since I've written anything up here. It's also not a very good indication of what our life has been like over the past month.

The middle of December we hopped in our car and headed north. I know there is a lot north of Austin so I'll tell just how far we headed. We drove to New York to visit my parents for Christmas. Our kids are really good road trippers. We start them young so they did great. I bought a car adapter for my pump so Charlotte was able to take a bottle while we were on the road drastically minimizing our stops. We didn't run into any snow except what had been on the ground for a couple days.

On the way up we stopped at Vicksburg and Chickamauga Civil War battlefields. Hyrum loved it. We spent about two and a half days on the road without any excitement though we were certainly prepared for the worse.

We arrived in New York the Saturday before Christmas and that Monday three of my other siblings flew in. It was so great to see Kallie, Andrew and Adam. It had been a while since they were all else where this last summer when we made our usual trip to Utah. We hadn't seen Adam in two and a half years since he was on his mission in Colorado. While my brothers taught my kids bad habits, I miss them. I had a great time just enjoying my time with my family. It was my first time home for Christmas in 6 years.

We went shopping, got ready for Christmas and of course, we cooked and since we cooked, we ate. My mom had a ton of cookies in her freezer when we got there and by the time we left there were nearly gone. When I say a ton, I mean tens of dozens. It was so bad but so tasty : ) We had so much fun. The kids enjoyed a few play days in the snow. I learned how to make tamales. Yes, I live in Texas but I had to go to NY to learn how to make tamales. We also blessed Charlotte , which means she was presented before the congregation and given a special blessing. It was nice to have my dad and brothers participate in that.

It was hard for me to leave but home was calling. We left for home the Wednesday after the New Year. We left during a snow storm. It was a little worse than we would have liked to have left in but no bad enough to keep us there. We drove a few hours to Kirtland, Ohio and visit the Church sites there. By the time we got to Cleveland and turned south the snow was no problem.

It was another good drive home. We stopped the second day at Mammoth Caves National Park. We went to one cave and that was enough for this trip. We will go back when the kids are older. I have always wanted to go there so it was nice to make on this trip. The last days we stopped in at Hyrum's parent's for a few hours. It was nice to stretch our legs in known territory before finishing our drive home.

It was a great vacation and so nice to see my family. We missed Nathan and his family but maybe another time. How grateful I am for a wonderful family. We can support and help one another. I love my brothers and sister so much. I miss them and I am grateful for any chance we get to see them. We hope you all had a great Christmas too.

My First Brevet

2010-12-12T22:22:00.000-06:00

My alarm is going off. Again. It’s 5:48 on a Saturday morning in December, a time rarely seen save on Christmas, and I’m lying in bed trying to decide if I really want to get up and ride my bike 200km (125 miles) over the next several hours, in uncertain weather, with a group of complete strangers. In the corner against my going are: a chest cold; torn cartilage in my knee; being gone from my family; lack of recent riding; and the comfort of a warm bed. The primary motivator: ego; and a knowledge that I’ve been looking forward to this for a while.

Two years ago, I ran across the cycling subculture known as randonneuring. Essentially ultra-long distance cycling, with an emphasis on self-sufficiency and camaraderie, the sport seemed to match my own riding style perfectly. Rather than list event results in finishing order, they are given alphabetically: there is no competition between riders, but rather the clock. The shortest event (also known a brevet) is 200km with a 13.5 hour time limit, and they just get longer from there, eventually topping out at 1200km or longer.

I hadn’t done a brevet before, but after my great experience on October’s century, I felt I was ready. The local club, Hill Country Randonneurs, was sponsoring a 200km brevet in December, which seemed like a great time to try my hand at the sport. I spent the several days leading up to the brevet on a business trip away from my bike, but still visualizing a successful ride. I read everything I could online, and even solicited feedback from email lists. I was going to do this brevet.

After hitting the snooze button yet again, I decide not to go, get back in bed, and then proceed to castigate myself for being such a wimp. A few minutes' dozing later, I make a rather rash decision, jump out of bed, get dressed and throw down some breakfast before kissing my wife goodbye for what I hope isn’t the last time. As I drive through the darkness to the organizer’s house, our starting point, I envision riding up the road at the end of my ride.

After some paperwork, and a few preride pleasantries, the organizer tells us "my son has a trombone concert at 3, so I’ll be riding a fast pace." He’s good on his word, and after mile 5, I don’t see him again. Instead, I ride with the rest of the group, maybe a dozen souls who know I’m the new guy, but are happy to have me along. They even share words of wisdom as we ride, and we pass the time by getting to know each other.

The weather is fairly cooperative throughout the ride, with temperatures staying steady in the 60s. We have some fog in the morning, but that eventually brakes. The only drawback is the wind. Oh, the wind. The forecast for the day indicated a south wind, with a front moving through late in the day. I interpreted "late in the day" to mean "after the ride was over," but the weather didn’t get that memo. Instead, we find ourselves riding into the wind most of the day, but the most ferocious wind a 15-25mph beast over the last 50 miles. I even manage to take a few turns pulling, for which I’m glad.

The route wanders through South Austin before heading east through tiny Texas towns. The first stop (or "control" in randoneurring parlance) is the Lytton Springs General Store, where I down a chocolate milk and a Clif bar just in time to get back on and continue riding. The rest of day is like this, small towns, Clif bars and lots of chocolate milk and sports drink. The most excitement comes when the rider I’m following hits a orange traffic barrel as we ride through a construction zone. The barrel dances toward me, and I barely escape, while the other rider was lucky not the hit the pavement. Dogs I can handle, but moving barrels are uncharted territory.

The best part of the day, of course, is meeting new people, including a rider all the way down from Seattle. I am impressed by their stamina, and also the fact that I’m one of the youngest in the group, giving me hope for continued randonneuring enjoyment for years to come.

It’s been a long day, and I come to the last and biggest climb, a short but steep pitch a mile 119. I’d been warned about this climb, and had attempted to leave some gas in the tank, but the wind has really taken a toll by this point. I find my lowest gear, and just grind up the hill, waiting at the top for a few folks behind. The last few miles are a familiar jaunt toward the setting sun down the same road I’d driven in the dark hours earlier. I finish with a time of 9 hours, 36 minutes, which isn’t bad for a rookie.

As the euphoria wears off, things start to hurt. My knee, which has been bothering my for a long time, is aching, in spite of a generous helping of Vitamin I (ibuprofen). My legs don't ache so much, but I feel like they will the next day. My upper back muscles ache, and both knees feel like they have IT band soreness. I'm coughing and trying to convince my chest cold to stay in remission. Above all, I’m questioning my sanity in attempting such an event, but less than 24 hours later, I’m already planning my next brevet.

Life as it now stands.

2010-12-08T14:07:00.004-06:00

Well Charlotte is 7 weeks old tomorrow. The last seven weeks have been pretty good. There have been a few long nights but really only about enough for one hand. There have been a few frantic moments as I try to figure how to keep the baby nursing, get the phone and get Jonathan off of something high and unstable all at the same time. I think I probably just stuck with nursing the baby. There have been a few nights of, "let's just get them to bed." All in all though, things are going really well.

Last week I ran a couple of times and while I was slower than molasses, I was outside running. Wahoo! It was so nice. The weather has cooled off and I love it. We've made cookies and candy for Christmas and we can't wait for that to get here. I have another sewing project I'd like to finish for Christmas but I think it might require more brain power than I can give it right now. I'm learning to take things as they come and live more on the, go with the flow side of life.

Charlotte is getting on a bit of a schedule. It fluctuates by about 30 minutes in either direction but pretty reasonable. She's smiling more and more everyday. I can almost get on on cue now. The kids love her and Hannah has become mini me where her brother and sister are concerned. Today I weighted Charlotte and she's about 11.2 lbs. She sure is growing. Monday we go in to the doctor and we'll see what the official measurement is.

The story . . .

2010-11-18T14:34:00.003-06:00

After I had Hannah, if anyone would have asked if I would ever be induced again my answer would have been no way. It was no fun. Labor itself isn't any fun but being stuck in a hospital bed for who knows how long without really being able to work through labor isn't really how I pictured Charlottte's birth and yet, that is how it happened. I even had the choice to do it or not.

So Charlotte was induce a week early. The reason, probably mostly because my doctor was due four days after me and feeling very sympathetic to my end of pregnancy lack of patience. The other, my babies are big. Hannah was 9 lbs 6 oz. and Jonathan was 8 lbs 13 oz, and he was 10 days early.

So, Thursday, October 21, I got up early to get a shower and spend a few quiet moments by myself before we went to the hospital. My induction was scheduled for 9 am. at about 6:45 we got a call from the hospital telling us to sit tight. I decided to make some yummy muffins. Just as I was getting the muffins into the oven at 8:15 the hospital called back and said to come on in at 9. I didn't get to enjoy any warm muffins. I was really disappointed.

We waited a bit in the hospital. Apparently, there quite a few little ones who decided the 21st was a good day to get here. By 10 my nurse had start my pitocin and antibiotics and then we just waited and waited and waited. I really expected things to move pretty quickly but they didn't. I had come in dilated to about a 3 and about 60% effaced. By noon I wasn't any more dilated and only 15% more effaced.

Around 12:30 or 1 my contractions started requiring a bit of concentration but weren't really terrible. My doctor came in at 1 and nothing had really changed. By 2 my contractions were requiring a lot of concentration and I didn't know how I was going to get through it but I was determined not to get an epidural. By that time I was dialted to 5 cm and I just couldn't bear the thought of still having halfway to go. Finally, I just thought why? Why go through this pain when I don't have to? I'm ok with hospitals and medicine. I don't have to prove anything to anyone. So, I got my epidural about 2:30. The nurse waited a bit to put in the catheter.

By then my contractions had ramped up enough that I didn't really think the epidural was very effective. After the nurse put in the catheter, I started to have some really acute pain, I thought was the catheter. Everyone thought that once my contractions got really strong I would have Charlotte really fast so everything was ready and doctor had said that if I felt anything odd or noticed any difference to let the nurse know. I told her about the pain and she figured it was the baby and checked me.

I was dilated to an 8! She had put the catheter in at 3 pm and I was at a 5 then, 2 minutes later I was at an 8. She called my doctor and told her to get over to the hospital. By 3:05 I was complete. I had dilated 5 cm in 5 minutes. Whoa. Well my doctor finally got to the room. Waiting for her felt like an eternity. I should have just had the nurses deliver Charlotte. After all, I'm the one that really does all the work.

Just kidding. Charlotte was born at 3:12 pm and was just perfect. I felt really good then and I have ever since. For the first time after having one of my kids, I remember conversations and the things that were going on in the delivery room. I talked to my doctor and we joked around about giving her the rest of my pitocin so she could have her baby.

We all finally got to my postpartum room around 6pm. Hannah and Jonathan came with Grandma around 6:30. It was so good to see them. I really missed them while I was at the hospital. I would have loved to have gone home Friday but everyone said I should wait until Saturday morning.

Charlotte had been doing just fine. She sleeps between 4 and 6 hours at night and has done since she was 4 days old. She is more awake everyday and we all just love her. I have felt really good. My mom was here for two weeks and we had a great time going out and playing with the kids. Life is going well. Charlotte just kind of fell into her place in our lives. She's a great blessing and we are so glad to have her.

I can't really express how good an experience this has been. I don't know if it's been my physical health, my attitude, my preparations or a combination of everything put together. I just know that I am enjoying my family, all four other members of it.

New Baby

2010-10-25T12:12:00.000-05:00

As an astute reader already noted, we had our baby last week. While I'm sure Heather will write a more effusive post about the events surrounding the baby's birth, it's probably apropos to post the vitals and a picture or two now.

Name: Charlotte Rae Wright
Length: 19 inches
Weight: 8 lbs., 6 oz.

Charlotte Rae

Our new family

Texas Baseball

2010-10-22T23:35:00.001-05:00

Life is good for a baseball fan in Texas. For the first time in 50 years as a franchise, the Texas Rangers are headed to the World Series. As someone who has followed Texas Rangers baseball for half of that time, and the vast majority of my life, I'm particularly excited. (And the fact that their most recently vanquished opponent is the New York Yankees just adds to the joy.)

Our family moved to North Texas when I was 4 years old, and I started following the Rangers within the next couple of years. While not knowing the nuances of the game, an occasional trip to the old Arlington Stadium was always a treat, even if the product on the field wasn't very good. I remember Bobby Valentine and Pete O'Brien, Julio Franco and Ruben Sierra, and Nolan Ryan bringing the heat (and occasionally a fist).

I lived and died by baseball. Before the Internet, I spent summer nights falling asleep to the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel calling the games. I'd never make it to the end, though, and would have to wait until the following evening when my dad brought home the paper to learn the result. I'd pour over box scores and standings, just in time to catch the next game. I still remember my first personal complete game: Nolan Ryan's 300th win.

When a teenager, I'd still listen to the Rangers' games on the radio, and usually to completion. I made a habit of winning free tickets to the game once a season by knowing the play-of-the-game and calling it in the local radio station. We went with friends on dollar 'dog night, we'd sit in the nickel seats, and get sit on hotdogs and cotton candy. And earlier this year, I took Hannah to her first Rangers game, watching a 2-hitter by Colby Lewis at Houston. (She remembers the cotton candy more than anything else.)

Hannah and Hyrum at Rangers Game in June

This season has been a bit surreal. The Rangers have always had a way of doing well just long enough to keep fans interested, and then fading in August and September. But not this year. They took the lead in June and never looked back (and I started tracking their magic number in mid-July). And they beat the Rays in convincing fashion in an elimination game 5. And after a demoralizing start to the ALCS in game 1 (which I was at), they handled the Yankees with aplomb, winning the series 4-2.

And now the Rangers are finally in the World Series. I sat in a hospital room earlier this evening with our one-day-old daughter in my arms, watching Feliz fan Rodriguez for the final out of the ALCS. With that perspective, it's easy to see that baseball isn't the most important thing in life, but for somebody who has followed this sport, and this team, for so long, this season has been an exciting run. I'm looking forward to the next couple of weeks.

Outlaw Trail 100

2010-10-09T20:28:00.000-05:00

"Nuts!"

This is what I usually hear when I tell other people about my plan to ride 100 miles on a bicycle in one day. While no stranger to centuries (as they are commonly called), it had been a couple of years since I last did one. This summer, though, I've been riding my bike to school, as well as doing more extended rides around the Austin area, and a century seemed like a good goal to shoot for. The Outlaw Trail 100, hosted by the near by city of Round Rock, was time perfectly to fit my schedule.

Since getting home from my most recent trip, I've been making final preparations. All this week, as I've tapered for the event, I've been looking forward to it. Add to that the recent improvements in the weather, and today was looking like a winner. So much so, that I set a goal for a personal best of less than 6 hours, 30 minutes, studying the course map and making some plans to help accomplish that goal.

And a winner it was. After a slightly chilling start at 8 am sharp, the weather warmed up nicely, but was never too hot. During the first part of the ride, I made great time, at one point averaging over 20 miles-per-hour. I later discovered the reason for my great performance when we made the turn to head south and encountered a stiff headwind, which was to be my companion for the rest of the day.

The ride wasn't without it's bits of excitement. In addition to the wind, there was a half-mile of dirt road, as well as a some cobblestones for authenticity. Some of the roads were a bit under-maintained, which was a bit jarring at times, but the scenery was nice, with fields of ready-to-harvest cotton alternating with pastures and cows. At one point, I was caught in a dirt devil, as it made its way across a cotton field and on to the route.

One of several rest stops

By the time I hit the rest stop at 70 miles, I knew I could finish, but that things like nutrition, fluids and pacing would be an important factor. I also mentally divided the remainder of the ride into 3 ten-miles rides, which corresponded nicely with the remaining rest stops. Finally, after round the last bend in the course, I saw Heather, Hannah, and Jonathan, waiting to cheer me on to completion. It was a great feeling.

In the end, I accomplished my goal, with an overall time of 6 hours, 20 minutes. In addition to being an exhausting experience, it was a great lesson in anatomy, as I now know about parts I didn't even know I had, due to their aching. And, of course, my lack of sunscreen use has led to a pretty severe sunburn with rather odd contours. I'll take the next few days off the bike (and maybe more if No. 3 decides to come soon), but the I hope to continue feeding my cycling addition.

A very tired Hyrum, after 100 miles of riding

Change is in the air!

2010-10-07T21:32:00.003-05:00

Our change is not signaled by beautiful fall leaves, the smell of apples and brisk air, rather our change is signal by a lack of humidity, yes cooler temperatures at night but still mid-80s during the day and looking at the calendar and realizing that the holidays are right around the corner.

Our lives have been affected by more than this seasonal change this year. Two weeks ago we received word that a 3-bedroom apartment had become available and would we like it? Well of course we would. So, I did as much as I could to get things packed in what boxes we had and start the cleaning process in our old apartment. We didn't even have enough boxes to put all of our books in, and I had been saving them almost since we moved here (old diaper boxes--we've gone through a lot of those).

Wednesday we were all set to start moving things get into our new place. Hyrum's mom was on her way down to help for a few days and the car was loaded. We went to meet the lady with the keys but alas, due to a gunman on UT campus the day before, the office had closed, thus not completing our paperwork. The lady with the keys couldn't get them to us until 4:30 Wednesday afternoon. Let's just say Hyrum was not happy.

So, he worked, I cleaned some more and packed a few other things in random bags that seem to float around our apartment. We got the keys, that afternoon, ate dinner, Hyrum went to church and mom and I moved and unloaded the boxes and then worked on re-filling them. That night the kids' room was pretty empty and you had to tread carefully through the living room. Hyrum's mom was a good sport and bunked with the kids in their room.

Thursday, we got up and Jonathan and I went to get out his stitches, Hyrum ran a few errands, and then through the amazing efforts of good friends we were completely moved by about 7 pm that night. The old apartment was clean and we were drowning in stuff at the new place but it was all here. We even had room to sleep.

We are so grateful for all of the people who helped us move. It was hard not being able to do a whole lot since I've really had to slow down with this pregnancy. I am particularly grateful for my mother-in-law. She was a life saver and I know that it wasn't easy for her either. The great thing is that we're in, I unpacked the last box today, we have central air, and our baby could be here anytime, probably within a week and a half.

Change is in the air and we are so grateful for the blessings we've received. We are anxious for our little girl to arrive and now we are really ready for her to come. Bags are packed and ready to go.

It Finally Happened

2010-09-27T21:05:00.004-05:00

Since Jonathan could move, I wondered how long it would take us to have to get him stitched up or get a cast on a broken arm or collar bone or something that a band-aid and a hug from Mom couldn't fix.

We made it to his second birthday and I felt really good about it. I thought, well, that wasn't sooo hard, maybe we'll get to three without an emergency room trip too.

I thought wrong. Friday it happened. I was preparing lunch for a couple friends and just as I was finishing everything up, Jonathan started to cry in the living room. I started to tell him to toughen up because he and Hannah had been at each other all morning. He turned the corner into the kitchen and all I saw was the blood streaming down his face. I took him into the bathroom so I could see where the bleeding was coming from and try to figure out just how serious it was. He fell into the hinge on our TV stand and had a 3/4 inch vertical cut above and centered between his left eye and his nose.

I quickly got my things together, made a few calls to Hyrum and the pediatrician, and waited for one of the friends to arrive for lunch. She arrived just as I finished mixing the kids' Mac'n'Cheese. I handed her my key, said lunch was ready, enjoy and please can you take Hannah with you when you're done. Like the wonderful friend she is she said yes and we left.

Jonathan was such a trooper. You wouldn't even have know anything was wrong after that initial shock. I think he was more concerned about the blood dripping in his eyes than any real pain from the cut. We went to an emergency room alternative place and were able to get in and see the doctor pretty quick. They numbed him up gave him a little sedative, we ate some lunch checked on Hannah and then he got six stitches. He didn't even flinch. I was so proud of my little man. When they finished he happily sat up and exclaimed, "All done."

He'll get his stitched out on Thursday and hopefully we won't have to do this again for a while. Somehow though, I think that might be misplaced hope.

Kayaking on Town Lake

2010-09-24T16:41:00.002-05:00

Last night we took the kid kayaking. It was a lot of fun. Hyrum and I went just after Jonathan was born and we've wanted to take the kids for a while.

We saw some turtles and ducks and watched the UT woman's rowing team practice. It was warm at first but after getting a little wet and with the sun setting it was quite pleasant. The kids enjoyed trying to row. Jonathan wanted to go home towards the end because he was tired so he just leaned on me and relaxed. It was just a good night being together and enjoying being outside.

A New Semester

2010-09-23T20:41:00.004-05:00

Hannah started preschool with her friends about five weeks ago. So far she is loving it. This year we, the moms, are teaching a 4 week unit on one topic. It seems to be working out really well.

The first mom is an excellent teacher and I was a little unsure of how to follow her act. We had a good time on Tuesday though. I ran out of material, at least that I wanted to cover and the kids seemed a little tired of what we were talking about though they hadn't quite mastered it. I think it went well though. I am excited about this unit and I think that the kids will have fun too.

We are working on spacial relationships. We worked on left vs. right for most of the class time and then worked on things like above, below, behind, in front, under. It was fun. The kids made little houses and decorated them with buttons and their picture to review.

They are holding their houses in the pictures but they are hard to see with their fun dress ups. I think the dress ups are the highlight of coming to our house.

Dancing in the Rain

2010-09-10T16:01:00.003-05:00

This week we got a little rain, well a lot of rain from Tropical Storm Hermine. I took Hannah to school on Tuesday and the kids had such a hard time not jumping puddles so, in a moment of weakness I told them they could jump in puddles after nap time.

Around lunch the rain subsided a little. They were really afraid they wouldn't be able to jump in the water. Well, about 3 that afternoon it was coming down in buckets so we changed everyone's clothes and woke Jonathan up from his nap and out they went for 30 minutes of rain stomping and singing and dancing with their dad. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, Hyrum or the kids.

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

2010-09-06T10:33:00.004-05:00

Jonathan is 2. We have survived two years with that boy and hope we survive another 2. Jonathan is such a joy. He is funny and just so active. He definitely keeps us on our toes.

Jonathan loves to smile and play. He loves to talk and tell us stories. He loves Hannah and repeats nearly everything she says. He is all boy. He loves his cars, particulary his "McQueens," of which he know has four. He is so grown up and sometimes it takes a lot to remember that he is only 2. We love that kid.

He had a good birthday. We got up and opened presents early since Hyrum had to head to church for meetings. Jonathan was so excited. He got clothes from mom and dad, The Wrights sent a tractor with animals and of course, it makes noise. Grandma and Grandpa H. sent some clothes and one of the newest Lightening McQueen cars. He was in heaven with his tractor and car.

He played for the morning and then off to church we went. We got home and had pizza for dinner. We weren't expecting Hyrum to be home yet but he was able to come home for dinner. It was nice to be together. Then came Jonathan's favorite part, cake. He saw me bake and frost it on Saturday and was distraught when he couldn't eat it Saturday night. It was the easiest cake I think I've ever decorated. He loved it. He was squealing and so happy about another McQueen. We enjoyed chocolate cake and ice cream and then they were off to bed.

It was a good day with our little man. We love Jonathan and are so glad to have him as part of our lives. What a change we had two years ago. I don't think we were quite ready for him but we wouldn't ever give him back.

Are you in there?

2010-08-26T14:25:00.001-05:00

Parenting: Touching the Hearts of Our Youth

I have thought a lot about this, especially since Hannah starts school in a year and will be away from me more and more. I hope that for my children I can be there when they need me and even when they don't.

Hanging in there--a few random thoughts

2010-08-20T20:38:00.003-05:00

We just got home from the in-laws. It's great that they live close enough to drop in for a few days. The kids love it and this time their cousins from Houston joined us. It was a good trip. It was good to get away for a few days, get to breathe, not have to worry about what we were eating for dinner and they had vanilla ice cream (I'm not eating chocolate again).

I am so thankful for family near by. I never thought that would be an issue but I will be sad if one day we are not within a few hours from some sort of family. I wish I could have been with my mom. I miss her so much but I am thankful that Lynette is wonderful. The Wrights are always happy to have us there.

The kids had a blast. They loved playing with their cousins in the water, and being entertained but their aunt, Rachel and uncle, Ian. Also, seeing grandma. They love being with her.

Now we're home and there are things to do. Tomorrow I have to unpack since I have a child sleeping in my room. Then there are all of the things we are getting ready to make room for the baby. Only 10 weeks left. I am so ready for her to get here.

My joints are really starting to ache and exercising is just not what I want to do. Give me some more vanilla ice cream and gingersnap cookies, my couch and a good chick flick and I would be really happy. Alas, to work we go. The kids are excited and I really just have to finish potty training Jonathan. He's doing great. It is such a better experience than it was with Hannah.

We have to re-arrange some furniture. We were hoping to move but recently found out that wasn't going to happen this semester so, we will wait until next semester and see what happens. I'm kind of relieved because it means I can get things ready now instead of waiting and waiting and then having to move the beginning of October.

I also have a few little sewing projects to finish up and then hopefully in about 8 or 9 weeks we'll get to have our baby. I'll be really put out if we have to wait the full 40 weeks or longer.

Anyway, life is good, it just keeps going and taking me along with it. I'm thankful for a loving and forgiving husband, loving and forgiving children and great friends and family.

Happy Birthday to Us!

2010-08-13T15:18:00.004-05:00

Five years ago, today, Hyrum and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Manti, Utah Temple. It was a perfect day and the best choice I ever made.

Now five years later we are still happily in love and enjoying our life together. One promise we made is to have plenty of adventures and we certainly haven't had a shortage of those. Some have been unplanned and a little more adventurous than we would have chosen, but life, or rather our Father in Heaven has been good to us. The best part of this adventure we call life has been Hannah, Jonathan and now our new addition to come in 11 weeks.

I am so grateful for my best friend. I love you, Hyrum.

Happy Birthday, Little Bug

2010-08-11T16:12:00.003-05:00

Hannah is 4 years old. I can't believe it. I seems like yesterday when I thought she would never get here.

Now she's 4. We had a good birthday with her this year. I decided I would have some of her friends over for lunch and cupcakes. We had a good time. It was a crazy day and I was exhausted by the end of it but she loved it. It was good to hang out with my friends too.

That was Friday and then Saturday, her real birthday, we didn't have much planned but the day quickly filled and finally burst into a rather productive day for us and a good birthday for Hannah. I went to a quilt thing that I have every month and when I got home we decided to get a storage unit, fill it and buy more furniture. After Hannah's approval of these plans we were off. We got everything settled with the storage stuff and then headed to one of our favorite stores, Ikea. After a tasty lunch of Swedish meatballs and chicken fingers, complete with dessert, we found our dresser of choice.

We then headed to our other favorite store, REI, for a quick stop, during which Jonathan slept the entire time. Woohoo!! After that we headed home and opened presents. Hannah was delighted. Then I hurried to decorate her cake. I made the fondant myself and I don't think I'll ever do that again but luckily she's only and she didn't mind. I got the cake made while Hyrum worked on building our dresser. We ate a quick dinner, sang Happy Birthday, ate our cake and then off to bed with the kiddos.

She got a few clothes, some workbooks for her letters and numbers, some paper and fancy scissors, shoes and from her grandparents, a tiara making kit, rubber stamp kit and a shirt. It was a good day to be together as a family.

Hannah is so happy to be four. She is really growing up and turning into such a good helper and a fun little girl. We are so thankful that she was sent to our home. Happy Birthday, little bug!

Cycling Challenges

2010-08-09T06:34:00.001-05:00

I really like riding my bike.

I've always enjoyed riding my bike. I still remember the first time I rode on my own, as my dad let go and I was under my own power for a few brief moments, before crashing to the pavement. From that ignominious beginning, I love of two wheels grew. We lived on top of a slight hill, which made riding to school as a 6-year-old fun, but coming back home a bit more challenging. To my young mind, a bike was an exciting symbol of freedom and speed.

As I got older, a bicycle found another use: basic transportation. I appreciated the freedom that came with riding my bike to school instead of the dreaded yellow school bus, and continued to do so until I got my drivers license. I occasionally used my bike to go exploring among the (then desolate) back roads of Allen, Texas. My bike got a break while in high school, as I preferred gasoline fumes to the fresh air of cycling.

As a missionary, I continued to ride, mainly out of necessity. Over the course of my two-year mission, I spent seven months assigned to areas where we were left to our bicycles for transportation. During those seven months, I put over 2700 miles on my bike, including a single day of 70 miles. Having a companion who enjoyed cycling helped introduce me to cycling as recreation and sport, and I learned a few maintenance tricks along the way.

At college, I was once again car-less, and my trusty Liahona-brand bike, having followed me home from my mission, became my sole transportation link: to class, to family, to church. Even riding through Utah winters became standard, and discovering the delicacy of riding a two-wheeled vehicle on snow. While at BYU, I completed my first century, the aptly-named ULCER, and I was hooked. I few more centuries come before I graduated.

Upon the start of grad school, cycling again took a back seat. Busy with school and a young family, I found little time for personal pursuits. It wasn't until a summer internship a couple of years ago, that cycling again became a transportation necessity, and I found the time to ride for recreation as well as transportation. Purchasing a new bike, and completing another century, put me back in the saddle toward my cycling goals.

These days are better. Once again, I eschew the bus for my bicycle, doing a ten mile round-trip commute in the course of a typical day. Even though I travel for work, I still try to find time to cycle. I can ride twenty-five miles at the drop of a hat, and have found ways to sneak rides in around a busy family, church and school schedule. I'm hoping to do another century this fall, and may even set some longer-term, and longer-distance, goals.

I really like riding my bike.

Some days things just work out!

2010-07-21T21:00:00.004-05:00

There are days when I get done with them and wonder how I will get through tomorrow and then there are days like today when I almost wish they could last forever. The past two days my kids have been so good. Jonathan has taken a long nap, they have played well together, not too much wrestling or yelling at each other and they were helpful for me.

I think it's because we're potty training Jonathan. He is upset about if for about the first hour and a half in the morning but then he is so easy going and cheerful. It's like a game to him. I've resolved not to get a whole lot done beyond keeping the house decent and it's extremely liberating in so many ways. I don't have to worry about going to the store because I can't fit it into my 30 minutes break from the bathroom. I never thought potty training could be the source of so much contentment but so far things are looking up.

I think it's also because Hannah is growing up. More and more I am reminded that she won't be my little girl forever. She is constantly reminding me of what she'll do when she's "a mommy." She'll be four in just a few weeks and it has gone by so fast. She is growing into such a responsible kid. I didn't think I'd miss her a ton when she goes to school next year but now I know I will cry. My little girl will be changed forever. How I am cherishing these days with her.

These last two days have been a great blessing to me. I am so thankful to be a mother. My Heavenly Father has so greatly blessed my life. I am anxious in so many ways to see how our new little girl will fit in but if Hannah has anything to say about it I know she won't be forgotten or left in the dust. "The new baby" is already a fixture in our lives as Hannah insisted she be included in the picture of our family she colored on Sunday.

Life's changes are great and wonderful. I hope that I learn what I need to before the chances pass me by though because time seems to only fly by faster as the days go by.

Summer Trip Summary

2010-07-14T11:47:00.003-05:00

I posted the link to some of our vacation pictures but I thought I would add a little explanation to it.

In early June, I got a phone call from Hyrum. It went a little like this:

Hy: "Hey so, ah, would you like to go to England."

Heather: "Ah, yeah, do you have to ask?"

Hy: "How about the last week in June?"

Heather: I think I responded with a bunch of really confused babbling.

Then Hyrum went on to explain there was a conference in Oxford, England that he felt would be worth his while but he didn't want to go unless I went too because he had been gone a whole bunch over the last month.

We found a sitter for the kids, some good friends that I knew in New York and now live only about 20 minutes away and got everything ready. Then I found myself on a very large plane headed for England. A dream come true.

It was a good visit. It was short and towards the end a bit lonely since I was on my own during the days. The way Oxford University is set up is fascinating and I really enjoyed learning about that and just walking around the city. The weather was nice, a bit warm for the locals but way nicer than Texas. I got to walk in rooms where some of my favorite authors walked, streets where some prominent members of history walked. It was really cool.We even found time to have dinner with my brother who is interning near London. I am excited for a trip to the rest of the rest of the country and hopefully a chance to learn even more about England.

We got home Sunday night and after a crazy day of laundry, grocery shopping, and packing, we left Tuesday for Utah. We decided to take a little bit of a family vacation and stopped at Mesa Verde National Park. I have always wanted to see the cliff dwellings and Hyrum wanted to see it again since the last time he had gone was as a little kid.

Jonathan started getting sick Wednesday afternoon pretty quick after we got the park. I neglected to take his temperature until Thursday morning and when I did we found a 103 temp. We gave him some medicine, saw a few things in the park and then headed north a day earlier than planned. Hyrum's aunt was good enough to house us especially since we brought a sick child. Jonathan ran a fever until Saturday afternoon which meant I was a little frazzled from lack of sleep.

We made it to the annual Allred 4th of July celebration, "Grand Avenue of Fire" or "on Fire"--if you're Hyrum, and by that night Jonathan was happy and feeling a lot better. It was a quick trip and we spent the time visiting our grandparents and spending time with our family. Hannah spent a good amount of time playing with Hyrum's 4 year old cousin. They were pretty much inseparable when they were together.

Hyrum and I even to spent Tuesday almost exclusively together. That morning his mom volunteered to watch the kids so we got ready and dropped them off then we visited BYU campus and our old stomping grounds. After the customary raid on the candy counter we dropped in to see a friend from Austin who is now a professor at the Y. We picked up the kids, gave Jonathan a nap and then took them to Hyrum's sister, Sarah. She wanted to have them for an afternoon and we were happy to oblige. They played with her while we went and saw Toy Story 3. It was a good day.

It was a good trip, an odd trip but good. We've realized that the main reason for visiting Utah this time around was to see our grandparents. We love them very much and hope they are with us for a long time yet but we cherish every moment we have with them. We missed seeing my siblings that live there. We'll just have to coordinate our vacations a little better next time.

We're glad to be home and glad we got to have some good time together.

Summer Vacations 2010 Photos

2010-07-11T21:31:00.003-05:00

This link will take you to Walmart Digital Photo Center. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

School's Out for the Summer

2010-06-10T14:27:00.005-05:00

This year some friends and I decided to host a little preschool for out kids. There are several kids Hannah's age that live here in our complex and also go to church with us. It was a lot of fun. Hannah really enjoyed it and I had a good time too.

Our scheduled classes finished at the end of May but since then several of the kids have been in and out so yesterday we were finally able to get together and have our end of year party. Reianna bought pizza and we had chips and salsa, salad and brownies. The kids enjoyed the pizza and brownies and playing with each other.

Here are some pictures from our first field trip and our party (at the top).

Visit To Texas' Ice Cream Capitol

2010-06-10T14:03:00.003-05:00

If you have never been to Brenham, TX you should go. It is a charming town. You drive the streets and part of me feels like I am driving through the city I spent the first 5 years of my life or the cities I know from my childhood and where my dad currently works. It just has a nice feeling. I know that you wouldn't go for just that reason, but how about the best ice cream in the world? Maybe not the world but surely the best ice cream I have eaten this side of the Atlantic. I love ice cream, I eat the generic kind just because I love ice cream but I really love good ice cream and you can always find good ice cream in Brenham.

This is the headquarters of Blue Bell ice cream. It is only sold in the south because they won't ship to outside a days drive from any of their creameries. It is tasty stuff. They have lot's of fun flavor and your old standbys.

Our most recent trip was Tuesday. I volunteered to drive our young women from church to Girl's Camp. Brenham just happens to be on the way. My sister-in-law who lives about an hour away mentioned that we should get our kids together so, we decided to meet up in Brenham.

Our weather had been hot and sunny and what would you guess but we woke up Tuesday morning to rain clouds. It rained most of our drive to Girl's Camp and poured just as we started throwing girls out to get their tents ready. We finally got them settled and hurried to Brenham so we wouldn't miss Margaret and the boys. We got there just as they did. It was still raining. We had planned a picnic, ice cream and playing at the park.

Well we found a dry bench and being Texas it wasn't cold sitting outside even though it was raining. the kids enjoyed their lunch and being together. Then we went inside for some ice cream. Yum. Hannah and Josh enjoyed some Strawberry, Jonathan had chocolate, I can't remember what Margaret and Caleb shared and I enjoyed Caramel Turtle Fudge. It was delicious.

After ice cream we discovered it had stopped raining. We decided that we'd driven all this way to let the kids play so, let them play. We drove to a nearby park and let the kids play for about 30 minutes. Jonathan and Caleb were so dirty. At one point Caleb slid down the slide and fell off the bottom face first. They poor kid had dirt and mulch all over him. Luckily it wiped off pretty good and in minutes he was off again. The kids had a great time and by the time we left I think they were tired. We had them sit down to take a picture and they actually sat there.

It was fun. Thanks Margaret for asking us to play. What a day.

Modesty is always in style.

2010-06-03T14:22:00.002-05:00

We believe in being modest and that is something we have tried to teach Hannah. Last night we were watching a movie and Hannah had a really hard time with the dress one of the characters was wearing. It was a dance sequence and so she just had a bodysuit on with a long ruffle in the back.

Hannah looked at me and exclaimed, "Mom, she is missing half her skirt. That is not modest."

I tried really hard not to laugh. For the entire dance number Hannah went on and on about how she need to fix her dress to be modest.
I feel like I have at least succeeded in something. My kid may not be a rocket scientist but I am glad she is learning something important from me.

What have you been up to?

2010-06-03T14:09:00.004-05:00

The classic question when you see someone you haven't seen in a while, right?

Well the classic answer, at least for me, "Oh nothin' much. Just the usual." So noncommittal and really contains no information so, I am trying to be more information and honest.

Our usual for the last few weeks means, get up at 7 am, even though my alarm went off at 6 and get everyone breakfast and Hyrum lunch if he's home. I try to get Hannah to eat quickly but I think she got my brother, Andrew's genes and she just takes it nice and slow. Then we get dressed and head out the garden.

A couple of weeks ago this meant at least an hour of pulling weeds and pulling muscles. I got all of the weeds taken care of now we/re just on to maintenance, watering and picking food. It is so fun to come home with a bowl of beans and tomatoes. The only problem is that I don't quite have enough to justify canning them and we can't eat them fast enough. I may have to find some hungry neighbors.

After the garden we enjoy the morning at our shady park. It is hot down here but somehow, under the thick branches and leaves on the pecan trees there is always a morning breeze and I can stand sitting there. Sometimes we hurry home so I can shower and we can get to the store or just so I can get inside. This heat and humidity really gets me.

I'm working on a variety of projects right now but with really no motivation or thought of getting them done soon. We'll see see how they go. I'm working on a blanket for Jonathan, my block of the month quilt, scrapbooks for the kids--getting them up to date, cutting out some laminating I had done almost a year ago, teaching Hannah how to read and potty-training Jonathan. That is in addition to the normal things involved with keeping a house clean. Next week we'll probably head to the pool and do some swimming. The kids love it and so do I.

Life continues to be busy and carrying us along with it. The kids are growing faster than I can handle most days. I am grateful for the things they teach me and for the experiences they provide. Sometimes, I want to lock myself in my room to get a break but they are great kids.

So that is what we've been up to. Not anything too exciting but, hey that is our life.

What a week.

2010-05-22T19:13:00.002-05:00

This has been a crazy week. Our garden is growing wonderfully but we haven't been very diligent about weeding so we decided it was time to tackle the weeds. We wanted to know where we planted the garlic after all. This week I have put a lot of time into weeding and I am feeling it. My body is sore and my feet itch like nothing else. Friday, I knelt down to weed and after feeling a couple bite realized I had put my feet in a fire ant mound. I quickly brushed them off, changed my position and continued weeding. Later while watering I stepped in some grass that conveniently, also hid a large fire ant mound. This time I got about 10-12 bite before I could get them all off. It was even the same foot from before. I must say though, the bag of beans and carrots in our fridge are worth it. We're looking forward to eating tomatoes from our garden this week too.

In addition to the garden, Hannah started swim lessons. The City of Austin has several swimming pools through out the city, many of which are free. Since it gets so hot in the summer, the only way to be outside is to be in the water so we swim a lot, almost everyday. I decided that especially since next summer I will have three kids to wrestle in the pool with, the more comfortable Hannah and I can be with her doing it on her own, the better. So she has two sessions of swim lessons this summer. She is doing really well and loves it. She keeps asking when she goes again and is very disappointed that she has to wait until Monday. Her friend Ben is taking this class with her so I think she really enjoys that. Thursday, Jonathan and I went dressed to swim. It was a chilly because there was no sun and after we swam for about 1 1/2 hours Jonathan was shivering so bad I finally made him get out of the water. We had a good time though.

On top of those things I have daily chores and such that work on. I am trying to get Hannah a little more cooperative in working specifically and with focus on her alphabet. That is proving extremely difficult. I also have a few sewing projects I am working on and should be working on updating the kids' scrapbooks, which I haven't touched since about 4 months after Jonathan was born.

There are also Hyrum's trips out of town that we have to adjust to. This last time we hung around her for a few days and then went up to his parent's house. That was fun especially since Josh and Caleb, the cousins were in town as well. As an added bonus we got to see Hyrum's sister, Rachel, play Millie in her school production of "Thoroughly Modern Millie." I wish I had pictures but alas, I don't.

We are staying busy and time just seems to keep slipping away. In some ways it is sad but I am really excited for all the new things our kids are learning and doing. Jonathan is growing up so fast. His speech improves everyday and I find myself more often than not understanding what he is saying. It's not just words but sentences too. He is amazing. Hannah loves being with her friends. She really misses those that aren't here right now. She loves to help me and right now I am her best friend. That is a pretty good feeling because we have certainly had our struggles with one another. She is constantly hugging my arm and saying "I like you, Mom." I love it. Family is great and we are so glad to have those two little kids. We are also excited for the "new baby" (I wonder how Hannah will take it when we actually give the baby a name?).

A Brief-ish Bleak House Review

2010-05-19T15:04:00.005-05:00

*** Warning: Plot spoilers possibly ahead. ***

I just finished reading Bleak House by Charles Dickens on Monday. I feel like I've run a marathon. The last few days of my read it was all I could do to wait until kids where in bed or get dinner ready. I found a very enjoyable read. It took a few chapters to get into it and to be completely honest, there were parts I skimmed really fast.

Charles Dickens started his novel writing with Pickwick Papers which was a comedy. This was followed by Oliver Twist, a novel more about politics and social reforms. Bleak House follows the trend of the later and pokes fun at the government system of the Chancery Courts. The difficulty in reading this novel is the mass of characters. In you are introduced to a new character, the next chapter follows this new character to new circumstances where you meet another new character. This happens again and again. Finally, in the last third of the book do these circles become completed.

The character of Esther is an interesting one. Esther is an angel. She has a few struggles with pride, mostly relating to her disfigurement after her illness but other than that she has perfect perspective and is the kindest and gentlest of people. She is the person many strive to be like and have nearby.

Esther is juxtaposed by Richard who in his selfishness, paints everything as for everyone else, especially Ada, but by his actions and obsession with Jarndyce v. Jarndyce, he ignores the pleas of all those that really care for him including those of Ada, his fiance and finally wife. Richard is by all accounts a lazy young man born of the upper class. When he asked what he wishes for his profession, he has no answer. He wants to try everything out and when he finally settles on one thing gives it a meager try and then moves on to something else with no thought to the effort and sacrifices made on his behalf to acquire each position. In the end his obsession with Jarndyce v. Jarndyce proves his undoing and prevents him from enjoying life with Ada and their family.

Ada isn't really a pivotal character. She is a place keeper and gives purpose to Esther's existence. She is a tool to create the first tensions between Mr. Jarndyce and Richard that eventually becomes the wedge that drives them apart over Jarndyce v. Jarndyce. The only place we really see any character at all is when she declares to Esther that she has married Richard and will not be going back to Bleak House with her. She is simply a place keeper for those around her.

As far as the plot goes, it was pretty easy to figure out most of the twist and turns. I will admit that a few things caught me by surprise but not unpleasantly, most notably, the relationship between Mr. George and Mrs. Rouncewell. The writing was what made it interesting. Dicken has a way with words, sometimes too many words, but he expresses well the importance of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce to Richard, the cool elegance of Lady Dedlock, the craziness of Miss Flite, and other such things. He weaves such a tale that at first I had little hope of it being resolved in any good way. I began to expect a true tragedy, but eventually all comes full circle and ends well for those we care about.

I really enjoyed this book. It just cements my love for the British Literature of this period. Though there is a little bit of political commentary the plot isn't bogged down by it. The story still flows while the reader feels the contempt Dickens had for the court system. You come to love the characters and hope for their well-being. It isn't unrealistic in its outcomes either. Some characters end well and others don't, some received the very best of what they wished and others only find comfort in their misfortunes. To say the least, it was an interesting and enjoyable read.

Out of Africa

2010-05-19T11:48:00.000-05:00

I've been traveling a lot lately. And by "a lot" I mean "enough to circle the Earth twice, just in the last four months." Take that, Phileas Fogg!

My latest exploits have taken me to the ICSE 2010 conference in Cape Town, South Africa. The journey was long, though relatively uneventful, and while I enjoy flying, spending two consecutive nights on airplanes (in economy) is just a bit much. The weather the week of the conference was rather dreary, but I did manage to get to the top of Table Mountain during one of the rare clear periods (picture below).

South Africa itself was a bit of an enigma. Having lived in some rough areas of the US, I'd have to say that it was just a couple of notches rougher, and on a much larger scale. And yet, going to places like Robben Island, or some of the other museums made it feel that South Africans have addressed problems that we are still facing in the United States.

The highlight of the trip wasn't actually in Cape Town: it was in Johannesburg, where I stopped for a couple of days to visit some friends. Ten years ago, I served in Los Angeles as a volunteer missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The mature couple assigned to supervise the missionaries in that area ten years ago, has now been assigned to be in charge of training perspective missionaries in the Church's Johannesburg Missionary Training Center. Compared to the MTC in Provo, Utah, this one is tiny: only 19 missionaries the week I was there. But the experience was a good one, and I'm glad I could be there.

Strawberries

2010-04-28T19:43:00.003-05:00

My favorite fruit is a strawberry. I love them anyway you can serve them, though my least favorite way is dipped in hard chocolate. I think it's all because from a young age I was forced to spend hours with them every June. School would get out for the summer and a'pickin' we would go. My mom would drag us down the room to the strawberry farm and we would sit in the hot sun for what seemed like hours and have to pick strawberries. We had quarts and quarts but it was still not enough. Finally, we would be done and then, home to clean them, puree them, sugar and jam them. A few made it into things like strawberry pizza and strawberry shortcake.

Though the above sounds like drudgery, think a hot biscuit just out of the oven. A tender bit of steam curling into the air as you pull the flaky morsel apart. Then, lather it up with some nice chilled homemade strawberry jam with junks of real strawberries that are still firm and taste like they are just out of the field. Got it? Yum!

So consequently, the drudgery has been a great experience for me and one that I have perpetuated into my adulthood and mothering. Today Hannah and I, along with her friend, Jarom, drove about 1 hour and 45 minutes to pick strawberries. A little far yes, but well worth it. There were so many beautiful berries. It was a beautiful day and the kids turned out to be pretty good strawberry pickers while I could keep them on task. Eventually they just made sand castles in the dirt while I finished the picking. We ended up picking just over 26 lbs. That is a lot of berries. Most of it will jam though I'm limited in my freezer space. I know I can just can it but I really like the freezer variety.

Tonight I made tasty strawberry muffins and strawberry pizza and a torte are calling my name. I think I'm in trouble. Hannah and Jonathan love them too. I couldn't even get the berries in the door before Jonathan had one in each hand. I was able to get them cleaned and the tops off though before he made too much damage. I am so excited. Yay for Spring and the early Texas warmth. Now we wait for Peaches next month.

Springtime means . . .

2010-04-22T16:14:00.004-05:00

Well it means a lot of things for our family. It usually means gearing up for a crazy summer but I actually think our spring has been crazier than this summer will be.

It also means flowers and our garden is growing. The exterior to our apartments are pretty drab so I bought some flowers to spruce it up a little. It so much nicer to come home to a pot of pretty, bright flowers and a growing tomato plant than to a stucco wall and a patch of dirt.

Our garden is doing well. We had a few setbacks but things seem to be growing well. We pulled a few carrots this week and I enjoyed them for dinner last night. I have a lot of weeding to do but weeding and keeping Jonathan out of the other plots is quite the challenge. Yesterday morning Hannah woke me up at 6 and Jonathan followed at 6:30 so we got up and went out to the garden before my crazy day got started.

I got a little bit done but I was really hoping to spend a couple hours out there and get all the carrots weeded. Well it didn't happen and we came home after about 45 minutes because Hannah needed the restroom. It's pretty bad when Jonathan who spent a total of 10 minutes in the garden was the dirtiest of the lot. I tried to get a picture of him but he wouldn't stand still and look at me.

Once it looks nicer maybe we'll get a picture of the garden up too.

So proud

2010-04-18T20:28:00.002-05:00

Today we had Stake Conference for church. This is a meeting where all of the LDS members in an area, the Stake, meet together and have one two hour meeting. It is always a great learning experience for me but with kids it can be challenging. We use to go to the room where kids were allowed to run around and be a little noisy but it still didn't allow us to hear anything and really the kids were always rowdier than we wanted on a Sunday anyway. So today, with plenty of snacks in the diaper bag and coloring books we were determined to sit in the main room and see how it went.

I was so proud of Hannah she made it through the entire meeting in the big room. During the intermediate hymn she went out with me to get more water but she basically sat through two hours without any problem. I was pretty proud of Jonathan too. He basicallly woke up at 4:40 this morning and so he was really tired but he lasted until the last 45 minutes. Then he and I walked the halls and went back for the closing song and prayer. They did a great job and I was even able to listen to most of the meeting.

Time Out Day

2010-04-14T21:27:00.003-05:00

Last night and this morning were a little rough with Hannah so after a little break down by me, I decided we needed a family time out. I needed to spend some time just playing with the kids. I usually have so much to get done and they are so good at playing on their own that we don't play enough together.

We started our time out with popcorn, m&m's, and stories in my bed. Hannah loved it. Jonathan lasted through one story and then he just wanted the m&m's and his ball.

Then I thought we should at least spend a little time outside and I had already destroyed a cardboard box so, we made ladybug wings. I cut out some wings for both kids and armed with paint and lots of paper towels and an old tablecloth we ventured out into the sunshine. I put paint shirts on the kids and just decided to let them have fun. Consequently, for a few hours Jonathan's knee showed signs of becoming a little smurf-ish. He sat in front of me and painted it blue with a few orange flecks. I ended up painting his blue and yellow wings but Hannah painted her's a lovely orange with blue spots and red with yellow spots. They had a really good time. After painting his knee, Jonathan wondered around searching for sticks.

Then it was lunch time. I made quesadillas and nachos like my mom did when I was a kid. It was tasty. We started enjoying it outside when I noticed a opossum wandering slowly in our direction from the parking lot. Just in-case you were wondering, opossum are nocturnal so I wasn't thrilled about seeing one at noon. Hannah assured me though that it was "just a opossum," but we finished our lunch inside.

Jonathan has a bath and then his nap. Hannah started watching Cinderella and then we both fell asleep. Oh how I love sleep. Then we all woke up and made dinner together. We made pizza. Jonathan likes to explore so when he started looking at the knives the kids were dismissed. They got to stay up late and finally at 9 pm my house is almost all clean and my children are asleep.

A pretty good day. Take time out every once in a while. It was nice.

A Weekend With the Irish

2010-04-12T20:48:00.000-05:00

My new job has given me the opportunity to do a few things that I love: work from home, enjoy some flexibility, and do some more travel. My travel is for work purposes, so I don't get to always choose where to go, but I occasionally get to go outside the country to visit with customers, potential customers, or other Subversion developers. The only downside is that Heather doesn't often get to come with me.

This past weekend has found me at a hostel in Ireland for the latest Apache Retreat. Essentially, the Apache Software Foundation rented a hostel in the Wicklow Mountains south of Dublin for a few days, and a bunch of us developer types got together to give talks, hack code, and put faces with email addresses. One of my personal goals is to help Subversion integrate with the ASF, since we're now an official top-level project. The organizers arranged some abnormally fantastic weather for the weekend, and even though it was a busy few days, the event was great.

Among the ruins at Glendalough

I managed to feel surprisingly rested when landing in Dublin at 8:30am on Friday, and had several hours before it was time to get to the hostel. I rented a car and picked of fellow Subversion developers, and spent the next few hours teaching myself to drive on the left side of the road. (Even though I was driving a standard, and having to shift with my left hand, the hardest part ended up being knowing where the margins of the vehicle were. Never mind driving: steering from the right-hand side of the car is a new experience.)

We visited Glendalough, and did a hike through the woods. Even though Austin has had spring for a few weeks now, it's just now happening in Ireland: there was grass in the fields, but no leaves on trees, and the sheep had yet to be shorn. Our hikes took us past some waterfalls and through the Irish countryside. I managed not to get us killed while driving to the hostel for the event.

The Irish Countryside

Saturday morning dawned clear and cool, and I decided to avail myself of the chance for a short walk on the nearby Wicklow Way. Using a flyer from the hostel, I hiked for roughly 3 miles to an overlook of Powerscourt Waterfall, the highest in Ireland. Even though I hadn't brought my boots or other gear, the hike was enjoyable, and I returned to the hostel in time for the first of the sessions. The rest of Saturday was spent coding and discussing, and I even gave an hour-long talk about Subversion to about 10 people.

Powerscourt Waterfall

I took the opportunity on Sunday to visit the Bray Branch for church services, and then perfect my left-hand-driving skills while trying to find the Dublin airport Hilton in a town with a severe case of address apathy. After a brief detour through London to get home after my original flight was canceled, I made it back home, about 100 hours after I left. In the end, it was a whirlwind trip, but Ireland is definitely somewhere on my places-to-return list, hopefully next time with Heather.

Things toddlers say . . .

2010-04-08T15:42:00.003-05:00

Before Hyrum leaves for the day or on a trip he will often remind the kids and I to be good to each other. Well the other night he was leaving for Mutual and asked Hannah to be good for me. Her response, "Be good for the Bishop, Daddy."

We busted up laughing. She later asked me why. I told her we just love her and that her comment was witty and clever. Great fun.

Big News

2010-04-07T15:03:00.003-05:00

I am such a slacker, I know. I haven't been very good about updating our blog but I have really good reasons:
#1--I have been so busy for the past few weeks that I really haven't known if my head was screwed on straight. I'm coordinating a dinner for 240 people in a couple weeks and I've been trying to figure that out, I started trying to potty train Jonathan, and life is just busy and it's all my fault.

#2--Family visits and my husband out of town mean that all routine stops or at least gets seriously messed with. It's a bad habit but it's true. Hyrum is my motivation to get things done and we're so thankful for that.
#3--I've been battling morning sickness. Nut #3--Almond, will be joining our family around October 28th. (If your confused about the nut thing I'll explain later.) I hope the baby comes early enough that I can dress it up in our pumpkin costume I made for Jonathan for Halloween. I'm not out of the woods yet but I am feeling much better and even managed to run on Monday morning. Hopefully that will become more regular again.

So in the last month I finished my tree skirt after 15 months of working on it. Then I realized that since we'll be in NY for Christmas, I won't get to use it this year. I am all caught up on my blocks of the month. I finished a little receiving blanket for the baby. I've gotten started on a couple more sewing projects and we're working on our summer vacation plans. We also planted tomatoes, twice, carrots, garlic, and beans in our garden. We're excited about that.

The weather has gotten nicer so we've been spending our afternoons at the park with friends which is always nice. Last weekend we celebrated Easter by listening to General Conference. We realized that we have to figure out something different because we didn't get a whole lot out of it with our kids around. We're looking forward to reading it and listening to it later. Listening to the Prophet and apostles and other Church officers was sure a great way to remember the Savior and his sacrifice.

Life is good. It is really busy but we are doing well. We really excited about our new little one. We are slowly making steps to make sure that our home is big enough for all of us.

Cave Without a Name

2010-03-02T13:56:00.006-06:00

A couple weeks ago we decided it had been a while since our last Family Adventure. So, we found ourselves on the road to The Cave Without a Name. I was a little nervous to take our children to a cave where there would be limited light and echoing spaces.We had a good time though. It was a couple hours away so with Hannah's help we bought some fun food and prepared our picnic lunch. We arrived at the cave and hastily ate our lunch. We went down in the cave and on our way down the guide pointed out this little guy: It is a very tiny bat, about the size of Hannah's fist. We saw a few more down in the cave but luckily they were happily sleeping and oblivious to our noise.

It was really pretty and we enjoyed most of the experience. Jonathan wasn't very happy about being stuck in the kid backpack so about 2/3 of the way through the tour I just carried him. He weighs about 30 lbs or more so it wasn't the most fun but he was a lot happier and quieter.

Hannah enjoyed the experience and she did really well when they turned off all the lights and had us sit in the pitch black for a few minutes. She may deny that she liked it if asked but she really thought it was pretty neat.

I love caves so besides the crazy humidity and the slightly wet conditions--it had rained a lot recently--it was a nice Family Adventure.

General Update

2010-03-02T13:42:00.002-06:00

I wish I could tell you something exciting has been happening to explain my absence from the blogging world. Something big like traveling the world, alien abduction, or some fabulous project keeping me really busy but alas, it's only due to my lack of organization lately.

There are so many pictures I want to share and so many little stories that I think about adding through my day but by the time I have to time/energy to put them up here a lot of the time I have forgotten what they were. So, I apologize.

We are doing well though. We are anxiously getting ready for a visit from Grandma and Grandpa H. They may have to sleep outside but we are so happy they are coming. Hyrum will also be home for about 4 whole week before he has to leave again. Whoohoo!! That always makes us happy.

Jonathan's vocabulary is amazing. I couldn't understand a word Hannah said until she was almost two but Jonathan has been talking since 13/14 months. He started off with balloon and bubble. Obviously those are important things to his sister. The other day, "Water, please" was distinguishable in his garbled toddler language. He is so fun. Everyday with him has been such a blessing.

Hannah is a blessing too for many different reasons. She helps me see what I need to change about who I am. She is so honest and helps me remember to "talk nice." She is growing up in so many ways. She loves learning and loves her little brother. Every night at bedtime her tongue goes crazy. She talks and talks and talks. It drives me nuts but I do really love to converse with her. She notices almost everything.

Hyrum is doing well. His job and school keeps him busy. I keep asking for dates and deadlines but he is patient with me and keeps working hard to get his Proposal finished and finally be an official doctoral candidate.

I have my hand in so many pots right now. I'm working on several sewing projects, I have a pretty big list of church stuff I have to do every week and I'm heading up a food committee for a church event in a couple weeks. I am really excited. I love event planning. It was so fun doing it at BYU and I am excited to be involved in a little way here. I will be teaching Hannah's preschool group again in a few weeks and that is a big challenge for me. The kids are great but, lecturing is not how you teach 3-4 year olds.

Life is kind to us and we are doing well.

February's Block

2010-02-11T16:12:00.005-06:00

This week I finished my first blocks. The February blocks are the bigger ones on the bottom. The top ones are filler blocks to make the quilt a little bigger. I did my February ones so I'm ready to go for March and once I get my January ones I'll get those done. It was fun. Tuesday Reianna and I got together to sew. We got started a bit late just because by the time we got together it was time to get dinner going. We had a lovely dinner of pizza and carrot sticks and then got right to work. It was an adventure between monitoring children and making sure we sewed straight lines. At the end of the night we had managed to get one block almost done and Hannah's bed frame was in the crib while the mattress was in my room to avoid jumping on the bed. Apparently something way too tempting for two three year olds and an 17 month old. It was fun and last night I finished up the other blocks. I am really excited and thinking that maybe some of my old piles of material will turn into a similar quilt while I'm at it.

Block of the Month

2010-02-06T20:05:00.002-06:00

Yesterday a friend and I signed up to do a Block of the Month quilt project through a local quilt store. I am really excited and I hope she is too. I love to make quilt tops. Actually quilting them can be a project but I love creating something that though someone might have the same fabrics you do, it will still be unique and all my creation. I am really excited and hopefully I can remember to post pictures of our blocks as I go through the year. Someday maybe I'll even have a finished quilt to display.

Happy Brithday to . . . me!

2010-02-03T13:24:00.003-06:00

On Monday I turned 26. Pretty crazy. I look at my life and really it's pretty much how I figured things would work out. Granted, I wasn't planning on living in Texas and having a husband still in grad school but I'll take it.

I spent my birthday cooking and doing some minor picking up. In Provo there is a fantastic little Mexican fast food place with a great vibe. It is always busy. A few years ago I got recipes copying a few of their signature items. Now I can have Cafe Rio anytime I want, so Sunday the pork and black beans went in to cook. By Monday we had lovely Pork Barbacoa, with black beans, cilantro rice and the creamy tomatillo dressing. Yum. We washed it down with a great Boston Cream Pie. I love good food so it was a great birthday meal.

Hyrum surprised me with a fancy diploma frame for my diploma. It's something that I wanted but would never have bought so that was a really great present. Now my diploma looks nice in its new home. We just have to get Hyrum some for his diplomas so they can all look nice and fancy together. Hannah gave me a little piggy bank to save my pennies in. And Jonathan just smiled a lot. It was a good day.

I am so grateful to have my family. I love Hyrum and the kids so much. The Lord has greatly blessed us with more things than we could ever define. I look forward to another year of adventures. Hopefully I can be wiser, not just older by this time next year.

Racoons, Opossums, and Skunks, oh my!

2010-01-14T13:49:00.003-06:00

I've been running in the mornings for almost a year now, well eight months, and I see an amazing amount of wildlife. Sometimes it's scary. This morning I came across not one, but two skunks. Luckily they were going the opposite direction I was. The last time I saw one, I almost had a tomato bath when I got home.

Then, on my way home saw a little critter scurry across the road. At firt I thought it was cat or raccoon. We have no shortage of either one of those. It was a opossum though. I have always wanted to see one those, alive. They are really about as ugly as they are alive though the light was bad. Considering they are nocturnal though I don't think I'll ever get better light.

I kind of wish all of the critters knew that they should be back in their beds by 5:30 am, in time for me to get out of mine. Hopefully, I get to keep seeing them from a distance, a great distance.

Rumblings

2010-01-08T22:11:00.002-06:00

I noticed the other day that our blog has become more of a travel log. Maybe that is for the best but I would like to share a bit of me.

As a kid I loved books. I loved being transported to another world or time or both. I could see the action of a story within my mind and get so engrossed that time seemed to fly by without me. There were several occasions when I was suppose to be cleaning the bathroom and instead of cleaning the toilet I was sitting on the seat cover with a book in my face. My mom hidden more than one story from me and I didn't get them back until my chores were finished. I remember reading a good mystery on a summer night with my lights on and jumping from fright when the June bugs flew into the screen on my window.

These simple pleasures were something I wanted to give someone. To be a novelist was my dream. It was a dream I carried with me through the years. Sometimes it was buried under other concerns or interests but it never got thrown out. My senior year of college I took a couple creative writing classes and loved them. My grades weren't stellar but I figured that with time I could work something out that would knock the socks off a publisher.

As more time went by, I realized that I probably wouldn't blow away the literary world. I certainly wouldn't be a J.K. Rowling. or Stephanie Meyer. Finally after sitting down to work on my novel in the works about a year and a half ago I realized that I would never be a novelist. I am a lecturer, not a creator of fiction. I could never tell good stories, or even attempt comedy. I have come to the realization that I am a researcher. I love the thought of sitting down in a quite library, in a hard chair and a pile of books. I love thinking about writing with a pencil and making notes. I love the smell of such an environment.

Talk about self-discovery. I think this must happen through out our lives. It doesn't diminish who we are but helps us become the best we can be as ourselves.

Now I just have to find time to sit in that library with books for hours so I can finish a couple research papers.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2010-01-08T14:19:00.009-06:00

Hannah in her new Christmas dress.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We stayed here in our little place to celebrate. Christmas Eve we enjoyed a wonderful and quiet meal with our family and a few friends. We talked about the Nativity story and let Hannah and Jonathan play with nativity pieces. Hannah loves the baby Jesus piece. They opened their traditional Christmas pajamas and off to bed.

Hannah and Jonathan modeling their new pajamas.

Santa visited our place and left some goods for both Hannah and Jonathan. Then we spent a little time opening presents. The kids finally got to open and play with the car mat I spent three months sewing. They love it and boy and I glad. We enjoyed a pretty lax day here and then on the 26th we whisked up to Allen for a week.

Kids on the car mat.

Hyrum's birthday is the 29 th so we spent that day doing birthday stuff. We literally took all day too. One of the Wright family tradition is the magical birthday. It just happened that this year was Hyrum's, he turned 29 on the 29th. So he opened one present every half hour. He started at about 7 in the morning and finished at 9:30 pm. At one point his mom added a bell to the ritual and he rang the bell before he opened every present. It was pretty fun. I tried a new cake recipe. It was like a big chewy chocolate raspberry brownie. I enjoyed it. I think I ate about 1/2 of it.

Are you sure it's not too heavy?

It was nice to be with family with and we went bowling (a tradition from my family). We missed Nate and his family but we're glad Josh came. Everyone had a good time bowling. Jonathan was so mad that we didn't give him a chance to bowl so we added him into our second game but then he was mad that he could only thrown a ball on his turn. It was great fun.

Jonathan's turn (He almost had the best score)

We came home on the second and we're back into real life. It was great to have a break and especially since Hyrum had the entire month of December off work. Now he has hit the ground running with some important milestones with school and a new job. I'm so proud of him.

Happy New Year to all and though I don't believe in them, good luck in all your resolutions and may this year be better than the last.

What's Up?

2009-12-08T14:50:00.004-06:00

It's been a little while. Since our last post a lot has happened. It's been a busy few weeks.

We spent Thanksgiving up at the Wright's. We had a great time. It certainly started off with a bang though. We were there twenty minutes when Jonathan fell and split his cheek just below his eye. The cut was about 1/2 inch wide so we went and saw a doctor friend and luckily he was able to glue his cheek together right then. Other than that it was pretty uneventful. We got to spend time with Hyrum's parents and sister Rachel. Hyrum had a great time : ) wheelbarrowing dirt around their back yard and assisting the tiling of the bathroom floor. I had some time to work on Christmas Projects and just chill. I had plenty of food requests that I obliged to make sure they would let us come again. We were certainly busy.

One of Jonathan's favorite things to do right now is climb on our table. He thinks that is his play area. I have to get him down or at least hold the chairs around the table 7-10 times a day to keep him from getting up there. The day I took the pictures it was cute but mostly it drives me crazy. He is starting into the frustrated toddler phase of life. He has started throwing temper tantrums when I tell him no.

Jonathan also started waking up between 5:30 and 6:30 am and just cries. If I go get him though he will sleep in my arms until 7 or later if I let him. I wish he would just sleep in his bed.

He is such a talker though. A couple weeks ago a friend was watching the kids and when I picked them up she commented that she couldn't believe how vocal he is. Hannah was so quiet as a toddler but Jonathan is always making noise. He loves to talk to us and he is constantly pointing at things and saying something about it.

Hannah is great. She is so silly and fun most of the time. The other day I mentioned the word "roller coaster". She repeated it with question in her voice. It was so cute. It is fun to see her learn new words and new things. She always wants to know what things are and why are they that way or why are they doing that.

At the grocery store she will see little kids and try to talk to them and she will comment about how they are her age. It is so fun to see her growing up. The other day I was struck with how close kindergarten is. It was a pretty scary realization. I don't know if I will be ready for that not to mention her.

A Brief Accounting of Our Week

2009-10-30T15:46:00.003-05:00

Hyrum has been out of town for a week. He arrives home tonight, Hooray! Happily this is his last solo trip for a while. When Hyrum goes out of town it generally means terrible eating habits, a total disruption of our schedule and for the most part a lot of fun, though I never wish him gone. This week looked pretty busy as of last Friday when he left and I was hoping we would make it through.

By Sunday afternoon though, just about everything had cleared up nicely. Monday I had my last day of school to teach. That was a good experience but it has cured me of all desire to work outside my home for the time being. It is way hard to get four people, two of them little children, out of the door by 7:35 in the morning. Kudos to those of you who do. I picked the kids up in the rain and we just hung out and gave the apartment some tlc.

Tuesday, we did nothing. My kids and I didn't get out of our pjs until about 4:00 when we decided to see if any friends were at the park. It was a great day. I am working on a crazy project for the kids for Christmas this year and so I spent the entire day working on that. It was great.

Wednesday, we had a field trip for school. Hannah is in a little preschool with four of her friends. We, their moms teach and every six weeks we go on a little field trip. This particular trip was to the library. The kids were great about sitting for story time and Hannah was pretty excited to get her own library card.

We got home and while the kids ate I checked my email and found a wonderful thing. A friend had sent me an email about a place to take the kids to play with dress-ups, bounce house type things, paint, and all sorts of other things and I didn't have to pick it up. Best of all, Wednesday it was free. We grabbed a couple other kids and a mom with a van, I left Jonathan with a friend so he could nap and Hannah, Jarom, Ben, William, Reianna and I went to Jumpy Gym to play. The kids had a great time. When Hannah went to bed that night she slept like a log.

Yesterday we went to play group, had a friend over after that and then had some more friends over for dinner. Tonight we get to pick Hyrum up and see him again. We are all excited. We're glad to have him back. It's been a great week and now, I have to think about Halloween tomorrow. Hannah has decided not to be Superman or a bat--her most recent choice. We'll have to figure that out pretty quick.

Sorry there are no pictures but Hyrum took our camera to Germany. Have a Happy Halloween and a great weekend.

Babies

2009-10-24T21:33:00.002-05:00

Today, Hannah asked me if we could get another baby in two weeks. First of all, two weeks? What a random number. I told her that is takes a little longer to get babies here and she proceeded to come to the conclusion that when Jonathan is three we will have a new baby. Works for me : )

Thinking

2009-10-19T16:06:00.000-05:00

We just got home from a two week vacation to New York. We visited Grandma and Grandpa H. Never in all my life have I ever wanted to settle in the North East. I don't mind visiting but it was never the place I wanted to live, until now.

One day my mom, a friend and I were driving home after a wonderful kid free day of shopping and I was so caught up in the beauty of the drive. The air was full of the delicious scent of fallen leaves and chill but with a hint of warmth from the sun. Each time I went outside even though there weren't many apples around I could smell them and the decaying leaves. They are scents I love and cherish. I always have. It was wonderful. I love the fall. When I first moved away to Utah, I thing I missed most was the geese honking on their way south. I love a northeastern fall. It is an experience.

We had a wonderful trip and one thing I know is that I hate being is far away from family. I love my parents and my siblings so much and as we all have to face life, I find that more and more I wish that we could face it together, literally side by side. Maybe in my perfect world.

Back to work I go . . .

2009-10-19T15:21:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I start a little job. I am teaching Math. You read right. I am teaching math for the next five days. I am really excited. I haven't worked outside my home for the last three years and two months. I am so excited to get out and meet some new people. I am grateful a kind friend who is watching my children for a couple hours each day. Except for my mathematically challenged brain, this should be relatively relaxed and fun. I'll let you know how it goes.

Summer Roadtrip 2009--The Conclusion

2009-10-15T20:06:00.000-05:00

We had a great time on our trip. I've decided that the best trips are those you get to spend with people you love and that we did. We got to see our family and good friends too. We miss those we didn't get to see but, maybe next time.

We are so grateful for every chance our kids get to see their great-grandparents and their cousins. It means so much to know that everyone is happy to have us around. Here are a few more pictures of our adventures.

Good Times

2009-10-09T16:29:00.005-05:00

We just got home from my parents house on Tuesday. We had a great visit with them and I didn't want to leave. I'll post more. Hyrum has our camera and all of the fun pictures we took.

We got home later on Tuesday night and I didn't get our clothes unpacked. Wednesday I did laundry and because of everything going on in our house I didn't get it folded either so, Thursday was the day.

We got up and I had Hannah help me pick up all the toys in the living room and their bedroom and then we vacuumed. This is always fun because Hannah runs and jumps on the couch. I think she is afraid she is going to get sucked into the vacuum. Jonathan follows me around curious about this noisy thing but kind of concerned that it might do him some harm. Pretty funny.

After the general clean up it was time to tackle the pile of clothes sitting on my bedroom floor. Folding laundry is pretty run of the mill, unless you have two kids vying for my attention. I put up the kid gate in my doorway so the kids couldn't get into Hyrum's bike and unfold the clothes I was folding. As I'm folding, Hannah comes to the doorway and this is the conversation we have:

Hannah: Mom, us in you room?
Mom: No, Hannah.
Hannah: (looking very perplexed) Why, no us you room, Mom?
Mom: I don't want Jonathan to get into the bike grease and the clothes.
Hannah: (her eyes lighting up) Hannah in you room, Mom.
Mom: Not right now, Hannah.

Where Hannah left off Jonathan started. He had been eating all morning and I finally told him it was time to wait for lunch. He knows where the snacks are though and can reach them so I put them up on the counter. The only problem is that they live on the same shelf as our cereal and crackers. As I folded the clothes Jonathan brought in every box of cereal and crackers in one by one and dropped them over the gate into my bedroom. It was pretty funny. He wasn't mad or upset he was just doing his best to communicate to me that he wanted to eat. It was a good moment just watching the two of them yesterday. I love them.

A year already?

2009-09-10T21:35:00.011-05:00

From this ................... to this

My, how time flies when you're having fun and we certainly have had fun. Jonathan is something else. He is the epitome of boy.

He loves my kitchen cupboards and what treasures he can find in there. He even leaves treasures for me such as fridge magnets and play kitchen utensils. He loves to walk and run around with Hannah. He loves to play chase and is pretty quick with his smiles. It's hard to imagine when you love one how you can ever make enough room to love another kids but we certainly have. I think our love has more than doubled with Jonathan's addition to our family.

He is so fun and though I get frustrated when he has pulled my pots and pans out for the tenth time in a couple of hours, I love how silly he can be and how he loves to lay in my arms for a moments rest after he's been a little wild. He has grown so much and so fast. When he was born he weighed 8 lbs and 9 oz. Now, just twelve months later he has almost quadrupled that at 23 lbs. He can understand what I say to him most of the time and just smiles and laughs as his answer most of the time.

He loves to eat and he loves his big sister. They fill our home with giggles and sweet things. Today, Jonathan had his 12 month check-up at the doctors. I took Hannah and prepped her before hand for how upset Jonathan would b and asked her to be a good helper and try and help him be happy. When the doctor had to look in his nose and mouth, Jonathan started wailing. Hannah was right there saying, "O-tay baby, it o-tay. Oh baby, I wuv you."

Jonathan gives it right back like after their naps today, Hannah sat down to watch part of Cinderella. Jonathan sat there next to her for a good 15 minutes. He laid on her lap, then on her shoulder than he tried to sit on her. She just smiled and laughed at him. It's good to have a friend.

For Jonathan's birthday he had a special treat. Grandma W and Rachel were here with us. They made a quick trip down to celebrate his birthday. Jonathan started the day at 6:30 and we hung out and enjoyed our company and then had a breakfast feast while he took a nap : ) After nap time, since Grandma had to leave early we opened presents and Jonathan enjoyed a cupcake and his first bites of ice cream. His favorite thing was the paper.

We have a birthday hat that they get to wear and it has the number of years they are on it. We put that on and boy was he mad. Those 1 year olds sure hate the hat.

It was pretty low key but we had fun just reminiscing about Jonathan's arrival in our family and the events of September 4th a year previously. Our lives will never be the same and boy are we glad.

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

2009-09-10T21:13:00.007-05:00

This comes a little late but, Happy Birthday, Little Bug! Hannah is everything a three year old should be and so much more. Yes, she is three. I babysat a little girl on Wednesday and I realized just how much she has grown in the last year. Most obvious is that I understand just about everything she says--she only has to repeat herself once occasionally twice.

She has proven to be a pretty good helper and loves her little brother. She loves to jump and climb and swim. Thanks to her boy friends and Grandma Wright (She provided the costume) Hannah wants to be Spiderman for Halloween, though she loves Cinderella, too.

Her favorite color is purple and if you ask her she does read. We've started her in a little Preschool Co-op with a few of her friends this semester and she loves that. They are a fun bunch with a lot of energy. It's fun to see her learn new things. The best new of all is that I think, for all intents and purposes she is finally potty trained.

Her birthday was spent at school in the morning and then lunch and a good nap. She got her finger shut in a door at school so she was a little upset. The nap was our lifesaver. Then when Hyrum got home from work we ate a quick dinner, opened presents and then we went swimming. Hannah had a great day. She loved all of her presents and if you ask her she'll rave over her train cake. In fact now instead of telling people Happy Birthday, she says, "Happy Cake!"

So with that, Happy Cake, Hannah!!

Amsterdam

2009-08-28T15:00:00.003-05:00

It's about a quarter of ten in the evening, and I'm sitting in my hotel room, listening to the rain fall from the Dutch sky. It's one of those surreal moments at the end of a trip where I wonder if I've done everything I needed and wanted to do, and also wonder when I'll be back. As I listen to the thunder roll, and hear the occasional tram bell, I can't help but think that this trip has been much better than I anticipated.

The rain's coming down harder now.

Amsterdam offers quite a juxtaposition. The old-world buildings and charm, stand right beside new-world modernity and vices. A small city by most measures, yet rich in history and experiences. I expected to find a place where I'd feel uncomfortable, yet by exercising caution, I was able to stay away from the ill, and enjoy the better parts of the city. I've already thought a few times about what I want to do the next time I come, and what I want to see more.

My visit to Holland has been largely successful, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I've had to come. So tomorrow, as I climb aboard a plane and soar across deep blue Atlantic, there won't be any regrets, just an excitement to go home to wife and children, and a certain understanding that I haven't seen the last of this part of Europe.

The storm is letting up.

Pioneer Day Classic

2009-08-05T09:48:00.006-05:00

It sounds kind of like the name of a race, huh? Well it is and I ran it. For some of you may be checking your eyes to be sure you read correctly but I assure you that your eyesight is fine.

About 6 months ago some friends and I started walking in the morning for exercise and it has morphed into running. I never thought I would ever be a "runner" and for some definitions I still am not but, I go jogging almost six days a week for about 3.5 miles. Reianna and I decided to run a 5k and while in Utah I decided I would just try it before we ran ours and I was pretty happy with my results.

I hate to run by myself because I'm not very good at keeping a good pace so my sister-in-law and brother were going to run it with me but they both backed out at the last minute. I was kind of disappointed but my parents said they would come and watch.

I ran and had a good time and my family had a great time too. Hannah jumped in a bounce house thing and Jonathan enjoyed the company of his grandpa and aunt, Kallie. It felt really good to know they were at the end cheering me on especially when I finally did reach the end. My time was 32:40 which I was pretty proud of. My goal is to run a 5k in 30 minutes so I still have my work cut out for me.

After the race I enjoyed some complimentary sorbet with fruit and granola and a massage. It was fun and I am excited to do it again in about a month.

Summer Roadtrip 2009--Utah, the Hogle Zoo

2009-08-05T09:27:00.008-05:00

On Tuesday of the second week my parents took us all--my brother and his family, me and my children and my brother and sister--to the Hogle Zoo. Of all the time I spent in Utah through my life I had never been there. We got lost and turned around while getting there but we did finally make it. I found it to be quite a nice zoo though I don't have much experience to go from.

Most of the animals were up and walking around which made it nice for all of us but especially the little girls. They had a ball. The best part was the mountain lion that wanted to eat my sister. He prowled around following her as we walked by. Kallie would move and he would move. He sat there for a little while hissing at her too. It was pretty funny but I'm sure we were all glad there was a cage between them. The cougar would have won in a fight especially due to the fact that Kallie just had knee surgery.

I had the girls go on a carousel ride with Grandma H. At first they weren't quite sure what to think but by the end they were begging for more. It was a good day. We were sorry that Nathan and his family had to leave early but, what can you do. It wasn't even too hot and Hannah finally got to see a live bear.

Summer Roadtrip 2009--Utah, the Part of 2nd Week

2009-08-02T20:46:00.006-05:00

Our week started with a hot Sunday at my brother's house. We had a great time though hanging out in the basement playing games with the little girls. Andrew came over and it was nice to see him. I hadn't seen him since October of 2006 when he left on his mission. We had a good time.

Monday was Girls' Day with Hyrum's sisters. We like hang out at least once while we're together and we were just able to squeeze one in this trip before Margaret and her family left. Then that afternoon my parents and sister Kallie flew in from New York. It was great to see them. We enjoyed an evening at Grandma and Grandpa J's house.

The kids all enjoyed being outside and so did I. Grandma and Grandpa have grass you could swim in. I love it. There aren't any little critters waiting to get you either.

Summer Roadtrip 2009--Utah, the 1st Week

2009-08-01T21:45:00.006-05:00

Well Rachel, the kids and I made it to Provo before we melted, barely. I was so happy we made it. I hate driving and a 7-ish hour drive is really pushing it for me. Thank goodness Rachel was with us. Hyrum was off climbing mountains with his brother. I'll let him write about that.

Tuesday I met up with an old college friend. I hadn't seen her in years and it was great to catch up and hear about her little family. We also got the car fixed and it was only a minor problem. Yay for that.

Wednesday evening Konni was good enough to put our kids to bed while Hyrum and I went to see "Singing in the Rain" at the Hale Center Theater. It was really fun. We had front row seats and boy were we glad for the ponchos they gave us at the beginning. We would have been soaked. It was cute and a fun date.

Another highlight was a great visit with Grandma and Grandpa Wright on our way up to airport. The kids liked playing downstairs and it was nice to sit and talk with Grandma and Grandpa. It's always nice to have family one on one.

Saturday we made our rounds up north to some friends in south Salt Lake and a family reunion in Layton. It was quite the day. I loved seeing my old room mates and friends we miss from Texas. It's so nice to see that though you don't get to see people everyday there are some people that will be with you always and will always be a part of your life even though miles may separate you.

Summer Roadtrip 2009--Yellowstone

2009-08-01T20:25:00.010-05:00

On July 8th we set off for Yellowstone National Park. The car was packed to the gills but we were glad that we didn't have to use the luggage rack--better gas mileage that way. The kids were happy, probably because Hannah knew where we were headed and neither one of them realized just how long we would be in the car. We hit the road and drove north towards Dallas and just kept trucking. That day we made it to Wichita, Kansas. My family slept for about 7 hours while I observed the storm and wished the cool breeze would come into the car. I didn't sleep much because Jonathan was on my lap and Hyrum had my pillow. The storm was cool but I got a little nervous at around 4 am when the garbage truck came to get the garbage out of the dumpster we were parked near.

We survived the night and made it to our first major stop by lunch time. No, it wasn't Yellowstone, it was Mount Su nflower, the highest point in Kansas. We picnicked here among the cow pies and at one point I thought a cow was going to come join us for lunch. We were shortly on our again though.

That evening we spent the night in Casper, Wyoming. I know some people love Wyoming but this trip has once again convinced me that I do not want to live in Wyoming. The next morning we started on our way out and happened upon the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center we only spent a few minutes there because we wanted to get on with our trip but Hannah enjoyed a stage coach ride and we spent a few minutes remembering the pioneers involved in Martin's Cove. It was a nice stop.

We drove pretty steadily through to Cody, Wyoming, just 116 miles outside Old Faithful in Yellowstone. We stopped there for gas and a little stretching and some lunch for Jonathan at a nice park. The picture is Hannah driving a stage coach at the park. Then back in the car and to Yellowstone. We got to our cabin and unpacked by about 4 pm and we waited and waited. We were meeting Hyrum's mom's family for a reunion. We were so excited when Grandma and Grandpa Allred finally showed up. The rest of the family arrived shortly.

Friday evening we just hung out and finally got to bed after a late dinner and a sighting of Old Faithful. (Hannah thinks Old Faithful is Yellowstone.) Saturday, the sun woke me up bright and early for a quick jog (I'll explain later) that was more of a walk. It was wonderfully cold and beautiful at 6 am. I got back and showered before my family had woken up. We then enjoyed breakfast outside on our porch only to be interupted by a family of buffalo walking through the woods and then right behind our cabin. Hannah was so excited to see buffalo.

That morning was the Great Family Picture '09. Of Grandma and Grandpa's 53 family members (including them) we had 52 there for this reunion. It was really cool. Each family had a colored shirt--we were navy blue--and each person had a number to wear corresponding with their entrance in the family. We met at Old Faithful and waiting forever for it to blow to clear off the crowds. Poor Jonathan was so tired. He finally fell asleep in my arms about 15 minutes before we took the picture. The only way you know he's there is because I have this mysterious pair of legs coming out of the stomach because his navy blue hat and shirt covered him and blended into me. The rest of the day was spent walking around the geyser basis there around Old Faithful. Apparently we didn't put enough sunscreen on the kids because Hannah's ears and head blistered and Jonathan's legs were a little darker after our walk. It was a nice day. We went to dinner with Hyrum's family and after getting the kids to bed spent a little time talking with his aunts and uncles. They are great and I'm always grateful for the experience of others when it comes to children. It helps me feel like maybe my experience isn't so strange.

Sunday we got up and ready for a little Sunday school lesson. Hyrum, Nate, Margaret and I were in charge of the nursery. It consisted of Hannah, Josh and Caleb. Jonathan was asleep. We sang some songs, had a quick lesson about how the world is Heavenly Father's creation for us because he loves us, a nature walk and of course, snacks. At about 11 we started up to the Lower Falls for the Wright's traditional photo by "the tree." It was at this point that we got in our car and realized our air conditioning wasn't working. I started to panic but hey we were in Yellowstone and there wasn't a whole lot we could do about it so, on with our trip.

The Falls were great. Hannah had a great time. She was pretty upset when I wouldn't let her hike down to the bottom with her dad but they were making a quick trip and Hannah walking is anything but quick. Instead she watched the huge ants (her word, not mine) do their thing and a raven hop on the rocks. We took the long way back and enjoyed some more buffalo and a drive up Dunraven Pass. This is my second favorite scenery in Yellowstone. My favorite views are along the road through the Golden Gate. That is fabulous but these views were pretty good too.

We hurried back just in time for a quick dinner and then off to Sacrament meeting. There are four Sacrament meetings held every Sunday in the park and ours was at 7 pm. The kids did pretty good considering they are usually getting ready for bed about that time. After church we decided to give Hannah one last look at "Yellowstone" and waited for Old Faithful to blow. It was a littel chilly but it was worth it. She was so happy.

Monday morning Hyrum and I went for an early morning walk and enjoyed the cool brisk air one more time. We got back and got ready to leave. The kids and I along with Hyrum's sister Rachel left for Utah at 8:30 am. It was a good weekend. It's always nice to be with family and Hannah will tell you that was her favorite part of our trip because Hyrum, Jonathan and I were there.

Austin's Dam Loop

2009-07-06T14:40:00.002-05:00

I finally punched my official Austin cyclist membership card on Saturday by riding the "Dam Loop", a popular route in the scenic hill country west of Austin. The definition of the loop varies depending on who you ask, but the key feature is a ride along route 620 which passes in front of Mansfield Dam, which in turn creates Lake Travis. The route is generally well-maintained, and includes a number of hills and other interesting features.

The 43-mile ride just about killed me. I left early in the morning to avoid the 105-degree afternoon heat, and managed to stay in shade most of the way. The hill country lived up to it's name by providing over 3,000 feet of climbing, and even a trip down Tumbleweed Hill hitting 50 mph. I was riding over unfamiliar terrain, which can be a bit surprising ("oh look, another hill"), but the view was gorgeous. By the end of the route, though, the hills were getting a bit tiresome, and I was nearing the end of my energy level. It turned out to be just the right challenge for the day.

Walking?

2009-06-30T20:55:00.003-05:00

Last week while I was away at Youth Conference Jonathan took his first steps. He has continued to practice though. If someone is sitting close to the couch, he will try to walk back and forth between the too, without any coaxing. Today, he took two steps and rather than falling he stopped and looked around and then decided to sit down. I am so amazed. So, at almost 10 months my baby is walking. Only time will tell how long it will take him to really take off. Watch out world.

Heather's Highlights

2009-06-28T20:32:00.002-05:00

Fjords from Oslo to Bergen

I knew that I would have to write about this trip so I have thought and thought about how to word the play by play. Finally, I came to the realization that a play by play would be a little to much and no fun for any one. So, I have thought about it and come up with a few of my favorites and a little general information about our trip. If you really want the play by play call, send and email or comment and I'll be in touch.

Hyrum and I just got back from a 10 day, whirlwind trip to Scandinavia. We spent the first day in Stockholm than cruised over to Helsinki the next night and back to Stockholm the next. Then we took an overnight train to Copenhagen and spent one night there. Then we took the train to Oslo, Norway, sent a night there then caught another train across Norway to Bergen. We spent two nights in Bergen then back to Oslo for two more night there and back home.

We were kidless thanks to Hyrum's mom. It happened due to a conference for Hyrum and some other good things that made it the perfect time to go. Our kids still haven't recovered but, we had a good time.
On to the highlights . . .

The first thing of note is that I was grateful that even though I had two delayed flights, which led to my missing a connection I arrived in Stockholm only 4 hours late.

Stockholm was my favorite city. I never felt like I was in a crazy shopping area and I felt like a part of Stockholm especially on Saturday which happened to be Sweden's National Day. We felt like one of the people with a Swedish flag in our bag and walking around the city. Not to mention seeing the crazy football (soccer) fans ready for the Sweden/Denmark game. It was a big deal.

We enjoyed dinner that first night at the Taste of Stockholm food festival. We didn't get anything too out of the ordinary but we did have what seems to be a national dish, Kotbullar or Swedish meatballs. We love them. It wasn't the last time we enjoyed them this trip either.

We had some lovely strawberries and cherries in a beautiful park in Helsinki. We took an overnight cruise from Stockholm to Helsink and back again. There is a little stretch where there is just ocean and the sunsets were beautiful, and they took forever. On average we only enjoyed about 4 hours of night every night. I kept waking up at 4 am.

I really enjoyed the Stockholm City Hall. The City Hall was so interesting because of the deep thought and symbology that went into making it. This is where the Nobel Prize Banquet is held every year. The Royal Palace with it's changing of the guard ceremony was fun too. The ruins of the old Tre Kronor Castle was really interesting.

The best place in Stockholm though was the Vasa Museum. The ship was enormous and was sunk 20 minutes into it's maiden voyage by a little gust of wind. It lay in the harbor in Stockholm for over 300 years and finally someone found it and brought her up over almost 20 years of slowly bring her up in almost one piece. It was so informative and there was enough information but not too much. It was great. The ship was amazing too.

Next we visited Copenhagen, Denmark. It wasn't my favorite place but we've decided it needs another chance, some day. Here we overloaded on musuems. My favorite though was the Thorvaldsen Musuem. He was the sculpter who made the Christus statue. We saw the original in the church in Copenhagen flanked by twelve apostles. That was cool. His sculptures are amazing. I kept expecting them to breathe.

After Copenhagen we made our way to Oslo, Norway. We stopped at the beautiful Frederickburg Slot (Castle). It is the Danish version of Versailles. Here we saw the original Karl Bloch paintings. The LDS Church uses several of these to depict scenes from Christ's life. Before crossing back into Sweden we saw "Hamlet's Castle" from our ferry.

We stopped in Oslo over night and then took another series of trains, boats, and buses to Bergen, Norway and the fjords. The fjords were beautiful and on the train I saw my first real snow in 3 years. It was lovely. It was a beautiful trip with lots of snow, greenery and waterfalls.

Bergen was really a great city. We didn't have a lot of specific things we wanted to see so we got to relax a little bit. We learn about the people that lived there and saw a church that has been around since at least 1280 and probably much longer than that. The houses from the people that lived there several hundred years ago are still there as well as an old ceremonial hall from medieval times.

These places were amazing in so many ways. One of the greatest is that they are so seeped in history. These people and cities have seen so much history and recorded it. As nations these countries are so old compared with the US. For the thinking this trip provided and the education alone it was so worth while. We had a wonderful time but we were also glad to get home to Hannah and Jonathan.

Back home

2009-06-23T13:36:00.003-05:00

Just a brief update: Heather and I made is back home without incident, and are pretty much adjusted back to the right timezone. For interested readers, I'll post a full report of our escapades in the next few days.

Scandanavia Day 2: Wandering around Skövde

2009-06-03T22:07:00.005-05:00

Today, I didn't have anything to be at until 4pm, and having slept off my jet lag (but not my cold), I arose early got some of the excellent breakfast buffet, and headed down to explore the town of Skövde. The conference hotel is perched atop a local hill, Billingen, and gave an excellent location to survey the surroundings. Today dawned sunny (at 2:30 in the morning!), and my cold was starting to abate, so I decide to make an adventure of it.

Not in Kansas anymore

I made my way down through the forest on the hill beneath the hotel. The woods are part of a nature preserve and had plenty of well worn trails through them. It wasn't very long, but I enjoyed wandering through the forest and seeing the rhododendrons in full bloom. Before long, I emerged in the town, found the local tourist information office, and got a few suggestions of museums and other places to see. Most of them were closed, so I spent the morning just wandering through the town, observing the people.

The road less traveled

I noticed a few interesting things. First, even though the weather was mostly cloudy, windy, and a bit cold, people were out and enjoying their day. Older people were walking to market and home, and there were bikes everywhere. I was impressed by the infrastructure provided for those that chose to pedal their way around. In contrast to Texas, there weren't any SUVs or pickup trucks, but almost everyone who was driving seemed to be in a compact station wagon kind of car. But many preferred to walk.

I got lunch at a local cafe, which was serving (of all things) Tex-Mex that day. I was again impressed that a good buffet meal could be had for only 80 crowns, around $10. After lunch, I visited the local Kulturhus which wasn't incredibly impressive, but did have some interesting art. I saw the church, and then wandered up north of town to visit the city museum. Although almost everybody I met spoke English, Skövde is small enough that none of the signs had English translations. I enjoyed wandering through the museum, but it didn't really have much significance as I couldn't read any of the explanatory material.

After an enjoyable walk back up the hill to the hotel, I rested for a few minutes before attending a conference keynote, and eventually presenting my poster during the poster session. It was a good experience, and I was able to get some more feedback from people interested in my release engineering work, and encouraging sign. The conference dinner was quite good, and I've spent this evening watching the BBC, and doing some work. Tomorrow, the play stops as the conference starts in earnest.

Skövde, as seen from Billingen

Scandanavia Day 1: Flying into Stockholm

2009-06-02T22:08:00.003-05:00

For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.

Robert Louis Stevenson

Yesterday morning, I set off on my trip to Skövde, Sweden. I was headed there for an other conference, this one an academic conference on Open Source Systems (OSS 2009). In addition to going to the conference, it's an opportunity to visit with some other collaborators, and get to see a part of the world I've never been to. Getting to the conference turned out to be quite the great affair, as is any trip to another continent.

Heather and I left Austin on Sunday afternoon, driving up to Allen to visit my folks. My flight was out of the DFW airport, and Hannah and Jonathan would be staying with their grandparents after Heather comes and joins me, so we decided to use their home as our base camp for the trip. In driving to the airport, we hadn't even made it to the highway before being rearended. The car was drivable, though, so we continued on to the airport, but were both a little shaken for the event.

The first flight was uneventful, and I had a couple of hours to kill in Newark Liberty. My overseas flight began well, with an amazing view during initial climb passing directly over Manhattan. The picture really doesn't do the view justice, but I was glued to the window for some time. After we moved over clouds, I spent some time working and watching the movie/TV thingamajig at my seat. I didn't get much sleep, but I never do on airplanes.

Upon arrival, I made a quick jaunt through customs, and then took the Arlanda Express train to the Stockholm Central station. It was a little pricey, but a very quick way to get into town. From Stockholm Central, I easily found my train and settled in for a jaunt to Örebro. By this point, I was pretty tired, and had to try and stay awake, just so I wouldn't miss my stop. Since I had all day to kill before arriving in Skövde, I decided to take in the castle and town of Örebro.

I managed to fine the town okay, but it was raining and cold, and I felt a pretty sizable cold coming on. Still, I hadn't yet eaten, so I threw my luggage in a locker and wandered in to town to take a look at the castle and grab a bite to eat. I eventually found the park with the castle in it, and took a walk along the river, all the while dodging drizzle and people on their bikes. I got some food at a local cafe, and had an interesting conversation with a man from the town.

I was planning on spending several hours in Örebro, but after walking the town, suffering through a cough and sore throat in the pouring cold rain, I decided I'd had enough, and made it back to the train station in time to catch the next train to Skövde. I checked into my room, and have spent the rest of the time decifering Swedish TV and trying to get the wireless network to function. My throat is still sore, and I've got a headache, but I've arrived at my destination (at least for a few days).

An observations: Coming to a "foreign" country is always an interesting experience. The language is different, the customs are different, even the food is different, but people are still people, with common challenges and triumphs. As we were flying in to the airport, I couldn't help but imagine what the people in each of the farms or cars was doing or thinking, and I suppose it's very similar to what I would have been doing on a Tuesday morning. I'm thankful for this perspective that travel gives me.

Hair and More

2009-05-27T15:21:00.002-05:00

A few people have commented on Jonathan's hair color and so I thought I would reveal the news. I think I've waited so long because I was really hoping for another redhead. My dream, as strange as it is, is to have a row of redheads. It was always so fun to go places with all my siblings and the first thing people would say to my mom is, "Are all these kids yours?" Mom's response was generally along the lines of, "Yes, all the redheads." It was fun.

So I wanted it too. The sad news though is that as of today, Jonathan has blonde hair. Yes, it could change tomorrow, but today it's blonde. My youngest brother had blondish hair that reddened as he got older so I will keep my fingers crossed.

Jonathan is a crazy kid though. He is trying to walk with all his might. He is constantly pulling himself upright and trying to take steps or practicing standing up all by himself. I can't take it. I don't want him walking yet. He's not 9 months old yet. He loves to do it though. We can hold his hands and get him to take a few steps and he just laughs and laughs. he thinks it is the greatest thing ever. What am I going to do? My little boy is growing up.

Final thoughts on ICSE and Vancouver

2009-05-24T20:34:00.004-05:00

The past week was very busy, but very good. For me, the biggest benefit of going to conferences like ICSE is the chance to meet with other researchers. I got to see some old friends, make some new ones, and get some great ideas for future research directions. Even though the conference is long and takes a lot of energy, I come away excited about my research. Let's hope I can keep up that excitement.

It was also enlightening going to Canada for the first time. In the past, I'd often heard the joke about Canada being the 51st state, but I don't think that sentiment is justified. Even though there are many similarities to the United States, such as language and customs, I saw a country which attempts, and in large measure succeeds, to maintain a separate cultural identity. In the end, though, I'm always glad to get through customs and back on US soil (though in this case, it actually happened before getting on the plane in Vancouver).

Vancouver is also a neat city. I was surprised by the heavy Asian population I encountered, though not put off by it. The city is gearing up for next year's winter Olympics, so everything seems like it's under construction. I found the public transportation accessible and using it intuitive, all while seeing sites like Stanley Park and Capilano canyon. The weather turned out nice, which made the trip even more pleasant.

It's now time to turn toward ICSE 2010. Although I don't plan on having a paper in the main research track, I still want to go and be involved, probably through participation in a workshop, or maybe the MSR conference. The fact that it's in Cape Town, South Africa doesn't hurt my motivation any, either.

On the seawall, with Stanley Park on the left, and downtown Vancouver on the right

Scrammbled Eggs and a Fish Out of Water

2009-05-22T00:15:00.004-05:00

That title begs the question, "What?", but I promise to enlighten. Jonathan loves to see what is behind all of our doors: cupboard doors, closet doors, bedroom doors, refrigerator door and so on. He has recently started charging into the fridge whenever it's open in an effort to get his little hands on the first thing available.

Today was no exception. I was getting milk, eggs and butter out to make some muffins for dinner. I had butter and milk in one hand and an egg in the other. He hustled right in the fridge and without thinking I grabbed his arm to pull him out. Well it is a little hard to grab a kid with a milk jug in your hand, so naturally, I grabbed him with the hand holding the egg. Well though egg shells are strong they are not that strong and Jonathan was covered in egg whites. By the time I put everything else down my floor was covered with them too as Jonathan went crawling around trying to find the next door to open.

Well I put Jonathan in the high chair and cleaned up the floor then whisked him into the bathroom for a quick bath. This kid loves water. He has no fear. For the five minutes he was in the tub he would not sit still. He seriously reminded me of a fish out of water. He was flipping, flopping and wiggling like a nice rainbow trout. Hannah and I were cracking up and he was having the time of his life. Guess I should bathe him more often. What a kid.

Temperate Rainforest

2009-05-19T22:13:00.002-05:00

Here's a report from my first couple of days in Vancouver, British Columbia, for the 31st International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE 31).

Downtown Vancouver from the Granville Bridge

On Monday, I gave a paper to the open source software workshop. It generated some good discussion, and I found some new ideas for the further direction of my work. I also got to meet some people who are also doing research in the field, and hopefully this will continue at the OSS conference next month. It was a long day, though, and I was a glad for a break the next day.

Tuesday, I didn't have anything planned for the conference, so Justin Erenkrantz, Dave Woollard and I set out to explore Vancouver and its surroundings. Our first stop was the Capilano Suspension Bridge, a pedestrian suspension bridge 450 feet over Capilano canyon north of Vancouver. The bridge actually had quite a bit of movement as people walked across it, both up-and-down and side-to-side. After getting off the bridge, it actually felt like the solid ground was swaying. The same park had a boardwalk along the side of the canyon, and one from tree-to-tree, all through an amazing temperate rainforest.

Our next stop was Granville Island, a touristy area with shops and restaurants. It was fun as those type of things go, but I usually prefer museums, outdoors sights and doing things, rather than just spending money. (Although the $3 CAD dropped in the local arcade were well worth it.)

After walking past the Orpheum Theatre, I left Justin and Dave and continued my week-long adventure on Vancouver public transit to make my way down to the campus of the University of British Columbia and the Museum of Anthropology. Like most of Vancouver, the muesum was under construction, preparing for the upcoming winter olymipcs, so the range of exhibits was rather limited. However, I did get a chance to see some good First Nations artifacts and an exhibit on European ceramics.

All-in-all, it was a good day, a nice preparation for Heather and I's tour of Scandanavia next month.

Too Close

2009-05-19T18:02:00.005-05:00

Today we went grocery shopping and as is customary Hannah begged me to grab her a free grocery store balloon on the way out. Today it was fun because they had several colors. Usually it's only white. What fun is that? Anyway we grabbed a green one.

I often tell her to have conversations with inanimate objects to help her understand a concept. If I tell her to do something she doesn't get it but if she gets to tell something else what to do we have much greater success. Like she puts the cars, and other toys to bed at night, aka. put the toys away. So anyway, a few weeks ago I told to tell the balloon that it had to stay in the car and couldn't escape. If it was patient it could have a good home with us. So again today she had this conversation with the balloon.

I thought that way pretty funny but onto my point. We have a couple fans in our house that only stop running from December to February. When we got in the house I promptly turned off the one in the living room. We've lost a few balloons to the ceiling fan before. While I was making dinner, Hannah and Jonathan were playing in their room. All the sudden I hear the quick pitter patter of Hannah's running feet. This is what happened next:

Hannah: Mommy, quick. Balloon, balloon . . .
Me: Hannah, what?
Hannah: Balloon, balloon. And gestures going around and around.

Well, by then I could hear the balloon being squeezed around between the fan and the ceiling. I quickly turned off the fan and retrieved the balloon. This is the best part. Once the fan stopped and I was able to get the balloon, I hear Hannah say, "Too close, that too close, mommy. Too close." So cute and she kept repeating that and sighinglike she'd been holding her breath.

It's funny the things kids pick up on. I sure hope I give her good things to pick up.

Name That Mountain

2009-05-18T16:36:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I was flying from Dallas to Vancouver, BC for ICSE 31. The past few days have been pretty crummy, weather-wise, but that meant that a high pressure system had moved over the western United States. Such systems are usually clear and dry, and this was no exception. Even though I have long legs, I usually fold myself into the window seat, just so I can get the a good view. As an additional bonus, on this trip, I was taking an afternoon flight, instead of an evening one, so the lighting was perfect for some great views.

I took the following pictures from my window seat; let's see if you can identify the mountains.

The first picture is of the High Uintas, a mountain range in eastern Utah. I spent a few days backpacking in that range several years ago, but not in that much snow!

The second image has Mount Rainier in the foreground, but I'm not sure of the 3 mountains in the background. I think they are Mts. Hood, Baker and St. Helens, but I'm not completely sure. Anybody care to enlighten me?

We have a puppy . . .

2009-05-08T22:31:00.004-05:00

He is so cute. He followed me around all day today. He tried to climb up my leg. He chews on anything he can find. He weighs about 20 lbs. He is ticklish behind the ears and give slobbery kisses. He eats anything he can find on the floor. He loves the computer cables and he loves Hannah. If I'm not around she is a pretty good thing to follow around. He loves getting his tummy rubbed and really is a pretty happy guy.

This dog above is cute but Jonathan is our puppy dog. He has really started to show his attachment to me. Good luck, grandma, while we're gone. We love Jonathan and he really does remind me of a puppy these days.

Fast Sunday

2009-05-03T20:11:00.004-05:00

For members of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the first Sunday of the month provides an opportunity to fast or go without food for two meals. Elder L. Tom Perry described the purpose of the law of the fast as this, "The law of the fast has three great purposes. First, it provides assistance to the needy through the contribution of fast offerings, consisting of the value of meals from which we abstain. Second, a fast is beneficial to us physically. Third, it is to increase humility and spirituality on the part of each individual."

Today I had the opportunity to fast for the first time in over a year due to my pregnancy and nursing Jonathan. I feel impressed to share my small testimony of this law. We are asked to fast with a purpose and today in my fast I have felt my purpose heard by the Lord and his help given to me. I feel like those purposes Elder Perry mentioned have been a part of my life today. I look forward to continuing this practice in my life as I strive to come close to my Father in Heaven. I know that there is power in fasting. It helps me see what the Lord sees within me and for my life. It helps me become aware of changes that need to be made and also helps me find hope for tomorrow. I am grateful that Heavenly Father has given me tools to come closer to him in this life.

What does our garden grow?

2009-05-02T13:50:00.006-05:00

We spent a bit of time working in the garden again this morning. The carrots needed thinning, and weeds were starting to invade the periphery, so we took the kids out and spent a very muggy couple of hours hoeing and weeding.

Hannah in front of our tomatoes and corn

We've got blossoms on the cucumbers, tomatoes and beans, along with a few tiny beans already developing. The carrots we thinned were actually large enough that we'll enjoy them for dinner tomorrow night, and I suspect we'll be eating beans in a couple of weeks, at the latest. I hope with all of our travel this summer, we'll be around at the right time for the tomatoes and corn to come on.

Carrots

By the end of the morning, Jonathan was ready to come in, but Hannah and Heather had had some fun with the hose. I enjoyed playing with the macro features on our digital camera, though I'm still looking for a "manual focus" button.

Tomato blossoms

Beans and blossoms