Ute Football Game

This past couple of weeks Richie has had all the members of his team in town to do a big project out at Hill AFB. Richie had to plan activities for them, so we took them to a University of Utah football game. Not only that, but suddenly Richie came home and told me we were tailgating. I don't watch football, and hanging out in the cold BBQ is not my idea of an ideal Saturday. However, once he said he was getting us babysitters I was sold.

Thursday, I shopped. Friday, I cooked and baked. Made enough Broccoli salad for most of Salt Lake City. :) I packed the car. Got up at 6:30 to get Ryker ready to go to Grandma's. By the time we reached the U, I was exhausted.

Anyway, we had brats and Fried Chicken, Chips and Salsa, BBQ beans, cookies, Rolls of course Richie's favorite Broccoli salad that he HOUNDED me to make, which NO ONE had any. Honestly, it was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be. Richie's coworkers were very nice and I enjoyed getting to know them. They thought I was pretty funny. When one of them asked me if I had gone to the U like Richie, I replied "No, Richie went here long enough for the both of us." They all laughed, but I don't think Richie thought it was that funny.:)

Richie's good friends and his Dad came too, so we were quite a bunch.

It was so cold. By the time the game started, I was up to 3 layers and was using Richie's heavy parka for a blanket. It started to rain/sleet just as the game started. In this picture, I am shivering and my lips felt numb. Maybe that is why my smile is SO BIG!

When we got seated, we realized Richie's BFF Eric was sitting just above us. We felt like everyone we knew were there. I did not realise Ute football was so popular.

The game was pretty boring, but the Ute's won in overtime. I liked cheering for the Utes, but isn't it Unamerican to cheer against the Air Force?

It was fun though. I was nice to hang out with my husband and friends at a outdoor venue without 20 trips to the bathroom, cotton candy and snow cones.

I was still cold once we got home. Even after the super spicy chicken I had from Pei-Wei. The whole way home, all I could think about was taking a long HOT shower. We got home and I got into the shower and it was cold. Not kinda cold, more like north fork river cold. What a time for our valve in our shower to break. What a ending to a long (but nice) day.

Wash-n-wear...

Today I helped chaperon Ryker's preschool class' field trip to the local pumpkin patch. Although Ryker attends preschool in the afternoon, our field trip started @ 9 am. So maybe I wasn't prepared (aka AWAKE) enough, or maybe I wasn't in a very good mood, but some of the other parents bugged me. Look, I understand the need to look nice and "photo ready", but why would you wear heels to a FARM unless you were Kate Gosselin? And the constant lip gloss applying? What about the constant reminding of their kids to not get dirty or touch anything with dirt on it. Again, its a FARM. Maybe it is the fact that I grew up on a ranch but I tend to associate the word farm with dirt. I figured my 4 year old would get dirty, so I dressed him in a fashionably yet WASHABLE outfit. Sheesh!!!!!

THRILLER!!!!!

On Saturday, we took Lancer to see the Odyssey Dance Theatre's annual performance of Thriller. For those of you who are not familiar with this it is a huge dance performance of all things Halloween, which is just Lancer and I love. The performance was at Kingsbury Hall at the University of Utah, and that made Richie really excited to show Lancer around the campus where he had spent so much time. We were early, so we parked by the Chemistry bldg and walked around the campus. We also saw the different engineering buildings, and all the many buildings where Richie had taken math classes (there were lots!). Lancer tried to get into it but was really like "yeah Dad, math smath-Where are the zombies????"
Richie spent A LOT of time in this building working
on really large math equations!!!
We got there early and Lancer got to see all the zombies that roam around outside. Once the dance started he was so into it, it was fun just watching him. I kept checking on him to see if he was even blinking. It was so fun and some of the dancing was incredible. It was also very funny. I think I will try and make this a yearly tradition.
Lancer and the Zombie he thought was kinda cute!
After the show, we took Lancer to the Old Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square Mall. I have not been there in YEARS and it has not changed at all. Lancer loved it. It was kinda sad to see that on a Saturday afternoon, the mall was EMPTY. I did sneak into Pottery Barn Kids and think of all the things I would buy if I won the lottery. Then we came home and played Rock band with Grandma Shirley and Grandpa Steve.

It was a wonderful day!

Lancer is 8!!!

So the 12th was Lancer's birthday. Richie and I broke down and surprised him with a Red Ryder BB Gun. How a child of mine could be so in love with guns is beyond me. He was SO EXCITED I thought he was going to pass out. Anyway, we had cake and ice cream and pizza for dinner. (Lancer got his own because his favorite is ham with NO CHEESE-yuck!)

Lancer is a really special child. He loves to be outside doing boy things and he is always one to help with the chores. Little household chores are not his style. He only likes big things, like hauling hay or moving irrigation pipe and mowing lawns on the riding lawn mower. He has loves to ride his horse Moose and ski, and of course fish and shoot his gun. (again, my child???) He loves to be with his grandparents, and can be the sweetest boy ever (just not to his little brother.) He is going through a Michael Jackson phase, which at first I was concerned about, but I think he just like to watch the dancing and of course, he loves Thriller because he loves anything scary.

For the first couple of years after he was born, Richie stayed home with him while working on his Master's Degree. They were always doing things outside and having a fun time while I was slaving away at work;) Anyway, the video below is one of Lancer's first time skiing. As you can see by the end of the video, Richie has not taught him how to stop yet!

We Love you Lancer "the hurricane"

Its Ryker's Birthday!

One Day old

Today my baby boy turned 4. Ryker's birthday is the same day as my Grandma Loewenstein's. Yes, I planned it like that. Ahh, the joys of a planned c-section.

Two years old

Anyway, I feel so blessed to have Ryker in my life. Honestly my life would be so BORING without him. His mischievous grin lets you know he is DEFINITELY up to something. He is the one who has forced me to make the call to poison control, he is the one who I have had to take to the emergency room, he is the one who keeps Richie and I on our toes. He has made us crazy at times, but I wouldn't trade him for anything. Who would climb into our bed 10 times a night and say "I just want to cuddle you a minute"? Who would throw things out of the cart at the grocery store? Who would whine at his dad, the minute he got home from work, wanting him to watch a marathon of Sponge-Bob Squarepants? Who would torment the dog?

The world famous Baa-Baa Face!

So today, we took him to Lagoon. He decided 4 year olds are too big for the baby boats, so he stuck to things like the tilt-a-whirl and the tidal wave. All he wanted for his birthday was a light saber, and he was so excited to get TWO!!! I have been spending so much time at the hospital with my mom, and a then adding a whole day at Lagoon, I am too tired to frost his cake. So we are holding birthday cake for tomorrow. He is fine with that, because to him that means his birthday is lasting TWO WHOLE DAYS, and what could be better than that?

First Day of Preschool!

Happy Birthday Goonga!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

conversations with Ryker...

So Ryker and I had a conversation this evening that went something like this....
As we were driving down Ogden Canyon, Ryker wanted me to turn down the radio. When I said I needed it on to keep me awake, he got mad.
Ryker: I AM the boss of you Mom!
Me: No you are not.
Ryker: (yelling) Oh Yeah? Oh Yeah? You want me to give you the scary eye? huh? huh? How do you like it?
Me: Whats the scary eye?
Ryker (still yelling) I'm giving you the scary eye! See! See it?
Me: Your making me sad.
Ryker: (calming down) I'm sorry I got mad momma. I just really don't like trees.
Me: You don't like trees?
Ryker: I love marsh mellows.