lIGHTNING mCqUEENS

moab camping trip

2010-05-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

the kids are off track and we've been planning this campout for a while now. we have 20 or so letterboxes we want to find. the campsite is all picked out, right on the colorado. meals and hikes planned. but since we didn't want to do this... or dress like this...
with 4 small children we axed our plans. and camped out right in our own warm beds.
since matt had already taken time off, we had our first annual family day, starting with breakfast at ihop, a couple of hours spent at classic fun center, followed by a stop at in-n-out, swimming at the rec center, and an evening showing of "the squeakquel" with dad's famous popcorn. everyone was so pooped we all dropped off early. (and i got out of washing filthy sleeping bags)
don't tell anyone but deep down, i'm secretly happy. because camping (although i love it) is extra, extra, extra more work for one person, moi. mother nature just saved me a week's worth of laundry

updates...

2010-05-04T14:27:00.000-07:00

Megan... just about long enough. Boy, is she ready to chop this off!

Isaac...

first pinewood derby. Took 3 seconds and 1 first in his 4 heats. we're just glad it didn't fall apart on the track.

Mallory...still getting her beauty rest.

Eli...

first trip to the dentist. 1 cavity, 0 breakdowns. (we'll just see how that filling goes;)

Hal-i-lu-ya!

2010-04-13T13:16:00.000-07:00

It finally happened!!! my prayers have been answered!!!

After almost 2 years, Red Baron, our seemingly invincible beta fish went belly-up. Most of you out there are aware of my NO-pet policy so two years with a fish has been like an eternity.

Who can remember to feed a fish--or clean out a bowl? Definitely not me. And apparently not my kids either. Whenever they whine to me about how they NEED a dog or a cat...i can now just remind them how they "loved" poor Red Baron into the neighborhood pet cemetery with their neglect.

I'm such a good mom...

what we've been up to

2010-03-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

Matt rearranged his interview schedule and raced through 2 home teaching appts so he could take the older kiddos to Rio Tinto to cheer on the Utes as they defeated those nasty cougs in the Utah College Rugby showdown last Wednesday.

Way to go Utes!
(the win was totally unexpected, so we'll take it!)

Surprisingly, Megs opted out of her first soccer practice of the season to go

and had the time of her life.

(Isaac did too, though, not surprisingly)

Then Friday night G and G Hawes treated all the older grandkids to a night at Hale Center Theatre's production of Fiddler on the Roof. I was lucky enough to get to go along as crowd control (a necessity with 8 kids, 10 and under) We have never been to a performance there before and it was FANTABULOUS!!!

HTC is a theatre in the round and it seemed we were right on top of the stage. The actors were so close we could reach out and touch them. Not many artsy things can keep the attention of 4 8-year old boys, but this play in this setting did the trick. Hale is not your traditional community theatre...the acting, singing, staging, scenery, etc... loved it, loved it, LOVED IT!

Megan is already pettitioning to see their next performance
The 3 Musketeers

Before they head off to sunny AZ. G and G McQueen hosted an early easter egg hunt for our kids. M and I hid the eggs for the little ones and then the little ones got to hide for the big kids...

Here is how Eli hid them for his siblings...we've got to work on his sneakiness;)

In other news...

the newest addition to our home is a pair of these beauties i found on KSL a few weeks ago. As most of you know our front room has been furnitureless since we repainted the basement and took our sectional down there and then moved our front room furniture to where the sectional was leaving an empty room for all who enter our home. That number has increased in the last 6 months with people coming over to talk to matt, needing signatures, or other such bishop things. For quite some time they have had to stand or share the piano bench with Matt as they conduct their business with him. I couldn't stand it any longer and took some of that tax refund cash to start putting this room together. These chairs are just the beginning...don't tell Matt;)

In yard news, all our (and when I say "our", I mean "my") hard work last fall in replanting all our bulbs is paying off as the tulips and daffodills are starting to bloom. We've spent the past few Saturdays giving the trees their anual buzz cut and even got a few cold weather crops in the ground. I have also decided that last summer was our LAST with the pond. I can't take it anymore!!! That thing is way more work than it is worth. I routinely spend half a day cleaning it and within minutes, a small handful of sand finds its way into the clean, fresh water...soiling it for ever more. It's a magnet for leaves, dirt, grime, balls, small (or large) children, etc. And so, it will find itself at the dump in a few weeks time. I just have to figure out what to put in it's place...

a quick get away

2010-03-10T10:53:00.001-08:00

last weekend my brother and his wife invited us for a little R&R in st. george which we happily accepted. We braved a few rainstorms to go hiking up snow canyon and added a few more letterboxes to our collection. As well as getting a few swims in (including jumps into the nonheated outdoor ie:FREEZING pool followed by a mad dash to the hot tub), we stayed up way too late playing ticket to ride and settlers, ate too much junk, and Matt became addicted to Madden Football on the DS. All in all a successful few days away. Thanks again K&C!

(boy vs. nature)

a pirate says "arrrrrh"

2010-02-22T14:00:00.001-08:00

(using his hand to create an eye patch)

(the robin is supposed to be a parrot--i had limited resourses;)

For playgroup a couple weeks ago, the boys had to dress up like pirates and eli really got into character. we found some old pants at DI and a red and white striped shirt to cut apart for his costume. he drew the line at the mustache and wiskers, i wanted to add chest hair. a little too much for a three year old, i guess.

S.I.X

2010-02-22T13:26:00.001-08:00

(mal with her new pet, cookie. mom loves cookie. she doesn't eat, bark, poop, run around the house, chew on things, or make any kind of mess-- good girl, cookie)

She has been waiting patiently (ok, not so patiently) for this day to arrive since matt's december birthday. she's had a countdown on the calendar and been reminding us all this day was coming. And here it is. And she couldn't be more ready.

This year was party year for her and we decided on an "almost" sleepover pj party (as "real" sleepover pj parties don't exist for the mcqueens)

all of her friends and some cousins came donning their pjs for a girly girl party if there ever was one. we had a "breakfast" dinner , painted nails, decorated pillowcases, played musical pillows, had a glow in the dark star hunt, and did lots of flashlight dancing to high school muscial tunes.

there was enough pink to last a lifetime. and one happy girl in the end. it was definately worth the wait!

mallory at six highlights:

-she is a great reader, she just doesn't like doing it.

-she loves anything disney channel related

-she still wants to wear a dress or a skirt every day. we've been through so many pair of tights this year it's killing me.

-she is all about playing with friends, just not at our house. our house is boring and there aren't any fun toys to play with.

-she still is in tumbling (loving it) and soccer (not as much love but we're keeping our fingers crossed as we can see "cheerleader" in her future--i'm sure you all know my feelings on this--no offense cheereleader friends)

-she's a softy. she cries at sad parts of most movies. princess and the frog, cried. cloudy with a chance of meatballs, cried. monsters inc., cried.

-still a cutie patootie with the softest skin ever. i love to nibble her cheeks!

V day

2010-02-14T14:21:00.000-08:00

We've had this subtle reminder on our door for a week letting all the neighbors know how much we are loved. ok, how much Matt is loved (isaac did sneak an "i love you too mom" heart on there just for me, knowing how fragile my self-esteem is)

sionara nursery

2010-02-03T13:53:00.000-08:00

our baby has graduated from nursery and has entered the world of primary.

4 for 4.

Primary, here we come

I've been warning the primary presidency for months now. Showing off his newest bling
i just have to say that eli has been the world's best toddler when it comes to church. last year our meetings started at one and every sunday without fail in 2009 eli fell asleep on the pew and took his nap through sacrament and the first hour of nursery (this was aided by the fact that my sunday school class was in the chapel so i wouldn't have to move him). he got to class just in time for snack and playtime and waltzed in refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to chow. he did miss the lesson hour which means he may be a little doctrinally behind his peers as he enters sunbeams, but i'll take it.
We move onto 2010 with my sanity in tact.
Which brings a change in the time schedule. Church now at 11. eli will in no way nap at 11. his solution, falling asleep on his primary teacher during class time.
What a cute, little, tired, wart.

i've been too busy reading blogs about other peoples lives...

2010-01-12T12:59:00.000-08:00

to blog about my own. SAD, SAD... but true. BUT here is the first step to a new, better, blogging me in 2010. i'm actually sitting down, 12 days in, 3 kids at school, one asleep, lunch dishes still in the sink, to catch myself up on the end of 2009.

MATT'S BIRTHDAY

matty matt matt matt turned the big 35 a week before christmas and he is the king of always guessing what his gifts will be or what we are going to do, so this year i was super nervous in planning a surprise party for him. i thought i was sunk a few weeks before when i was checking with people to see who could come and got some calls back. he came home that night and was checking the caller id to see who had called! just for fun! i didn't think to clear all the phones and i thought he was getting suspicious that 3 of his friends called on the same day. he told me he wasn't but i still have my doubts! with the help of my sneaky brother, he showed up late enough to let everyone arrive and put him in the spotlight for a bit. we had friends from the ward, colorado, college, and the service all show up to celebrate his big day. i'm not the worlds greatest party planner, but everything went off ok. we played matt trivia, ate cafe rioish burritos, had aunt malee's famous german chocolate cake (matt's fav) and ended with a rousing game of pictionary (which we have not played forever!) after everyone filtered out at 10ish, and my parents had the kids, matt and i headed across the street for a late night movie.

lots of work, but so worth it to see the look on his face when he walked through the door! and i would share that look with you, if i wasn't too crazy that night to take pictures. so yes, fabulous night and no pictures to prove it!

CHRISTMAS

in some ways, busy...in others, not so busy

we had all hawes family functions before christmas and all mcqueen's after. it made it nice as matt got tithing settlement done before we had anything big to get to. our hawes get together was at moms, complete with candied orange slices, cinnamon bears, homemade carmel, and peanut clusters. a christmas tradition in my family since before i can remember. my kiddos ache for hawes functions as they are getting fewer as the kids get older. aunt cheri planned a fabulous dinner followed by a family talent show complete with singing, tumbling, piano playing, and sword fighting (pray the "hawes family singers" never hits youtube). there's always the reenacting of the nativity. difficult with 20 some odd kids, but doable none the less. notable this year were the scantily clad angel and female wise man. can't wait to see what next year will bring.

christmas eve was spent trying to get neighbor gifts out. boy, of all the advice i've received about being the bishop's wife, no one prepared me for the barrage of neighbor gifts the bishop gets at christmas. we kept getting and getting, which means i had to keep baking and baking to give back. it was fun to be the recipient of so much love and good will and next year i will be better prepared! we then headed to matt's parents as his sister and family had just flown in. we had a yummy christmas eve dinner and program, let the kids play a bit and then got in our new jammies to head home and await santas arrival.

christmas morning, everyone slept until 7:30! what a christmas treat! we had a leisurely morning opening gifts and being glad we didn't have to go anywhere. the kids favs:

MEGAN:

a new camera and a dress that isn't too girly

ISAAC:

a ds and a rugby ball

MALLORY:

oodles and oodles of makeup and a real tea set

ELI:

a bat cave and a new scooter that is like the big kids'

MATT:

a tv, finally, after 4 years sans one

we spent the next week sledding with cousins, watching new movies, and taking a break from reality. we had a few mcqueen functions to attend and had a great time with cousins we see only a few times a year, if that. it was fun to be with matt's dads family (on what would have been ardes' 99th birthday)to reminisce on grandma ardes and her legacy. a lovely lady sorely missed but lived such a full life.

NEW YEARS

we rang in the new year with mary and travis and kids at 7 oclock on new year's eve as mallory couldn't wait any longer. every year we tear up newspaper and throw it all over when the clock strikes...um, seven, i guess, in this year's case. we also stayed up playing a great new game, tabago. super fun if you're smart. less super fun, if you're dumb, and getting dumber, like me.

life started back up again on the 3rd for everyone and we've just been plugging away since--except now we get to watch tv!!

advent calendar

2009-12-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

i had forgotten that i made this advent calendar last year and was so excited to find it with all the decorations. the kids love peeking inside each box to see if maybe, maybe their mother trusts them enough to fill all 25 boxes on day 1. Ha! Fools, i tell you! Fools!

where have we been?

2009-12-08T13:08:00.001-08:00

well, i'd like to say that we have tons of fun things to post, but alas, we're just doing the usual--church, school, and more church. we're feeling the effects of tithing settlement season and 50 or so youth interviews that have been on the schedule.

We were lucky enough to have one night to throw together our annual Thankful Turkey. We had a pumpkin left over from the garden and since he didn't get carved, he found his fate with tons of toothpick holes in his buns.

thankful things the kids came up with this year:

school, church, mom and dad, friends, food (the usual)

eli was thankful for tools (meaning his tub of play tools that he uses everyday to fix things)

he was also thankful for his zoobs

mallory was still thankful for her blankie (still can't get rid of that one) and makeup (the only thing on her christmas list this year)

isaac was thankful for the utes
and megan was thankful for her freedom and country

We had a fabuous Thanksgiving with the Hawes', chaos and all.

The kiddos love any excuse to get together with cousins and drive all the adults batty.

Isaac spent the whole day in heaven playing football with spencer, sam and jackson. that kid has found his new love. whether or not he will be participating in said new love has yet to be determined. He also got to go snowboarding the next day with sam and is set on gettting a snowboard for christmas. fat chance. this kid will soon realize that the time/expence aspect of ski/snowboarding is one thing his non-skiing parents have a hard time with. don't worry, he'll soon learn;)

Megan and Mal spent Thanksgiving trying to avoid the "football field" and getting "accidentally" tackled. They have just as much fun at grandmas playing store, school, and anything else their creative minds can come up with.

We just had to keep Eli away from all other small cousins as he attacks at will. There was only one golf-club swing to a face. No one is owning up to it, but deep down, we know Eli was the swinger.

halloween 09

2009-11-04T13:21:00.000-08:00

black cat mallory, ipod silhouette dude megan, ipod isaac, and power ranger eli

getting ready for the big night out

m & i were gone after one picture

free candy waits for no one

especially camera wielding moms

fall goings on

2009-11-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

after replanting thousands (i swear, not an exaggeration) of bulbs for next spring and tearing apart our playroom to make a normal family room (translation for the kids: finally breaking down and getting a tv) we had some time to get all fallish. a few of the highlights...

activity #1: having our first go at making doughnuts to spook the neighbors (side note: time consuming project, especially without a doughnut cutter...but fun and yummy nonetheless)

activity #2: a visit to the witches at gardner village with eli's playgroup

activity #3: enjoying the great weather by biking around the lake and stopping at all the parks on the way

activity #4: an afternoon spent at the new mcdonald's in the district to check out their new playplace and enjoy some fries

other activities, not pictured: walk to the local pumpkin patch, numerous nights of games with the neighbor kids, canning, canning and more canning (peaches, pears, applesauce and pie filling, grape and plum juice, tomatoes, salsa, and spaghetti sauce, and raspberry jam), throwing together "reflections" projects, playing volleyball with the young women, ward chile cook-off, and finishing up the fall soccer season.

whew! what an october!!

we've arrived!!!!

2009-11-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

i just had to post about our most recent milestone. 10 1/2 yr. old megs has officially become our resident babysitter. last weekend, matt and i had a halloween party to be at and i was contemplating on which sitter to use. when i asked megs who she would want to come over she told me she thought she could do it. i've used her before for runs to the store and errands but never a full blown put-the-kids-to-bed, don't let anyone get maimed, lets avoid a 911 call type of job. since we were just going to be in the neighborhood, we gave her the nod and 5.5 hours of FREE, free time later, she had all the little ones fed and down (a feat not all our normal sitters have yet to accomplish), dishes done, and house picked up (well, semi picked up). we have been waiting for this day for YEARS, i tell you, YEARS!!!!

it was like a dream come true. the $40 that would have been spent on a sitter is staying put. matt and i have been planning all week what to do with our new found freedom.

so far...

early morning temple trip

run to walmart to start christmas shopping (gone for a while)

temple again tonight

night out this weekend

the list will continue

on and on

until she goes away to college and

poof

eli is11...practically an adult.

are you counting the $$$$ in savings?

cha-ching!

trip to lake powell

2009-09-30T12:29:00.000-07:00

We've been anticipating this for months!

the kids, and their parents, have been patiently (or not so patiently) awaiting this trip to powell with our colorado buddies, the duncan's and the luck's.

we met at Bullfrog on wednesday night and spent the next 3 days soaking up the southern utah sun, getting our H2O skiing fix (it's been way too long!!!), visiting national monuments, catching up with our favorite people, hitting the dunes up moki canyon, and swimming, swimming, swimming (as if we haven't done enough this summer)

McQueens meet Rainbow Bridge

After a fun, long lost friend-filled trip down south we head home early so Matt can begin his reign as the newest "father" of the Daybreak 7th ward...if you get my drift...

i can't believe it! we're too young for this kind of responsiblitiy
we can barely keep up with our own kids
how are we going to keep up with a whole ward?

Hawes'

2009-09-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

With my little brothers and their fams in town, it's time for another Hawes family portrait.

The answer is "yes" to all those wondering if getting all these kids to look at a camera all at once is a nightmare

we're lower left

me and my kiddos

2009-09-21T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here we are...

The little people i spend the majority of my life with

but only for a short while longer

as they grow up so fast

and will soon be on their way

making a go of this world

with their own families

X o O X x o O

the new me

2009-09-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

after months of blah
i finally got an actual style

this may be the one and only time my hair looks good as someone else gets the credit for doing it

POW!

2009-09-02T07:22:00.000-07:00

Isaac came home from playing football with the young men last night with this...

I guess that's what you get when you send your eight year old to play with the 16 year olds.

A shiner for your baby boy, that is

He's SUPER excited to get to school today and tell the guys all about it

I mean, who wouldn't?

Don't let this smile fool you

2009-09-01T16:06:00.000-07:00

We did it...

Matt and I ran our first half marathon this weekend in Logan

I may be smiling here but inside i'm thinking,"i may never walk again"

pppppppeaches!

2009-09-01T15:59:00.000-07:00

Undoubtedly, the favorite of all the trees in the orchard. It's peach season folks

If i don't answer the phone for the next few days...know i'll be dealing with these beauties

It's that time...

2009-08-31T13:23:00.000-07:00

Say goodbye to summer...and Hello to all things school

back to...

bikes,

backpacks,

lunches,

after school snacks,

reading EVERY day (Isaac),

piano each week,

soccer practice,

activity days and cubs,

homework,

reality.

And one week later...

Mal gets her first taste of kindergarten!

waiting in line with all her buddies from church

a pleasant surprise...seeing isaac at recess while waiting in line

last one in line...

After a long summer full of swimming at the lake, trips to idaho, camping, and general frivolity it's time to get back to real life...the daily grind...a routine.

This year Mallory gets to join the fray by starting kindergarten.

Starting a week later than her siblings has been rough but she made it through until today and she's rearing to go.

Megan is in 5th... I repeat, FIFTH!! grade. She's growing up so fast I can't believe it!! The next thing you know, she'll be married...ok, hopefully not, but you get my drift.

Isaac, a third grader... feels like he's finally in the "upper grades"--and not a kid anymore.

and Eli, little Eli. His post is forthcoming as he starts his playgroup this week.

Everyone is moving up...

and moving on...

a new mr. moroni

2009-08-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

I have tons of belated posts from this summer but wanted to post our most recent happenings this week in SoJo--

we'll miss you burnt arm moroni

Mallory rides! FINALLY

2009-08-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

This week Mal and her bestest across the street bud decided they would hop on their bikes and join the bike riding world--and we have yet to get them off. I've been pulling my hair out trying to get this girl to ride a bike...and to think, all i needed to do was to be 5 and have blonde braids and a blue headband.

3 down...1 to go

me thinks i'll be using this phrase a lot in the near future

idaho #3

2009-08-13T07:49:00.000-07:00

For our third trip north this summer ( i know you're wondering where trip #2 is... but it was over a month ago and almost a blur anyway...if i can steal pictures from my sister i may get around to recapping it) we headed up with the whole of the Hawes clan. We were totally expecting a usual warm August...but were surprised with chilly, windy weather. Almost too cold to swim. Malee kept us all busy doing yard work--getting the fall cleanup under way before the house gets closed up for the summer-- and house work--vacuuming, dusting, and more vacuuming (those jergensen women love their vacuums!!!)

The girls kept busy with Malee's old barbies

and the boys with the Wii and driving the aforementioned girls crazy.

On a day too cold to get in the water, we headed to Rexburg to visit the Teton Dam Museum where we learned all about the dam breaking and the aftermath for the surrounding communities and then headed up to Uncle John's farm that borders the dam and walked right out on the overlook to see what we'd just learned about. In all these years, I never realized that my uncles farmland was part of the land used to build the dam (ie, the BLM came in and told him they were taking 16 feet of his topsoil and then he and his family proceeded in having to shovel their own farmland out of their basement when the dam broke and flooded their Rexburg home.) Doesn't that just sound like the trade of the century?

All in all...

The kiddos traded their day at the Sand Bar to a day on the farm riding 4 wheelers and crawling all over John's farm equipment. An experience in an of itself. And once home, they were filthy!!!! (and all you Jergensen's know what that means!!)

We hurried back on Sunday night to have our last week of summer before it's time to GO BACK!!

(One more picture of Mr. Eli and his attempt at helping with the yard

way too busy...

way too many distractions)

Isaac's baptism

2009-08-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

Ok. these pictures go out of order b/c i can't for the life of me get them to rearrange.

Isaac got to share his big day with his fav cousin, Sam (whose baptism we had to hurry off to when we were done with Isaac's). These two are 3 days apart, born on each other's due dates, and shared blessing days and now baptism days and we're looking forward to a double missionary farewell in 11 years. These two, best buddies from the womb.

All of Isaac's cousin support.

We had our hands full trying to keep all these jokesters quiet for an hour,

impossible (and we're even short 6 in this picture!)

Isaac was baptized on August 8, 2009 by his dad (Who is 2 for 2 in getting overcome with emotion while performing this ordinance for his children:) He has been waiting for this day for some time as he is the last of his crew of friends to take the plunge. He was so excited to wear a matching tie with Matt and since he got his first "real tie" a few months ago, has learned to tie them himself and refuses to go back to zipper ties (as you see eli sporting here)

We had a little scare that our family was going to be in charge of the musical number

HA!! Can you imagine us giving that a shot?

But was relieved to discover a mix up on assignments where we (when i say we, i mean "I") got relegated to offer up the "talk on baptism" instead. Speeches aren't my forte, but is much more doable than a musical number.

summer fun

2009-08-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

what we've been doing when we haven't been in idaho, camping, hanging out with cousins, or having a birthday party

AAAHHHHHH! Summer

just three more days and it's all over
'till next year

Isaac's eighth

2009-08-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

Isaac turned the big eight this year--which means a friend party for him, too--we celebrated on his actual birthday with just us and a fancy schmancy cake-NOT created by me

He got to open his family gifts which consisted of ties, scout stuff and a new bike helmet

i can't believe i'm entering the world of scouting

His friend party was the next night where we had a "video game" party and took all his buddies to the nicklecade (a party option i highly recommend--only minimal planning required and they were super-entertained by me simply handing them a roll of nickles--no party games, no crafts, nothing to take home...ie: fabulous)

All nickled up

Eli's reaction to running out of nickles

Eli and Dad

Isaac taking a spin on some motocross thingy

Mal driving the big rig

After playing for an hour and rounding everyone up we headed back home for cake and snowcones

We got 'em all juiced up and sent 'em home to bounce off their parents walls:)

Viola!

Isaac at eight....

Lets see...

His newest job this summer has been mowing the lawn--an upgrade from last year

He's a computer/video game junkie...well as much as one can be with only one computer game and no gaming system. So i guess he's the junkiest member of our family (which isn't very hard)

He's a great reader--but he doesn't love to read like Megs--he'll only read when forced--otherwise he's playing his aforementioned video game

He played jr. jazz for the first time last winter and we could not for the life of us get him to use the backboard to bank in a shot--we have since gotten him a outside hoop and he's finally learned to use that stinkin' square! EVERY TIME!!!

He loves soccer and improves drastically every season. He starts up this week and can't wait to see what his new jersey color will be... hoping for something besides blue.

Isaac watches Matt and the young men very closely and knows which ones he wants to be like--he knows which qualities in those boys he wants to build in himself. i can see him measuring himself up to them. last month for a ym activity, matt had the ym run up to the temple while carrying gallons of water so they could pass out water to the patrons and workers there. Megs and Isaac wanted to go too so they carried their jugs of water and ran from our house up to the temple (about a mile--all uphill) with the priests. Matt said Isaac was determined to make it to the top without any help..to be just like those boys.

After school one day, i was asking him about his day..who he sat by at lunch today? and he thought for a sec..."um, today is tuesday...that means i sat by coleman. tuesday is coleman's day

Me: "What do you mean, tuesday is coleman's day?"

Him: "Well, all my friends were fighting about who got to sit by me every day so i made up a schedule, Monday is Jefferson's day, Tuesday is Coleman's day, Wednesday is Fisher's day, Thursday is Brennan's day, and Friday is Joey's day. That way everyone gets a turn and no one fights over me anymore" i couldn't stop giggling...this kid truly has kids flocking to him...which matt and i will take over being the smartest or most athletic any day...he's just a good kid. And we'll keep him. Happy Birthday Buddy!

liberty park

2009-08-13T07:39:00.000-07:00

While Matt's sister and fam were in town for their biannual SL visit--we decided to beat the heat with a little spray park/feed the ducks action at liberty park

family campout

2009-07-21T18:33:00.000-07:00

the mcqueens were in charge of the hawes family campout this year and we decided to take everyone up to diamond fork--up spanish fork canyon. our little clan got there a few days before everyone to scope out our campsite and test out the hike to the hot pots. we had a lot of fun with just us, but my kids couldn't stop asking when EVERYONE ELSE WAS GOING TO GET HERE?We took a 5 miler up and back to the hot pots (which BTW, was way too long for little kids and the hot pots at the end were scortching) and ended back to camp at noon where everyone was scortched so we spent the rest of the afternoon swimming in the diamond fork river that ran right by our campsite. (We could have just skipped the hike;)) and then played a lot of "PIT" and "Bocce Ball" and braided hair while we waited for everyone.

Of course i have no pictures of when all 30 of us were there--i'll just have to glean them off everyone else. We had tons of kids, food and fun: swimming, hiking (ok nature walking), family triviaing, and running around with flashlights scaring off any small creatures that lived anywhere near our campsites.

uh-oh

2009-07-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

our first chipped tooth!

little eli came home from jumping on the neighbors tramp with part of him missing.

Double Digits

2009-07-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

It was party year for Megs and so for her 10th B-day we had an... party with friends and cousins.

I sent them on different tasks throughout our neighborhood and the district. Megs was super excited and overly competitive as usual and even though i could sence her frustration...she took her 20 second loss in stride. all she wanted this year was an aeropostale shirt and a pair of converse. cha-ching!

One happy 10 year old.

HMMM...lets see, Megan at 10...
what can i say about Megan at 10?

well, first, she really wanted me to know this was an important birthday because she was finally in double digits. uh huh. super important

megan still loves to read and i can hardly keep her in books. we frequently have to untwist the lightbulb in her lamp so she won't stay up late reading.

She loves soccer! and Although she loves being out front scoring goals she finally talked her coach into letting her play goalie for a bit this season.

She's super dependable and is starting to babysit for me more frequently. She has the touch to be able to put Eli down for a nap like no one else.

She is a great biggest sister...but sometimes can't resist the urge to tease her little siblings to tears or screams. This is definately a Hawes trait

She told me last night that she's really nervous to start the 5th grade because she might not know how to do everything
She is a great helper; while on our latest trip to Idaho she told me that she was trying to do everything she was asked without complaining...i'm hoping her siblings follow suit.

She's my little shaddow. Whenever I'm headed out to the store or to run some errands, she always wants to come with me--by herself--without all the "little kids". She's much too mature for them:)

She's growing her hair out long enough to donate it to locks of love.

She is the anti-girly girl. Bows, lace, pink, glitter, froof...you'll find none of it in her posession. She's comf in her jeans rolled up to her knees w/ a tshirt.

She's a sweetheart and we love her tons

I can't believe I've been a parent for ten years!!!

afternoon with our colorado clan

2009-06-29T06:45:00.000-07:00

thanks old friends, for the fabulous lunch and fun times catching up. we miss you guys!
the little boys (sans sammie)

since our last get together, another girl has been added. hooray for kate! if only m&m could stop fighting over her

bestest buds from way back

ditto!

trip to idaho #1

2009-06-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

with school out and matt busy at work and with YM, the kiddos and i jumped ship for a few days and headed north for a little R&R with the keehans. malee kept us busy with cleaning and weeding (when it wasn't raining) and we got to enjoy the super cold and super high sand bar for an afternoon. the trip was short and sweet but don't worry, we'll be back...a couple of times:)

3 down, 1 to go

2009-06-29T06:28:00.000-07:00

mal graduated from preschool a few weeks ago and is right ready to jump into kindergarten. we are in the process of changing tracks and so she doesn't start till mid august and the waiting is killing her. she had a fabulous year with mrs. jean (or "ms. jeans", depending on who you ask) and was sad to see it all end.

that leaves just little eli to make his way through the world of preschool. i can't believe this chapter of our lives is more that half over--wow! where did all the time go?

birthday and a buzz

2009-06-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Mr. Eli is 3!!! (we're hoping that we've seen the last of his terrible twos--but we're not holding our breath.)

He also got his summer buzz with much coaxing--this kid hates haircuts. we celebrated the night before with a lightning mcqueen (of course!) and mater cake with g & g mcqueen and then went with all the hawes cousins to the movie up on the night of.

Some eli @ 3 tidbits to remember:

-still naps every day and loves to "get cozy" with me to read stories in isaac's bed. he's the only one of my children that i have been able to lie down with (as there is no new baby to tend to) and have really loved getting my daily dose of snuggle.

-has been potty trained for nearly a year! this kid was a potty protege.

-has skipped 3T clothes. gone straight from 2 to 4. (This may be more me than him as i'm over buying clothes that last only one year)

-needs his dad to tuck him in and sing "tuppence" ("feed the birds" from mary poppins) while tickling his tummy.

-talks a blue streak. he talks more than megan!! and she drove us nuts-so you can imagine how we're getting along with him. it's great because we can always understand him but his decible level is through the roof! something about being the youngest of 4, i guess.

-is left footed. this came out of nowhere as everyone else is very right side dominant. but you put a ball at his feet and he's up and down the yard--all lefty.

-loves to drive in grandpas "mater" truck that has been visiting our house lately

-favorites: orange, diego, cornmeal, signing time, "cars" and star wars guys, and mud.

-wants to follow mallory wherever she goes. this may prove traumatic when kindergarten starts in august.

-shoots everything in sight with this index finger. please don't be offended if you are on the receiving end of one of eli's "pyoom, pyoom's"-especially during sacrament meeting. we're working on it

-is not satisfied until the little girl across the street is crying.

-is incapable of sitting still.

-is extremely rough and tumble--everything is a tackle, a shove, a push, a whack, a crash, a hit--there's not a soft bone is his body and he's wearing me right out--i need that daily nap.

-amid all his testosterone, he's my little bud and growing up so fast. my baby is quickly leaving all things baby behind. my how time flies!

happy birthday buddy!

killer whales, blue whales and blizzard

2009-06-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

these are the soccer teams we've been supporting this spring. how lucky that every uniform is blue! (we'd have fared better if they were red!) megs and isaac played with the same teams they were on last fall and did great! they still love this game--even after basketball and volleyball seasons this winter, soccer still gets the most love. matt and i look forward to their games every saturday, so excited to see our offspring out there, living out the dreams we have for them (that is meant as a joke)
mallory was the newest addition to the saturday morning schedule. she finally got her shot at soccer and pranced her way up and down the field. she played on a team with lots of friends from the ward and was a little less intimidated than we expected. this is a shot of her scoring her first goal and the after-goal high five from coach (yes, i said COACH) mom (that is a whole other story)

she's gotten less and less nervous with each game and starting to figure the whole thing out. she's my best listener out on the field which i am SOOOOOOO grateful for with 6 4-5 year olds out there at a time who need lots of direction. we didn't win many games but learned a bunch in the process (like get your small kids in a league that doesn't have 6 4-5 year olds out on the field at a time)
well, another season, come and gone--and none of us wanting it to end (except for the coach;)

a chance to meet mayor money

2009-05-27T22:04:00.000-07:00

megan won an essay contest a few weeks ago on water conservation and had the chance to meet the mayor of south jordan, mayor money. while she had his ear, she complained about all the road construction that we south jordanians are having to suffer through as of late. as well as the increased fees for pavillion reservations and the inept staff at mulligans. this fourth grader definately has an agenda and wasn't going to let this opportunity pass her by--
ok so she barely spoke to the mayor but SHOULD have mentioned all of the above for those of us who would like to give mayor money a piece of our minds but will never have the chance

how mallory views the world...

2009-05-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

from her carseat on I15.

our little tumbler

2009-05-19T14:04:00.000-07:00

that's her, in the plaid shorts and hot pink leotard...not the plaid shorts and brown tshirt:)

mal's wish was granted this spring as she spent every friday afternoon at gymnastics. she is so funny to watch as she rocks herself in prep to do a cartwheel or smells her knees while doing sommersaults. of all our kids, she is by far the most limber and quite enjoys leotards (the closest thing to her swimsuit). in these pictures she is at her end of year performance where she got to get out on the mats and show off her stuff (that being a sommersault and a wobbly cartwheel:) the best part was her oogling at the older, more advanced girls and all their fancy tricks. such a cutie patootie

if you visit us in the spring--you get sent home with a bunch of these

2009-05-19T13:56:00.000-07:00

this year my favorite tulips to bloom were the orangeish ones. i don't quite remember them from last year--but i'm sure they were here. i just must have been too busy unpacking to remember.

4th grade science fair

2009-05-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

our first science fair project--and unfortunately not our last. she had a fun time doing it--excited that she made it to district--but glad she's finally done!! aren't we all!

The newest addition to our neighborhood

2009-05-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

they took down the construction fences a few weeks ago and for FHE we took a bike ride up to the temple to have a look around. we could get right up close and look in the windows. how exciting! it's almost finished

trip to L.A.

2009-04-20T13:10:00.000-07:00

my little bro lives in LA and we have been itching for a vacation and with refund $ in hand we headed to southern cali for a little fun in the sun with some rarely seen cousins.
we started our journey hitting an I-15 road closure for an accident and it took us 2 hours to get from south jordan through provo!!! turn back, you say? naw! 4 small children cooped up in one minivan while traveling 4 mph--road trip heaven! fortunately, it was at the beginning and everyone was too amped up about the trip to care
(especially with the leapsters (thank you sue) and the last minute replacement dvd player (thank you kurt and cheri))
We got to LA on saturday afternoon and headed off the the LA arboretum for an easter egg hunt and a stroll around their beautiful grounds. my brother says they can grow any plant there--and after all the crazy thing we saw--i believe him.

Sunday was easter and we spent the day with the southern cali crew. aunts, uncles, cousins and their families headed to hemet for easter dinner and more egg hunts. a big thanks to everyone for letting us come and enjoy spending this time with you. tal and reg--we are already planning to come back and let you take care of us again real soon! Megan's new bestest bud, MY cousin! They are 9 months apart and had so much fun together (and almost look like sisters)

i can see future maids-of-honor at each other's weddings (because we decided megan's wedding will be in tal's back yard in the spring, at sunset, when the freesia are in bloom--oh my goodness!!! thanks uncle tal, in advance;))

mal and eli inspecting their loot
Monday was beach day and we loaded up and headed to Huntington Beach for some fun in the sun--something Utah is in short supply of lately. it has been 4 years since we've been to the beach and it has been sorely missed. i forget how much i love to soak up the sun and sand. i also forgot how much i detest getting sand out of girls swimming suits, especially at beach showers that require you to hold the shower on with one hand and do your best on a suit with the other

(here's a shot of all four kids--about as far in as any of them liked to get!)
Tuesday and Wednesday were DLAND days.

It was a first for all of us and we had a wonderful time (thanks to our own personalized "mike lambert 2-day guide to disneyland--how to get the most out of your trip and not stand in too many lines--even over spring break. all you 7hills ward followers give bro. lambert a high five from the mcqueens!))

mallory's only dream was to have her face painted--why? i ask. why? but, it was her money and her choice. darn that agency.(while everyone else rode space mountain, eli was lucky enough to get some one on one with "bees buzz")

after he met buzz lightyear and realized that all the disney charachers "lived" in disneyland, all eli wanted was to find mickey and give him a hug. so after a semi long wait in line, his dland wish was granted. way worth it to see that smile!

megan and isaac just wanted to go from ride to ride--never wanting it all to end. with a child swap pass they were lucky enough to ride almost everything twice each time we waited for a ride. who was the genius who thought up that one?

Thursday was the Ghetti art museum (one lost tooth) + beach (one dead seal) + second round of in and out + dodgers game (another lost tooth). What a day! I'm tired just typing about it.

we first went to the ghetti where we totally overwhelmed the docent in the "family center" (a section of the museum for families that was smaller than my living room and only allowed like .5 people in at a time--no, dorothy, we're not in utah anymore). this art museum caters to a different genre and when this poor woman saw 8 kids and 4 adults all decked out in beach gear pushing 2 strollers packed to the gills heading toward her post she almost had a heart attack right there. just trying to get us all in and out and coordinating the adult/child ration was sending her over the edge.

the highlight was isaac losing his tooth right there in the courtyard while eating a pepper. if that didn't seal the deal for us feeling a little out of place and underdressed i don't know what would!

we then headed a few miles to the beach in malibu where we had a blast riding the surf and playing in the sand one last time

then we finished off the night hitting the doders/giants game in dodgers stadium. where isaac lost tooth #2 for the day. he had been working at it since lunch and was determined to yank that sucker out that night.

after a long day and an action packed week, this is how we all felt--pooped-but had a blast a minute!

thanks again shemmy and luisa for being wonderful hosts! we miss you guys already

friday was drive home day

saturday, get back to normal day

sunday, up and at it for church

monday, back to work and school

it's almost as if we need a vacation to recoup from our vacation!

letterboxing

2009-04-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

to kill some time while the kiddos were off track we decided to track down some letterboxes close by. letterboxing is just geocaching without the gps. you go online and find clues to where people have hidden letterboxes.

the kids love it.

it's like national treasure and they get so excited following someone else's map to buried "treasure" (ok the treasure is a waterproof box with a stamp inside that you collect--and you get to leave your own stamp in their mini book) we found this one at a park, under a rock in west jordan

and another buried by this old firetruck.

warning: avoid going up to bingam copper mine before the visitors center is open and tell the guard you are just heading up a few miles to find something buried on their property. nope, they don't like it;)

while letterboxing though, we found this gem

a never-before visited park that quickly became every one's favorite. especially because of this:my kids are junkies for these tire swings. they could spin themselves (wait... I could spin them) to puke and they would still go back for more.

don't worry west jordan city park...we'll be back soon

what do march flowers bring?

2009-03-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

spring hit our yard this past week and we have been enjoying the first daffodils on the block. we have one spot right under our front window that is prime for these flowers because they are at least a month ahead of all the other daffodils in the yard or neighborhood for that matter.the crocus are out too--hip hip hooray! warm weather right around the corner. i love when spring starts to peek out from its winter hiding spots.

spring also means pruning. oh boy and does our yard get quite the haircut. with the 7 fruit trees plus grapes and raspberries, we have the beginnings for quite a bonfire in the back right now. it's days like these we wish we had a truck--but for now, we'll be filling our garbage cans a little bit at a time for the next few months to get rid of last years growth.

the warm weather gets the kids out of their winter hiding spots too, (ie: the computer) and yesterday with the temp close to the 70's, the whole street was out soaking it in. rollerblades, ripsticks, scooters, bikes, croquet, soccer balls, baseball gloves, sidewalk chalk. this week we've seen it all...and it's only wednesday. yea for spring.

utes

2009-03-04T12:48:00.000-08:00

in learning his colors, eli has mistaken the color red for the color "utes". he points out when someone is wearing a "utes" shirt. he'll tell you he likes the "utes" skittles. Strawberries are
"utes" and he likes "utes" apples better than green ones. when we play the colored bear game, he always wants to be "utes".

we start 'em early over here.

She's 5!!

2009-03-01T09:53:00.000-08:00

So our little mal is finally old enough to start kindergarten in the fall--we'll count july as fall for all you year rounders--and couldn't be more excited. she goes around telling us that she can do things now..."because she's 5". as in, "i can get dressed by myself now, because i'm 5" or "i can set the table now, because i'm 5" or my personal favorite, "i'm good now, because i'm 5". she could do all these things before, but now that she's hit this milestone she has more incentive to do them without being asked over and over and over and over...(you see where i'm going). This year was family party year for mal and she chose to go to jumpin' jacks over chuck e cheese (with subtle prodding from matt) and she wanted a tinkerbell cake. those of you who know about my cake fiascoes in the past know i cringe when my kids want any sort of cake that isn't just plain frosted. since i try (at times) to be a devoted mom i whipped up this piece of love for mal.

(the green cupcake tinkerbell is sitting on is a "moss covered rock emerging from the blue mermaid lagoon" (i know you couldn't tell). it's the best i could do especially since my cake decorating bags and tips have been "misplaced" (by whom is still a mystery).

this year she scored with rollerblades AND a scooter--anything to keep up with her siblings who take off down the street.

(don't mind the mess:) we were making a cake all day)

Things about mallory that i don't want to forget:

She's in gymnastics and LOVES it. she has figured out how to cartwheel (megan is still trying to learn that skill which completely irks her), do arch ups and is working on her donkey kicks.

her favorite food is POPCORN! a bag a day--it's a ritual--

she loves playing with her friends and her favorite thing to do with them is play "SHOPBUY", where she SHOPS for clothes by taking them out of her closet and takes them to (insert friend name here) at the fake register to BUY them all and put them in grocery bags. so after "shopbuy", i have grocery bags full of clothes scattered all around the house.

she's way into MAKEUP. oh boy, she started early on this one.

she grew 5 inches last year!!

she wants to wear skirts or dresses every day.

she spent her first talk in this ward last sunday at home throwing up while isaac gave it for her.

if i can't find her i know she's watching a movie on the ceiling of isaac's closet with the projector.

she likes copying megs and isaac by "practicing" the piano and calls me in to sing while she plays.

eli still knows which buttons to press to drive her up the wall and does so frequently.

she's finally turned into a wonderful sleeper.

she has the cutest, softest cheeks in the world and i am constantly accosting them.

buddies

2009-02-11T21:16:00.001-08:00

the past little bit has been all about playing with friends. we were off track for all of january and playing with friends became a daily occurrence -- now that school's back on, it's been hard to break the habit. oh well--anything to keep 'em entertained right

the "fab four". where one is, you will find them all. we've been really impressed with meg's friends and their families. it's fun to think that these girls will probably end up going to stake dances and double dates together. it's just around the corner

(forgive the picture of the office, my most hated of all rooms in the house) isaac and his brother buddies. you'll notice isaac's display of U red and his friend's counter display of BYU blue. the battle rages between these guys--but they can put their college loves aside when there is lego star wars to be played.mall needs friends daily or i hear about it!! she is way too social to be stuck at home all day with eli and i. not a neighborhood friend, but eli's newest buddy all the same. he talks constantly of superman since he and his brothers were over last week. it's almost a bromance! just recently eli has matured so that he can interact with other kids where isn't protecting his turf. he's learning that friends can play with your stuff and it's still your stuff after they go home. finally!! being the fourth, he's had to fight for everything and we're slowly moving on from that! friends are finally fun! p.s. a huge good luck and best wishes to this little guy who gets to be a big brother this week!

i love to see the temple

2009-02-11T20:53:00.000-08:00

this past weekend we had tickets to go through draper temple open house. we've been prepping the kids for weeks and getting them all hyped up about their first time getting to see the inside. we can see this temple from our house all the way across the valley and we're getting excited for our own to open up here at the end of the summer.

everyone had their own favorites:

megs--the brides dressing room

imac--the font

mal--seeing herself in the mirrors in the sealing rooms.

eli--the cookies and mini water bottles at the end

me--that you will move through the ordinance rooms--just like in salt lake--very cool paintings in the "telestial rooms"

matt--the size (width) of the doors (i'm not sure if it was his fav. but he's mentioned it tons since)

what a priceless experience to be all together and to have the chance to point out fun things and answer questions. to see the looks on my girls faces as they walked through the brides room and to watch isaac be enthralled with the font and baptism--his just a few months away.

definitely recommend this family outing--just bring a kelty for the youngest. if he wasn't being held (the tour was 2 hours mind you) he was trying to take off. not the best place to lose a 2 year old who snuck gum in past the "NO GUM PAST THIS POINT" sign. (we realized it when we found gum in mallory's hair in the celestial room;)

Happy Birthday Grandma Ardes!

2009-01-21T14:56:00.000-08:00

Matt's Grandma turned 98 this December. every year we have a big mcqueen party to celebrate--we've usually had these at her home, but the past few years (because she is finally getting too old!) we've gone up to rog and jill's. mary and her family always come after christmas as well, so we get plenty of playing with the mcqueen's.
Here's our kids with grandma and their 2..count them 2!... mcqueen cousins. (quite a difference between matt's family parties and mine with 24 crazy cousins running around.) grandma, at 98, is still all there. she know all of her 15 or so grandchildren and her 25 or so great-grandchildren and loves to have them around. she dotes on them all and is genuinely interested and concerned with each one. she truly amazes me at the number of lives she's touched in 98 years. another wonderful plus about being home is getting to be around ardes in the twilight of her life. watching my children love her and interact with her is a priceless memory for both them and me. of all of ardes' great-grandkids, these 5 stick together. they only see each other 2x a year so when they do get together they are inseparable. they can spend weeks at a time together without getting sick of each other and needing a break. it's really fun to watch them enjoy the time they have together so much.

just thought i'd throw in the new darker me. a little darker than planned...but, we're going to go with it for a while.

Christmas Morning Faves

2009-01-21T14:39:00.000-08:00

isaac and his bakugans

eli and his "cars" undies

megs in her ute track jacket, hat, and new boots

mall and her "mallory doll" (notice she is in her gymnastics leotard--she drives me nuts!!!)

you already know my fave and matt's was a Ripstick to share with isaac. he is tired of borrowing the kid's down the street.

my parents braved the blizzard and joined us with jared and dana and taylor and laney (home from NY) for christmas dinner. it was the first year in a long while we didn't have to split the day between our families. we lounged all day watching movies and the snow pile up before heading the block or two over to jared's. just what christmas should be. no craziness, no hustle and bustle, just being together.

Christmas Eve

2009-01-19T12:28:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve was spent in our home this year. With my family party over with and Matt's not until next week, we had a "silent night" with just us and Grandma and Grandpa. We started with dinner and then had our little program: the girls doing their Symbols of Christmas talk and Isaac doing his talk on the white cloths in Jesus' life. Eli just hopped from adult to adult trying to be reverent. Not a chance with this one.
then the kids opened their christmas jammies and Oh joy!!! Matching Utes PJs!! just in time for the big game! they love them and getting them to the laudry has proven to be difficult. with a quick kiss the gramma and grandpa they were off to bed--too excited to sleep.

ok, no camera, but HELLO...

2009-01-12T14:16:00.001-08:00

new washer and dryer. so, we left our set in colorado a year ago, and my brother gave us his old set when we moved here and (not to kick a gift horse in the mouth) but said hand-me-down has been really leaking for the past two months and i could only wash a medium load (gasp!, i know). that said, i have detested laundry and the wet floor aftermath for a while and matt caught on to my complaining and VIOLA! merry christmas to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! see, whining really does pay off. now, i {heart} laundry. the clothes come out of the washer almost dry and the dryer is so quiet. i don't even know when it's on. i've been renewed, refreshed even, as a mother, and all my mothering duties.

the only thing i'm waiting for now is an automatic folding machine;)

all i want for christmas...

2008-12-01T12:17:00.001-08:00

is a new camera. how can i blog without a camera? i ask you! literally impossible! ok maybe not but i was trying to get some sympathy for dropping off the blogging bandwagon for the past month. on to sympathy for awful camera syndrome. our old olympus 350c (or whatever it is) is as old as megs and has worked just great for us but isaac dropped it a few months ago (after being reminded and reminded that cameras are expensive and only mom and dad can use it--you see how far that went) and now all pictures are blurry around the edges (i'm sure this hasn't gone unnoticed!) so if santa is out there checking blogs...DON"T FORGET ME THIS YEAR! the whole past two months of our lives have gone undocumented for the lack of photo ability (well, and a little, i mean little, laziness on my account)

some things you've missed:

megan has been singing in the local children's choir for the past few months and at the begining of december they had their christmas concert at temple square. matt's parents along with mine plus aunts, uncles and cousins came out to wish her well and see her first big performance. unfortunately, there was no taping during the performance so we couldn't get her on film and of course, chalk another one up to the camera crisis, all of our stills are blurry. nonetheless, it was so fun to see her don her choir robes and sing her guts out for a real audience. we asked isaac if he was going to join her choir next year and, without hesitation, rapidly shook his head and looked at us like we were going to cut off his right arm. ok. message recieved. you won't hear about isaac's choir debut

but you will hear about the school christmas play a few weeks ago. we thought we left colorado behind us--but this play was something you'd see in a boulder school with al gore as the visiting santa. "santa's going green" was the title and each grade sung a song about enery conservation or recycling or how santa is now using fossil fuel to power his sleigh. quite a different twist on christmas plays of old. not one traditional chirstmas song. i'm not talking bring in the christmas spirit with "away in a manger" or "oh come all ye faithful". but a good rousing "jolly old st. nicholas" or "i want a hippopotamus for christmas" were noticeably absent. what's up with that?

in salt lake? bah! just wait until i join the school/community council.

mallory had her little preschool program last week too and loved performing like her older siblings. fortunately her class let christmas ring with "rudolf" and "jingle bells" and other christmasy tunes and poems. she really has grown up a ton and kindergarten can't come fast enough--for both of us;)

other fun events--seeing the lights at temple square, isaac starting his first season of basketball, megan singing the star spangled banner at a "feeder team for the jazz" (i can't remember their name) game, sledding with the whole neighborhood this weekend, sunday advent celebrations, gearing up for dad's b-day, pretzel dipping with dana, trying to figure out christmas lights on a new house, and getting 12 days of christmased by one of our neighbors.

here's hoping unblurry pictures will be gracing our blog soon!

the end of another season

2008-11-05T15:35:00.000-08:00

...soccer, that is. both megs and isaac played awesome this season. they still love this sport and when we're not out on the pitch watching them, we're playing a girls v boys game in the back yard. when it gets too dark for that, isaac is you tubing any Man U clips he can find. it's so fun to see them so intense about this game. to love everything about it. i hope they continue.

isaac and his new soccer buddy, simon. this kid can BOOT the ball. he scored while playing goalie on a drop kick. kicked it over everyone and bounced over their goalie. hilarious!

isaac got a better feel for defense this year, too. which was a change for him. he still loves to score but slide tackling has become his new joy. if he can do both in one motion, all the better:)

megan, on the other hand, never saw the backfield this season. she always was out front, just how she likes it:) practicing against isaac definitely shone through this year. she was way more confident in her dribbling skills and took the ball around many a full back to find the back of the net. it's fun to watch her develop into a good little ball player.

scoring her last goal of the season. she had been held scoreless this game and with one minute left, tapped this one past the goalie to put the score at 2-1. i'll let you just imagine her excitement.

fall festivities

2008-11-03T15:38:00.000-08:00

the pumpkin getting, above, and the pumpkin carving, below.The beauty of moving to a new city is you can get away with the same halloween costumes from last year and no one is the wiser. this year, both mal and isaac were gems and allowed their mother to take a creative break this season by going with their "old trusties" from last year. Cheer bear for mal and isaac as a skeleton. megan was harder to convince and in the end, was "cindy lou who", easily made from a DI dress and stuff around the house. eli took the cake, though, as our resident chicken. he was destined to be last year's frog until aunt dana offered up the chicken for him to borrow. am i ever glad as he was so funny, wadling around.

mal at her preschool party, and with eli and her bestest friend

off track campout

2008-10-16T06:32:00.000-07:00

the kids have been home for the past three weeks and we've been able get out a bit and to do some fun things. this early fall off track time is slowly becoming my favorite. the weather is great--not too hot and not too frigid. it gets darker sooner than in the height of summer and they can play outside with friends in the dark without it being too late. they've rallied the neighbor kids for all sorts of night games on our street the past few weeks and have loved every minute.

last weekend, though, we took advantage of probably the last good weekend of the year and headed south for a little family camping trip. matt had been a few weeks earlier with the young men and he wanted to show the kids all the cool stuff he got to see.

as i've mentioned before on this blog, we're "white trash campers". no cool, high tech gear. no camper or rv. no atvs or motocross bikes. everything either bought on clearance or borrowed. not even a truck to load everything into--just a honda odyssey, packed to the gills. and four overjoyed children.

we camped in the san rafael swell next to this prime climbing wall...

then drove in a bit and hiked the narrows for a few miles until we hit an impassable (well, impassable with 4 small children) trench of water and turned around...

then at sunset drove into goblin valley to explore and play hide and seek. and for megan to take some pictures to enter in the reflections contest.

we got filthy dirty but loved every minute. this could easily become an early fall tradition.

reflections of christ

2008-09-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

just to brighten your day
http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

new family pics

2008-09-25T13:17:00.000-07:00

ok they're finally here!!! and there are too many to choose from--so i'll put it to a vote. which family picture should we blow up mongo huge to hang on our otherwise empty front room wall?
a big shout out to my cousin rachael who did the honors. check her out. she's all the rage.

i'm waiting.............

crazy hair day

2008-09-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

last friday was crazy hair day at school and this is what the kids came up with

megan couldn't wait to take this out after she got home!

bring on the harvest and other tidbits

2008-08-27T21:04:00.001-07:00

we're up to our armpits in tomatoes, zuchinni and cucumbers as of late. we've finally been successful at getting to taste something that we've grown. we weren't so lucky in colorado. we've also devoured all the corn, raspberries, apricots, and lettuce and looking forward with mucho anticipation for the grapes and peaches--they look awesome!!!!!! if only we could keep the birds from thinking they look awesome, too. we also have 3 huge watermelons that we are going to sample this weekend. i'm crossing my fingers that they'll taste ok as they've taken over the whole of the garden. it has been fun for the kids to see the long term benefits of hard work and patience with gardening this year. they've all been really good to help with every step of the process, from planting, to weeding, to watering, to harvesting, and especially eating! eli just walks out there, picks whatever and chomps away. corn especially!!

speaking of eli--i thought i'd just add this pic as it is my future blackmail material--he has had quite an august. in the past month he as moved out of his crib, forgone the bink, and is in undies 24/7!!! talk about a month of transition. he's done really well with all that comes with growing up as of late (except he longs for the bink now and then) and i can't believe that after 9 1/2 years i have no diapers to buy or change. this frees up $ in the budget for mallory to take tumbling which has been her obsession for the past few months. she starts this week and is bursting with excitement! it will be so fun for her.

she's also started preschool again. something she's missed out on since we left colorado 8 months ago. she goes with all the other kids in the ward to mrs. jean (ms. jeans as mallory calls her) and she loves that it is something all by herself. she is so social and independent (from me, at least) that she really thrives when i'm not around. reminds me of my other daughter;). speaking of...megan just found out today that she made the riverton children's choir. we went down to the high school to audition on monday. she sang "away in a manger"--her first ever solo-- for the directors. she'd been a nervous wreck the whole day but did great. i'm hoping it will be a fun and rewarding experience (and that she'll learn a thing or two about singing because she's not going to get it from me).

with school started it also means the onslaught of soccer. we moved the kids to new teams this year and already love their new coaches and that their games are 2 minutes away!!! they are ready to get back into some regular exercise after not having much to do after school for the past few weeks and i'm ready for them to drop into bed at night instead of running me ragged and then still not being tired.

crazy july

2008-07-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

i finally have a minute to play catch up on the busiest month i think i've ever experienced. we have had both matt's sister and her family and my brother and his family in town for the past 3 weeks and we've been trying to juggle activities with them along with our own schedule and so i hope you'll forgive the pending travel log.

4th of July--

no pic but spent with old, old friends the evans' who just happened to be moving back to here after a looooooooooong time spent in school. rick was one of the best men at our wedding and we were the last people he talked to as he headed out to propose to marty. so fun to catch up. so fun to see their kids we've barely met (who are miniatures of their parents). we've so missed friends that we had when we got married. plus # 1 on this post about living back home this summer.

6th of july--

baby hank's blessing (all pictures taken on my mom's camera-which means they'll never get off as i'm not sure if she knows how;) my little bro taylor and his wife laney had their first baby (on my birthday!!!) and blessed him this day down in orem. it's the first family ordinance we've been to in quite a while that didn't involve one of our children. plus # 2

6th-9th of july--

a quick trip to idaho, sans matt, with two sisters-in-law and their kids. how we love this place!!!! a big thanks to malee for staying back at the house with sleeping eli so i could swim with the older kids, corn meal with bacon, and an innumerable amount of double solitaire. plus # 3--close enough to drop whatever might be going on and take a few days of r&r in good ol' st. anthony. swim, float, swim some more, eat, watch girlie movies that matt would never pick and i've been dying to have someone to watch them with. a necessity of every summer as long as i can remember.

10th-12th of july--

bennion (matt's mom's side) family reunion in brighton. i don't have pictures of the whole group yet but here are the kids in their reunion shirts. we stayed 2 nights in cabins up there and had a great time with cousins of matt's that we rarely see. so fun to let our kids get to know relatives from around the country. plus # 4- getting to observe the bennion sisters at work. my mother-in-law and her sisters excel at family get togethers. they have been conference calling each other for months getting every last detail figured out and making sure their were fun and games for every age and liking. they thrive under pressure and are ever gracious and generous! thank you fab 5--you know who you are!!!

11th-25th of july

matt's sister in town for above said reunion and to vacate for a few weeks.

we had fun trips to liberty park, the bountiful bubble, uncle craig's cabin for horse riding and 4-wheeling, a family birthday party (with 5 of the 6 grand kids birthdays in the summer we thought combining them all would be best. mallory just got to celebrate twice this year), sleepovers and wii tournaments. mallory has found her twin in her cousin emileigh. just months apart, they are both into the same things right now and and get along swimmingly. on my side, she is the one cousin that doesn't have a twin. she's too young for kate, camila, and miranda and too old for ali and lauren (at least in her eyes) so emileigh is a treasure. if we could just get eli to stop pinching her, their visit might have been perfect;) plus #5 seeing matt's only sibling and her family more often than once every 2 years or so

17th- 19th of july-

neighborhood camping trip. in an attempt to get in good with some of our new neighbors we went camping to the spruces with a few families. as we've not been camping for some time, the kids were beside themselves with excitement. we're not the worlds most amped up campers. in fact, we're camping white trash. we pack all 6 of us with all our gear smashed into every inch of extra space into the ol' minivan--kids buried in sleeping bags and pillows so they'll fit (both the kids and the bags) in the back and coolers piled high in front of those with short legs. no high tech gear, just a clearanced out eddie bauer tent from target and a hand me down dutch oven, but they get us through. eli spent the entire 2 1/2 days covered in dirt. oh! he was gross! kids and camping, the essence of filth.

11th of july-3rd of august

my other little brother and his family are visiting as well and so we have been trying to even out the time between families. we spent a day with all the moms and kids up at this is the place heritage park last week (camera left in the car!) and all the cousins on my side (excluding babies) were enjoying a surprise afternoon downpour on the train after riding the ponies and doing all things pioneer. lunch at lucy's and before we knew it it was 4:30 and dinner for matt called. we packed up and headed back to reality with much whining and attempts to persuade me to let them stay. plus # 6--my kids get to grow up with their cousins. they're not the odd family out anymore (and i don't feel bad about saying no to sleepovers because there's always the next weekend)

24th of july--

new family picture taken!! yipee! can't wait to see them rachie. thank you! thank you! i love that you are adopted;) plus # 7- living in a hub where extended family with mucho talent stop in to visit other family and you get to sneak your family into their busy schedules and they still love you!!!!

25th-26th of july--

hawes family hike to timpanogos cave and camping trip. yes! camping trip #2. our first time getting in on the hawes campout (obviously-plus # 8). mallory hiked the whole way up. she complained every step, but every step was her own. we were trying to avoid a repeat of last weekend's hike to donut falls from the spruces where she took maybe 10 steps on the whole journey. she was a trooper until we had to make a mad dash from the cave 1/2 way through for an emergency potty run. it seems letting her carry her own camel back does come with a down side!

we camped overnight a few miles up from sundance, survived a thunderstorm and headed down the next morning in time for church which brings us to

28th of july

isaac's 7th birthday, celebrated with a skateboard, a donut cake and a promise to go miniature golfing (with a real cake) when we get a free weekend.

and the first day of school!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! already!!! there's nothing like the first day of school to bring summer (and birthday) fun to a halt. isaac in grade 2 and megan in grade 4. the kids are excited to get back though, and so am i. it came up a little fast as we're used to a 3 month break but we're in desperate need of a routine. the only reason i'm blogging right now is 2 kids @ school, 1 across the street and 1 napping. i totally get that old office max commercial that has the mom dancing with glee throughout the isles of the store as she gathers back to school supplies, her morose children following and "it's the most wonderful time of the year" playing in the background. it's time. and i'm ready to send them back. back to going to bed on time, back to getting up for scripture study, back to reading every day, back to peace and quiet. ahhhh! can't you just hear it? (as long as i'm not homeschooling, a plus no matter where we live)

yes, this post is FINALLY over.

megan's b-day

2008-07-05T21:29:00.001-07:00

for megan's ninth, we had a ladies only lunch at archibald's with megan's grandmas and her bestest cousin maren. she was adamant that mallory was not allowed to come as all she wanted this year was to go somewhere without everyone else, meaning "the little people", mallory, isaac, and eli. so, thanks to my sister-in-law, dana, we could grant her this one wish. we had a lovely lunch and then walked around gardner village checking out all the cutesie girl shops. we later hit ikea as she also wanted to give her room a makeover and she wanted to pick a new duvet and color scheme for her room. her bed has been pink for the last few years and she's had enough. she picked a black and white floral print with primary colored circles so we'll see when we get it all thrown together how it turns out.
she also wanted to make her own cake and she did a fabulous job. (no, the cake did not fall off the counter as it appears it is about to in this picture.) it was her first time using the icing bag and tips and she was so nervous--but she pulled through in the end. i'm actually quite excited as i am a horrible cake baker/decorator, so she may have been lucky and acquired that gene from matt and can do all my cake decorating for me.
i can't believe how fast she has grown and that i have a nine year old. she has been such a joy so far--even when her competitive spirit gets the better of her (like today,with isaac playing the wii--that girl CANNOT lose to her brother in anything) and she tries so hard to be the best at anything she tries. she's such a sweetheart and we love her to death (and can't wait until she's 12 and we have a built in babysitter!! believe me we are counting down!)

killing two birds with one stone

2008-06-17T13:59:00.000-07:00

its been a busy weekend followed by a busy monday so here i am on tuesday, posting a belated happy fathers day to my fathers and a happy anniversary to my sweets.

first to my dads:

i think that this is the only picture in existence of just the three of us, my dad, me, and matt's dad, on the day i began having two fathers to celebrate on this holiday. what a joy to have both of you in my life. i love to watch you love my kids. reading to, wrestling with, loving on. grandpa's in action. something i missed in my childhood but am evergrateful that my kids have you two.

10 YEARS!!! and what a long 10 it's been (he he, honey). after 10 years together here's my top 10 reasons why i'm 10x more in love with you today.
10. your mom. ok i know that's odd on a wedding anniversary i love you list, but she is wonderful and she did an amazing job in raising you. i see so much of her sweetness in you and am grateful that i get to reap the rewards of her parenting skills. thank you sue!
9. that after 10 years, we have yet to have a real fight. never a "you're sleeping on the couch!". never a "this conversation is over!" never even a raised voice, to me or the kids (except during soccer). you're amazingly even tempered and humble.
8. sitting through any lesson/talk you give. i love listening to you bear your testimony. it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. i knew i was in for a weepy fast sunday on days you conducted.
7. that your resume says "united states secret service, special agent". if only for a short time, you were one of those guys in a suit and sunglasses that everyone thought was the coolest guy on the block, in the family, in the ward, etc.
6. that you gave up all that coolness to be home more. you're still a super hot agent to me.
5. saturday morning crepes. i can't stand to make them and you do it without complaint. even though they take forever.
4. "talking" jogs. runs where we spend every minute drenched in conversation and sweat.
3. your cleaning moods. when they come on..i just step out of the way and let you deep clean whatever is in your path. i would go crazy if you refused to to housework and love that you're not "above" such things.
2. that you've fallen in love with our garden. that your nightly walk through gives you so much joy. who'd have thought?
1. megan, isaac, mallory, and eli-- the people that bind us together yet drive us crazy;) that i can see you in each of them and that you make sure that i can stay home to be with them.

is that 10 already? the list can go on and on but for the sake of i need to go see what that crash in the kitchen was, i'll end with this snapshot of our wedding day that so depicts us. me holding onto you and you feeling a little too uncomfortable with the pda;) happy 10th my love.

32 and 2

2008-06-11T13:18:00.001-07:00

eli and i celebrated birthdays this week. i'm realizing that my birthday is going to get more and more overlooked as the years go on. i'm trying to not be too bitter;) actually, i did score this year with a letter from matt that had me in stitches. i haven't laughed so hard for a long time. i'd like to post it, but matt isn't complying. still, only my siblings would get most of it. growing up with my family brings many fond and funny memories.
we had grandparents out to dinner and cake and ice cream on saturday night. the kids love being with mine and matt's parents. it's good to be home so that they can. eli got a scooter and new crocs. i've been dying for new crocs as we lost one a few weeks ago and i'm so over tying shoes. he's so excited to have a real scooter that is all his--no one can come and take it away (at least theoretically). he rode it to the park the other day and was in 7th heaven and also ten minutes behind the rest of us.

fortunately you can't see his face too well. right now he looks like he got in a fight with a weed wacker. he's got scratches, cuts, and a swollen lip from just being a boy.

father's and sons goes south

2008-06-11T07:41:00.001-07:00

isaac and matt have been planning on heading down to yuba lake with our fellow ward fathers this weekend for the annual outing. matt's only excitement in the adventure was the fact that he wasn't going to have to plan and prepare the breakfast for everyone. when isaac realized thursday night that he wouldn't be able to go on the outing AND play in his soccer game on saturday, he was faced with a major dilema. when he chose soccer, matt leaped for joy. in lieu, we had our own campout right in the backyard. we threw up a fire in the firepit and roasted shmarshies. SAFETY NOTICE: avoid two year olds holding sticks with marshmallows stuck on the end. extreme stickage may occur.

we then retired to the tent. where eli only lasted 2 minutes before he was removed back inside to his bed as he wouldn't stop jumping on everyone. that meant i was no longer a tent participant either. and by 2 o'clock am, rain forced everyone else back inside as well. oh well, right? it's all about the experience. we spent all day saturday trying to dry 5 sleeping bags, 2 blowup mattresses and a tent that didn't even get slept in all night!

i've repented

2008-06-11T07:25:00.001-07:00

after the mom-forget-to-make-it-to-support-isaac-and-feel-awful-about-it snafoo, megan wasn't about to let me forget her big day (and neither was i!) megan's class has been rehearsing a class play for weeks and they performed it the day of their awards. she was a anchor on their "news from mothergoose land" performance. nothing like the colorado school plays that we are used to but fun to see her get out on "stage" nonetheless.
our tumultuous school year is over. the kids survived, made some new friends, and continued to do well academically (although i'm not sure our utah school is quite the same speed as our colorado one). on to summer!

mother of the year

2008-06-11T07:19:00.001-07:00

it's the first week in june, the last week of school. 900 reminders of the end of the year programs and awards assemblies have been sent home. it's been on the calendar for weeks. i even checked this morning,wished him good luck and to look for me in the crowd. but at 2:30 where was i? not in the crowd. not even on my way. totally forgot!!!!! i'm a terrible mother

iris and columbine

2008-06-02T12:42:00.002-07:00

so, after the onslaught of tulips in our yard this spring, we're excited to announce that we have iris and columbine coming out in full bloom. we have about 20 columbine that we've had no idea what they were until they finally bloomed as we've never had columbine before--such a beautiful, showy flower--but more importantly, blooming in our yard without any help from us. aahh!! the fruits of the labors of the those came before. i'm sure the people who bought our house in colorado aren't exactly leaping for joy now that the snow has melted and they're getting a full dose of those thistles--yuck! the bane of my existence! columbine, not so much :) hold out for the BLACK iris that has yet to bloom. i know, i'm dying to see what it looks like too.

shower the people you love with love

2008-05-31T21:49:00.000-07:00

my baby brother is going to be a dad. holy cow. i remember his birth!!! way too wierd. sunrise, sunset...right mom. this weekend we held a shower at our house for him, laney and grandchild #23. it was fun to get together with all the girls, even the little ones, to celebrate. laney had all the little helpers she needed to fetch her whatever she needed (when they weren't throwing things in the pond)

had to post this one of my mom. no hawes event is complete unless anne is fixing something for someone--in this case the zipper on lucy's pants.

memorial day parade

2008-05-31T21:33:00.001-07:00

isaac's first grade holds a memorial day parade where all the kids decorate their bikes or scooters and ride around the school. this being our first year to participate, isaac was rearing to go. i thought he should dress up in our statue of liberty costume but he would have none of it as lady liberty is a lady--we can always hope for mallory.and he's off--i think his pinweel on the back broke off shortly after he left the driveway.

parading in all his RW&B glory. mal and eli were staged perfectly at the beginning of the parade route as to get the most candy--they waited patiently watching fervently for their brother who promised that he would throw them candy--wait...i see his flag draped helmet..oh yes, that's him...here he comes!! get ready to pounce! "isaac!!!! throw us some...! what?! only ONE starlight mint! that's it! one lousy starlight mint--for TWO children (and one mom whose worst trait is pilfering sweets from her children) expecting to reap the rewards of the long 2 block walk to the school. next year guys, next year.

a first

2008-05-31T21:24:00.001-07:00

through 9 years of dealing with children and gum, i finally had my first "gum in the hair"disaster. we've been really good with the whole "in your mouth or in the garbage rule" but mallory finally found herself with a bit not in her mouth or the garbage, but in her newly haircutted hair. i've never had to smear butter on a child--but i will say, it worked like a charm. the gum came right out and mallory enjoyed her greeezy look until she found the bath.
you will notice the swimming suit. yep, she still wears one every day. mostly it's hiding under her clothes-but there, in secret, nontheless.

what eli thinks about it all!

memorial day

2008-05-31T21:13:00.001-07:00

ie: haircut day @ the mcqueen home.
line 'em up. everyone gets a trim (or a buzz--if you are male and under 12, much to isaac's dismay)

we had many fun outdoor projects planned for this most recent holiday, like weeding the garden, planting the next bit of corn, beans, and peas, painting the front and back doors, mowing and edging, all fabulous options for a day off. but the weather didn't cope, and we were stuck inside--so, out come the clippers. the boys were in desperate need and the girls just wanted something a little different. isaac's hair is so thick that his head sweats when he thinks too hard :) and it was way past due.
this is the pile that came off all their heads. we may have been able to make a small wig with it.

the buzz brothers

ouch!!

2008-05-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

a few weeks ago, megan had the privilege of getting 6 of her baby teeth pulled so her permanent teeth would have more room to come into her tiny mouth. she hasn't allowed pictures of her face yet so i thought i'd show off what came out. these suckers are huge!! check out those roots! to all our ortho/dental contacts: cory, jeremy, brandon, anybody, is this normal? these baby teeth don't look very babyish to the untrained eye. the holes left in her gums are still trying to heal, two weeks later. she was a champ though. our dentist didn't put her out and she said she heard the whole thing, roots popping and all. gross!! one of these days i'll snap a picture of her face when she least expects it. but right now, she's still so self conscious and calls herself toothless uncle lou (though she, nor matt, nor i have a toothless uncle lou)

spring has sprung

2008-04-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

So it's taken a bit, but i think spring in utah has finally come t stay. I haven't posted about our yard yet, but we are ecstatic. we've already said goodbye to the crocus and daffodil ls that are scattered around the yard and and saying hello to the tulips this week. we have, easily, over a thousand spring bulbs that have popped up in the flower beds. the best part was not having to plant any of them!!! it's like temple square over here. (ok, not quite, but our neighbor has called our yard the garden of eden) the people who owned the house before us had quite the green thumbs and we've inherited 7 fruit trees, strawberry patch, tons of raspberries, an herb garden, a vegetable garden, pond, all the bulbs plus tons of perennials that are starting to pop up under them. we also are excited to see what the rest of the season will bring.

(sorry, emily, for this pictures right after eli and sam's demolition of your tulip buds last weekend. you can have your pick of the litter this friday:))

an update on some of the boys projects. eli has found his love in legos. this is his first "all by myself" creation. it's a ship and he flew it around the house showing everyone, proud as a peacock that he could finally snap those little pieces together. he is getting so big and it is so fun to listen to his little voice. he jabbers all day long and is not intimidated to try out any new word which is quite the entertainment for the rest of us. during the sacrament last sunday as the water tray with one cup was passed by him, and he wasn't allowed to grab it, he had the whole back 3 rows of the congregation giggling at his "OH, MAN!" that he repeated until he was escorted out of the chapel. we haven't quite mastered the "quiet voice".

isaac's class had to do a family project with "earth saver solutions" as the theme so we grabbed our trash bags and went on one of our trash walks--something we haven't done since we lived in colorado. we found many crazy things in the open space between our house and the church park and we quickly realized that our new neighborhood doesn't have "trash" issues that our old one did. Not as many beer cans or cigarette cartons carelessly tossed out a window in south jordan as their was in "the hood". Nonetheless, we were successful in finding some mountain dew cans (which, i think, for this demographic, is about as bad as beer) and a smattering of sacrament meeting programs and fast food cartons carelessly cast aside. Enough to make our very first "trash mobile" that isaac is so proudly displaying here. The one good thing about this project is that he could throw it away right after his presentation and i didn't have to find a spot for it where i wouldn't be asking him to pick it up, dusting under it, or having the neighbors ask questions about it. my kind of project!!!

ok so i'm a little tardy posting about easter

2008-04-13T20:01:00.001-07:00

city easter egg hunt with the cousins--not as fruitful as we had hoped (as the 9-10 year old group jumped the gun and got everybody racing for candy before we knew what was going on)but fun to celebrate with everyone easter morning--we are learning to keep our holiday treats low key. our kids get bombarded with all sorts of goodies from family events these days, making their easter baskets, valentines, stockings, etc. from their parents a little sparse. its good for 'em.
easter outfits--bought last year on clearance and finally pulled out. i was glad to find them all packed in a box days before easter actually came. not my usual. i dug until i found them as i wasn't about to let them get outgrown before the girls had a chance to wear them. such a cute plaid. such cute kids. fortunately we had a sunny day--no snow like last year in colorado. easter is fun in a new house. all new egg hiding places--inside and out. kept 'em busy for hours!

happy 40th

2008-04-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever, but the kids have been off track and so my computer time is nil (as the computer is our only form of electronic entertainment around here...play a video game-on the computer, watch a tv show-on the computer, listen to music-on the computer, watch a movie-on the computer...you get my drift. and in trying to be a good example (which is rare) i have found myself trying to read during our down time so maybe the kids will catch on and not want to be on the computer all day-fat chance)
anyway, i couldn't let today go by without wishing my parents (and aunt kalle and uncle merl) a happy 40th anniversary!! (my dad is the tallest and my mom is the shortest...some things still haven't changed) my siblings and i planned a dinner for them at the lion house this week to celebrate. i hope they enjoyed a peaceful meal with no prep and dishes! something that doesn't happen often for these two...
seeing as these are their 22 grandchildren!!! all eight and under with one more on the way. a crazy, loud, lovable bunch. its fun to be home and be a part of days like these--even though i'm now subjected to justin's awful hair more often (lucy, you're a saint!)
happy 40th you two! i couldn't have asked for better parents and examples on parenting my own children than you have been. i am loving this stage of life--being able to understand my parents lives more fully as i go through similar experiences with my own small family. it's good to get that know-it-all teenage phase (which lasted a long time for me) over with and really appreciate all that you're parents have done for you. You just don't get it until you're a parent yourself--hopefully i can survive my own children's teenage nastiness.

too good to be true

2008-03-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

i haven't written about this yet because I've been afraid that eli's streak might stop if I did, but it's been three weeks since I've changed a poopy diaper. eli, my 20 month old, is telling me when he has to go potty. i'm ecstatic!!! if i can get out of diapers any earlier than 3 i will count myself a blessed woman.

I'm sure no one really wants to see pictures of someone else's kid on the pot, but i can't stand how cute he is. I don't want anyone replying to this and asking for potty training advice as this has been all Eli. I just run him to the bathroom when he tells me to. It's like a dream. So far, he's been the most accurate with #2. #1 may take a bit. He's still in diapers (I'm not ready to go there yet, maybe when it's warmer and he can go pantless outside), so i don't think he's recognizing when he's wet. I'm just basking in the poop-freeness of it all.

Happy 4th Gabriella (aka Mallory!)

2008-02-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

Mallory has been anticipating this day for quite some time! She's finally four. I don't think the change from three to four was as dramatic as she was expecting. On the eveing of her big day after all the hoopla was over, we asked her how she felt about her day--she replied that even though she was four, she was still little because she couldn't pick up eli. She also informed us that her wish didn't come true as she blew out her candles, because her wish was that she would be eight. She's trying to grow up way faster that we thought! You'll see her in the above picture with her favorite gift, a Gabriella wig from Megan. She thinks it's the living end and now wears it while surfing her favorite HSM clips online. She cracks us up.

We did have a little party for Mal as 4 is our kids first year to have a friend party. Minor problem: no friends, yet. A little girl lives across the street in Mallory's primary class and i asked her mom who the other girls were and we headed out to invite 5 little girls we'd never met. What a way to get to know the families in your area! Everyone invited showed up along with cousins, Alli and Kate.

She wanted a chocolate party... like her friend emma barker from colorado, so thank you brook for all the great ideas from which to copy:) We made chef hats, finger painted with chocolate syrup, played boula boula with a Hershey's bar, decorated cupcakes, and of course, dipped all sorts of goodies in chocolatewe sent them home on a chocolate high and with a goodie bag for later. It was good for Mallory to get to know the girls a little better and for matt and i to get to meet their parents and try to start making friends ourselves.

To finish up, some Mallory @ 4 tidbits that I'll want to remember. 1) Her normal body temperature is abnormally high. She always is telling us she's hot and we find her uncovered every morning and sometimes in just her undies as she's shed her pjs in the middle of the night. She never keeps socks or slippers on her feet in the house because she says they keep her too hot and she wears her swimming suit year round. i've had them hidden for a while but we pulled one out to go to the rec center last week and she's had round the clock guard on it since. 2) she now has 3 blankets she drags around the house. her #1 favorite, "camo" (isaac's old army blanket from when he was a baby), her silky baby blanket that we found while packing up in denver, and most recently she's added her old #1 plaid blanket, uncovered while unpacking here in SL, back into the mix. I know it's way over the top but the have to stay in the house and i'm too tired to fight with her anymore over them. 3) she still sucks her two fingers and rubs "camo" fuzzies on her nose to get to sleep. she makes the most awful sucking noise and it drives both matt and i bonkers. neither of us can sleep when she is around 4) She loves to bear her testimony in FHE and does it 3 or 4 times each monday. by the time she's old enough to do it for real, she'll have it down. She has to talk into the mop handle for it to count though. 5) She loves Primary! she's only been a few weeks, but she goes like a champ and has so much fun. she comes home and reports on her class just like the older two and i think she's the only sunbeam that knows all the words to "scripture power" and can bam her scriptures in her lap on cue. that may be all she's picked up from family scripture study as of yet. 6) She's my little bud and helper all day. Although she's the third, she feels like the oldest while megs and isaac are at school. She helps with her jobs (her room, bathrooms (with help:), and mopping) and running errands for me around the house (hey mal, run go get me...a diaper, a rag, eli's socks, eli's milk out of the fridge, wipes) She's a great runner! 7) She is picky eater extrordinare. I never thought I would have a picky eater because I'm too much like my mom and would MAKE my kids eat. That worked for Megs and Isaac, but not so for Mal. She has a will that isn't easily broken. We've given up the fight and and let her snack (mostly healthy stuff) all day. 8) From head to toe, she is all girl. Pink, princesses, high school musical, dresses, fairies, barbies, dolls, tea parties, you name it, she loves it. And we love her! Happy Birthday Sweetie!

valentine tradition

2008-02-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

valentines day and sugar cookies. these two go hand in hand in our home. mallory was on me all day to make them so we (the two little ones and i) threw together a batch to decorate when the older ones made it home from school. it was as if eli had died and gone to heaven. during the mixing, he couldn't get enough of the dough (i know, i know, raw eggs, whatever...) but when the frosting and sprinkles made their way to the table, he had found his true love. he quickly cast aside his (now) frostingless cookie to eat the white stuff straight from the knife.

the older ones know to get as many sprinkles on before the jar gets removed from the table and you are left using whatever excess spilled over onto your paper plate. sprinkle ration, it's what i do. for those of you who have asked but i've negleted to give you my recipe...here it is

Best Sugar Cookies (and i might add, they really are the best)

1/2 c. butter 1/4 c shortning 2 eggs 1 c sugar 1 t vanilla swoosh almond extract 1 t salt 1 t b. powder 2 1/2 c flour cream fats and sugar. add eggs, vanilla, almond. mix well. add dry ingredients. bake at 400 for 8-10 min (don't overcook--until the edges are just about to brown). greased cookie sheet. (i usually triple this batch)

golden butter frosting

1/2 c butter 2T milk 1/2 t vanilla another swoosh of almond 3 c powdered sugar

the secret is in the almond--isn't it always?

ahhh! we've landed

2008-02-05T19:44:00.000-08:00

our life in turmoil and transition is officially over as the guys came to hook up the internet yesterday and we now are up and connected back to the world. hip hip hooray! i've missed you, blogging world. brief update: we found a home we love, kids back in school (all-be-it year round, we're adjusting), eli back in his own bed, access to all things preschool for mal, a ward where we can lay low for a while, family in nearly every direction, and a half hour commute. we're starting to feel better about this move, ok i'm starting to feel better about this move.

a couple of changes since i was last in touch. #1: little isaac got glasses. the shcool nurse in colorado caught that he has lazy eye so we took him in here and yep, we're now a family with vision issues. i can't believe it! matt had just signed us up for health insurance with zions and of course, we didn't foresee this little bump, and we opted out of vision coverage. dagnabit! megan has been in a right fit of jealousy over her brother getting glasses and not her. i can totally see her failing her next eye test to see if she can't get lucky. not so sister

change #2: i cut my hair short and went back to brown. i was due for an image change and what better time than when you move. no one where you were has seen you and no one where you're going has seen you either, just in case short brown hair doesn't work for you. i'm not saying short brown hair doesn't work for me, but you'll notice that there's no attached photo :) i just have to remember to take a picture on the one day a week that i actually do my hair, and since church was canceled last week because of snow, it's been a while.

i'll post pictures of the house once we get everything hung inside and the outside gets unburried. well, maybe. it may not ever be picked up enough to take a picture to post so you might just have to come visit. mallory and i have a tea party or 17 every day so i'm sure you'll be a welcome guest to join us whenever your schedule permits.

no, we're not dead

2008-01-11T09:31:00.000-08:00

we haven't fallen off the planet, but have had our lives turned upside down since my last post. since our house sold a week and a half before we were supposed to head home for the holidays we decided to spend said week and a half packing everything up and heading home for good. "packing everything up and heading home for good" might be an easy phrase to type but getting it done was a whole other ball of...(add any word you want that has a deeply negative, foreboding connotation). if you remember, matt is cozy, cozy in his parents home in sl and i am packy, packy by myself with 4 kids, teaching preschool, planning and carrying out the relief society christmas dinner, planning isaac's class christmas party, and getting all christmas shopping and wrapping done, in denver. needless to say, my heart goes out to all my denver friends who kept my kids and i alive that last week. with dinners (thank you stacey, amanda, niki, and audra), late night packing excursions (thank you stacey and tara), extended-extended playdates (thank you christy, niki, tara, and audra), moving box donations and tape (thank you rachael and stacey), 20 or so guys to pack the truck (thank you too many to name but you know who you are), a warm bed our last night with a hot breakfast the next morning (thanks, todd, tara, tori, ellie, brin, and taegan!!), and countless hugs and tears of "you'll be missed". with so many wonderful people that we've grown to love in denver, moving away has been harder than i thought.
now that we're here, our routine is basically that we don't have one. my kids have been out of school since dec 21 and probably won't be going until the beginning of february. salt lake doesn't really feel like home yet, and probably won't until we find a place to call our own. we still feel like transients, leeching food, shelter, and child care off of matt's parents while we figure out where to live. the kids have loved it but it's starting to wear on matt and me. we're looking in south jordan and herriman since matt works so far west. hopefully something will turn up soon. well, enough debbie downer for one post!

we spent the holidays shuffling between holiday functions, missionary homecomings, baby blessings, and spending time with matt's sister and her family visiting from arizona. it was fun to see our kids interact as they don't see their mcqueen cousins half as frequently as their hawes ones. they spent their days sledding, playing mini ping pong, watching mallory's favorite christmas present, high school musical 2, and completing the numerous crafts and activities that matt's mom spends weeks preparing before our arrival (she's grandchildless for the majority of the year, so when there's a chance to "grandmother" she goes all out and we're more than willing to sit back and let her do what she does best). we stayed up late every night playing games and catching up (fortunately, matt and i got the dark downstairs bedroom which facilitates sleeping in all the more).

time spent with my family is a little different. kids bouncing off the walls, pans and pans of food, at least 3 napping children at any given time which makes parents crazy about the bouncing off the walls issue, 2 football games on at any given time, the wii in full swing, "planet earth" on the big screen, some sort of political discussion that anne is having with whomever will listen (love you mom:)), gallons of ice cream, cans of pirouettes and grandpa able to sneak a nap on the couch in the middle of it all. i love my family and we are so looking forward to being a part of it again.

some major events that i haven't blogged about yet but need to...isaac lost his first tooth (well, if you consider "losing" a tooth having brother duncan yank it out of your head), megan went skiing for the first time, matt's grandma ardes turned 97 (i promise to have a grandma ardes post one of these days), eli is talking up a blue streak, and i have looked at nearly 60 houses in the past 2 weeks. be sure that i'll catch up and post pictures as soon as i get my computer back.

Happy Birthday Sweets

2007-12-18T14:41:00.000-08:00

the best birthday present ever!!!! a "Larry SOLD another one!" sign on our front lawn. That means we'll be home for Christmas, for good. I know what everyone's thinking, "a festivous miracle!" and it's true. you can all bear your testimonies next fast sunday on the reality of miracles happening every day.

but onto a funner topic. matt's 33rd b-day. whoa! in lew of getting your present in the mail and to you on time--this'll have to do- at least until friday.

some of our all-time favorite pictures of matty
his blessing day

Matt is the toe-head in the middle, go figure. this is his first stint in germany.

Honey, you still are a pepper.

Matt wil have to explain this one. We just love the mustache and the NFL belt.

A Matt's birthday tradition. A Christmas cake from Backers. no matter where they were stationed, matt was always in SL for his birthday.

Matt's baptism at the Tabernacle with 3 of his cousins, david cockayne, brandon brown, matt, and yes, his cousin, the other matt mcqueen

Jr. High graduation. Matt's pants are now his temple pants. ok not quite, but close. come on honey, please let me get you a new pair of temple pants!
Jr. in high school in germany again
living with Ardes (matt's 97 yr old grandma) and going to the U right before we met.

law student turned secret service agent turned banker= a wonderful husband and dad.

i love you sweets. hope your big day is great even without us. maybe if malee sees this she can make you your favorite cake, her german chocolate cake special.

X O x O x o O X x

...and we missed you at the ward party

2007-12-10T20:58:00.001-08:00

well, matt's missing a lot this holiday season. chuck e. cheese's, ward parties (where eli fell into the front of the chair in these pictures giving himself a bloody nose and a cut lip. that always makes for christmas fun at any ward party), amazing jakes on friday, annual open house at the duncan's on sunday, his birthday next week... the list goes on. and while i think that he's missing out on a lot, it seems like we are missing out on a lot too. not getting to be there to hug him after his first day at a new job, not getting to share mealtimes together, not getting a good night sleep because eli loves to get a visit from dad at 2am or so. missing his cute face walk in the door after a long day and know that he'll take all four kids for the rest of the evening.

it's all the harder as it seems the holidays are make-believe this year. we didn't put up lights, a tree, or decorations (except for stockings) and it's heartbreaking to see every one's homes so beautiful and festive and ours with a for sale sign on the front lawn. we'll make it to matt's parents in time to decorate their tree but it doesn't feel the same to not have "our tree" and "our homemade decorations" that we've had forever, it seems. this christmas will be the christmas that we were floaters. the christmas of spending all our time cleaning instead of making fun christmas messes, cookie decorating, gingerbread houses, giant spice drop balls, red and green paper chains, pine needles all over the living room, wrapping paper and ribbon scattered throughout, christmas books out and always open. yes, we're missing out on a lot this year. but years like these will make the next all the more sweet. we can't wait to get to where ever it is we're going. excited for this transition, just tired of it already :)

we missed you at chuck e. cheese

2007-12-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

catch you next time, honey. we know how much you love the pizza at upchuck e. cheese!

matt's last day

2007-11-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

well, matt headed back to utah today for the last time as a colorado resident. his new job with zions bankco starts tomorrow and our life of being separated until our house sells begins. hooray! makes for a fabulous holiday season :( although we're sad to split for a bit--we'll come through. i think we've been sufficiently prepared on how to function as a family while we're living apart. matt is excited for this new challenge. he's working in a position that we didn't think would cross our path for a few years so we're feeling really blessed. the kids and i will head over for christmas and, depending on the house, will come back if we need to, which is looking more and more likely as our house, cute as it is (wink, wink), hasn't sped off the market like we'd anticipated (again, wink, wink). so those of you out there expecting your own personal holiday greetings from the mcqueens, expect a card in February (or march). hopefully by then we'll have a new address to announce (keep those fingers crossed)

on to a thanksgiving flashback.

we did go home for thanksgiving to have a look around at neighborhoods and areas. we still have no idea what part of the valley we'll call home but were encouraged that maybe we'll be able to afford something.

we had thanksgiving at jus and lucy's with my side of the family with everyone there except shem and luisa. my kids were in 7th heaven surrounded by so many cousins. we've missed so many family events that they can't wait to get back into the mix.

grandma and grandpa the creators of these chaotic children :) love you m&d. was fun to see you and reconnect a bit before we come back and take over
the four first graders--spencer, sam, jackson, and isaac. oh boy. look out for these four. they're crazy--isaac loved every minute of wrestling, tackling, teasing the girls, jumping, sword fighting, the list could go on.
mallory, in her second of four outfits that graced the thanksgiving table. i think these are viv's pjs. what's wrong with tiger stripes and china?

megan and maren. have been bestest buds since the womb. 5 weeks apart and only separated by 600 miles--not for long. sleepovers await

the post dinner mess. many hands means a huge cleanup. fortunately everyone does their part and who cares if your doing dishes if your gabbing with the gals right?

the newest hawes. sarah ann hawes. just a week old--ok maybe 2 but still the cutest little peanut with the most well defined features for a newborn that i've ever seen. jared and dana can't be done when they produce such beauty. right guys?

Isaac's first turkey bowl. because of his innate love for tackling, this is the sport for him. much to mom's dismay. football drives me crazy. (sorry rachie) but the boys and the dads got a chance to release all their wiggles.

eli, who slept through the whole of dinner, enjoyed his own thanksgiving meal.

thanks everyone for the great food and great time. i fear this is my last family function where i will be allowed to show up empty handed while my mom, sister, and sisters-in-law do all the prep and bring all the fabulous food. i somewhat enjoy the role i've played for the last four years as visitor and guest instead of hired hand but all unfair things must come to an end...or what ever a good saying is to sum up this entry.

anyone interested?

2007-11-13T04:46:00.000-08:00

Last week at this time, we were planning on being in Colorado forever. This week, poof... our house is up for sale and we're headed back to Salt Lake. just like that. Our time here is up and we're moving on to new and great adventures back in the motherland.

On Friday morning, Matt accepted a job he didn't apply for with Zion's Bank. And in two days, we have this red, white, and blue sign magically appear on our front lawn. Now if someone will magically buy the house attached to this lawn. Matt starts in SL in 3 weeks and we're in the one of the worst housing market slumps in history. This doesn't bode well for the McQueens and their attempts to be moved by Christmas. So tell your friends, tell your neighbors. Come have a looksy. We're desperate and we've only had our house up for a day and a half.

ps Megan is very irked about jump rope team--probably not a good subject :)

The new Megs

2007-11-08T12:19:00.000-08:00

After asking for weeks, Mom finally granted Megan's wish and cut bangs. The reason all my children and husband have one haircut for boys and one for girls is because that's all Mom knows how to cut. Bangs have always been a little too complicated for my amateur self. This week for enrichment one of the sisters in our ward (who is the hairstylist for half of denver) taught a little class on haircutting. Megs begged me to ask her about bangs so i did and with a few of her tips under my belt, we gave it a shot. She couldn't be happier. I'm sure when Angela sees her on Sunday, she may have a few more tips. I hope she just doesn't look too close :) Also this week Megan found out she made the jump rope team at school. She wasn't even going to try out because she was nervous competing against all the older kids but she did great and has her first practice tonight. I'm so excited and proud of her. She's just so smart, talented, beautiful, athletic, and compassionate--just like her mother :)

halloween fun

2007-11-03T20:31:00.000-07:00

well, october has come and gone and its last week held all sorts of activities. i'll give you the highlights. first, pumpkin picking at nick's. mallory was intent on pulling eli and the wagon. she only ran him into a couple of tables. she's wanting more and more to be a legitimate big sister and "help" eli whenever she can. her newest things are taking him out of his highchair and his seat belt. unfortunatly, he's not really into having any "big sister love" at this time in his short life.

megs and isaac in the hay bale maze. isaac found his time in the maze cut short because he kept on climbing over the walls. boys!!
just had to add this one. mallory was doing her workbook one morning while i was doing dishes and everytime she would draw a letter or complete a problem, she'd raise her hands like this and say "yes!!!" under her breath to herself. so cute. you can also see her new haircut. "just like megan's", we had to tell her so we could get all the ratty ends off. she keeps letting us know that it will grow long again.
eli, the frog at the pumping carving contest (we didn't have an entry, just fun to look and see everyone elses creativity) we borrowed the costume from a friend, it just so happened to be the same costume we borrowed from a different friend for mallory last year. all my friends must have the same taste! eli was elated to find out that candy was getting put into his orange bag at every stop. boy, he's a sugar-a-holic. baby #4 syndrome strikes again.

after halloween last year i found this skirt for .75 at good will for dress ups and my heart skipped a beat when megs wanted to wear it this year. we found everything else in her closet and topped it off with a pair of cateye glasses from the costume store. at the end of the day, she told us that none of her friends knew what she was dressed as--only the adults did. she was excited to be unique.
isaac got the sole homemade costume this year. he wanted to be something scary and we're not really down with all the gruesome stuff out for kids these days. i copied this cute costume from the pottery barn magazine. it was the first year isaac really had his face painted to make him look different. he loved every minute of it. mallory, our pink care bear, was so stinkin cute (and warm!). every year we expect our first snow on halloween. when mal asked to be a princess i flinched with the thought of heaps of chiffon, bare arms, and dressup shoes as we trekked up and down the streets in the snow. luckily, we found this at kid to kid a few weeks ago and we haven't heard any princess talk since. when she puts it on she runs around the house giggling like a loon. fortunately, we had a clear night, just a little chilly and cheerbear was toasty as could be. (Whew!)
our annual pumpkin dig went well. this was the first year we used a book of patterns and the older two were stoked their masterpieces were recognizeable. this year we were short an adult as matt was nursing a 24 hour bug. he moaned his support from his cocoon on the couch.

preschool was successful as we went trick or treating at a rest home. the elderly there had more fun giving out candy to these little munchkins then they had getting it.

on to november, thankful turkey's and the annual turkey bowl.

family hike and miller farm

2007-10-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

last weekend we thought, ok, i thought, we should go experience the colorado rockies in the fall, seeing as we've been here four falls and have yet to make the trek. we decided to head up to rocky mountain national park but found a trailhead about 10 miles out and saved ourselves the $20 entrance fee. The kids had a great time rock climbing, running ahead, and talking scouting stuff with dad (matt has been forced to convert and even bought himself a scout a shirt. too bad neither of us have any idea where the patches go!)

eli conked out on the last stretch but was a trooper packed up in the kelty for an hour and a half. we headed out of the mountains just as a storm was coming in. on the way up we passed a little pumpkin patch/fall festival and told the kids we'd stop on the way home. as we passed it, everyone was taking cover as hail had now started falling. the kids were sad for a few minutes until we realized we were close to miller farm, a working farm just 5 miles from where we were that megan had been to on field trips before. the storm was headed north and us east and miller farm was dry, cold, but dry and we couldn't resist all the fun things they had to offer.Yes, liz is taking these pictures from inside her 50 gallon drum

we spent a couple of hours playing in the corn maze, hay bale maze, huge jump castle, hay bale pyramid, old fire truck, car, and airplane, and petting zoo. but i think the winners were the 50 gallon drum tractor pull and the pedal tractors. i'm sure grandma j turned over in her grave as the whole place was dirty. the van needed a good washing when we got home but a saturday well worth the $10 the whole day full of fun cost. we got home just in time to shower and head over to a neighbor's for dinner. mom's favorite part of the day--someone else cooked dinner;)

the newest rockies fan

2007-10-11T13:01:00.000-07:00

to see what matt has been up to lately, check out my friend's blog, mindyyork.blogspot.com or just click on the york family link to the right. you'll have to scroll down a couple of entries to catch his cute face. while he was at the game, i was at women's conference with the wife. and no, i didn't see eliza. well, i maybe saw her chin. i'm almost positive it was her chin. how could you mistake a brinton chin? i'm related to someone who sang in the choir at women's conference and her chin is now famous!! where was dana in all this south jordan hoopla?

new pics of the kids

2007-10-02T20:43:00.000-07:00

Eli is 15 months old and i just got his one year pictures done. he's definitely not an oldest child, or even second oldest, or even third oldest. he has it rough. i thought i was being so good--only getting pictures of my kids every six months for the first 2 years of their life, knowing that if i went hog wild with baby #1 (when you have all the time in the world) getting monthly photos and such that i wouldn't be able to maintain the picture mania. as a 22 year old, i had such wisdom and foresight. i thought every six months was reasonable. i thought wrong. by the time 4 babies come along, 6 months seems like a week and a half. and you can't even remember when your babies were babies.

well, enough is enough. onto little eli. to describe him in one word right now, i'd have to pin it down to "jabbermouth", or maybe, "must be in the same room as mom" (fortunately he just learned to turn his big can around and go down the stairs backwards. i swear, it took forever!! until then, he would just stand at the top of the stairs and moan until someone helped him down. uuhhh, i'm glad that's over). but really, he's so cute when he "talks". he has so much to say, and can carry on a one-sided conversation with the best of 'em. he gets this serious look on his face like he expects you to answer in whatever language he speaks (we still haven't figured it out). so cute. love his big brown eyes and so happy that his runt tooth finally caught up with the others :).

mallory. where do i begin? where to i end? this girl knows all the right buttons to push on everyone in the house. She can send megan through the roof with the wiggle of her little button nose. It's a good thing she's so stinkin' cute or she might have to find herself a new home. She truly is my hardest in preschool. she refuses to stand during the pledge and only will "accept" her weekly job (by putting her little guy in the correct job pocket) if it is line leader. (yes, we've been in school for 7 weeks now and she's only been line leader once). There is also a little girl in my class that i think she is in competition with or is threatened by. but mal follows her around during free time and sabotages any game or toy she picks up. she has spent a few play sessions on the stairs. when she's not driving us crazy, she's so sweet. she is big into doing the dishes and bathrooms. whenever she completes a job or is extra helpful she reminds us all that she is becoming a mom--because she's almost four. sugar and spice is definitely right!!!! (extra spice on this one:))

Isaac is loving first grade. his teacher, mrs. hensler, has a bulletin board in her room that is titled "climbing hensler peak" to help the kids visualize the connection between first grade and college and what they are doing right now will help them get to college some day. on a family walk the other day, isaac was climbing a hill by the path we were on and as he reached the top he informed us he made it to the top of hensler peak! i'm glad something is sinking in. he's doing well and frequently comes home with a b.u.g (being unusually good) award (this also drives megan crazy as it much more difficult to get bug awards in 3rd grade than 1st). it's still a struggle to get him to sit down and read at night as he would rather defend the universe with his power ranger moves. he is so funny making all the combat noises as he disarms his unaware siblings. we go through the same ritual each day after school: drag backpack in the door and ask whine, "why can't you come drive us home from school? it is way too far to walk!" (um, a block and a half). sit on the computer absorbing every crazy, power ranger tidbit possible. begin accosting sisters. when everyone has had enough, sit in time out while eating a red apple. sent outside to read on the grass. end up fighting something. back on the chair until mom needs my help with eli or dinner. i swear, it's daily.

Megan. there isn't anything i can say about her that isn't great. she loves school, church, activity days, has great friends, is uberwilling and ever helpful, i can't stop her from reading (she just finished hp #4) (i wish some of that would rub off on isaac), and she still idolizes her parents ;) If i had to pinpoint a fault, or maybe just a little quirk of hers that drives me nuts, it is that she loves to listen to the ladies. whenever there are adults around her in any conversation, she plants herself right next to matt or i to listen in. i could just be chatting with a friend at the door, she's there. just dropping a baby present or meal off at some one's door, she gets out of the car to "walk" me up. families come for dinner and all the other kids are playing after the meal, she's in the living room, gabbing with the grownups. she's 8 going on 28. some day she won't find us all that interesting, but for now, she lives for company and their conversation. it would be cute if it didn't drive me crazy.

love 'em all to death, if i could just keep on top of the laundry.

isaac won't have to use the tree after all

2007-09-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

well--i got my new calling this week and it comes with the bonus of a set of keys to the church--rs second counselor. way new for me. i've already been turned down for twice for my replacement as committee chair. i've got an uphill battle

not a great sunday

2007-09-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

for the past two or so years our ward has been growing like crazy. 3 new subdivisions that have brought in what seems like 2 new families per week. at last count, we had 670 members in our ward. until yesterday. our stake realigned its ward boundaries and we lost a good portion of our ward to other, smaller wards. matt and i are still in shock. we lost a counselor in the bishopric, high priest group leader, elders quorum president and counselor, 2 relief society counselors, 1 yw counselor, primary secretary, entire sunday school presidency, executive secretary, ward clerk and NUMEROUS great families that we are just sick about. part of the reason we have loved denver so much has been our ward and having so many fun friends that have filled the "no family around" gap. in a few months, all will be normal, but right now everyone is grieving.
to make matters even a little worse--we were called into the stake presidents office on saturday before conference to get matt's new calling, what we assumed was going to be a simple move up to first counselor in the bishopric. nope--stake young mens second counselor. what!! that's twice now we've gone into a meeting with the stake prepared for what we thought was coming and been totally wrong. oh well, i guess that's life in the church. i just need to be grateful he wasn't put in as a new bishop as thats what the other counselor from our ward got. so, no more walks to the church park and having the luxury of using the bathrooms in the building, isaac will just have to find a tree. no more getting the scoop on new callings early. and no more BISHOPRIC MEETINGS BEFORE OR COUNTING TITHING AFTER CHURCH! hip hip hooray!! not so bad after all :)

Mal and Mom--!st day of Preschool

2007-09-05T15:31:00.000-07:00

With the basement all ready--Mal and Me started our first day of preschool. Notice how far behind I am now on blogging life as it happens. Mallory's "first day of school" picture was taken a week late-nice. Our first week went well. The only child that cried and wanted to go home was Mallory-how convienent. I actually found her wrapped in her "blankie" and curled in a ball on my bedroom floor half way through the first day. She was having issues sharing all "her preschool stuff". We've been roll playing preschool life for weeks--to no avail. Fortunately, being the 3rd, she was easily bribed back down with all the other children. Major catastrophe averted!

I finally got "finished" pictures of the basement. Well, as finshed as it's going to get until we can figure out how to do the ceiling (I know, Jared, that we were supposed to finish the ceiling first--but that's what you get over here, shoty work).
Having the bar gone has opened up a ton of space but at the same time has taken away the same amount of "we have no where to put this so stuff it behind the bar" space. I now am in desperate need of storage solutions. The Sam Adams Memorial wall will one day be filled with shelves and cabinets-but I'm sure we'll get around to it the next time we are in a crunch.

What were we thinking?

2007-08-30T19:56:00.000-07:00

For those of you who don't know, this year i decided to start a preschool out of my basement. My mother-in-law downloaded major, i mean major, amounts of preschool stuff for the cause. posters, craft supplies, idea books, a computer loaded with games, chairs, early learning games, puppets, boarders, $$ for a new swing set, ...the list goes on. (how 'bout a HUGE thank you to grandma sue). Before all said stuff could be organized or hung where i needed it, i asked matt to take a day off of work for me and help me paint and clean and move huge exercise equipment pieces to make room for my new little project. like the dotting husband that he is, he obliged and he took off the day before we were heading off to the ward camp out. i bought some $5 mistinted paint at lowes and we got started (after he replaced the cracked vent in the roof that was causing a leak in the girls' room, requiring reshingling and numerous trips to the roof and attic). the initial painting didn't take us long but as we worked he started getting the itch to finish "other half" of the basement and rip out the bar that has been with us since we moved in...um, yes Cheri, that was 3 years ago..we've had a bar and stencil of Sam Adams on our basement wall for the past 3 years. WHOA, nelly! When did matt forget that we are NOT home improvement people. Fortunately, i talked him out of ripping up the basement right then as we still had to shop and pack for camping and he had bishopric in 3 hours. i really think he thought we could be done before he headed off to meetings. we got off to the camp out and i thought this refinishing the basement phase matt was going through was just a passing fancy.

Life continued as normal for the next few days and while matt was out of town the next week i organized all my new stuff, hung posters, washed toys, etc. so when matt came home of friday night we'd be all ready for my open house the next thurs evening. i was planning on using those last few days to make copies, finish lesson plans, and any last minute things that i knew i'd forgotten but just hadn't remembered it yet. silly, silly me. bright and early sat morn, matt headed off to lowes and returned 2 hours later with sheet rock, joint compound, studs, screws, nails and a T-square. The fun was just getting started. those of you who know us, i mean really know us, know that this is so unlike anything mcqueen. we are the type of people to just be satisfied with whatever whoever came before us was satisfied with. wall color, cupboards, carpet, you name it, we just live with it. that Saturday, matt decided to live with it no longer. and you know, i'm fine with that. if he wants to learn how to finish a basement, great, this is the perfect house to practice on. just...are you sure you want to start this major project that we have not clue #1 how to do with only 5 days to do it? the answer was "you betcha!" what's a little major reconstruction with a deadline to keep us on our toes?

So, my newly cleaned and put together preschool room became the catch all for everything. we ripped out the bar, built half a wall, hung drywall, mudded, taped, sanded...and everything else with a hammer, hand saw, exacto knife, drill and our kids camping headlamps (until our good friends the yorks offered up our other good friends the duncans orange lamp you see in the corner of this picture so we could at least see what we were doing on the last night), the only tools we own. by thursday at 6, after many post midnight evenings, everything was put back together, cleaned and ready to go. i even had time to make zucchini bread for the event.by 8:30 that evening--i was out like a light. nothing like a major project during crunch time to get your feet wet. through it all, we're still a happily married couple, though this is the first time in our married life that i told matt's mother that i was going to kill her son. (i know i don't have a "finished" picture but its on its way--i've been too wiped out to take one yet:)

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!

2007-08-20T08:49:00.001-07:00

that's right folks, today was the first day of school. I can't believe I made it through the entire summer with out having a major meltdown (many minor ones, mind you) megs and isaac haven't been excited to go back until the meet and greet last friday. it was torture to get through the last few days. megan was stoked to find out that she finally gets her own desk. the ones' with the flip top lid. she'll soon realize that those are the worst because you have to put everything that is on your desk onto the floor whenever you want to get something out. i totally remember that being the major bummer of the desks that open from the top. we'll give her a few weeks and then i'll let you know how she's faring

isaac was excited to find out he has fish and a gerbil in his room and that he already knows 3 or 4 people in his class. i hope he survives the long day. he gets awful cranky when he's tired and hungry. Ms. Hensler is going to have her hands full with this one

the two little ones on the way home. what is mallory going to do all day with no one to tease her? it will be good for her to get some time with just mom. preschool starts for her next week and since i'm her teacher, she'll have this one week with just me and then she'll have to start sharing me with 7 other kids. we'll have to squeeze a lot of quality time together in this week.
i just wanted to add this picture of eli, who fell asleep at 9:30 after our short walk home while he was reading curious george. his little shoes haven't even come off his feet yet. the first day of school excitement finally caught up to him.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

2007-08-17T20:42:00.000-07:00

Today, August 18, my dad turns 65. In celebration, I wanted to take him on a stroll down memory lane-- and document our 31 of those 65 years together. I hope he can stay awake through the whole thing. wink wink!

Here we are together on my blessing day--July 4,1976. Baby #5 and you still look like you did on your wedding day. all those late nights waiting up for me and early morning paper routes and bishopric meetings haven't quite caught up to you. don't worry, its coming

still my all time favorite family picture of ours. (sorry tay! don't worry, you'll get plenty of face time down the road) its just a classic depiction of kids in different stages. gotta love kurt's arm band (if isaac ever pulls that one...) and jared's all brown with the red shoes and squinty face (if isaac ever pulls that one...). justin trying to act like he's not related and all the dirty knees. i love shem's toe head and chubby cheeks as well as my homemade overalls. what fun it was to grow up with all these people...to come from a family like this.

my one and only trip to disneyland...ever!! i don't remember any of it. hense my children will get to go when they can have a memory, however brief, of all the money and effort that goes into a disneyland trip. (like i even know!!) i love hearing about the days when shem and i were inseparable and we'd tag team you a church (before you started sitting on the stand). i love having a cuddly dad!

my baptism--the last of your children that you would baptize (shem and tay got to have older brothers). i love that my jumpsuit is way too long and yours is way too short. i'm sure you've gotten used to that over the years. as we've just baptized megan, this picture means so much more to me as i think of her and matt--how much she loves and wants to please him--i can remember feeling the same way about you and loving sharing this day with you. (boy, those chairs in the stake center sure were ugly)

the next day--my confirmation and taylor's blessing (i loved that dress mom made me and wore it whenever i got the chance) i remember you have just gotten your assignment over in the singles ward. what a fun time (at least for us kids)--getting to help with the mingles, going to singles dances, lake powell trips, hanging out with the delis' and embarrassing heather and justin. what more could any eight year old want?

i'm not even sure what school function this is but i remember you being at all of them. i'm sure my memory fails me as i think of all the places you must have been pulled to during this time. 7 kids all in sports, bishopric, selling insurance, coaching, trying to squeeze mom in somewhere. i love the memory that you were at everything (even though you probably weren't)i thought i was so cool to be able to wear your letterman sweater to this daddy daughter date. it was huge on me but we matched and that's all that mattered. no other dad and daughter were as stylin' as we were. until you started dancing--the mashed potato? come on dad--it's '88

The only two people that still make me nervous in the river are you and matt. Why that is i can't say. maybe because neither of you experienced the river in your youth. maybe your size had something to do with it. deep down, i think the real reason is that you are the two most special men in my life. you two doing dangerous things puts me over the edge.

some young women activity--being bishop through my young women's insured your presence at all church events. even if you weren't at activities, i remember always running down to the bishop's office to find you, bro pendley, bro blackham, or bro peterson--all favorites of mine. just knowing you were always around has been a comforting thought for all these years.

it wouldn't be a tribute to my dad without a picture of him as my coach. and if it wasn't me he was coaching, another sibling most assuredly had him in their team photo. as jr high and high school approached you took on the roll of spectator at our athletic events and as embarrassing as your booming voice was (EYEBROWS!!) i loved knowing you cared enough to come support me. watching megs and isaac play soccer is sheer joy for matt and i. it's fun to know you felt like that about me.

my high school graduation. i'm getting ready to fly the coop. although you've done this with 4 other kids, i'm sure i was the hardest to see grow up as i was the cutest!! i still can't believe how small taylor looks, as it seems like i graduated last year and then he got married this year! (and grew about 2 feet!)
and now i've flown the coop for good. matt still remembers you pressing down on his shoulders that day simulating passing off the weight and responsibility of caring for me onto him. one of the greatest things about getting married and having children is realizing and being in awe at how much your own parents really do love you. how much time and energy was put into your life that you don't even have a memory of. up until this point i had no idea what it was like to love your own child and to do everything you possibly could for her. i can't even begin to imagine megan's wedding day and what emotions that day will bring. i love you, dad for all the memories i have of you--but more for all the things i can't remember but knew you did. thank you for loving me enough to take care of me when i couldn't take care of myself. i hope you have a happy birthday (finishing the basement, i'm sure) and know that 6 little people are thinking of you a state away.