Birthday Trip to Reno....

For my birthday this year, which happened to fall on Labor Day, I decided to pack the kids up and drive to Reno to visit my parents. My van was in no condition to make the trip so we rented a car instead. What an adventure that turned out to be....and I use the word adventure lightly. It was more like a train wreck. Long story short we should have left at noon and ended up leaving at 3:45 after going to a totally different car rental place and after going to the DMV for a new drivers license. It was crazy. We finally rolled in around 11pm on Thursday night. Here is a pic of the kids with Gpa/Gma and his new 'toy'....he traded his Mercedes in for a Jeep!

Friday my parents drove us up the mountain to one of the ski resorts to have a look around. You see, the only other time that we have been to Reno for an extended visit was the weekend my dad had a heart attack and landed himself in the hospital....so we didnt get to do much sightseeing. We walked around and the kids jumped on the bungee slingshot thingamajigger....or at least they tried to. Then we ate lunch and the boys, myself, and my mom rented roller skates and rolled around the outdoor rink. It was a lot of fun.....its been a loooong time since I put on roller skates but I did alright! Addie and Grandpa sat that one out and just watched or assisted the boys when they needed it. After that we headed down to the lake...Lake Tahoe that is. I have never seen it before and could not believe how big it was! And it is gorgeous clear water....wow. The kids got brave and donned swimsuits and actually got in the water! They had a great time. Here is a slideshow of some of the pics that day:

Mom and I got to see a couple of movies over the weekend while my Dad kept the kids and then Monday we went miniature golfing. It was a lot of fun and really nice to spend some quality time with the Grandparents/Parents. Even the dogs got in on the action....I think the boys ran them tired around the yard each day. Sorry kids, no dog for us!!

My parents have a beautiful backyard with lots of trees and flowers and a pond with Koi fish. Its a great place to watch for animals. The kids got a kick out of seeing the rabbits, birds, and squirrels. They even left peanuts on the rocks for the squirrel. At some point this big Blue Heron landed at the edge of their pond....I think he was looking for dinner! It was startling to see him out the window standing there so majestic.....

We got back last night and went head first into the daily grind today. Its going to be an exhausting Fall and I think Christmas will be here before I want it to be....but then, that is nothing new! Hope you all enjoyed your Labor Day weekend too...

Catching Up.....

I know it hasn't been that long since I last posted so there is'nt necessarily a lot of catch up but I have a couple of slideshows with pictures I forgot to post. The first is from the 4th of July Weekend... we went early Saturday morning to our old ward for the annual 4th of July pancake breakfast. Thats always a good time to visit and eat a good breakfast...then we ventured over to the Gateway to see the movie "The Last Airbender". The kids had been dying to see it. While waiting for the movie to start the kids had a run around the fountains area and tried really hard not to get wet. Everyone managed to stay dry but Ian....here are the pic's from that day.

Then of course the next day was the actual 4th of July and we decided to take the kids to a Bee'z Baseball game because afterward they put on a fabulous firework show! Denver really wanted to take the kids to a baseball game before he left. So here are the pics from the game....

So, last night we celebrated the 24th of July which in Utah is bigger than the 4th of July in terms of holiday's. For those that dont know what it is, we call it Pioneer Day and we are celebrating the pioneers that traveled West and settled what is now the Salt Lake Valley. A lot of sacrifices were made to venture out here into the unknown and their trials were massive. There definitely is a reason to celebrate those strong and faithful people.... We went to my friend Karolyns house last night. They live in a great house with an even greater yard that consists of ponds, a trampoline and a campground style fire pit complete with split log benches. The kids had so much fun roasting hot dogs, marshmallows, making smores and just goofing around with Karolyns two daughters. Addison was in heaven with those "big" girls... Logan (she called her Loden) and Brynn. Also Karolyns boyfriends' daughter Sydney was there and Addie acted like she had known her forever. It was cute. After all the eating and playing we had a fun "wyoming style" firework show! Here are some pics from the night....I wasnt a very good picture taker last night but got a few.

So the other news is that Denver has taken a job with his company (Boeing) in their South Carolina plant. He moved there on Thursday. It is basically the same job but with better opportunity. He has been going to school for business management but in this small little Salt Lake plant there was not much hope of him ever getting into management. Not to mention most of the work on Boeing's new big plane is being moved to the Charleston plant. With the economy the way it is, it seemed a good choice to go there where the job is guaranteed for the foreseeable future. Me and the kids have stayed behind for now. I really dont want to have to start the whole process of school over and since I only have about a year left, it made sense to stick it out here for a while. We have discovered SKYPE and the kids get to video chat with him each night so that will be fun for them. We are just going to keep busy to keep our minds off the fact that he isnt here. For example this Fall I have registered for a full schedule at the U. I found a full day preschool for Addison which will allow me the time to finish my homework during the day before the kids get home from school in the afternoon. That way we can spend those afternoon/evenings with their homework, Taekwondo, Soccer, Dance, Scouts, and whatever else comes our way. I have also signed up for the Womens Choir that I sing with each year. Im pretty sure every day of the week will be filled with something!! So if I seem frazzled or my blog posts are short, you will understand why! Hope you are all having a great Summer....school is almost back in session!

Thankful....

Happy Thanksgiving! I love this holiday....there is just something warm and fuzzy about it. Even though I can never seem to get the timing right on the rolls, everything always turns out great and the food....oh, the food. My parents drove in from Reno this week to spend Thanksgiving with us. We had our feast at Nathan and Alisa's house and as usual, it was wonderful!

Im so grateful for the blessings in my life. Most importantly, for Family. There is just no replacing them. My kids are obviously tops on the list of things that I am grateful for but truthfully I have a pretty long list of blessings. Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday....time for a nap!

I Actually Did It......

6 Months ago when I made the decision to register for a half marathon, there was a little voice inside my head that said "you wont make it". I also know that the voice was inside the head of other people close to me. All I can say to the voice is "HA!" I did it. No, I didnt run fast and No, I didnt win anything but I finished it and I didnt die doing it! I also had a lot of fun which was the best part. You will have to forgive the boring details of this post but I have to document this experience somewhere and this seems a better place than any other.

We drove to Reno Wednesday afternoon and spent the night and the next day at my parents house. On Thursday I met my friend Amy for lunch. I met her while living in Monterey 14 years ago! I havent seen her since I left in 1996 so what a treat it was to visit with her again! Friday morning we got up and left for Monterey California with my mom joining us. Denver was not able to come with us because of work so my Mom filled in for him.... The drive to California was fun and what a feeling it was to come over the hill and see the Monterey Bay again after 12 years!!! I LOVE this place....... We had dinner and relaxed at the hotel the rest of the night. The next day we took a drive along the coast on the route that I would be running that weekend. I showed everybody the sites and then we headed to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The kids loved it! It was a lot of fun and they enjoyed seeing all the fish and touching the Sting Rays and Starfish. I was a little disappointed that the seals werent around. Normally they crowd Fishermans Wharf and you can hear their barking for miles. I used to love waking up to that sound everyday. Ian started feeling a little sick after dinner so we went back to the hotel and went to bed.

The next morning I got up at 4:45 and got ready for the big race. I was very nervous even though I knew I would be fine....it was the anticipation I guess! We took off running at 7:05 a.m. on the most beautiful morning EVER! Not a cloud in the sky and no fog, which was strange for Monterey. Every 2 or 3 miles they had a different type of live music group playing...it was so amazing. Especially running through the tunnel and coming out to the bagpipe players as the sun was rising. Unreal! The town was so supportive and people were out on their porches playing music and cheering for everyone. It was so much fun! The scenery was breathtaking and it was hard not to stop and just appreciate it. I am not a fast runner and did not run the race in the time that I had wanted to but enjoyed it so much that I cant be too disappointed! When I was running back and hit the 10 mile mark, I was quite tired and very hungry....I was ready for it to be over. As I came around the final stretch Ian and Evan ran out to meet me and then held my hand and ran across the finish line with me. It was so awesome.... Poor Ian was still feeling sick but trying so hard to enjoy the moment with me. There were lots of pictures taken by the race organization and I am still waiting for those photos. Mom was too excited and didnt get any of us running in but thats OK! It was a great experience and I believe I am going to do it every year.

We went out to eat after the race and then headed down to Carmel beach so the kids could play in the ocean. They have never seen the ocean before so it was all a new experience for them. I couldnt get the boys to leave they were having so much fun. They were soaked from head to toe by the time we left. Addie was content to just stand with me....she didnt dig the water too much and I dont blame her....it was COLD! We went back to the hotel and showered and then Ian really got sick. So much so that I ended up taking him to the hospital. He was running a high fever and wasnt breathing well. I was really nervous. No H1N1 thank heavens but definitely sick and having asthma problems. They gave him a breathing treatment and gave me an inhaler to continue giving him. He is still feeling sick tonight and I am praying that it doesnt turn into the flu.

We left Monday morning to drive back to Reno. We decided since we were so close we would take a side trip up to San Francisco so the kids could see the Golden Gate bridge. What an adventure that turned out to be! All I can say is be careful not to get off on the wrong exit in San Fran because if you do, you will be in the city for hours trying to find your way back out. Every street is one way, I didnt think we would ever get out!! We saw Lombard St. so we took a little drive down the "crookedest street" in the world. The kids were literally squealing at the super steep hills....I felt like we were on a roller coaster! The bridge was awesome and we got some great pictures. Then we were off to Reno. Tuesday we left and made the 7 hour drive back to Salt Lake City.... What a trip! Lots of driving but lots of fun! Here is a slideshow of our adventures.....

Where to Begin....

So, here is a quick run down of what has been happening at the Shannon household for the past week or two. WARNING....this is a long post!

The first bit of news would be that over Labor Day weekend my parents flew into town for a visit. We always love it when they come and it never seems like it is a long enough visit. They got here late Friday night and first thing Saturday morning they came to Ian's first official football game. Friday night Ian was sick.... throwing up, diarrhea sick. Denver felt like it was just nerves because he was a little bit anxious about this big game with Grandpa here to watch him. So, when he got up in the morning, he seemed OK and off we went to the game. Let's just say that he confirmed to everyone that he was really not feeling well at all and it was not nerves. The game was horrible and he hardly played at all. I felt really bad for him because he had wanted to play for Grandpa.....but he was relieved when it was over and after we got home, he layed down on his bed and fell fast asleep still in full uniform with pads!

My mom and I spent the afternoon at a movie. We saw Julie & Julia and it was OK...it was fun to go out with my mom though. I'd love to go on a trip somewhere, just to two of us....shopping and seeing movies and laying on the beach. One day soon.....

Sunday afternoon, Addie started complaining and crying about having a stomach ache. I was getting ready to go shopping with my mom for my birthday, which was that very day :) Suddenly Denver is screaming at me to come downstairs as Addison had barfed all over the place. We got her cleaned up and bathed and not 5 minutes later Denver is screaming again because now Evan was throwing up all over the place. Good Times!! Mom and I left to go shopping anyway and when we returned, it was obvious I had some really sick kiddos.

The next day I woke up sick....like I said, Good Times. It felt like I was pregnant again ***( dont worry, IM NOT PREGNANT!!!)*** but every smell made me Gag. We were having Labor Day dinner at Nates that evening and we were in charge of the food. We made Kalua Pork (which is amazing by the way) and the smell of that liquid smoke on the pork was enough to do me in. I survived though without throwing up and enjoyed a nice dinner with my family. I love it when we can all be together. My parents left the next day to go back to Reno.

So, next on the list would be that Evan got placed on a soccer team finally (it was up in the air as he was on a waiting list) and it turned out that 8 of the 10 boys on this team are either in his current school class or were in his class last year. Needless to say he was ecstatic! His first game was yesterday and he did great! Looks as though Goalie might be his position....he blocked every ball the other team shot at him. It was awesome. Addie started Dance classes on Friday and she had an ear to ear perma-grin on her face all day. She loved it and Im so excited for this time in her life....she is becoming quite the girlie girl. I LOVE it! Ian had another game on Saturday and did so much better since he wasnt sick. In fact at practice this past week he actually enjoyed himself for the first time and couldnt wait for the game yesterday. Im so happy that he is finally gaining some confidence and having a good time.

School is going great for me although Im finding it difficult to get my homework done timely.... its hard to get used to remembering such a thing. Saturday night I attended my very first symphony. I had to critique it for my music appreciation class. It was the Utah Symphony playing Beethoven's 5th Symphony. My friend Linda came up from Provo and we went to dinner first and then the concert. It was really great....except for the horribly uncomfortable seats! I love this class and am excited to see more concerts throughout the semester including the opera, Macbeth.

I think that about does for it for the main events.....we are just busy as can be right now between school, work, football, soccer, and dance! Fun times!! Here is a slideshow of some extra pictures....

Where Have I Been......?

Well thats a loaded question! This past week or two has been crazy busy......It started out with my Mother in Law coming to town with her 3 sisters and ended with us driving to Arizona for 4 days.We enjoyed having Lynn, Bonnie, and Pam here although I feel like a horrible hostess! I seriously did NOTHING the entire week they were here. I didnt cook, clean or entertain! They pretty much did it all. They washed every stitch of laundry in the house....cooked every meal we ate and to top it all off, I got a free haircut from Bonnie and a pedicure from Pam. I learned lots of new things about these women, the best being that they do hair and nails! It was great! The best part is that after we went to Arizona, the 3 sisters stayed behind for another night at our home before they returned to Michigan and they cleaned my entire house from top to bottom so when we got home from our trip, it was to a sparkly clean house! I could get used to that..... Of course it wasnt expected of them and I still feel bad that I didnt do more but sure do appreciate everything they did for me while they were here!

Another fun thing I did was have lunch with my friend Kim and her new little baby girl.
She adopted her at birth and little Charlee is already 9 months old and I wanted to meet her! We met up at Sugarhouse park for some lunch and a little play time. It was so much fun and just look at the cheeks on this little girl. She was just as gorgeous in person as she is in all the pictures I have seen!
Finally, we went to Arizona for a couple of reasons. First, we had some business to take care of with the child support people....also, Carlotta wanted to see Alec since she missed his summer visit in June....and lastly, it was my 'Ries' family reunion. So, the trip was busy busy and it felt like we didnt have enough time to do it all. I did manage to get in a visit with my friend Julee too. She is such a great friend and I am so glad we have kept in touch over the years.... here we are with a silly self portrait in the car!!
I think we need to go back so we can spend more time visiting! I enjoyed seeing all my cousins and aunts and uncles and especially my Grandparents. I really wish we could have visited longer. Alec and Carlotta were troopers coming to my reunion....I appreciate their willingness to attend with us even though they didnt really know a lot of people. We took a lot of time on the trip down and stopped a lot to see the sights. It was fun to show my Mother in law things she has never seen before. We had a great trip.....now its back to reality! Here is a slide show of some of our trip pics.....enjoy!

Updates......

So, this past week has been a busy one! I haven't had the time to post anything, obviously and now it is after midnight and although I should be going to bed, I'm going to quickly post an update on the past weeks events.

1st: Ian started football practice. This has been an interesting experience already. They have practiced 4 days in a row for 2 hours! That is more work than Ian has ever done for a sport and I am so proud of him for working hard and trying his best not to whine about the heat. It was hot... I don't know how he stood it in all that uniform. The first day was rough with a few little crying spats and some accusations of us "forcing" him into this (don't worry, there was no coercing, bribing, or forcing....he begged....literally). After the crying came the moping and the dragging of the arms. Barely running....acting like he was going to die at any moment. Fun stuff. The next day, however, he really worked his tail off! I was so amazed. He is not the fastest runner on the team...by far... but he didn't quit, he didn't cry, and he said that he actually enjoyed it! So, for now...he likes it. They started the tackling on Wednesday and at first he was a bit timid with it. Afraid to really hit the person very hard, but by the end he was coming around to it. I think as he gets more comfortable, he is going to do really well.

2nd: We have visitors! Denver's mom is in town to visit for a month. She brought a little entourage with her.....all 3 of her sisters! So we have 4 women in our home for a week. Next week the 3 sisters are flying back home and leaving Carlotta to stay for a few more weeks. So far we have taken them up the Alpine Loop and to Sundance for a little mountain sightseeing and to Temple Square downtown. I think tomorrow we are going to relax a bit and maybe do some more temple sights.

3rd: I attended my 20th High School reunion Friday night. I was on the fence about going up until the day of. I finally decided that I did want to go to this reunion. I have been talking to so many people on facebook recently that I just couldn't resist going to see them. 2 of my friends who were supposed to be going as well didn't show up so at first I was feeling like a bit of a loner (hubby didn't go with me) but then I saw Jon and all was well! It was so fun to see him again and talk about old times and new times! He kept me company and I really enjoyed it...quite a few people that saw us together assumed that we were married! That was pretty funny.... I sat at a table with him and 3 other girls that I didn't necessarily know well in high school but sure had fun talking and laughing with them that night. Makes me wish we had known each other better back then.....So, that's the quick update. Next week we are leaving for Arizona to take care of some business as well as attend my 'Ries' family reunion. It will be a great time....HOT....but lots of fun!

Spring is Never Coming....

Okay...now I'm almost convinced that Spring is not ever going to be here. We are being hit with back to back snowstorms! According to the weather it is supposed to snow for the next 3 days. We received 3 inches just today. It made for a really sad site down at Temple Square today. We have visitors in town staying with us and spent the day driving them around and showing them the place. Kevin and Angie are here from Kentucky. Kevin is Denver's 2nd cousin but they are the same age so they are good friends too. They had been here once before but it was 8 years ago! We are hoping they will relocate eventually ;) I'll introduce them more in a later post.

So we get to Temple Square and get out to walk around so Angie could take pictures and it was FREEZING! Not only was there snow everywhere but the wind was blowing and it was just almost unbearable! All the flora on the square had been starting to bloom from the warm weather last week so everywhere you looked were colorful flowers peeping out from under the white blanket of snow. I sure hope they survive the week! Poor Addison had to go to the bathroom desperately...we tried to walk into the Joseph Smith building but it was locked and so when I turned around to tell her, she was already going....right there all over herself. We had to run to the car before she froze to death because she was soaked. We went home and changed her and then drove around some more. We went up to the Salt Lake Cemetary to see President Hinkley's grave and also to show off the gorgeous view of the Salt Lake valley. It is truly beautiful and I love living here...in spite of the awful snow.... Then we drove them out to see the Great Salt Lake. I found out today that the Great Salt Lake has enough salt in it to supply the ENTIRE world for 1000 years. Can you believe that? We ended the day at Tres Hermanos for dinner....mmmm Mexican food. Cant beat it. So, all in all is was a great day....cold, but really nice to be out with great company! I will post more pictures later but here is a quick slide show of our day today.....

Tiny Dancer.....

I had dinner with my good friend Linda the other day...she is the proud mom of 4 boys. She has been saving these little dance/gymnastics outfits for the girl she might have eventually but has resolved that maybe it isnt going to happen and so she kindly passed these outfits onto me for Addison. Addie has enjoyed twirling and dancing around in them for the past few days....they even have matching hair scrunchies! So cute.....I cant wait to enroll her in dance this summer!

Christmas Eve Fun.....

Tuesday we had a really nice get together with my brothers and their families. Weve pretty much done this for the past 3 years so I guess it has become tradition for us. We met at Nate and Alisa's home and had yummy Wasatch Pizza and exchanged gifts. Everyone was really happy with their gifts (we hope :) I had an especially great time because Nathan and Alisa, who "employ" me to watch their son Soren, gave me a Christmas bonus as would any good employer.....but this bonus was the best ever.....UGG boots! I have been wanting UGG's for a very long time but cant ever seem to justify spending the dough on them. Now I have some.....yay! We also got an awesome movie package for our family which included and air-pop popcorn machine, a few movies, candy, and all of it came in a supe huge stainless steel popcorn bowl. Too cool. Last but not least, we got a fondue pot with cookbook. This is really exciting because I have to host a Bunco party next month and what better thing to bring out for a party than a Fondue Pot....thanks Jeff and Nicola!

Then our family went bowling for our Christmas Eve....

this was great fun although my score was seriously lame and Im not even going to talk about it. Shameful.....:) We ended the night going to see the lights on Temple Square


which is always a nice way to end the evening....brrrrrrr. We came home, opened the Christmas Eve PJ's, had hot chocolate and put on a movie Fred Claus. This is how you cram it all in when someone is leaving town...... Hope you all have a Merry Christmas!!!

What a Weekend.....

We have had an extremely full and wonderful weekend. I have a lot to post......Halloween, my choir performance, Ian's birthday party as well as a couple of promised recipes on my food blog. However, I am so exhausted that I am only going to post one tonight and then I will finish up tomorrow. I'll start with what came first......Halloween. Although I worked that night, I was able to get the kids ready and go over to Nathans house to show them off and get a treat there. My parents were in town for the weekend and staying at Nates house too so they got to see the kids as well. While we were there, we trick or treated at their neighbors house who were giving out gargantuan boxes of candy....SCORE! The kids were pretty excited about that. After that, I had to leave for work. It turns out that the treat bags I bought for the kids this year filled up completely after only one street! They could not fit anymore candy in it and so trick or treating was short and sweet ....guess I didnt miss much! Our neighborhood also has a lot of houses that give out of full sized candy bars and such. Awesome. Here are a few pictures taken on Halloween..... Hope you all had a Spooktacular time

At The Park....

What a gorgeous day! Thankfully, the weather improved from last weekend..... Today we had planned on making a trip to Logan to visit some friends that we havent seen in about 5 years. Sadly, Melanie called yesterday to report she had come down with the flu so we had to cancel the plans. Hopefully she feels better soon and we can try again!

We didnt have anything to do today (for once) so Denver went fishing and Im not sure what I did really except that it amounted to NOTHING which is something that I rarely get a chance to do! Believe me, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Sometime around 5pm, we headed to the park to enjoy the last few hours of the day. We used to live right across the street from this park and I love to go there with the kids. I dont think we have ever taken Addie though so she had a lot of fun on the "wings" and the "lides".... as the sun started retreating, we ended the day feeding the geese. Here are a few pictures of the fun...

I love Fall and wish it would stay this season forever sometimes. Ian has been on Fall break from school all week....he is off all of next week too. Evan was off Thurs and Fri and will be off on Monday as well. We have officially purchased Halloween costumes for the 3 of them.....more on that after the Holiday. I wont be able to trick or treat with the kids this year as I have to work. Im pretty bummed about it but there isnt anything I can do to change it.....At least I will be here to get them all ready to go! We bought easy costumes this year that dont require me to use stage makeup....this will eliminate a lot of time.