Tuesday I went to see Twilight for the second time with my sister and some ladies from the ward. I had such a great time. I seen it for the first time opening day, Friday afternoon with Ryan and some other great friends, especially Becki by beloved Twilight freak- thanks for the t-shirt!!. I am looking forward to seeing it again!! Ryan had not read the books but had received a play by play while Jenn and myself were reading it. He enjoyed the movie so much that we is now reading the books. Ryan and I love the VAMPIRE THING!! Our first date we went to see Bram Stoker's Dracula. I am glad I was able to share this with him. We are both hopeless romantics and vampires need love too. One can not live on blood alone. Sam is begging to see it the next time. When I was reading she would grab on of the other books and snuggle up on the couch and pretend to read and then listen with passion as I told the story to Ryan and her later. Hopefully Santa will bring her mama the soundtrack...which Ryan and I both love!!
Yesterday we spend Thanksgiving with family...only three different stops this year. We had a delicious dinner at my Dad's and were able to spend sometime talking with my Grandparents and listening to them tell stories of when their children were growing up. I love listening to them. They are so sweet and you can tell they still really love another. I hope Ryan and I are that wonderful together when we are that age after 50+ years of marriage.
Well it has finally happened. Most people that know us have heard all about Layla refusing to walk and my growing frustration with the foster dogs we have been lending our home to. Our family has sheltered 6 dogs: Mustang, Chief (Sam's favorite)Sasha, Foxy (my favorite), Max (we were able to name him) & Benny and helped them find wonderful homes. I finally had to tell Ryan we could not do it any more with all the mud being tracked in from the backyard, Layla was eating mud pies every morning , afternoon and evening and I was spending all day long cleaning up after the dogs. I have yet to tell Sam that we are not getting another foster dog anytime soon. She is so passionate about these dogs and finding them a family to love. She is certainly her Dad's soft hearted daughter. If it were up to them we would live on a farm with every kind of dog, a few cats, horses and whatever else they could squeeze into the barn.
My biggest joy is that within the last day or two Layla has been working to master the art of WALKING!! She is zipping around the house and carrying her baby and purse, already. She is adorable, really too cute for words. I think she has finally realized that she will need to walk to keep up with Sam. Layla and Sam are so cute together, they laugh constantly together over nothing sometimes. When they get laughing Ryan and I just look at each other and laugh too, which makes them laugh even harder.
In the last few months Ryan has been working hard to get the yard improvements done before the snow falls. Ryan and our friend Simon has now finished the sprinkling system, the new fence is done with the new dog run too. The RV and extended patio has been poured and we just got the patio covered on Tuesday. The girls think it is an extension of the family room. They want to be out there every moment. I am hoping all these improvements will help us to use our back yard more all year long, especially Spring thru Fall. The yard looks really good and I am excited to get started planting in the spring...I hope Simon will help me pick out some fabulous shrubbery, etc. He is a master Gardner and I have been sharing my hopes for my yard since the day we bought the house and now it is time to make my dream a reality and I am excited!!!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
High School Tag - Michelle
1. DID YOU DATE SOMEONE FROM YOUR SCHOOL? Yeah a handsome football player whom also happened to be a Track and Field star- I should really look him up, I bet he married a really great girl : )
2.WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU DRIVE? I had to share my Dads truck until I graduated so that I wouldn't be tempted to skip school.
3. DID YOU PASS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE TEST YOUR FIRST TRY? Certainly, I don't have time to fool around
4. WERE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL? I wouldn't say party animal but certainly not a by-the-book "good girl"
5. WERE YOU CONSIDERED A FLIRT? Of course what else would I be doing in school all day - studying? Please I am a multi-tasker. I don't think I ever out grew in either
6. WERE YOU IN BAND, ORCHESTRA, OR CHOIR? Absolutely Not, there is nothing musical about me.
7. WERE YOU A NERD? I earned good grades, but certainly not a nerd by any means.
8. WERE YOU ON ANY VARSITY TEAMS? Nope I just dated the Varsity team member(s)
9. DID YOU EVER GET SUSPENDED/EXPELLED? Never - my parents would have killed me
10. CAN YOU STILL SING THE FIGHT SONG? I never sang the fight song when I was there. Plus me singing anything has actually been banned in some places among this valley.
11. WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS? Mr. Smith (Human Bio) Sadly enough I don't really remember any other teachers.
12. WHERE DID YOU SIT FOR LUNCH? With my friends either in the commons or we would walk down the convenience store and then sit outside
13. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S FULL NAME? Hunter High School
14. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT AND COLORS? Wolverine, Navy blue and Silver
15. DID YOU GO TO HOMECOMING AND WITH WHO? My husband...of course he was not back then
16. IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN WOULD YOU? Never...well maybe if I were making money for doing it and I was able to keep my knowledge that I have now.
17. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT GRADUATION? Ordering and sending all my announcements - totally worth it when the Congratulatory checks starting coming in. Cha-Ching!!
18. WHERE DID YOU GO SENIOR SKIP DAY? That was pretty much every day after lunch.
19. WERE YOU IN ANY CLUBS? Nothing that had anything to do with school
20. HAVE YOU GAINED SOME WEIGHT SINCE THEN? Oh no I have always had these saddle bags, stretch marks and three chins since grade school. Seriously do you want to see me cry...who thought this was a good question??
21. WHO WAS YOUR PROM DATE? My best friend...again MY ADORABLE HUSBAND
22. ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO YOUR 10 YEAR REUNION? Not unless they have made it into a movie to replay fourteen years later (1994). No, I was busy having my first baby and again they were not handing out monetary compensation to attend...waste of time in my opinion. I married the only person I cared to keep in touch with.
23. DID YOU HAVE A JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL? I worked the ticket and concession stand at a small theatre in Kearns and was also a Hostess at Dine' Cafe ...best food ever!! I miss that place. I also worked the counter and drive thru window at McDonalds for a little while with Ryan when we were seniors. Oh and I did make some money doing small modeling jobs, like window and runway shows for department stores here locally...I almost forgot about that. I still will walk my hallway like I own it...because I DO!
2.WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU DRIVE? I had to share my Dads truck until I graduated so that I wouldn't be tempted to skip school.
3. DID YOU PASS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE TEST YOUR FIRST TRY? Certainly, I don't have time to fool around
4. WERE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL? I wouldn't say party animal but certainly not a by-the-book "good girl"
5. WERE YOU CONSIDERED A FLIRT? Of course what else would I be doing in school all day - studying? Please I am a multi-tasker. I don't think I ever out grew in either
6. WERE YOU IN BAND, ORCHESTRA, OR CHOIR? Absolutely Not, there is nothing musical about me.
7. WERE YOU A NERD? I earned good grades, but certainly not a nerd by any means.
8. WERE YOU ON ANY VARSITY TEAMS? Nope I just dated the Varsity team member(s)
9. DID YOU EVER GET SUSPENDED/EXPELLED? Never - my parents would have killed me
10. CAN YOU STILL SING THE FIGHT SONG? I never sang the fight song when I was there. Plus me singing anything has actually been banned in some places among this valley.
11. WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS? Mr. Smith (Human Bio) Sadly enough I don't really remember any other teachers.
12. WHERE DID YOU SIT FOR LUNCH? With my friends either in the commons or we would walk down the convenience store and then sit outside
13. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S FULL NAME? Hunter High School
14. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT AND COLORS? Wolverine, Navy blue and Silver
15. DID YOU GO TO HOMECOMING AND WITH WHO? My husband...of course he was not back then
16. IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN WOULD YOU? Never...well maybe if I were making money for doing it and I was able to keep my knowledge that I have now.
17. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT GRADUATION? Ordering and sending all my announcements - totally worth it when the Congratulatory checks starting coming in. Cha-Ching!!
18. WHERE DID YOU GO SENIOR SKIP DAY? That was pretty much every day after lunch.
19. WERE YOU IN ANY CLUBS? Nothing that had anything to do with school
20. HAVE YOU GAINED SOME WEIGHT SINCE THEN? Oh no I have always had these saddle bags, stretch marks and three chins since grade school. Seriously do you want to see me cry...who thought this was a good question??
21. WHO WAS YOUR PROM DATE? My best friend...again MY ADORABLE HUSBAND
22. ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO YOUR 10 YEAR REUNION? Not unless they have made it into a movie to replay fourteen years later (1994). No, I was busy having my first baby and again they were not handing out monetary compensation to attend...waste of time in my opinion. I married the only person I cared to keep in touch with.
23. DID YOU HAVE A JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL? I worked the ticket and concession stand at a small theatre in Kearns and was also a Hostess at Dine' Cafe ...best food ever!! I miss that place. I also worked the counter and drive thru window at McDonalds for a little while with Ryan when we were seniors. Oh and I did make some money doing small modeling jobs, like window and runway shows for department stores here locally...I almost forgot about that. I still will walk my hallway like I own it...because I DO!
High School Tag - Ryan
Since Michelle has not posted her response to her being tagged I thought I would do mine in the meantime.... I'm sure Michelle's post will come soon.
1. DID YOU DATE SOMEONE FROM YOUR SCHOOL? Yeah, one, I think we all know who she is.
2.WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU DRIVE? 1974 Camero .
3. DID YOU PASS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE TEST YOUR FIRST TRY? Of course, I had been driving tractors on my family's farm for years at that point.
4. WERE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL? Yes a turtle.
5. WERE YOU CONSIDERED A FLIRT? If I was I was really, really bad at it.
6. WERE YOU IN BAND, ORCHESTRA, OR CHOIR? Not in high school.
7. WERE YOU A NERD? If anyone called me a nerd they got their noses punched in...Got it? Oh, sorry, I guess I'm still a little defensive.
8. WERE YOU ON ANY VARSITY TEAMS? Yep, Football and Track (held the school record in shot put for 4 years).
9. DID YOU EVER GET SUSPENDED/EXPELLED? No
10. CAN YOU STILL SING THE FIGHT SONG? Uh...no only nerds know the fight song...see answer to number 7.
11. WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS? Mr. Shumway, Mr. Smith, Coach Peck to name a few...High school was pretty good to me in that regard.
12. WHERE DID YOU SIT FOR LUNCH? I was too cool for lunch...jk I think in the commons.
13. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S FULL NAME? Hunter High School.
14. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT AND COLORS? Wolverine, Navy blue and Silver.
15. DID YOU GO TO HOMECOMING AND WITH WHO? Yes, with Michelle Mann.
16. IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN WOULD YOU? If I could keep the knowledge I have gained over the years, so I could become even smarter and get that dream job at NASA. Oh and I loved playing football.
17. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT GRADUATION? That is was at the U of U and we were all in caps and gowns...I'll never wear a dress again...ok, maybe a few more times, but thats it.
18. WHERE DID YOU GO SENIOR SKIP DAY? I skipped so many times at the end I can't remember which day was designated at skip day.
19. WERE YOU IN ANY CLUBS? Yeah, Fight club, but I can't talk about it.
20. HAVE YOU GAINED SOME WEIGHT SINCE THEN? Do you think im fat? I only gained about 40 lbs.
21. WHO WAS YOUR PROM DATE? Michelle Mann.
22. ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO YOUR 10 YEAR REUNION? Sweet, sweet blog...I love you cause you think im so young.
23. DID YOU HAVE A JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL? I worked at McDonalds for a few years and unloaded trucks on a dock at night.
1. DID YOU DATE SOMEONE FROM YOUR SCHOOL? Yeah, one, I think we all know who she is.
2.WHAT KIND OF CAR DID YOU DRIVE? 1974 Camero .
3. DID YOU PASS YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE TEST YOUR FIRST TRY? Of course, I had been driving tractors on my family's farm for years at that point.
4. WERE YOU A PARTY ANIMAL? Yes a turtle.
5. WERE YOU CONSIDERED A FLIRT? If I was I was really, really bad at it.
6. WERE YOU IN BAND, ORCHESTRA, OR CHOIR? Not in high school.
7. WERE YOU A NERD? If anyone called me a nerd they got their noses punched in...Got it? Oh, sorry, I guess I'm still a little defensive.
8. WERE YOU ON ANY VARSITY TEAMS? Yep, Football and Track (held the school record in shot put for 4 years).
9. DID YOU EVER GET SUSPENDED/EXPELLED? No
10. CAN YOU STILL SING THE FIGHT SONG? Uh...no only nerds know the fight song...see answer to number 7.
11. WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS? Mr. Shumway, Mr. Smith, Coach Peck to name a few...High school was pretty good to me in that regard.
12. WHERE DID YOU SIT FOR LUNCH? I was too cool for lunch...jk I think in the commons.
13. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S FULL NAME? Hunter High School.
14. WHAT IS YOUR SCHOOL'S MASCOT AND COLORS? Wolverine, Navy blue and Silver.
15. DID YOU GO TO HOMECOMING AND WITH WHO? Yes, with Michelle Mann.
16. IF YOU COULD GO BACK AND DO IT AGAIN WOULD YOU? If I could keep the knowledge I have gained over the years, so I could become even smarter and get that dream job at NASA. Oh and I loved playing football.
17. WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER MOST ABOUT GRADUATION? That is was at the U of U and we were all in caps and gowns...I'll never wear a dress again...ok, maybe a few more times, but thats it.
18. WHERE DID YOU GO SENIOR SKIP DAY? I skipped so many times at the end I can't remember which day was designated at skip day.
19. WERE YOU IN ANY CLUBS? Yeah, Fight club, but I can't talk about it.
20. HAVE YOU GAINED SOME WEIGHT SINCE THEN? Do you think im fat? I only gained about 40 lbs.
21. WHO WAS YOUR PROM DATE? Michelle Mann.
22. ARE YOU PLANNING ON GOING TO YOUR 10 YEAR REUNION? Sweet, sweet blog...I love you cause you think im so young.
23. DID YOU HAVE A JOB IN HIGH SCHOOL? I worked at McDonalds for a few years and unloaded trucks on a dock at night.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
"Win/ Win" Situation
Today I attended a meeting at the church headquarters talking about how we as architects and contractors can help each other so that we can be proud of the final product we produce, or in other words how to create a "win/win" situation.
So as I got back to my office I naturally started thinking about all the things I could do to help improve this situation. Apparently I keep my wife in my thoughts as I found myself thinking about "win/win" situations in our home. I could take the obvious choices like helping with the dishes or tackling the dirty laundry or even getting the Halloween decorations taken down and put away. But as you may or may not know about me, when I think of something that needs to be done it needs to get done right away or it may get forgotten about. So, Since I am stuck in the office, I was thinking to myself, what can I do for my wife that she would appreciate. Well, here it is...It's this blog (I hope she appreciates it). I know, this is so exciting, I bet I get a super cool gift for Christmas now!! To the side of this entry I have added a countdown to remind Michelle of her girls night out. Michelle, at a record pace finished all four novels and already has her tickets for the premier. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page I have added a video bar that has the Twilight movie trailers in it, this should keep her entertained until opening night. I guess you could call this is her win. My win is the video clip right below hers. Its one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack, the song is Decode by Paramore. Check them out. Oh, and by the way don't forget to mute the music on the page before starting the clips, that's one sure way to induce a Tylenol moment!!
So as I got back to my office I naturally started thinking about all the things I could do to help improve this situation. Apparently I keep my wife in my thoughts as I found myself thinking about "win/win" situations in our home. I could take the obvious choices like helping with the dishes or tackling the dirty laundry or even getting the Halloween decorations taken down and put away. But as you may or may not know about me, when I think of something that needs to be done it needs to get done right away or it may get forgotten about. So, Since I am stuck in the office, I was thinking to myself, what can I do for my wife that she would appreciate. Well, here it is...It's this blog (I hope she appreciates it). I know, this is so exciting, I bet I get a super cool gift for Christmas now!! To the side of this entry I have added a countdown to remind Michelle of her girls night out. Michelle, at a record pace finished all four novels and already has her tickets for the premier. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page I have added a video bar that has the Twilight movie trailers in it, this should keep her entertained until opening night. I guess you could call this is her win. My win is the video clip right below hers. Its one of my favorite songs from the soundtrack, the song is Decode by Paramore. Check them out. Oh, and by the way don't forget to mute the music on the page before starting the clips, that's one sure way to induce a Tylenol moment!!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Our children are sponges or at least Sponge Bobs
Layla is still attempting to master the art of walking. She is so fast on all fours that she has not fully realized the world of walking and all it has to offer.
As I sit here, Layla is trying to blog by my side and Sam is telling her this activity is not for babies as Layla has a handful of Sam's hair and continues to shout and pound on the computer. She will not be limited by those around her... she is stubborn and determined, she will limit herself thank you very much!!
Samantha is loving preschool. She is learning so much and has the alphabet "pretty much done", her words not mine. We practice her letters and spelling while bathing with her foam letters that stick to the side of the tub. I am just pleased that she knows that the letter Q has a name and sound and should not be referred to as "the blue letter that is a circle with a small line through it and is evil." Again her words not mine.
These beautiful girls of mine are amazing and I am so blessed to be able to spend my days with them and see all that they are learning and becoming. Sometimes I am amazed how smart they seem to be and how quickly they learn new things...and other times I come to the realization that we may be watching too much Sponge Bob in our home, especially when Sam is making Crabby Patties out of Playdoh and calling myself and Layla "barnacle heads."
As I sit here, Layla is trying to blog by my side and Sam is telling her this activity is not for babies as Layla has a handful of Sam's hair and continues to shout and pound on the computer. She will not be limited by those around her... she is stubborn and determined, she will limit herself thank you very much!!
Samantha is loving preschool. She is learning so much and has the alphabet "pretty much done", her words not mine. We practice her letters and spelling while bathing with her foam letters that stick to the side of the tub. I am just pleased that she knows that the letter Q has a name and sound and should not be referred to as "the blue letter that is a circle with a small line through it and is evil." Again her words not mine.
These beautiful girls of mine are amazing and I am so blessed to be able to spend my days with them and see all that they are learning and becoming. Sometimes I am amazed how smart they seem to be and how quickly they learn new things...and other times I come to the realization that we may be watching too much Sponge Bob in our home, especially when Sam is making Crabby Patties out of Playdoh and calling myself and Layla "barnacle heads."
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Well we finally voted! I had tried to do the early vote on Thursday but the line was out and down the side of the building. I went this morning to vote and there was only 15 people ahead of me. I hardly had time to read my book. :( So I voted and since the line was so short I went back to the house and had Michelle go and vote because you know the lines are just going to get longer and longer this evening.
All at the Filby house have had some sort of stomach bug, except for Sam, which is weird cause she is the one that catches everything. Layla has been hit the hardest and has been sick off and on for a long time know. We just went to the doctors to find out what is going on and it was decided to get some blood work. This is the first time Layla has had to give blood since being released from the hospital when she was born. Layla did awesome during the blood draw. She cried a bit but didn't cry for long and was friends again with the nurses a few minutes later, especially when she was given a sucker.
Layla has started to do another thing that is really cute. She looks at you from the corner of her eye with a little grin on her face. Even though she has been sick she still hams it up all the time. I remember when Sam use to do her "crazy eyes" at us, it would make us laugh every time. I love being a dad. I just wish I was around more to watch them grow.
All at the Filby house have had some sort of stomach bug, except for Sam, which is weird cause she is the one that catches everything. Layla has been hit the hardest and has been sick off and on for a long time know. We just went to the doctors to find out what is going on and it was decided to get some blood work. This is the first time Layla has had to give blood since being released from the hospital when she was born. Layla did awesome during the blood draw. She cried a bit but didn't cry for long and was friends again with the nurses a few minutes later, especially when she was given a sucker.
Layla has started to do another thing that is really cute. She looks at you from the corner of her eye with a little grin on her face. Even though she has been sick she still hams it up all the time. I remember when Sam use to do her "crazy eyes" at us, it would make us laugh every time. I love being a dad. I just wish I was around more to watch them grow.
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