And, Then There's This . . .

Three months old and as beautiful as can be.

The Importance of Being Earnest and the Importance of Being Aldolpho

On Valentine's Day evening, I monopolized these lovely people and their time and dragged them out to dine at the hipster Black Sheep Cafe in Provo, then made them suffer through my "Where's Aldolpho" rigamarole. But, speaking of Aldolpho, where is that guy? Can you spot him?

Oh my heck! I just now noticed the photo bomber in the background.

Bwhahahahahahaha! So funny!

After just about missing the opening curtain (no curtain, but you know what I mean) because of the incredibly languid service at the restaurant (ahem), we got into our seats for a fun evening of fine theater just in the nick of time. And, I mean, JUST in the nick of time. In fact, I think we held up the production for just a nick of time. But, goodness, that restaurant was s-l-o-o-o-o-o-w. Anywho, "The Importance of Being Earnest" was hilarious, and now we have decided that watching the movie version starring Colin Firth (one of my faves!) and Rupert Everett (another of my faves!) is a must. 

Grandma and Grandpa were already out in the foyer when I insisted that we snap a pic. I think they saw their chance to make a clean getaway before I accosted some stranger to take our picture, but poor everybody else had to endure this bit of nonsense :)

Pizzeria de Sagersotini

A couple of weeks ago, Sean and his roommates charmed their dates into coming to our home to make homemade pizzas and watch one of our family's very, very most favorite movies. (See if you can guess the movie from the pic below!)

This was such a stellar crowd to have hanging out at our home, and I'm pretty darn tootin' sure that Dave and I had more fun that night as they did. 

I did feel sort of bad for the two couples who baked their pizzas in our bottom oven. Uhhhh, we've always had a little bit of a problem with that oven as it sometimes turns itself off if you fiddle with the top oven. These two couples tried to graciously smile through choking down their gloppy, gooey, half-baked pizza crust, but I knew better. Especially when one of the guys basically coughed up a hairball. Just kidding about that last part. It was actually one of the girls who coughed up the hairball. Ha! jk! jk!

FYI: This little guitar is Christian's. 

Further FYI: Christian received it when he was just a little feller, um, not recently.

Further FYI: Christian never really learned how to play it despite those always-helpful colorful dots.

My favorite line from this movie (and Sean can sound EXACTLY like Ryan O'Neal when he quotes it): 

"Well, there's not much to see actually, we're inside a Chinese dragon."

--Howard Bannister

Gosh, I love that. 

Silas Jude Haug

Darling and adorable Baby Silas was blessed by his wonderful daddy on Sunday! Ashley tells me that Silas just laid back and relaxed, acted as cool as a cucumber, and soaked up all of the love and attention while looking simply delicious in his darling seersucker duds. 

Goodness, what a beautiful family! I love them so!!!

Ladies Who Lunch (and sometimes brag, and sometimes cry, and always hoot it up)

Last Friday, I pulled together another super-fun luncheon with my lovely fellow mishmoms. We were missing seven other mishmoms, but the regulars who did show up were on their best behavior, and we didn't even get kicked out of the restaurant. This time anyway. (jk) 

I absolutely adore hanging out with these wonderful friends of mine as we share in and bond through our pride, longing, and love for our darling missionaries who are out and about doing so much good in the world!

Sacred Gifts

Last week, I had the privilege of taking my little Activity Day girls to the "Sacred Gifts" exhibit at BYU's Museum of Art.

People. This exhibit is once-in-a-lifetime! The pieces displayed in this exhibit are originals by Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hoffman, and Frans Schwartz which have never left their homes in castles, cathedrals, and churches throughout Europe, etc. It took the MOA people ten years to convince the curators of these works of art to allow them to be removed from their altars and castle walls for the very first time and installed in a fabulous display at BYU's museum. Truly nothing short of miraculous, in my opinion.

I'm planning to go back and revisit the exhibit when I can take my sweet time and plunk myself down in front of each painting for a good long while. This truly moved me and served to increase my testimony of my Savior, not to mention my respect and reverence for those of other faiths throughout history who carry the same testimony of Christ as me. I loved it. So much.

This painting by Carl Bloch was one of my favorites.

When seen in person, it almost looks 3D; Christ's eyes are absolutely piercing.

To see other works in this exhibit, go here.

My Lovely, Enchanting, Charming, Loving Mom

Today marks my mom's 96th birthday.

I think about her so much.

I think of her every time I make her famous porcupine meatballs with orange gravy.

I think of her every time I sit down at my sewing machine.

I think of her whenever I see a beautiful Japanese flower arrangement.

I think of her whenever I am at a loss as to how to parent.

I think of her every time I hear "My Heavenly Father Loves Me."

I think of her every single day.

And oh, how I miss her.

And oh, how I love her.

Mom, Dad, and Baby Rexine, 1949

Mom with a flower arrangement she no doubt created herself, 1952

Mom with four of her own and two extras, 1960

Mom and Dad with their six children, 1965.

Her children became Mom's pride and joy.

We were her life.

Her universe revolved around us.

We are so blessed.

Where Dat Little Dude Guy?

 Another fun evening spent whoopin' it up at my much beloved Hale Center Theater watching "Kiss and Tell," a 1943 broadway play with the main character sporting the name Corliss! Who names their kid, "Corliss" anyway? Especially if that kid is a girl? (Says the girl with the non-too-popular name . . . . )

Now, when I wrote "whoopin' it up," I really mean, WHOOPIN' IT UP! I was sicker than a dog and had the worst coughing attack I think I have ever experienced in my lifetime right in the middle of the play. Since I was sitting right next to Sean's darling date and I didn't want her to think I was kindly passing along the plague to her, I gulped and gulped and gulped and did a bunch of shoulder lurches and body jerks and clamped my mouth shut and stifled any and all breath until I literally had a river of tears running down my cheeks in my efforts to hold it all in. Honestly, I thought I was going to die. Right there. In my cushy maroon seat of the Hale Center Theater. Just up and die. Luckily, I didn't. But I did have to use my trusty blanket (see it in pic below) to wipe my river of tears away and take huge cautious breaths to get my heart beating once again. It was rather frightening for many reasons if you want the straight up truth of the matter. One for the books.

Epilogue to the story: Once Dave and I said our goodbyes to Sean and his date, I climbed in our car and busted out a torrent of coughs as I leaned halfway out my open car window (to save Dave), the likes of which you've never seen or heard. I happened to look over just in time to see Sean and his date driving toward us, so I just leaned even further out the window and waved furiously bye-bye to them with both arms as if nothing was going on with me. Nothin' to see here, folks! No plague around here, nuh-uh. Everything's just dandy (as Dave threatens to take me to the insta-care {no joke}). 

Epilogue epilogue to the story (can there be two?): As we were stopped at a red light 30 seconds later, I looked over at a hipster dude sitting in his car right next to ours just in time to see him slack-jawed and starring at me as I had again proceeded to lean halfway out my window and hack up that other lung. I lamely pointed at my throat and gave a smile, and he was all, like, waving his hands as if to say, "Hey. I didn't see anything. Nope. Didn't think you were weird at all."  Whooeee, what a fun night!

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS ALDOLPHO?

The trusty blanket works as both a frostbite preventer as well as a ginorm Kleenex.

Battle of the Bands!

Many of you know that way back in the day, Sean and Christian had their own garage band. The band name they started with was Soap Box Opera, then some of the personnel changed, then changed again, then the name changed to His Boy Elroy, but through it all, Sean and Christian were constant. And, they were fabulous.

One of their very first gigs was playing in the Battle of the Bands at the new club on the block in Provo, Velour. What great fun that was! Christian was a tender 13 years old, and Sean was just barely scratching at 17 years old. Goodness gracious, they were young. Dave and I were their biggest groupies for many, many reasons, among which were the facts that we truly were their biggest fans and simply ate this stuff up, and also because, well, because who sends a 13-year-old son and a 17-year-old son into a night club without their annoying mom and pop keeping a close eye on what goes down? Sheesh, was that some good fun!

Tonight, Velour is celebrating it's 8th anniversary with a big whoopin' it up concert. In anticipation of that, our local newspaper ran a story about the first battle of the bands held there. The photo below is the pic accompanying that recent article, and just lookee at who was also on the bill with Sean and Christian's band? None other than the super-duper successful and world-renown Neon Trees.

The poster erroneously listed Sean and Christian's band

as Soap Box Hero. Uhhhh, it was actually Soap Box Opera, but either works.

Neon Trees

And, just for fun, here are a few more pics from back in the day. Photo credits and a big shout out go to Ashley and Jordan for capturing the magic for future generations!

For some reason, this seems like just yesterday and also a lifetime ago, simultaneously. I don't know. But I do know that I am still so grateful to this day that these boys didn't once try to shake off their ol' mom and dad from tagging along to every gig; never once did they fail to show appreciation for our help and support; never once did they roll their eyes at us in front of their oh-so-cool bandmates (or ever!); never once did they make us feel like intruders. Those are the memories that I do and always will hold so dear in my little His Boy Elroy-loving heart.

He's In the Hot Seat, Errrrr, the Cold Seat!

Doesn't Sean look like he just owns this throne?

One problem however--his kind and loving and empathetic heart would melt this seating arrangement in no time.

That could prove to be a problem.

It Is Good to Be Queen

Just before BYU's semester break, I got the notion in my brain that we should treat Sean and his awesome roommates to dinner at Brick Oven as a thank you for being such great buddies to Sean and to each other.  

Luckily for us, Sean isn't the type to die from embarrassment when his mother cackles her head off and thinks she's pretty doggone funny when she's really just being obnoxious. I think he realizes that my intentions are sincere. A good boy, that one.

So, It Is Over

There once was a calendar of shoes

Presenting a pageantry of hues

Tho my name they did call,

Dave would not give me all

Thus, surreptitiously they crept in twos. 

(What Dave doesn't know won't hurt him . . .) 

Thank you, Ashley and Jordan, for a year of daily thoughts of shoes and you!!!

Happy Six Weeks, Baby Silas!

What can I say about this darling baby other than, awwwwwwwwwwwwww!

We love this little boy with all of our hearts!

Let's Give Kimball a High Five!

Darling "Mr. Personality" aka Kimball turns a whopping five years old today! How can this be? I still refer to him as, "The Baby" for goodness sakes! Kimball brings so much liveliness, cheer, and happiness into our lives! If ever there was a soul to possess joie de vivre, Kimball is the one!

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIMBALL!!!

Kimball has a knack for bringing smiles and laughter to all those lucky enough to rub shoulders with him!

 These are photos taken during our Skyping excursion with the birthday boy just one day shy of his birthday. So, I guess Kimball would be, what, four years and 364/365ths here?

This was Kimball's farewell sendoff to us as we left La Jolla to return home last month.

 See? Mr. Personality in living color!

WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH, 

FIVE-YEAR-OLD KIMBALL!!!