Due to circumstances beyond my control...

...today's blog post has been cancelled.

Technically, my "circumstances" are pictured here to the left. K & T thought it was funny that I was taking a picture of our dirty dishes and wanted to be involved in the blog photo shoot (I tried to find a stock photo on-line of dirty dishes but the pics were either too circa 1970's or just too gross!)

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. (And if you had to walk to an Internet cafe to read this message, please remember that exercise is good for you :)

Talk to the hand

Technically, this post should really be called talk with your hands. Because that is what I do. I'm not sure when I decided to start start using hand gestures to try and enhance my communication skills. It's been long enough, I suppose, since I don't even notice when my hands start moving. But apparently Kobe does...

Norm pointed out that Kobe has started to pick up my"bad habit." I didn't really believe hubby's claims until I saw it with my own eyes. (Why didn't anyone ever tell me that I look like that when I'm talking) You'd think I was using sign language...or something.

So here is my pledge to try and talk hands-free. And if I can't do it, you can just talk to the hand.

Are you interested?

So, it is my turn to blog AGAIN (Sis & I are taking turns so my dad always has something to read when he hoofs it down to the internet cafe in Tahiti) Problem is, I can't think of anything interesting to post about. Luckily, I read my friends blog this morning (Thanks Amanda!) and realized that I DO have interesting things to say...

Interesting Fact #1: Kobe + Sinus Infection = Trip to the doctor (and half day of work for me) Luckily, the doctor assured me that Kobe is not contagious so I can now send him back to school tomorrow guilt free :)

Interesting Fact #2: My sister and I have given up all hope of our Mom ever coming back from Tahiti. We will miss her dearly :)

Interesting Fact #3: The Reams in Provo is closing :( I'm not actually a fan of the store--weird layout and limited selection--but it is the closest retail establishment to our house. Now I'll have to go all the way down to the Fresh Market (aka Albertson's) when we run out of ketchup.

Interesting Fact #4: Interesting is a relative term ;) And apparently I prefer to use a loose definition of the word. But I posted. And that is all that counts.

Note to Dad: Please remember my diligenace in posting when it comes time for you to update your will.

Love,
Your favorite daughter Laura

Coming soon to a PBS station near you...

Just thought I would share a video from a new PBS special that our station just produced. And although I wasn't that involved in the actual production of the show (unless it counts that I went down to St. George and sat in the audience with the busload of donors :) I'm very impressed how well the program turned out.

Can you imagine being the mother that got those kids to practice? And you thought you had it hard getting your kid (or kids) to practice for their piano lessons? Anyway, we had the Browns in studio the other night so we could tape some pledge breaks to send the PBS. The night turned out fabulous (meaning we got lots of calls which is a good thing because calls=pledges=money=I get to keep my job :) I made the mistake of having the kids watch the program and they would both now like to take piano lessons. Because we've got oodles of time for that--not!

(But just in case does anyone have the name a good piano teacher?)

Happy Holiday

Did you know that I {heart} MLK Day? OK, truth be known, I really just {heart} any holiday that gets me a day off from work:) And as much as I wanted to enjoy my day off by staying in bed and watching back-to-back episodes of Law & Order, I decided to make the most of my holiday and do some stuff with the kiddies. (Hubby did not come with us because apparently his work does not {heart} MLK as they did not get the day off. Don't worry though because said employer is an equal opportunity hater--no day off for them in February either)

Anyway the kids and I filled our day by:

• Taking Kobe for a hair cut--This was definitely a low point in Kobe's day. If you see him anytime soon, please do not tell him that you like his haircut of\r that he looks handsome. (I also told Kobe that when he is older (read not living in my house) he can grow his hair down to his ankles if he want but that until then, he will be required to cut his hair periodically (read when I get around to taking him.) I hope he does not take me up on the idea of ankle-length hair.
• A visit to Jump On It--I did need to get some studying done so I thought I would be smart and tire them out with an hour of physical activity at this indoor trampoline extravaganza.
• Lunch with Norm
• A visit to the mall--Also not a highlight for Kobe. Tehani could shop with me all day long but Kobe is definitely not a supper shopper.

The kids even both got to have a friend over at the end of the day (which meant K&T were busy playing so I got to get more homework done) All in all, it was a good day.

Now I just need to figure out a way to arrange for a holiday every week...

Life with a teenager

No, hubby and I have not adopted another child. And those of you keeping track know that the Kobester and Haniroo are both ten and under. But every once in awhile I get a glimps of things to come...

Tehani came home from school the other day with some things from her Jr Jazz basketball team. You know the usual stuff--practice info, game schedule, free ticket to a BYU game and such. She then announces...

Tehani: "So I'm going to need a ride."

Norm: "Well, you don't have a game tonight."

Tehani: "Not to MY game. I need to be dropped off at BYU so I can use my BYU ticket."

Apparently our eight year old thinks she is old enough to get dropped at Marriott Center--"Have fun at the 22,000 seat arena, Tehani. We'll see you in a couple hours!" I tried to explain to her that the ticket was for her to go to a game WITH a parent but I am not sure that she grasped (or liked) that idea. So much for Tehani's Day Out.

PS--I'm hoping to go as long as possible before Tehani finds out that tweens get dropped off at the mall all the time sans parents. We'll see how long I can keep that a secret :)

Blog slackers

So my Dad has called me and my sister out as blog slackers. He's visiting my mother in Tahiti and occasionally when he gets bored, he'll walk on down to the internet cafe to read our blogs to see "what we've been up to." I just wanted to set the record straight that although my lack of blogging may make it appear that I have not been up to anything, nothing could be father from the truth. So lest my father thinks that I am a total slacker, here is what I have been up to since the first of the year:

• I've had my eyeballs cut open--Technically, my surgery--Lasik (R eye)/PRK (L eye)--was on Dec 31, but I've had enough visits to the eye doctor over the last few weeks to last me for quite sometime. Things seem to be coming along. The doctor keeps reminding me that I need to be a little patient with my PRK eye. Me patient? He must have me confused with some other person?!?
• The kids have both started basketball--Kobe's played for a few years now but Tehani decided that she wanted to get in on the fun this year. I wasn't sure that she had any ballin' skills (she always looked panicked anytime someone threw her the ball at the first game) but she's coming along and even managed to make a basket the other day
• And I'm back to the books--Don't get me wrong--I've learned a ton from my EMBA classes so far but it was very nice to get a few weeks off around the holidays. Now I'm back to staying up until midnight and then getting up at 5am to get all of my homework done! (Not to mention the fact that I miss watching TV--so don't tell me about any of the shows you might be watching because I don't want to hear about it)

Anyway, I am going to try to do better at posting updates. I mean, I don't want my dad to walk ALL the way down to the internet cafe and then have nothing to read:) I've also suggested to Cynthia that we can take turns blogging--I can take M/W/F and she can get the other days (she is a stay at home mom and has WAY more time on her hands so it's on;y fair she gets more days) I'll just have to make sure that nothing "blogworthy" happens to me on days that I am not supposed to post...

So wish me luck with my new blogging schedule--I think I am going to need it!!

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time (a long LONG time ago) an all-American farm boy met a little Tahitian gal. Fast forward a few kids and several trips to Tahiti later and...

HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY MOM & DAD!!

Over the years I've heard the story of how these two met. My mother was a dancer (not THAT kind of dancer) and my dad was friends with the owner of the club where she danced (not THAT kind of club)...and the rest, as they say, is history!

So here's a Happy Anniversary wish to the lil' lovebirds (If I remember correctly, I believe they'll be celebrating with a 2nd honeymoon trip to Moorea today)

Note to my husband: A trip to Moorea is a fabulous idea for a 40th anniversary present. (Please remember this 30 years from now :)