brompa

my dad's birthday was the monday before i left for camp, so, here's my dad's way be-lated happy birthday post. this photo was taken on father's day (which i also haven't blogged about yet) and this photo just makes me smile when i see it. i have the best dad ever! the grandkids all love him because he's loving and gentle and not afraid to be silly with them. spencer used to beg, "can we go see brompa right now?" he is also always available to offer help whenever it's needed, he's helped me move i don't know how many times, poor guy. for a while when i was single, my dad used to help babysit my kids late at night so i could work nights and be home with them during the day - can you believe that? he really is that awesome. two years ago we celebrated his 55th birthday by blowing up photographs of all our faces up and putting them on garden stakes with a sign that said, "happy 55th birthday, love all your favorite faces". my favorite part was seeing his face all lit up and i could tell that he was tickled by the whole thing (which of course was the effect i was going for). i told him i'm not going to do banners in his front yard any more because i won't be able to think of anything cooler than that! so happy 57th birthday pops, thanks for everything.

ten things i love about my dad...

1. he loves and adores my mother - and everyone can see it

2. he taught me to love all kinds of music

3. he gives my kids grandfather's blessings whenever they need one

4. he's not afraid of an adventure and to just have fun

5. he is a very supportive dad and grandpa

6. he's affectionate, always happy to hand out hugs

7. he kisses my mom on the lips in front of us - even when we were teenagers and thought that they were totally disgusting

8. growing up, he always drove the crappier of the two cars so he knew my mom was safe while she was out

9. he kicked cancer's butt

10. he taught us and showed us that family matters

what can i say? he's my dad! love you dad!

oh, and one more thing i love about my dad...he actually READS my blog! sometimes showing an interest in something someone does is the best way to say, i love you - and i know he does!

finally some summer

finally, summer has arrived at the moore home. no more crazy busy days planning for girl's camp and neglecting my bored, forced-to-fend-for-themselves children. we finally went swimming yesterday and it was glorious! glorious to be slathering on the sunscreen, glorious to be enjoying the cold cold water, glorious to be soaking up the sun, glorious. ethan was more bold and adventurous and less nervous than last year so he had a good time too. the playgroup cousins all cam to play too so he was very excited to see them all. the older kids were busy playing with the older cousins too so a good time was had by all. we're already making plans for the next time...my camera battery died just after my first and only photo of the day, i guess one is better than none. happy summer everyone.

princess camp

girls' camp is finally over, it seems like it's been months in the planning, which i guess it has, but it still feels strange for it to have come and gone already. there were several times while we were there that i felt silly for having so much anxiety about how it would all turn out. things went so smoothly and everything was so fun that i ended up having a really fabulous time. except for sleeping in the cabin at night with the bugs, that part wasn't so great, but everything else really was. i'm grateful for the experiences i had at camp, i learned a lot about myself, and my daughter that made me smile. here are just a few of the things allie and i learned while at camp this year...

i love fire pit roasted bananas with marshmallows and chocolate chips smashed in, they look disgusting but oh man, they were so good! think, banana split without the ice cream. i loved wearing braids in my hair the whole time, it made me feel like a kid again. i especially loved that i was never the one doing the braids, it was so fun to have other people do my hair each day. i loved riding up to camp with these turkeys in my car laughing it up the whole time, but i didn't especially love getting lost on the way. we all cheered when we finally saw this sign! saran wrapping the toilets in the leaders cabin never gets old. luckily, no one fell for it! (i'm seriously choosing this awesome turquoise color for my next bathroom re-do!) nothing lifts your mood like loud obnoxious camp songs sung by silly girls strung out on too much sugar! allie doesn't really love having her photo taken (by me) when there are other people watching - i have several photos with this same look on her face - it says to me, "mom, you're so weird!" allie has bb gun skills - go girl! nothing says camp like everyone doing each other's hair, and tiny braids with beads, i think allie came home with four or more in her hair. mmmm smores, what is camping without smores? i learned that one is enough though, why do they have to be so incredibly messy? i've never laughed so hard in all my life than playing the "get up on that big fat pony" game with the girls. i learned that if i could laugh like that every day i would have abs of steel! camp is better with a big group of wonderful friends - i'm so grateful for this awesome ward! (notice how allie is about a head taller than all of them?!) shrink-a-dinks make a great camp craft as long as you're not using a convection oven that blows them all over the inside of the oven - doh! allie has rhythm, the cup game was so fun to watch and learn but it took me A LOT longer than the rest of the girls to finally get it down. girls' camp is more fun than scout camp because we eat yummy strawberry cupcakes and they don't! hot tamales are WAY better dipped in chocolate! YUM-O. i learned that i could combat homesickness by hugging this cutie patootie and immediately feel better. i'm so glad i got to experience her first year of camp with her, she is a real princess inside and out! and last of all...i learned that i CAN pull off something this big, this overwhelming as long as i spend enough time on my knees. i'm thankful for a loving heavenly father who knows exactly what i need and when i need it in my life. camp has been a fabulous experience for me, and hopefully everyone. it wouldn't have been the same though without such fantastic girls being enthusiastic about everything that i planned and smiling the whole time. i'm so lucky to get to know them all a little bit better and share some laughs with them this week. they really are princesses, hopefully they know it too. man i love these girls....

princess camp

allie and i are back from girl's camp and we had a BLAST! everything went smoothly, everyone had a fun time and now i can take a deep breath and finally relax! i feel like i've been swept up in a busy tornado-paced life since spring and the fundraiser began. as soon as it was over it was time to start planning for princess camp. i promised my kids we will go swimming tomorrow, summer has finally arrived! i will post all about camp later, but for now, i'm just going to put my feet up and watch a movie with my husband. (and brace myself for whatever calling is coming up next!) happy summer....FINALLY!

found an old friend...

after i posted my 200 things list, a few of you wanted to know who my "old friend" was that i found and added to my list. her name is marci mickelsen - now latimer and she was my BEST friend all through jr. high. i met her in my ward in virginia, we were in beehives and mia maids together and the best part was that our birthdays are only three days apart so we were never separated all during our YW years. i have such fond memories of marci, we really were attached at the hip, i can't even count how many sleep-overs we must have had. in order to gather a few oldie photos for this post, i had to dig through a box of fun memories that made me laugh out loud - like this one from a photo booth - remember those? thank the heavens for braces is all i have to say about this photo! sheesh! and this is us at youth conference right before a dance, do you like my plaid dress and scarf? what a dork! marci was always way cuter and more fashionable then me! which maybe explains why i was always borrowing her clothes. i like this photo of us at my fourteenth birthday party (notice all my cutie red-headed brothers!) because it shows how we had almost the same hair cut - super short because that's what cool skater girls did (even though neither of us actually skated!). what dorks! ok, so the story is that when we were fourteen her family moved to arizona and we wrote letters all the time. the summer after they moved my mom got me to go on the pioneer trek for youth conference by waving a plane ticket to arizona to visit marci in my face. it worked! it was a super fun-filled ten days hanging out with her and her cute family. some time after that trip, i don't know what happened but we started to lose touch, i can't believe we let this happen! it was something i had always regreted and tried several times to find her with no luck. so years later, when we were maybe 29 or so, my dad calls me up one day to tell me that an old friend of his ran into marci's parents at a grocery store in idaho! he had written down the name of their city and i was so excited, i literally left the kids in the tub to call information and find their number. i got marci's number from them - it turned out she was living in indiana - and we talked on the phone for about an hour getting caught up! rich had to get the kids out of the bath and to bed that night! luckily, her parents living in idaho means that she has had to drive right passed my house on the freeway whenever she visits them and so we have actually had a few opportunities to see each other since that phone call! the last time they were in town, we got her parents and mine and our husbands and kids together for dinner before they left town. it was so fun to get caught up and hang out like old times. and she has the cutest kids! her dad made me feel like i was a thirteen year old air head again, he is a major teaser. so that's the story of my long lost friend marci, i'm so glad we found each other after all these years! :) now if we could just locate our other friend from back then, laura lee andrew...anyone know where we can find her?

200 things

so everyone else has already done this but i thought it was such a fun way to journal. , thanks patsy, and jill and kristi, and a million others, and neighbor jane for the great idea... the things i've done are in COLOR the things i haven't (or wouldn't) are in black.

200 things

1. touched an iceberg 2. slept under the stars 3. been part of a hockey fight 4. changed a baby's diaper 5. watched a meteor shower 6. given more than you can afford to charity 7. swam with dolphins 8. climbed a mountain 9. held a tarantula (never no way) 10. said "i love you", and meant it 11. bungee jumped 12. visited paris 13. watched a lightning storm at sea 14. stayed up all night long and watched the sunrise 15. seen the Northern Lights 16. gone to a huge sports game 17. walked the stairs to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. grown and eaten your own vegetables 19. looked up at the night sky through a telescope 20. had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment 21. had a pillow fight 22. bet on a winning horse 23. taken a sick day when you're not ill 24. built a snow fort 25. held a lamb 26. gone skinny dipping 27. taken an ice cold bath 28. had a meaningful conversation with a beggar 29. seen a total eclipse 30. ridden a roller coaster (i'm a rollercoaster junkie - my favorite SO FAR is this one...the incredible hulk) 31. hit a home run 32. danced like a fool not carring who was looking 33. adopted an accent for fun 34. visited the birthplace of my ansestors 35. felt very happy about your life, even for just a moment 36. loved your job 90% of the time 37. had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. went whale watching 39. gone rock climbing 40. gone on a midnight walk on the beach 41. gone sky diving 42. visited irland 43. ever bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. visited india 45. bench pressed your own weight 46. milked a cow 47. alphabetized your personal files 48. ever worn a superhero costume (i loved my wonder woman underoos as a kid!) 49. sung karaoke 50. lounged around in bed all day 51. gone scruba diving (only snorkelling) 52. kissed in the rain 53. played in the mud 54. gone to a drive-in theater 55. done something you should regret, but don't 56.visited the Great Wall of China 57. started a business 58. taken a martial arts class 59. been in a movie 60. gone without food for three days 61. made cookies from scratch (but i stink at it) 62. won first prize in a costume contest 63. got flowers for no reason 64. been in a combat zone 65. spoken more than one language fluently 66. gotten in a fight while attempting to defend someone 67. bounced a check 68. read -and understood - your credit report 69. recently bought and played with a favorite childhood toy 70. found out something significant that your ancestors did (my cute grandpa invented the tator-tot machine!) 71. called or written your congress person 72. picked up and moved to another city just to start over 73.walked the Golden Gate Bridge 74. helped an animal give birth 75. been fired or laid off from a job 76. won money 77. broken a bone 78. ridden a motorcycle (on the back counts right?) 79. driven any land vehicle at a speed greater than 100 mph (i had a jerky boyfriend in high school who liked to drive fast) 80. hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon 81. slept through an entire flight: take off, flight and landing 82. taken a canoe trip that lasted more than two days 83. eaten sushi (lots and lots of times - it's my favorite!) 84. had your picture in the newspaper 85. read the bible cover to cover 86. changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about. 87. gotten someone fired for their actions 88. gone back to school 89. changed your name 90. caught a fly in the air with your bare hands 91. eaten fried green tomatoes (yum!) 92. read the iliad 93. taught yourself an art from scratch 94. killed and prepared an animal for eating 95. apologized to someone years after inflicting the hurt 96. communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language 97. been elected to public office 98. thought to yourself that you're living your dream (i've always wanted to be a wife and mother) 99. had to put someone you love into hospice care 100. sold your own artwork to somone who didn't know you 101. had a booth at a street fair 102. dyed your hair (every 4-6 weeks) 103. been a DJ 104. rocked a baby to sleep (still) 105. ever dropped a cat from a high place to see if it really lands on all fours 106. raked your carpet 107. brought out the best in people 108. brought out the worst in people 109. wore a mood ring 110. ridden a horse 111. carved an animal from a piece of wood or bar of soap 112. cooked a dish where four people asked for the recipe 113. buried a child 114. gone to a broadway play 115. been inside the pyramids 116. shot a basketball into the basket 117. danced at a disco 118. played in a band 119. shot a bird 120. gone to an arboretum 121. tutored someone 122. ridden a train 123. brought an old fad back into syle 124. eaten caviar 125. let a salesman talk you into something you didn't need 126. ridden a giraffe or elephant 127. published a book 128. pieced a quilt 129. lived in an historic place 130. acted in a play or performed on stage 131. asked for a raise 132. made a hole-in-one 133. gone deep sea fishing 134. gone roller skating (favorite when i was a little girl in seattle was roller skating in the rain with my best friend lisa) 135. run a marathon 136. learned to surf 137. invented something 138. flown first class 139. spent the night in a 5-star luxury suite 140. flown in a helicpter 141. visited africa 142. sang a solo 143. gone spelunking 144. learned how to take a compliment 145. written a love-story 146. seen michelangelo's David 147. had your portait painted 148. written a fan letter 149. spent the night in something haunted 150. owned a st. bernard or great dan (not going to happen!) 151. ran away 152. learned to juggle 153. been a boss 154. sat on a jury 155. lied about your weight (to myself every day) 156. gone on a diet 157. found an arrowhead or gold nugget 158. written a poem 159. carried your lunch in a lunch box (my favorite was the barry gibb lunch box - i didn't know you could collect all THREE!) 160. gotten food poisoning 161. gone on a service, humaniatrian or religious mission 162. hiked the Grand Canyon 163. sat on a park bench and fed the ducks 164. gone to the opera 165. gotten a letter from someone famous 166. worn knickers 167. ridden in a limousine 168. attended the Olympics 169. can hula or waltz 170. read half a dozen nancy drew or hardy boys books 171. been stuck in an elevator 172. had a revelatory dream 173. thouht you might crash in an airplane 174. had a song dedicated to you on the radio (someone who thought he was too cool dedicated "i want her" to me using my name! ahh! the DJ asked him, "how bad do you want her?" and the dork said, "oh pretty bad"! i almost died of humiliation sitting there in my room and denied listening to the radio when the "too cool" kid asked me about it later) 175. saved someone's life 176. eaten raw whale (what the?) 177. know how to tat, smock or do needlepoint 178. laughed till your side hurt 179. straddled the equator 180. taken a photograph of something other than people that is worth framing (and i blew it up big and hung it in the living room) 181. gone to a shakespeare festival 182. sent a message in a bottle 183. spent the night in a hostel 184. been a cashier 185. seen old faithful geyser erupt 186. joined a union 187. donated blood or plasma 188. built a campfire 189. kept a blog 190. had hives 191. worn custom made shoes or boots (no but custom inserts due to do plantar facitis) 192. made a power point presentation 193. taken a hunter's safety course 194. served at a soup kitchen 195. concquered the Rubik's Cub 196. know CPR 197. ridden in or owned a convertible 198. found a long lost friend 199. helped solved a crim (does mom, where are my shoes? count?) 200. responded to an NJP newsletter

iDog dancing

just for some giggling...

i love to see that little diaper bootie shake, this boy has some moves!

sad news

i was so sad to hear the news about tim russert's death last night, rich broke the news to me and i was so shocked. the timing of it is especially is so sad, no one on the planet was as excited about the upcoming election and all it's twists and turns as tim russert. it's hard to think of following the election without him. he was such a great guy, so incredibly smart and enthusiastic about everything he loved. i heard him being interviewed once and he was saying something about how he interviews politians for a living, and some people can become jaded by the political process, but it is all trumped by "what a country". this definitely sums up what i loved about him, is passion for not just politics, but for family, God and his country. he will be missed!

things that make my heart happy

remember that song that "ren and stimpy" would sing, "happy happy joy joy, happy happy joy joy"? well that is exactly how i feel whenever i find a good deal, it's true, i am a total bargain shopper and i LOOOOOVE a good deal. tuesday allie and i set out to do a little shopping and came across one of the best deals ever, one so great it totally made my day. but before that, i should tell you that forever i have loved fiestaware, the colors, the weight, the simple style, the pretty latino dancing lady by the display, i don't know, it just makes my heart happy. it's expensive though, like $50 for one place setting and especially because i own beautiful, and functional pfaltzgraff that i love, i could just never justify spending that much money. so fast forward to allie and i's shopping trip on tuesday. we headed into kohl's and low and behold, they're having a sale, 50% off fiestaware! oh man, i started drooling right there in the store while doing the math in my head at the same time that i was rehearsing my sales pitch to rich about why i had to have these dishes. yes dear, dishes. i stopped by patsy's for a minute and found out that she had a coupon for an EXTRA 30% off, including sale stuff. ok, seriously, 80% off?! that's practically stealing the dishes, how could i pass this opportunity up of owning my own fiestaware that i've dreamed about all these years? i couldn't, i didn't. after a quick call to rich and visiting two kohl's locations to collect all the colors i wanted, i got $625 worth of dishes for.......$220!!! and i was singing, (really singing, that's not a figure of speech) on my way out of the store carrying all those glorious boxes. allie got into too, she unpacked and washed all the dishes and then took about a million photos of it all stacked nicely on the counter. my counter just looks prettier with all these cheerful colors adorning it. happy happy joy joy, happy happy joy joy, i love a good deal!