Seolas Family

An Early Christmas Present

2009-12-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

Today Rob surprised us all with a NEW PUPPY for Christmas!

He came by special delivery, wrapped in a big red box with a bow around his neck.

His name is Jasper and he is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. He is a half brother to Duke, the puppy we gave my mom and dad last year for Christmas.

Liam has been saying for a month he wanted a puppy for Christmas.

This was his reaction when he saw Jasper!

Liv was super excited as well!

She is helping Jasper feel at home by hand-feeding him which he really likes.

So FUN to have a new Christmas PuppY in our home.

A Room with a view

2009-11-02T11:51:00.000-08:00

For all my complaining about the cold winters in Utah, I absolutely love FALL! (I am working on trying to like winter....definitely a work in progress!)

We were so spoiled this fall with mild temperatures and gorgeous fall colors. This is what I get to see outside my kitchen every day!

Our backdoor neighbor has the most gorgeous colors in his yard

I absolutely love this view of Timp

I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place.... in a warm house.... with great central heating! :)

San Francisco

2009-10-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

One of the perks of having a husband who travels for his job is getting to go with him. One of the perks of having friends who like to travel in private jets is getting to fly on a private jet. Put the two together and you get an unbelievable trip to San Francisco!

Rob, me and the Pestana's getting ready to fly in style to San Francisco

We went to Alcatraz and took the guided audio tour. Very fascinating and informative. I absolutely loved seeing this place. I was also glad that I was just visiting and not an occupant there. Even though it was a beautiful "warm" day for San Francisco, it was still really chilly with the wind whipping off the bay.

On the Ferry to Alcatraz

Since the boys were working and going to conferences, Heidi and I got to play! We went to an awesome anusara yoga class via taxi, found an organic Juicy Lucy's juice bar and farmers market, and one of my personal favorites...ran across the Golden Gate bridge. The bridge was pretty empty when we went across in the morning. The return trip was packed with tourists and soooo cold. The wind was gusting and swirling around us and literally pushing us back. Maybe it was a sign to return to sunny Sausilito!

Once we got over the bridge it warmed up considerably. I couldn't believe the temperature change once we got out of the bay fog. We ran along a (thankfully) gentle downhill curvy road and ended up in one of the most charming places I've been...Sausilito.

After a yummy breakfast of yummy organic steel cut oats and fresh fruit we ran around Sausilito and explored this enchanting place. It was amazing to look across the bay and see the city literally enveloped in fog while we were in warm sunshiny heaven. We debated about taking the ferry back to the city and instead decided to run back to the bridge and catch a city bus. It was fun to run up under the bridge on a fire trail and then join the masses of tourists trekking back across the bridge. We caught the city bus or the "muny" as the locals call it and that in itself was an adventure. We met some flight attendants from Mexico that thought Heidi and I were married to each other, rode through China Town where the bus became crammed with way too many bodies, successfully made our route transfer and then safely made it back to our hotels.

ONe of my favorite parts was going to see Wicked! I had been dying to see it and was so excited when Rob told me he bought tickets to go! We had amazing seats and I loved every minute of it. I snapped a picture before the show started and was immediately accosted by two flustered ushers both telling me, "no pictures allowed!" oops! The show held up to all my expectations.

We had an amazing time shopping, eating amazing meals, enjoying time with each other and good friends, and thankfully beautiful fall weather in San Francisco. I can't wait to go back!

Quote of the Day!

2009-08-20T14:38:00.001-07:00

Owen said to me today, "Mom the only words I can say are, What the Heck, Oh my gosh, and Hot Ladies!"

Huh?

I said, "What does Hot Ladies mean?"

He said, "That ladies are burning on fire!"

I said, "How did they get on fire?"

"Magic!"

Oh........

Go Owen Go!

2009-08-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

Owen went on the knee board for the first time today! He did so great, he leaned back, kept his arms straight and held on tight. In fact he kept holding on, and on, and on....we finally had to stop the wave runner to get him to let go of the rope. Even though he bumped his head when he fell off the knee board, he came up smiling and was so proud! Way to go big O!

Crazy Montana Weather!

2009-08-05T22:26:00.000-07:00

While in Montana this week enjoying a great family vacation with our favorite Canadian family this happened....imagine hail the size of marbles to golf balls coming down on a corrugated metal roof! Crazy!

When you hear me screaming it was to prevent my daughter from going out in the storm to see if the baby birds who are living in the rain gutter were ok. It was so loud she couldn't hear me. Thankfully, she did hear me before getting pummeled by ice balls. This is a small one...

YUMMY!!!

2009-06-15T11:46:00.001-07:00

I just made this amazing salad and loved it so much I thought that I must absolutely blog it and share it with ya'll. I slightly modified the recipe and it turned out great. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :)

Shrimp Avocado-Bowl Salad

Citrus Dressing:

¼ C freshly squeezed OJ

¼ C freshly squeezed lime juice

1 tsp grated lime zest

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp sea salt

1 tsp stevia

Salad:

1 C frozen precooked baby shrimp

(about 6 oz)

3 T chopped mint, more for garnish

¼ C chopped cilantro, more for garnish

2 oz feta cheese, crumbled (I omitted this because I didn’t have it)

½ English cucumber, diced

½ C tomato, diced

2 avocados, ripe yet firm

8 T Citrus Dressing, divided

4 C shredded romaine lettuce

1. Thaw shrimp and drain. In a bowl, combine shrimp with mint, cilantro, cheese, cucumber and tomato.

2. Split avocados and discard pits. With a table knife, gently score flesh of avocado without splitting the shell. Scoop out flesh and add to shrimp salad. Reserve avocado shells, set aside.

3. Pour half the dressing over the shrimp salad and gently toss. In another bowl, toss romaine lettuce with remaining dressing.

4. Divide lettuce among 4 plates. Set avocado shells atop romaine and fill with shrimp salad. Garnish with additional mint, cilantro and cheese and serve.

Liam's race

2009-06-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

This morning, bright and early, our family ran a 5k/1 mile fun run sponsored by the Utah Hemophilia Foundation called the Blood Run. Liam and I ran the 5k and every one else ran the 1 mile fun run. This was a really fun event for our family to do together and supports a really good cause that affects us directly. Liam was so excited to run this race to help everyone, and himself, who has hemophilia. Liam lined up at the front of the pack and took off sprinting as soon as the whistle was blown. He sprinted for about half a mile and then we ran/sprinted/walked the rest of the way. I was so proud of all the kids for supporting Liam in this event. Although no PR's were set today, we had a great time and were so happy to support a good cause. We also won 7 raffle prizes to boot!

Left to right

Liv, Me, Rob, Alex, Gavin, Sarah (cousin), Sydney (cousin)

Owen, Liam, Nate (Liam's friend)

Liam was as excited to climb this tree as he was for the race!

Liam and Owen

Coming in on the home stretch

Liam's leading the pack

Sprinting now....

Almost there....

Post race smiles!

Nate and his mom Julie ran most of the way with us

LOVE SUMMER!!!

2009-06-01T17:20:00.001-07:00

What's a better way to spend a Sunday evening than up the canyon enjoying the beautiful weather in a beautiful surrounding with family and LOTS of sugar? Yesterday we went up AF canyon with my brother Matt, his wife Amber, and their cute baby Cash to roast shmarshmallows, throw rocks in the raging river, and just hang out and enjoy Mother Nature's gift to us. We had an amazing evening and were reminded how blessed we are to live in such a beautiful place. Thanks Matt and Amber for inviting us to go with you!

Who know's how many smores Gavin had? We lost track after 5!

Owen enjoyed playing in Matt and Amber's camper

We found out that roasted Zinger's were pretty good

E. L. Fudge cookies are the ONly way to make smores

Liv contemplating if she has any room left to eat that roasted zinger on the end of the stick

Matt, Amber and Cash

(no that's not a mole on Matt's chin, just a little roasted marshmallow he is saving for later!)

Me and my honey!

Liam definitely got the award for best roaster...

He eats with such poise and grace!

Such a cute couple!

He is definitely NOT related to this baby, but they are both cute!

How about a little game of slap jack?

What handsome guys!

Do these children even look a little bit like me?

WOW!!!

It is so fun to "hang out" with my kids as they get older. They are so funny and kept us laughing with their antics and observations. Alex and I played a game called "get to know you better" which consisted of asking each other questions about themselves. I loved it! I've honestly have been dreading the "teen-age years" but find that so far my kids are just as delightful at 12 as they are at 3! What a lucky lady I am! ;)

A picture says a thousand words....

2009-05-27T14:11:00.000-07:00

Spring Soccer

2009-04-24T17:13:00.001-07:00

This is Liam's soccer game last Tuesday night....

Liam's the one in the tree in the background!

Gotta love it! ;)

Easter JOY!

2009-04-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

This Easter Season was one of my favorites! First we had General Conference which I just loved!!! My favorite talk was by Elder Holland on the Savior and His Atonement. He gave me new insight on the Savior's sacrifice that I had never thought about before. My friend Holly sent me a link to a cool video clip that takes from his talk.

Then the next weekend I got to be a part of an amazing experience. My favorite friend Jen and I were invited to be a part of Lex de Azevedo's oratorio called Hosanna. Lex took directly from the King James Bible the story of the last week of the Savior's life and resurrection and composed the most beautiful and amazing music to tell the story. Jen and I were in the antiphonal choir which is basically a back up choir. The soloist were professional singers who had been on broadway, the opera and were soloist for MoTab. Jenny Oaks Baker was the violist which was by far my favorite part of the music. We performed two nights at the First Presbyterian Church in downtown SLC. The experience was powerful, and one I will never forget. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of such beautiful, inspiring, testimony building event. We even had General Authorities attend and Kurt Bestor...so that means I'm kind of famous now :)

I know that it wasn't by chance that I was in this choir. I feel that Heavenly Father gave me this amazing opportunity so that I could deepen my testimony of and love for the Savior and share those feelings with my family and my friends. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and his Atoning Sacrifice so that I can repent, change and go home to Him!

Validation

2009-04-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

My friend Lisa posted this video on her blog....

I loved it so much I just had to share. It's 16 minutes long, but sooo worth watching!

btw...I think you are all amazing! :)

Hot Tub Wars

2009-04-11T11:29:00.001-07:00

Rob and the kids have started a new favorite game called hot tub wars...

so it goes like this. Everyone, except Alex, is in the hot tub. Alex sneaks around and secretly tries to ambush them with snowballs from any angle he can.

The kids (including Rob :) in the hot tub use this saucer as a shield against incoming snowballs and to gather their own ammunition to retaliate against Alex.

When anyone gets "hit" they call for medic and are quickly revived and repaired with magic kisses from the medic which is usually Owen or Olivia.

It's all fun and games until....the snow is gone?

Fashion Guy

2009-04-09T09:10:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I took Owen shopping with me to Old Navy. I guess the store made quite the impression with him because later that afternoon I told him to get ready for Liam's soccer game and this is what he came up wearing!

Needless to say I was very impressed with his fashion sense and ability to put such a snazzy outfit together ON HIS OWN! and he's only 3! (He's wearing a polo underneath the button down collared-shirt).

When I asked him why he chose those clothes he said, "because of DAD!"

When I told Rob of his response we talked about how Owen must have inherited Rob's near photographic memory and was recreating the looks he saw in Old Navy. He also must have some of Rob's innate fashion sense as well...

So, the next day he got ready for school. When we got in the car to go to preschool, this is what I saw....

I guess his fashion sense needs a little work after all! :)

2009-04-04T19:35:00.000-07:00

Last Monday, Gavin asked if he could plan FHE. A little surprised, but pleased I agreed. So, Gavin proceeded to plan the lesson (on families and our individual roles in a family using the Proclamation on the family), make assignments for the scripture, prayers, songs, activity (we wrote letters to someone in the family we loved. Most everyone chose to write to Grandma and Grandpa, but Liam opted to write heart-felt notes to Mom and Dad) and games (ever play Assassin? a favorite at our house!), and even asked if he could make cookies for dessert. Then he invited Owen to help in the cookie making process. Can you say, "Dream come True?" It was a wonderful evening with everyone getting along in an almost weird but magical way. We truly felt the truth of FHE! Thanks Gavin

Happy Birthday Sydney!

2009-04-04T19:25:00.001-07:00

We love you Sydney! Happy 16th Birthday !!!!!

Cinderella

2009-03-27T12:28:00.001-07:00

Broadway here she comes! This last month Olivia was in the school production of Cinderella. She played the part of a town person. Despite the long rehearsals she really enjoyed being in the production. Olivia is a natural performer and is very comfortable on stage. I was sad that we didn't get to see her perform because the last night of the show when we were going to go see her, she was home sick! :(

Hooray for Liv and developing her talents!

A safe place for Horsey!

2009-03-27T12:22:00.001-07:00

Good thing "Horsey" has such a great friend that keeps him warm and safe and brings him along to play on beautiful spring days. Everything is better with Horsey!

Good Citizens

2009-03-23T16:18:00.001-07:00

Last week I was invited to an awards assembly where Alex would be receiving an award. He was given an "Outstanding Citizen" award for being a leader and good friend in school.

Imagine my surprise when Gavin also received the same award! I was so proud of these two boys. (Gavin is in the light blue hoodie on the front row, Alex has the long hair and brown t-shirt on the back row).

Who Knew?

2009-03-23T16:07:00.001-07:00

Owen, being a 3 year old, likes to dress himself. Imagine my surprise one morning when he came upstairs dressed in a chinese outfit given to us from our friend Ilon from Taiwan.

His favorite part was the pockets!

There are a lot of perks being the youngest of 5. Owen was the finest looking boy at Preschool that day :)

2009-03-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday DAD!!!

Today is my Dad's 60 something birthday....I think it's 67? Anyway, I thought I would dedicate this blog to him on his birthday. In thinking about my dad I came up with several things that I love about him. My dad is a family person. Family is always number one to him. He will drop anything to help out one of his kids or grandkids. His family has also extended to include several close neighbors and friends. He loves to be surrounded by family.

My dad is hardworking....holy cow, does that man know how to work. He taught me from a young age the value of working hard. Every summer when I was young he would leave a list of chores for us to do. Sometimes I think he just made up chores to keep us busy, like unstacking and restacking the wood pile, or picking up rocks in the backyard. My memories of when I was young is working with my dad on Saturdays in the yard. It was hard work, but I relished spending time with him. And he taught me how to be a good worker.

My dad is a bad-A! but in a very good way. He is tough and prickly on the outside but tender and soft-hearted on the inside. He often gets choked up talking about things that are important to him such as Freedom, Religion, and Family.

One of my favorite things about my dad is his hands. His hands are big and rough and show that he is always hard at work serving others. He is honest, trustworthy and full of integrity.

When I was growing up I didn't get into much trouble...mostly because I knew that if I did, my Dad would always find out. The worst thing that could've happened is to have my Dad be angry with me or disappointed in me.

My dad is very patriotic. He cherishes our freedoms and respects and honors our country, the men who preserve our freedoms, and finds a connection to these things with our God. He has served many years instilling these values and principles in the youth through the scouting program.

I love that over the years my dad has continually worked to improve himself. He is constantly working on becoming a better person, serving others, and playing with his grandkids. He is always working on becoming more patient and loving.

I love that he is passionate about his beliefs and can express those passions to others.

I love that he can do anything. When anything goes wrong in our home my dad is the guy we call to fix it. Since he has been retired I love that we get to spend more time with him.

I love you Dad and cherish each day we get to have you in our lives. I am so grateful that you have angels that watch over you and protect you. I am thankful for the many lessons you have taught me. I value your opinion and your respect. Thank you for teaching me and helping to shape me into who I am today. Thank you for your many sacrifices over the years. I honor you and love you!

Hope you have a great Birthday!

Aruba

2009-03-12T15:48:00.001-07:00

ARUBA!!!

2009-03-12T14:55:00.001-07:00

Aruba was amazing! Loved every minute of it, from the beautiful beach, the crazy Carnival celebration, the incredible diving, the absolutely amazing food to the challenging, but fun golf...honestly, what more could a girl ask for in a vacation?

Seriously, these people know what they are talking about when they say Aruba is One Happy Island! I was surprised by the fact that Aruba isn't a lush, tropical island. In fact it is quite the opposite...dry and deserty with lots of iguanas and lizards. But I found the land to be quite beautiful and captivating all on it's own.

Now, anyone who knows me knows that I am all about the beach! Can I just tell you....Holy Cow! The water was a beautiful turquoise color with soft white sand. There was actually quite a bit of coral on the beach in the water. When we w

ent diving the dive master said that Aruba i

s actually a coral reef that keeps building itself up and pushing up out of the water. This is what causes the dry, deserty conditions. Aruba has no natural water sources and gets very little rain. Because of that they have built a water desalinization plant that takes ocean water and turns it into usable water. We loved the drinking water. It was like perfectly filtered bottled water coming out of the tap.

We had no idea that we were in Aruba during Carnival. It was so fun to be a part of this celebration. We were told by one cab driver that people spend more time and money on Carnival than any other holiday including Christmas. The costumes were elaborate, the music loud, and the dancing plentiful. I did, however, feel like I had smoked a few packs of cigarettes and was tipsy on the fumes of all the alcohol consumed. Oh, we had fun though!

I think the part I liked the best about Aruba was the people. Everyone was so open and friendly and happy. It was an interesting mix of Dutch, Latin and American influences. The people were beautiful. Aruba is definitely One Happy Island!

Death by Chocolate?

2009-02-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

Mom,"Owen, you ate ALL of Daddy's chocolate!"

Owen, "Will I die?"

Mom, "No, but it's not good for you!"

Pause....

Owen, "Sorry Mom"

New Thoughts

2009-01-29T18:32:00.000-08:00

So I'm reading a book called "Remembering Wholeness" by Carol Tuttle. It's a "self-help" book designed to help readers remember their true Self, or divine nature, or real self...whatever you want to call it. I'm only a quarter way through but found myself with my pen in hand underlining, getting excited and nodding my head going, "yes! I love this."

One principle that she talks about it the power of our thoughts. She states that our thoughts create the life we are living. What we believe actually becomes our reality. What we spend our time thinking, feeling, and speaking about actually draws that thing into our lives. So if we spend our time thinking negative thoughts, then we will actually draw more negative experiences into our lives. We have the power to change our lives just by changing our thoughts! We are not victims of our circumstances, but are actually totally in control by what we think. We are in deliberate control of our lives. How awesome is that? (Also a little scary, because that is how we become ACCOUNTABLE!!!)

One way to directly influence our thoughts and experiences is by using positive affirmations. She talks about how powerful the statement "I am" is. By saying "I am" at the beginning of a sentence we are actually creating our present reality. So by stating positive affirmations beginning with "I am" we are drawing that idea or energy into our lives. I have found this to be very powerful. Rob has said nightly positive affirmations with our kids since they were old enough to talk. Recently, both Rob and I have been practicing this principle and have loved the effects.

Some of my affirmations are: I am a good mom, I have an abundance of energy, I am joyful and happy, I am patient and loving with my kids, I am using my time wisely, I am full of creativity, I am open and unafraid, I am a good communicator, I am a daughter of God, I am full of light and love, I am a loving and thoughtful wife, I am considerate of others, I am attracting people who are positive, safe and respectful, I am attracting like-minded people with whom I love to interact, I am respectful of my kids and their feelings....these are just a few.

Another thing I love about her book is she brings it all back to this, we were created to be joyful and happy. That is our true, natural state. So, anytime we are not in this state we are miserable, because we are creating something that is not our natural state. Sometimes we feel these feelings to teach us something, that maybe we are making wrong choices, or focusing on negative things. She says that "we came into this life with the soul intent on remembering who we are--our gifts, our glory, our power, and our god-self. We choose an interesting way of remembering: we are remembering by experiencing who we are not." Through our experiences we can come to know who we really are. "You are loved, You are already whole. You have just forgotten your wholeness. And in that forgetting you stumble and fall and make mistakes that you are meant to learn from." Love that perspective.

One other point I loved is this. "When our physical body rules our lives, we are subject to addictions and appetites of the flesh. All these states keep our spirit, our soul essence, from being the most dominant influence in our lives. When we allow our spirit, which is connected to Christ, to direct our lives, we are willing to surrender our emotions, our conscious thinking mind, and our appetites and physical passions to it. In this surrendering we subject our will to our spirit's will.

"Our spirit's will is always aligned with God's will for us. It is in this state of being that we are truly aligned with Christ-energy and every thought, feeling, and physical desire is in harmony with God. It is in this state that we attract like-minded people and experiences that bring us joy. Life mirrors back to us a life of well-being and harmony wherein all things that are good and desired can come effortlessly."

To you, all my friends and family, and to myself I quote "Realize that you are wonderful, perfect, learning and growing, and doing the best you know how!"

Disney World 2009

2009-01-27T15:40:00.001-08:00

This last weekend I got to go with Rob on a business trip to Orlando. While we were there we decided we might as well enjoy DisneyWorld. Even though it was unseasonably cold in Orlando (high of 40 the first day there) we had an awesome time. I had to buy a hat and gloves and wear two coats and jump up and down a lot to stay warm. Our favorite was spending time in Epcot and of course the Rockin' Roller Coaster in Hollywood Studios (my absolute favorite!!!!). We did feel a little guilty not having the kids with us, but assuaged our guilt by "scoping out the park" for our next big Disney family vacation Spring of 2010.

While in Orlando, Rob conducted business with clients at MarketLeverage and then we got to hang out with Sal (President of MarketLeverage) and his wife Kiera which was awesome! They took us on this cool little boat tour in Winter Park where we saw some amazing houses on the lake. It was a lot of fun hanging out with them and realizing we had a lot in common.

We also drove to Jacksonville and spent a little time with Rob's sister Suzi and her family (not nearly enough time however). That's when we saw this funny dude with his dog-house trailer.

It was a whirl-wind of a trip, but a lot of fun. A nice breather from the cold, yucky weather in Utah!

I'm a Nut!!!

2009-01-27T14:01:00.000-08:00

So, you know how I explained in an earlier post that I don't read directions and it often gets me in trouble? Well, here is a perfect example....

A few days ago I received a message in my FB inbox from a *Gary Larsen asking if I was related to Earl and Dave Hansen of Ontario Canada and if I wasn't sorry to bug me. Well, when I opened the message and saw Gary Larsen I assumed that it was a Gary Peterson that works with Rob and thought that the message was kind of odd since we're pretty good friends. (Rob also works with a Jay Larsen and somehow I put the two names together to come up with Gary Larsen.)

So, I thought I'd try to be funny (second part that always gets me in trouble is when I try to be funny!) and responded with "Nope, but we are all related in the eternal sense. Have a great day my brother! ha ha ha" and sent the message.

No sooner than I sent the message did I realize that the person I knew was Gary Peterson not Gary Larsen and I started laughing out loud! It gets even better...

When I went to investigate who this Gary Larsen was and if I did know him I looked under his profile on FB and saw listed as religion: agnostic and under political views: very liberal!

What more can I say?

*names have been changed because it seems like a good idea :)

Diaper Free and Fancy Free!

2009-01-20T13:11:00.001-08:00

So, honestly I didn't think I would ever see this day. But it's here! Owen is certifiably one hundred percent potty trained. Yahoo!!!!

It's been 12 years of diapers in the Seolas household, but no longer. What a happy day!

Owen said to me today after going poopy in the toilet, "I'm getting really, really lots of big! Just like you. And you are so proud of me!"

Yes, Owen, you are really, really lots of big! And I'm so proud of you!

Just for laughs

2009-01-14T17:35:00.000-08:00

Alex made this card for me last Mother's Day...I think it's hilarious, and witty.

It says, "Quick! I need the number for Sushi Palace. And thumbs, I need thumbs!"

Passing Time

2009-01-11T19:48:00.001-08:00

One of the things that makes winter more bearable, and yes, even fun is skiing with the kids. This last Saturday we went to Park City with the 3 older boys. Alex and Gavin went off to do their thing which left Rob, Liam and I to hang out and ski together. We had a great time and Liam's skiing is improving quickly. I even improved my "carving" after Rob's great instruction and it all finally clicked. At the end of the day, Liam and I were in the car waiting for the rest of the crew and took some fun "photo booth" pictures.

Liam skied hard, and crashed on the way home.

I'm happy to say that skiing has helped me enjoy winter

and gives us great weekends to spend together.

Some of our FAVORITE things in Hawaii

2009-01-01T09:48:00.001-08:00

CHILLIN' at the Water Park

Morning WALKS on the beach

PLAYING in the ocean

Family pictures on the BEACH

Playing GOLF with the boys

FINDING hermit crabs in tide pools

cute BOYS on the beach

again, CUTE boys on the beach

FAMILY bonding time

strawberries in CHOCOLATE fondue

at the all-you-can-eat buffet

YUMMY chicken at Maui Mike's revisted a second time

(it was really that good!)

SILLY kids

Hawaii Fun

2008-12-27T17:45:00.000-08:00

ALOHA

from beautiful Hawaii!

We left this....

for this!!!!

We've had an awesome time here in the land of Paradise.

Some of the highlights include....

Water sliding at Hawaiian Waters

Swimming in our own "private" lagoon complete with sea life :)

interesting sand sculptures including "boy with sand boobies"

snorkeling....

Molten Lava Cake at Chili's...

Liam's remark was "this is the BEST day of my life!

while shoveling in chocolate cake

Beautiful Hawaiian girls

Having yummy chicken at Maui Mike's

and of course...golf!

We even had an adventure with an island-wide power-outage caused by lightening...when does that ever happen?

Unfortunately all of our snorkeling gear was stolen out of the garage since we were stupid enough to leave it out. :(

But after a good nights rest, the sun came up the next day and another day of glorious sun and fantastic weather was upon us....and we are happy to be here in Paradise :)

Leiderhosen Dance

2008-12-24T19:06:00.000-08:00

A Christmas Eve tradition in the Seolas household is to enjoy cheese fondue...

Gavin and Liam dressed for the occasion...and earned $20 each!

Random randomness

2008-12-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

Alex's imitation of his favorite cartoon character Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes

Isn't Gavin sooo cute?

I really was convinced I was pregnant with a girl when I was pregnant with Owen, but I SWEAR I didn't put him up to this....it was all his idea. Thank goodness he is a boy as he doesn't make a very cute girl!

Alex again imitating Calvin...honestly it's hard to get a normal picture of this kid.

Owen and Duke when we got to "puppy-sit". Owen loves, loves, loves to snuggle and cuddle with Duke...Duke's a good sport :)

Liv loves Duke almost as much a Owen...again, Duke is a good sport.

I have no idea what Liam was doing, but he looks like Santa's little Elf (that's meditating?).

Word to the wise...

2008-12-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

This is a warning...to any who are weak in the stomach...STOP HERE! THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE PRETTY!

So we are on our way home from Grandma and Grandpa's house tonight and one of my kids (who will not be named) said "Mom, I'm gonna barf!" AHHHH, not in my brand new car! was my thought. What I said was "hang on while I pull over". This child said "Nope, I'm gonna barf right now!" And she did! Not just a little barf, but explosive, all-over the car barf. To make things worse, I roll down the window because Gavin starts dry-heaving from the smell. Well apparently it's a really bad idea to roll down the window going 75 with a child with explosive vomit! I had no idea until we got home and I saw the damage....(I really did almost take a picture of the car and my child covered in vomit, but decided it was too gross...oh, the sick mind of a blogger!).

The first thing I saw was the outside of the car was covered in vomit. HUH? Then I opened the door and it was EVERYWHERE!!! All over my child, in her hair, all over the seat, the floor, the million things she had left on the floor were covered. Oh, and when I opened the window while we were on the freeway the vomit blew back onto Liam who was sitting right behind this child and was all over the backseat and the opposite back window. HOLY COW!!! I didn't even know where to begin to clean up! I didn't know if I should laugh or cry. I have never been good at cleaning up vomit, that's been Rob's job. But since he was out of town there was no one but me. So, I started laughing and composing this blog in my head while I was cleaning out the car. Honestly, I had no idea that vomit could be so explosive!

So, word to the wise...

1. If you have a child who tells you they don't feel well and you have a 30 min drive home it would be a really good idea to grab a barf bag of some sort before starting off.

2. If your child is barfing in the car while you are driving 75 on the freeway, DON'T open the window....REALLY BAD IDEA!

3. If you don't know if you should laugh or cry, then laugh...it sure makes the situation a little easier to deal with.

Happy Birthday Liam

2008-12-13T19:46:00.001-08:00

Today we celebrated Liam's 7th birthday at Jump on It! What a great place to take 12 high-energy, loud and crazy kids to play and run around. We were a little worried as there was a blizzard in full force when we were scheduled to leave. But thanks to this awesome 11 passenger van equipped with 4WD and a DVD player (we borrowed from our friends) we not only packed in 9 kids but made it safely to our destination.

Notice the Cuties Liam is sitting by...it says a lot!

Ice cream cakes from Maggie Moos ROCKS!

I think this is a sign of brotherly love and not Gavin preparing to strangle Liam.

Happy Birthday Liam!

We have cherished every moment (well almost) you have been in our lives :)

We love you!

Snowman Fun

2008-12-11T13:18:00.001-08:00

Tender Moment

2008-12-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

Last night while I was tucking Liam in for the night he looked at me with those big golden eyes and says in such a tender, heartfelt way..."Mommy, you are prettier than the puppy! I love you as much as this house. If this whole house was filled with love that's how much I love you". Talk about melt my heart :)

I love you too Liam!

New Christmas Traditions

2008-12-07T10:44:00.001-08:00

Now that our kids are older we decided that we could make the trip to downtown SLC to see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. We headed out on a Thursday evening hoping that it wouldn't be too crowded which would expedite keeping track of our kids and hopefully bring them all home. The weather was dry with a slight chill to remind us it was winter. Perfect conditions to bundle up and experience the sights of Christmas.

We started out with dinner at our favorite German Deli called Seigfrieds. We had spaetzle and bratworst (reminiscent of Rob's mission to Switzerland) and picked out our favorite Swiss chocolates for a treat. As we left the restaurant to walk the short 2 blocks to temple square Liam says, "I want to see a Hobo!" Rob cautioned him by explaining that homeless people were sometimes dangerous because of drugs or alcohol and were best left alone. Liam thought about it for a minute and said, "Will you be with me dad?" After Rob affirmed that he would Liam then exclaimed with more enthusiasm than before "Then I want to see a hobo!" Oh, the innocence of youth!

We stopped in the Tabernacle to warm up for a minute and enjoy the beauty of the building.

Girl Power!

Not sure what the kids were doing...maybe looking for the new Christmas star?

All in all we really enjoyed seeing the lights, the Nativity and the Christus at Temple Square. The beauty seen and the Spirit felt help us to remember why we celebrate Christmas. And yes, we did bring all of our kids home with us. :)

Merry Christmas Mom and Dad!

2008-12-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

Part 1: The Plan

A couple of months ago we were talking about Christmas and what we should do for Mom and Dad. Rob mentioned that we should get them a puppy. I kind of laughed and thought..."no way could we get them a puppy. They'd kill us!" And then I thought about it a little bit more, and the idea sounded better and better each time I thought about it. As we discussed it we knew we needed a smaller breed of dog that they could travel with, and would be a great companion dog. One that would snuggle up and just love you, but also be happy and energetic too. Rob knew the best breed to get. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. So, being the research guy he is, Rob looked up on the internet for a breeder to call and get more information. To our surprise, there was a breeder right here in Alpine! What were the chances of that? It was fate. However, I was still nervous about giving my foot-loose and fancy-free parents a puppy! I needed reinforcements, or atleast someone to share the blame if it went badly. So I called my siblings and talked it over to see what they thought about it. They were all for it except my one sister who had asked Dad about getting a puppy and was told "Hell no!" I don't blame her.

Part 2: Picking a puppy

After talking to the breeder we decided we needed to go see the puppies (the breeder had 9 to chose from!) to see what we thought and if it would be a good dog for them. So we bundled up the kids and my brother and his wife and headed over to see them. Our first impression was that the 3 parents (2 females and 1 male) were so sweet and didn't bark at all when we came to the door. Very good first sign. Then they started to bring in the puppies...all 9 of them. I kind of felt like we were in the 101 Dalmations movie...there were puppies and kids everywhere! A puppy for each of us to hold! How cool was that? The puppies were sooo sweet. We had a really hard time choosing just one. After 1.5 hrs of playing with the puppies we finally narrowed it down to 2, a boy and a girl. We couldn't decide between them...they were both so stinking cute! I said to Rob, "Maybe we should get both of them and keep one for us." (What was I thinking? We already had a dog! and 5 kids! I was drunk on puppy love!) Rob actually said "let's think about it". Whoa, we needed to get out of there...fast! We finally decided on the female thinking she might be a little smaller than the male, although the male was definitely cuter. After thinking about it for a couple of weeks, looks won over size and we decided on the male.

Part 3: The Surprise! (my favorite part :)

We decided we wanted to give my parents the puppy a little before Christmas to give them time to adjust to having a dog before company came for Christmas. So, we agreed on a day to deliver the puppy and to surprise mom and dad. My brother Matt arrived at their home before the rest of the crew and set the stage for the surprise.

He sat my parents down on the couch and blindfolded them until we arrived at their home. Then we came in and presented the gift!

(Due to major technical difficulty, or I should say major technical retardedness of the blogger, the sound on the video isn't working :( But hopefully you get the idea) I posted this video on my Facebook page and the sound works...so go there for the full viewing experience :)

Meet Duke Albus Wilfric Percival Brian Dumbledore Hansen...

They'll call him Duke for short

Can we just say "Love at first sight?"

Mom says this was the last thing she expected,

but is "warming up to him". :>

Way to Go!

2008-12-04T20:23:00.001-08:00

5:00 am is a really hard time to get up and go to the temple. Especially when it's dark and cold outside and you are all snuggly and warm in a nice cozy bed. After a little convincing, Alex got up and got ready to go do Baptisms at the Lone Peak Temple this morning. I was so proud of him for his commitment and desire to go to the temple...even at 5:00 am. When we walked out of the temple we stepped into a light flurry of huge snowflakes. What a beautiful sight.

Breakfast at Kneaders was a welcome treat.

Way to go Alex! Love ya :>

Words to live by...

2008-11-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

Owen learned this song at Primary and has been singing it constantly since.

Good advice to all!

VIVA!

2008-11-24T11:46:00.001-08:00

Last weekend Rob and I had an early Anniversary Weekend in downtown SLC. We had so much fun! The highlights were Christmas shopping at the Gateway Mall (pretty much finished all of our shopping, woohoo!), TWILIGHT!!!! (LOVED IT!!! but Edward's hair was really lame. Shamelessly, I even bought fangear!), James Bond movie (not so much loved it), massages, great food, lots of smooching, and the best part was the COLDPLAY VIVA TOUR CONCERT!

Rob bought tickets for the concert last summer, and the seats were amazing. We both love their music and it was fun to see them perform. They were really classy guys and put on a great show. Holy Cow it was loud though. We both used earplugs and my ears were still ringin' after the show. Oh, and I had a really hard time centering us in the picture...

The colorful stuff in the background was thousands, maybe even millions of cool vellum butterflies. You couldn't see through it because it was so thick. What an amazing way to celebrate 15 years together.

Littlebit big!

2008-11-21T10:50:00.001-08:00

Today Owen said, "Mom, I'm a littlebit big. I'm little but I'm big. See my body? I'm a littlebit big."

He is getting so big. He can even write his own name. Pretty good for a 3 yr old! Oh, and he took this picture of his own name, which is why he cut off the "n".

He wanted to watch "Pirates of the Carribean" but I told him he was too little because he still won't go potty in the toilet. (Oh the shameless tricks we try as parents to potty-train. I'm starting to get desperate though!) That's when he told me "I'm a littlebit big". I guess he means he's big enough to watch Pirates, but too little to go potty in the toilet? Oh the complicated world of a 3 yr old.

Mom post this on your blog!

2008-11-16T19:52:00.001-08:00

Liv and her cousin Kelly were using watercolor paints to paint their faces. Kelly is a clown and Liv is a scary clown? Not really sure...but they had a lot of fun! Liv's first comment was, "Mom take a picture and post this on your blog!"

I actually think they did a really good job. Who knew that Crayola watercolor paints had so many uses? I'll have to remember that next Halloween!

Amazing!

2008-11-13T17:47:00.001-08:00

I don't think the pictures show how beautiful the moon is...or maybe it's the photographer? Anyway, the full moon was breathtaking tonight.

God Bless America!

2008-11-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

Today is Veterans Day. Normally I don't think too much about this holiday, other than a quick thought of gratitude to the Veterans who have served our country. But today was a little different. Gavin's grade presented a Veteran's Day Program to honor, recognize and thank the many veterans living in our area and who have served our country so well. The program was a compilation of patriotic songs and readings written by the 5th graders themselves. I have been to this very same program just last year, and only remembered it was very long. Probably because I had to try to keep Liam quiet for almost two hours :)

This year, I had a very different experience. I was fighting tears through the entire program from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the honoring our veterans in attendance. I felt overwhelming gratitude for those who have served and are now serving our country. I felt their sacrifice of leaving their families, of living in difficult circumstances, and even giving up their lives for freedom. I feel so blessed to have people willing to serve our country.

I think the changes in me are because of the recent debates over the war in Iraq. I believe that we all will need to take a stand on what we feel is right and then be willing to fight for those freedoms. I feel that the preservation of our country lies in the conviction and devotion of those who live here. I felt deeply moved by the many sacrifices that have been given so I can live under such conditions of freedom. I'm thankful that we live in a nation that teaches our children these principles and to honor those who have so bravely served. It was so neat to have my dad there and be recognized for his service in the Army National Guard. His patriotism runs deep and strong. What a blessing it is to Remember and to be Grateful.

God Bless America!

Gavin looking so handsome in his white shirt!

The 5th graders and the Veterans who attended

Grandpa and Gavin after the program

Quirky? Who me?

2008-11-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

I was tagged by my amazing friend Traci (loved your quirks btw). Here is the tag...

LIST 6 quirky habits you have...TAG 6 quirky friends & LINK the person who tagged you.

Traci's blog is called The Pinneapple Diaries and is AWESOME!

Check it out!

So, in response to Traci's tag here is my list of quirks...

1. I am largely a creature of habit. I ALWAYS do ritualistic things in exactly the same order. For example....I ALWAYS undress top to bottom, but get dressed bottom to top. In the shower I ALWAYS wash right leg, left leg, mid-section, left arm, right arm. But when I put on lotion it's left leg, right leg, mid-section, left arm, and then right arm...I ALWAYS put my right sock on first. And many other things I wont list...Is this being quirky or just OCD? Most definitely it's TMI!!!

2. I get REALLY grumpy if anyone tries to steal a bite of my food...ESPECIALLY if it's a bowl of cereal or ice cream and ESPECIALLY if I haven't had any of it yet. I'm willing to share if I offer it to you, otherwise HANDS OFF!

3. When I make hot chocolate the powder ALWAYS needs to go in first, and then the water. Never the reverse. Otherwise you get lumpy hot chocolate.

4. The two middle toes on my right foot are different from the 2 on my left. The toes on my left foot are the same length and are short. The two on my right are different lengths with the 1st one being longer. I looked at my parents feet and realized I have a foot like my mom and a foot like my dad...How's that for being a pleaser?

5. I HATE to read instructions. I usually just blunder my way through something thinking I know how to do it already. I can't tell you how many times in school when I'd jump head-first into a math assignment without reading the instructions fully. I'd get most of the way through it and then realize that I didn't do some CRUCIAL step and would have to start all over again. Thank goodness for user friendly programs like BLOGGING! (ever noticed how simple and no-frills my blog is...that's because I refuse to read the instructions on how to do all of the bells and whistles!)

6. When I read a magazine or clothing catalogue I ALWAYS start at the back of it and work my way forward.

So after making this list I'm wondering if they are quirky habits or if they're just OCD issues...hmmm. I guess it depends on who you ask. So, I'd love to hear all about my fun friend's quirkiness IF nothing better than to help me feel better about my own issues. :) So TAG to Tracy Portrey, Laura Broadbent, Amber Hansen, Amanda Laycock, Jen Traina, and Katie Fowles. (Julie B I can't wait to read yours too since Traci tagged you first!)

It had to happen....

2008-11-05T07:18:00.001-08:00

So, look at this cute, angelic face. You would never suspect that this sweet little boy would be up to something would you? This cute little face is actually the face of a very inquisitive, very smart and very resourceful little boy. So, what happens when this cute, smart, inquisitive boy gets an idea in his head such as, "I wonder what it would feel like to cut my own hair?"

The results....a very large, not very easy to hide bald spot in the middle of his part!

When I asked him what happened, he replied with a sheepish grin,

"the haircutter person made a mistake."

I guess so!

Love ya Liam!

Grandpa Saves the Day!

2008-11-02T20:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Olivia had an Acheivement Days "daddy-daughter day" planned . The only problem was, her daddy was out of town in New York. So, Olivia invited Grandpa and thankfully he was able to come! Liv and Grandpa had a great time at Cornbelly's at Thanksgiving Point. The weather was beautiful, the activities plentiful, and the fun just went on and on.

After that Grandpa, Uncle Matt, Mom, and Gavin went and played golf with Grandma and Owen along for the ride. Grandpa won the round with Matt close behind him. Owen liked to sit in the back of the golf cart where the bags go. We had to make sure he held on tight so we didn't accidently leave him behind!

Immediately after golf, we dashed to Olivia's first piano recital (Way to go Liv!). She played so well. Then we ran over to the theater and Grandma and Grandpa sat through High School Musical 3 with Liv, Owen and Mom and even "enjoyed" the movie. Thanks for the fun day! We love spending time with you both!

Whose freaky hand is on the side of the picture?

The biggest kid is the one in the middle!

Halloween Frights!

2008-10-31T12:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween!

with love,

Mr. Incredible, ghosty,Harry, Will, and Devil girl

oh, and Mr. Bad "A"

Happy Birthday Whitney!

2008-10-22T16:12:00.001-07:00

The birthday girl, Whitney, and her mom (my sister) Megan

So, any excuse to have a Girl's Day Out! And today was the perfect excuse. My niece Whitney just turned 13 yesterday and a relaxing pedicure at the spa was in order. Thanks Meg for arranging it and inviting me. Now I have HAPPY feet! My favorite part is anything HOT on my feet ie: hot towels, paraffin wax, hot water....LOVE it!

Mom and Me

Are These My Children?

2008-10-22T15:51:00.000-07:00

This week at school it's Red Ribbon Week and today was the FAVORITE day! Crazy Hair Day! Everyone was excited to participate...except Alex. Perhaps he thought his hair was already crazy?

Even though Owen doesn't attend elementary school yet, he wanted crazy hair too.

First snow of the season

2008-10-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

A couple of Sundays ago we woke up to a winter-wonderland. The kids absolutely love the snow...especially the first snowfall of the year. After a big breakfast they all bundled up and headed out to enjoy the magic of the first snow.

Left to right: Kelly (cousin), Liam, Liv, Gavin, Alex, and Sophie

Could this little snow-boy be any cuter?

36 holes of golf

2008-10-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Rob and I had a nice little weekend away in Phoenix. We went with our good friends, John and Heidi Pestana, for the Arizona Hemophilia Association golf tournament. So we not only had an awesome weekend away, we also got to do something we love to do together...play golf.

The weather was awesome (somewhere near 100) when we arrived in Phoenix. (I loved it, everyone else thought it was a bit hot). We drove to the Grayhawk Golf Club and played our first 18 holes of the weekend. What a gorgeous, but challenging course!!! I don't think there was a flat surface anywhere on the course. I stopped keeping score after the 1st hole.

After playing, we enjoyed a delicious dinner overlooking the 18th hole. We then headed back to our hotel and enjoyed 90 min in-room massages.

I loved the yellow golf carts

The next morning we enjoyed going for a run, yoga and breakfast and then headed over to the tournament. The weather was a bit cooler (about 90) with a slight breeze which made it perfect. The tournament was a scramble format which is so fun to play because it takes all the pressure off! Although we tried hard, golf that day was about having fun instead of competition. (Due to the "beginner" status of Heidi and I). My favorite part was when Heidi carried us on a par 3 where she basically played the hole by herself and earned us a par. You go girl! Although we didn't win the super cute red Volvo on the hole in one (which we both would have looked so good in), we felt like winners! As we finished on our last hole the sunset was breathtaking and was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

The dinner after the tournament was a bit different than the Utah tournament. Due to the high level of alcohol consumption (we're not in Kansas anymore...) it was a bit louder and rowdier. We consoled ourselves that it was good we didn't win anything as we had no use for the prizes....your height in beer. After the awards, we had dinner in the club house with our really good friends from Utah, Bryan and Alisa Dudley.

The next morning we were spoiled to have an awesome massage again after going for a run and practicing yoga (when does that ever happen?). We then went to the pool, but didn't stay long since it started to rain. (Every time I have ever gone to Phoenix it has rained...isn't Phoenix a desert?) So instead we headed out to Scottsdale to shop and have dinner. I found some awesome sales where I saved Rob lots of money! We ended the evening with a delicious dinner at Morton's Steakhouse followed by more shopping and saving money :)

The next morning was gorgeous. Still cooler from the storm that had come through, but sunny and warm. I woke up wanting to play golf again, but we couldn't get on the course. Bummer! We ended up practicing chipping and putting which was much needed, for me at least. After a delightful breakfast on the patio, we headed over to the pool where I tried to soak up as much sun as I could since I knew we were headed back to Utah where winter is fast approaching. I felt like Fredrick the Mouse storing up the beauties and heat of summer. We ended another perfect day with a late lunch at my favorite place...Baja Fresh! Then off to the airport where we headed home to our cute kids.

The weekend was an awesome get away and such an enriching experience for our marriage. Our kids always love it too because we tend to be happier and nicer parents after our little getaways!

Skinny dipping

2008-09-30T15:04:00.001-07:00

One recent evening we were out night swimming enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. The kids were in the pool and Rob and I were watching them from the hot tub. Alex, all of a sudden, asks us if he could skinny dip. Well we were quite taken aback from his request as he is the most modest and shy of all of our kids. We decided that since it was just our family, and it was dark, it would probably be ok. We also didn't think he would actually do it....Well, he did.

Alex stood proudly on the waterfall overlooking the pool and said, "Get ready to see art!" as he threw his arms up and dove in. That's all it took. The other kids were shedding their suits for their birthday suits and having a hey-day diving off the diving board into the pool yelling "I feel free!" I just shook my head and hoped that we didn't make a huge mistake as Liam ran around the backyard naked with Gavin's swimsuit. (No pictures have been included for obvious reasons). Thankfully we haven't had any complaints from the neighbors....yet. We did take several minutes outlining the strict and exact circumstances that skinny dipping is allowed. Thanks goodness for security cameras to enforce those rules :)

Redneck or Diva?

2008-09-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I did something I haven't done in a long time...BOWLING! What's even better is I got to go with some of my favorite friends. We had a Girl's Night Out where we connected with our inner-redneck selves.

Jen, Melody, Julie & Traci (Left to Right)

Elise, Me & Traci

It was fun to see all of our different styles of bowling and throw in a little competition.

It's very important to pick the right color of ball...Elise chose a nice orange that brings out the beautiful coloring in her skin.

Rule #1 of Bowling....you must look glamorous on the approach.

Notice the perfect form of Melody...oh, and she has a good bowling form too :)

The little known, but highly effective bum-grab maneuver produces a strike every time....well almost!

The Diva Victory Dance! performed so well by Traci!

Jen spanked us scoring 116 the first game!

The guys bowling in the Men's League that evening threw several annoyed stares our ways as we hooped and hollered our successes, or mourned our gutter balls. One old guy who was very serious about his bowling game told us that if we didn't quiet down he'd have us thrown out. He was kidding...I think. We did, however, get invited to join a league on one condition, we would sign up for bowling lessons as well.

So, we must conclude from our lack of bowling skills, but effortless skill at looking good while we were bowling, that we are indeed DIVA'S and not rednecks!

Fabulous Friends

2008-09-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

This last week I met up with a dear friend from junior high and high school...Beckie Child now known as Rebecca Bateman. Beckie recently found me on Facebook and after chatting back and forth invited me and Owen out to lunch. It was so fun hooking up with her again and picking up where we left off 14 years ago. I was so excited to meet her for lunch and loved seeing her again. She looks exactly the same and I felt like we were back in high school! (Surely I'm not any older now than I was then :) I loved hearing about her life for the last 14 years and get an update on what's going on in her life. Beckie is so talented and accomplished and is a wonderful influence on her family. I enjoyed hearing how she is so faithful in following the Spirit and doing what she knows is right. She is and always has been a wonderful example to me. She married David Bateman, who I grew up with since elementary school, so I got an update on him as well. Having lunch with Beckie reminded me how great friends are and how I need to be better keeping in touch. Facebook has been a fun way to hook up with friends and see how they are doing.

This weekend we had another reunion with dear friends. Dave and Amanda Laycock from Canada were in town for a business conference at BYU. They stopped by yesterday for dessert and hot tubbing and we met them again today for the BYU game and had so much fun. (It really helped that BYU killed UCLA 59-0!). I'm convinced that the Kanuks brought good luck and that's why BYU did so great today! I love David's energy and zest for life, and Amanda's sense of humor and her ability to find humor in any situation. I admire the way they are raising their family and spend quality time with them. It's truly a blessing to have friends that no matter the time that passes you can just pick up where you left off.

As a side note, my Mom and Dad came to the game with us today and had a lot of fun. It was so great to see them there cheering on the Cougs! Mom felt really good and is getting so strong again. As I watched my parents at the game, my Dad with his arm around my Mom, I was so grateful that they were there and are doing so well since their accident last May. We have witnessed many miracles and blessings through their recovery process. I am so grateful that they are still alive and able to spend time doing things they love. Love ya Mom and Dad!

My beautiful Mom and Amanda in the "mystery white tent" at half time.

Fore a Cure Golf Tournament

2008-09-10T14:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my first ever golf tournament! Booyah! We were the only all girl team and we rocked! We played in the Hemophilia Golf Tournament at the Homestead in Midway, UT. Rob was the Tournament Director this year and did an excellent job of organizing and running this amazing tournament. Ok, he did have a lot of help from some really amazing volunteers too.

My team was made up of me, Heidi Pestana, Kari Lawrence, and Bonnie McDermott. Heidi is my good friend and old back door neighbor in Provo. Her husband, John, is Rob's business partner as well. Kari, aka. Dr Lawrence, aka best golfer ever, is my good friend and neighbor. She's also become my golf mentor of sorts. And Bonnie golfs at Alpine Country Club and was a great asset to our team.

We went to divide and conquer the men at this tournament and did a pretty great job of it. We shot 12 under (62 I think), Kari won the women's "longest drive", I won (woohoo!) the women's "closest to the hole", Heidi won the women's "straightest drive", and Bonnie won women's "closest chip". Kari eagled our last hole (a par 5) with an amazing chip, and I even birdied on the "closest to the hole" hole. Kari, Bonnie and I all got on the green for the Jet Blue Challenge, and Bonnie and I were drawn out of the raffle. What a team of winners! We had a lot of fun golfing and joking around.

I always look forward to having Rob's business affiliates, who have become great friends, come out to Utah for this event. This year on Monday the guys went golfing at Talon's Cove and then came back to our place for swimming and a BBQ. I loved having everyone here hanging out with our family. It was a great way to spend the evening.

The best part was the event itself. This tournament raises money to help families in Utah with bleeding disorders. Most of the money goes to pay for Camp Valor which is a summer camp for kids with bleeding disorders. It gives them an opportunity to do really fun stuff with kids just like them, to learn that they can do whatever they want, and also learn how to self-infuse themselves. This involves sticking a needle into their vein and administering medicine 2-4 times a week. Because Liam (our 6 yr old) has hemophilia, we are so grateful for this great foundation that provides support to families like ours. We are also so grateful for the friends that continually come and support this golf tournament through donations, golfing, and buying items in the auction that help this foundation.

.Rob's team from left to right

Mike Fankhauser, Dwayne Fowles (bro in law), Rob, Brian Santiago.

This was the longest putt...I didn't win this contest. In fact, I didn't even come close :) I guess you can't win it all, someone might get suspicious.

Things I love!

2008-09-04T20:31:00.000-07:00

Things I love...hmmm where to start? Sunshine, road trips, basil (i love the smell of basil. It makes me want to rub it all over my body), taking a nap in a patch of sunshine, a good book, hot chocolate, pajamas, an early morning run on a warm summer morning, a witty sense of humor, music that makes me feel something, giggles, silly and quirky things my kids say, jeans that are comfortable and look good, the smell of lemon, the beach, hitting the perfect golf shot that is effortless and the result is amazing, smile lines, living beautifully, spending time with Rob, an unexpected phone call or note from a friend I haven't talked to in a while, babies, "wrestling" in the middle of the night when you are half asleep and when you wake up in the morning you're not sure if it was a dream or real, ice cream, glitter toes :), orange (the color, the fruit, the fragrance), sunrises, being warm, getting into a hot car when I'm really cold and my skin gets all tingly, my iPhone (love it!), surprises, texting, my kids doing acts of unexpected kindness, being authentic, Rob making me laugh, being spontaneous, laughing with girlfriends, sisters, making good choices, learning from wrong choices, living from a place that's REAL inside, traveling to other places and seeing the beauty of other cultures, the smell of a new baby, lunch with friends, fresh salsa, yoga, heartfelt talks, a deep belly laugh, a yummy salad, throwing together a meal that everyone likes, being open-minded, the satisfaction that comes from completing a project and doing a good job, a clean house, planting flowers and seeing them bloom, getting a massage, making cookies for my kids, hugs and kisses from my kids, my family! :)

Girl's Day Out!

2008-09-02T17:14:00.000-07:00

Yay for Girl's Day Out! Today we snuck away from the hectic life that keeps us all busy and had a first ever (I think) Girl's Day Out. Nothing fancy, but lots of fun. My sister Heather,who is in town visiting from Washington, her daughter Kati, who is on break from BYU-I, my sister Megan, Mom and I went out to lunch at Chili's (thanks for treating Mom) and then went to see Indiana Jones at the dollar theater. The only ones missing were Amber (who had to work :(, and of course Melanie (since she lives in Georgia it would've been really hard for her to come. Maybe next time though :). Heather gave us all cute key fobs (I think that is what it is called) to remember the occasion. Mine is cute pink flip-flops with a yellow flower...perfect!

Megan (next to me), Me, Kati (across), Heather, Mom

So, I was really excited to see the Indiana Jones movie since I hadn't seen it yet. I'm a huge fan of Harrison Ford's and think he is still super sexy even as he gets older. I think it must be that ruggedness and the quirky things like the crooked nose that makes him so appealing. I love that he is doing an action film in his later years. I'm just realizing that he's really not that old, but I do have to say he looks pretty good in that white t-shirt and jeans. Ummm...K moving on....Anyway, the movie was fun, but so unrealistic I couldn't even try to believe it, but hey it was Indiana Jones. I did, however, start to lose interest when it started into the sci-fi bit at the end. Atleast I got to watch cute Indie :) and it was only $0.50 that I didn't even have to pay (thanks Heather!).

It was super fun to see Heather again. We've all missed her and loved having her around so much while she was here helping Mom and Dad. I love spending time with Kati and is sad she is leaving for school on Friday :( but excited for her to start school again. Love spending time with Mom now that she is retired and has more time to hang out. We cherish you Mom and are so glad you are getting so much better! So glad Meg was able to come since she is always so busy working and raising 5 cute kiddos. Love you girls! Let's do this again...soon!

Fall Football

2008-08-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

My favorite entertainment during the game was watching Liam. Here he is blowing a pom pom strand.

Yesterday Fall officially began in the Seolas household. What marks this changing of seasons? Is it the transformation of color on the trees or a crispness to the air? Is it the kids back in school or pulling out sweaters and long pants? No. In the Seolas household it is the advent of College Football that kicks off this lovely time of year.

Yesterday College Football began... And I've lost my husband to hours and hours of watching and analyzing and stressing and pondering and predicting and hoping and wishing and LOVING College Football.

The fun part of Football season is going to the BYU home games. Do I go for the love of the sport or the riveting games? Do I go to support my alma mater or the need to be with 60,000 testosterone fueled fans? No. I go to spend time with my family and watch other people watching football. My favorite games are the ones that are exciting because they are neck and neck to the last second.

Yesterday's home game was BYU vs Northern Iowa where BYU was victorious 41 to 17. We had a great time with Gavin, Liam, my niece Katie and my dad LeRoy, Rob and I. Before the game

we got to go in the "Mystery White Tent" located east of the stadium. The "Mystery White Tent" is filled with yummy food and a festive spirit decked out with balloons and BYU decor. Liam and Gavin opted to skip the healthy food and instead headed straight for the chocolate fondue fountain. Liam was covered ear to ear and finger to elbow in chocolate and smiling ear to ear.

Liam eating chocolate covered marshmallow

Gavin and Katie

Gavin in the "mystery white tent"

Liam eating popcorn with one hand and a foot long Cougar tail donut in the other

So is College Football season all that bad? No, but I do think it would be fun if they handed out bubbles to all the fans and on the first touchdown everyone blew bubbles and the whole stadium was filled with shiny irridescent bubbles. How fun would that be?

Peanut Pictures

2008-08-31T07:27:00.000-07:00

In reference to the last post...Bird or Bat? here are some pictures of peanut indeed hanging upside down. :)

Bird or Bat?

2008-08-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Recently we added to our family a new pet. Meet Peanut...a green-cheeked Conure. Peanut is technically Alex's bird as he earned half of the cost doing lots of extra chores, and the other half was his 12th birthday present. Alex became enamored with birds after his 11 yr old trip to Busch Gardens in Tampa Florida where he loved hanging out in the Aviary and feeding the Lowry birds nectar. These birds were so cool because they would eat nectar right out of your hands and liked to perch anywhere on your body. Just beware of the projectile poop!

Peanut is not your ordinary pet, or bird for that matter. To start with Peanut arrived on a Delta flight from somewhere (I'm not sure where) not just from the pet store. When we were looking for a bird I was expecting a nice chirpy parakeet, or a melodious song-bird, but after extensive research by the research expert (Rob) it was decided that the Conure fit the expectations most excellently. Conures are supposed to love to be handled and played with like a parrot, can learn to speak a few words, make parrot-like sounds and are an overall good family pet.

Peanut has taken a bit of time to "get used" to his new surroundings. We have found that he likes to be bribed with fresh fruit and will eat it out of your hand. His beak is constantly stained red from eating fresh strawberries (his favorite). He still doesn't willingly like to be held...we're hoping that is something he will overcome in the very near future. He's a cute little bird who likes to "sing" to music (especially classical, or Josh Groban), clanking pots and pans, clinking silverware, and the general chaos in the house. He loves the morning sun shining through the doors and greets the morning with loud chirps and squawks. Alex is very good at cleaning up after him and making sure he has lots of attention and fresh fruit throughout the day.

The most surprising thing about Peanut is he loves to hang upside down. He hangs upside down from his bird toys, from the top of the cage, from the side of the cage. One time he even hung upside down from his perch. So the question arises...is he a bird or a bat?

Ode to Owen

2008-08-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

So, we are moving into a new stage of life. One that has been long awaited, but is bittersweet at the same time. Life without baby....whoa! Haven't had that for 13 years. It's taking time to adjust, but is so fun as well. This last week my brother and sister in law came and got our crib to use for their upcoming baby.(yay for first babies!!! and cute prego mamma's) It's the first time we haven't had a crib in the house for 13 years.

Owen made the transition to the "big boy bed" with ease...in fact easier than I did. I was "transitioning" him to the big boy bed by removing the railing on the crib, and then maybe suggesting he sleep in the big bed. Owen, however, took one look at the bed and he was in it. I'm pretty sure the older kids didn't need or even get to choose a transitioning time to a big bed. It was, "hey, you're out of here. " and that was that. Anyway, it was bittersweet to lose the crib stage, but exciting too. It sure will make traveling easier :)

Owen is already doing pretty much what the big kids do....getting food out to eat, putting on and watching movies all by himself, going to preschool, buckling his carseat all by himself...etc etc. One thing he is resisting doing however, is giving up diapers and going potty all by himself. Potty training is my nemesis...so even though I'd like to move out of the diaper stage, it's really ok that we're not. I tried to bribe my kids to potty train him by offering $50 to whoever was successful...but, no takers. We just have to wait until Owen decides to do it, and then it's done.

So, what is it about a 3 yr old that is so yummy? That makes you want to squeeze and squish them and just devour them up? They still smell good, have sweet kissable cheeks and say the funniest things. Owen is going to "LD" Preschool which we refer to as "Apple Preschool" because they have a big red apple on the building. So yesterday was his first day of school and i was trying to get him pumped up to go to Apple preschool and he comes back with, "I don't want to go to Apple preschool. I want to go to Orange preschool!" Luckily he changed his mind by the time we got there. He is constantly asking for the sunkinjaya song...translated means the "Apologize" song by One Republic. It's his favorite song....and he knows all the words.

I love the sticky sweet kisses, the "i love you mom", the "ooh, you're so pretty mom", the "I need snuggles", and even the "no, I want to do it by myself". I love the living life fully with abandon, trusting that you are loved and everything is right in the world. The simple child-like faith that mom can make anything better and dad is a super-hero. I love the "look what I did!" and "oh oh, look what Owen did" (spoken by Owen). I love the just out of the tub smell, and the playing outside smell. I love the big golden eyes that sparkle with delight and the happy little giggle that is amused with the simplest things. I'm crazy about the kid. He's my little buddy :)

Why I love Summer!!! :)

2008-08-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

School started this week...usually I am so ready for school to start, but not this year. We had such a great summer. It was so fun spending everyday swimming in our absolutely awesome pool. After a long, messy wait, our yard is finally done...and we have really loved it. Some highlights of summer has been 4 birthday swimming parties, lots of family BBQ's and friends over to swim. Liam has become a fish like his 3 older siblings, and Owen is an amazing swimmer thanks to great swimming lessons and lots of time in the pool. Here are some pictures from my vantage point by the pool....

Santa Cruz

2008-08-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Rob and I just got back from a way fun trip to Santa Cruz. We went down for his "step-sister's" wedding. Had an awesome time. We golfed the Pasatiempo golf course which was beautiful, and very challenging. I scored my all-time best score on 18 holes (woo-hoo!) I even out-drove Rob a few times if you can believe it :0)

Friday we drove to Carmel...wow what an awesome place. It had a whole Disneyesk feeling like someone had come in and made everything perfect. Flowers everywhere, quaint little shops, picturesque homes...wow! The only drawback was it was COLD! (ok, I do realize that i have a warped sense of what's cold, but 56 degrees at 3:30 pm in August is COLD in my book.) We had a lovely day wandering through art galleries, really expensive stores and more ecclectic shops. Rob really wanted to buy a WW11 bomber jacket, but it made him look like his head had been shrunk in comparison to his body. So he settled on Tommy Bahama shorts instead. Much more appropriate :) We walked down to the beach and even though it was foggy with the marine layer it was really nice. We found ourselves gazing at PebbleBeach and decided that next time we come we'll play there.

Saturday we had a spa morning...so nice. We both had massages and then Rob got a facial and I had a body scrub/wrap...so heavenly. Then we had lunch by the jacuzzi in the Serenity Garden and enjoyed the beautiful weather. (Not so cold that day) :) Then we headed off to Jessica's wedding. It was really nice at the Arboretum. I guess that means garden? Anyway it was set in a picturesque setting among natural plants and flowers native to the area. I was very grateful not to have to wear a suit and tie like the guys though because it was toasty! The reception was at a quaint little restaurant called Michaels in Santa Cruz with lots of good food, friends and fun.