Lee's new toy...Part Two

The second part of this story is that all five of our VERY active, VERY energetic kids now want to go on bike rides with dad. The flaw to that plan is that he can't quite ride the way he'd like while watching behind him for his little row of ducklings.

I have a bike, but (and this is just a side note...) if you let a small child use the tire as a trampoline, it might bend your brakes and cause your bike wheel not to spin anymore. I'm just sayin'...

I decided that for the greater good I'd better get my bike fixed. If I ride with everyone and bring up the rear, Dad can ride AND so can everyone else. Everybody wins! (Except me...Seriously? Exercise? sigh. (I'm kidding...family bike rides are fun, even for me!))

Today I took my bike into Taylor's Bike Shop in Riverton. I (sort of!) wheeled it inside and told the nice man that my brake seemed to be bent and wouldn't work. He popped it right up on a stand and went to work. Five minutes later, he handed me my bike, rolling on its own now. He asked, "Anything else we can do for you today?" And I said, "Nope. That was it."

He said, "Have a nice day, then." and turned back to work. So I took my bike in...and got it fixed for FREE!!! (Fist Pump!) Yay...Free is my favorite price!!!

Thanks, Taylor's Bike Shop!

Lee's new toy...Part One!

Lee has been talking for months about getting back into bike riding. He lived in Holladay when he was going to Skyline High School, and he loved riding up and down the actual mountain. We'd been talking about taking his really nice mountain bike in for a tune up...but it is pretty old.

As we got looking, I just decided that for all the times he spoils me, it was his turn! We went all out (Luckily, the bike is last year's model, so that saved us some money!) and got him all geared up:

Complete with fancy shoes that clip onto his silly pedals. (Think of ski boots clipping into bindings...)

It's been really fun to watch him enjoy something. It gives him time to unwind from work, and just go cruise for a while after he gets home. Tory likes to tag along...they rode 4 miles the first time they ventured out!

Hooray for hobbies that remind us of our childhood! I love this fella, and I'm glad he let me spoil him this time...Although, I gotta admit...he didn't put up TOO much of a fight! :D

One month down,

Only 23 more to go! :D

Really, it's a bit early to be counting down, but we wanted to send some things to Cody to celebrate his first month away. So we decided to send a group package. Mom, Heather, and Jen found his backpack (which he asked for) and then jammed it full of tasty treats, like chips and meat sticks. Rhoda made really cute paper fireworks, and filled them with little notes. We sent some letters.

Then we put all that in a box with these:

What?! You mean you don't immediately recognize them as sombreros?!

Yeah...Me either. It's a little better from the side:

But that's what they are. Is it a bad thing when you have to include a note telling someone what the cookies are supposed to look like? Because I did. Include a note, I mean.

Snake in the Grass...

No, really.


I was mowing yesterday, and as I was going along the back fence (it borders the field/mountain) I thought I saw a mouse darting to the side of the mower. Then suddenly, jumping/climbing/slinking up the fence TOWARD me was a 2 foot long snake. I screamed...er, yelled...I'm not really a screamer...just a yeller. Then, using my ninja swiftness I jumped back, careful to keep that swiftly turning mower blade between me and the snake. It slithered off along the fence and into the neighbor's yard. Then every time I came back down the yard to that neighbor's fence, I found myself checking behind me REALLY carefully, to make sure he didn't try to come back for an encore.

So maybe this will help eliminate the tarantula problem from last year...Question is: Would I rather have snakes, or big spiders?

Mmm...Tough call.

Door Mat...

Lee got a doormat from my mom a while back. It's got this grumpy little British/Alice in Wonderland looking fellow, very serious expression, and the words read:

"Oh Happy Day, Look Who's Here."

Funny enough, right? We like it a lot. I'm trying to convince him to take it to work and put it inside his office door. He won't. He's afraid of offending people?! Whatever.

Today I was cleaning up, and I happened to flip it over to shake it off and noticed the tag on the back. It looks like a regular tag, the kind you'd find on a carpet sample, detailing what the rug is made of, how to care for it, etc. But something caught my eye and by the time I finished reading, I was chuckling. So I decided to share it's tag with you!

"Important things you should know about your new doormat:

Warning: Do not use mat as a projectile. Sudden acceleration to dangerous speeds may cause injury. When using mat, follow directions: Put your right foot in, put your right foot out, put your right foot in and shake it all abut. This mat is not designed to sustain gross weight exceeding 12,000 lbs. If mat begins to smoke, immediately seek shelter and cover head. Caution: If coffee spills on mat, assume that it is very hot. This mat is not intended to be used as a place mat. Small food particles trapped in fibers may attract rodents and other vermin. Do not glue mat to porous surfaces, such as pregnant women, pets, and heavy machinery. When not in use, mat should be kept out of reach of children diagnosed with CFED (Compulsive Fiber Eating Disorder)."

So maybe not super funny...but the line about gluing the mat to pregnant women? Hilarious! The part about the hot coffee? Funny!

Hey...It's my blog...YOU don't have to think it's funny! :D

Happy Father's Day...

So it's a day late...but better late than never, right?

I just wanted to say thanks to my hubby for being such a great dad! He works hard to be so many things: He's a teacher, a playmate, an enforcer, a benefactor, a peacemaker, a provider. I appreciate all you do, on Father's Day, and all year round. Thank you for showing my kids what a great husband and father is! I love you so much...always, forever!

And Happy Father's Day to the dad I miss, and also to the dad I'm lucky to have around! I love you both!

Good News/Bad News...

Last night was pack meeting...We have an amazing Cubmaster, Melinda Mack. She's amazing...she writes original skits for every pack meeting, and always includes any scout winning an award in the skit. It's really cute, and they're so funny! Anyway, last night she held the meeting at her house. Each scout tie-dyed a t-shirt to use as a class B uniform, she built a fire in her fire pit so everyone could make s'mores, and she bought spray paint and sprayed a giant "Twister" game on her lawn. The rows were about twice as long as normal, and then each color repeated again so it was also much wider. It was so fun to watch all the kids playing that I HAD to join in! :D (You could tell other grown ups wanted to play...Because as soon as I did, another 3-4 joined in. So there!) Very fun. (This would be a blast as a YM/YW combined activity, by the way! )

The bad news is...WOW! Am I out of shape. I woke up today and many of my unused "yoga" muscles are a little sore...! Hilarious. Maybe I should see if she'll let me come over and continue my workout for the rest of the month...or at least until she mows the game board off!

I'm loving it...It FINALLY looks like

SuMmEr!!