Tuesday, November 11, 2008



Jack had an accident with the tire swing on Friday. His teachers called and had me pick him up. After cleaning him up and checking out his teeth, I decided not to take him to the doctor or dentist. He will lose those teeth in the next 1 1/2 years anyway.



Jenny's first choir concert was last week. This is her good friend Baylee.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Midway

We had a great weekend in Midway away from all the hassles of life. No school work, no house work, no soccer. Just an enjoyable weekend with the family. We went swimming and shopping, watched movies and played games.
Thursday Jenny got braces!



While we were waiting at the orthodontist, Jack pulled his hand out of the cast!



Last Wednesday I came home to find water seeping up underneath the sidewalk. Evidently there is a secondary water line that was run incorrectly and was not capped. The business building behind our house tried to tie into that line and turned it on. Since it wasn't capped, the water just made a mess under our sidwalk.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Saturday in Park City


Jack and Mia got to ride the planes while we waited for the alpine sliders to come down the hill.





Jack shows off his new cast. He chose green this time.






Jenny wasn't excited to have her picture taken







Lydia, Jenny, and Dave rode the alpine slides with Brad and Jaston Duncan.


Oh, yeah, and Lydia's team won their game. It was in very spectacular fashion. Regyn, who plays forward, headed the ball in for a goal. And the forward for the other team was so frustrated by losing, that she received a yellow card after trying to take out our goalie.

Friday, September 26, 2008



I'm too tired to write. I think I did really well to get as far as uploading pictures to the website. Let's just say that I'm really grateful to Google Calendar so I can keep track of who is doing what, when, and where. Let's not even think about the why right now. That was supposed to have been taken care of when we made the schedule.



All you have to do is take a look at the calendar at the bottom of the page to see that we were overzealous in our scheduling. Here are some of the highlights of the past month:


August 25 - School starts for Jenny, Lydia, and Jack

Soccer games every Tuesday, Thursday, and twice Saturday for the girls for the entire month of September

September 12 - At the Adams' Family reunion, Jack falls off the play ground and breaks his arm (notice the cool cast).

September 26 - Western Days at Challenger. (Jack enjoyed dressing up like a cowboy today. I will have to reimburse the school for the sandbox that he brought home in his boots. It was left on my kitchen floor.)

But that is only the highlights (or lowlights)




Now for a little political controversy. For those of you who didn't get to read Dave's email, I would like to include opinion of the current financial crisis. This is his response to the recent email that some Democrat sent out in response to the $85,000,000,000 bailout plan.

By the way, anyone who happened to forward the first email to their friends, helping propagate blatant stupidity, please send on my response such that we might help the President do the right thing in guaranteeing that our financial system does not have to suffer what Japan's did 20 years ago when they let their banking system collapse. It took them nearly a decade to recover. (By "recover", I mean get back to where they were when it collapsed.)

Also, for those who just listen to the 10 second sound bites on NPR and CNN, when the talking heads refer to it as a "buyout" (as if it's a bad thing), they are correct in their terminology. The US Government is purchasing the assets of AIG at pennies on the dollar. As part of the loan, the US Treasury ended up with 80% of the stock as well. It was a pretty savvy purchase/"buyout". Many experts expect the US to actually make money on the deal. The $700 BILLION buyout of junk loans is also a great deal along the same lines. The Wall Street Journal stated in a recent editorial that the US Treasury could easily earn $1.5 TRILLION on those loans as they are sold back into the system over time. That's a 200% return over just a couple of years. That's around 20% of the national debt. How smart would Bush look if his emergency "buyout" completely paid for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? Bank of America made a very similar "buyout" of Countrywide Financial. Everyone lauded them for making such a great deal. These loans that are being purchased are backed by actual property...houses. The last thing most people want to do is default on their loans, destroy their credit, and end up on the street. If the US Treasury can purchase these loans at $.50 on the dollar or better, wouldn't you consider that a great deal? Even in California and Arizona, where home values have dropped 30%, this would still return a great profit.

This isn't the government offering to salvage a few favored banks. The banks have already lost the money. They've written most of these loans off their balance sheet as a complete loss because there is absolutely no market in which they can sell the loans to get the cash they need to operate. The problem with the current financial system isn't that it's bankrupt; it's insolvent. If you've ever heard the term "grease the palm" with some cash. Right now, the US banking system has no "grease" and the entire system is at risk of freezing up like an engine without oil. The banks need to have a certain amount of assets to back their loans. If they don't meet the minimum criteria, they can't borrow money from the Federal Reserve. If they can't borrow from the Federal Reserve, they can't lend. Thus, we, the American people, can't borrow either. No more credit cards... No more new home loans... No more anything... It's not that people aren't good credit risks and the banks aren't good banks. It's just that everything is frozen. People can't purchase. Stores close. People lose their jobs. More people can't purchase. More stores close. More people lose their jobs. Welcome to the Great Depression revisited.

I hope you aren't listening as Barak and other Democrats blather on about the flaws in the idea. Again, you're getting 10 second sound bites rather than actually learning about the issue. He's a lier who is playing on everyone's fears and the lack of education of the majority of Americans. It's true that the "buyout" isn't perfect, but there really isn't time to work out all the kinks. Last week, the market was entering a tailspin that would have been the last straw. After the government came out with the offer, people started talking about how the US financial system was days, not months or year, but DAYS away from complete collapse. This "buyout" is averting a situation that would make 9/11 look like just another bad day on Wall Street.

Don't just take it from me. Warren Buffett, an outspoken Barak supporter, is endorsing the buyout. His quote on CNBC was, "I think the Treasury will pay back the $700 billion and make a considerable amount of money." He's probably wishing he had $700 billion to make the purchase himself. In fact, he's already invested $5 billion in Goldman Sachs knowing that the firm will recover as these junk loans are turned into regular mortgages. He's planning on making his share on money on the deal.

Sorry to rant, but nearly everyone I talk to, including people I highly respect and consider to be well educated, don't understand what is really going on. This is my chance to ensure that at least a few people I know are educated on what is really going on since the talking heads on the news don't do it.

Have a nice day,

Dave

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Thank goodness for school

Monday morning I took Jenny, Lydia, and Jack to school. I came home, and Mia took a nap. I had such a nice alone time. I was finally able to clean some rooms that really needed special attention (Jenny and Lydia's rooms).

Jack had a great time his first week of pre-school. The first day a girl brought her dinosaur named "Jack" for show-and-tell. The teachers were confused about whose dinosaur it was, and sent it home with Jack (he was wearing a dinosaur shirt and the dinosaur's name was Jack). He was sure excited to get a new dinosaur toy. He wasn't too disappointed when we took it back on Wednesday.

Jenny and Lydia started school in their new building. Lydia's 5th grade isn't considered part of the Junior High, but they have their classes in the same building and get lockers, too!

Friday, August 08, 2008

Weber County Fair


Jenny and Lydia both did well in showing the ponies yesterday at the Weber County Fair. Jenny's pony won first place in one class and "Reserve Grand Champion" in another (you'll have to ask her what all that means). Lydia's pony won third place in his class.

The final class was for showmanship. This time it wasn't the ponies being judged, but the girls. Jenny and Lydia were both in the same class. Jenny won first and Lydia won third.

On the sidelines, Jack, Mia, and I had a fun time, too. We walked around the petting zoo (trying to avoid touching any of the animals because they were too scary). Jack had to visit the toilet and I finally convinced him to stand up to do his business. In the ten seconds it took me to lift him up to aim in the toilet Mia disappeared. She ran out of the bathroom, and when I finally found her she was trying to run underneath a clydesdale (the largest breed of horse). Maybe it was so enormous that she couldn't see it, but she had no fear for that giant beast.

Monday, August 04, 2008

New Ward Boundaries



Last night our stake had a meeting and rearranged all the ward boundaries. Lydia's best friend got put in a different ward. She is very sad.

While Greta and Andrea were at our house, Greta, Jack, and Mia went outside without permission. Mia pushed Jack off the slide (which is on the patio when not being played with.) He fell on the steps and is lucky to have not lost any teeth.

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Barker Family Reunion

Such a great time at the Barker Family Reunion. Jenny and Lydia had fun with their cousins.

back row: Jenna, Kati, Jenny, Ashlin
front row: Megan, Heidi, Lydia, Jordan





Day 5 of potty training. We're doing great! Jack has made it all day with no accidents (even through church).

Thursday, July 31, 2008


We had fun Sunday evening when Grandma and Grandpa A. came over to visit. April, Karin, and Chris came over, too. David and Jenny played 2v2 soccer against Chris and Lydia. We had a tough time keeping Mia and Jack off the field



Mia enjoyed the Red Vines. She made a mess, but nothing a hose couldn't handle.



Jack with his "Hulk Out" tattoo and Hulk shirt. We are into the second day of potty-training. It hasn't gone too bad today. Yesterday we had quite a few accidents. I finally had to cut the 45 minute timer down to every 10 minutes. By 3:00 I had Jack sitting on the potty every 10 minutes. We finally had a breakthrough when Jack ran up and said, "Mommy, I have to go potty." We haven't had an accident yet today (but it's only 11:00am). We may be able to start pre-school next month after all.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Raspberries

Last week we pulled up the peas. In April I didn't think we would get any, but the seeds were just waiting to emerge when the sun decided to make a more permanent appearance. We've never had peas so late in the year. They were about 1 month late this year.

We got the tomatoes and peppers planted for the salsa garden. I also bought a cilantro plant this year. We'll see if it grows.

The raspberries are producing like crazy! Every other day we get about 2 cups. Sometimes we eat them. Sometimes I freeze them.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Fun at the Duck Pond


Jack was funny when he forgot to smile in a picture. He wanted his picture taken again, but he looked away. Silly boy!





Mia enjoyed walking with Great Grandma Flynn at the duck pond today. She is visiting with us until Marilee's wedding on August 2.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

I don't have enough energy to think of a title

Today was one of THOSE days. Of course, that makes two in a row. I think that should be outlawed. The law should be that people are only allowed to have one of THOSE days per week or month, or better yet year. But with Jack and Jack Junior (AKA Mia) around I'm guaranteed two or three a week. Yesterday was a mild one of THOSE days. I lost my keys. I looked everywhere. Including the garbage that had been taken out and the garbage that hadn't been taken out. Why did I check the garbage? Because Mia likes the garbage can. This cool container with a cool lid is just her height and is her favorite place to put almost everything. After two hours of searching, I found it in Dave's night stand drawer (again an item the is just Mia's height with a cool opening.) I only missed one appointment.

This morning, Jack's buddies, Connor and Dallin, came over for a couple hours. I've been painting Jack's room, and I figured the boys would be entertained playing in Mia's room. Jack was thirsty and wanted me to make some Kool-Aid. He found a packet, and he and Connor opened it. What I saw was two funny looking boys spitting what looked like blood out of their mouths. That alone wasn't too much.

Lunch time came. I had just finished painting the window in Jack's room, so..

I'll finish this later.

Ok, enough time has passed that I can finish the story.

So I took a break from painting in Jack's room. I made some sandwiches and sat down with the kids for lunch. I took a book with me and read a book while eating lunch. Mia finished and wanted down, so I let her down. I continued to read my book, enjoying my lunch break. Then I suddenly remembered not putting the lid on the paint can. I sprinted to the bathroom and found Mia playing in the paint. Luckily for me, she had only just begun playing in the paint, and there wasn't too big of a mess. But she was not happy with me when I took her away from it and put her in the sink for a rinse.

A few hours later....

Jack and Connor were playing in the wading pool in the back yard. Jack has been rebeling against the idea of potty training, so when he started to fill his swimming trunks, I wasn't all that surprised. I took him in and cleaned him off. Then went to get a diaper. My mistake was not putting him on the potty while I got the diaper. I came back to a pile on my bedroom floor.

Looking back on this day I realize that events like this happen almost every day. But I usually only get one every day or so. It's tiring to have it happen in such rapid succession. I don't know how mothers with more children keep up the energy to do everything!

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Gold & Bronze



We had a great time at the Utah Summer Games. Unfortunately Lydia's team had a couple errors in the semi-final game that resulted in the other team scoring. Besides these two major errors, the Rebels were the obvious best team there. Next time!

Jenny's team barely made it through to the final game with two wins, a loss, and a tie. They had to play for the gold medal against the team they had just lost to. It was an exciting game that went into overtime, and finally to PK's. At the point of the PK's there wasn't even a contest. Jenny's team scored their first three, and the goalie blocked every one of the other team's. It was an exciting finish to a very long and fun week.


Jack and Mia for the most part enjoyed being outside on the pitch all week. As we were cleaning up and leaving the field after the final game, Jack's "little blankie" was lying on the ground. I asked him to pick it up, but he told me he didn't want it. So as far as he knows, the little blankie was left on the field for a baby who needs it more than he does. He wasn't real happy about it at nap time, but maybe he's learned a little about choices and consequences.

Monday, June 09, 2008

Summer Games Schedule

Wednesday, June 11
10:00 – Departure
2:00 – Check-in at Hotel
(Exit 57. Left at 1st light, then left again at 2nd light. Hotel is on the left)
4:00 – Jenny’s Game (Field 10, 1150 W 100 S)
7:45 – Lydia’s Game (Field 15, 2215 W Royal Hunte Dr.)


Thursday, June 12
9:30 – Jenny’s Game (Field 10, 1150 W 100 S)
2:15 – Lydia’s Game (Field 19, 1925 Fiddler’s Canyon Rd.)
8:30 – Opening Ceremonies

Friday, June 13
9:30 – Jenny’s Game (Field 4, 1925 N Northfield Rd)
1:00 – Lydia’s Game (Field 19, 1925 Fiddler’s Canyon Rd.)
6:00 – Jenny’s Game (Field 14, 100 W 1925)

Saturday, June 14
8:00 – Lydia’s Game (Field 18, 499 W 400 S)
11:00 – Check-out at Hotel
2:00 – Jenny’s Game (1150 W 100 S)

Jenny's Team Schedule

Lydia's Team Schedule

Map of Fields

Monday, May 26, 2008

Trout Farm 2008

Despite the cold rain, the kids had a fun time at the trout farm. Jack helped Dad catch the smallest fish in the pond.
Mia enjoyed getting to know the fish. Check out this fish kiss video

Friday, May 23, 2008

Vacuuming


The smallest monster loves it when I vacuum. She chases the vacuum, then lies down in front or sits on it.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Columns



Finally, the reason the carpet has been delayed for so long is gone. The columns were put up yesterday. Tonight Dave and I put on the "grey coat" to make the styrofoam columns sturdy. Saturday we'll put on a hard finish, then we'll be ready for the carpet next week.

Friday, May 16, 2008

We all have our days...

Yesterday I was reminded of a time when Lydia was three or four years old.

We have an electric piano and a Light-Bright toy. (You know the toy with little colored pegs that you push into a device that is covered with black paper.) Well Lydia noticed a little hole on the front of the piano that was the exact size for a Light-Bright peg to fit. This hole just happened to be the jack for head phones. Well, when she put the peg in, the piano thought there were head phones in, and stopped making any noise at all. When I found the peg stuck in the hole I had no idea how to get it out. The peg was stuck tight, so even if I could tip the huge piano over, there was no way it would come out. Then my one brilliant idea of my life struck me. I took the rubber tips off a small bobby-pin. Then I used a lighter and heated the tips until they were red hot. I shoved the hot bobby-pin into the plastic peg, and left it there until the plastic cooled, then pulled out the bobby-pin with the peg stuck to it. I still have the bobby-pin/Light-Bright peg to remind myself on those days when I am feeling like a complete lump of useless goo, that if I just hang on and keep trying I can have great moments.


On another topic, Mia has had a runny nose all week, and I wondered if it was from teething. Sure enough, she has 4 teeth coming in. Poor kid

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Thanks for the party



Jack enjoyed his party. He's been looking forward to it since Jenny's birthday in March.

Today Dave's family came over and helped us clean and install electrical stuff in the basement





Check out Jack's first attempt at movie making

Monday, May 05, 2008

Happy Birthday, Jack

Today is Jack's third birthday. We celebrated this morning by taking the mini-van in to have the brakes fixed. Jack, Mia, and I walked to Krispy Kreme's and had some yummy birthday doughnuts. Then we walked to Shopko and got new Spiderman shoes, Spiderman sunglasses, and a cool Spiderman hat. Tonight we had Jack's birthday dinner. His choice was hot dogs and french fries

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Front Runner


Yesterday we took the Front Runner down to Salt Lake and walked around Temple Square. The train was FULL, but we had fun anyway.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Gloves


A guy in the neighborhood picks up stray gloves while he runs and places them on the fence post at the top of Fort Lane. In the spring of 2007 someone removed them all, but almost all of them have gloves on them again. Check them out next time you drive this way. There are a lot of gloveless workers out there!

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Soccer Season Again


Jenny scored two goals in Saturday's game! Hurray for soccer season starting again. The cold winter months of playing indoor are finally over and we get to go out and brave the elements, whether rain, snow, or sunshine, to see our kids play soccer.

Dave's leg




Dave went in to have his ACL repaired on March 27. Everything went well and he is back up and walking around. Not quite back to normal, but the doctor said it would be about 6 months.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Easter morning





Saturday night we decorated eggs. The kids had a blast hunting them in the morning.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Spring Break 2008




Friday afternoon we had fun hiking.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Science Fair 2008



Jenny's Science Fair Project:

WHAT CURES SPICY FOODS?

I learned that what makes chili peppers spicy is a flavorless, colorless, and odorless alkaloid found in the tissue around the seeds called capsaicin. Capsaicin does not actually burn but tricks the taste buds into thinking they are being burned when it stimulates the nerve endings in the mouth.

Capsaicin is not soluble in water, but it is soluble in alcohols, fats, and oils. Milk has fats and a protein called casein that neutralizes capsaicin. Edger Hegyes, a medical scientist, discovered that capsaicin “stimulated the mucous membranes of the mouth and stomach and increased the secretion of gastric juices.”

Capsaicin is measured in Scoville units. This is based on how much it is diluted before it isn’t hot anymore. Something that isn’t hot would be 0 Scovilles, while the jalapeno peppers that my dad uses to make his salsa are at 55,000 Scovilles.

The bread and milk were both successful in stopping the spicy affect. The soda also reduced the spicy affect, but not as much as the bread and milk.




Lydia's Science Fair Project:

DO GREEN BAGS REALLY WORK?

Debbie Meyer’s green bags claim
“Scientists searching for ways to prolong the freshness of produce for Antarctic exploration became aware of a region in Japan known for thousands of years for storing produce for extended periods of time.
Farmers in the region had been warehousing their produce in mountain caves with amazing results. The caves were dark, consistently cool, dry and, it was discovered, the caves themselves were in a mountain of clay called oya. The oya absorbed the ethylene gas that the produce gave off as it matured, significantly prolonging the freshness. Debbie Meyer’s Green Bags' special film is made with that mineral, oya.”

We have learned that the Oya stone contains zeolite, which will absorb gasses. There is no scientific proof that the ethylene gas will actually be absorbed by the green bags. However, we’ve read that the holes caused by the Oya clay particles, increases the gas exchange from inside the bag and outside the bag. The ethylene is able to escape the plastic bag through the holes.


We found that the green bags do work to help keep the fruits and vegetables from ripening faster. However, the bags also hold in the moisture, increasing the growth of mold and fungus. We also found several other people's experiments with the green bags. They had similar results as ours.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Valentine's Day






I'm feeling good about my thriftiness today. I sent the girls off to school with valentines for their classmates, and I didn't spend any money on them. I took some 9X12 envelopes and folded them in half. I hole punched the folded edge and put some folded printer paper inside to create a booklet. We then decorated the front with red, pink, and white paper, fabric, buttons, lace, and ribbons that were left over from other projects.

Of course, Jenny didn't want to give the boys these "cute" valentines, so she bought some Shrek valentines from the store.


I've been thinking of a way to prevent Jack from sucking his thumb. I took Jack's "silky" (a pair of silky pajama bottoms of Jenny's that Jack used to drag around with him wherever he went). I made a thumb template and sewed up the "silky" as a thumb cover. He only complained a little at nap time.

Yesterday I took Jack and Mia with me to the indoor soccer arena. I left Mia in her stroller and Jack on a blanket in front of the portable DVD player. The other kids enjoyed it for a while, too. But it wasn't too long before I looked over, and Jack was stripping down to his diaper. I don't remember how I was entertained before I had kids. Those of you without are really missing out!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

SICK!

Saturday morning Mia was sick (the stomach flu kind). Monday night Jack started. The rest of us were feeling bad, but Jenny and Lydia didn't start vomiting until Tuesday morning.

Hope everyone else has evaded this one.


Jack decided he wanted to wear make-up Monday. This is the result

Thursday, January 17, 2008

A New Year Tradition



We sure enjoyed going to Grandma Barker's for FHE Monday night. Jack ate all his candy before we got home. It was a noisy ride home.