Grimes Gang

Snow Caving

2011-03-08T21:22:00.002-07:00

Really!! Who does this and why? Conner and Jason went snow caving with the scouts. They spent all day digging their caves, then changed out of their wet clothes and went back into the caves to spend the night. Really?? All I could think about was being incredibly claustrophobic! But, they made it all night and didn't even freeze. I guess next time we are out in the frozen wilderness stranded we will know how to survive ;0 In all reality I am very impressed by both of them!

2011-03-06T21:34:00.008-07:00

A snowy blizzardy day, but we were all smiles having most of our family skiing/snowboarding together!

Conner taking a jump! He only wishes I could keep up with him on the black diamonds.

Anika, after taking a year off, is back at it!!

And the newest - Lucas was on the hill for the first time and had his 'edgie-wedgie' off after the 3rd run. He was definately the easiest to teach so far and can't wait to get back up the mountain! He prompted me for the picture to the below, caption included!

So happy to have more than half our kids on the mountain!!

I took the 2 little ones to the small hill for Trey to try out his new snowboard. He has quite the balance and the most fun attitude to go with it! Greta liked the sledding, but not the waiting to watch her brother :)

gingerbread

2011-01-15T15:07:00.002-07:00

Gingerbread men, gingerbread performances and gingerbread houses!

New York

2010-12-21T13:44:00.007-07:00

There are 5 children 6 and under running around my house screaming, a kitchen that needs to be cleaned and laundry that needs to be folded. This always seems to be my excuse for not blogging (which like many of you is my only means of journaling). So here I sit . . .

My husband (aka: world's best gift giver (never forgets what I have mentioned I might want)) gave me a trip to New York to see Wicked for my birthday. And the lucky trip partner, Anika! The two of us took a red eye flight, made it to our hotel, visited the Empire State Building, and were on our way back from the Statue of Liberty when we called Jason as he was waking up in the morning. Time is so weird that way.

Can you spy me and Anika on the megatron in Times Square?

I had seen Wicked once before and Anika was dying to see it. She had become familiar with the musical when her production company did a medley of Wicked songs. It was a fantastic show!

I don't know, however, which won over her heart more . . . Wicked or the American Girl store. A little girls paradise!
After bussing, taxying, subwaying, and walking and walking all over Manhattan in chilly weather I heard no complaints from Anika. Then, we made it over to New Jersey.

If you know the show

This was our next stop, and the wait in line ended up being totally worth it. The best pastry (canolli) I have had. We also brought home a delicious cake to share with the boys while watching an episode. . .

She was a terrific travel buddy and we had such a great time! Thanks Jasy!!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-19T22:50:00.001-07:00

2010-08-02T16:13:00.002-06:00

This really should be a picture of my darling husband, but he had a little helper. With our anniversary a day away Jason took Trey on some errands. When they came home Trey jumped out of the car and with the most sincere smile said, "I am not even going to tell you that Dad and I got you a chocolate cake and flowers." Trying to stifle my laugh I said, "You're not going to tell me, huh?" Trey resolutely said, "Never!" ~ That is what you get when a 3 year old keeps your secrets!

Family "Staycation"

2010-07-19T13:50:00.002-06:00

A highlight of our family vacation, "A Minute to Win It"! Ha! Ha! Thanks for coming out guys!

One of these things is not like the others . . .

2010-07-13T10:58:00.006-06:00

Did you guess correctly?

Trey loves a tub full of toys. Religiously, after dumping all the toys the "little guy" would come flying out. Funny! I finally asked him "why?" Trey told me, " I don't like him, he doesn't have any powers!" Who knew!

Best of "what's up with us!"

2010-04-18T00:16:00.007-06:00

Conner - lifting weights and loving it ~ crazy!

Anika - turning into an Oompa Loompa ~ Draper Theatre!
Lucas - has his wife picked out- they are going to be superheros when they get married!

Trey - staying dry at night!

Greta - sleeping 10 hours at a time ~ loving her Momma!

Life with Brothers!

2010-04-18T00:08:00.004-06:00

Sweet, sweet, sweet is all we have to say about this little Greta! She puts up with all the big brothers put her through!

This one gave us a good laugh when we turned around and Trey had turned her into a clown!

What blog?

2010-01-27T21:54:00.002-07:00

I don't know if there will ever be a "back to normal", but our little angel is here and what a blessing she is. We were a little nervous that we might have a high maintenace baby on our hands when all she wanted was to be held for the first few weeks or she would let you know what developed lungs she had. . . Greta has now leveled out and decided that she will be a patient #5, ready to smile at anyone who will look at her! Now if I can figure how to manage it all . . . advice welcome here.

Random info: For those of you who know Jason well - he just bought a fire truck (a real one). More to come on that . . .

"Current Condition"

2009-06-15T22:38:00.007-06:00

I really did think just about everyone knew. But Sunday told me a different story when 2 ladies in my ward asked the question, both assuring me theya had confirmed their suspicions with others first. So, yes I am expecting - not purely gaining weight. This is baby #5, for those who are counting. I have had several responses, including "You are crazy!" Am I? Maybe. But thrilled also.

A couple of weeks ago I could stand it no longer, I really wanted to know the gender of this baby. So after Conner's lacrosse game was cut short I convinced Jason to call Fetal Photo at the mall. I had seen the place often, but never ventured in. We were able to slip in just before they closed, with all 4 kids in tow. Jason asked if they could come watch. Could they ever, the studio had theatre seating with a big screen ! We saw the darling profile and then this . . .

Anika, Lucas and I were all teary at this point! A SISTER!! And yes, we did then shop for baby girl clothes. We are excited for this little bundle to come in November!

SGTRI

2009-06-10T11:37:00.003-06:00

A great weekend in St. George which didn't actually include the St. George Triathlon, for me anyway! I opted out of the triathlon due to my current condition :). I knew it would be difficult for me to be at the race and not participating - but really, I was a little ridiculous. After overcoming that little jealousy issue the weekend was perfect. Great ladies, good food, relaxing time at the pool, bike rides in the morning and just a little shopping. Pretty incredible to pull off - 8 ladies for 3 days, leaving a total of 26 children at home helping their dads get together great plans for our Mother's Day return!! (And in the end I slipped in and ran the 3rd leg of the race)

Where do I go with this?

2009-05-12T17:59:00.002-06:00

Anika came home from school frowning at the results of this spelling test, now, really, look at the grade. She gets 100% every week, but has been getting an A- on her writing. This does not make her happy! I gave her some pointers on how to write her letters and the following resulted. But, her only comment was, " I wanted an A+, I tried really hard!"

Her only true smile came after I talked to her teacher who told me she never gives out an A+. What am I to do with such a perfectionist?? I'm sure there are those who can relate to her, but it just isn't me.

We finally did it!

2009-05-05T09:48:00.005-06:00

The HAIR - I don't know what it is about this kid, but we have always kept his hair long. His hair was long on top when he was born and just kept growing. It is definitely called "blond" in our family and so smooth and soft. So, we let it grow.

His comments about his hair (disregarding comments from other people), have been so fun:

-At 3 years - "Why is my hair not black like everyone else's?"

-At 3 years - "Do I have those things?" "Eyebrows?" "Yes"

-At 4 he was looking at a picture of himself at 1 1/2 yrs - "Why did I have girl hair?"

-At 4, many times a day, "Luke, what are you doing?" "My hair!" (He would spray it with water and brush it, just so it looked perfect.)

-At 4, several times, - "Can I please cut my hair like Kai's?" (His friend with a buzz)
-At 4, after the cut, - "Will Aunt Shelly still call me 'surfer boy'?"
-At 4, after the haircut, to his preschool teacher - "Now I don't have to move my hair to see!"

Good thing I finally gave in and cut it, the poor kid can finally see! It was a little traumatic, for me anyway. Jason filmed the whole event! And, Lucas does look rather cute!!

Nose Job

2009-05-03T22:45:00.004-06:00

He did it! Jason's nose might actually have passage! Four weeks after Jason's sinus surgery we are still a little unclear of the final results . . .

Jason has been continually sick for lets say (oh, I won't, he will definitely argue it with me). BUT, long enough that I was done! I was not the one sick, but I'm sure I complained the most.

Anyway, Jason has never really been able to breath through his nose and during allergy season it is total blockage. Beyond this, he was sure he had arthritis, his joints had been giving him a lot of trouble, and he had gone through a few major doses of antibiotics. After a good friend of ours, and doctor, told him to be careful he could get a brain infection, we decided to get serious. Jason first went to a rheumatologist who, after several tests and x-rays, told him he had a little arthritis and A LOT of fluid in his joints. The only way it could have this much fluid would be from a chronic infection. Voila! Back to the nose and constant sinus infections! So, now on to the ENT. Surgery was scheduled.

DAY OF SURGERY: I laugh at my approach to situations and life in general. An example . . . Jason was scheduled for surgery on a Friday. We wouldn't know the time until the night before, but luckily Jason's mom was in town and available to watch the kids. When we found out the surgery was going to be at 11:30 a.m. and last a couple of hours. I figured, great! we will be home by 2:30 p.m., Jason will sleep and I will finish my list of errands, etc. HA! By 3:30 p.m. the doctor finally came out to tell me the surgery was more in-depth than he had anticipated due to build-up of the bone from infection, but Jason should be coming down to recovery in 1/2 hour. By 4:30 I get a call from the nurse, "I'm sorry, I should have called you before. Jason keeps telling us he can't breath. We gave him a breathing treatment, but every time he falls asleep he stops breathing. The doctors think we might be able to send him home, but I really think he should stay overnight." Up until now I was pretty calm, but not breathing?? She would call me when they sent him to recovery. Another 1/2 hour goes by and I get a call to go to room 5, I wait, and wait - no Jason. Finally, after another 25 minutes I get snoopy and start looking around. Jason is in a different room! That's when my tears want to come, but I don't enjoy being the weepy wife. I realize that the anesthesia has set in so deep that Jason's breathing drops off when he sleeps and has to stay on oxygen. We ended up staying overnight, my parents kept the kids, and Jason kept growling at the machine that beeped every time his oxygen got low. So, I didn't get any errands done that afternoon ;)

All in all, we are optimistic about the results and he has been healthy since!

. . . a plug

2009-03-25T13:35:00.001-06:00

My sister-in-law has put together this cute blog to sell a couple baby items. Take a peek, it is cute! www.mysugababy.blogspot.com

Party Time!

2009-03-15T22:34:00.004-06:00

Anika is turning 8 in two days. She is a St. Patty's Day girl, which has made that holiday something special at the Grimes'!

It seems to not be too popular anymore, but I throw a party every year for my kids. What can I say, I just love talking about and planning this special time with my kids. Forgive me, those of you who get an invitation every year!

So, in celebration, we had 15 screaming girls at our house for a late over pajama party. (For those of you who don't know "late over" it is the euphemism for "no you can't have a sleep over").

Here are some highlights:

Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii

Karaoke

Pillow Fight

A Little Drama (what is a girl's party without some)

The Wild Card (throw a big brother in the mix and the screaming increases by volumes)

All said, everyone seemed to have a great time! And, no, nobody got hurt!

It's out!

2009-03-15T22:21:00.004-06:00

. . . well 4 days ago it came out. After many attempts at pulling with floss and even more offers to use pliers, out it came as the result of the desire to eat a sandwich. Lucas was sitting eating lunch frustrated that he couldn't bite his sandwich. I convinced him to let me "see" that dangling tooth with a napkin. One slight tug and out it came! What a thrill! If I though he was showing anyone and everyone his loose tooth I was in for a big surprise with the amount of times he shoves this darling toothless grin at people.

Here is the truth of the matter for those little ones who are wondering why him and not me???

Lucas bumped his mouth (and i actually mean smacked it really hard) on the table when he was 1 year old. So . . . he has been in the process of losing it for quite some time. Now we will see how long he is without a tooth. This is actually okay with me - he is too little for those large, bumpy, yellowish teeth that replace the darling little ones. I just am not ready for it. And the benefits = he can fit a variety of objects through that great space!!

"The best day of my life!"

2009-02-28T11:31:00.003-07:00

We have taken the theme of February being "Dental Health Month" to heart. I took my kids to the dentist to find out (Hooray!) we have no cavities! Also, looking at the x-rays, all three are 2 years ahead in their growth of teeth. This news is okay, so far, since all of them have enough room for these large permanent teeth in their mouths. Large heads and big spaces are doing us good! Next, the Tooth Fairy visited our house twice in one week - Conner first and Anika the next day. This is where the "best day" came in. Lucas (mind you he is 4, he keeps reminding everyone) was doing his best brushing his teeth when lo and behold a loose tooth! He came running into the next room to tell me this fantastic news. Truly? Truly! That little front top tooth was wobbling to and fro. "This is the best day of my life!" exclaimed Luke, and proceeded to tell anyone who would listen "I have a loose tooth and I am still FOUR!" That little tooth is still hanging on, but is bound to drop soon. I will keep you apprised.

Ahh!

2009-01-13T16:19:00.002-07:00

Aside from screaming fits, the desire to say no and climbing out of his crib multiple times after being laid down for a nap, Trey is at my favorite age - 2! I have heard several times lately, to various people, this great statement . . . "I love my mom." Oh, so adorable! It does make me so happy to be "the Mom". Lucky me!

skiing!

2009-01-10T15:29:00.009-07:00

Happy to-be skiiers, and snowboarder before the day.

...and the end of the day, with smiles and all our toes! Somehow I missed all the great action shots throughout the day.

What was missed inbetween; a screw loose on Conner's snowboard - finding a screwdriver - fixing board, Anika crying and wanting to stop - promising a purchased cup of hot chocolate - allowing her to go with Jenn instead of me - one more try - loving it, frozen stiff snowboard gloves on the lift - thawing during run - steaming hands, eating soup with chips because I forgot a spoon and packed lunchers eat in the basement, Conner disappearing into the powdery trees - being found when another man asked him if he needed help, being told Jenn should be a ski teacher (i am sure this was no snub to me) - i agree - we ski on, patience-encouragement - patience, sliding down frozen rocks while carrying skiis to get to the car, lots of fun and finally hot chocolate!!

REWIND

2009-01-10T14:56:00.005-07:00

This year the fam got creative and after eating our Thanksgiving dinner we went on a picture scavenger hunt. Spontaneous fun for sure! We split up into groups and off we went. Here are just a few of the favorites . . .

. . . make yourself look small (my 93 yr. old grandma!)

. . . something dramatic

. . . all players in a small space

. . . water fountain

. . . mav vs. wild

. . . all players dancing

New Year's

2009-01-10T14:40:00.004-07:00

I am collecting great pics, like this one, of my brother Ryan!

We had our traditional New Year's of making no resolutions to break, and snow shoeing! I kind of think true snow shoeing is different than what we do, but we have a great time. It is always so fun to get warm enough to want your coat off while hiking through a snow covered mountain! The kids (and grandpa) spent lots of time throwing, jumping in and sliding down the snow.

Christmas

2009-01-06T17:27:00.007-07:00

A SNOWMAN like this could only be made with the help of DAD!

When Conner has a mission, it has to be just right! With a carrot nose, raisin eyes, scarf and big hat!

NEXT, for the INDOOR snowmen . . .

We believe in Santa!!

I was very excited to see what Lucas (my cute boy who tells his preschool friends, "I am an awesome boy!") would name his 2 new hamsters he got for Christmas . . .

my guess: Luke and Lukey

Jason's guess: (we can't remember now, but not as accurate as mine :))

Results: Luke and Luke

Then, with siblings prompting him along: Luke 1 and Luke 2

And, after a good look: Luke 1 Alvin ("the skinny one") and Luke 2 Theodore ("the fat one")

I am just truly excited she still wants dolls for Christmas!

Another football lover in our family already! And for some reason (we call the Sorensen family) he shouts BYU at random times!

Christmas pj's from Grandma and Grandpa!

And Conner with his DS - the reason I have no individual shot of him. He said I could have asked for a picture, oops.

And, my great Christmas gift - a new bathroom! The first to enjoy - the kids, of course!! Jason roped off part of our bedroom for over a month and had our old bathroom gutted. He designed and decorated the entire thing without letting me look. Knowing what a great designer he is I had no desire to peek. I was not one bit nervous that I would have to put on a smile while looking at something atrocious that I knew I would have to live with. And, living up to his rep - it is gorgeous (and accented with my favorite blue). Love you, jas!

Christmas Performances

2008-12-22T16:38:00.002-07:00

Anika is involved in a production company where she learns to sing and dance. We are on year number 3 and she absolutely loves it! After the 6th perfomance of the year (doing the same songs), and 1 gymnastics performance I still couldn't get enough. I guess you could say I'm a very proud mom. Anika is a talented girl and we love to watch her and see her cute smile. Jason got teared up watching his only little girl on stage. Oh, the strings they pull in our hearts!

I am grateful for . . .

2008-11-26T17:49:00.003-07:00

If you read this post you are tagged and must post the 10 things you are most grateful for this year!

10 things I am grateful for . . .

1. A husband I am in love with

2. Four healthy and wonderful children

3. A healthy body

4. Loving parents and great siblings & in-laws! :)

5. Jason's work

6. A safe home

7. My testimony

8. Amazing friends

9. To be a woman

10. Lipgloss

Viva la Vida!!!

2008-11-23T18:53:00.005-07:00

What an amazing concert! Jason and I went for the 2nd time to see Coldplay. The last time was in Vegas almost 2 years ago - and then last Saturday! I really can say this is my favorite band! And what great performers, they are at full speed the whole concert. We went with some friends who had seats by the walk out stage. Our seats are what Jason called by the "walkout roof" - but really, they were great! We were able to sit the entire concert if we wanted and then the band came into the audience to play a song and were directly underneath us. I'm not really one to get excited over "stars", but it was fun to be so close to the greatest band!

This is the shirt I was goint to get, if the line hadn't been so long - but I really liked the brown. I guess this will do since, now that I'm not at the concert, I don't have an urge to buy it! :)

Twilight

2008-11-23T18:32:00.002-07:00

I gave in to the madness of going to the midnight showing . . . dinner at the Melting Pot (at 9:30 p.m.) and craziness with the girls was great! The movie, on the other hand, was beyond cheesy - and I needed a little more in the vampire department. Too bad, but a fun night overall!

Hooray for Teachers!

2008-11-21T18:52:00.002-07:00

I went into both Conner's and Anika's classroom last week to volunteer, like I have been doing for the last 6 years. It is not some great service I am performing, I just really like being there. I love to be in the classroom - seeing how my children are doing, getting a feel for the classroom climate, checking out the friends, etc. Anyway, I left feeling so happy for the teachers my kids have. Anika is very serious at school! She won't even wave to me or Jason if she happens to see us in the hallway at school - no talking, you understand! She is very self-motivated and does neat work! Her teacher is fit just to her! The classroom is open, all students were busily working on their own assignments at their own pace and moving forward when they were done. It was great. . .
Then, I move to Conner's class. I walk in and notice Conner sitting at his desk with a paper bag over his head. Of course there are eye holes and he has his glasses on over the bag to keep it in place. Mrs. Christensen (or Mrs. C) says off hand that he is being an example to the class that it is okay to be different - I am thinking it must be some kind of object lesson or something. Looking at my blank face, Mrs. C asks if Conner told me about the book they read - no! Apparently they read "Bag Head", a story about a boy who wore a bag over his head to prove the point of being different. Conner decided to bring a bag to school and wear it - Mrs. C says, "He's so creative!" I just laugh and Conner looks over at me coyly! The class then proceeds to tear apart newspapers all over the classroom to have a "real world" experience with decimals and percentages. The whole while Mrs. C is apologizing for the class being such a mess every time I come in. I love it! I hear so much criticism for teachers everywhere, so, I want to say Hooray for Teachers this week!

Fall Fun

2008-10-29T18:09:00.006-06:00

Monsters!

The kids Halloween party!

Pumpkin carving

Our annual Halloween dinner

"Neewollah Eats"

My parents -

they are always up for fun!

Christina & Jason

Picking pumpkins. . .

Scarecrow festival

8's Tag

2008-10-21T22:14:00.002-06:00

Tagged by Kelli

8 TV shows I like to watch.....
(This might show my true character)

1. Prison Break
2. 24
3. Without a Trace
4. Signing Time
5. Bones
6.
7.
8.

8 favorite restraunts. . .
(This is the only one I didn't have a hard time with)

1. Epic
2. Stoneground
3. Ginza
4. Goodwood
5. Olive Garden
6. Melting Pot
7. Biaggi's
8. Rumbi
9. Some back woods, crab cracking place the Barton's took us to!

8 things I did yesterday...

1. Took my kids to the Scarecrow Festival
2. Started laundry
3. Went to my favorite class at the gym (Strike!)
4. Drove the girls to dance
5. Made dinner
6. Went to the store at 8 pm to buy a cake for my 2 year old's birthday, it was yesterday! (lame mom, he had to ask for it)
7. Picked out pumpkins
8. Crashed early - I was tired!

8 things I'm looking forward to...

1. Our house exterior to be finished
2. My boys bedrooms put back together
3. Seeing my new nephew
4. Going to Thriller with girlfriends
5. Seeing Wicked in the spring
6. Seeing Coldplay next month
7. My son and his friend's haunted house
8. Conner's last football game

8 things on my wish list...

1. My house done (There is a theme here. I might blog it someday)
2. Our yard finished (We are almost there! Thanks to my talented and handsome husband, who is not sitting here watching me.:))
3. Find great jeans that fit my waist and thighs
4. Jason to be able to breath long enough to kiss
5. Garage that is bigger than my car
6. Bosch mixer and wheat grinder
7. My friend, Christina, to have a baby
8. My children to always be happy and good

8 people I tag.....

Carlee, Jami, Candace and anyone else who actually finds their way to my obscure blog.

Fall Hike

2008-10-19T19:44:00.003-06:00

What a gorgeous fall we are having here in Utah. We took a hike up Big Cottonwood Canyon to Dog Lake, 70 degrees and loving it! I love being in the mountains! The smell and color of the leaves, the blue sky - it really doesn't get better (unless I am riding the trails on a mountain bike)!! The kids were troopers and thought the berries they found and the snow on the hillside were the highlights! Best moments for me: Trey falling down a black dirt hill on his face. He didn't get hurt, but wasn't too pleased about the dirt in his mouth. Comments from every hiker about the "pack" we had with us - picture it: 2 ladies with babies on their backs and 7 other children in tow!

Friends

2008-10-13T23:30:00.002-06:00

I threw this picture on because it makes me happy! This is my daughter with the daughters of my high school friends/college roommates. I am grateful for the friends I have from all phases of my life. I have realized that none can be replaced, but more can always be added!

Saturdays

2008-10-11T22:13:00.003-06:00

We have put 3 of our 4 children in soccer starting at age 3. I am sure I will sign up the fourth when he hits the magic age. None of them have actually liked it. They enjoy the treats at the end for sure and I think that is the main motivation for going! They all have given the running a good shot, but they mostly steer clear of actually kicking the ball. As long as they are on the perimeter of the swarm and someone else has it under control they have been pleased. This year for Lucas (his 3rd season, the first he played 1 game and then refused) we thought we had a soccer player. He was excited to be on the field, and he went after the ball and kicked it. This practice came to a screeching halt when he got hit twice on the head with the ball. He then followed his siblings patterns and skirted around the actual contact with the ball. Funny thing, we continue this practice and we all really like it!

Now, football - FOOTBALL, really! I didn't imagine having a son play football. I imagined soccer, basketball, SKATEBOARDING, mountain biking - not football. When my tender Conner asked to play tackle football I told him he would be getting hit, thrown to the ground, etc. He smiled and said, "I know". After my much complaining (not his) of a month of 5 day a week 2 hour practices, lots of bruises, bought and lost uniform pieces and now several games . . .

I am loving dragging my little kids in the freezing rain to watch these boys run into each other! I even get tempted to watch football on tv! Go figure! I tend to fall in love with those things my most precious ones love.

Summer is over and am I really doing this?

2008-09-28T00:32:00.006-06:00

My kids are growing so quickly, it seems right before my eyes. The fact that I am actually attempting to blog must be half peer pressure and half desire to slow life down. Since the latter is impossible I am in a race to preserve what I have. That must be my problem . . . always in a race. So, this is dedicated to all my wonderful talented friends who are far ahead of me in the blogging world.