Can You Do Me A Favor - Re. TSA

Can everyone do me a favor? Please don't fly until the TSA and the Federal Government changes the policy of looking at nude images and/or groping passengers. If we all stop paying for tickets, hotels, entertainment, etc. at our vacation destinations, those businesses will help solve this debacle.

Those who give up Liberty for Security will get neither.

If you don't see any problem with the policies, please consider this. Your constitutional rights are being given away. You may think that it is only at the airport, but that is only the case right now. We are slowly being conditioned to accept it. It will soon be mandatory in other places as well. That is how it has always worked.

If you think about Social Security for example, it was initially voluntary, and the fund could never be touched by Congress. That has been changed by degrees until the politicians have depleted the fund, and made it mandatory to participate.

Anything we submit to now will come back to haunt us down the road. So please, please, don't submit to this unseemly and outrageous practice.

Did I Mention?

Did I mention my husband is an IRONMAN? Well in case you missed it, HE IS!!!

Aaron finished the 1st St. George Ironman on May 1, 2010. They say it is the hardest of all of the Ironman races because of the terrain.

It all started in the early morning darkness. We got to the reservoir/lake where the swimming portion of the race would be held while it was still dark. They bussed us in to the area because of unsufficient parking in the area (plus all 1000+ athletes would be speeding down the roads on their bikes in a few hours).

We were lucky enough to find Aaron before he got into the water. They were telling everyone that the water would be about 63 - 67 degrees or so before the race. Not by a long shot. It was 54 degrees if I remember correctly. So a wetsuit was a must!

As you can see we brought the boys with us. Rebecca & Katie stayed with my mom, and Anson & Spencer tagged along with Aaron's parents and I. They were both so good.

I wonder what it is like to be facing 17 hours worth of exercising? He looks to be in good spirits, but boy would I be nervous if it were me!

It was incredible watching everyone in the water. There were SO MANY people in there! Aaron had people kicking him from all sides, someone almost grabbed his goggles off his face, and people were grabbing at him from behind as they all made their way around the 4000 meter course.

(I just swam 400 meters in a heated swimming pool a couple of weeks ago. That was pretty crazy. 4000 meters in 54 degree water? I don't think so!!!)

Aaron made it through the swim after about 1 hour and 17 minutes. Then it was on to the bike transition. He spent quite a while getting ready, and we were lucky once again to see him before he started the ride.

Aaron finished the bike portion with a little less than 30 minutes before the cut off time. He had some trouble with flat tires and such, and almost crashing a time or two. I know the Lord was watching out for him. He started the run in good spirits and stopped to tell us a little about his biking adventures. Then it was off to start his marathon around 5:30 PM!

We saw him once again as he finished the first half of the marathon. He was feeling really lousy at this point. His stomach hurt pretty bad and he could barely walk. He took some advil and kept going though. What a trooper. He figured at this point that if he could keep up a 4 mph walk, he would be able to make it by the midnight cut off time. There was no way he could run at that point.

He came walking in to a hero's welcome about 6 minutes before midnight. It was a party out there as everyone was cheering the last finishers of the 2010 St. George Ironman. All along the way people had been cut off at certain points, and this was the last cut-off. If you don't make it by midnight, you are not considered an "Ironman".

He was given a metal blanket thing to keep warm, had his picture taken, had some pizza and was ready to head back to the hotel for a good night's sleep!

As a follwer of an athlete at the St. George Ironman, I have to say that I had a great day. It was so fun going around to try to see him at different points, and making sure he saw us. Unfortunately I had a fever the next day, but it was well worth it.

I can't say that I want him to do it again though. It takes too much time to prepare. I might consider one of the 1/2 Ironmans at some point in the future. In a few years maybe...

I Guess It's Time

I decided to break down and finally write a blog post. Don't get too excited though - I'm not posting any pictures. Way too much work. So here is what we have been up to since February, in a nutshell:

February:
Katie turned 2!
Aaron took Rebecca & Katie to a Daddy/Daughter Valentine's Ball
Rebecca took Ice Skating Lessons
I went to my first Blue & Gold Banquet
Also went to my first Cub Scout Day Camp

March:
Rebecca took more Ice Skating Lessons - moved up to Basic 2
Anson played T-Ball
Rebecca went on a Kindergarten Field Trip to Superstition Farm
Rebecca was in the Mesa Easter Pageant with her Grandma Margaret
We went to the Easter Pageant twice

April:
Thomas Reunion (Aaron's mom's side of the family)
Anson turned 4!
Had a Pirate Birthday Party for Anson

May:
Aaron finished the St. George IRONMAN!!!
Rebecca finished her 2nd year of Let's Play Music (highly recommend)
Rebecca continued Ice Skating Lessons, moved up to Basic 3
Went on a tour of the new Gila Valley Temple and visited Aaron's cousin Stephanie (love her!)
I turned 28
Aaron and Anson went on a Father/Son campout
I made curtains for the girl's room (with help from my mom)
Aaron brought home a goldendoodle puppy - we named her Scout

June:
Rebecca was in an Ice Skating Show - the Lion King!
Went to San Diego when Aaron had a work something or other there. My sister Erica came too and we hung out, went to the beach, and went to Seaworld
Went to see Toy Story 3 - I cried!
Rebecca started summer dance lessons w/ her cousin Alana

July:
Aaron went on the Mount Zion Encampment w/ the Priests
Went to see Annie Get Your Gun at Hale Center Theater - loved it!
Went to UT for the Markham & Richmond Reunions (my mom's side of the family)
Rebecca turned 6!
Rebecca & I took Ice Skating Lessons together - Rebecca moved up to Basic 4, I was in Adult 1-2

August:
Rebecca's summer dance recital
Ward Campout - Aaron took Rebecca & Anson & Katie while I relaxed!
Had a flower birthday party for Rebecca
Ran in the Flagstaff 5K w/ Aaron (took about 36 minutes - I never said I was fast)
Checked out the new MIM (musical instrument museum)
Aaron went fishing in Alaska for 10 days w/ Brother Rasmussen & Jake from C.G.
Rebecca started 1st Grade
Anson started his 2nd year of Preschool
Rebecca started 3rd year of Let's Play Music

September:
Spencer turned 1!
Celebrated 7th Anniversary (Aaron was in Alaska during the real deal) Best thing I ever did was marry Aaron. How did I get so lucky to get the perfect man for me?
Anson started 1st year of Let's Play Music
Went on a quick trip to Orlando, FL to visit my sister Dana who is working at Disney World for the semester.
I started Ballet. Guess what? I LOVE Ballet! I'm not necessarily very good at it, but I LOVE it!

October:
Aaron got a new calling - Assistant Scout Master
Pirates of Penzance with my sister Julie while Aaron went camping with the scouts
Went to Time Out for Women w/ my sister Julie
Anson started playing Soccer
Sold out dog Scout - let's just say I have discovered for sure that I am not a dog (or any animal really) person. Also, I'm pretty sure Aaron & Anson were allergic to her. I think it is the dander, because she was supposed to be hypoallergenic. The lady that bought her has a lot of land down in Tucson. She has other animals, so Scout will have a good family there.
Took CPR Certification class
Hosted a Baby Shower for my SIL Maria
Went to the ward Fall Festival to celebrate Halloween
Rebecca was Cinderella, Anson was Davy Crockett, Katie was a Butterfly, and Spencer was Woody
Spencer took his first steps on Halloween

November:
In charge of Benefit Dinner/Auction to help pay for medical bills for Aaron's mom (she had cancer, and is currently in remission, but still has to be on medication)
Finished C.G. Triathlon - 400 meter swim, 10 mile bike, 3 mile run
Anson - Soccer
Went to Bounce-U for Veteran's Day
Went to the Boy Scout benefit Auction
Went to Stake Conference

So that sums it up. Now I won't have to feel guilty about all of the stuff I missed and can pick up from here!

Every Picture Has A Story

I was tagged by Elise.


This picture is of Rebecca's 2nd Birthday. I think that is Lily helping her open her present. We had her party at Canyon Villas over by Desert Ridge and went swimming after opening the presents. Katie has recently been wearing the same sandals Becca is wearing in the picture.

I tag Carrie.

1. Open your first picture folder.

2. Upload the 10th picture in the folder (if there aren't 10, go to the next folder with 10 pictures in it).

3. Tell us the story behind the picture.

4. Tag at least 1 friend to do the same.

Quick Update

Wow - 2010 is flying by. Highlights for February:
- Aaron ran in the Sedona Marathon, his first full marathon (His time was 6 hrs. 6 min. We have a lot of work ahead of us for the Iron Man. Truthfully he was not prepared at all. I'm just glad he survived it. I guess he knows how long 26 miles really is now...)
- Had Rebecca's friend from school come to play. Bella is the daughter of my friend Shari from High School. Good to visit with her too!
- Aaron's Grandmother passed away at age 80. She was such a kind person. I always felt like she loved me like one of her own grandkids. I'm so glad I got to know her and we went to visit just 5 days before her stroke.
- I played the piano at Grandma Manning's funeral, accompanying Maria and Christina. Not sure why they would want ME to play...
- Aaron gave the Plan of Salvation talk at the funeral and played "Consider the Lilies" for Jordan Bluth who sang at the funeral. I turned the pages while he played. Are we sensing that maybe there was a little too much of Aaron and Andrea at the funeral?
- Daddy/Daughter Valentine Ball. Rebecca and Katie got new "ball" dresses and rode in a carriage. Sounded like a lot of fun.
- Valentine Dinner at Fogo de Ciao. We went on Saturday night and it was still crazy busy (but oh, so delicious!). We got a complimentary dinner too. Oh darn! I guess we'll have to go back!
- Annual Tollefsen Valentine dinner/party.
- My first Blue and Gold Banquet!
- Aaron's first high adventure trip with the priests. He gets to try out snowboarding for the first time. I'm really glad he is in good shape for it!
- My niece gets baptized tomorrow! She is the first one of the cousins to get baptized, so we are glad she is setting a good example for our kids!

Coloring For A Cure

My nephew Tate has been really concerned about Grandma Margaret. So much so that he has come up with as many ways as he can think of to help make money for her medicine. He is only 5 years old, but has raised over $100 for her so far. One of his great ideas was to color pictures and sell them for $, then give the $ to Grandma for medicine.


My kids - Rebecca and Anson - wanted to get in on the action of helping with the medicine too. They're not the only ones either. So many people are concerned about her and want to help, so we are starting "Coloring for a Cure". Kids can color pictures and mail or give them to the donor for any amount of $ as long as it is more than the cost of postage.


So... if you are in the market for some beautiful refrigerator art, click on the button. It will take you to Grandma Margaret's blog where you can donate $ and get a picture! Be sure to designate who you want a picture from, otherwise the kids participating will rotate who does the picture.

Thanks for helping us save a life!




P.S. If your kids want to help too, you can add the button to your blog by emailing me @ amanning24@gmail.com. I'll send you the html code to add to the sidebar of your blog.

ZooLights and Pajama Party

We went to see Zoolights tonight for FHE. I have never gone before so it was neat to see what it was all about. We had a fun time. The kids started asking us for treats, riding the merry-go-round, light-up toys, you name it the moment we walked in the zoo. I turned the tables on them and asked if they brought their money. They were free to buy those things with their own money, but we were only there to see the lights. That shushed them up pretty fast. They asked a few more times, but I kept asking right back. Anson thought maybe 2 quarters would be enough to buy a light up toy. I don't think so!

We had a "pajama party" when we got home. That basically just means you get all ready for bed, put on your pajamas, and watch a movie. We watched The Princess Bride which I got for Christmas.

Project

I have a new project I am going to make this week - a pack and play netting cover. I'm not sure exactly how yet. I don't believe there is a pattern - so I'll have to figure it out as I go.

Katie has been a big trouble maker lately as far as getting out of bed goes. I gave up putting her in her crib and put an extra crib mattress that I had on the floor of her room for her to sleep on. She does the same thing with a pack and play. Unless she is SO tired, she will just keep getting out of it and get into whatever happens to be in the room.

We are planning a family vacation soon and I am very concerned about the aforementioned problem. So I have determined to make something to keep her in bed for naps and at night. We don't need any wandering, cranky toddlers on vacation!

I am thinking of using the type of netting they use for laundry bags. I thought maybe I would stretch it tight over the top and somehow attach elastic to each corner to put around the legs of the pack and play to keep it on. I'm not sure how well it will keep her in - will she be able to get enough "give" to climb out? What other options are there? If you have a great idea, please let me know!

I did find a commercial product last night. It is about $68 and there is a risk of the toddler undoing the latches and getting their head stuck as they try climbing out. I'm not too interested in that!

We'll see how the project goes. I hope it works. The sanity of our vacation depends on it!

Presents and Such

We had a wonderful Christmas yesterday. We planned for each person to get 2 gifts - one from Santa and one from Mom and Dad. Everything went as planned - until Christmas Eve day, around 3:30 pm. Aaron came into our room and quietly told me that there was a problem with the presents. You see Santa was getting Rebecca an American Girl Doll (the Rebecca doll) with some outfit changes and a few accessories. So there was kind of a "present stack" for that gift (7 packages to open all together). The problem was that Anson didn't have a "present stack". He was getting 2 presents to open.

I was all for unwrapping all of Rebecca's presents and wrapping them all up again in one package. Aaron didn't want to do that though. He wanted to go to the store and get more. Noooo! Well, he got his way and off to Walmart he went (with Katie, thank goodness). Luckily he mostly got food items - like fish crackers, handi snacks, and cereal. Anson felt like he opened Christmas presents on Christmas, and I have a pantry full of snacks for the next couple of weeks. I guess it all worked out.

We kept pretty close to the 2 present rule - only adding in a computer game for each kid and a movie in their stockings. So here is the gift list:

Rebecca: American Girl Doll w/ clothes and accessories, roller skates, Mozart's Magic Flute Computer Game, and the Kit Kittridge movie.

Anson: Baseball Glove and Ball, Remote Control Monster Truck, JumpStart Preschool Computer Game, The Legend of Frosty the Snowman (which we threw away - we don't recommend it).

Katie: Baby Doll that Laughs and Cries (I've pretty much just heard it cry so far - I hope the laughing starts soon), Doll Stroller, Little Bear Computer Game (you push any button and something is supposed to happen), and Care Bear Movie.

Spencer: Sit and Stand Stroller, Prince Lionheart Seat (like Bumbo - off Craigslist for $12!), Life is Beautiful Movie.

Aaron: Fancy Remote Control Monster Truck, Garmin Heart Rate Monitor, Salad Spinner, Casablanca Movie

Andrea: Sweater, Coat, High Heels, Shoe Organizer, Frying Pan, Large Mixing Bowls, Glasses (as in cups), Princess Bride Movie.

I seriously get spoiled every year. Aaron just can't help himself. I was only supposed to get the sweater and the frying pan. At least he pretty much kept to things I needed this year!

I'm hoping to do a homemade Christmas one of these years. This was not my year for it though. I have been way to busy and/or just plain unproductive. At least as far as getting anything done goes. I give myself the excuse of having 4 kids under 5 1/2 years old. That counts, right?

Ice Cream Man

Anson has informed me that he wants to be an Ice Cream Man when he grows up. He is going to be very generous with his ice cream. He is going to let everyone in our family have one. He even said he would give Rebecca 4 ice creams.

Taking a Drive in Good Ol' C.G.

When I downloaded my pictures in September, I found a few that I didn't recognize. These are in the order that I found them on the camera. Take a look:

Can we guess who our mystery photographer is yet?

Can you guess where she went with daddy? I'm really not sure, but you know you have lived in C.G. awhile if you recognize most of those places! Kind of crazy, but I do miss it.

Playing Pirates

Rebecca and Anson came up with a game earlier this year. It goes like this: Take all of the cushions off the couches in the living room. Pile them all on the big couch. Climb on top. Pretend to be Pirates! Also, try to get mommy and daddy to climb on top too. The End.

Mr. Turtle

This is a picture of the kids and Mr. Turtle this last summer. They had TONS of fun using the apple peeler to make yummy treats for Mr. Turtle to eat. Much more than he could handle as you can very plainly see!



Unfortunately, Mr. Turtle met his demise this summer while we were on vacation in Lake Tahoe. He got caught in Anson's soccer net and in his attempts to free himself, he got caught tighter and tighter in the net. Luckily Aaron found him while mowing the lawn and the kids didn't have to see their beloved pet in death. He is now buried somewhere deep in the landfill.

You were a wonderful pet Mr. Turtle. We didn't have to do anything to keep you alive (except we should have untangled you, but we weren't around and didn't know you were tangled). You cared for yourself, yet we could say that we had a pet for the kids to watch over. We will miss you eating our crickets!

Blessed

I smell big yummy ginger cookies. I see Anson wiping off the patio table with a towel after the rain last night. I hear the baby crying. I feel love for these wonderful blessings I have been given.

New Calling!

I recieved a new calling on Sunday. I am the new cub scout leader for the bears in our ward. FYI, those are the 9 year old boys. I have no idea what cub scouts (or boy scouts in general) is all about at all. My brothers are 10 years younger than me, so I was pretty much out of the house by the time they were going through all of this stuff.

I do know that there are a lot of meetings. Weekly meetings with the boys, monthly pack meetings, monthly roundtable meetings, and monthly cub committee meeting. I'm used to Aaron having all of the meetings, so this will certainly be a change.

I'm kind of overwhelmed with it all so far. The Primary 2nd Counselor met with me today to explain some of what I am supposed to do, but I think it is going to take a while for me to really understand what I've just gotten into! I'm actually really excited that I get to learn what to expect for Anson and Spencer before they are in Scouting.

Aaron hasn't gotten his calling yet. I'll be sure to keep you updated!

Tucson

Aaron and I were able to get away Friday and Saturday for "El Tour de Tucson". We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the J.W. Marriott Starr Pass Resort on Friday night and Saturday. We ate a delicious dinner at Primo, one of the restaurants at the property. We had a very interesting salad while there. It doesn't sound very good, but I was amazed at how delicious it was. It was a beet salad with goat cheese. Sounds gross - but SO good!

On Saturday we slept in (if you call 6:30 AM sleeping in!), and got Aaron to the starting line of the race just as it was starting. I don't like Tucson roads at all! It seems like you can't go any faster than 30-40 miles/hour on any of the roads. Even the really major ones! Really annoying.

So Aaron rode his bicycle for 66 miles. It took about 5 hours, including stops for food and rest. He said he started getting tired of it after 40 miles. When he first started riding his bike he was tired of it after only 5 miles, so he is getting better anyway. He still hasn't gotten the clips for his pedals, so it was all Aaron Power pedalling away. We need to get him all decked out with a Triathlon bike and equipment in the next week or two.

I seriously had no idea there were so many different kinds of bikes a year ago! So pretty soon Aaron will have a regular "touring" bike, a mountain bike, a road bike, and a triathlon bike. Does anyone know if there are any other kinds of bikes out there? I hope not! Bikes are beginning to take over around here!

I forgot to mention that I got a pedicure at the Spa at the resort while Aaron was riding his bike! Yay for me! I sure got spoiled! It was really a nice break to get pampered for a while. Now back to real life!

November = Enduring, 2 Month Update

If October was all about being on the move, November is all about enduring (for me anyway). In October I literally moved everything in my whole house, I got up and down in the middle of the night, and drove up to the valley a LOT.

Now it seems like I'm just trying to endure this month of November. Enduring through the weeklong sickness of Katie and Anson. Enduring the packing boxes being all over my house. Enduring this new sickness of Spencer's (he threw up at Maria's house yesterday!), and enduring Spencer's cries in the middle of the night (only if it is before 4:30 AM and if he is not sick - I do bend rules for sick babies!).

Hopefully we can move on from this "enduring" trend for the second half of November.

On another note, we had a fun day yesterday at my sister-in-law's house and at the Veteran's Day parade in Mesa. I enjoyed the high school marching bands, and the kids enjoyed the candy that was passed out!

Spencer's 2 month stats update:
Weight - 15 lbs. 10 oz. - just off the chart
Head Circumference - 16 cm. or in.? - average
Height - 26 1/2 inches - way off the chart

Summary: Spencer's head is average for his age, and his height and weight are off the chart. We have one BIG baby here!

Sleeping, Moving, School, and Saturday

Spencer slept from 8:30 PM to 6:00 AM last night - all on his own! Go Spencer! He actually slept until 6:00 AM the night before too, with a little crying fest around midnight. I was NOT going to get him up after only 4 hours of sleep when I knew he could for sure go until 4:30 - which he has done a few times. So I let him cry. You are probably thinking I am a bad mother. But I don't care. I NEED my sleep! I'm a worse mother when I don't get it!

I am kind of starting to get settled into the new house. With 2 sick kids last week (they were sick for a whole week!), tons of boxes to unpack, a talk to prepare (can you believe they asked me to speak 1 week after moving in, before even officially going to church? I had missed the first week because of the sick kids!), its amazing I got anything done at all!

Rebecca started 1/2 day kindergarten last Monday. She is doing great. The school had their Fall Festival on Saturday, and we had a great time playing games, bouncing on bounce houses, eating snow cones, and riding the train ride.

We went to Rebecca's first soccer game on Saturday too. We missed the actual first game because of the move. It is pretty entertaining watching 4-6 year olds chase after the ball.

Aaron completed his 2nd Casa Grande Triathlon on Saturday as well! We sure had a busy day on Saturday! He did it at least 15 minutes faster than last year. Good job Aaron!

Moving On

The time has come for moving on. We attended our last week of church in our ward today. We are moving to a new home about 30 miles away on Saturday.

Actually we will be moving all week long. I have empty boxes all over my entry way and packed boxes in Aaron's office and my office already. I can't wait for this week to be over so I can be done with the packing and the messes!

It will sure be sad to leave after 4 years. I love the slow pace, the down to earth people, the wide open spaces, and all of our friends. I won't miss the long drives though! Anson has gotten to the point that he will start complaining if I turn down the "long" way when we go somewhere.

I'm excited to be closer to my Doctor's offices, shopping, more school choices, and family. I'm also excited for the sidewalks and grass in our new big backyard. There is plenty of room for a swingset, plus the kids have sidewalks to ride bikes all around the yard. Now that it is finally cooler outside, I'm hoping they'll spend lots of time out there.

We also got an unexpected, though most welcome surprise a couple of weeks ago. A friend in our ward called up Aaron and asked if we were interested in keeping her baby grand piano at our home for a while. She is getting divorced and her living situation is up in the air for a while, so she wouldn't have anywhere to keep it. We just happen to have the perfect place in the new house for a baby grand - we were even thinking about saving up for one - so we are so excited to have a beautiful instrument in the house. Now we'll have to get one of those locks to keep the cover over the keys so the kids won't get into it...

So at this time next week I will be settled (at least somewhat) in the new house. Wish me luck this week! I'm going to need it with 4 kids (one of which is only 8 weeks old - so I'm still waking up in the middle of the night to feed him), a house full of stuff, and just one little old me!

Katie

Katie is my adventure girl. She is in to everything, wants to know about everything, and isn't scared of anything (well, almost anything - she didn't like my sister-in-law's bird that bit daddy's finger!).

So Aaron's brother and family came over to our house a week after Spencer was born. All of the kids were playing outside when Rebecca came in and told me that Katie was muddy. When Katie started coming in a while later, we had to get Rebecca and her cousins to keep her outside for a while. She was absolutely FILTHY! Her church clothes were covered, her hair and face, and hands, and feet, and any other surface of her body/clothes were FILTHY! Here is a sampling of what she looked like after her church clothes were removed. She was sure LOVING IT!!!

Here's a sampling of Katie having some fun in the sun. She is so cute and has so much personality! She has never really been a "baby", and lately she just seems more and more grown up. She does like to be babied when she is tired though. She was definitely tired today after 3 hours of church and 2 baby blessings in 2 different wards! It's tough being dragged around with mom and dad! Enjoy the pictures of our Little Miss "Kate, Kate"!