The Foolish Man Built His House Upon the Sand

Well, they finally started building our house. Yay! They dug the hole earlier this week...


And then drilled the pylons into the ground...


Yes, that's right...we ended up getting pylons!!! We got the soil samples from our lot a few weeks ago & the results said that our land is considered "compatible soil." Basically, a combination of clay & silt (sand). This kind of soil is awesome for landscaping purposes, but isn't very good for holding something of significant weight (like a house). A house built on this type of soil will slowly sink & slide over time...hence the famous phrase "the foolish man built his house upon the sand." To prevent any sinking or sliding, our house needs to be built on pylons. I talked about these in a previous post earlier this month if you're not sure what I'm talking about. They ended up giving us 34 pylons around the perimeter of our foundation that are drilled into the ground about 65 feet until they hit granite. It's a very expensive process...it cost the builder almost $40,000. On a side note, I also found out that the church builds all it's new temples on pylons to make them as earthquake-proof as possible. Anyway, we're really excited that we ended up getting them.

We have another meeting with the super this week where they are going to show us drawings of what the landscaping of our lot will look like. As you can probably tell from the pictures, our basement isn't dug down very deep. Because our lot is on a slight slope, part of our basement has to be partially exposed. This is great because it makes your basement very light & bright. But, it can also be bad because it means that a huge part of your foundation is exposed & looks ugly. In order to get away from that, the builder has said that they are going to take the rock & stucco down across that part of the foundation & they are going to build a pretty rock retaining wall across part of our front yard and then build up that part of the lot in order to create a tier and cover up all that cement. We are also going to need a tier or two in our backyard too, so they are drawing up their plans for that as well. I'm excited to see what it will look like. I'll post the drawings when I get them. It is going to be so pretty! I'm so excited to watch it go up! --Lindsay

Jr. Jazz Basketball

Connor is playing Jr. Jazz Basketball this year. Yesterday was his second game (I forgot to take the camera to his first game.) I'll be honest here...Connor wasn't blessed much in the basketball skills department. :) But, he is soooo in love with the game! In fact, he says it is his favorite sport so far. Here's some pictures from yesterday's game. Connor is #5 (Carlos Boozer's number)...

Connor trying to find an open team mate to pass the ball to...


The ball being thrown in to Connor...


Connor dribbling the ball around a defender...

The team in a huddle at the end of the 3rd quarter. Who's the hottie coach in the black shirt on the right? Bow chicka wow wow!!! :)

I'm so glad Connor is enjoying basketball! He's always asking when his next practice or game is going to be. Most of the kids on the team are from our neighborhood & they have a fun little group. Great job Connor! I'm glad you are loving basketball so much! --Mom

There ARE Benefits to Getting Up at 2:00 am

I've been filling in on the morning show the past few days. Believe me, getting up at 2:00 am is not a fun thing. But, every once in awhile, something happens that makes that early morning wake up call totally worthwhile. Yesterday was one of those days. Have you heard of the band "Parachute?" We had them on our show yesterday. I love this band! They are fairly new to the music scene. They've had 2 hits so far. Their first release is called "She is Love" and their latest hit is "Under Control." I love both of them, but "She is Love" has been one of my favorite songs for about six months now. You know it's a good song when you still like it after six months! They are currently headlining their first tour with Safety Suit. They had a concert here the other night, so they stopped by our station to perform on the show. Here's a picture of Ron, Mary & me with the band...

All the band members were so down to earth & fun! They were all just very laid back...which isn't the case with some of the bands that come on the show. YIKES! We had a great time with them! They were great & it was so fun to hear them live! I loved it! So, yes, every once in awhile there are benefits to waking up before the butt crack of dawn! --Lindsay

My Baby is Turning into a Little Man

Cohen has really been growing up lately...in fact, he's started doing some very grown-up things. Here's a few of them...

Talking on the Phone

He's always grabs the phone, pushes some buttons & then puts it up to his ear and says, "Oh?" I think that's his version of "hello." Half the time the phone is backwards and upside down. It's so cute!

Reading Magazines

Cohen loves to grab a few magazines, put them on this chair, then pull himself up on the chair, and start "reading." Today's choice was the conference edition of the last General Conference. Apparently, he felt he needed to review the Saturday morning session.

Cooking

Cohen loves to get in the cupboards and pull things out. I'm not sure what he was planning to make with this concoction, but it must be good if it includes sesame oil & salt!

Rearranging the Cleaning Supplies

I've decided that Cohen has a problem with how the cleaning supplies are organized. He always pulls EVERYTHING out of the cabinet that I store it in & then rearranges it in a totally random way. Today, I caught him right in the middle of his organization process when everything was still all over the floor.

So, that's what our baby...uh, I mean "little man"... has been up to lately. Love him to pieces! --Lindsay

International Auto Expo '10

The boys continued their annual tradition of heading to the International Auto Expo this past Saturday. Mike loves this car show & looks forward to it every year. Luckily, my dad gets free tickets for it through his job every year & he's nice enough to give them to Mike! Mike loves going and seeing all the soon-to-be-released models. I hate it...mainly because he always comes home and tells me about some "beautiful car" that we "need to buy in a few months when it's released." Sigh... But, it's okay, because Mike (in his attempt to ingrain a love of cars into our children) takes the boys with him every year, and that means I get a few hours all to myself! This year, Mike invited his older brother, Brian, to tag along with him & the boys. Here's Connor & Brian sitting in the new Lexus SUV...


There were a lot of exhibits this year that interested the kiddos. There were some hoops to shoot...


And race car simulators to drive...

And, of course, they had to visit the KUTV booth...

Overall, it was a great day! They all had a blast playing the games & looking at cars. And, I had a great time enjoying a few moments of silence! --Lindsay

Boys Night Out

Mike & Connor had the chance to go to the Jazz game the other night. Connor is playing Jr. Jazz this year & Mike is the Assistant Coach for the team, so they were given tickets to the game on Monday night against the Miami Heat. The rest of the team was given tickets too, so a bunch of sons & dads decided to go to the game together. They started the night with dinner at Crown Burger & then it was on to the game. Here are my handsome men...


The tickets were for the nosebleed seats, of course, but they had a blast!


All the boys were cheering and dancing all night long! Apparently, the boys are good luck charms because the Jazz won 118-89 (and if you have been following the Jazz this season, you know that this is NOT the norm.) Connor is now a die hard Jazz fan! The next morning, he asked me to find out when the next Jazz game was, so that he could watch it on TV. Go Jazz! --Lindsay

My Little Houdini

So, the other morning, I fed Cohen his breakfast & then left him in his highchair for a few minutes while I went to get something done. This is what I found when I came back...


Apparently he wasn't full yet, but he didn't want to wait for me to come back, so he decided to squirm his way out of his high chair and help himself to the box of Captain Crunch Berries that was sitting on the table. Funny little wiggle worm! So much for using the highchair as a containment device! This is NOT good. --Lindsay

Our 9th Anniversary...A Little Late

Mike & I just celebrated our 9th anniversary the other night. We went to Melting Pot and had a great time! Here we are during my favorite course...dessert! YUMMY!!!


Our actual anniversary was on December 16th. But, because of all the holiday craziness, we FINALLY got around to celebrating it. Note to all future brides out there...NEVER get married in December! You will very rarely get to celebrate your anniversary on your actual anniversary. We had plenty of people tell us this same advice when we were deciding when to get married, but we didn't listen. We had this romantic view of life & always said that we would NEVER let ANYTHING get in the way of celebrating our anniversary. Well, when you son's Christmas program falls on the evening of your anniversary, you LET it get in the way...no questions asked. Hence why we celebrated a few weeks late...


It was such a fun night! The food was delicious, of course. And, the company was even better! I love this guy! In fact, I love him 3,310 times more than I did on the day I married him (that's one time for everyday we've been married...yes, I took the time to figure it out!) He is a wonderful husband, father, provider, protector, supporter, cheerleader, hugger, and back rubber...and he loves ME! How I got lucky enough to snag this guy, I will never know. I, honestly, don't know if I've ever met anyone quite as wonderful as him. The guy treats me like a queen...even on the days when I don't deserve to be treated like a queen. I just love him to pieces!

While we were at dinner, we were talking about our first date. It's actually a pretty funny story, so I thought I would share it with you. As you probably know, Mike & I didn't like each other AT ALL when we first met. If you want to read about that story, click here. Well, during fall semester 1999, we were forced together in a Family Home Evening group. After being forced to hang out with this "punk" once a week for 15 weeks, I had decided he wasn't such a "punk" after all. During finals week of that semester, I was hanging out with a couple of guys in my apartment one afternoon. For my old roomies information, it was Mike Fuller & Jeremiah. I can't remember Jeremiah's last name now, but you know who I'm talking about...Jeremiah didn't need a last name...he was just Jeremiah! Anyway, so we were sitting there talking when I heard a knock at the door. I yelled for the person to come in. Mike walked in, looked at me and said, "Hey! Do you want to go a movie tonight?" I said, "Sure!" Then, not realizing Mike was asking me out on a date, I turned to the other two guys and asked, "Do you guys want to go with us?" Haha! Luckily, Mike gave them the evil eye behind my back, they realized what was going on, and they politely replied, "No...we've got to study for finals." Mike then said, "Great! I'll come pick you up at 7:00!" And, off he went. So, yes, when Mike asked me out on our first date, I invited two other guys to come with us! It wasn't until he picked me up that night and I found out it was just us & another couple, that I realized it was a date! Hey, I'm blonde, give me a freakin' break! :)

That date was so much fun! We went to see the James Bond movie "The World is Not Enough" and then we went to get dessert afterwards. It was so laid back & casual. Everything felt very natural...nothing was forced like so many first dates. It was just awesome! I would like to say that this was the beginning of our relationship, but it wasn't. It was the beginning of several months of pure BYU soap opera drama! Because we don't have any record of these crazy months, and this is sort of like a journal for me, I've decided to record it here. So, if you want the juicy details, here you go. If not, hit the little x in the top right hand corner of your screen...I won't be offended (much)...

A few days after our first date, the semester ended and Mike went home to Bountiful for Christmas Break. I went home to my parents' house for a few days around Christmas, but I spent most my time over that break at my apartment. After all, New Years was right around the corner & a bunch of us had planned a big party to count down to Y2K. During those couple of weeks while Mike was in Bountiful, I actually started dating (well, semi-dating...that's the only way you can describe this relationship)...wait for it...Mike's roommate & best friend (Jason Stephens for those of you that were there.) Yeah, that put a slight damper on Mike's hopes of starting a relationship with me! Haha! Good times!

Mike, not wanting to step on his friend's toes, gave up on me & started pursuing another girl he was interested in (Tiffany Something-Or-Other...I can't remember her last name & neither can Mike.) Then, about a month later, Mike's friend "broke up" with me. By this time though, Mike was in a relationship with this new girl. A few weeks after that, I met & started dating a guy that was going to the University of Utah (Dan Meldrum for those of you that were there.) We got pretty serious pretty fast & were talking about getting married for a little while. Well, while we were dating, Mike's relationship with his new girl ended. Eventually, in April, I ended up breaking up with Dan.

Through this whole chaotic dramafied time, Mike & I became best friends. When he was having relationship issues, he would come & talk to me about them. When I was having relationship issues, he was the one I turned to. We pretty much learned everything about each other & became best friends during those four crazy months. And, with both of us FINALLY single at the same time, we started a relationship. In fact, Mike asked me out just days after I broke up with Dan. Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of the drama though. About six weeks later, my missionary boyfriend that I had been "waiting" for (I used the word "waiting" very liberally, as you can probably tell) came home. This started another couple months of complete drama!

Several months before all this went down, Mike & his brother had planned a trip to backpack across Europe for 4 weeks. When that trip rolled around in the middle of June, Mike left & told me to "figure out who I wanted to be with" while he was gone. So, I did. I remember laying in my bed one day thinking about the situation. I felt bad because I was basically leading both guys on. I decided to read my patriarchal blessing. Without going into too much detail, my patriarchal blessing basically told me that I would choose between two people when I was deciding who I was going to marry. As I was reading about the person that I should choose, I had the feeling that I should choose Mike.

I was really surprised because I didn't have any promises from Mike. Mike & I hadn't even TALKED about getting married at this point. My missionary wanted to marry me & had told me so several times. Mike, on the other hand, had only had one long-term relationship in his whole life. I thought he was one of those guys who would date someone for several months, then break up with her & move on to the next girl that was waiting at his door. Was I going to be just another one of those girls? I prayed about it & got an overwhelming feeling (probably the strongest one I've ever had) that I should choose Mike...despite the fact that I didn't have any promises from him. It was a huge leap of faith, but I did it...and it was the BEST decision I ever made! He came home from Europe & asked me to marry him just a few weeks later.

So, there's the story of our relationship in a nutshell. As crazy as it was, it was all worth every minute of it because the past nine years have been the best of my life! Thanks for marrying me Mike & making me so happy! Happy anniversary...a little late! I love you so much!!! --Lindsay

An Update on the House

We had our pre-construction meeting with the superintendent on Monday. Guess when he thinks the house will be done? Not until the end of April or or the beginning of May!!! So much for mid-March, I guess. I'm actually not upset about it though! The initial plan was to move at the end of the school year, so I think this will be great! I really hope that it is done by the end of April though. If we close on or before April 30th, we'll be able to qualify for the $6500 tax credit that the government is offering right now. (Thanks Pres. Obama & all your liberal friends. If you're going to give away money for something I was going to do anyway, I'll take it. I'm sure I'll be repaying it soon enough in the higher taxes that are just around the corner anyway, so really it's a wash.) We told the super about the tax credit & he promised us that he would try his hardest to have it done. We'll see.

So, why is it going to take so much longer to build our house than originally thought? Well, they've decided that, since the land up where we're building is very sandy, they will most likely have to build the house on pylons. Pylons are flexible steel beams that they drill down into the ground until they hit granite. In our case, that's about 65 feet!!! This will insure that our house will never slide or sink...and it makes it fairly earthquake proof too! So, hopefully, when "the big one" does hit, my house will have only minimal damage done to it. YAY! It's a very expensive thing to have done, but the builder is doing it at no cost to us! They say it is worth it to them to do it now, rather than to come back 5 years from now & try to do it after the fact because my house has sunk several inches. (It happened to a few of the first houses they built up there & it ended up costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix.)

So, this week, they are digging a test hole so that they can test the soil. If a certain amount of sand is found in the samples, our house will be built on pylons. The super is about 99% sure we're going to get them because the house right next door needed them & so did several right across the street. I'm happy that we will most likely be getting them!

I decided, while I was up there, to take a picture of our lot. Here's our future little piece of heaven...


I love this lot! It's 1/3rd of an acre. Yeah...Mike's pretty pumped about mowing that twice a week during the summertime! Haha! I'm really excited to have a big yard though. When we were looking at various lots, it was really important to me that we found one that would have a big backyard. I want the boys to be able to run to their hearts' content (without running into a fence.) Our last backyard was WAY too little (we only had .15 acres and our house was so long & skinny that it ate up a huge chunk of what should have been the backyard). I think from our backdoor to the back fence there was only probably 15 feet, if even that. The super had little steaks in the ground showing where our new house would be built & he told us that from the back of our house to our back fence, we will have 91 feet! Yay! I'm really excited! Every time we drive up there, Mike & I just get giddy! I have found myself, over the past few days, staring at the calendar saying, "Baby step to April...baby step to April!" You What About Bob? fans will understand that last line. Speaking of What About Bob?, don't EVER take me out on a boat unless you are prepared to hear, "I'm sailing! I'm sailing! On a boat...far, far away from the dock! Ahoy!" Sorry, that was random. I'm going now. --Lindsay

Boy Bond Time

Mike has been off for almost two weeks now! He finally has to head back to work tomorrow. BOO!!! It has been great to have him home everyday! I've had to work quite a bit this past week, so he and I basically switched roles for a few days. We now have a new-found empathy for each other! :) He has done all the housework, made lots of yummy meals, & had some serious boy bonding time with the kiddos...and I've been bringing home the bacon. Here's some of the things Mike & his boys have been up to...

Over the past few weeks, we've received LOTS of snow at our house! Almost everyday, Mike & the boys have been out playing in it. Believe it our not, my boys LOVE to shovel snow!!! Who knew? If it snows, Connor is just jumping out of his pants to go shovel driveways. He thinks it's the greatest thing ever (& who am I to tell him he's wrong?). He loves to go get a bunch of friends together and get them to shovel driveways with him. And, to make things even better, Aiden (wanting to be just like his big brother) now thinks shoveling snow is the greatest thing ever too! Rock on!!! So, the other day, Mike took all three boys out & they shoveled walks for several hours. Too cute!


Cohen isn't really a fan of shoveling snow yet. He just likes to sit in it & play...

They didn't just work in the snow, they did plenty of playing in it too! Here they are making snow angels...

I love this picture because Aiden is in the process of falling...

And, of course, you've got to go sledding! We have a little tiny ravine behind our current house & the boys had fun sledding down it...they even let Cohen go down with them & he loved it...

Eventually, the big boys got bored with the ravine & were looking for a bigger thrill. So, Mike took them to an amphitheater/park that is close to our house & they went sledding for several hours over there too...

They biffed it a few times, of course!

Here's a few videos of the kiddos doing their thing...

And, they finished the day with hot chocolate for everyone. Such a great time! I love these fellas...

On New Years Eve, I had to work. My station did a New Years Eve Special from 10:00 until midnight & I was asked to be a part of it. So, Mike & the kiddos decided to head up to his parents' house for the night. They ate the traditional Storrs' Family New Years Eve Dinner (prime rib infused with garlic...YUMMO!), watched movies, played games, and just hung out watching me on tv. They had a great time. Mike only took a few pictures. Here's what he gave me to work with...

At around 10:00, the kids started getting tired, so they made some beds on Grandma's couch & floor and went to sleep. Well, two of them went to sleep. The third little guy, well...he stayed awake all the way until midnight. What in the world?!?

He finally fell asleep on the ride home. Funny little Coconut!

So, that's what we've been up to lately! It has been a great couple of weeks! Now, it's back to real life tomorrow! --Lindsay

The Top 9 of '09

2009 is over and done & now it's on to 2010! Here's our Top 9 of '09...

#9: Jeep Safari Week in Moab

In April, we went down to Moab with Mike's family for part of Jeep Safari. Mike's Uncle Dave loves rock crawling. He has several jeeps and even has a jeep that is shown in jeep shows around the U.S. He took us on several trails & gave us the ride of our life! So fun!

#8: LOTOJA

My dad's annual bike race from Logan to Jackson Hole was a blast again this year! This was his eighth year participating in the race & he did great! The boys had a blast cheering Poppy on with their high fives and cow bells!

#7: Our Trip on the Polar Express

Our ride on the Polar Express was a great part of our Christmas season. We ate cookies & hot chocolate, sang Christmas carols, read the book "The Polar Express", and got a visit from Old Saint Nick himself! It was wonderful!

#6: Fall Break in Moab

In October, we headed down to Moab again...this time with my family. The guys went biking in the morning, while the girls & little boys went swimming or shopping. Then, in the afternoon, we would all go hiking together. One of the highlights this year was the waterslide at our hotel. It was a huge hit with everyone! Fun times!

#5: Weekend Morning Show Cancelled

This wasn't necessarily a good thing that happened this year, but it was a significant thing, so I decided to include it. It's been a good lesson for me about how to take lemons and turn them into lemonade & I'm grateful for that! I was very sad in June when my station decided to cancel the weekend morning show that I was a part of. They then offered me a promotion to the weekend evening meteorologist position. It changed our lives quite a bit, but hasn't been as bad a change as I initially thought it would be. I am so thankful that it is still a job that allows me to be home with my boys during the week. I truly have the best of both worlds...I get to have a little career & be a stay-at-home mom at the same time!

#4: Mike's New Job at L-3 Communications

In May, Mike accepted a new job at L-3 Communications, a company that develops satellite, spy & surveillance equipment. He is one of their Lead Test Engineers & loves everything about it! Mike is a hard worker & I'm very proud of everything he's been able to accomplish in his career so far.

#3: Our trip to Disneyland

We were able to take a trip to Disneyland at the end of May/beginning of June. I love Disneyland! I love watching my kids' eyes light up as they walk through those front gates! My parents came along with us & we had a blast, despite the cool weather we had all week.

#2: Our Trip to NYC for Valentine's Day

Mike and I were able to take a trip to New York City for Valentine's Day (all by ourselves!!!) It was such a great weekend! We were able to see all the sights, eat at fun restaurants, shop in tons of awesome stores, meet Mike Huckabee, & actually talk about something other than our kids. It was the best trip!

#1: Finishing the Basement/Selling the House/Building a New One

Over the summer, we found a neighborhood that we absolutely love & decided to build a house there. Since we were right in the middle of finishing our basement, Mike finished it up quickly & we put the house on the market at the end of October. Three days later, we had an offer on it. This whole process has been a whirlwind! I am so thankful that it has gone so smoothly & I'm really excited to move into the new house when it is done. We have our Pre-Construction Meeting with the superintendent of the neighborhood on Monday morning & then they should start digging a hole my midweek! I can't wait to watch it go up!

So, those are our Top 9 of '09! We are so thankful for all the things we have been able to experience, the lessons we have learned, and the blessings that have been given to us! Life is good! Here's to 2010! --Lindsay