Post of Randomness: Christmas Edition

We've had a lot of Christmasy activities going on this month.  Here's your quick update.  First of all, we went to the 2News annual Angel Tree Party where we adopted two angels this year.  They were both boys--one was 10-years-old & the other was 4.  The boys had a good time shopping for them.  One of the boys wanted an X Box 360 game, and the other wanted Spiderman toys.  We also got them some shirts, pants, shoes & a coat.  Here's a picture of the family (minus Connor who decided to get in a bad mood right as we were taking this picture...niiiiiiice!) as we were checking out.  I love that the kids love this activity & look forward to it every year...

Another fun Christmas tradition is the annual school holiday program.  Well, I guess it's a fun tradition for most kids.  Unfortunately, Cohen is not one of those kids.  He is so shy that performing in front of a bunch of people is terrifying to him.  He cried and grabbed onto our legs when it was time for him to go sit up on the stage.  It took quite a bit of coaxing, plus the opportunity to sit between his teacher & one of his good friends, before he would even consider it.  Here's a picture of our sad, scared little boy...

After a few minutes, we were finally able to crack a small smile out of him...

Once the program began, he did start to perform.  He sang (most) the songs & did the actions too...

Love our little Cocoa Bean!

The other boys had their Christmas program as well earlier this week.  No stage fright with these boys.  Here's Aiden with the other 1st Graders.  He's on the front row in the striped shirt...

And Connor with the 4th Graders.  He's a little harder to find.  He's the last kid on the 2nd row...

All the kids did great!  I love watching these programs.  It's so fun to hear the kids so proudly sing the songs they've been practicing for weeks on end.

And, finally, the last Christmas tradition I'll post about today is our annual Christmastime trip into downtown Salt Lake City.  We've done this tradition with my family since I was a little girl, and it's changed very little since then.  We started out the night at Trolley Square for dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory.  While there, we were able to find Santa's sleigh & take it for a little ride.  I love this picture because it shows off each of the boys personalities so well...

Vivvie decided to join in on the sleigh riding action--well, sort of.  As soon as we set her down on Connor's lap, she started freaking out a tad...

Once the boys got off & Viv's best friend Tata got on, she was a-ok with it...

After dinner, it was off to City Creek Center.  It was drizzling outside, so we talked the kids into just looking at the Temple Square lights from the comfort of the Sky Bridge...

But, the drizzle stopped & we figured that it was so mild that we should just make our way over to Temple Square.  We made a stop at the Macy's windows to see the candy displays.  I love these windows.  They just scream Christmas...

Then we headed over to Temple Square to see the pretty lights.  Here's a very dark shot of our little family...

I love Temple Square, especially this time of year.  So pretty...

So, there's your quick update on our Christmas fun we've been having over the past few weeks.  It's been a crazy fast holiday season.  I can't believe Christmas is just a few days away!  And, I'm still not completely ready yet--I have one present left to buy & several more to wrap.  Hope you've had a great Christmas season!  --Lindsay

Post of Randomness

I was going through the pictures on my phone the other day & found a couple of gems I thought you would enjoy.

First off, probably about a month or two ago, I was doing the lunch dishes.  When I finished, I walked around the corner into the empty dining room to find it not so empty anymore...

Yes, that's Cohen's action figure collection--lining the walls of the entire room!  I guess he figured if I wasn't going to fill it with furniture, he would fill it with his toys.  On a side note, just in the past few weeks, this room *has* been filled with furniture--a lovely dining room set that I've been drooling over on the Bassett Furniture website for the past year.  After saving my pennies & dimes, I was finally able to buy it & it was delivered at the end of November.  The room is still a work in progress (slow progress), but when I have it done to perfection, I'll post some pictures.  Anyway, since filling the room with furniture, no boys--nor their action figures--have been allowed back in the room.

Secondly, Saturday's are "Daddy Days" around these parts.  I work a split shift on the weekends.  I wake up at 4:00 am & go into work for several hours.  Then I come home for the rest of the morning & early-afternoon.  Usually this time is spent going to kids' sporting events, driving them to birthday parties, etc.  Then in the mid-afternoon, I head back to work to do another eight hour shift until 11:00 at night.  Then I get up the next morning at 4:00 am & do it all over again--just replacing the sporting events/birthday parties with church instead.  As you can imagine, I can get pretty exhausted sometimes.  Mike is great at picking up the pieces that I'm too tired to pick up.  One of those pieces he's taken over on weekends is getting the kids dressed & ready for the day.  Unfortunately, his talent of doing little girls' hair isn't fully developed yet.  The result is not pretty 99.9% of the time.  I give you exhibit A...

 

I may have referred to the the first day of the weekend as "White Trash Saturday" a time or two.  Another name for Saturday that we've been considering is "Pippy Longstocking Day."  I give you Exhibit B...



Something about the pigtails sticking straight out from her head (a favorite hairstyle of Mike's), plus the striped shirt, reminded me of Pippy Longstocking.  But, after considering all these names, we decided "Daddy Day" encompassed them all.  So, forever and always, Saturday's will be called "Daddy Day" in the Storrs' household.

Third & final random thought of the day, Vivienne's "sense of style."  My boys could care less what they wear.  Still to this day, I pick out all of their clothes & they rarely fight me on any of them.  So, you can imagine my surprise when Miss Viv came along with an opinion about clothing from the time she was 7 months old.  If you dress her in something that she doesn't want to wear, you will pay--big time!  She will scream, she will cry, she will thrash her arms & legs in every direction, she will attempt to take the clothes off, then she'll scream & cry some more.  She's quite the drama queen when it comes to clothes.  This applies to shoes as well.  I took her to Target a few months ago to find her some boots for winter.  As I put on each pair of shoes, I could tell instantly which ones she liked & which ones she didn't.  If she liked the boots, she would stick her legs out straight & admire the boots as she slowly moved her feet side-to-side.  If she didn't like the boots, she would automatically try to kick them off.  This included the cutest pair of pink cowgirl boots (with fringe mind you) that I had ever seen in my entire life.  She would have nothing to do with them.  And, she wouldn't stop crying until I put them both back in the box, closed the lid & set it back on the shelf.  She wanted absolutely nothing to do with them.  Sigh...  I've already learned that I can't buy clothes when she's not with me because she has to be there to give her approval or disapproval.  If I just bring something home with me & she doesn't like it, she'll never wear it.  Never even give it a chance.  I've tried hiding things in her closet for a few weeks & then bringing them out again.  Nope--no go on that.  Once she blacklists a piece of clothing, good luck ever getting it off!

With all this in mind, let me present you with a couple pictures of Vivvie's fashion sense.  First of all, the towel on the head look...

She loves wearing towels on her head for some blasted reason.  After getting her out of the bathtub & dressed, she insists on putting her soaking wet towel back on her head & walking around like it's a cape.  She's always so proud of herself while she's doing it too.  It's hilarious!

Now, here's another shot I took of her on a different day.  This is the outfit she insisted on wearing.  She wouldn't even consider anything else.  It's a t-shirt that has a picture of a crown & the word "Princess" below it, plus a tutu skirt, and her white fuzzy boots...

 

 

What a girl!  She is O-PIN-ION-A-TED!  I'm pretty sure when I was praying to have a little girl, God was up in heaven laughing & saying, "Oh, Lindsay wants a girl, does she?  Alright, I'll show her what a girl is like.  Who's our biggest diva we have left up here?  Ahhh yes, Vivienne will be just perfect!  Send her down!"  Yep, I'm pretty sure that's how the whole thing happened.  But, I'm so glad because I love every single inch of this little girl I've been given--opinions and all!

 

So, there's your update on the random pictures from my phone.  Actually, that's just the first update.  Next up is the Christmas-themed installment of random photos.  I know you'll be on pins & needles until then.  Have a great day!  --Lindsay



Sweat, Determination & Singlets

Another wrestling season has come & gone!  And, the Storrs Boys continue to prove that they rock at this sport!  There were two meets this season.  Aiden took 3rd place in his weight division (against some really tough kids) in both meets and Connor held on to his reign as the king of his weight division, winning 1st in both meets.  Here's some pictures from the tournaments.  Again, I'm not the best photographer with things like this because I get so into watching the meet, that I either forget to take pictures or (when I do remember to take them) I don't take very good pictures.  Here's a few of the good ones I got.

Connor wrestling in the 1st tournament of the season...

Aiden wrestling in the 1st Tournament...

Aiden right as he pinned a kid.  Notice the refs hand that is about to slap the mat indicating the pin...

Aiden wrestling in the 2nd Tournament of the season.  That kid is almost pinned...

Connor wrestling in the 2nd Tournament.  How's that for a perfect half nelson setup...

Connor in the championship round of the 2nd Tournament...

This picture is a little blurry, but it was right when Connor pinned the kid & won the tournament, so I had to include it...

Connor showing off his 1st place medal & bracket...

Aiden with his 3rd place medal...

Both my little wrestling maniacs...

We had a lot of family come to the 2nd Tournament.  Grandpa, Grandma, Nana, Poppy & Tata all came to cheer the boys on. Afterwards, we headed to Culver's for some dessert.  I didn't take any pictures there, but we had a great time chatting & eating.  And, boy, did we ever eat!  We just ordered shakes to start with (delicious, by the way), but the owner overheard us say that it was our first time there & he kept bringing out food for us to try.  FYI, if you go there, try the Cheese Curds.  They were to die for!  We were all so stuffed by the time we left!  Great food & great service.  We loved it!  Wow...that was a slight tangent...back to the boys & their wrestling tournaments.

I'm so proud of both Connor & Aiden!  They both have natural abilities at wrestling (courtesy of their Dad who was a wrestler), but they have both worked so hard to become better wrestlers too.  They never complain about practice (or all the laps they run & the push ups their coach makes them do) & they always want to work with Mike at home.  They both just love it!  This was Connor's final year that he'll be able to do city league, but the coach of the league is thinking about starting his own club & he's invited Connor & a few other promising wrestlers to join.  If that doesn't end up happening, there's another club that meets three times a week in a nearby city that we are looking into as well.

We have definitely become a wrestling family!  And, I have definitely become one of those crazy wrestling moms that screams her guts out from the sidelines!  If you had told me 10 years ago that I would become one of those moms that yells so loud she makes herself horse the next day, I would have laughed at you until my sides hurt.  And, yet, here I am.  A crazy, loud, screaming, cheering, obnoxious wrestling mama.  Yep...that's me!  Life is funny like that!  --Lindsay

November Dates

Wow, we've had a busy couple of weeks. So much to blog about, so little time. I thought I should probably start out with our November dates, since it's now December 7th and all.

Mike and Connor got out to a late start on their date this past month, so they didn't have a whole lot of time.  They decided just to go miniature golfing in the glow-in-the-dark course.  They did have enough time to take several random goofy pictures though...

They had a good time, despite the lack of time.  Just a short, simple date.

Aiden went out with me this month.  He wanted to go to the fun center as well.  As we were waiting in line to get our hand stamps, some 20-something-year-old guys walked up to us & asked Aiden if he would like their tickets they had won playing games.  It was a huge amount of tickets!  Aiden's eyes lit up like a slot machine that had just hit a jackpot!  I told the guys that was very nice of them & asked them if they were sure they wanted to give them all away.  They replied--pointing to the prize center full of cheap toys, "We're not really interested in any of that stuff.  We just came to play the games, not win prizes.  So, we thought we'd make some kid's night by giving them away."  Boy did they ever make his night.  Look at that face...

He seriously thought he had died & gone to heaven!  We thanked the men, got our hand stamps & then went to turn in the tickets & see how many there were...

He ended up with almost 250 tickets!  We thought that many tickets might actually buy something worthwhile.  But, we thought wrong.  It bought a bunch of--what a friend of mine refers to as--LPC (Little Plastic Crap).  But, he was a happy camper...

After that, it was off to have some fun.  And, guess who got the privilege of holding all that LPC while we were having fun?  You guessed it--Mama!  I had bulging pockets all night long.  Our first activity was a game of laser tag.  I didn't take any pictures of us in our garb, but I did take a picture of Aiden afterwards pointing at our scores on the screen...

Then it was off to the Frog Hopper...

And then, of course, some rock climbing.  It wouldn't be a date with Aiden without some rock climbing...

It was a great night--made even better by the generosity of a couple of strangers.  Pretty sure Aiden will never forget those boys handing him that big wad of tickets!

Cohen went on his date with Mike this month, and it was back to the fun center again!  We really need to learn to think outside the box with these dates in 2013.  Maybe that should be our New Years Resolution.  Haha!  Mike & Cohen started with glow-in-the-dark miniature golf...

Then Frog Hopper...

Then some of the outside rides...

Yep, the outside rides were still open--at the end of November!  And, if you'll notice, Cohen doesn't even have a coat on!  It has been a very mild winter so far...not that I'm complaining.

So those were our November dates!  One more month to go & then I can say--for probably the first time in my life--that I have kept a resolution for an entire year!  Best resolution ever!  --Lindsay

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving was small & really low-key for our family this year.  Kristin's in-laws were in town for a wedding so they had Thanksgiving with them.  And, Ashlee's family went up to Greg's sisters house in Grace, Idaho.  (Actually, Ashlee ended up staying home with a sick kiddo, but the rest of her family headed up there.)  So, for our Thanksgiving dinner, it was just my parents & us.  That didn't stop Nana from making waaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much food--like usual.  I guess some things never change.  I told her that I thought we should just keep it simple & do just basics.  She agreed, and then we ended up with all of this...

Yes, that is her idea of a simple Thanksgiving meal!  She cracks me up.  That picture doesn't even include my Dad's famous appetizer hot spicy tomato drink, which I love...and it doesn't include the pies either.  Of course, there was tons of leftovers.

Here's our little group around the table.  Poppy & Viv were there too.  Poppy was the one taking the picture & Vivvie was sound asleep...

 

After dinner was over, I had to go into work to do the evening shows.  Not exactly ideal, but I did get to spend most the day with my family before it was time to go into work.  Then, I got to go eat another Thanksgiving dinner once I got there--this time with my KUTV family.  Double Thanksgiving dinners = Double bonus!  Channel 2 is always really great about catering food in for those of us that have to work the big holidays.  It makes working on holidays just a little bit easier.

 

After I left for work, Nana, Poppy, Mike & all the kiddos went to the movies to see the latest Disney movie...

 

It was a big hit with all of them.  But, how could it not be?  The whole movie is about video games!  So, for this family full of video game lovers, it was great!

After the movie, it was back to Nana & Poppy's house for pie, and then the fam headed home.  It was a very simple--but still great--Thanksgiving!

I love this holiday & time of year.  It's so great to take time out of our busy lives to really appreciate the wonderful blessings we all have been given.  This year, I am--of course--so grateful for my family.  I have a fabulous husband, great kids, wonderful parents and awesome sisters!  Every single one of them are happy & healthy.  I'm also grateful that Mike & I both have jobs that we love.  In this economy, that's something we don't take lightly.  I'm also so thankful to have the gospel in my life.  It brings me peace everyday.  And, I am most grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for his love, sacrifice & example.  I hope that, someday, I can be more like Him.  Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, full of food, family & fun!  --Lindsay

2 1/2 Years & $20,000 Later...

We finally have our backyard finished!!! Yay!!! Just in time for...wait for it...winter. BOO!!!  Our timing is impeccable!  But, hey, it will be all ready for next summer, right?  I went out & took a few pictures a couple of weeks ago (before the big snowstorm) so you could see how pretty it turned out.  I wish there were more leaves in the pictures, because this place is gorgeous when there are leaves on the trees, but oh well.  I'll have to take a picture in the spring so you can see that, I guess.  Here's the view as you walk through the gate on the north side of our house...

The view from my backdoor...

And the view from the south gate...

When we were just beginning to build this house, I told our agent that I wanted the biggest lot that was left in the neighborhood.  In our last home, our back fence was probably only 15 feet away from our backdoor.  We did have a decent-sized side yard, but we filled it up with a big playset.  I just felt like my kids had nowhere to run.  And, if you know boys, you know that sometimes they just need to run--sort of like dogs.  Not that I'm comparing my boys to dogs--although they do sort of smell like dogs at times--but I digress.  So, I wanted to have a huge backyard where the boys could run to their heart's content.

Unfortunately, when we made the decision to buy this big lot, we didn't think about how much money it would cost to landscape it...or how much time it would take us to save up all that money.  So, for the past 2 1/2 years, we have just been slowly working on it.  And, when I say "working," I mean *really* working--as in doing almost everything ourselves!  And, when I say "we," I really mean Mike.  This dude has worked his tail off on this yard!  The only things we hired out were the little rock retaining wall that allowed us to flatten out the yard (plus the rock stairs that go from one level to the other) & the rock retaining wall that goes around our firepit; digging the pit for our in-ground trampoline & the trenches for our sprinkler system & gas line; and installing the posts for our fence.  Mike did everything else himself!  He is Mr. Handyman. And, if there's something that needs to be done that he doesn't know how to do, he teaches himself how to do it--either through watching YouTube videos or by making friends with business owners, who he somehow convinces to spill all their secrets.  Don't ask me how he does it--the dude has this ability to make friends easily and--five minutes later--make them feel like they are best friends.  Anyway, one of the things that Mike didn't know how do so was stonework, but he really wanted to have a super fancy firepit in the backyard, so he pulled his magic strings & learned how to do stonework.  This is the result...

Didn't it turn out beautiful???  He did the stonework on the ground, as well as the stonework around the firepit & on the raised flowerbed behind the rocking chairs.  Looks pretty darn professional to me...

We absolutely love this firepit & have already spent many evenings around it cuddled up in blankets while roasting marshmallows--even before it was finished!  It's natural gas, so you can just turn it on & off or up & down as you please, plus you don't smell like you've been camping for a week when you're done.  I love it!  We thought about hiring someone to do the firepit for us, but all the bids we got came back in the $15,000-$20,000 range.  Good grief!!!  That's what I spent on my entire backyard--and you want me to pay you that much for just a firepit area?!?  Mike ended up spending only about $4000 doing it himself.  Talk about savings!  My grand master plan is to put a bunch of cute adorondack chairs around the firepit & a pergola over the top of it, but that will just have to come later.  For right now, my old rocking chairs & the starry skies above will just have to do.

So, that's our backyard!  It took a lot of blood, sweat, tears & money over the past 2 1/2 years, but we absolutely love it now that it's done!  I especially love the fact that our extra money can go to some other fun projects we've had waiting in the wings until this darn backyard was finished--like my dining room!  Oh, I can't wait to finally put some furniture in that room.  So excited!!!  In the meantime, we're counting down the days until next summer so we can get outside & enjoy the backyard.  Barbecue & s'mores, anyone?  --Lindsay