Daddy-o turns 37!!!!

Can he really be 37? Let me think....8 years of schooling, four kids, one pet, 6 apartments, two houses, one dental practice, one office building, a thousand grey hairs...yep. He must be 37.

When Ted got to work we had decorated his office. I am sure his staff thinks his wife is a dork, but it is still fun to surprise him. When he came home we had his favorite: crab (actually, we had soup while he ate crab and Emma and Sam had a few bites - no one else is an enormous crab fan!) Then for dessert? No cake for Ted. His favorite is pie. We had lemon pie, and then a few days later finished off the cherry pie as well.

Ted is such a great guy I thought I would share a few things you may or may not know about him:

1. Ted says what he means, and he means what he says.

2. Ted used to do triathlons, and although he did one this past summer as a team, he has switched to bike racing. He's pretty amazing at it as well! Last summer he raced in five races - this year he is hoping for more.

3. He is the reigning champion of the ward tennis tournament. Since they only had one, he has yet to be defeated. He only gets to play about four times a year - so either this means he is awesome or the competition is......well, I just think he is awesome.
4. Do you know how much weight he has gained since we were married in 1993? Three pounds.
5. He has a wicked sweet tooth. The current stash in his nightstand? A two pound bag of peanut M&Ms, Sour Patch kids, Mike & Ikes, and Starburst candies. You can imagine how frustrating it is given item #4!
6. Ted bleeds blue. Ted tries to catch almost every game whether it is at his office because we don't carry the network at our house, at our house taped on DVR so he can watch it faster, or at a friend's house, he tries to catch most games. Interestingly, how many games did he go and see when he actually attended BYU? One. (He was always playing soccer).
7. Ted is the coach of Emma's select soccer team.
8. Ted is a great skiier, but he admits to being more timid as time has pressed on!
9. I swear Ted looks more distinguished and youthful every year. I am always telling him that we will be like George and Barbara Bush - she looks like she could be his mother! Of course, on a couple of occasions patients have questioned whether or not he is old enough to have finished dental school, so I guess looking youthful has its downside too.
10. When he sets his mind to something, watch out. I'm not sure that I know very many people who can get up at 5:45 every morning to go ride their bike - in the garage! He will ride on the bike trainer almost every day for over an hour carefully monitoring speed, power, etc. This is to make sure that when it is nice enough for outside riding again he is ready. Personally, just thinking of staring at the garage wall is enough to make me want to sleep in!
11. He has two favorite sayings - both of which are said with a dry sense of humor to lighten a situation: First, for when he is a bit stressed about how work is going: "I guess we may just end up in a cardboard box down by the river." Second, for when we aren't supporting his love of biking enough: "I guess I'll have to give up my dream of being in the Tour de France."



More random facts? He sleeps with a pillow over his head, he hates when you talk to him when he is working out, loves having the kids join him for situps and pushups, loves having nerf gun fights, loves the winter, dislikes being too hot, never balances his checkbook (don't worry, I do), eats a Carnation instant drink for breakfast EVERY day, is very quick to appreciate a clean house or a good meal, loves having friends over, is the favorite to jump with on the trampoline, hates gophers, loves tomatoes from the vine, loves "The Office", loves sucking on limes and lemons, and salts everything!


Quite frankly, we think he is the best husband and father! Happy birthday, Ted!

Happy Halloween!

This year was a FANTASTIC year! The weather was perfect - not even a jacket required! Ted had a youth dance he had to chaperone and they were supposed to dress up, so he borrowed Linc's costume and was Napolean Dynamite for the evening!

On Halloween Lincoln took his costume back and he was Napolean Dynamite, Emma was a queen, Samuel was Obi-Wan Kinobe, and Tessa was a princess (I know...a stretch!). Tessa had a great time discovering trick-or-treating, but her favorite part?

Handing out candy. At one point she was so excited that she was standing on the front porch yelling "Kids! Kids!" trying to get them to hurry and come to our house. This was her favorite because she got to see all the costumes, run to the door and answer it, hand out the candy, and when all was said and done....she still had a bowl full of candy to sit next to on the stairs!

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Sweet tomatoes!

The best part of having a garden is unquestionably the great tomatoes we enjoy. We love them! My kids have discovered what a great treat they are - especially on Sundays when they aren't allowed to get anything from the kitchen until dinner! Here they are sneaking some before Sunday dinner is ready .......

Why aren't I more productive?

When the three older kids began school I was certain that I would have more time on my hands than I could handle. I was sure that having just one almost two-year-old was going to be a piece of cake compared to having all four kids around all summer long. Yes, it is easier, in some ways. For instance, it is easier to go to the grocery store with just one child. But I began to wonder, why aren't I more productive? I feel like I am running the whole time, but I don't seem to get much done. Then I began to analyze what my day consists of. These are just a few of our common activities.

Princess time. This doesn't mean just getting her into an outfit, it means dressing her dolls, carrying her dolls, fixing her shoes, making sure the dress is just right, etc., etc. Playing princess is quite involved.

Hide and seek time. Usually takes place when I need to leave in a hurry, when I need to change a diaper...you know what I mean. Tessa has this down to an art. All of the kids love to play peas in a pod. This is where we turn out all the lights in the house, one person hides, and the others seek for the hiding person. Tessa has learned to sit and hide quietly. She is so little she can be anywhere. I have found her behind chairs, behind curtains, behind the computer desk, behind doors, in cabinets, or in the corner behind the couch. She has mastered hiding - here is a picture of her sitting behind her chair in her room. This time she had decided to read some books behind her chair.

Art time! Tessa loves to draw with Sam. She loves to draw on Sam. She loves to draw on herself. Needless to say, Crayola Color Wonder products are becoming a staple here!

Computer time. One day she will lock me out of my own computer and I won't know how to get back in!

Bed time! At last. She loves to hang out with her older brothers and sister - and they love hanging out with her. I love bedtime!

Yes, my day can be crazy, but I love all of this time I get with my kids. Tessa reminds me to enjoy this time because she will grow up way too fast, just like her brothers and sister are, and I know I will miss these days when they are gone too soon.

I better go.....someone is hiding.

Pumpkins, Hay Rides, and Mazes...Oh My!

It's that time of year again and we found ourselves out at Linder Farms to pick our pumpkins. It was a lot of fun. The kids were so excited to finally get their pumpkins - we've been meaning to go now for weeks, and since Halloween is in three days we decided we had better get going!

All of the kids were excited, and we had agreed that if they could carry the pumpkin they could get it. Gone are the days where we try to juggle one child on one arm with two pumpkins in the other.

Of course no trip to get pumpkins is complete without a maze to go through. This year we just had the kids do the mini-maze. Tessa learned quickly that it was easier to crawl through holes in the hay bales than to try and find her way out!

Piano Recital

Twice a year the kids have a piano recital - and three things made this one special. First, we left the two younger kids with a babysitter. It was amazing how much more enjoyable it was without worrying about the cheerios spilling, the seats banging, etc., etc. It was great! Second, a universal truth was confirmed: The more relaxed you are, the better you will perform. Emma practiced and practiced until we felt like we all knew the pieces completely. Lincoln plunked out the pieces several times, but then would "forget" to practice for an extended period of time. When we arrived at the recital I felt nervous for the kids, especially Lincoln, figuring if he didn't know the pieces he was to perform then this would be a good learning opportunity. His conversation with Ted went like this: Ted: Are you nervous? Lincoln: Nope. Ted: Are you ready? Lincoln: Yep. Ted: I haven't even heard you playing these pieces at all. Lincoln: Oh well.

True to form Lincoln got up and performed the pieces flawlessly without missing a note. When Emma got up she was shaking so badly that I could see her hands shaking even though I was several rows away. She still did great but was a little frustrated that she stumbled through a few spots. Needless to say, being relaxed goes a long way.

The third thing that made this recital unique? As we were walking out the door Lincoln casually turned to me and said, "Mom, we are supposed to wear our costumes." Mom: Oh well.

Sun Valley 2008

Sun Valley has to be one of the most beautiful places ever! It is so peaceful and quiet - and we love being there. The Checketts invited us to go up along with Grandma and Grandpa Thompson for some good ol' relaxing fun. This year some of the highlights included the bike rides, floating pine cones, finding some really big sticks, mother deer and two fawns out front, Sam and Meigan "spying" on everybody, a big fort, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, shopping, staying up late and laughing 'til our stomachs hurt, and of course lots of candy and good food.

Of course, we had one incident. Ted took the kids on a mountain bike trail and they had a great time, until Sam came cruising down a steep hill and crashed at the bottom.

We took these pictures just after getting him cleaned up. Sadly, it looked worse the next day, but he was a good sport and is still excited about going riding next year.

Thanks for a great trip Scott and Liese! We love you!

P.S. The pictures taken of all of us were taken by Liese - she managed conveniently to cut herself out of the pictures! Grandpa, I need a copy that has EVERYONE in it!!!