Saturday, June 26, 2010
Missing Ember
You fought a courageous battle. We will miss your soft, sweet little voice, your infectious smile, and your big heart. We love you Ember! 
Friday, June 18, 2010
Imitation
It has been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. There has been a lot of imitation in our household lately (although not all of it flattering).
For example, one night in the tub Makenze suddenly yelled at Brayden, "Get in the corner. . .NOW!" and started counting to ten. Hmmm. . .I have no idea where she heard that before.
But she also wraps her baby doll up, rocks back and forth to put her to sleep and tenderly lays her down in her cradle. So I must be doing something right.
It is pretty cute when they lay down on the floor with me to do their ab work.
They also do “yogurt” (yoga) with me. Makenzie is especially good at Downward Facing Dog. She gets bored with the Warrior poses, however, and likes to drive her shopping cart under my legs while I am in the poses. Namaste.
For example, one night in the tub Makenze suddenly yelled at Brayden, "Get in the corner. . .NOW!" and started counting to ten. Hmmm. . .I have no idea where she heard that before.
But she also wraps her baby doll up, rocks back and forth to put her to sleep and tenderly lays her down in her cradle. So I must be doing something right.
It is pretty cute when they lay down on the floor with me to do their ab work.
They also do “yogurt” (yoga) with me. Makenzie is especially good at Downward Facing Dog. She gets bored with the Warrior poses, however, and likes to drive her shopping cart under my legs while I am in the poses. Namaste.
And I really can't get mad at Brayden when he steals my iPod, puts the earbuds in his ears and informs me he is going jogging. All I can do was smile and say "Swiper, no swiping!" and take my iPod and put it up a bit higher.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
A Dream Come True
Hey! Is that John Stockton? Kinda looks like him, but it's ANDY!
That's right! Last Tuesday Andy's dream of playing basketball on the hardwood in the ESA came true!
And he even made three NBA 3-point shots!
How did this all come to be? Andy was in charge of a 3-on-3 Tournament for a employee charity within the Megaplex Theaters. For the past few weeks, teams from all of their theaters have been competing for a spot in the playoffs. Andy thought they would have to play the final games in the Zion's Practice Facility, but decided to ask if they could play in the ESA and got permission. The top two teams from each theater were combined and they played a full-court, double-elimination tournament in the ESA.
That's right! Last Tuesday Andy's dream of playing basketball on the hardwood in the ESA came true!
And he even made three NBA 3-point shots!
How did this all come to be? Andy was in charge of a 3-on-3 Tournament for a employee charity within the Megaplex Theaters. For the past few weeks, teams from all of their theaters have been competing for a spot in the playoffs. Andy thought they would have to play the final games in the Zion's Practice Facility, but decided to ask if they could play in the ESA and got permission. The top two teams from each theater were combined and they played a full-court, double-elimination tournament in the ESA.
Unfortunately, his team was eliminated, but he still had a great time playing! I think it's the only time I can remember Mr. Competitive really not caring that he lost.
4 Month Stats
Little Miss Alexis isn't so little anymore! She is rolling over both ways and growing, growing, growing. She's even grown into her big pumpkin head and her long boat feet a bit. :)Length: 25 ¼ inches (80th percentile)
Weight: 12 lbs 1 oz (20th percentile)
Head Circ: 42 cm (75th percentile)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
↑UPGRADE ↓DOWNGRADE
Spring is notorious for ups and downs in the weather. Things in the Rhodes household are no different; we are constantly being pulled in different directions. Here’s a sampling of what has been going on the last few weeks.
↑UPGRADE
Grandpa Mildon built an addition on the swingset for the kids. Now there is a place for the baby swing and a teeter-totter for the twins!
↑UPGRADE
We went on our first hike of the season while Brad and Amanda were in town. Even Alexis came!
We went on our first hike of the season while Brad and Amanda were in town. Even Alexis came!
↑UPGRADE
I didn’t knock Brayden over and make him cry and the Easter Egg Hunt this year. Both he and Makenzie made quite the haul.
↓DOWNGRADEIt was freezing that day!
Absolutely FREEZING!
↓DOWNGRADE
Makenzie cannot eat ANYTHING without making a huge mess. This is what happens when the Easter Bunny brings candy bracelets.
↑UPGRADE
Alexis rolled over from front to back.
↑UPGRADE
LOST is finally giving us some answers and some very compelling episodes!
↓DOWNGRADE
There are only a few episodes left.
↑UPGRADE
Flip-flops on my feet and dinner off the grill.
↑UPGRADE
We ditched the double stroller and INVE$TED in one that will hold all three kids. Now I can take them all jogging or to the park or the mall or whatever.
↓DOWNGRADE
Brayden locked himself in the nursery, climbed up on the changing table and emptied a bottle of baby powder and a bottle of alcohol all over the shelf and table. Later that day he emptied a bottle of hand sanitizer all over the bathroom floor, rug and toilet.
↑UPGRADE
Kate “Zombie-Dancer” Gosselin finally got voted off DWTS.
↓DOWNGRADE
I’m afraid her fifteen minutes still aren’t up yet.
↑UPGRADE
We hit the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point again. This year my mom and Andy joined us.
The flowers smelled good.
↓DOWNGRADE
Rain, snow, and more rain.
↑UPGRADE
The latest issue of Family Fun had a great idea for a mess-free activity, great for rainy days. I even had all of the necessary supplies on hand.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
4 Minutes
Justin Timberlake has been known to say that it takes longer than 4 minutes to save the world. In fact, he even helped Madonna pen a song about it. True dat, JT. What our former Mousketeer turned musical genius probably doesn’t know, however, is that twin toddlers can easily destroy our world in less than 4 minutes. It’s simple math, really. I don’t know why I didn’t see it coming.
2 toddlers
X terrible 2’s
4 minutes to destroy anything in sight
Take today for example. Brayden awoke from his nap early. He has regressed in the potty training area, so we had a grand celebration when I learned he stayed dry through the nap. He was so excited that when he ran into the bathroom he slammed the door so exuberantly that it shook the entire house. No joke. Of course, that woke up his twin sister as well as his baby sister. I tried not to make an issue of it and just reminded him we needed to be more careful with the doors. Then I grabbed a snack for Makenzie and told Brayden (who had already eaten his snack) to play quietly while I got the baby back to sleep. I just sat down to rock her when I heard Makenzie crying in the other room. I knew immediately what happened: Brayden had taken one of her Strawberry Newtons and eaten it. (Sigh.) Well, it wasn’t the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I had to get Alexis back to sleep or it was going to be a LONG afternoon for all of us. Just a minute later I heard more crying, this time from the kitchen. Even though I could tell that no one was injured my instinct was to go out there and lay down the law, but Alexis was just getting back to sleep in my arms. I had to get her down first. Total elapsed time in the nursery: 4 minutes.
As I walked into the great room, I saw the first wave of destruction: Strawberry Newton smashed to pieces all over the floor and the red, gooey filling smeared across the entertainment center. Well, I was partly right. He took it, he just didn’t eat it. I guess my SuperM.O.M extra sensory powers don’t work properly when I am sleep deprived. Then I walked into the kitchen to find Makenzie standing in a HUGE puddle of water crying that Brayden got her all wet. He was using the water dispenser on the fridge to fill up his “cup.” His “cup” is actually a toy that has holes in the bottom of it. I gave Makenzie a hug and calmed her down, grabbed a towel to clean up the mess and as I was lecturing Brayden I told him he needed to go stand in the corner and think about what he did. As I was walking him to the designated time-out corner I became speechless. Four feet of wallpaper had been ripped off of the wall in the entryway. “Stay calm,” I told myself as I clenched my jaw so tightly that I’m surprised I didn’t damage my dental work. The wallpaper was dated anyway. This gives me an excuse to try something new that I saw on HGTV in that area. Right. . .RIGHT?! Probably not. Amazingly enough I did not yell. I did not scream. I told Brayden to go into another room and stay out of my sight and I sent and angry (and a little profane) text message to Andy.
4 minutes to destroy the house.
How many minutes until Bedtime?
2 toddlers
X terrible 2’s
4 minutes to destroy anything in sight
Take today for example. Brayden awoke from his nap early. He has regressed in the potty training area, so we had a grand celebration when I learned he stayed dry through the nap. He was so excited that when he ran into the bathroom he slammed the door so exuberantly that it shook the entire house. No joke. Of course, that woke up his twin sister as well as his baby sister. I tried not to make an issue of it and just reminded him we needed to be more careful with the doors. Then I grabbed a snack for Makenzie and told Brayden (who had already eaten his snack) to play quietly while I got the baby back to sleep. I just sat down to rock her when I heard Makenzie crying in the other room. I knew immediately what happened: Brayden had taken one of her Strawberry Newtons and eaten it. (Sigh.) Well, it wasn’t the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last. I had to get Alexis back to sleep or it was going to be a LONG afternoon for all of us. Just a minute later I heard more crying, this time from the kitchen. Even though I could tell that no one was injured my instinct was to go out there and lay down the law, but Alexis was just getting back to sleep in my arms. I had to get her down first. Total elapsed time in the nursery: 4 minutes.
As I walked into the great room, I saw the first wave of destruction: Strawberry Newton smashed to pieces all over the floor and the red, gooey filling smeared across the entertainment center. Well, I was partly right. He took it, he just didn’t eat it. I guess my SuperM.O.M extra sensory powers don’t work properly when I am sleep deprived. Then I walked into the kitchen to find Makenzie standing in a HUGE puddle of water crying that Brayden got her all wet. He was using the water dispenser on the fridge to fill up his “cup.” His “cup” is actually a toy that has holes in the bottom of it. I gave Makenzie a hug and calmed her down, grabbed a towel to clean up the mess and as I was lecturing Brayden I told him he needed to go stand in the corner and think about what he did. As I was walking him to the designated time-out corner I became speechless. Four feet of wallpaper had been ripped off of the wall in the entryway. “Stay calm,” I told myself as I clenched my jaw so tightly that I’m surprised I didn’t damage my dental work. The wallpaper was dated anyway. This gives me an excuse to try something new that I saw on HGTV in that area. Right. . .RIGHT?! Probably not. Amazingly enough I did not yell. I did not scream. I told Brayden to go into another room and stay out of my sight and I sent and angry (and a little profane) text message to Andy.
4 minutes to destroy the house.
How many minutes until Bedtime?
Saturday, March 20, 2010
When the Cat is Away. . .
A typical Tuesday for Andy is filled with one meeting after another. But this was no ordinary week. Since the VP was out of town, Andy and the managers of the other Megaplex theaters got to “Jazz-Up” their work day and take a VIP tour of the Energy Solutions Arena. They started with the basement area—dining room, kitchen, offices, etc.—most of which Andy had already seen. Then they got to go into the locker room. Andy said it was really cool, but smaller than he expected.
Andy was curious as to why there was an empty locker between Boozer and Williams. Probably for photo ops like this:
They did get a close-up view of the court, but unfortunately Andy didn’t get the opportunity to actually shoot on it. He really wanted to try an NBA three. He wasn't disappointed for long, however, as his day ended an awesome parting gift: a basketball signed by most of the players and coaches on the Jazz Roster!
Andy was curious as to why there was an empty locker between Boozer and Williams. Probably for photo ops like this:
When I saw the photo, I was less concerned with that and more concerned with zooming the photo to see exactly what was in the lockers. It looks like possibly a Suave grooming product of some sort. Really? Do you think multi-millionaires really use Suave? I can’t tell for sure. But I digress. Back to the tour.
The next stop was the KJZZ broadcast desk, where Andy and company pretended to be sportscasters for a few minutes.
After that they got to visit some of the premier suites. The OC Tanner suite was totally pimped out with leather seats instead of the standard green plastic ones. It also had a dress code enforcement sign on the door: No shorts, no levis and all shirts must have a collar. Seriously? At a basketball game? He said the Anheiser-Busch suite was also pretty sweet. Granite counter tops, a private bathroom, custom cabinetry. Quite the piece of real estate.
Then they all walked across the catwalk. That is no small feat for a man who is afraid of heights. It is (gulp!) 106 feet above the hardwood. Andy said he was extra cautious when leaning over the railing to take this picture:
They did get a close-up view of the court, but unfortunately Andy didn’t get the opportunity to actually shoot on it. He really wanted to try an NBA three. He wasn't disappointed for long, however, as his day ended an awesome parting gift: a basketball signed by most of the players and coaches on the Jazz Roster!
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