Disneyland

Ryan taking a little break from the action

Last Friday, we took to kids down to Disneyland where we met up with the Landheim Family, and Mom and Dad. Andrew was in absolute heaven. It took a few rides for him to grasp the concept of waiting in line, but he got it after a while. At the end of every ride he immediately said "again, again!" His favorite was Buzz Lightyear. Not only did he get to shoot, but he loved making our car spin. He also had a lot of fun in the Brother Bear playground. Max said he went down the slide about 30 times. Of course Grandpa kept the kids supplied with candy and soda-which is pretty much all Andrew ate. He insisted on walking all day, and only rode in the stroller a couple of times when we forced him to. Ryan was great, and the Disneyland "Family Centers" made life with an infant a lot easier. Overall, we had a fabulous day, and are already planning another trip while both kids are still free.

Another Ike Update

Well, we finally heard from Keith's sister- a cell tower was out in her area (as is the power) so she wasn't able to call or receive calls until yesterday afternoon. She and her son are fine, and their house only has a little roof damage, some leaking, and some fence damage.

Keith's brother Jay lives in Groves, which is near Beaumont and Port Arthur. They evacuated, but still aren't being allowed back into their community due to flood waters. One of their relatives stayed in Groves to ride out the storm, and she was able to go look at their house, but just from the outside. Their front porch and car port are completely gone, and they have a hole in their roof, but until they can get inside, they're not sure yet about how bad the damage is inside.

Keith's parents were still without power when we spoke with them last night. Someone in their ward had a generator, and families were taking 6 hour shifts so they could plug in their refrigerators, freezers, A/C, etc. A member of their ward is on a breathing machine, and although he evacuated to Austin to stay with relatives, he came back before the power was back on in their subdivision, and now the generator has to stay with him.

FEMA came to their area, but had no food or water for the residents....or for themselves! They were asking people in the area to feed them, and I believe house them also, so the residents just told them to leave, that they would take care of themselves.

Again, we are grateful though that no one in Keith's family was injured, and that most of their property was okay.

Hurricane Ike

Just in case you want to know how my in-laws are....

(I also have a new post on my blog about a random night out Keith and I had)

All of Keith's immediate family lives in Houston, and we were concerned about how they would be affected by the storm.

Keith parents live in Richmond, which is southwest of Houston, and about an hour inland. They fared pretty well, they had quite a bit of rain, and some wind, but not roofs ripping off or windows blown in. They are currently without power, but they anticipate it will be back on in the next day or so.

Sean is Keith's oldest brother, and he live in a mobile home in a town called Needville. He went to Keith's parents house for the worst part of the hurricane, but was able to return home today to a perfectly fine house, with power and everything. We're really glad his home was okay.

Amy, Keith's sister, lives in east Houston, just off the I-10. She, surprisingly, was not in a evacuation area. The eye of the hurricane went right over her house, and it's on the edges of the eye, or the "eye wall" that the winds are the worst. Neither Keith nor his parents have heard from her yet, and we hope that she and her son are doing alright. Hopefully, a cell tower is down and that's why she hasn't been able to call anyone yet.

Jay is Keith's older brother, and his family lives in Beaumont, which is 100 miles east of Houston. They were hit really hard by Hurricane Rita in 05-their roof fell in on their kitchen and the house flooded in some areas. This time around, they evacuated to Longview, which is about 100 miles east of Dallas. They are fine there, but won't be able to see if their home is alright for a day or two.

So overall, everything is good, and we are so grateful that Keith's family has been kept safe.

Cade for President

Vote for Cade in a photo contest


HERE



If he wins, we can get some cash. We will even tell you we are considering sharing some of the cash with you if it will make you vote.

Is this "Lebbie?"

Here is an artist's actual recreation of the infamous Lebbie person. Clearly it looks nothing like our sweet little Amber.

"Lebbie": seen at gas station

"Lebbie" was recently seen at night at the corner Chevron. This picture is the closest we could get without endangering ourselves.

I'm A Soccer Mom

Erik had his first soccer game this week. He did really well and scored 2 goals! So what if the other team scored like 20 or something, they really don't even keep score. Now we have to decide if he is going to be a pro soccer player or skier, or maybe both if Mike has his way. I'm just glad he has the chance to run around a lot and work out all that energy. He tends to be more the brains than the brawn of the teams as he loves to explain to everyone why you can't use your hands and came-up with the team name--The Red Iron Men.

Ryan at Six Months

It's hard to believe that Ryan is already six months old. He is the sweetest little boy, and we love having him in our family. He is a great balance to Andrew, and loves to sit and cuddle with me. He is growing fast, and getting chubbier every day. He weighs 20 lbs, and is 27 inches long. Ryan is still not interested in solid food, but I hope that will change soon. Other than an ongoing battle against thrush(8 weeks), which I hope ends SOON, he is doing great. Oh, and we also think he's pretty cute!!!!

More from Kauai

There was a really cool swimming hole where they allegedly filmed some scenes from one of the Indiana Jones movies. Two big waterfalls, a rope swing, and a setting so pretty it seemed fake. Initially, Grandpa acted like he was going to swing on the rope swing. Then he sat down out of line and said he was waiting. Then he disappeared, never to return. All the other guys were like, was that your dad? What happened? I thought he was going to jump? Was he scared? Does he have osteoporosis? Or is he just a wuss? I was pretty humiliated, especially since the last explanation was obviously correct. Pictures above.

We also saw Waimea Canyon. I wanted to jump and glide down using our umbrella, but Holly was all like, "no, I don't want you ruining the umbrella." Then I reminded her my life insurance was up to date and she relented. But we ran out of time

Finally, we went to a beach called "Sealodge" with one of the most comprehensive warning signs I have ever seen in Hawaii. Some stupid lawyer probably advised the place to put it up. It was worth hike though.

Kauai 2008

We're having a great time in Hawaii with the youthful and inexperienced couple withwhom we came. The don't know much about Hawaii but do their best. The rope swing at the Kipu Falls was great, straight out of the movies. Being here makes Chris and I wonder why more of you don't just fly over and hang out here. Why people choose to stay in the mainland and work is mystifying to us. Of course there are hard times too. Lots of mosquitoes at the beach the other day. The accommodations are superb here at the Marriott, but the othe Marriott is even more stupendous. We will be there Wed night. Also dinner at Duke's was awesome. And Holly met a friend at the hot tub who told us so much more about the island than Chris did.

Kauai With Old People

Kauai is going pretty good. It gets a little slow, what with the old people we are escorting around the Island. Its a lot of "ready for a nap already?" and "you can make it from the car to the beach if you are super careful." Pictures below

We're Baaaaaccccckkk!!

Keith and I are officially back in Utah for the school year. We both start at UVSC, now UVU, next Wednesday. I got a job with the UVU testing center, and start next Tuesday. I may also work for my friend Kyla's in-laws' dry cleaners in Provo, for a little extra cash. However, the teaching program at UVU requires a B- or better in every class, so I may not have time for two jobs.
We move into our new apartment tomorrow, and it's about 1 block from UVU, parallel to I-15, on the westside of campus (but east of the freeway). I'm excited about being closer to Target and Keith is excited about the basketball courts next door. We'll also be able to walk to school, and the testing center, where I'll be working, is the first building you come to when walking to campus from our apartment. It will be a nice change from fighting for a parking spot each morning at BYU!
Another big change will be giving Keith's dog, Penny, to Chris and Holly's family. The kids tell me they are very excited for the new addition to their family, and we are grateful they are able to help us out. It's much MUCH easier to find affordable, clean housing without having a pet!
Keith and I both plan on finishing school in December of 09, and we still don't know for sure where we will end up, and so far, we have a couple companies with great offers. Funny enough, the best offer so far is for a job in Bakersfield, but we're not quite sold on living there just yet...
Overall, we are doing good, and are excited for the new school year.

Our Summer

Well, no fancy trips to Hawaii for us. The excitement of our summer is spending our days at Cherry Hill ( a local waterpark). And, harvesting our first garden. We've had quite the bounty and the kids actually LIKE eating the fresh cucumbers, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, cantalope, corn and grean beans. We have a nice big pumpkin growing which should be in prime shape come Halloween.

KATIE!!

Yo this is Katie Sage's BFF! You would Love me and want to be me! That is why I am Sage's BFF!!! LOL!!!! JK!!! I don't Love myself like that! Sage is awesome!!!



-Katie!

Revealing Lebbie!

Hey dudes sorry for all the confusion! Lebbie is.......... AMBER!!!!! Don't ask me why it is her nickname. She is weird I know.

This is For Grandma....

Since Mom and Dad have abandoned us to go galavanting about in Hawaii, I'll post a little story and some pictures for her.



So, as most of you know, Andrew doesn't like to eat REAL food. He never refuses candy, cake, cookies, ice cream, etc., but getting him to eat an actual meal is a challenge. Saturday we were at Mom and Dad's house trying to figure out what to give Andrew for dinner that he would possibly eat. After I vetoed Mom's suggestion of a big bowl of ice cream, she suggested I try feeding him Spaghettios. She said "little kid's LOVE them." Well, it turns out she didn't have any, so I decided to give them to Andrew for lunch today. As an adult I really don't like Spaghettios, but I remember begging and pleading for them as a kid. You guys remember-it was a huge deal if Mom bought Spaghettios. Well, it turns out that Andrew does not consider them a treat. Apparently they are not even palatable. I believe his exact words after I shoved a few in his mouth were "eeeew, it's YUCKY" followed by him spitting them back into the bowl. Below you will see the picture I took of his lunch today after he was FINISHED eating. No folks, this is not the before picture(note the minute bite out of the peach and half-empty milk glass). I have come to the conclusion(after almost a year of smoothies made with pediasure) that Andrew takes after the Bluemel side of the family. I mean really, have you ever known an Austin to turn down a meal?



On a brighter note, here is a picture of Andrew actually emptying his bowl. Yeah, it was a chocolate sundae fed to him by Grandma. His(and Grandma and Grandpa's) idea of a good dinner .

Visit From the Bay Area Austins

Yeaterday, Andrew got to see his cousins, Rainier and Pacific, Uncle David and Aunt Mika. He had so much fun leading Rainier and Pacific around Grandma's house and playing with them. It was also nice to visit with David and Mika. We hope to see them again soon! (Even if their dog did want to eat Andrew) Unfortunately, I forgot to take pictures, so you will have to settle for some file photos of my CUTE kids.

"Lebbie" cited at University Mall. (?)

choc chip cookie recipe

Grandkids: this is what you make next time Gdog comes to visit you. Also you can add white choc. chips, macadamia nuts and /or Score Bits or Heath Bits in place of choc. chips.

Cream together 1/2 pound(2 cubes) of butter (NOT margarine or Crisco; MUST be REAL BUTTER), 1 cup light brown sugar;
Gradually add: 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, beat until smooth
Mix together 2 and 2/3 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda
Add the above to the butter, etc. mixture, blending well
Add: 1 and 1/2 to 2 cups of chocolate chips (no fake chocolate, only the real stuff); if you have really good taste, you will also add in 1 cup of pecans or walnuts; I like a couple of tablespoons of coconut snow.
Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 degrees. I like them overbaked so they are crunchy.
Send half of the cookies to Steve.

Who Is "Lebbie?"

We're not sure if "Lebbie" is a "she," "he," "it," or even a teenager.