Squeeze the Hippo

Now we can all purchase a soft and cuddly Egyption Hippo thanks to The British Museum in London. Here is where you can find the Ancient Egyptian Hippo. How did they know I loved it so much I wanted to squeeze it!

Happy Birthday Brian!

Brian, from all the Craig side of things, a BIG happy birthday to you!

I've gotta be honest, when I was on my mission and I heard that Angela was getting married to some guy I'd never met, I wasn't too happy. For a while I was calling you "the chump my sister is marrying". But after I got home and met you, my mind was changed. I'm convinced you two couldn't be happier with anybody else, and I think I speak for the whole crowd when I say I'm really glad you're a part of the family.

Happy Birthday!

Auteur

A couple months ago I left a review on my personal blog for the movie Happy Valley. Maybe you've seen it, maybe you've never heard of it. It's about illicit drug use in Utah Valley. My opinion was that it was an awful film. Really, really pitiful in a lot of ways. It didn't leave me with any affection for the film-maker, either.

I wrote the review and quickly forgot about it. Then, a couple days ago, a thread of comments began to form that turned into one of the most interesting conversations I've had on this blog. Mind you, not because of the content, but because of the participants.

You just have to read this to believe it. Look at the review of Happy Valley (the last third of my post), then look at the subsequent comments. Unbelievable.

Just to wet your interest, I think Jessica Biel may be reading my blog. Probably not, but the possibility is endlessly funny.

It's True: I Had a GREAT time at Disneyland!

Some of you may not believe that Pam went to Disneyland and had a great time with Madison, Savanna, and Becky. You will all have to have Richard run you a maximizing program so you can visit all of the attractions with maximum efficiency like we did. It was hard to keep up with it all, but we really didn't have to stand in lines, except for Finding Nemo, and that really couldn't be avoided if you wanted to go on that ride. Becky made us get up early and be at the gate when it opened, and we went immediately to the Matterhorn as the schedule told us to go there when Disneyland first opened in the morning. So we went down the Matterhorn and afterwards, Pam was thinking that this was going to be a long day. That ride must just be so old that the shocks and springs were worn out so there were too many jolts and jerks that caused neck pains and head aches. But it was pure fun from there on. Here are some pictures to evidence the fact that I really did go on Splash Mountain and The Hollywood Tower of Terror. I really did go on Indian Jones a couple of times too, but one time was enough for Space Mountain! Anyways, thanks to Becky, Madison, and Savanna for such a fun couple of days.

4 Years Old Today!

Happy Birthday, Walker! We could just picture you walkin' in these wild cowboy boots! What a great kid you are and we're so lucky to have you for a grandson. Thank you for being such a good boy. Much Love to You! Grandma and Grandpa Craig

Happy Birthday, Walker!

We hope you have fun being 4!

Love, Elliot, Aaron, Isaac, Norah, Steve and Emily

If I had a camera...

Emily's been saying that I should take up photography so our children's lives don't slip by without documentation. I've also been wanting a nice camera to help me compose paintings. So I broke down and bought a digital SLR, a Cannon EOS Rebel xti. I'm very happy with it. Here are some pictures from our spring break trip to Phoenix.

Performance for Broadcast

This is my tape that I hastily put together for my anchoring lab. It's not my best work, really, but it was fun to do, and I think I'm getting better. Thought you might want to see it.

None of this actually ever went on the air, but is the same thing I was doing last Spring, and that did get broadcast. Hopefully I can anchor again next Fall. Wish me luck.

P.S. Like I said, I was in a hurry putting this together. The video actually starts about 7 seconds in.

Also, the girl at the end of this montage, the one that shows up in the still before you hit play, Caitlin; I think she used to date John Cannon.

No more Truman

So Mr. T turns the BIG 2.0 in less than one month. At his 18 month Dr. appointment when asked what words he says I thought about it and responded, "He pretty much says it all." When asked if that meant at least 12 words I said it was well beyond that! It's true, Truman likes to talk. Mostly about basketball, football, helmets and jumping. He is quite the character and it's hardly ever silent if he's around. His favorite is to say mommy, mommy, mommy, over and over and when I finally respond with "Truman?" he says "What?" In a very bear like masculine tone.
Anyway, this is all leading up to my next story when Walker said to me the other day, "Mom, I think we don't need Truman any more!" I responded with such shock because I know how much Walker loves playing with his brother and he even gets sad when Truman goes down for a nap. When I asked him why he thinks we should get rid of Truman he said, "Well, he just talks so much and asks me so many questions and I just don't feel like talking all the time." In my head I'm thinking, "I hear you son." But of course I remind him how much he likes playing with his brother and how lonely he would be without him. To this he gets a BIG grin and says, "But what about the baby, I can play with him!" I have to admit I was proud he had thought it through. But we love Truman too much to get rid of him so we're going to keep him around.

In other news, we're having a baby....and it's a BOY!!! I am 4 months along and feeling great!

Recently we had a very special visitor. My good friend and college roommate, Brittany Bowen came to visit. It was so fun to visit with her and her fantastic husband Dan over a nice BBQ chicken salad. They are expecting a baby girl a couple months before us.
I can't believe my baby boy is turning 4 next week. He is a thoughtful boy and such a blessing to our family. (I promise he really does love his brother) I am especially loving that he likes working around the house these days. He dusts, mops, vacuums the house and car, washes windows and always remembers to take his empty dishes to the sink (I still don't have that one down)! Just the other day he noticed a sticky spot in the kitchen and said, "I'd better mop this up!" And all on his own he got the mop and a bottle of cleaner and had that floor shiny in no time...Thanks Walker!