Who needs to TV??

So here they are, my prodigies. I couldn't resist taking this picture it made me so proud that my kids had traded in staring at one screen for hours for an interactive one. I have tried for years to get them to learn programming but I will take playing with Webkinz for right now, well at least the oldest two, Sadie is "typing letters", oh so close.

I guess you know where my priorities are, but I don't let these teaching moments slip away. Diversity awareness is very important to me. I took the time to introduce them to an entirely new experience of using a MacBook.  I did ease them into using the more energy efficient netbook first, I wanted them to really understand responsible computing first and then how to embrace change and differences.

Disneyland at 30+

Disneyland is great. It feels like it hasn't changed in the 15 years since I last visited. It feels like I have though. I don't remember my feet hurting this much. $20 felt like a million, now it feels like $20. The rides went faster and lasted longer. If I bend down so my eyes are at exactly 42" off the ground it all changes, the rides are just as big and fast as I remember and the treats are just as sweet. Its fun to see Disneyland through the eyes of my kids. 

Peter - Sent from Mobile (G1)

Our first lunch to Disneyland

So here we sit, enjoying a round at the Training
Table. This is one of Brandi's home town favorties. The ride down from Idaho was snowy and we saw at least 14 accidents. We will be careful but the way down should be clear from here out.

Day 1 is half way through...

Peter - Sent from Mobile (G1)

Last Days of Summer

This week the kids start going to school again. Its hard to believe that the summer is over. Brandi would remind you that it doesn't really end until the last weeks of September. The air has already started to cool (even thought temperature will most likely spike once or twice again) and the night are getting cold.  Today it feels like the fall and I guess that is why I am refelctive and borderline melancholy.

Things I did this summer (in no particular order),

Changed to oil with my own hands (haven't done it in years)

Built the swing set and anchored it down after it fell apart within the first week

Officially got burned out from my job

Took a nice, long, lazy vacation

Put spinklers and sod in on the north side of the house

Started training for a triathlon

Supported Brandi in her preparation for a half-marathon

Tried to swim in Rigby lake but about died

Successfully swam at the college pool but ran out of steam

Drove to Mesa Falls and saw them, well one of them

Planted a couple of trees and cut the sprinkler line...and then fixed it

Matthew caught a fish we put it back, someone gave us a replacement and then I gutted and cleaned it myself with no help, we ate it too

Celebrated 3 of the 4 kids with the oldest turning 8

10 years from the first date with my wife

Planning really works

Things really do get better with age

I now love my wife and kids more than I did at the beginning of summer, overall time well spent

Peter - Sent from Mobile (G1)

Why we do what we do

As I was heading out to the garage I looked down and noticed this little footprint on the back of my flip-flop.

Thoughts start to flow when when an image puts your little kids in a different perspective. This made me think of how they are really a part of us and we are a part of them or that we hopefully become a part of them and they are the best part of us.

Matthew's Animal Kingdom

"Here's a mountain, here's a zoo. Here's a elephant, a bird and a giraffe in the zoo. And there is a guy on top of the mountain" -Matthew

So Matthew saw my cake post and he wanted me to also "blog" his pictures. When asked what he wanted included in his "blog" he dictated what is quoted above. I have to say that the zoo turned out pretty well.

Award winning cake

So here is my cake I made of play-doh. The fish on top was in commemoration of the completion of the fishing trip from Father and sons. We caught the fish, cleaned it and and yesterday we ate it. This was a big deal because I cleaned it myself and didn't rely on any one else at the campout to help us out.

Sadie wasn't totally pleased with the execution on my design but thought it was 'good'.

Peter - Sent from Mobile (G1)

The Ward Garden

The Beans

The Potatoes and Corn

The Potatoes, Squach and Beans

Here are some pictures of what we have done this summer to bring up some food for ward members. This spot has grown all from rain fall this year, no watering...yet.

There are over 300 feet of potatoes, 120 feet of onion and, and about 300 feet of beans.

Working for the weekend

Well, I have to say this has been a crazy week and to try to wind down I am going to write up a weekly post.

This week we put up what has turned out to be the neighborhood swingset. The kids are loving it, and honestly that makes it all worth it. I remember swingsets growing up and and I can't say I have one bad memory of those things. I am glad to pass that on (hopefully.)

We have family coming into town this weekend and I am looking forward to it. I think it will be fun to relax a little after the last couple hectic weeks. Just this week I think I worked 51 hours, finishing that last one just a few minutes ago at midnight, and it was only Thursday! Last week I lost track, it started Sunday night at 9 when an emergency surfaced and ended Thursday about 3 or 4, I guess it was almost 93 hours straight. I am so looking forward to time with family. Family really has started to take on that part of my life, that part that you hear older people talk about, that part where they really the most important thing in your life. I am finding they are my greatest joy, they are my comfort.

I am now ready for bed, this was just what I needed to wind down, what would I do without this little handheld?

Pete

Why fishing really is enjoyable

Matthew and I went fishing today. Thw two of us jumped in a fishing boat with a trolling motor and trolled around the lake casting for trout. We didn't catch a thing, but we got a lot out of it.

I have never really fished much and the times I have fished never really caught anything substantial. I thought fishing was not a good use of time, just sitting there, waiting. Today was different, Matthew and I talked and floated around the lake, no distractions just us talking about fishing and and the weather. After today I realized that if spending times with him cost me a boat it would be worth every penny. Time spent "just doing nothing" is sometimes the most valuable time we have with our children. Spending time with these little kids, doing what they do, will pay possibly the biggest dividends for seemingly so little doing. It will be something I look back on with fondness for a long time.

Our day at Cordon Park

With the weather finally warming (note the date of this post) the kids and I headed over to Cordon Park so the kids could swing and go down the slide. The bees and birds are out (literally and not figuratively, which by the way, I have never really understood why the saying came about) and the breeze is really just a breeze. This is probably the third nice day this year.



Earlier today we were over at the Ward Garden planting potatos and trying to figure how to get water to the other stuff we will be planting next week. One of the farmers in the ward offered up some good land but we still have the challenge of watering (sprinkling as they say) until we flood irrigate later this month or next. I am becoming quite the farmer through this little experience (I have been asked to start a ward garden for those that might need some food through these unsure times.)



Well time to get to watching the kids...



...Out

What do Hannah Montana and lip gloss have in common?

Just ask Sadie, she will tell you, they have FUN in common. Oh to be a little person and be happy with a little chapstick. Whatever happened to being happy with the little things? You know what I mean? I remember being happy with getting a full pack of Wrigley's Big Red, back when they used to have 17 pieces.

Well have a good one.

Life isn't fair...just ask Matthew

So these two were playing the The Game of Life. Can you guess who knows their winning and who thinks they should be winning?

Actually Matthew has a question about how to calculate his pension payment. I should have made a crack about the UAW, but then again it probably would have bankrupted the game like it is bankrupting the funniness of this blog.

Out....

Mom's weekend out...

Here we are just watching Bolt. It turned out to be a pretty good movie.

Does this picture make me look fat?

How to be happy...

I was just asked if I was having fun. I immediately thought of all the things I would that would make me very unhappy, thought of all the things that are preventing those things and then decided I was in the positive. I was happy. There are times when we think there are things that are making us unhappy, the reality is if they weren’t there we could easily be miserable. Example, “boys these shoes make my feet hot, but on the other hand they are keeping my feet from being burned by the 120 degree pavement.” Then again you should probably ask yourself if the reason you are on the pavement in the first place is because of some choice you made, maybe you should start looking at how you make choices and stop blaming your shoes.

 

 

Building a princess one strip at a time...

Some changes have been taking place in the girl's room and a princess has been born!

The strips were to girlify the room from the safe tan walls and the flower lights to brighten up the wall with only flowers a girl could love, just ask Matthew. That wasn't the finishing touch though, the nice Himmel from Ikea finished off the room with everything a little girl hoping to be a princess would be.

I got my ticket to ride...almost

So here we are at the Davis' and I almost won Ticket to Ride. My first time and almost dominated this game, if I would have known about the longest train I could have set the best first time player award.

Thanks for the good times!

Outtie....

These guys are a handful

If I couldn't blog by sending an email using my phone I defintely wouldn't be blogging. I can snap a picture and record a part of my day in just a few minutes its great. Or maybe I should say (or type in the case) its great!

Zoe has gone to bed a little easier the past couple of nights which leaves a little more time to get some other stuff done.

Well, I need to go clear the drain in the kitchen so I am off...outtie.

IMG00018.jpg

Yes, I intentionally left the name of this entry the name of the picture.

Zoe and I were just hanging out since she wouldn't fall asleep tonight, she cried for an hour, like real whimpering cried. The kind where you might think something is wrong. I sit here typing on my phone and amazingly the glow of the phone has here sitting calmly rubbing her eyes, but not really falling asleep. I fed her early, well 6:30-ish after getting the kids started with dinner, with hopes she would be tired enough to fall asleep the rest of night. These hopes were dashed on the rocks of reality.

So here I sit...well I guess this isn't penning my thoughts exactly but qwertying my thoughts for the day.

Let's hope she sleeps throught the night.

Peter out...

Who loves me? I do...

Thanks to the folks over at cameroid.com I was able to take this killer picture of me and myself. I really like me.

 

Try it out, we had a good time playing around and, honestly what better way to say I love you..to yourself.

 

PDizzy out…

 

P.S. – Ben has set the example of keeping a pretty good little journal out on the blog-o-sphere, I might as well follow his lead.

 

Ok, the G1 is still cool

So I haven't blogged in quite awhile and I just noticed that the last posts back-to-back are about the phones. Let me explain...

So the G1 is an awesome phone and has a killa' web browser. On the G2 (EDGE) network the internet was screaming fast (as opposed to the G3 that kills your battery). So why then, why did I go back to the black?

I need better email support, the G1 was not built for email, well not the kind of email service that the BlackBerry delivers. I need to get email all the time and need better battery life, BlackBerry is the only thing that can deliver - hands down. The reality is I hate being required to plug the phone in for charging in the middle of the day and I get that away with that with the BB.

I need a phone for two things only, phone and email. I don't need a million apps that really don't do anything.

Well, hope that clears things up. Again, if interested I have a G1 with little use on it if you are interested.

P.S. I am blogging from this BB.

Back on Black

So here I am posting by email after a long spell away. Thought I would post a pic from the BlackBerry that I went back to after using the T-Mobile G1 for awhile. I am selling it by the way if anyone is interested.

Enjoy...