The Boss

Last week, Paul and I went with some friends to the Bruce Springsteen concert. I have to admit that I really enjoyed it, and I'm not the fan that Paul is. I didn't know a lot of the songs he performed, but I had a great time. We also enjoyed viewing the other fans, whose average age was around 50, rocking out to the Boss!

Jane for the Day

Nothing ever fatigues me, but doing what I do not like. --Mansfield Park
(Yep, every Monday back to housework, trying to recover from the weekend!)

Trunk-or-Treat

Our ward Halloween party was on Friday, so we all got dressed up (except for Paul which is why he's not in the pictures) and headed over for the party. The kids had a lot of fun. It was raining, so the trunk-or-treat moved inside and the kids walked around the halls picking up their candy. Matt & Afton are at the age now where they love getting candy and are still excited for more this week!

Halle's 1 Year Pictures

She's a great picture taker! We dashed in, spent 5 minutes taking pictures, then dashed out! Halle then fell asleep in the car on the way home--it's exhausting being cute!

We Made It!

We had a fun time at the race and despite some tough hills, I finished in 2:11 (my goal was 2:10) so that was also good. There was so much energy at this race, including from the 23,000 runners! Jamba Juice, Bare Naked Granola, Gatorade, and of course, Tiffany were all at the finish line to hand us our refreshments and prizes! Nike knows how to put on a race and also how to get the women to spend more money--design cute shirts, sweatshirts, hats, accessories and have them all at the finishing line for purchase! If it weren't for having to leave Paul home with the kids, I would do this race every year! If you're a runner, I highly recommend it! All in all, a great weekend, and I'll post more of San Francisco sights later! Check out my mom and sister's shirts--Heather designed them! My mom got a lot of people asking where she got it--it says "Yes, twins do run in our family!" Ha Ha--Nike should hire Heather for their design team!

This weekend...

long run in SF 4-8-07 (2)
Originally uploaded by ario_j

I'll be running out here covering 13.1 miles. I'm excited and feel ready. Hopefully, I won't suffer from overconfidence, but my 10 mile long run went really well. The only down point is that Paul won't be there at the finish line--he's been there at the finish line for my other races-even when he ran too! But, someone has to watch the kids! Luckily, my sister and I will be running together and my mom and friend Sheryl will be at the finish. I've never been to SF before, so I'm hoping to also catch some sights!

Who I look like?

I personally think I look nothing like these people, but apparently the computer does!

Halle's Birthday

Halle had a great time with her balloons, presents, and cake! She didn't even make that big of a mess with her very own little cake. I was smart and used light colors with just a little chocolate icing!

Jane for the Day...

"Compliments always take you by surprise, and me never."
-Pride and Prejudice
I like this one because, sometimes, I do feel rather proud of myself and think others surely must notice it!

One year already...

It's gone by so quickly. Halle has been such a sweet, happy girl and such a joy to our family. Her smile makes us smile and her laughter is contagious. If you haven't met her in person yet, you're missing out! So, here's to Halle on her 1st birthday--Happy Birthday little one! We love you!
(I don't know why, but sometimes the music stops. If it does, just hit pause and then play again and the music comes back on. Unless of course you know how to really solve the problem...)

They look like they know what they're doing...

The kids and I enjoy watching Dancing with the Stars while getting ready for bed. Matt thought the dancing was fun, but was a little confused by the judging...
Matt: That guy talks funny. Do you know what he's talking about?
Me: He's telling them how they did on the dance.
Matt: Well, I don't know what he's saying, but he knows what he's doing.
Later-
Matt: The girls don't wear very many clothes.
Me: Yes, that's part of their costumes. I'm sure they wear more clothes when they're not dancing.
Matt: We wear more clothes, unless we're in our underwear. We could dance in our underwear.
(I'm wondering at this point what exactly he's picturing all of us doing)
I almost enjoy listening to the kids' comments on the dancing more than the dancing itself.

Jane for the Day...

More Great Fall Colors
Originally uploaded by lu2shoot

In honor of fall, take a walk through nature today:
"Her pleasure in the walk must arise from the exercise and the day, from the view of the last smiles of the year upon the tawny leaves and withered hedges, and from repeating to herself some few of the thousand poetical descriptions extant of autumn, that season of peculiar and inexhaustible influence on the mind of taste and tenderness, that season which has drawn from every poet, worthy of being read, some attempt at description, or some lines of feeing." --Persuasion

Happy 1st Anniversary

Brittany and Spencer have been married one year today--congratulations and best wishes for many years ahead!

A Man and his vacuum...

I finally broke down for Paul's birthday and got him a Dyson. He's only been wanting one for about 3 years now, so I guess birthday wishes do come true! It was a fun night to celebrate. Matt made a sign, we opened presents, sang, and finished it off with a Maggie Moo chocolate peanut-butter cup ice-cream cake! After all the excitement, Paul took a test drive of his new toy!

Afton in her first soccer game!

We're just happy she decided to play! It was her first time going out on the field, although it was the third game for the team, so it took some courage to make it out there! She's definitely not an aggressive player, but she has a lot of fun with her "Black Cat" team friends! She's also lucky to be on a really great team, where it doesn't matter if she doesn't even follow what's happening--the other two girls will score for her! (She's #11, the one farthest from the ball at any given time)The first video is the whole field view, the second video is close up of Afton!

Paul's Big Day!

Well, Paul thinks birthdays aren't a big deal. That is one area where we disagree. Since it is his big day and I don't tell him as often as I should how much I love and appreciate him, here are 32 wonderful things about Paul!

1. works 50+ hours/week plus time spent in his church calling 2. makes up stories about raccoons for the kids 3. bought me a treadmill so that I could run even with his hectic schedule 4. takes his church responsibilities very seriously 5. great brother to his siblings 6. enjoys suspense movies 7. able to see other people's points of view 8. puts up with his wife's emotional nature 9. always finds ways to improve what he's doing 10. won't teach me how to mow the lawn (so that I can't do it) 11. loves to vacuum 12. also enjoys sweeping and mopping 13. supports my goals 14. plays in the backyard with the kids 15. gets up in the middle of the night to get me an aspirin 16. picked out my car, which I love 17. takes in his own shirts to be dry-cleaned 18. watches the kids so I can have girls' night out 19. knows when I ask him what he wants for dinner that he should take us out to dinner 20. only speaks good things about me to others 21. loves his extended family 22. writes thank yous 23. able to understand people's motivations 24. his red hair (he'll also disagree with this one) 25. can make decisions where I'm indecisive 26. tells his daughters how beautiful they are 27. makes sure the kids show respect to their mother 28. plays with Halle during church so I can listen 29. fan of 80s big hair rock bands (another thing we don't have in common) 30. knows when I say nothing's wrong that something is wrong 31. always has a clean car 32. plans surprises for me

As I started writing this list, I realized even more how much Paul does for me and the kids. How lucky we are to have him as husband and father. He always puts our needs and wants before his own and although we try to pay it back, he's usually a step ahead of us. Paul--we're glad it's your day so we can celebrate all that you are and all that you do! We love you!

Jane for the Day...

"I could not be happy with a man whose taste did not in every point coincide with my own. He must enter into all my feelings; the same books, the same music must charm us both. . . . Mama, the more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!" --Sense and Sensibility