Wedding of the Year

Well, Jim and Pam are finally hitched...YEA!!! Been waiting for this moment for way too long. I actually loved the entire episode, but most especially the last 15 minutes. I thought the dance down the aisle was HILARIOUS!! And for those of you who don't know what they were referring to (the youtube video), here it is. It will make you laugh and give you goosebumps at the same time. It was the big youtube sensation of the summer, so of course Michael probably watched it a million times. I love that they referenced it.




Oh, and not everyone loves the Office, according to this article. Classy inmates.




A few Saturdays ago was "free-museum" day from Smithsonian magazine or something like that. I am unsure of the details, all I know is that we got into San Francisco's Exploratorium for free! Reagan wouldn't take a drink from the toilet bowl fountain, of that I think I am grateful. I taught her well. She loved the funny mirrors and playing in the sand on the second level. The bubbles were pretty cool. Honestly, I am glad we didn't have to pay to get in. The grounds outside are beautiful, with the Palace of Fine Arts, the lake and ducks, and to top it off, a fog-free day in the city.



We drove around a little while later, actually looking for parking, but ended up at a marina near Crissy Field. We took our shoes off and waded while Nolan slept in his seat. Reagan could run from waves for days, I think. One direction was a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatrax Island the other direction. Days like this make me glad to live in a such a scenic place.

We learned this week that Nolan does NOT like to be put in a cardboard box and pulled around by his sister.

Working for a bank has its perks: random paid holidays like Monday's Columbus Day. We took Reagan to a pumpkin patch in San Ramon.

I was floored when she rode this ride all.by.herself. She asked to go on it, did it, never cried or even looked scared. She maybe even looked a bit bored? I don't know, I just know that she will not go into her room when the light is off (even during the day), she is scared to get water in her eyes or ears, but she goes on this amusement park ride by herself? ...

tThe storm of the century occured yesterday. It poured all day long! The result was an uprooted tree (our precious cherry tree that we love to watch bloom late winter) and this mess on our ceiling below.A drip that sagged our ceiling and turned into the popcorn falling off. YUM!

Well, that is about it. I need to watch last nights NCIS episode, I missed it. Love to all.

Honesty is the Best Policy

Tonight as I was putting Reagan into the bath, she said to me "Mom, your hair isn't very pretty anymore."

Sorry, Matt

Ah, man. Matt turned 31 on September 19th and I failed to recognize him on the ol' blog. But let me tell you, it was a great day, if you don't count the mess that BYU made on the football field. I can't believe Matt is 31; not that that sounds old to me or anything. Maybe 5 years ago it sounded old, not so much now. Matt still has the youth of a 10 year old anyways. He just keeps on playing. I love him for that. Happy Birthday, Matt! We love you :)



Random Thoughts:

1. I am looking forward to Halloween trick or treating so much because I can't wait to go through Reagan's candy and pick out some good stuff.

2. Last friday we went on a date and ate at Claim Jumper. I was so starved at this point that I wolfed down a salad to start and ordered a huge bacon cheeseburger for dinner. Halfway through I felt sick and had the worst stomach ache ever. I went in the bathroom at Barnes and Noble later and threw it all up. I have never made myself throw up like this, but it felt so necessary because I didn't want to ruin our date with a stomach ache. I felt better afterwards :)

3. On the above date, we ordered my fav dessert there, the toffee mini cake. The server didn't realize they were out, so the manager came out a while later and offered another dessert for free. Even though our dessert we initially chose was like 3 dollars, I immediately blurted out, "Brownie Finale!" That one was like 11 dollars. I'll bet I looked like a total mooch, but it was truthfully the one that Matt was eyeing.

4. Reagan's nap situation is a no-win for us. She needs a nap still, but is up till 10pm when she gets one. It is torture trying to get her to take one, she usually crashes around 4pm. I would get rid of her naps, but when I did, she started waking up in the middle of the night crying. So frustrated...

5. I liked Bednar's talk this morning.

6. I am looking forward to watching New Moon on the big screen. I can't wait to see Edwardella in action.

7. I am really struggling losing the last of my baby weight. When I increase my exercise, my milk production drops too much. I don't have the self control to watch what I eat completely. I asked Matt the other day if he didn't mind me having some chub for another couple months and he just laughed at me.

8. Not being able to see my sister's baby in person is killing me. Her pictures are too cute for words.

9. It is barely October and I am already looking forward to the holidays like mad.

10. Nolan and Reagan take baths together and it is the highlight of their day. They just splash and laugh like crazy and everyone in the bathroom is drenched by end time.

11. Jim and Pam are getting married next Thursday in an hour-long Office special and I CAN'T WAIT!! I cried when I saw the promo that aired this week of them when Jim says, "I think I always knew I was waiting for my wife."

12. It has been a month since our Utah trip, but I still have some pics to share. We had a good time. Because we were there for almost 2 weeks, we got to spend some real quality time with family. Matt's parents, Lyle and Bev took us to dinner for our birthdays up to a wonderful restaurant in Morgan called Taggarts and I loved it. Might be my new favorite place to eat there:) Nah, still Cafe Rio, but this place was excellent. It is in the middle of the canyon, beautiful scenery and amazing french fries. I also got to go to Midway Swiss Days with my mom, sister and Nolan. We geeked out on all the crafty-things, but saved most of our money for the good food. A Navajo taco-worth the wait-some swiss cookies, kettle corn and caramel apples. It was hot as Hades, but we made it.

We had family photos taken at Layton Park for the Roundy side and as always, it was crazy and hectic. Our numbers are growing fast and trying to get everyone to smile at the same time, keep kids from wiggling and crying, you know how it goes. Reagan and Emma were so cute though, running around and playing together. It is so fun to see Reagan interact with cousins. She still talks about them.

Reagan and Matt's creation: a sandcastle in grandma Roundy's sandbox.

Loni had a birthday while we were there. Since she is a poor college student, we doted on her. We decorated her apartment in Provo, ate lunch at Olive Garden, then had some killer cupcakes at Sweet Tooth Fairy bakery. Everyone should try this place. It was worth the hype. We took home the cheesecake, key lime pie, strawberry shortcake and peanut butter chocolate.

Birthday girl and all you can eat soup, salad, breadsticks!

Since all Loni and her roommates think about are boys, they have some dumb posters up in their apartment. Matt took the liberty of "fixing" them for her.

BEFORE:

AFTER:My favorite:

My mom always jokes that she can tell when Matt has been in the house because he likes to turn over all the pictures, turn them upside down, etc. In this one, he put the life size cut-out of Zac Efron in time-out. I think the sign on Zac read, "I am jealous of Rob Pattinson."

We hit up the Country Barn boutique with Grandma Rasmussen and lucky Reagan walked out like a princess fairy!! She was tickled...

Lindsey and Nolan at the Midway Swiss Days. We were so tired by the end of the day, after taking turns carrying Nolan (too crowded for a stroller). That place was madness, we actually had to take a bus from the parking lot to the fair.

Having a Swiss Taco! I am glad Mom Ras recommended them, they were excellent. And huge, we all split one.

One of our days was spend visiting Lori, Robb and their family (thanks for the yogurt, Lori!), then we headed down to SF to see Mel and the fam. Lindsay and Jared came over for dinner and a game of Ticket to Ride. Jared and Aaron had their "game" faces on in the photo!

The kids played well together.

I took the picture right after Whitney said to me, "It's okay, Lace, you can go inside and I'll watch the kids."

Playing with some more cousins: Ashlee, Max and Reagan.

The weather was toasty pretty much the entire time, so one day we had Cafe Rio, went to Chuck E Cheese, got Rainbow's from Pace's and slip-n-slided in the backyard.

Nothing says Utah summer like a Pace popsicle.Grandpa Rasmussen and Nolan at the park.

Making cupcakes with Grandma.Here is Taggart's restaurant, what a beautiful setting!

The desserts were calling my name the whole time, "Eat me, Lacy!!" Not really, but they were a site for sore eyes.

Well, what a random as heck post this has been, and it only took me days, as the date will tell. But I am finding it harder and harder to post on the blog, so just bear with me. Love you all.

Dad's 60th

My dad had his 60th birthday over Labor Day weekend, so we used it as an excuse to celebrate a little more than usual and have a reunion. We headed up to Red Moose Lodge in Eden, Utah. It is only a short drive--maybe 45 minutes--from home, so we didn't feel like we were traveling too far for an overnighter. Everyone divided up the food for the trip and we set out on Sunday. The weather was looking threatening, but it cleared up and actually turned out really warm.After checking in, we went swimming right away. We had the whole thing to ourselves, it was pretty sweet. Max is such a crazy kid, he makes us laugh and is SUCH a little Loren.

Mom and Dad watched and held my kids while we swam. Nolan seems to really like the water so far. Reagan likes the water, but only from the steps. She doesn't venture out past that.

Grandpa with Alyssa and Ashlee in front of the lodge.

Kelly and Nolan watching everyone swim. I love this photo. It was such a chill time, just relaxing and playing with the family. Such a rare occasion, too, to have everyone together.

In the water, we were old school and played Marco Polo and also played some volleyball with a rope as a makeshift net. Loren and Matt tried to get all Focker on us and spike the ball as hard as they could. A more slightly embarassing moment was when had swim races. Loni, Lindsey and I raced and 8 months pregnant Lindsey beat both of us.

After the swim, we bbq'd and ate, had cake, the kids played, the adults relaxed. Kelly's dad Dennis and his wife Ann joined us for the day.

I made dad's cake, it read "Happy Birthday Dad, Grandpa, Al." I thought it turned out nice. We sang, he opened a few gifts, then we did the Roundy tradition of saying what we like about the birthday person. This took a while, but it was fun to hear what everyone said. When my turn came, I told of how my dad made his kids and family a priority over everything. He never missed my soccer or softball games growing up, he never missed a recital, he was there for literally everything. At one point in his life, he even closed down one of his dry cleaners because it kept him away from home too much. I appreciate that. Extra money will never replace the time you have with your children and I sure love that he knew that. This is one of the many things that drew me to Matt--I saw this characteristic in him.

Katey, who is an amazing photographer, took some darling pics of my kids. Thanks KT! One day I will own an SLR like yours and you can show me how it is done:)

This is what Matt did during the afternoon:

After dinner, we headed around to theback of the lodge where they have horseshoes, a volleyball court and firepits. There were crickets EVERYWHERE, yuck!! I even stepped on one, it got wedged between my feet and the sandal. I wanted to barf.Prego Lindsey. She is now a mommy.

Emma and Reagan chilling by the campfire.

We also did dutch oven cobblers, a peach one and a blueberry one. We had ice cream with it as well. It tasted like heaven, my only regret was not having more. Here is my dad, undoubtedly telling a story or something,Reagan and I.

The next morning, after a not-so-great nights sleep, thanks to everyone being awake from Nolan, we had breakfast at the lodge, then headed over to Huntsville to a park. This was one of the coolest and biggest and shadiest parks I have ever been to. There was a sand volleyball court there and lots of grass, places to sit. We spent all day here.

Autumn the gymnast.

Here are more KT pics of my kids.
Fried chicken for lunch. This pic is funny--what the heck is Landen doing--stealing my moms food? Nah, he is maybe giving her some chicken.

Lance, our own secret agent, swat team man.

After Huntsville, we were all tired, worn out and beat from the sun. We relaxed at my parents and roasted smores. Loni taught me how to roast a Starburst. Try it, its good.

Good memores--this is what life is made of. I always treasure these times with my family. Till next time--2 years I guess when my mom turns 60!!

TGIT

Thank Goodness It's Thursday!

I know that I have blogged before about how nothing breaks my day on Thursdays. The Office is on, nada can go wrong. I thought the season premiere last week was really good...except Stanley's affair???...For a split second I thought that I was watching Desperate Housewives or something, but I guess it only shows that Stanley can be a big jerk. Great cold open! I did love, too, how Michael made up all these "rumors" that actually were true. Andy was really hilarious, not knowing whether he was gay or not. That is just like him, I love direction the writers have taken his character. He is one of the ones that makes me crack up each and every week. They need someone like that now, because as much as I love me some JAM with my toast, Pam and Jim will quickly burn out and become a little stale. That is a lose-lose sitch for the writers: if JAM hadn't gotten together, the fans would riot. In fact, the guy last season at Pam's art school that she was becoming friends with was supposed to be a wedge between her and Jim. But after his first episode debut, the online fandom exploded and the writers quickly changed his "professing his love" speech to her into one of "stay in New York and pursue your dreams" (remember that?) So they had no choice but to write them as living happily ever after. But now we will become bored. So I guess what I am saying is that while we can oohh and aahh over how cute JAM is together and what a nice happy family they will be, we need some good Office angst and we will probably find that in the form of Andy, Angela, Dwight, Kelly, Ryan and maybe some of Erin, the new receptionist.

I totally have missed the first 2 Biggest Loser episodes, we will see if I watch it this season. I probably will, even though it takes a big committment--I mean, 2 hour episodes, COME ON!! But since NCIS is available with Comcast On Demand, I just watch that one on Wednesday mornings, freeing up a time slot for TBL. Speaking of NCIS, what a premiere that was?? Totally threw me through a loop, although I still have many unanswered questions. How did Ziva get on that ship? Did I miss that part? I didn't expect her to come home so soon, the writers are claiming she is a changed woman now. How so? Is she more rough around the edges? Or will she finally acknowledge that she totally has a thing for Tony. We will see. But I sure love Gibbs. When he sniped a bullet through that terrorist, I couldn't help but cheer.

To put me in a good mood even more, I am an aunt again!! My sister Lindsey had her first baby last night. Jane Louise Wright was born 6 lbs 4 oz (I think, correct me if I am wrong), 21 inches. Maybe she will be tall and skinny, mom and dad are. As much as I love living out here on the coast, there are times where I would give my right leg to be "home" with family. Yesterday was one of them. I phone stalked my mom and Lindsey all day to get her progression (she was induced) and I just plain wanted to know what was going on every minute. They were kind enough to oblige and I spoke with my mom just minutes after Jane arrived safe and sound. I could hear her little cry in the background and as I was on the phone, my mom would say, "okay, they are wiping her face off...they are suctioning out her mouth...she is laying on Lindsey's belly..." I wanted to cry and even more, I wanted to be a 6th year student at Hogwarts and apparate to the hospital in SLC. I am so glad that they are safe and sound and all is well. I am sure Lindsey will be posting pics and an account soon on her blog.

Love to you all...and Happy Thursday!