OHHH D! OHHH D!

"Break me off a piece of that": applesauce, Chrysler car, football cream, lumber tar, Snickers bar, Grey Poupon, Claude Van Damme, Nutrasweet, Fancy Feast.

All About Us

Melanie asked us to fill out this fun survey thingy. Reagan's answers are in parenthesis after mine.

1. The Best Thing I cooked in the last week? I haven't done much cooking, but I would have to say Pork Roast--my dads recipe. (Reagan: "best thing I ATE is cheese and Ritz crackers)

2. Anywhere in the World to Go and with Whom? Somewhere Carribean with Matt (Reagan: "I would grow another foot in height and go ride the kiddie rides at Magic Mountain while my dad and mom ride X-treme and Goliath")

3. Last time I cried? Last night because the carseat I want for Reagan is on recall. (Reagan: "like five minutes ago when mom wouldn't let me have my binky. I did more than cry; I threw a total fit.")

4. What are 5 things I was doing this month 10 years ago? Let's see...it was October 1997, so I was a junior in high school. (Reagan: "I don't know.")
*Gearing up for high school soccer season
*16 and having a license, I was driving around whatever car I could get my hands on at home...either the Escort or the Cavalier.
*Hanging with my Hawaiian Tropic Models
*Crushing on some homeless druggy at Granite Hills High School
*Helping make the junior class homecoming float (homecoming was the night of Halloween)

5. What are 5 things on my to-do list today?
*Watch The Office
*Work on Reagan's photo album
*Make Matt's lunch for tomorrow
*Get our Halloween costumes together
*Drink hot chocolate for my sore throat
(Reagan says: "Drink glass of milk before bedtime, cry for my binky, poop my pants, wipe my runny nose on mom's sleeve, carry my purse and cell phone around.")

6. My 6 favorite snacks? Only 6? Hmmm..
*chips and salsa
*Graham crackers dipped in milk
*Candy bars or cookies that have been frozen
*Carrot sticks
*Cold cereal (preferably Marshmallow Mateys or Cinnamon Toast Crunch)
*Dried fruit such as mangos, craisins, etc.
*Trail mix
(Reagan: "Oh, this is easy, all I do is snack everyday. My favorites are Ritz crackers, cheese chunks, fruit snacks, cooked carrot sticks, Cheerios, and apple slices.")

7. My 5 worst habits? (I am asking Matt on these)
*Picking out stray hairs from my head
*Picking toenails
*Bad temper in traffic
*Leaving toilet seat up
*Calling girls, 'dude.'
(Reagan: "I don't have any.")

8. My 5 favorite foods?
*Chili's grilled chicken sandwich
*Homemade taco boats
*Hamburgers and french fries
*Cold cereal
*Pork salad from Cafe Rio
(Reagan: "Please see the snacks category above.")

9. Five places I have been?
*Puerto Rico
*Mexico
*Hawaii
*New Mexico
*Texas
(Reagan says, "Utah, California, Hawaii--my mommy was 6 weeks pregnant with me, New Mexico, and Texas.")

10. My 6 favorite memories?
*Christmas Eve and morning all growing up. It was such an exciting time as a kid!!
*Catalina Island with Lori 2000. A crazy trip that turned out to be so much freakin fun.
*My first date with Matt to Preference-I asked him and we went to the Spanish Fork dance, listened to Counting Crows and ate ice cream off our table for dessert. Upon getting in the truck, he said, "Oh, you like Counting Crows. Me, too." I knew he was the one.
*Family reunion in Lava Hot Springs 2004-staying overnight in Soda Springs. Matt and I were dating at the time and he came along. My parents made me share a bed with my sisters while Matt slept in the other cabin. No funny stuff going on there.
*Matt proposing to me in Sundance, Utah on July 13th 2004. It was a total surprise and a VERY long story. I will share it when we celebrate our 5th anniversary in 2 months.
*The day Reagan was born-June 22, 2006. She was three days overdue, but it felt like 3 years. After an unusually short labor, my little girl arrived and automatically pooped on my stomach...surely a prediction of things to come.

(Reagan says, "Mom is tired and doesn't feel like giving my 6 favorite memories. Let's just say they probably involve Baby Einstein, stroller rides with my BFF Adelaide, my grandmas and grandpas and my mom and dad, and a recent trip to see Lori and Nick.")

OK, so I would love to see some others fill this out. This includes anyone and everyone who should read this post, but I REALLY would love to see answers from my Hawaiian Tropic Models (Lori and Jenn), Loren, Lance/Katey (please start a blog!), Caitlin, Lindsey and Loni, Amy, Jeff and Selly, Lindsay, Robb and Lori (last 3 need blogs!). Oh yeah, and all the Cowell Terrace and ward friends here in Concord--and on the east coast (Burts). My freshman ward buddies Jeanine, Rachel, Jessica. My cuzzin Brooke. Ruth in SLC!! Anyone else???

The Purse Curse

When I was in 6th grade, carrying a purse was so cool. That lasted for like 2 months. Ever since then, I hate carrying around purses. Not that I don't like the way they look, but I seriously hate having something slung over my shoulder and I always set it down and forget about it. In high school, my friends teased me because I wore a mini backpack around instead of one. Then I graduated to college and found a canvas thing to sling over me.

Times have changed and I now enjoy purses. Finding the right one is hard. Lori and Nick took us to the Las Cruces ROSS and I found a freakin fantastic purse that I am now in love with. Thanks you guys, you have great taste. We also were laughing because Reagan seemed to catch onto the purse idea rather quickly. I couldn't resist buying this little red purse for her. She now carries it around, slung over her arm and shoulder as pictured. I showed her how she can store things in it and carry them around. She thought that was cool.

Filling up Red Crabbie

While Reagan and I were away, Matt picked up some play sand to put in Reagan's red crabbie sand box. She sure loves the sand and with the weather being a little bit cooler, it gives her something to do. I am now finding the sand everywhere. It starts in between her toes and hands and ends up in the bathtub, after the water has drained, on the couch and in her socks after we remove them at night.

Deja Vu

I have had a sense of remembering all day today. For the first time in a couple of weeks, I actually logged onto the news and was blown away to hear about the wildfires in Southern California. As I read about the situation and the specific cities and towns that were being affected, I was totally brought back to the situation almost exactly 4 years ago. That was back when my family still lived in San Diego and I was living in Utah and the Cedar Fire destroyed much of Southern California. I even remember being in town a few weeks later for Thanksgiving and surveying the damage. Harbison Canyon and Crest, only a minutes drive from my parents home, was all ash. It was unbelievable.

The fires burning today seem to be much worse than before. I am comforted that my family no longer lives there, but I do have a few close friends who do and I know that many of you guys also have family that still live there. I hope that they get this contained or the wind dies down or something. For the latest update, you can pretty much check any news website, but the best for me has always been www.signonsandiego.com. Click if you want the latest info and some crazy photos. For those of you with loved ones living there, my thoughts and prayers are with you!

New Mexico

Reagan and I took our first "sans-Matt" trip out to Las Cruces, New Mexico to visit Lori and Nick. Lori and I have been best friends since the summer before our freshman year in high school. We have had some of the raddest times of my life together and every time we get together, its like nothing has changed at all. We love to reminisce as well, about our crazy times. Reagan just took to them right away. After a day or two, she was used to their cute doggies as well. I love Lori's family as well. They treat me like one of their own and make me feel so at home. I have known them for years and it had been a while since I had seen everyone. It was so fun to be with them and to let Reagan get to know them. She had so much fun because everyone was so friendly to her!
The back drop of the town of Las Cruces is the Organ's, which is basically the tail-end of the Rockies, Lori informed me. They were really cool looking and you could see where they got their name...jutting out like keys on an organ.

Lori and Nick's brand new house was gorgeous. And they sure can decorate! Sometime in my life I will own a home and I will hire them to decorate.

We ate at a local pizza place one night and it was fun. I felt like I was with my own family. The pizza was good, too!
Reagan and Kylie, Lori's niece, had so much fun together. On this trip, Reagan learned how to hold hands with people while walking (thanks, Lori!)
On Sunday, we drove to the Carlsbad Caverns, a few hours north of where they live. We got to drive through the town of El Paso, Texas as well. The caverns were really cool, reminding me so much of the Timpanogos caves, but way bigger. And you don't have a tour guide leading you along.

Because of Reagan's obsession with calculators, remotes and phones, she just loved Nick's shirt. Especially when he would say "beep-beep" as she poked at the numbers.
Strolling down the path in the caverns.
I had a hard time getting the feel of the place on camera. I don't have the greatest night vision on it and it was just hard to capture a good photo of the scenes. But if you look closely, you can see the ceiling hanging down all pokey and stuff.

After Carlsbad Caverns, we headed up to Cloudcroft, a little town in the mountains of New Mexico. Lori and Nick reserved a place at the Cloudcroft Lodge. I learned something new...when a place is said to be 'charmed,' that is a fancy way of saying 'haunted.' Halloween spirit really kicked in for us that night, with ghosts on the brain. Click here to read the story about the haunting, but to be basic, a woman named Rebecca haunts the lodge. She was a skanky chambermaid who's boyfriend found her cheating and killed her...or so the legend goes. Now Rebecca haunts the entire hotel. Lori and Nick were so smart and ended up renting a lodge from the same hotel down the road called the Pavilion, which we were assured wasn't haunted. At least, no one had reported anything as of yet.

However, our night could not be complete without a tour of the actual haunted lodge. The guy working there let us see the governors suite, which is the most haunted room there. Here we are in the actual hallway where Rebecca's ghost roams!
The Cloudcroft lodge in the morning, a much less scary time of day.
Road tripping was so much fun with the Moog's. We drove through some teeny towns that we swore to never ever live in and ate a Taco Bell that made Lori lose her appetite due to the dead flies falling into the windowsill by our table. My favorite drink, Starbucks Strawberries and Creme Frappucino, became Reagan's new favorite drink. She got ticked when I took the straw out to have a sip for myself. For those of you wondering...this drink does not contain coffee.

The coolest rest stop I have ever seen.
Our last stop was the White Sands National Monument. Part of Transformers was filmed here (never seen it, but Lori says it is the scene in Iraq). It was really cool. It looks like snow, but it is actually fine, white sand.

Reagan had so much fun, she just loves the sand.

Oh, man, we had so much fun in New Mexico. Lori and Nick totally went out of there way for us and made it an excellent time. We can't wait to go back and I need to bring Matt next time. :)

Family time in Utah

If I had to choose one month of the year to be in Utah, this would be it. October is just gorgeous in Utah. We were blessed with windy autumn weather, the leaves change to the most vibrant colors and we even had some snow in the mountains. I wish I had time to be a little more up close and personal with the photos, but these are still great shots.
We spent Wednesday with the raddest mom-in-law ever, Bev and with Mel and her kids. This is where Mel and I got out for a kids-free shopping trip and we also ate at Cafe Rio, the best food in Utah. The highlight, however, was Whitney proudly announcing that she was going to give her baby some milk and plopping down in the rocker and lifting up her shirt. It was so classic!
Reagan and Whitney playing and having fun.
I got to spend some time with my sisters, too. I ended up getting my hair cut and highlighted while there, since it is like a quarter of the cost in Utah (compared to CA). I walked into the hair place looking like my sister Loni (right) and left looking like Lindsey (left).

Reagan just prefers to be nude. Matt and I are praying that she outgrows this stage prior to the age of 16.

With Gram and Lindsey in Cafe Rio. We pretty much went straight there from the airport. I was in Utah for 4 days and ate at Cafe Rio twice. I could have easily ate there again, but I had to try a few others things, too. Plus, the beans were really getting to Reagan and I didn't have Matt around to pawn off the diaper duty.

Halloween Party

My last night in Utah (before my 8:30 AM flight the next morning!) we had a raging party at Mom and Dad Roundy's haunted mansion. Lindsey and my mom put mucho work into this shindig and it turned out great. Usually, when everyone is over for an event, I end up with a massive headache and am grumpy by the end of the night. Not so with this one. It was a blast from start to finish. Reagan kept a really late night, finally going to bed at 10:45 PM. She really didn't mind at all staying up. I apologize to those not related to me because looking at all the pictures may be incredibly boring, but I just loved everyones costumes and I want them all to get a chance to be featured on No Exceptions, k?

One of the biggest highlights was Max, my nephew, rocking out with this wooden guitar. This kid is an absolute crackup. Due to his excitement level and crazy expressions, we have dubbed him "Monster Max." Never a dull moment with him around. I actually got a video of him shaking his thang, but it is a long one and if I have the time, I will upload it onto blogger. Even the video doesn't do his antics justice, however, as all the adults in the room were roaring in laughter.
Reagan sat on grandpas lap for a while. This is a first and rare occasion, as Reagan usually prefers her grandmas over her grandpas. Here she is trying to pop the bubbles he blew.
A typical moment for the clan: laughing. Loni, Lindsey, Landen and Alyssa. For those of you who haven't figured it out, myself and my 5 brothers and sisters all have names that start with L. Nope, my parents weren't on drugs, they actually claim it just "kind of happened." Long story and I will spare everyone by not sharing it.
The post-Halloween party dance floor. Loren brought in his IPOD and played music while we all danced. Alyssa knew just about every song, especially rap. I think I know what station Loren listens to at home.
Eli showed up as the scarecrow from Wizard of Oz. Here he is eating a chocolate cupcake with orange frosting.
Max, Regs, Lindsey and her hubby Roland. Roland didn't show up with a costume, so Lindsey proceeded to dress him up as a cross between Ferris Bueller and the devil.

Katey had one of the best costumes of the night, hands down. Those of you who read (or watch) Harry Potter should know exactly who she is. Actually, I don't read Harry Potter and I know EXACTLY who she is. That is how good this costume was.
Loren showed up in what he described as a costume for a "jeans model." Whatever, dude, next year if he pulls something like this, we will dress him up in whatever we want and send him with a shopping list to Bowmans. This was not a costume-optional party.
Meow! The two cats of the party: Autumn and Lindsey.
Technically, Easton wasn't really in costume, since I think he wears this pirate outfit nearly every day for the last like 4 months. But he still was a handsome Jack Sparrow, IMO. Ashlee and Autumn. Ash won the sexiest costume award! How many can claim that one when they are 6?
Landen, Caitlin and Emma. Caitlin convinced Landen to be a vampire, I think because of the hottie Edward (for all you TWILIGHT readers out there!)

OK, seriously. Where do you find this kind of shirt? Well, if you own a dry cleaners and some people never pick up their clothing, you just might find some Halloween costume worthy stuff there.
Lindsey and I spent most of Friday doing the decorations and food. We were pretty proud of the crepe paper job.
Loni's costume took about 3 minutes to throw together.
Kelly and Ash.
Regs, me and Landen. I was pretty proud of my costume, until I got home and showed my pics to Matt who proceeded to laugh his head off at the ghetto electrical tape job. Hey, come on! The only adult bee costume I could find was a little too naughty for my taste.

My little bumblebee.
The other best costume of the night: my pops. He was a pimp. Lindsey and I helped him put this costume together. Really, I wouldn't have recognized him if he was sitting next to me on the bus.
Mom and Dad.
The outside decorations...Lindsey did this.
A Roundy Halloween party would never be complete without a scavenger hunt. I don't have photos of that because it is just too insane for a camera, but we separated into two teams. Lindsey wrote up a bunch of riddles and hid them all over spots in Kaysville. For those familiar with the town, we stopped at Gailey Park, Davis High School, the old rock church, the library, the expectant mothers parking at Bowmans, and finally, Castle Park. Our car arrived much earlier than the other car, so we decided to hide and scare them while retrieving their "treasure." This is very typical of Loren. He delights more than anything in scaring the living daylights out of the family. An event, whether it be Halloween, New Years Eve or 4th of July, isn't complete without him hiding somewhere and jumping out to cause someone to wet their pants (or worse.) Lance and Landen are usually the unsuspecting victims. Oh, man, Loren, you might just have it coming big time one of these years!