Picking Dad up from the Hangar

What a fun Friday I had.  With the kids off to school I talked a friend into going and seeing Mama Mia with me.  I hadn't seen the movie version yet and obviously everyone else has, because when we got to the theater (12:25 showing) it was completely empty.  We had the whole theater to ourselves.  I'm thinking I might have to go to a noon shwing more often!  Suzie was saved, right after the film started two other women came in.  I told her if it had just been us I would have danced and sang through the entire thing.  I love all the Abba songs in the show.  My childhood friend Becky and I used to dance to Abba in her family room with the dusters all the time!  Love it.

I met the kids off the bus and Grant went to Simon's to play and Madison came to play with Morgan, so Ethan was feeling totally bummed that none of his friends were around to play.  After a bit he took some popcorn over to our neighbor Cassy and played with her.  Finally we got everyone rounded up and headed off to pick up Troy from the HANGAR.  He got to fly home on the Corporate Jet instead of his planed flight Saturday morning, Yeah!  So he came out and asked the kids if they would like to see the jet.  Of course they were all filthy and barefoot after playing out side all afternoon, but Troy said it was ok.  So we went on a little tour of the corporate jet and no, Troy can not stand up in the plane at any given point, but it is longer than I thought it would be, but also a little narrower than I thought it would be.  There is one comfy, padded, swivel chair at each window and a separate room with chairs and a bed for the Chairman.  We met the pilot and saw where the snacks were kept.  I think Ethan enjoyed it the very most.  He had a lot of questions about the plane for Troy after we left.  The pictures were all taken with my new iPhone, which doesn't have a flash so they are a little dark.  The first picture we are in the plane, then coming out of the plane and the last picture is the plane President Monson flies in parked on the other side of the hanger.  I was amazed at how big and clean the hangar was, it didn't look so big from the outside.  Very cool.  

Our Crazy Dog...

Ok, so I've been trying to think of something to write about all week.  I really didn't think I would enjoy blogging so much.  I thought we'd do vacations or something, but I've really enjoyed writing about our family and the pictures we take.  So you know I'm pretty desperate when I start writing about the family dog!  You'll know it's really bad when I start a day by day journal of what I'm doing with myself now that all my kids are in school.

Moving forward to the story of my day.  I took Percy in to Becky to get his hair and nails trimmed, doesn't he look handsome.  When I drive around with him in the car I shut the end of his leash in the car door and when we are on neighborhood roads I roll down the window for him.  Side note: if he's in the car I have to lock the windows because he paws at the window button until the window rolls down.  So we are driving home and are close enough that I roll the window half way down and before long it's all the way down.  I have this fleeting thought to roll the window back up and lock it and then I think that is stupid, there is no way he'll jump out of the car.  So what does the crazy dog do one block from our house?  Jumped out the window!  Did I notice?  Unfortunately not until I was pulling into the drive way.  So I turn around and go look for him.  I was so afraid it hurt is neck, ok I thought it may have broke his neck, because the entire leash was gone from the door.  I'm driving and no Percy anywhere.  I went home to see if he made it home and had a message from this guy who found Percy limping on the road before our street.  He brought Percy by and I thanked him and then I noticed he was just sitting in his car for a bit.  Should I have offered him a reward?  Anyway, Percy is fine and running around.  I'm super glad because I really didn't want to explain a dead dog to my kids.

Cold Season

Morgan came home from school Wednesday with a runny nose, which usually happens the first week of school.  So I was thrilled that we made it through two weeks before our first cold made it through the door.   I've been having us all drink airborn, which only Morgan hates, to try and keep the rest of us from getting sick and maybe nip it in the bud for Morgan.  

This morning Morgan was lingering downstairs and being slower than usual with the hopes that I wouldn't make her drink the airborn and so I wouldn't find out she had a cough and keep her home from school!  Grant or Ethan would fake a cough if they thought it would keep them home from school every now and then.  Needless to say I let her go to school with her cough, her teacher is going to hate me, but it's one of those fights I have to keep for when she's really sick.  Do I warn her teacher that even with her adenoids out and tubes in her ears she tends to have a runny nose all school year long and will still get at least one ear infection during the year?  

I think these are the two things she inherited from me.  Can't miss school, although mine was strictly out of fear and hers is more for social reasons and having a terrible immune system.  Oh, she also inherited my allergies poor kid.  Otherwise I think she is Keller through and through.   It is sort of funny that people think she looks like me until they see or meet Troy and then they say how much she looks like Troy!  It makes me laugh because I don't think she looks at all like me.

Well here's to another school year, wish us luck!

Carlin's Never Ending Birthday

Troy was going to be out of town on my birthday so we took the family to the Mandrin for dinner the night before.  It was so yummy!  And guess what I got for my birthday?  An I Phone with accessories.  Very fun and exciting.

With Troy out of town on Thursday I figured it wouldn't hurt to slack off a little on my birthday!  I really didn't even have to try, it all sort of happened.  I got up and dressed and checked my email when my dear friend Diane called from Colorado.  Very exciting and we chatted for over an hour (nothing unusual).  Then Suzie called to see if I wanted to go to lunch, which with no other plans how could I pass that up?  So we headed off to Plates and Palates in Bountiful and had a very enjoyable lunch.  She had never eaten there so it was fun to introduce her to one of my favorite lunch spots.  In fact we ran into my neighbor there who I usually eat there with.  Suzie and I ended up hanging out until the bus came with the kids from school.  I got the kids snacks and started on home work and had a message on Facebook from a friend on my I-Phone so I checked it out on the computer (still easier for me to reply on the computer).  And my friend in DC had sent me birthday wishes and cake.  Then my door bell rang and my friend Heather had brought me by a chocolate cake.  And on the door step were brownies from my visiting teachers and cute, yummy soap from Sara.  I was just spoiled all day long.  To top it off Suzie brought bread and jam to go with our dinner and then I left Grant in charge and went out to the movies with my mom and sister!  What a day....  

Wait it's not over!  Troy invited my whole family and Brady and Jamie's family over for cake and ice cream on Sunday.  I had to post the Keller family pic, it might be the only family picture we get of them!  We ate left overs from the neighborhood party we had at our house Saturday night.  Then some cookies, cake and ice cream.  And Kathryn even came up and played her guitar for me!  So spoiled am I!
Thanks hun!!  Love ya -- Grant took this picture, pretty good shot.  (better if I had worn heels!)

Grant's Guitar

Grant worked hard this summer moving dirt, rocks/gravel, mulch and flag stone so he could earn a lot of money and thus he ended up with a new guitar!  Now with a month off of playing we've got to get back into practicing so he can play it!  Good Work Grant.

Ethan went with me on a Priests overnighter last weekend to Pyramid Lake in the Uintas. This is a picture of one of the freshly caught brook trout we grilled over the fire on a stick. The taste was not bad at all, though it had very little actual meat on its skinny fish bones. We also hiked a little and stayed up very late chatting around the fire. We had the place to ourselves as the road is a bear to come up on, basically an old stream bed. Some of the Priests got out and walked at times rather than suffer through the bouncing and jostling of the vehicles.




This picture is one of our Priests (Eric Pande) fishing out in the lake. No, he's not wearing any waders or even any shoes of any kind. He emerged more or less unscathed.

The Finished Product

Ta-da.  This is our fun new playhouse.  The kids have already moved bean bag chairs, a small table and chairs and some hooks and shelves into the playhouse.  Morgan would like to put all of her dolls in there, but that was vetoed. We went with straight trim and brown stain to make it boy friendly (at Troy's request) and Morgan settled on a sky blue color inside to please boys and girls a like.  Now they are asking to sleep out in it... we'll see.