William's World

Drowning Concerns

2011-09-30T11:03:00.002-06:00

In June, we visited the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, CA. We had a great time with Grandma Pitt, sister Sheryl, several of Sheryl’s adult kids and grandchildren, and our friend Dante.

Will loved the day we spent there. He repeatedly visited the petting pools where he could pet sharks, manta-rays, starfish, sea anemones, jelly fish and other fish and sea creatures. We fed birds and visited every single exhibit, making sure not to miss anything. Will was even chosen to be the helper for the seal and sea lion show (he is always quick and enthusiastic to volunteer for such things).

Near the end of our day, we watched a cool presentation about the melting glaciers and ice caps around the world and the predicted affect that could have on the planet and the land we live on. Will didn’t seem to be paying attention and gave his usual, “it was great,” when I asked him what he thought about the movie. Later that day he approached me and a few days later he talked to Lori concerning the presentation. He had a genuine concern for all of our friends and family who lived on the coasts of California and felt we should invite them to move to Utah.

Our hearts were touched by the concern he had been carrying with him since visiting the aquarium.

Lesson to us: William is paying far better attention that we think he is and he holds on to things he hears, and ponders them. I must admit that this makes me more than happy.

The Mohawk

2011-05-06T11:14:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, as we drove home from our Cinco de Mayo dinner, I spotted a tough looking motorcyclist sporting a mohawk. I pointed out the burly cyclist to Will because he seems to have a fascination with that particular hair style.

“Awesome!” he cried.

Lori started to inform Will that he will never have one and I quickly hushed the comment. I’m thinking if we put a verbal ban on his adolescent desire for what he sees as a fun Mohawk, the seed of rebellion is then planted in his mind. I can clearly imagine Will crawling into his bedroom window instead of walking through the front door because of his newly unispiked hairstyle. I think Lori saw what I was thinking, so she resumed with a different approach.

Lori: I don't like mohawks.

Will: You don't like them?

Lori: I don't like how they look on people. Do you like how they look or do you want one?

Will: I want one.

Lori: No. Not on my watch.

Will: So you are saying it's not ever gonna happen?

Lori: Yes. That's what I'm saying.

Will: We'll see about that.

Seed of rebellion firmly planted and sprouting.

Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point

2011-05-01T13:19:00.001-06:00

Saturday we met our friends Sarah and Terry Price and four of their kids, T, Sam, Rachel and Rebekah at Thanksgiving Point for the Tulip Festival. We hadn't seen them in such a long time, we had a great time catching up and enjoying the beautiful scenery!

the lovely Sarah Sue

purple tulips.. always a highlight!

Will spent a good portion of the day running from

Rachel and Rebekah... he loved it!

Sam, Will and Rachel

Thanks to T, who had quarters, they were

able to buy fish food and feed the Koi

Will has a fascination with water...

one day he will put his face in it :)

Will, Rebekah and Sam

Will's favorite spot at TP is the Secret Garden

where he can play in the fountain.

... a good day!

Education & Priorities

2011-03-23T14:23:00.003-06:00

Will was talking about which university he will attend. He is 7. He is thinking about his advanced education. I'm pretty sure I didn't know anything about advanced education when I was 7.

The discussion turned to the possibility of BYU (he could go to any respected institution as far as we are concerned). He liked this idea because he could live at home. Our hearts are warmed by his desire to be near us, but we figure in a few years he may not want to be so near his parents. Lori asked if he would want to actually live in the dorms with his friends, but he figured it would be nicer to live with us.

After a few moments of silence Will inquired, “Mom, is the BYU Creamery closer to our house or the dorms?”

“Well, it's closer to the dorms,” she responded.

“Hmmm, then that’s tricky.”

At least he knows what his priorities are.

Heartbreakers

2010-09-21T16:30:00.007-06:00

Early in the mornings, Lori takes me to catch the bus. On the rare occasion that William is awake at that dreadful hour, he goes with us, but he usually stays home with Jennifer, Tana, and Lucky.

Will has been told that he must go down to the car with one of us in the instances he wakes up. He cannot just walk down to the car on his own just in case we do not see or hear him and the worst occurs (just the thought tightens my chest and gives me shivers).

This morning Will woke up and starting coming down the hall as I was rushing down the stairs to the running car, where Lori was waiting for me. He was a good boy and did not go down to the car alone. He did go into the library where the bay windows hang over the driveway below. He banged on the windows, crying, tears streaming down his face, and yelled for us to let him go along as we were pulling away from the house. We neither heard nor saw him.

Lori arrived back home and found Will sitting in the family room chair with puffed red eyes and a quivering bottom lip. With a shakey voice, he told her what had happened. While typing this, it breaks my heart as I consider how he was feeling.

Will and Lori now have a plan, should this happen again. He is to flash the lights off an on in an effort to get our attention. In the mean time, I will tip-toe as light as possible in the mornings to allow him to sleep as much as we can. I love to have him with me, however, his evening moods are not so cheery when he rides along to catch those early busses.

Charmer

2010-09-20T16:04:00.000-06:00

Lori has many talents I admire. There is one, though, at which I marvel. She is a master mood charmer.

When Will is crying, she has always had a way of saying just the right thing, making the perfect noise, or masterfully distorting her face in a way that instantly turns his tears into chortling laughter (tears still on cheeks). Now that he gets angry at us on occasion, she has been honing her skills to alter his deeper, more determined moods with increasing success. I have tried to emulate this skill, but no go. It simply does not work. Perhaps it is because I am not humorous; at least not on purpose.

I am not a charmer, but am ever grateful that she is.

Best Day Ever!

2010-09-16T16:36:00.003-06:00

We spent this past Labor Day doing anything but labor. We began the day by eating breakfast together. This may seem minor, but for us it is a rare occurrence.

We then gathered our much-too-infrequently-used swim gear, loaded the trunk of the car, and headed off to the pool of Will's choice. It was actually his second choice; I was not about to spend the money for just a few hours at Seven Peaks. We were so anxious to hit the water that when we arrived, the pool was not even open yet. So, quick-as-a-flash (Will's term), we ran to grab something we could eat for lunch later in the day.

It was a great afternoon of swimming, sliding, running--wait, it says "no running" about every 3 feet at the pool. Will did not seem to care, so we spent the day yelling, "don't run," "no running," and "Will, what does that sign say?" Will brought his new (by new, I mean purchased LONG ago and finally used for the first time) blow-up sea turtle that is about 4' by 5'. It was the hit of the pool. Everyone wanted to either ride it, push it, or swim under it.

I spent part of our pool time tyring to help Will overcome his dislike of having a wet head or face. Lori does her water therapy when he is in the bathtub a few times a week and it seems to be working. I figured this was my day to contribute to the progress. The pool has metal buckets hanging from a pole about 20 feet above the pool. They continually fill up and one at a time, tip over, and dump on the heads of those swimming below. Pushing Will, the fearless turtle rider, I inched closer to the dumping buckets. Just as the water started pelting the turtle, Will cried out in protest. Too late. Spuu-laaa-sh! Um, he was not happy!

After Will forgave me, we enjoyed the rest of our time at the pool. The water therapy, however, may have actually worked. The next thing we knew, Will was running in and out (again and again) of the giant, towering water mushroom that continuously pours solid sheets of water from its top, down into the pool. Progress.

Our next phase of adventure was the annual Labor Day Luau at Thanksgiving Point. We sped home, showered, dressed in our best luau gear, and headed to the gardens. You see, Lori LOVES Hawaii and has been several times because she used to work for a Hawaii tour company (I consistently remind her that we have never been). Also, we all love Thanksgiving Point and go often. We go to the gardens, shops, dinosaur museum, movies, glass studio, and restaurants. Sometimes we go just to read books together in the gardens.

The Luau was very well attended. There were hundreds of people there. Initially, the pre-purchased ticket line was long, but the mood was festive, the food was plentiful and oh-so-good, and we loved the entertainment. Everyone was in a friendly mood (except for the major complainer behind us in line--we made sure not to sit by him). We all had a great time.

While driving home, I pondered our full day together as a family. We were all very quiet. As we pulled into the driveway, Will stretched and said, "This was the best day ever!"

Living up to His Name

2010-08-24T15:12:00.000-06:00

This is another, “where does this boy come from?” moment for us.

Will is always surprising and amusing us with his observations of the small details found in this world, but some of those observations would only be appreciated by those interested in music.

He often makes comments about music and this includes soundtracks and orchestrations. He loves to direct music and is sure to include the background instrumental parts in his conducting. This always amuses us (and gives me hopes for a future in music). Lately he has been singing the music from Mindy’s (Gledhill) new CD and has picked up the lyrics pretty quickly.

His most recent comment came last night as I put a West Wing DVD into the player. After a few minutes of the soundtrack cycling on the menu (waiting for me to press play). Will says, “do you hear those horns in the music?” We didn’t hear what he meant at first so he said, “it goes like this,” and sang the horn part for us. Sure enough in one small section of the title song, there are pulsating brass horns playing in the background.

Where does he come from?

Dental Breakthrough

2010-07-08T15:14:00.000-06:00

Going to the dentist is always a traumatic event for Will and in turn, just as traumatic for Lori (or worse). It is usually filled with screaming, crying, kicking, yelling, and pleading; and by the end of the appointment those actions include almost everyone involved. This includes any visit, even simple check ups or cleanings. Lori is usually the one to take him in since I work up in Salt Lake. Though I did go with them the day they were going to have to put him out to do some extensive work.

Yesterday was Will's next check up. You can feel the tensions rise in our home each day closer we come to such an appointment. In the afternoon, I received the following phone message:

"Hey, Dad! It’s me, William. Um, we’re just leaving the dentist building and I—was—SSSUUUPER good at my dentist appointment today. I was so good I even sat in the chair and I didn’t even scream or cry or whine or anything. I just went quick-as-a-flash to get my dentist appointment done AND I got one of those rubber sticky hands AND NOW it’s sticking to me. Call me when you get this message. BYYYYYYYEEEE!!"

He naturally received a reward for his behavior. But I think his biggest reward was the excitement he felt about making it through the appointment with such stellar behavior. In all reality, I was happiest for Lori. Tender mercies.

Street Dancing

2010-07-08T14:37:00.002-06:00

We asked our friend, Nancy, to write a first hand experience of William's breakout career in street dancing:

Will’s mom (my best friend, Lori) said Will wanted to wait with me as we camped out at the 'Provo Parade University Street-party' (holding places for the next morning's Independence parade) while she and Brent took my two older daughters home to clean up and baked sticky buns for the following morning. “Of course, he can stay!”, being that I love that little guy almost to death! He jumped out of the car and his parents left.

I was playing cards with my 10 yr old daughter Caitlyn when Will walked up to me and asked if I had a container. "What kind of container, Will?” and he replied, “something to put money in.” I said, ‘Sorry, buddy, I don’t have any containers here. Hey, what if I finish drinking this water and you can have my water bottle?” And with raised eye brows and a smile he said, “Sure, that’ll work!” So I gulped the last of my water and handed him the bottle. My curiosity got the best of me, “Why do you want this bottle anyway?” And with all the confidence of a teenager, 6 ½ yr old Will replied: “I want to dance on the sidewalk so people will put money in it.” I said ‘You want to dance for money?” My mind raced with Lori and Brent’s possible reactions when they would find out I let their son street dance and solicit money. I asked why he needs money and he said "I’m saving for a Disney cruise!" Of course he was, I knew that.

So, there we are, an empty water bottle at his feet, and Will doing the ROBOT dance. He had a green glow necklace around his face from his chin to the top of his head. Very cute. People would walk by and I’d point to Will and say “Little man dancing for nickels and dimes!” And all types of people would stop and drop in their change.

A couple of college girls asked if they could take a picture with him. “Sure! I’d say. One group was about 12 people large. They surrounded Will and asked me to take the picture, they left him a $5 bill in his bottle! Guys stopped on their skateboards and hand-holding couples took pictures with their cell phones. There was Will, giving the camera a thumbs up! If I got distracted and people walked by without me bringing him to their attention, he’d yell towards me and say, “Nance, you forgot the money call!” So, I’d apologize and say, “I’ll get the next group, sorry!”

I was so impressed with his diligence and confidence. A sign of things to come….

Post note: Will counted the money he made from dancing for an hour and his haul was $15.58. I love that even though it was pretty late at night, he promptly separated his earnings into tithing, mission, Disney cruise savings, spending, and no-touch savings. He is already far ahead of his parents.

Huntington Beach

2010-05-04T16:05:00.000-06:00

we were able to go to HB in March to visit and have a little vacation.

we went to Balboa one afternoon just to hang out and

Will talked Brent into riding the carousel

then we went to HB to hang out at the beach

for not being born in or ever living there...

Will is a true Californian and beach lover.

sorry about the picture quality...

2010-04-16T15:57:00.000-06:00

please excuse the quality (or lack thereof) of my pictures lately. I dropped my camera and it broke... and all I have is my phone. not good.

2010-04-16T15:55:00.000-06:00

This year I am one of the Room Reps for Will's Kindergarten class.

(it's no longer room "mother" because that's not PC)

Every year they have Teacher Appreciation Day.

The room reps are responsible for decorating the classroom door.

So, of course, I went to my creative husband for ideas.

This is what he came up with. It was the hit of the school!!

The school theme this year is 60 years of stars (it's the school's 60th anniversary). And they asked that the doors incorporate the school theme. Brent found various pictures of oscar winning actresses posing with their statues. We cut out their faces and replaced them with pictures of Mrs. Perry. They were hilarious! Mrs. Perry said she had teachers lined up at her door after school to get a glimpse at the poster.

the absence of two front teeth...

2010-04-16T15:25:00.001-06:00

Will and I went to pick up pizza one night. We came out with the pizza and as I opened my car door I hear a loud THUD!

I looked up and saw this....

Will had jumped onto the hood of the car

and stuck his face in the windshield.

It was a perfect shot of his missing front teeth.

girls? ... seriously?

2009-11-18T13:20:00.000-07:00

a conversation i had with will today...

Will: what day is it today?

Me: wednesday.

Will: is it a school day?

Me: yes

Will: oh, good. that means I can see Hannah and Livy. and i can play with them at recess.

Me: why don't you play with the boys at recess? why do you like to play with the girls all the time.

Will: because Hannah and Livy are just so beautiful!

.... 5 years old... going on 16....

pumpkinland

2009-11-14T13:58:00.013-07:00

Will's first fieldtrip was to Pumpkinland.

He was very excited to be going on his first school bus.

Of course, it was the day that it had to SNOW... so we went to pumpkinland in the midst of a little snowstorm.

They sang Halloween songs all the way there.

The kids were cold and wet, but they had a lot of fun.

Will's friends from Primary....
Caleb, Will, Isaac, and Seth.

Will and Hannah

"The Pumpkin Group"

Livy, Jacque, Will and Modoc

They each got to pick out their own pumpkin to take home. Will was so ready to leave by then.

the humbling perspective...

2009-10-09T06:13:00.002-06:00

So the other day I was helping Will practice the piano... and as we are playing the "cup game", where he chooses one of his "crossings" to play from one cup on top of the piano and puts into the other cup, he notices Brent's high school picture...

Will: Mom! LOOK!! There's a picture of Dad when he was THIN!

Me: Yep, that's a picture when he was in High School.

Will: But Mom, he was really thin!

Me: He was.

Will: But he was thin then.... thin like you!

(Of course, at that point, the love for my son exuded forth...)

Me: (smiling) Thanks, Will!

Will: But you're WIDE thin.

Fall has arrived...

2009-09-30T12:07:00.003-06:00

To Autumn

SEASON of mists and mellow fruitfulness,

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

2.Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reap’d furrow sound asleep,

Drows’d with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

3.Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,—

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,

And touch the stubble plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft

The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

-- John Keats

(photos taken in Provo Canyon)

the canning continues

2009-09-29T15:21:00.004-06:00

and then there were tomatoes....

... and salsa!
we have been so blessed by our generous neighbors
and all of the free food we are receiving!

unconditional love...

2009-09-25T15:32:00.002-06:00

Me: Will, it's time to turn off the tv and get dressed.

Will: I'm watching another show.

Me: I told you it was time to get dressed when the last show was over.

Will: I know, but now I'm watching another show.

Me: You need to turn off the tv and get dressed.

Will: wait until this show is over.

Me: You can either turn off the tv, or I will turn it off for you.

Will: no, you can't.

~CLICK!~ (off goes the tv)

Will: Where's the phone?

Me: Who do you want to call?

Will: Dad.

He gets the phone and dials the number. He's waiting while the phone is ringing...

Me: Why are you calling Dad?

Will: I'm mad with someone. You know who I'm mad with? (and points at me)

Will: He's not answering! Man!

Later that evening, as I'm putting Will to bed and about to leave the room...

Will: Mommy?

Me: Yes?

Will: Even when you annoy me, I still love you.

Me: Thanks Will. I love you, too.

feeling like the domestic goddess...

2009-09-12T15:06:00.002-06:00

peaches!

thanks to our wonderful neighbors, we got free peaches from the broadbents, and a free canning lesson from judy nelson...

and lo and behold, brent and i now have canned peaches!

The First Day of Kindergarten!!

2009-08-31T16:47:00.018-06:00

Will was "a little bit nervous" just before it was time to leave for school.

"mommy, i'm a little bit nervous.

i think you need to stay with me all day at school."

"i can't Will. i have to go to the office today. but remember daddy gave you a blessing last night that you wouldn't be nervous at school."

the backpack

Will wanted a superheroes backpack

(even after Brent and I showed him ALL of the other "cool" backpacks)

he was insistant that this was in fact his backpack!

leaving for school....
(not so nervous now)

running to school....
and telling everyone he saw on the way,
"today is my first day of school!"

as I stopped Will from running out into the street....
I showed him the crosswalk just a few feet away!

and there he met
Ellen, the Crossing Guard

finally, getting to school!

and then he had to be reminded that he was not outside, and had to come back out of his classroom and walk in nicely...

(and of course, pose for another picture!)

He found his coat/backpack hook with his name on it.

And his very own cubby with all of his new school supplies...

...and a pose with his new binder, ...

... and his teacher, Mrs. Perry.

and then he found a table with some boys already doing some puzzle games and introduced himself, and I said goodbye. He didn't look back.

Obviously, the nervousness was gone. :)

Will's good friend from Primary, Isaac is also in his class.

His friend, Caleb is in another Kindergarten class,

but we saw him after school.

Will LOVED his first day of Kindergarten!!
and is looking forward to more days to come! :)

The Meisingers come to town...

2009-08-27T20:40:00.009-06:00

we love visitors!

on august 3rd we had lots of brent's family come into town.

Penny flew in from Denver. Stephanie and her daughters, Tana and Tara drove down from Idaho.

The following week Brent's Mom, along with his sister Willie and her husband, and their two daughters drove up from Albuquerque.

All of this to support Penny and join with her to celebrate her first temple experience. It was truly wonderful!

We spent a lot of time at the table playing

Hand and Foot, and Nertz.

Our cute Jasmin.

And the ever so lovely Te'a.

...and the comic relief of the family...Willie

Most of the family was able to come and congregate at the house. Those that weren't there were missed terribly.

July 2009

2009-08-09T15:48:00.012-06:00

July brought a trip to Montana and Canada!

It was Great Grandpa Gabby’s 85th birthday.

As well as a wedding for the second youngest of Brent’s siblings, Kenny and his Cheryl. (yes, another C/Sheryl to keep track of!) Sorry, no pictures yet.

And we were able to celebrate Brent’s birthday with his family for the first time in many, many years with a breakfast and presents, including this beautiful quilt that his Mom made for him.

Then we headed to Flathead Lake where

Brent spent a lot of summer hours as a boy.

We rented a boat and were able to locate his Great Grandparents’ cabin

and the surrounding homes that he remembers.

Will got a lesson on driving the boat…

and then he thought he could handle it on his own…

he actually did pretty well!
From Montana we headed up to Canada through Glacier National Park. It was beautiful scenery and you can't help but be grateful for and humbled by God's creations.

Our first stop in Canada was Cardston. We stopped overnight at a cute Bed and Breakfast. Brent wanted me to see the Cardston Temple so I went and did a session there while Brent took Will and Lucky on a little tour of the city. (yep, Lucky is now an international traveler!)
From Cardston we went up to Banff and Lake Louise (this should be on everyone’s “Things I Must See Before I Die” List!)

Lake Louise was breathtaking!

Will wanted to rent a canoe and go out on the lake… which we did… and two minutes away from the dock he was ready to go back. I must say that this was largely due to the fact that his parents are not outdoorsmen and quickly revealed their “un” skills at canoeing. After an hour of trying to figure out how to make our canoe go in a straight line (yes, we do understand the “row on opposite sides” theory,… however this did not seem to work for us), Brent finally was able to maneuver us back to the dock. (For further “funnies” on this, see Brent or Lori personally!)

Pitt Family Reunion 2009 - Vernal

2009-07-05T21:46:00.015-06:00

Will and I went to the Pitt Family Reunion in Vernal this year with Mom, Karen, Jeff, Kaylee and Kristy... and, of course, Lucky! It turned out to be a Southam Family Reunion with our family. The Southams were wonderful and very gracious to us. They hauled a trailer up the mountain for us and made sure that we were comfortable and had enough water.

Lucky was the first to make himself comfortable in the trailer.

He was not amused when he learned that he would still be sleeping in his crate in the trailer.

We spent lots of time in the trailer playing SkipBo, Hand & Foot, Phase 10, and my favorite from childhood days of camping... Milles Bournes!

I saw Will dragging his camp chair away from the fire pit the very first day and wondered where he was taking it....

Apparently, he saw Nila's shade tent and decided that would be a better place to hang out and have some time to himself!

And then he discovered the ATV!!

And he was never seen in the shade tent again!

Jeff was kind enough to take Will on many ATV rides during the course of our campout. Thanks Jeff!!

All the kids, young and old were very excited that Mom was coming to the campout, because they know that when she is there...

there will be a Candy Tree!!

The hike to get to the tree....

Will spotting the tree for the first time...

very intent on checking out what kinds of candy he is going to grab.

The feeding frenzy...

Kaylee and Kristy helped Will get to the candy he couldn't reach.

We had a great four days hanging out with the family. We had lots of torrential rain, some lightning and thunder, but lots of fun.

Tyson was at our door most mornings asking for Will to come out and play. The little girls were at our door every morning asking for Lucky to come out and play. All the kids loved Lucky and spent a lot of time playing with him and taking him for walks. One of the boys was even heard asking his mom if he could trade his dirt bike for Lucky!

Our boys.

Tired out after a fun-filled campout!

A lucky boy... and a Lucky dog...

2009-06-10T08:36:00.009-06:00

So... we were just going to the grocery store... innocent enough.... when all of the sudden we spied someone selling puppies... well, of course we had to go and take a look at them. Two beautiful MALE cocker spaniel puppies. We vowed NEVER to get a male dog again... and especially not a male cocker spaniel. We had learned our lesson with Brinkley... Will picked up one of the puppies...

"Mommy, can i be his brother?"

THE END.

The first name Will picked out for his puppy was Pepper. Because Grandma and Grandpa Meisinger had a beagle named Pepper that Will loved.

Then he started to call him Blackie....

Brent nixed that right away.

Then we asked for suggestions...

Tara let us know that Delaney voted for "Elmo", while Luke thought "Mouse" would be a good idea. Loren came in with "Vladimir", and Jana said "Lucky"
Right away Will chose "Lucky" and that was that.

And it has proved to be lucky indeed. Will has felt very lucky to have a new puppy, we have felt very lucky that our new puppy is already crate trained and potty trained, and spent a very quiet night in his new surroundings.

And Lucky is obviously feeling very lucky indeed... as noted by his first ride...

Will had to tuck Lucky in after a very eventful evening.

Lucky was definitely ready for some R&R

Heber Valley Railroad Fieldtrip

2009-06-03T14:29:00.012-06:00

The last fieldtrip of the season was to the Heber Valley Railroad. There was one other group there from Primary Children's Hospital. To everyone's surprise Thomas the Tank Engine came to town a week early to give the children a ride. They thought it was a GREAT surprise!!

William's two partners for the day were Joey and Trista.

They even got a visit from Sir Topham Hatt

William's pre-school class at Walden Montessori School

(Will's "girlfriend" Tessa was having a hard day - she is the one being held by Miss Teresa - pink shirt on the right)

No matter how many times I try to explain to Will....

he still thinks Joey is a boy!

On the train

Because they had the kids from Primary Children's Hospital, there was a news crew there taking pictures. Here is the link to see more... (we actually made into some of their pictures!)

http://www.deseretnews.com/photo/slideshow/1,5587,6173,00.html

Enter.... the Roses...

2009-06-02T13:50:00.007-06:00

Our newest surprises have been

coming from our rose bushes.

Here is a glimpse of our backyard...

Batter Up!

2009-05-17T16:05:00.010-06:00

Yesterday was the first T-Ball game of the season! Will was in Smart Start Baseball last Spring where they learned the skills to play but didn't play any games. So this is his first year to actually play games against other teams. He was excited to learn that his friends from church, Isaac and Caleb are also on his team. We were impressed with our coach, Jake Francom, who knew all of the boys names at the very first practice.

Will, Isaac Craig, Caleb Williams

Team Picture

(although Will isn't looking at the camera,

at least he is not the one picking his nose! :)

Will getting some catching direction from Coach Jake

and then some batting instruction

Will playing his position outfield

(or... just looking at flowers)

Will playing his position as shortstop

(or... finding something interesting in the dirt)

Although instructed to play only their own position,

as soon as the ball was hit, all of the boys would run after the ball.

It made for lots of fun for the spectators!

Everyone plays, everyone runs all of the bases

(there is no such thing as getting "out" or keeping score)

Giving the other team a shout out.

GO WASATCH!!

Mother's Day

2009-05-11T13:21:00.003-06:00

My two wonderful men made it a very lovely Mother's Day. I only had to get myself ready for church. Brent got Will ready and even ironed his own shirt. (ok, truth be told, he only ironed the front of the shirt that would show.) When I came out of the bedroom there was a yummy breakfast of fruit and crumpets waiting for me.

At church Brent had arranged for all of the women to attend Sunday School and Relief Society by organizing the men to take over all of their classes. This is the first time it has happened in this ward and the women were feeling very spoiled and grateful. I received many words of praise and gratitude to Brent.

After church we went for a little Spring drive and spent a little time at the park where Will quickly struck up a friendship with a little girl there and they fed the ducks (with lots of little ducklings in tow) and the birds.
When we got home I automatically launched into my regular routine, but Brent told me to go relax and he took care of everything the rest of the day. He made lunch and dinner, and even fresh fruit smoothies.
I am very lucky to have two of the best males ever living with me. Thank you Brent and Will!!

Our Backyard

2009-05-01T11:00:00.012-06:00

has Spring finally arrived on Aspen Avenue?

after a few freak spring snow storms (read as blizzards)... we decided it was time to tackle the jungle that is our backyard!

our beautiful boy

loves to play in the garden, but does not love the gardening so much....yet :)

the large apple tree

(the poor thing lost a limb to the blizzard)

of course, there has to be tulips!

(we will be planting purple ones in the fall)

the grape hyacinth

Brent tilled our future garden plot

the small apple tree in bloom

(this picture does not due justice to the beauty of this little tree)

the garden bench needs a little TLC,

but we hope to have it looking nice in a few weeks.

Our pear tree in bloom

So these are the before pictures...

we hope to have after pictures in a couple of months!

Shopping

2009-04-16T14:09:00.002-06:00

William on the phone with his friend Nancy while we are driving in the car to yet another store.

William: We went to Sears and Costco, and when we don't find what we want at Wal-Mart, we're going to Home Depot!

Maybe I do!

2009-02-11T10:07:00.005-07:00

So.. we find ourselves outside shoveling snow... again...

Will: Mom, can I shovel now?

Lori: Sure.

Lori: Will, hold it up so you can pick up the snow instead of just running over it!

Lori: Will! If you keep doing it that way you'll just pack it down and it will turn into ice and people will slip and fall!

Will: Mommy, it's your turn.

(I turn around and Will has walked into the street)

Lori: WILL!! Get out of the street!!

Will: Mom... you need a nap.... you're making me crazy!

Brent's First Home Project

2009-01-17T09:01:00.003-07:00

We are currently undergoing some projects... like putting in a laundry room. The electrician came to install the outlets. The plumber came to change our 1" pipes to 2" pipes and install the washer box. But still we didn't have a dryer vent. The plumber initially said he could do it... but decided we needed a concrete cutter due to the brick that would need to be cut through.

But my handyman (aka Brent), decided he could do it. He's never done such a project mind you... but was certain he was up to the task.

After spending some cash at Home Depot (our new favorite store), for a 4" concrete drill bit, along with some other items that I haven't a clue what they are for... he began the LONG process of cutting through drywall, chicken wire, and brick.... and then... low and behold.....

a dryer vent!!

the outside view!

What a Handyman!! Who knew!! :)

AT LAST... We have a camera!

2009-01-17T08:40:00.002-07:00

Believe it! With all of the birthday and Christmas money we received... we finally got a camera (i'd show you a picture, but...) :)

So... on with the show!

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful...

2008-12-22T10:25:00.003-07:00

... but watching it from inside is absolutely beautiful!
(Thanks to our neighbor across the street that takes pictures of our house!) We have been enjoying visits from Brent's Dad and his wife Natalie as well as her kids Karen, with significant other Randy, and Greg with his wife Diane. This is the first time we have been able to spend any time together with them all.

Fall on Aspen Ave

2008-11-05T08:39:00.003-07:00

Our lovely neighbor took this picture of our house the other day. Up until today this is what our house has looked like this Fall. Today, however, is a completely different story. Today we are covered in snow. And if I had a camera, I would take a picture and show you the new look our house is sporting... but... I don't. So, just picture this with lots of snow added everywhere! :)

Our House!

2008-09-04T10:07:00.006-06:00

So here are the first pictures of our new house. If all goes well, we should close on September 12th.

This is the sunroom, that will probably be "the office"

My Sisters

2008-09-03T15:34:00.002-06:00

I was going through some old photos today and came across this one of me and my sisters. It made me smile and quick thoughts and stories ran through my head of each one reminding me how blessed I am to have my best friends also as my sisters. I love you!!

Homeowners At Last!!

2008-08-27T14:55:00.002-06:00

Our offer has been accepted and we will finally be homeowners next month! Will only cares that his stuff will be out of storage! And his only request is that we hang a big tire swing on the huge apple tree.

Thank you to all of our family and friends for their prayers on our behalf!! IT WORKED!!

Help!

2008-06-26T10:26:00.001-06:00

I think we need blogging lessons! This apparently comes so naturally to everyone... but us!

Recent Happenings

2008-04-30T13:30:00.003-06:00

Obviously, we are really good at this! :) Some of our recent happenings: Will starts baseball on Saturday! He also started a "movement" class through BYU yesterday that he loved. We have loved having opportunities to spend time with family over the past few months. Brent is still in love with his job! I am still working. We have been looking for homes in various areas, but nothing we have fallen in love with yet. We are still trying to add to our family, as Will keeps asking where his baby brother and baby sister are hiding. Someday we will own a camera so we can add pictures!

We're back!

2007-11-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

OK, our niece, Kelli, told Lori she went to our blog and realized we had not posted for over a year. To be honest, we had forgotten what we had called the blog and could not find it until Kelli sent us the name of the blog in her email. Thank you, Kelli. Now that we have gone through the hoops of reinstating our blog, we are ready to post.

William is almost 4!

2007-11-18T18:46:00.003-07:00

William will turn 4 this next week. Unbelievable. Of course, he rules the home (though we are trying to change that). We had a birthday party for him yesterday. He had wanted a Spider-man birthday all year until recently when he declared he was going to have a Mickey Mouse party. Mickey it was. Everyone made their own Mickey Mouse shaped pizzas while wearing mouse ears and playing 'pin-the-ears-on-Mickey.' He had a great time.

We're going to the White House!

2006-09-19T16:12:00.000-06:00

We were told we would not be able to get on a White House tour because they now require six month's notice. However, I contacted Congressman Chris Cannon's office and one of his Washington Interns just got us confirmed on a tour!

Our Big Adventure

2006-09-13T21:27:00.000-06:00

We are all so excited for our upcoming adventure in New York and DC!! Brink will miss us, but he will have plenty of fun with the friends and family staying at our home while we are playing. If you have any thoughts on Must See's, Must Do's or Must Eats... please let us know.

Welcome to our blog!

2006-09-13T21:09:00.000-06:00

The Pitt-Meisingers are now blogging! It is hard to keep family and friends informed without forgetting someone or something. So, after seeing our friend Emily's blog, here we are. Thanks for the inspiration Em! We will post family happenings, events, photos and of course everything related to HRH. Since our world rotates around Wills and he thinks the world rotates around him, thus the name of our Blog.