Pumpkin Patch

Click the pic for the rest of the gallery and check the descriptions for photo details. My posts are way to short lately, but 4 year old princesses are an amazing time suck :p

Yellow is Good

Yellow is Good, originally uploaded by eouio.

Yeah she is!

Yeah she is!, originally uploaded by eouio.

However you spell it :)

I didn't even touch her!

If I had a nickle for every time I've heard that phrase...

Aimee Absence

Everyone has called to make sure the kids and I are doing ok with Aimee out of town for a bit. Actually no one has directly asked about me, but I'm sure the concern is implied...

So what's different with Aimee gone?



We go to the zoo more. Aimee has no great love for crowds, walking uphill, and the smell of poop so she tends to choose places that don't combine all three. I could spend time each day at the zoo and never get tired of it. Animals are just unpredictable and a little nutty and provide endless entertainment and fascination. Ian and Avyrlie fit right in :)



We buy flowers. It's much harder to say no to Avyrlie when she asks for flowers than it is to say no to Aimee (I've just had more practice saying no to Aimee ;) Also with Aimee gone, there is no one home to clean the bathrooms so we need something to mask the smell.



I occasionally forget dinner. Normally, I eat one or two meals a day and neither is dinner. After about 3PM I'm just not hungry any more. That's not to say that I don't eat any more if provided the opportunity, but if left to me to prepare the meals, I may forget about dinner and possibly lunch.

Avyrlie has proven that 4 year olds are endlessly adaptable and has taken to eating her unneeded toes. I figure a person really only needs three on each foot so she has another couple more days until we need to be too concerned.

Ian, on the other hand, can't go more than three breaths without one of them being accompanied by the inhalation of food. I had asked him to hold his breath so that not only would he stop spreading his lovely swine-like properties, but also to avoid the constant plea for additional afternoon meals.

I'm pretty sure we'll all survive a couple more days till mom gets home, but lets just say her flight better not be delayed!

Aimee clone

Aimee clone, originally uploaded by eouio.

Avyrlie as almost as picky as Aimee when it comes to food so any new addition to her diet is a welcome change even if it is Panda :P

Aquarium Afternoon

Just a quick link to some pics from this afternoon with the Wilsons.

Eye on the future

While I was looking for Ian's contacts, I found some for Avyrlie as well in case she ever needs them. Come to think of it, I might as well get a pair for Ian as well ;)

No Brain No Pain

No Brain No Pain, originally uploaded by eouio.

7-11 was kind enough to produce a cup poking fun at a serious affliction that I am plagued with. I'm still debating on the pain removal/lobotomy process so that I can once again enjoy frozen drinks. Aimee assures me no one would notice the difference afterward.

Zoo Pirate

I have a bunch of random clips of random stuff and thought I'd just post one. First pick was another of Aimee picking her nose, but I decided to avoid the pain and go with my second pick.

Zoo Pirate from aaron smith on Vimeo.

Football Season Update

I love watching Ian break tackles and leave behind nothing but sad faces and dust ;)


This year has been a whole new crazy adventure with football. I still have no great love for the sport myself, but enjoy watching Ian play and being involved with the team. This is their fifth year playing together with pretty much the same bunch of kids and coaches. They did have one 'star' player leave a couple years ago, but they beat the pants off the team he's on now so it's all good ;)

This spring Ian was invited to play indoor ball with a bunch of the kids from his regular season team and a couple newcomers. I didn't have a whole lot of expectations going into the season, but it turned out to be quite a boost to all the kids who played. In fact, one of the spring ball first-timers is now quite the animal on the regular season team, leading the team in sacks.

Ian fought a bit with pain and injuries for most of spring ball. He had sore heels and tweaked his neck a bit (with some help from a 250 lb lineman...). In the end, I think he toughened up a bit and hopefully started to understand why flexibility is a good thing especially when big kids are after you with the intention of sqeezing you in half until the football you're running away with pops loose.

After a summer working out with his grandpa and doing some reluctant stretching/screaming, he was more than ready to start regular season ball with the exception of 10 small problems; he was over the weight limit for ball carriers and would have to either shave off 10 lbs or play as a lineman. For Ian the whole point of football is the ball, so lineman wasn't an option.

We checked our owners manual and found that nothing on Ian was readily detachable meaning he would have to burn off 10 lbs he didn't have to burn :( If ever you have had the chance to see the kid eat, you'll know he calls breakfast, lunch, and dinner 'appetizers' and considers the contents of the refridgerator an after-school snack. I wasn't hopeful, but he was determined. Considering that Ian usually shows determination in one activity (staying asleep) we were happy to support him however we could.

It required some hard work, lots of sweat and tears, and a bunch of spitting, but Ian was willing and compliant throught the whole bit. For a kid whose primary method of communication is through non-compliance (secondary would be various body odors) this was just shy of miraculous. He even held out through candy torture during a sleep-over with his cousins.

The collective relief of the entire team as Ian hopped off the scale after making weight is why I enjoy football. It was a hard earned win for the entire team. We celebrated by letting Ian eat until he puked (hopefully that's the only celbratory puking of any kind he ever does ;)

The rest of the season has been pretty smooth in comparison. Hillcrest changed leagues this year so they no longer play Granstville or Park City which were the two big competitors. He's done slightly better at staying limber and stretching before practice and games but has yet to touch a toe.

He's working on a pretty sweet spin move that has payed off with whole lot of yardage this year and is still kicking really well. We just hope he continues breaking tackles and egos rather than bones this year :D

Impatiently Waiting

IMG_2310, originally uploaded by eouio.

I want winter. In fact, I'm desperate enough that I packed everyone in the car today and headed up the canyon till we hit snow. Avyrlie was the only one brave enough to jump out and play a bit.

I was ready to head off into it for a while, but Aimee didn't trust the roads. To me, that is the point of having 4-wheel drive. Really, she should have jumped behind the wheel and taken us over the pass.

It's a bit like food storage. If you never use it, when the time comes and disaster strikes you end up dead despite all the preparation. It was nice knowing you, wife :)

Soaking in the sun

Soaking in the sun, originally uploaded by eouio.

I love the camels in the morning. They totally have the right idea especially now that the weather is getting colder.
The baby tigers and elephant are running around to keep warm instead. Very cute, and very energetic. Make the trip to see them if you haven't already.