Answer to Ransom Note!!!

Dear Thief-

How about you give me the license plate cover back and I won't douse your stupid BYU emblem in gasoline and light it on fire in the church parking lot. The day you eat mint brownies made as a ransom for our beloved Ute memorabilia is the day I die.

We realize that our stolen property is much more valuable than the worthless trash you so willingly gave up in exchange for it. But we are good people. We know that it is nearly impossible not to covet this precious item. We would be willing to strike a deal for the safe return of said property. It will come at a price, for time lost and defamation of character to our vehicle and in turn our good family's name. If you are unwilling to abide by our terms we will be forced to part with our property knowing that its better to add another Ute License plate cover to the world and dispose of the cougar crap that was left behind.

Here are the terms of the exchange:

1. Our car needs a good detailing to rid it of all BYU filth.
2. A full tank of gas (that should cover the cost of embarrassment that we endured.)
3. A night of baby-sitting so that we can go out and deal with the emotional strain this has caused us.
4. A written apology on your own blog (which means you'd have to create one), stating that you realize that while you may have certain emotional ties to that little college in Provo, you have always admired and respected those who took the path less traveled and chose a school of higher quality and repute.
5. Host a football party on Nov. 24th and endure the beating without any wimpers or complaints.

A formal answer is requested within 48 hours or the BYU plate cover will no longer available for trade.

(dis)Respectfully yours,
The Avey Family

Humiliation at its best...

You know that awful feeling you get when you look down and realize that your zipper's down and you haven't been to the bathroom in hours. Or you have been to the bathroom and you realize you've spent the past 10 minutes walking around with toilet paper stuck to your shoe or better yet hanging out of your pants. Its the worst. I've been embarrassed with the best of them.

I was walking out of Wal-mart the other day and McKay was asking something about Seth all the sudden she points at this young fairly attractive guy that is definitely within ear shot and says "is that my daddy?" I laughed and said "no what are you talking about?" To which she responded, "then who is my daddy?" That was pretty embarrassing. But nothing compares to my utter humiliation today as I walked out of Costco and noticed something seriously wrong with my otherwise dependable and cute car....

The problem with most embarrassing situations is that you go home and stew over how dumb you were to embarrass yourself this way.... Well not this time. This time someone is to blame and trust me paybacks will be had. Rewards are being offered for information regarding this little caper. Laugh now. You won't be later!

A Blind Eye

I just walked by Kimball and she is sitting on the floor with my makeup bag.

I know what's going to happen. I know that I will have a mess to clean up.


But she's quiet. She's letting me get other housework done and apparently that makes it worth it.

Here's a couple pictures from last week's "make-up session" and other moments when I let her "entertain" herself. She is so dang
cute!

When I walked in with the camera she said "mom don't look at me, go away!" Thats ok Kimball, that's how I feel when I get caught eating chocolate too.

White Mountain Half Marathon

More confessions.... sometimes I tell Seth that I would really like to run a race with him (ok maybe not with him but at the same time as him.) Secretly I know it will never happen. I'm just too darn lazy and even beyond that too proud.

I am a fairly competitive person. I hate playing games if we're not keeping score, I just don't see the point. Heaven forbid I would win and nobody would know or acknowledge it because we didn't take the time to tally it all up. I joined a fantasy football league last year (big mistake, one more thing to distract me from the really important things in my life, ie my family.) Anyway, I stunk. It was awful. I didn't even make the playoffs, I swore I wouldn't waste my time again. I of course am wasting my time again and frustrating my life with players that are getting paid millions regardless of how many points they do (or in my case don't) tally up for me each week.

So back to the race and the prospect of running in one. We drove 3 hours to Show Low this past weekend and spent the night there before driving another 45 minutes to the thriving metropolis of Eagar, AZ. (I'm extremely curious of the population but for some reason "town limits" signs don't seem to boast the number of their offspring like they used to.) So we get to this quaint little down and I start to wonder what I am going to do with myself and my little busy bodies for the next few hours as we wait for daddy to be bussed up and then run down this beautiful 13.1 mile coarse. And this gets me thinking, why am I stuck here trying to entertain myself while I could be out there pushing my physical limits and enjoying this fresh mountain air? Over the next 2-3 hours of sitting in a stuffy car watching Happy Feet for the 3rd time in 24 hours, running to the beetle-infested, not so sanitary bathroom at the last possible moment and driving through the 4 square miles of town looking for some other form of entertainment for my toddlers, I had convinced myself that yes, I would do this. I would get myself ready (post pregnancy) to run a race. A good long one. I would cross the finish line and feel like I had accomplished something.

Seth ran the race in 1 hour 45 minutes. He was 8th over-all (in what he calls "a race too small to count the places" but this is me we're talking about, I'm even competitive for other people.) We sent the girls to the car with my angel of a brother-in-law (13 yrs old and the best babysitter around.) So as the girls watch another movie, Seth gets a massage, we sit and watch some more finishers come in, he chats with some people he knows from other races, rehydrates and eats. We go back to the car, get the girls out, wander back over to the finish line and wait for the raffle and awards to start. I of coarse am loving this part, people being recognized for their amazing accomplishments. Seth missed placing in his age group by about 20 seconds but I'm beaming with pride because he was right up there and we knew it.

So its about half-way through this little ceremony, as they're giving awards to the 50-59 year old women that I realize there are still people just finishing the race. They are crossing the finish line, red faced and panting, with no recognition whatsoever, nearly dead from their beautiful, scenic jog through the mountains. As you can imagine, I looked at these brave souls and admired them for such wonderful humility, they run because they love it and/or because its good for them and a great experience. I also realize that I am in no way a humble soul. If I were running that race I would still be crawling up the hill at mile 10 wishing I had never convinced myself that I could do this and dreading crossing that finish line hours after the real runners were back in their cars headed home with their little medals and sense of accomplishment.

So in the end even the fresh mountain air couldn't fool me into believing that I am in anyway serious when I tell Seth that I will do this. Its impossible. I will continue being a supportive wife and loving mother. I will be a runner/triathlete's wife and be content with nobody knowing that I could never finish a race like that.

ITS A BOY!

Seth has absolutely forbidden me from posting the picture from the ultrasound that confirms our little baby is all boy! I can feel the alliance forming already. Good thing we still out number them. But we are really excited, a little nervous (mostly me, since I'm not sure what to do with a boy, I'm sure I'll figure it out) and very happy that regardless of his gender he is healthy and looking perfect thus far. Bring on the BLUE!

Confessions of a Professional Procrastonator

I have a little secret. I'm not going to call it a lie, I'm not prepared to confess to that "degree." I finished taking classes at the University of Utah 5 years ago. I applied for graduation and then realized that I owed some money for tuition that I assumed that my student loans and grants had paid for. So I had to get it paid off in order to graduate. This is all right around the time I met Seth. So money that I should have used to pay off my tuition I used to pay for a wedding, then a baby, then another baby, then life in general. So all this time I have had all the requirements to be a college grad I've been an "almost" college grad. The sad thing is its been over two years since we got the whole tuition thing taken care of and I still hadn't taken care of it. Thank goodness for a nagging husband who wouldn't let it go. I AM NOW A COLLEGE GRADUATE!!!! Yippeeeee! Go Utes!

She did it!

"Hey Kimball who spilled cereal all over the floor"

"Kay Kay did it"

"Oh she did"

"I think Kay Kay did it"

"So what about that handful of cereal in your hand?"

"Oh."

"So did you spill the cereal?"

"No, Kay Kay did it."

At least she doesn't cave under pressure. Poor McKay doesn't even know she's been blamed. Look at her, just happy as can be. Kimball can't figure out why she's so happy since she is obviously the one who's going to catch the blame for the mess.