The Kloepfer Family

Lasts

2011-07-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

Six years is a long time when you're 11. Six years is how long Max spent in school at Oso Grande Elementary. And those are six years he won't soon be missing.

Here is Max on his last day of Kindergarten:

Here is Max on his last day of 5th Grade:

We are so proud of you, Max! You had a fantastic year and we know you are ready for middle school (yikes!) and all of the adventures that come with that.

Check out what a fun day he had on his last day of elementary school last Thursday, June 23, 2011!

Hanging out with his buddy, Jack.

His teacher, Mrs. Haupt. She said to me about a month ago, "I love Max. If I could adopt a child, I would want to adopt him." She made all the difference in the world for him.

The 5th Grad Clap-Out, a tradition for graduating 5th graders at Oso.

We celebrated with sushi for lunch.

The 5th grader's parents threw those kids quite a bash that night called "Midnight Luau," which actually ended at 9:00 pm. There was a DJ, dancing, photo booth, candy "bar", barbeque dinner, cake and general craziness. They had a blast and it was a fun chance for them to be together one last time before all the elementary schools pool into one middle school this fall.

Goodbye, Oso Grande. Well, not quite. We still have two more years with this peanut. Good job in 3rd grade, Lily! Here she is with her teachers, Mrs. Griffin and Mrs. Tonai.

P.S. It was my last day working as a student supervisor at the school. Four years. It was a good run. I won't miss my neon yellow vest.

Sac Town

2011-06-28T20:26:00.001-07:00

Always fun to head up to Fair Oaks/Roseville/Rocklin for a weekend. We went over Memorial Day weekend to celebrate Paul's parents' 50th wedding anniversary!

Gelato with Paul's sister Julie and her daughter Alexa:

Alexa is off to college soon! She's going to FIDM in Irvine, so we'll get to see a lot more of her. Yay!

PF Changs with some Slade crazies. Always good to get together, but I didn't get any pictues of cute Sam and Jake.

Sara, my Sara:

Uncle Johnny and Lily bonded:

The anniversary festivities began with a picnic in the park in Fair Oaks. Here are the boys digging up a squirrel hole because a little ball from a game fell down there. They never did get it back. But good times!

Fun with cousins! Ashley and Lily:

Beautiful Samantha:

Sweet Jessie:

That night we had a nice dinner at the Kloepfer's, then wedding cake! How cute are my in-laws?!

They cut the cake with a sword, just like they did at their wedding in 1960:

Happy 50 Years Together, Ron and Connie! We love you!

Then Lily got sick that night. No need to get all the cousins sick too, so she and I spent the whole next day just chilling out at Julie's house with Lily's favorite dog, Junior.

It was a quick trip, but so fun!

Say cheese!

2011-06-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Easter Day, April 24, 2011

What we go through to get a nice picture of these crazies . . . .

I'm Procrastinating

2011-06-22T23:19:00.000-07:00

I've been telling myself to go to bed, but I just can't. You see, tomorrow just can't come yet. I'm not ready. I'm not ready for my boy to be finished with elementary school. I'm not ready to watch him say goodbye to the teachers and principal who have been there for him for the last 6 years. He has come so far. From hiding under the table in Kindergarten to writing poignant and humorous prose in 5th grade, from tears of frustration to tears of pride, the changes have come, and they are vast. I am such a lucky mother to have been able to witness and share in his progress all these years. He has overcome so many challenges that life has dealt him, and I am so proud of this young man. But still . . . .

Tomorrow, can you wait just one more day? I'm not ready. Even though he is.

Phew, that was close

2011-03-07T16:48:00.000-08:00

Recently, my Mac decided to close it's doors on iPhoto because it was mad at me for taking up so much memory with my pictures. I had no access to the last 3 years of photographic documentation. Panic set in, but the geniuses were there to rescue me. Two trips to the mall and a couple of hours of waiting had us (Mac and I) all patched up. So here are a couple of highlights that have transpired since the last post!

I had a birthday! No need to discuss numbers. It was a quiet affair, just how I like it when the numbers are, you know, where they are these days. Dinner and presents.

Unbeknownst to me, Paul had gotten me something I've wanted forever. The look on my face when I opened the box and discovered a Blendtec in there!! Total surprise. I love that guy.

And I LOVE my Blentec! I use it at least twice a day. Yum, yum, yumminess.

Another exciting event--we had a blowout on the freeway.

Just the kids and I, in Paul's car. Here's how I felt about it:

Here's how the kids felt about it.

Moving on. Max earned his Arrow of Light award!

We are so proud of him! Do we look proud?

It's the good kind of proud. He worked so hard and is a full-fledged Boy Scout now. Awesome. He had the coolest arrow too because his dad made it special.

OK, now I can download the rest of the pictures from the camera since I have enough memory. Let's see if there are any more goodies on there to share.

Reporting in from SoCal

2011-01-24T21:21:00.000-08:00

So, we were lucky to get a visit from my awesome sister, Jo Ann (a.k.a. Jo Jo) and Layne this weekend. Love these people! Since she forgot her camera back in the frozen Utah tundra, I told her I'd blog some photos. Motivation! Yay!

We met at an undisclosed location and scooped up Jo while Layne went to do, you know, Layne stuff. Since it was sunny and 70, it was straight to the beach! And by straight, I mean by way of a couple of stops first to Bed Bath and Beyond (what could possibly be beyond bed AND bath?) and Max's fencing lesson.

See? Sunny!

Which means sweatshirt weather for us (snicker snicker).

Did I mention we have a cushy guest bed now? Am I convincing anyone else to come for a visit?? Well, maybe this will help:

Tide pools!

Crazy fun!

Adorable kids!

And this place!

Taco Loco really deserves it's own post. Yum to the 29th power. It's good. It's gooooood. We're going on a 14-year love affair now. And I always get the same thing: blackened chicken quesadillas. PK loves him a good tofu burger there. And the owner's name is Gonzo. 'Nuff said.

Too bad Layne couldn't spend the afternoon in Laguna with us so I didn't get any pictures of him. But this kind of counts, doesn't it?

Kidding, Babo!

Jo Jo really loved this little fountain. She said it reminded her of somebody she knows. Someone who likes fish, and turtles. Someone who doesn't mind water splashing on her face. Someone who enjoys being in her birthday suit. Any guesses?

Come back for more, Jo Ann! And Layne too. And anyone else too. And we'll party it up with you.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

2010-12-28T20:24:00.000-08:00

Been having some fun with my hair lately. Vote for your favorite!!

Before:

After:

Really after:

Oh what do you do?

2010-12-23T13:49:00.001-08:00

Oh what do you do at Thanksgiving time, when you need a babysitter for a week so you can go on a free (working) vacation back East with your hot hubby of 12 years?? You go to Grandma's, of course. We weren't planning on spending Thanksgiving/Lily's birthday/our anniversary in Utah, but we are so glad we did. We made it through the "Blizzard of 2010" (yah, right) and got there in time to celebrate our little peanut's 9th birthday! It fell on T-day this year, so Lily was lucky to have so much family around to wish her well as a 9 year old. Can that be right? 9 already? Oh my . . . .

She got presents in the morning.

Then sledding at Aunt JoJo's house. Thanks Uncle Johnny for making that sweet jump!

And of course, she got to eat a feast of a meal with 32 relatives. It was a great Thanksgiving day with amazing food and family fun, and I didn't take a single photo.

We continued the birthday festivities the next day at Cheesecake Factory in Salt Lake. It was cousin Jesse's birthday two days before Lily's, so we combined forces. Such fun when the Slade clan gathers. Thanks everyone who came!

More family fun.

Then my brother Bryan showed up for a little while the next day, and it was Taylor's birthday too! Cute newlyweds.

Silly, silly, Bryan, and lovely Tammy.

I don't know how it happens that I never seem to get any pictures of my mom when I go there. Mom, you're a champ for taking on my littles for a whole week! Thanks so much to JoJo too!

Rewind

2010-12-23T12:57:00.000-08:00

So much blogging to do, so little..., no, plenty of time really. Just been lazy! And sick. And out of town. And busy. So let's rewind to Halloween.

Lily wanted to be a zombie cheerleader for Halloween, but after searching high and low (e.g. one costume store) for a cheerleader costume, she went to her backup plan: an '80s witch. So we dug around and came up with this.

Now, if you look at that photo, as I did AFTER we went to the ward Trunk-or-Treat, and think to yourself, "Sheesh. A little, um, hmm. How old is she?" Uh . . . yah. The tights weren't quite so sheer in real life. But the flash, you know, let's blame it on the flash. OK, moving on. Max was a Jedi.

Our friends had their annual Halloween party with a Disney theme, a grown-ups only party, mind you. Awesome. In an effort to veer from the traditional prince and princess combo, Paul and I went as Linguini and Collette from Ratatouille. And I figured that was a good time to cut 10 inches off my hair, and go dark, to really get in character.

It was a blast. Look at our cute Toy Story 3 friends!

Halloween 2010 was a good time for all!

Text Only

2010-11-02T23:08:00.000-07:00

Until I get my laptop fixed with all of our pictures on it, this blog will be without visual confirmation of everything I write. So here's a little recent Maxism:

Since Max is left-handed, and he is fencing now, he is a left-handed fencer. Paul commented on this at home the other day.
Paul: "I don't get it. Everytime you sword-fight at home, you use your right hand. I don't get it!"
Max: "Well I don't get the world. Or women!"

Classic.

Our New Sports

2010-10-24T21:33:00.000-07:00

We have entered an new realm of sporting, which is a totally new concept for our family. Max and Lily have never been much into the traditional sports, but have now found "their" sports!

Lily joined the Ladera Liquids swim team this fall, and has practice 3 to 4 times a week. She's always been so comfortable in the water and now she gets to do it all the time! With coaching! It's the cutest thing ever.

Yesterday was her first swim meet. Such a new experience for us! We pulled up to Huntington Beach High School in the rain at 7:45 am. It was already bustling like a little city with Easy-Ups set up all over, beach chairs, a full make-shift "kitchen" on the side of the pool selling breakfast burritos, bagels and muffins, etc., vendors selling swim gear, tons of excited swimmers, and crazy parents. We learned a lot from the veteran parents though and had a great time watching our girl's nervous excitement.

All ready for her events:

Having some snacks after warm-ups:

Her event numbers, 5 and 21, written on her hand:

Her first event was the 25 Freestyle, just one lap. She didn't hear the whistle, so she was the last one off the deck, but her great dive made up a lot of time. She came in 3rd in her heat, but how awesome is that for her first time?!!

She is in the white cap in lane 4 (she almost started in lane 5). I kind of almost missed the end because I was watching her and not the camera!

Her second event was the 50 Backstroke, and she came in 2nd in her heat AND overall (about 20 girls). Here she is ready to take off, with Paul giving an encouraging word. She's in the white cap:

We are so proud of you, Lily!!!

And guess what Mr. Max's new sport is? Fencing! He is officially a cool kid, because who do you know that does fencing, huh? It was 100% his idea, so I went online to see where in the world a kid could take fencing lessons. And what do you know? There's a great center just 10 minutes away! So we signed him up and he takes an hour-long lesson twice a week. Check him out!

They spend about 40 minutes doing footwork and technique, then they get to don all the gear and fence with each other for the last 20 minutes. Seriously cool. Coach Nick is from Romania and is so great with the kids. Max is always sweaty with a huge grin on his face after class. After his first lesson he said, "Well, I finally found my sport!"

And in other news, Max consented to a haircut--finally!

Before:

After:

Sweet '80s 'do! I feel like he looks like my son again--ha ha!

Have a great week, everyone! Get ready for some fun Halloween costumes coming soon!

BTS 2010

2010-10-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

The morning of September 8, 2010 dawned cloudy and drizzly--perfect weather for donning some new fall fashions and head Back To School! Total excitement for Lily, total dread for Max, as per usual. What new adventures in learning lay ahead in 3rd and 5th grade? They would soon find out.

Since those first few days, we've had record-breaking heat. This last Monday hit somewhere around 111 degrees here in little Ladera Ranch (113 in LA). They actually kept the kids inside all day because of it (and also because it was picture day and no one wants sweaty, red-faced children in their school pics). At some point, I may get brave enough to post a picture of myself in full Student Supervisor regalia: my awesome fluorescent safety vest, whistle and megaphone. It's a sight, I tell ya. I enjoy working with the 1,100+ kids, but in this kind of heat? Gross. But aren't the kids cute and getting so big?? Yikes!

Bliss, Part 2, and I'm Too Tired to Narrate

2010-09-11T15:20:00.001-07:00

This was our last night in Utah, up at my friend, Shana's house in Logan for a backyard weenie roast/birthday celebration. Thanks for the memories, everyone!

The Bliss that is a Summer Trip to Utah

2010-08-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

Why don't we live here? I really wonder that sometimes. There's nothing better than being surrounded by friends and family who just love you. I mean, I know why we don't live there, but can all you people please come visit us more often??

My dear, dear BFF, Linda. It was so great to see her again! Too many years have gone by. I really have to scan some old pictures of us because they are hilarious. When I think of how many hours we logged together from ages 5 to 14, it just seems like we were in a constant playdate/sleepover! I love this girl. It was so fun to catch up, and the kids had so much fun playing with her boys and her chickens. Let's not wait 5 years until next time, Linda Lou!

Max always loves visiting Utah, but this trip was especially blissful for him because of all the babies! My nieces Jayne and Tess each had babies about a day apart from each other, and we finally got to meet them. Meet baby Claire and baby Calvin:

Awesome! I love my nieces and nephews (all 24 of them). And how awesome is it that I have great nieces and nephews too? (8 of them). Normally that would make me sound soooo old, but when you consider the fact that I became an auntie at age 9, do the math, it's not so bad. Jayne and Tess, you are two of the cutest and best little mammas in the world and I'm so glad we got to hang out!

Jonah (Jayne's), Jo Jo (my sis), Emmy (Jayne's), Jayne with Claire, Tess with Calvin

Max and Calvin. They bonded because Cal looks so much like Max as a baby!

Lily, Max, Lainey (Tess') and Sydnie (my brother Paul's only girl)

Jonah and Lainey, enjoying "nature"

We picked Sydnie up on the first day and kept her with us the whole week. Lily is so lucky to have a best cousin--only 8 days apart.

Chillin' with Grandma Nette after another long day of water play

Speaking of swimming, we did a LOT of it on this trip. Water every day! Thanks to Grandma Gwen's pool (who isn't actually our grandma but my sister's mother-in-law, therefore my nieces and nephews' grandma, but she might as well be my grandma too since I grew up swimming at her house too), we were able to stay quite cool. More awesomeness!
Lily doing a dive

Sydnie's sweet slide ride

My cute mom and Claire

Is this post ginormous or what?

And what can I say about these two crazies? What CAN'T I say?! Hanna and Cami, oh the joy you bring to my life! Enjoy this little bit of teen life because it is quickly disappearing! I love our talks, I love our silliness, I love knowing what's going on in your lives. I'm so glad we're close!

No trip to Utah is complete without GameCube time in Grandma's basement. Here's Max doing his thing

I better post this novel and continue later . . . .

Camping at Big Bear

2010-07-26T11:56:00.001-07:00

Well for the first time in almost 13 years of living in Southern California, we went to Big Bear and went camping! It's also the first time we've camped as a family by ourselves. Awesome! My sister said we're a real family now (thanks, Jo). And honestly, we didn't get many pictures. I never had the camera because I was too busy cooking the whole time. So we'll just have to go again now that we've worked out all the kinks. But here are a few shots, just to get a feel. Enjoy!

Cooking up some breakfast sausage, eggs and pancakes!

Required camping food--mini cereal boxes you cut open with a knife and pour in the milk.

Lily's collection

Paul climbed a tree and took the camera with him.

After spending the afternoon at Big Bear Lake.

Totally random sign.

Getting the fire started!

Family on the Fourth

2010-07-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

We were so happy to have Paul's sister Julie and her daughter Alexa come to visit for the 4th of July, and we ordered a lovely weekend just for them. After our fun run festivities Saturday morning, we headed to Fashion Island. Lunch at Cheesecake Factory and a little shopping, topped off with good times at the Koi pond--perfect.

Then we headed home and met up with Julie's other daughter, Brittney who came up from San Diego. Brittney, we've missed you! You need to come visit more often.

Every year on the 4th I make a flag cake, but this year I tried a Barefoot Contessa recipe. And Oh. My. Goodness. Just look at this beauty!

It was so good, and so enormous! It deserves two pictures, just so you can get the scale of this thing. I'll definitely make this one again next year, but maybe I'll half the recipe so we don't end up eating it every day for 5 days!

The night of the 4th we headed to Founders Park for the annual fireworks show. The show is always spectacular, but since it's the 10 year anniversary of Ladera Ranch, this year's show was beyond amazing. I've never seen such fancy fireworks! And it went on forever, like 28 minutes. The music, the lights, our family togetherness, and the thousands of people gathered in honor of our great country, all made for a fantastic 4th of July. God Bless America!

1st Annual LR Ward Fun Run

2010-07-19T08:45:00.000-07:00

Since July 4th fell on a Sunday this year, our ward organized a 5K/1K fun run on July 3rd. We combined both Ladera Ranch wards and had a great turn out. It was so official, with bibs and everything! But it was early in the morning, and Max and Lily weren't interested. So Paul and I headed over and told Max he could ride his bike over later if he felt like it. Lily was still snoozing away, and with Aunt Julie and Alexa visiting, we just left everyone home. As the race was getting ready to start, Max showed up in jeans and flip-flops and declared he was running the 5K with Dad. Huh? You want to RUN?! Well, OK, but not in flip-flops. We ran home and changed him into some appropriate gear, got him signed up and ready to run. Max wouldn't pose with Dad at the race start, so Dr. Doezie stepped in.

And here are the results of the race! I really didn't mean to sound so surprised . . . .

And can you believe this little guy?! I was so proud of him! I seriously had no idea how Max was going to run 3.4 miles, but he did! And he beat the other guys his age!! Max, you totally rock!

And before Lily missed out on all the fun, I picked her up to join in on the 1K race. Here she is with Madison, whose whole family just got baptized!

First, second and third of the men's 5K.

And some bounce house fun after the races.

It was a great start to the holiday weekend!

Our last cub scout day camp

2010-07-08T16:52:00.001-07:00

I say "our" because I've spent almost as many days in day camp as Max has over the past 3 years! He just finished up his last week of day camp last week, along with over one-thousand other boys. He had a little bit more fun this year in the Webelos den because they got to do more water activities. Too bad it wasn't very warm this year! Here are some of the highlights.

Nice job lashing that bridge, Max!

"Rafting"

Happy that his mini-raft is seaworthy.

Congratulations, Max! You did it!

VANS Warped Tour 2010

2010-07-06T09:03:00.000-07:00

Here's Paul and GOGO13 playing the LA show of the Warped Tour weekend before last. So fun to see him on that kind of stage! It was a blast. They played LA on Friday and then San Francisco on Saturday. If you don't want to miss out on the fun, come see them play San Diego on August 10th!

On stage.

They all signed this guy's drumstick. See how happy he is? Biggest. Fan. Ever.

Paul and I with his stage in the background.

Idiot Box.

Here's how Max is starting his summer

2010-06-24T11:45:00.001-07:00

His first LEGO stop-motion animated film! It's called, "Ready, Set, Go! and Back." Enjoy!

I love this kid.

Look at my cute newly re-wedded sister!

2010-06-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Melanie and Johnny! June 5, 2010

My Mom is Awesome

2010-05-09T16:29:00.001-07:00

Her name is Verdis Annette Howard Slade. How can you not be awesome with a name like that? I guess she didn't think her names were so awesome when she was young, so she went by Toni. All my cousins call her Aunt Toni, and I love that. She birthed six children and has 26 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. She raised us all to love the Lord. She sews, she cooks, she cleans, and she serves. She's a talented artist and poet, and she's also very humble about her talents. She's intelligent and wise and leads by example. I love her so much.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! Thank you for being the perfect role model and for always loving me. You are beautiful!

Slade Christmas Party

2010-03-14T19:40:00.000-07:00

Every year, my brother Paul and his wife Kari host a Slade family Christmas party at their home in Salt Lake. We usually are never able to be there, but since we planned to have the girls get baptized together, we combined the events. So after the baptism, we got the whole family together and had a blast.

Some Christensens:

Some Slades:

Christmas Day 2009

2010-03-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

It was so fun waking up on Christmas morning and having Christmas with my mom, Grandma Nette. We haven't done that since Paul and I were newlyweds!
Two excited kids:

Opening presents:

Max's gift to Grandma, a pretty glass bell:

More silly Slades, my brother Bryan and Austin:

Christmas Eve Festivities

2010-03-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

We had a super fun Christmas Eve over at my sister JoAnn's house. Great food and a somewhat rambunctious Nativity (thanks to the teenage cousins) made for a great night.
Lily, Tess, Lainey, Hanna, Cami:

The "angels"??

"Joseph and Mary":

Hey, Lainey, "I like your face!"

Next Stop

2010-03-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

Reno! We stopped at Paul's sister, Susan's house on our way to Utah. She made us a lovely breakfast and it was a great break in our long journey. Love you, Susan!
Lily and cousin Ashley:

Susan and Paul

We've arrived in Utah! And look at that huge icicle!

2010-03-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

Melanie and I with half of her kids. Such handsome nephews!

An early Christmas with Grandma Connie and Grandpa Ron.

The parents Kloepfer.

Family shot in front of the Christmas tree. Goodbye Sacramento!

More holiday

2010-03-14T17:36:00.000-07:00

Our first stop on our holiday world tour was Sacramento. Baking with Grandma Connie, playing with Sydney the dog, visiting my sister and meeting her man, a wonderful time all around.

Don't ask me how we got out of there without a picture of Johnny! Crazy. We're so excited for the wedding in June! He's a wonderful man who is making my sis so happy. I was only 7 the first time she got married, so I can't wait for this one!

The Holidays! (Finally)

2010-03-14T16:43:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun holiday season (2009) and we were able to see both sides of the family. It was a world tour, lots of driving, all kinds of weather, and so worth it. There are so many pictures but I can't seem to load more than 5 at a time. Bear with me!
Max is excited to feast on Thanksgiving:

Ready to carve:

At the Tree Lighting at Fashion Island. Fun night out with friends!

Lily with some buddies at one of her Singer's Company performances. They had three Christmas shows and were so adorable.

Lily Becomes a Member of the Church

2010-03-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

On December 26, 2009, our dear little Lillian decided to take a big step in life and become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. What angels both Lily and her cousin Sydnie were that day, dressed in white. We were sorry to those of you who couldn't be there since we did it in Utah, but it was a very special day for these two!

Just before:

Just after--all clean!

With Grandma Nette:

With Mom and Dad:

We are so proud of your decision, Lily, and know it will bless you throughout your life. We love you!

All About Lil

2010-03-01T19:45:00.000-08:00

Much time has passed, but my little girl has turned 8! November 25, 2009 dawned (the day before Thanksgiving), and my bright-eyed beauty was the happiest girl on earth. Since school was out for the holiday, we had the whole day to play. Lily woke up and dug into her presents. I love opening presents as soon as you wake up!

After all of that fun, Lily took a shower and drew a picture of a triple-decker cake and said, "Mom, that's the cake I want today!" So she helped me make it. It was pure chocolate deliciousness!

Here she is posing in her new dress from Grandma Connie.

We had a totally fun day playing together, then she wanted to go to LaserQuest. What a fun family activity that was. We came home and lit up the cake. (Gotta love big brothers.)

Well, since her birthday is always so close to (or ON) Thanksgiving, we had her big party the next week. It was wildly fun: we had thirteen 7 and 8 year old girls over for a cupcake party, painting, baking, and decorating. What a blast. And since it was so crazy, I only took two pictures! Here's a picture of all the cuties (minus two of them who had to leave early).

All in all, Lily had a wonderful 8th birthday, and still had one of the biggest events of her life still to come! (I'll try to not wait so long before posting about that.) I love you Lily! You are a bright star in your mama's life!

Max is 10!

2009-10-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

10 years ago, my life changed forever when this little guy entered the world, ready to soak up all the knowledge he could. And now he's so big! September 25, 2009 was an event-filled day! Max started the day off by opening the presents from Grandma Connie that had been tempting him for days. A new Bionicle!

Then at school his name was called by Mrs. Martin, the principal, to get a birthday prize, and here's how he "walked" up to the front:

His class won a reading contest, so they got a popsicle party that day. If I had known, I would have brought a chemical-free popsicle, but since I didn't know about it, and it being his birthday and everything, I let him have it. He enjoyed it, but had a nice rash the next morning.

After school, it was final party preparations for the big Lego party. Look at the cute invitations!

I didn't get very good pictures of the party because, well, ten 10-year old boys don't sit still much! We played "Random Lego Building" and "Guess How Many Legos Are In the Jar" type games, opened presents (he got so many gift cards which made for a cool shopping spree at Toys R Us the next day!), then they watched the new Bionicle movie while I made Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes. Overall, the party was a great success!

One happy boy!

Isn't he handsome? What a joy he is to our family. So funny, smart, creative. It's a new adventure every day with Max in the family. We love him so much. Happy 10th birthday, son!

What we've been up to

2009-10-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

I'm really bad at this. I know. If I had more time, I'd be a better blogger, if I cared enough about it (does that sentence remind you of anyone?). But enjoy all these photos!

Well, we started Conference weekend by, well, by skipping Conference to go see these people! I like these people a lot. I wish more of these types of people would come visit.

I like these people too.

And a little Kloepfer family tradition--cinnamon rolls for Conference!

The kids played Conference Bingo, and of course, Lily made a fort for the event.

Max made sure his new Bionicles got in on the Bingo action.

The Bionicles listened intently (as did we, of course).

We were truly fed by the Spirit!

And check out all this food I bought the next day, all for $37.40! 2 peaches, 16 bananas, some lovely mixed greens, 1 jalapeno, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 orange pepper, 1 yellow pepper, 1 cucumber, 3 avocados, 1 head of cauliflower, 1 bunch of broccoli, 5 corns on the cob, 3 huge tomatoes, 1 bunch of cilantro, 1 eggplant (eggplant? who buys eggplant?), 5 lemons, 2 grapefruit, 8 pluots, a bunch of grapes, 2 limes, 1 watermelon, 6 pears, 12 apples, 1 cantaloupe, tons of strawberries, 5 lbs. of onions, 10 lbs. of potatoes, and a bag of Fritos. Are you kidding me? I LOVE Jordan Market!

And then we had the Pinewood Derby. Max (aka Dad) made a great car this year which he aptly named The Devastator. Very sleek.

Look at the Devastator--way out in front! He came in first in the first heat, but ended up 4th overall. I swear the scoring is not as accurate as it could be. Fun night, though!

And other than that, we're deep into the school year, homework, work, art classes, scouts, etc. Just trying to keep our heads above water!

Long Overdue

2009-08-20T09:36:00.001-07:00

Not just blogging, but the awesome trip we took to meet up with some college buddies back east. We will NOT wait that long again to vacation together, because I love these girls, and their families!

Once upon a time, there were some friends, of the best kind. (BYU in the '80s was awesome!)

Then they all got married, made babies, moved far away, and waited way too long to meet up again. 20+ years go by, but true friends never change.

We were missing a couple friends on this trip, but will get the whole gang together the next time. I have many more pics to share, so stay tuned!

Life in review 4

2008-12-31T10:07:00.001-08:00

We got a nice visit from "Babo."

We made all natural harvest cookies. Our art for November.

Apple dumplings. With ice cream. Homemade.

NOW I can post about December! Nothing like the last day of the year to get ya goin'. . . .

Life in review 3

2008-12-31T09:56:00.000-08:00

The 10th Anniversary festivities began--self portrait at the San Francisco Ballet.

We hiked over Ladera.

Lily played a sheep in "Tom Turkey," her 1st grade play.

Lily turned 7! We bowled, we played, we danced.

We ate cake.

We feasted.

Life in review 2

2008-12-31T09:35:00.000-08:00

Max burned his thumb (car lighter + curiosity = ouch).

We went to the beach.

Lily's teeth got really wiggly.

We drank our last cup of Postum, forever (bring it back, Kraft!!).

Life in review 1

2008-12-31T09:26:00.000-08:00

To recap a bit of our life these past few months . . . .

Some cousins came to visit.

Max turned 9! (Note to self: don't put candles in molten chocolate lava cake . . . .)

We celebrated at Legoland.

This is LA, baby

2008-11-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

"What?" you ask? What are we doing with Jon Heder? The one and only Napolean Dynamite? Well, we had a ourselves a funky Friday night in downtown Los Angeles. Paul's band, GoGo 13, was asked to play a gig at The Roosevelt Hotel for a film's after party. It's a kooky independent documentary called Hi, My Name is Ryan, made by some Mormon guys, and one of the songs in the film is an Aquabats song. Since the lead singer of GoGo 13 is brothers with the Aquabats guy and co-wrote the song, they got to perform that song, and a bunch of others. There were about 4 bands that played, lots of LA-type people, artists, a silent auction . . . . Oh, and Money Mark from the Beastie Boys, too! All in all, a very eclectic mix of people. And Jon Heder! It was fun.

Ahhh . . . Halloween

2008-11-05T09:33:00.000-08:00

This was the first year that Max dug in and carved his pumpkin all by himself--he even scooped out the guts! Yea, Max! He did a great job. Lily had help with her "cat" pumpkin, well, probably more help than she needed. I just can't help myself! That was a fun night.

We got this princess costume for Lily and once she saw the collar that stood up, she was inspired to be a Vampire Princess.

And lest you think I was a lazy costumer this year, when Max said he wanted to be Indiana Jones (about 8 months ago), I started looking for an appropriate Indy shirt. They don't exist. So I dyed one! AND I sewed the gun pouch out of felt, because those don't exist either. He had a whip too, a real one, but just didn't want to carry it around when I wasn't about to let him "use" it--not with all those kids around! All in all, we had a great Halloween. They gladly handed over their junk candy for some awesome Trader Joe's and Whole Foods confections, and each got to pick out a toy at Toys R Us. Now on to the next holiday!

Opposable Thumbs

2008-09-24T12:47:00.000-07:00

We use them every day, quite constantly, actually. And I've realized how much I take my o.t.'s for granted. Try doing anything without them: buttoning jeans, opening the frig, making a PB&J, typing . . . the list goes on and on. From morning to night, all day long we use our opposable thumbs for nearly every task. I am guilty of not putting any thought towards these stubby digits since high school biology. But now that I am temporarily down to just one, I vow to spend more time daily in appreciation of the wonder that is the human thumb.

While playing a rousing game of dodge ball in the street yesterday afternoon, I learned two very important things: don't taunt the 6 year old neighbor holding the ball by shuffling in front of him while wearing flip-flops, and never play dodge ball without a video camera rolling. We would have had a great time watching my hilarious trip, stumble, and fall, over and over again. Yes, I fell. And I broke my thumb. Now I have to figure ot how to make chicken pot pie and chocolate molten lava cakes for Max's birthday tomorrow without the use of my beloved, un-opposable right thumb.

Crayons in the Crack

2008-09-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

It went like this: "Oh no! MOMMY!" I came sprinting to the aid of my sick couch-ridden six year old occupying her time in front of the TV with a cookie-sheet desk, paper, and crayons in a cup, expecting to see something had been expelled from her stomach and made a mess on my sofa. Breathlessly I said, "What's wrong?" (pant, pant). She just pointed. To the cup. Of crayons. It tipped over. She said, "There's crayons in the crack." She was obviously incapacitated and had no way of reaching that far, all the way to the space four inches from her hand, to the abyss that is the couch cushions to fetch the crayons herself. I thought inwardly, "This is what she pulled me away from motherly duties for?" (OK, so I was just reading somebody's blog at that moment.) But outwardly I was all love and comfort and I'll get your crayons for you and here's some juice, baby. Kiss on the forehead. All's right with the world.

This guy is 40?!

2008-05-12T09:06:00.000-07:00

To my honey on his 40th Birthday:

You're just as handsome as you were then,
Even though it was "way back when,"
That I first laid eyes on you and said to my friend,
"I am totally going to marry him!"

Happy birthday, Paul. I love you!

A Natural Easter

2008-03-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

We had a great time coloring Easter eggs the natural way for the first time this year--with food! Lily loved it (and I must admit, so did I). They turned out alright, though the yellow was by far the best color (gotta love turmeric!). We'll continue the experiment again . . . . in a year. Enjoy!

Did I mention?

2007-12-04T09:06:00.000-08:00

I'm on quite a kick of "all natural" food for our family and have been working diligently all year to eliminate artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives from our diet (we call them "bad chemicals"--because that's what they are!). I came upon Halloween with some trepidation, knowing how much my kids love trick or treating and collecting all that loot. But, I confidently went forward and offered them a trade: they give me all the candy they collect, and I give them some "good chemical" candy and a toy! It worked liked magic! They had no problem with that arrangement! They were so happy, still had some candy that is natural (and didn't even finish what I gave them), and loved getting a new toy. It was awesome!

Who Am I Kidding?

2007-11-15T19:34:00.000-08:00

Like I actually have time to "pretty-up" my blog! Between being the Mom, the Wife, the Room Mom, the cook-everything-from-scratch mom, the chauffeur, the tutor, the maid, the family accountant, the transcriptionist, the tries-to-do-everything-perfectly-and-never-quite-gets-there mom (big sigh), I just haven't done it. And I may never do it! I have to come to grips with that. That said, I think this will be a great place to at least record the comings and goings of Bethanie, Paul, Max, and Lily. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." --Ferris Bueller. Here we are on Max's 8th birthday.

Coming Soon . . .

2007-09-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

. . . to a blog near you: The SoCal Kloepfers--online! Until then!