It's officially too cold for me!

Tonight as I was leaving work my windows were frosted over like usual. So I thought with a few quick sweeps of the wipers and the heat on full blast I didn't have to get out and scrape my windows. So I began to leave and soon realized that I couldn't see a thing. I was going to have to pull over, get out, and scrape. I got out and began to scrape my windows...nothing was happening. So I felt it with my bare hands...nope, no frost. Weird...? Then I felt the inside, and sure enough they were frosted on the INSIDE!! Who would have guessed that the inside of their car would have frozen over! Never saw such a thing! So, awkwardly I scraped the inside of my car windows, and was left with frost shavings everywhere, and an ice box to drive home in! I tell ya I have to get out of this place, much too cold for me!

Oh, a big thanks to Tara for waiting with me, and laughing so hard I'm sure you peed your pants!

Dear Shelley,

I know there are some thoughts and or concerns going through your mind about your recent trip planned to Utah. Here I am going to answer them for you!

• 1-Will my "warm" blooded kids get to experience somewhat of a "White Christmas"...or will there be snow?

-Yes! This is what we did today during Luke's nap. There will be snow...might be iced over by the time you get here but it will be here!

• 2-Did Kirsti really make the truffles that are to die for?
  
  

-Yes. It's a dirty job, but somebody has got to do it. Two days later and a huge mess; I think I am done in the kitchen for the holidays.

• 3-Will there be any truffles to partake of by the time you get here?

Ahh...little pieces of heaven!

-No guarantees on this one. I did make three different flavors this time, Chocolate, Mint, and Candy Cane. I have heard they are really good, but still have yet to try them. I know...I know I will do it tonight!

You better hurry! I will try to save you some, but I don't think that they will be in such cute little boxes! If I were you I would think about moving up your dates!

Best of luck,

-Kirsti-

Holiday Happenings!

Last year we started a tradition of letting the kids decorate the tree. This worked out really well this year because they put on all the decorations and everyday rearrange them. I could care less because there is no rhyme or reason to it and I didn't have the headache this year trying to make it look good. (which never ends up happening anyway.)

Luke helping to do his part. He practices everyday, and finds way to improve his masterpiece!

Blake is a pro this year! His careful placement of the bulbs are very well thought out.

Job done! Pure satisfaction!

This year we thought we would hit the "Big City" and see the Christmas lights at Temple Square. Blake really enjoys riding the "train" so we jumped on board with the public transportation. Big mistake...this is expensive! This cost us more then parking and gas to get there would have. But Blake was sure excited to show Savannah "NYC" (Blake thinks SLC is NYC), and tell her all about when he gets big he is going to live there. Next time, I am NOT going to remind him that we can take the train.

Enjoying their train ride to the "Big City"!

The boys bundled up for the chilly night.

Looks like we were all enjoying it at some point.

Next, I thought that we could make sugar cookies! Which was a lot of fun, but man this is a lot of work! This took me almost all afternoon. Blake was eating the cookies as fast as he was decorating them. I decided to do it all myself this year instead of getting the store bought cookie mix or the ready made dough. I even made my own frosting and colored it too! (I think my mom has just passed out!) See I do use the pricey mixer I "display" on my counter!

Blake loves doing this. If only he didn't make them look so appetizing and eat them as he goes!

Our finished product. I can't believe they turned out so well! They were very yummy, crunchy on the edges and soft and chewy in the middle. I surprised myself! Maybe I'll do it again next year!

Interesting Conversation...

Yesterday as Blake was getting to the end of his homework, I told him to see if he could be done by the time I went up and got Luke from his nap and made it back down. He was not thrilled with my comment and ignored me like usual.

When I got back down stairs he said that he had a new plan for his homework. He informed me that if I would would like to see his homework it was going to cost me. He then said that this was going to cost a dollar and a coin every time! I decided to play along, and said okay let me see it and I will pay you later...nope he needed his money upfront. I never have cash so I was out until Chad got home.

When Chad got home he was explained the situation and then kindly gave Blake a dollar and a penny. Blake took the money and handed over the homework, and then gave this little evil laugh. Then he said I think I am going to write Grandma Cook a letter and tell her to pay me if she wants to read it! As he ran upstairs to put his money in his bank, he said "this is great, I am going to get so much money! "
Where did this kid come from??!!!!

Turkey Trot

Race day excitement...faked

I finished my first 5k and completed my 2 goals for the race. My first goal was to finish the race without walking. Check. Second goal was to finish the race in under 40 mins. Check. We got up Thanksgiving morning to find it raining. So now not only was I going to be cold, now I was going to be cold and wet! Thanks to my fan club Mont and Cheryl for showing up in the rain to watch Chad and I complete the race. I only wish I could have been faster so you didn't have to stand out in the rain so long.

Overall, I think I did okay I finished the race in 30:56! Chad finished the race in 22:47! Chad was so nice to finish his run and then come back to find me and finished the race with me. His last words of encouragement were "Hurry, and you can finish in under 31 mins...push it!" At this point I was dying but the finish line was just a few yards away so I slightly took my speed up a notch. The things I need to remember for next time is to stretch after I am done, and not step on my headphones and ruin them. Arrgghh!

Wahoo!!

After 10 weeks of training I can now run for 30 mins! In the beginning I thought this would have been much easier for me. But sometimes it was really discouraging to get up early in the morning and head to the track only to have the 70 year old man lap me!! (same man every morning) And when I would see him running it looked like he was barely moving his legs. The only thing I could tell myself to keep me going is that he has been doing this everyday for the last 20 years, and I'm just a beginner. So with my upcoming 5K on Thursday I thought I would go out and see what I could do. My goal was to get my three miles in 40 mins or less...I am really slow. So Monday Chad and I set out for the "big run". And to my surprise, it was not as hard as I thought and I completed my run in 33 mins! Thanks Chad for hanging with me at my pace, I know it felt like a Sunday walk for you. So now I am gearing up for the big race in the morning all I have to do is get my race day music on the ipod.

California

While we were in California we were able to fit in a lot of stuff. We were able to spend a day at Newport Beach, and surprisingly the weather was great! The water was a bit chilly at first but after a bit it was really not that bad--even Luke got in up to his chest! I love the beach, but the only down part is that the beach always comes home with you! I found sand in crevices that I didn't even know Luke had!

We were not planing on hitting the Disney parks this trip because it was so short, but then we found a great deal on park hopper tickets that we couldn't pass up. So we did California Adventures in the morning and Disneyland the rest of the day. And might I mention with no lines, we only had to wait 5-10 minutes for each ride! November is the best time for Disneyland, the weather was in the 70's and no wait!

The best part of the trip was seeing my kids get to play with their cousins. It is always a non-stop party! The "big boys" seem to play so well together and the things they come up with to entertain themselves are hilarious! This time it was the human slingshot! They spent most of their free time playing this!

Human Slingshot

I didn't even make it half way on to the beach before Blake was already in the water.

Luke lovin' the sand!

The waves at the beach were HUGE! Chad and Ryan thought they could catch some but I think they just ended up getting beat up. Chad you look nice in Ryan's slim fit rash guard!

Blake and his new favorite pose!

Luke showing his appreciation for the beach...all smiles!

California Adventures

After the Grizzly Bear Rapids ride, Blake got off the ride and said "I loved it and I'm soaked! Check me out mom!"

Luke enjoying his theme park adventure.

Luke and his new shades. Gearing up for the Bugs Life 3D movie.

Family photo.

Halloween

The Cooks

Peter Pan & Company
Chad and I don't really get into dressing up...but the kids loved it!

Luke the cowboy and his side kick Tinkerbell

Blake the Pirate Skeleton, Londyn as Tinkerbell, and Luke the Cowboy.

We were able to spend Halloween in California at my brothers. We had a great time and I don't think Blake has ever got so much candy. Plus you can never beat the weather there. It doesn't get any better then trick or treating in flip flops!

Motivation.

Like many of you know I have started running. And I am proud to say I have made it to week 6!! Hooray for me, I can now run for a solid 9 mins! This sounds lame I know, but for me this is huge. I started out at only being able to run for 3 mins so this is progress. But now I am in need of a little motivation.

I started out with a short term goal of making it to the Turkey Trot 4 mile run Thanksgiving day. If I made it to this then I could get a new running outfit, sounded really nice at first because I found some cute running gear. But now the thought is fading and I am okay running in old sweats and random Noni shirts.

So here are my goals:

• Turkey Trot Nov. 27th


• Moab Half Marathon Mar. 21

What should be my reward or motivation? What do you people do to keep going? Oh, and I am also in need of some new music to run to, any suggestions?

Is The Search Over?

Well I have been on a vacuum search for about 5 months now and have tried out several options. I got my first vacuum when we first got married and I think we paid about $60 for our awesome Dirt Devil! It was actually an okay vacuum, no real complaints. But when it stopped sucking I thought that I would venture out and get one that worked on carpet as well as hard floors.

(I have a fair amount of tile)
So I tried out:
-Hoover Wind Tunnel- it was okay, but was not sure on the bagless idea.
-The Hoover Wind Tunnel Cyclonic-bought this one because of the online reviews, but didn't think it had very good suction, and once again bagless. I decided that bagless was too messy for me and there was no Clean way to empty it.
-Kenmore Canister Vac- really liked this little number, it did awesome on my tile floor and had a bag--all a plus. BUT my house is much to small to have something following me around I kept getting cornered by the thing.
-Oreck- well all I have to say is this thing is light weight which was nice but there is no way this thing could pick up an 8lbs bowling ball...it had no suction!
-Eureka SmartVac- this is the one I am currently the owner of. And it has all the things I wanted so far. Bag, good suction, and does hard floors.

Thanks to many of you who participated in the "vacuum survey" and to the good people at Costco for letting me return them. I think that I have found one that I am going to try and keep for more then a month now. Last night I got my new vacuum and this morning I went crazy and did my whole house...not hard to tackle about 1200 square feet. But I loved it! It has this stair attachment that is called the Power Paw, and tell me who doesn't want to clean with this little gem? It shaves all the little carpet fuzzies right off.

Heber Valley Century Ride

Chad and posse

(Chad, Steve, Craig, Casey)
Nice Hair!

This past weekend Chad did his 2nd 100 mile bike ride. I don't know how he does it. I would die sitting on that little seat for so long, we are talking six hours of being on your bike! When I talked to him right after he completed the ride he said it was awesome and he was ready to do it again. I think the man is crazy!! Chad I am really proud of you and so glad you have found ANOTHER hobby to keep you busy!

I Am In WAY Over My Head!

I did something on Sunday night that I think I am going to regret later. I did a pinkie swear with Kristi about running a half marathon with her in March. She tried to make it sound enjoyable by saying that it was ONLY 2 1/2 hours of running. Umm....lets see....I can't even do 2 mins of running so who knows how I am going to make it longer. I don't know why she thinks it is so darn funny to challenge me, probably because she knows that I can't say no to a challenge!

Here are just a few of things going on in my head about this:
1.Why do I already have a side ache thinking about doing this?
2. When am I going to find time to train for this? I'm a busy gal!
3. Shouldn't I start smaller...what happened to the 5k challenge?
4. Winter is coming and doesn't running in the cold hurt your lungs?
5. Why did I spent so much money on my new "walking" shoes, now I have to be a runner.

So if any of you have any tips for me about running or have any really good excuses that I can use to get out of this I would really appreciate it.

(p.s. Sister Walker--you are locked in for the Turkey Trot! No excuses!!)

He's a Cook!

This past weekend I was at my parents and was having such a good time going through old photos. Family portraits are the best. Even when you think you have just taken the best one and you think it will be timeless you always end up looking ridiculous a few years down the road.
So I give you the Cook Family 1980.....
And if you look close, or not so close, you can see Luke!!! I have a twin and had no idea. Take off that cute little curl on top and remove the dress and it's Luke. I always thought that Luke definitely looked more like the Cook side but I thought he looked like my brothers not me! Clearly I was wrong.


Well Luke....what can we say....we are pretty darn cute!!

A New Hobby??

So my friend Jamie has been coming to work with stories about her awesome finds at D.I. I had never really ventured out to D.I. before but with the stuff that Jamie was finding I thought maybe it was worth it. So yesterday was the big day and it was a success! We found this slide for $10 and last week Jamie found me this car that I have been wanting forever also for $10.

Things I learned:

• 1. Don't take your kids--or else you come home with someones junk for $.50.
• 2. Make sure your car trunk is empty or you'll have to decide between your kids or your new found treasure.
• 3. I saw A LOT of stuff there that I still own...is it time to get rid of mine too?

1st Day of School.

I can't believe that I am old enough to have a kid going to school. It seems a bit weird to me because we live in the same school boundaries that I lived as a kid. So Blake attends the same elementary I did and to top it off he is in the exact same class room. Luckily the teachers have changed, however the librarian has not. When I came around a corner and saw that it was her I thought there was no way that lady was still alive AND still looked the exact same. She was "old" when I was there and that was a good 20 yrs ago. (do you think she could be one of the three Nephites??) Excited and ready to go!
Watch out! BMOC
Highlight of the day the bus ride.

I did not let him ride the bus to school in the morning, and he was OK with that and didn't really want to. Then at the end of his day I met him at school and showed him which bus he would get on and where to go. So I sent him off on the bus and headed home to meet him at the bus stop. When he got off he said that was the funnest ride he ever had and asked if he could ride the bus everyday. So it looks like his first day of school was a success and if he doesn't care for school, at least he has the bus ride to look forward to!

Soccer

Soccer superstars!
Sprinting a head for the pass
Private coaching with Grandpa

Blake has started his first season of soccer. He loves it and is pretty good at it, but really does it surprise you?? Need I remind you that his mom played on the high school soccer team and oh, Chad played in elementary. So this is in his blood!

I think that he loves it so much because his cousin and best friend Savannah is on his team and so not only does he get to hang out with her more he gets to show off his sweet moves and impress her even more! And I am sure Savannah loves it because they get to wear matching outfits!

NYC Trip!

CAUTION: Really long post...sorry.

Our NYC trip was FANTASTIC! We had so much fun and were able to fit in everything we wanted to do and then some. A big thanks to Jenn for letting us move in and for hanging with us all week. Also, thanks to our moms for watching our kids. It made my trip worry free.

NYC Stock Exchange- we were staying just a few doors down from here with Jenn. It doesn't getting better then staying right on Wall St.
Ground Zero Experience-The church were the firemen stayed during 9/11. It is now turned into a little memorial museum. Very cool to see.
View of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Here at South Street Seaport it had the best street freaks, always entertaining!

You haven't visited NYC until you visit the bull. Everyone was standing around waiting for photos with the head. Clearly we got the better end and no line!
We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, and yes, it's as long as it looks a few photos above. So we had worked up a good appetite for some NYC pizza.
The hottest girls in NY!! This is a view of Jenn's neighborhood.
Ahh, Grimaldi's! Some of the best pizza ever! The 3 of us were able to down this in no time and then still have room for ice cream!
The famous ice cream house in Brooklyn. I recommend the double chocolate chunk on a cone but...

on a HOT day with crazy humidity watch your new kicks,

there was no way I was getting chocolate on these beauts!

The city from across the river.

Yankee Stadium. The real reason I finally got my NYC trip. Chad had to make it to the "house Ruth built" before it was too late. The game was fun and as always you get the rowdy crowd in the bleachers!

Lady Liberty!

Chad and I were not planning on going to Ellis Island. But glad we did, it was very interesting and who doesn't need a history lesson every now and again?

Radio City Music Hall

NBC Studios-this was really fun. We were able to do a studio tour and see how this joint works. We visited a few different sets including SNL-Chad's favorite.

Rockefeller Center- Chad really starting to feel like a tourist!

Chad and the Spam knights. We had to hit a Broadway show, so we ended up meeting Craig and saw SPAMALOT. I was not real excited about it at first but I loved it...HILARIOUS!

Times Square in the rain

Leaving our show in the down pour that came seconds after this photo was taken. The streets turned to rivers and the muggy subway stations got a whole new meaning!

Mr. Roker! The man is tiny, but does a fantastic weather segment. "And here's whats happening in your neck of the woods... " LOVE IT!
We were able to make it on the Today show. Nice job on our part for getting by the girl who was having her sweet 16. You know that is always a given!
Note the two happy people in the back! Hi mom!

Just in case you missed our television debut...no worries KRisti has amazing bootleg skills. I knew that girl learned something while living in Mexico City.

Wrapping up things at the Today show.

Central Park.
This is for my Dad- the ultimate Beatles fan.


Jenn and I enjoying huge bowls of rice pudding. Yum!

Little Italy- After this street and Chinatown I can say I am well traveled and will never pay full price for anything.

Holy Cannoli

Ghost busters Firehouse

This is how we knew we got the right one...our "tour guide" had been confused before and somehow missed the HUGE sidewalk mural.

We had a great time and ate great food. I'm just glad we made it safely after our cab ride from the airport to Jenn's place I thought we were going to die! Apparently traffic rules don't apply to cab drivers -traffic?? who cares that's what the shoulder is for right? No need to stop or slow down, if people are smart they'll get out of the way. But I guess one good thing is we made from JFK to Wall St. in record time...25 mins....amazing!!