Is Dad There?

I always know there is a problem when one of the boys calls and the first thing they say is "Is dad there?" So when Clark called Saturday morning I knew there was a problem. "So what's wrong Clark" was my response. He then asked me if I knew what the license plate number was on the boy's Volvo.

"No - why Clark?"
"I think someone might have stolen the car."
"Why?"
"There was a set of Oregon license plates on the ground in the parking lot and the car is gone."
"Did you call Logan - does he have the car?"
"I can't get a hold of him".

Since Jim was at the gym at a spinning class I told Clark I'd go look for the title and call him back. I found the title and fortunately the plates were not ours so I figured Logan must have the car. He did. He had to be at the recording study early Saturday morning to record his YA songs so he had picked it up late the night before and didn't want to wake Clark. Told Logan to text Clark the next time to let him know!

We had a "taste of Utah" this morning when I made "Buttermilk Syrup" from Magleby's and French Toast - so good!!! If you don't have the recipe check out my other blog later this week for it - http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/

This was a pretty low key week at our house - maybe, dare I say, even a little boring! The rain has finally stopped but it is COLD and the news is predicting a real cold spell this week!

After being gone for 6 nights Jim was home all week - he spent most of his time in his "man cave" - what we affectionately call his office but came out for the occasional meal and ballgame. He's headed out of town again this week for 4 nights.

The girls were busy in school - it was dead week so lots of studying and getting ready for finals. Musical rehearsals started for Cali so that keeps her busy after school and she is fighting a head cold so doesn't have much of a voice. Tessa is back to dance and her feet hurt!

I've got the 'organizational bug" and have spent quite a bit of time cleaning out cupboards and drawers! There is a group of woman in our Stake that hold a weekly scripture study group that I started attending this week and I went to lunch with my Beach Babe friends and a birthday lunch for my friend Jane - as well as an Auction Committee Recap dinner - so you can see I ate well this week! The rest of the family always knows when I've eaten out for lunch because dinner can be a little on the slim side. Other than that my week was full of lots of conference calls and work.

Jim and I started back to our ballroom dance class - this session is Waltz. We didn't do too bad considering we had missed the first class last week although we just could not figure out that right hand turn!

MORP (Prom spelled backwards) - which is the girl ask boy dance is coming up so Cali asked Jameson to go with her. She used a cute scavenger hunt and used clues that went along with their roles in the school musical - she is one of Cinderella's step sisters and he is Cinderella's prince. His response was cute too - I've included a picture of the cute shoes he decorated and left with clues here at the house. In the show Cali cuts off her toe so that it will fit into the glass slipper - so his answer "yes" was wrapped around a fake toe inside the shoe! He made the toe out of playdoh and even painted the toe nail! Now I just need to get busy and modestify her dress!

For the musical Cali has 4 costume changes. Fortunately only one of them has to be made from scratch - the ballgown which has about 15 yards of fabric in it! I got it started on Saturday but I have some major work to do!!

We are having a Jane Austen love fest this week - watching the Jane Austen festival on Masterpiece Theater each Sunday evening, now through April and I got Mansfield Park from the library which is a 6 hour BBC mini-series that I am watching this week and I'm reading Emma by Jane Austen! Go Jane!

Boy Update:

Both boys are busy with school and work. Clark is at a cabin in Bear Lake this weekend with a group of kids from his ward. He assured me there were parents there so he wasn't breaking the BYU Honor code (Brooke is there too) He was a good boy and called to check in with me when he got there. They should have fun playing in the snow. There is no school on Monday so they will stay until then.

Logan and two of his buddies put on a dance in downtown Provo this weekend and made some good money. For one of his classes Logan has to find a non-profit organization to do some PR work for - he will be working with the Provo Library with one of their programs that involves English as a Second Language so that should be fun since he can use his Spanish. That on top of his other classes, YA and his internship keep him out of trouble. He is looking forward to going snowshoeing with a group from his ward tomorrow

love you all!

Weekend in Utah!

The week started out with my birthday - with the boys back to school and Jim out of town it was a pretty quiet birthday but thank goodness for girlfriends. I went to lunch with 10 of them on Monday and then celebrated again a few days later with another lunch and another friend. It is nice to stretch out the celebrating. Thanks to Tricia, Jayna, Tamara, Grandma and Grandpa Wilkes and my folks for the birthday phone calls and emails too. I ended up buying my own birthday cake but that is o.k. because that way I got my favorite cake - a cream cheese, poppyseed cake from Beaverton Bakery - yum! The girls and I enjoyed a slice each day all week long!

Jim was in Idaho and Utah all week, braving the snowy and icy roads while we just continued to wash away here in Portland. Big excitement on Thursday was a tornado that touched down in Vancouver - just north of here. We never get tornadoes and especially not this time of year!

On Friday the girls and I headed to Utah to meet up with Jim and to see the boys. Logan and the Young Ambassador's were performing on campus this weekend. Jim saw the show Thursday night and the rest of us saw it Friday and Saturday (except for Clark who opted to go to the Jazz game on Saturday night). Friday afternoon Tricia took the girls and I (and Jim tagged along) to the most amazing shop and cafe - Dear Lizzy in Highland. The girls and I were in heaven -it was the cutest place I have ever seen! We had a yummy lunch including a delicious cupcake and had fun looking at all the amazing things in the shop!! I think Jim felt a bit out of place as it was definitely a "girly" place!!

Before the show on Friday we had dinner at my favorite-Cafe Rio with Clark and the girl he has been dating - Brooke and Logan's girlfriend Shayla joined us too. It was fun to meet Brooke. She and Clark then went to the show with us but Shayla had rehearsal for a show she is in so couldn't go with us.
Saturday, Jim, Cali, Tessa and Clark and went snowmobiling with Uncle David and kids. They had a great time - there was lots of snow and it wasn't nearly as cold as the last time they had gone (35 degrees below zero). I stayed in town and took Logan out to breakfast and did a bit of errand running with him. He had a matinee performance so couldn't go snowmobiling.

Grandma and Grandpa Wilkes braved the icy roads and drove down from Idaho so they were able to go to the show with us Saturday night. A group of 20 of us Wilkes went to dinner at another favorite place - Los Hermanos before the show. Wynn, Emily and kids, Brendy, Cecilia and Jacob Wilkes, the David Wilkes (including Lane and Chelsea), Grandma and Grandpa and all of us (except Logan and Clark who was at the basketball game with Brooke) We had some yummy Mexican and then headed over to the show.

The show was wonderful and the crowd was great - lots of yelling, cheering and standing ovations. It was the first time the girls had seen the show.

Sunday Grandpa gave Tessa her Patriarchal blessing and then we attended church at Uncle David's ward. Aunt Tricia fixed a yummy Sunday dinner and the boys joined us for that too. We arrived home safe and sound last night, tired but happy. It never fails - each time we leave Utah someone always makes the comment "I wish we lived closer". A special thank you David and Tricia for always putting us up or should I say putting up with us and being wonderful hosts!

Happy 2008!

Well it is a little bit quieter around here - the boys have gone back to school. I need to readjust my cooking too - we had twice as much food as we needed at dinner today. Pecan crusted pork tenderloin and caramelized onions - you missed out boys!

We had a good New Year's Week. We rang in the new year with our annual Soup's On party. Lots of friends and lots of food. Shayla flew in New Year Year's Eve Day and it was fun to have her with us this week.

New Year's Day we all slept in, missed the parade and the boys even sacrificed football watching and we all went to the movies together. We saw a wonderful movie, I highly recommend - The Great Debaters with Denzel Washington. That evening I went out with girlfriends for dinner downtown and Shayla and Logan went to dinner with one of his roommates. The roommate was proposing to a girl from Portland and it was Logan and Shayla's job to "set the scene". They purchased 4 dozen red roses, got sparkling cider and a blanket. They had dinner on the riverfront, set up the scene and then hid in the bushes! It was too dark for the video camera but they got some cute still photos.

Wednesday, Logan, Shayla, Tessa, Cali and I went downtown to NW 23rd and did a bit of shopping and browsing and then went ice skating. I haven't been on ice in a few years but didn't do too bad! That evening we had our Mia Maid holiday party with a couple of crafts and chocolate and cheese fondue.

Thursday was a big day for Cali - she had her hair colored RED and she had a mole removed from her back at the dermatologists. That evening the whole family went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. My birthday isn't until next week but since the boys will be back in school and Jim will be out of town all next week we celebrated early. The kids all went together (including Shayla) and bought me a panini maker - I am so excited.

We tried it out Saturday night with Grandma and Grandpa and made lots of yummy sandwich combinations! I think our favorite though was the one with nutella and marshmellows! The pepper bacon, pepperjack cheese and green apple combination was yummy too - in fact I don't think there was any combination we didn't like. I had a whole selection of ingredients (roasted red pepper, onion, tomato, pesto mayo, turkey, chicken, bacon, cheddar, pepperjack and provolone cheese, green apple) and everyone put their order in. We had sourdough bread and ciabatta rolls too.

Friday morning Shayla flew home and the boys, Jim and I went to a session at the temple which was nice. We had pizza for dinner and the boys watched a football game. We have had nothing but rain here in Portland and Friday night a wind kicked up. While we were at the temple a neighbor called to say one of our trees was really swaying in the backyard and they were afraid it was going to come through the fence. So when we got home the three boys went out back in the wind and rain and cut it down. They cut another one down the next morning that looked precarious - at this rate we are not going to have many trees left!

Saturday night the boys went to another Blazer game - Logan said it was the best one he had been to in years (sorry Jazz fans) and the girls and I went to a chick flick. We say PS I Love You - a cute, romantic movie - definitely a chick flick! Tessa and I have also been enjoying watching the BBC mini series Jane Eyre during the week. I have Wuthering Heights rented and ready to go next!

The girls aren't too excited about starting school tomorrow but I must admit I am looking a little forward to having the house to myself again. It will be quiet around here with Jim out of town and the boys gone.