Hope of America

Settle in for an interesting-to-only-parents-and-possibly-grandparents post. Consider yourself warned.
The words "Hope of America" cause mixed feelings of dread and anticipation for parents with elementary aged kids in Utah County. This night of musical tribute to America marks the end of after school chorus, making life and schedules a little easier. But, it also means 3 hours of sitting in the most uncomfortable chairs in the world in the too-hot Marriott Center, trying to entertain the rest of the family for an hour before the program actually starts, then sitting through the same program that you have seen a half a dozen times, and battling traffic afterward. I was hoping Dallin wouldn't want to do chorus and the impending "Hope of America" this year, but since the first grade in our elementary school does the "Go, My Son" song every year, and we have a 1st grader, I resigned to the fact that we'd be going. They pretty much do the same thing every year with a smattering of new performances in an effort to mix things up a bit. This year was no exception.

This was my 3rd year watching one of my boys perform "Go, My Son," but I still tear up EVERY time. Cameron is in the 3rd row, 4th from the back - hard to see, I know - but it's a cute performance anyway.

Dallin is part of the chorus making the "living American flag". He is actually one of the white stars - bottom row, 4th star in from the left, sitting next to a bigger kid with dark skin.

The other video is my favorite song that they do every year. Just imagine the Marriott Center, completely dark (with the exception of those few kids who refuse to follow the rules and keep their flashlight down), then be lit up by thousands of flashlights and the much anticipated Disco ball. The audience also participates by waving their lit cell phones. It's quite a spectacular sight that my lame digital camera cannot fully capture.

If you actually take the time to watch these videos, then you can say you endured a fraction of what the rest of us parents had to sit through.

Enjoy!?

Leon's Birthday Poster

Okay, by request, here is the poster that I made for Leon's birthday. I took some close ups of some of the pictures (sorry for the blur) for your viewing enjoyment and Leon's continued embarrassment.

Birthday Season

It's birthday season around here. Happy Birthday, everyone!

Leon - April 15th

I know once you become an adult and also a parent, your birthday isn't the same. Leon usually takes the day off of work, so I never get a chance to embarrass him at work. This year he was too busy and had to work on his birthday. I collected old photos and goofy and embarrassing ones. I made a poster and, with the help of his boss, hung it above the time clock for all to see. He was a little embarrassed by a few of them, but it was fun. We also brought him balloons and doughnuts to pass out. Instead of cake he requested Banana Girdle Buster. Hmm.

Landon - April 10th

Landon requested a "Super Hero" cake with Spider Man, Iron Man, and Hoke (Hulk). This was the best I could do - two out of three Super Heroes was pretty good, I thought. But, Landon was a little bummed not to have Iron Man on his cake. The only reason I think he wanted a cake like this is because recently he's been doing a puzzle with Super Heroes on it. Like most kids he's interested in whatever is in front of him at the moment. However, I think he changed his mind on what kind of cake to have about three times. Of his ideas, the Super Hero cake seemed the most do-able, so I tried to encourage that one.

Jayden - March 18th
Actually, we had to celebrate his birthday a couple of days later since he was sick on his birthday. He also wanted chocolate pie instead of cake. What's up with this no-cake birthday thing?

How Clean Is Your Laundry?

There's nothing like underwear on your kid's face to truly test the effectiveness of your laundry skills. He says he was "Spiderman", by the way.

Pay It Forward

I got this from a friend's blog, and thought this would be fun to do.

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me (any guesses what it will be?)!

HERE'S THE CATCH: You must post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who follow the directions. Obviously, this is completely voluntary. If you have not seen the movie Pay It Forward, you must rent it or check it out from the library and watch it. It is a good show - tear jerker, too.

Oh, come on, people. I know there is someone out there who would like some free stuff. Maybe you just don't want to have to post this on your blog. Or, maybe you're scared of what I might make for you. Don't be shy - leave a comment already!

Science Fair

It's that Science Fair time of year, again. It seems like we just finished last year's project. Last year Dallin made it to the state level, so this year he had high hopes (no pressure, Mom). He was invited to participate in the District Science Fair again this year, but did not move on to the state level. He was a little bummed, but we are so proud of him getting this far.

Dallin's project was to find out if normal people could really tell the differece between Blu-ray movies and regular DVD movies. His hypothesis was that people would be able to tell. After doing a couple of tests with two different groups of people, one with sound and one without sound, he concluded that the average person can really only tell the difference when there is sound. Picture quality was difficult to determine. A big "thank you" to those of you who participated in his study.

I'm sure glad that's over for one more year. Next time it will be Junior High, which I hear is much more involved. Maybe we should get started now.

What In The World Is That?

So, does anyone know what this is? A friend of mine gave me a new recipe to try. She told me it would rise up on the sides, but I had not expected this:

We have discovered that we LOVE German Pancakes. For those of you who have never had these, they are kind of like a thick crepe. The recipe is super simple, but probably not all that healthy for you. But, anything smothered in syrup can't be good for you anyway. Here is the recipe for anyone willing to try it (they really are good):

German Pancakes

1/3 cup butter
6 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
Preheat oven to 350. While oven is heating, cut butter into 9x13 pan and put in oven to melt. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining ingredients until smooth. Pour into pan over melted butter. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or until puffed and golden brown on top. Serve with syrup, fruit, cinnamon and sugar, or anything else you can think of.