Some People Can Sleep Anywhere

It was long morning of holiday shopping for me and Ellen. When we arrived home Ellen went directly to the kitchen counter so she could eat a treat she earned for being such a good shopper. She didn't even get in one bite before she slumped against the counter and fell fast asleep.

It doesn't look that comfortable, but I know how she feels...shopping wears me out too.

We decided to spend Black Friday afternoon ice skating instead of shopping. When we first arrived the Zamboni was refinishing the ice. It was interesting to watch. I totally want to drive one. Then we took off on the ice. Ellen was Mike's constant attachment, she only wanted to skate with him and only gave Mike a break for once around the rink with the aunties. She loved skating....as I suppose anyone would if they had someone to push them around the ice. All the fun and none of the work :).

It was so nice of the Duncan aunties to come with us. The more grown-ups at the ice rink the better. We had a 5:4 ratio, so I sat out to take pictures.
This picture is a little squished, but if you look closely you can see James sitting on an ice-walker and being pushed around the ice by Uncle Paris. James really knows how to enjoy himself.

Sophia skated with Aunt Ali until she found her confidence, then she took off on her own. She has been really looking forward to go skating for a long time. I am glad we were able to make it.

I think James likes to wipe out just for the photo op. He is a mad skater, the boy has no fear. He is highly entertaining to watch.

Ellie loves her daddy!

Wish Me Luck

As many of you know I have been studying voice since September in the hopes of auditioning for BYU's vocal performance major. Last week, with the help of the most awesome camera man ever (THANK YOU PATRICK) I filmed my audition dvd,and today I finally turned it in. If I make it through the pre-screening process I will get a live audition on January 30. Hopefully all will go well. Wish me luck.

We're Back

Our trip across the pond was wonderful. It was great to spend a week with each other seeing new sights, eating new food, and enjoying life.

Here we are at the base of the Eiffel Tower. The thing is massive. We enjoyed sitting in the park, watching the gypsies try to hustle people, followed by the police chasing them down. Not to mention the soldiers packing M-16s. Plazas are awesome places to people watch.
Here is Mike near the entrance to the Louvre....the most overwhelmingly huge museum ever. I highly recommend Napoleon's apartments.

Here is me in one of the courtyards at the Louvre. I just can't get over the size of this place.

This is Notre Dame at night. We were walking by after having dinner in the Latin Quarter, and we noticed the cathedral was open. We went in, and they were in the middle of mass. We sat down to listen and enjoy the ambiance. Afterward, they rang the bells. It was an amazing experience. Paris really is like no other city I have ever been.

London was great too. We visited several places but one of our favorites was the Portobello Road market held every Saturday. I had no idea that Portobello Road was a real place. I highly recommend it. It's a great place to pick up trinkets of all kinds.

Overall it was a really great trip. I am so lucky Mike had to work!

I think it would be fun to go here:

I think I should like to go there as well. With Meredith. In November. Yes, I think I would like that very much.

Mike

What Kids Say

Here are some of the things my kids have been saying lately that make me laugh.

James: I ALWAYS have to sit by a crying woman!

Ellen: Hey Christian, do you want to touch my muscle?

James stated, "Girls don't have to do hard stuff." To which Anna replied, "Yes they do, they have to have babies." James just looked incredulous and retorted, "That's NOT hard."

Anna turns 11

We celebrated Anna's birthday with a family party on Friday night. I put her in charge of the decorations and was quite taken with her creative display of birthday decor. I especially loved the smiley face made of crepe paper on the ceiling. I don't quite know how she reached that high (considering I can't reach it without a stool) but it looks awesome. And the hanging bags....genius!

Seeing the cake. You will notice the cake is shaped like a shooting star. When Anna asked for a star cake I tried not to panic, I mean having a star shaped pan is one thing, but shaping a star yourself takes finesse. Luckily for me, I am married to a man with star shaping talent, and the desire to decorate cakes at 10:30 at night.

Making a wish. She was very deliberate about this. I guess that means she still believes in magic. I am glad about that.

The traditional 'blowing out the candles' shot. Why do we always take this? Lucky for Anna, she looks cute doing everything! Overall it was a really great birthday. Anna is such a great kid. It is so fun for me to be around her and to experience her little personality quirks. She is so smart and beautiful. She is turning out to be so responsible, helpful, and good. She is my right hand girl. I love her so much!