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We turned 1 today.  I can't believe a year has gone by so fast.

On our trip to DC a few months ago we had a layover at the Denver airport.  We took a picture where we met.  It was at this very spot almost 3 years ago that David handed me his business card.  We have talked every day since.  Here's to 50 more. :)

Baseball

We had our last games of the season this week.  Both Brandon and Harrison had a good season.

Brandon made varsity this year.  Centennial had new coaches this year, which proved to be a good thing.  The team had more wins than last year.  Brandon plays catcher.  Although he played varsity the entire year, for one game the JV team asked him to play catcher since both of their catchers were out.  (This happened to be the game we remembered to bring the camera.)  David captured some action shots of that game.

Brandon is playing catcher in the first picture, and is at bat in the second picture.

Harrison's team did well this year.  While he spent most of his time in right field, his coaches also wanted him to pitch some.  We got some good action shots of him pitching.

Murf Mobile

David and Brandon have been looking for cars for Brandon.  Brandon has been diligent at searching Craig's List and coming up with proposals for David.  They are usually faster, smaller cars with upgrades.  David usually chooses larger, slower cars that can be fixed easily. 

The other day Brandon tells us he has found a "Murf Mobile" that would be "sweet".  He recognized they are lousy cars, but still thought it would be awesome.  I had no idea what a Murf Mobile was and so asked.

Brandon: "Are you serious? You don't know what a Murf Mobile is?  Who doesn't know what a Murf Mobile is?"
Kimberly: "Yes, I'm serious.  What is a Murf Mobile?"
Brandon turning to his dad, "Dad, divorce is still an option."

I laughed pretty hard. 

(For those of you who don't know, a Murf Mobile is from Wayne's World.)

Watch Out Martha Stewart

During our recent trip to Washington DC, the boys ended up staying with friends. On the way home David and I had many conversations about what gift to get the families they stayed with. Plus, it was Lori's birthday and we wanted to do something for her. While passing Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in the airport, inspiration struck … caramel apples. We love them, they look beautiful, and they are fun. Then, inspiration struck again … why pay $7 an apple when we can make them at home? I know how to make caramel, we can buy some apples, dip the apples, drizzle chocolate in a fancy pattern, done. I was confident we could do it for cheaper and have more fun. Plus, then we could have some when done. Martha Stewart watch out, here comes Kimberly.

This is what I imagined the end result would be:

We read tips on line, I pulled out Grandma Hursts caramel apple recipe, I was ready. All went well until we actually dipped the apples. I couldn't get the caramel to actually stay on the apple. We dipped, we dipped again, we froze the apples, and the caramel just wouldn't stay. Then, the sticks kept breaking and we had to resort to kitchen knives. I then tried to drip chocolate fancily over the apples … again, a bust. This is what we ended up with:

The friends never ended up getting the apples (Lori still did). But, despite having to practically lick the caramel from the pan, it didn't stop Harrison. I think he ate more apples in 2 days than I had seen him eat in the last year.

I think $7 may be worth it.  Now, here's the real question … should I Pinterest this? ;)

I Believe in Miracles

Ever since we were little, we have played games together as a family.  When David became an official part of the family, he had a bit of a shock as he has not spent every Sunday for years playing games.  He is a good sport, but he has lost every game he has played since we've been married.

This weekend we had some friends over for games.  It was boys against girls, and the boys won.  David was pretty pleased with himself as that is the first game he has won.  Guess what it was ... Taboo.  A game that has little strategy beyond being able to talk and describe things really well.  I should have known that I would lose as that is what David likes to do best. :)

Quotable Quotes

One of my favorite things about Brandon is his sense of humor.  The guy just cracks me up.  Often, scripture reading is paused while Brandon and Harrison entertain us.  Feeling like I need to be a supportive spouse during this spiritual time, I try my best to maintain my composure and not laugh.  I normally fail.  When Brandon gets that twinkle in his eye, I know he has come up with something particularly clever.  More often than not, I find myself laughing through scripture reading.  When Harrison joins in, all is lost.  Here are a number of my favorite quotes from over the last few months (I even put one from myself and David, although they aren't nearly as funny as when the boys are being clever.) 

• "That is how my mind works, I compare everything to Taco Bell."
• "One of my life goals is to pee on or lick a national monument."
• "Do you remember when I was the master of 'Yo Mama" jokes?"
• "I've made it a strict policy never to volunteer for anything in seminary."
• "Footbally things"
• "On the tricycle ride of life, Dad has peddled up the hill, ridden over the top, and is coasting down the other side with his feet up not even on the pedals any more."
• "Oh poo-pa"
• After entering our room: "As a punishment (to David & Kimberly), I'm going to sit here on this chair for the next 30 minutes."
• David: "Are you burning things for fun?"  Child: "No, I'm actually testing household fluid combustion."
• "I have a really uptight teacher at school.  So, I start every conversation with, 'Do you know what I found on my foot this morning?'  To which she answers, 'I'm not your friend.'"

The Cleansing

We did a deep clean of Harrison's room this weekend.  It took two of us supervising and a lot of encouragement to get it done.  Guess which of the following we did not find in his room:

• A rotten apple that even Priscilla wouldn't eat
• Stale box of Chicken in a Biscuit
• Jack Link jerky & sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 potatoes
• A Substitute Teacher badge
• Two animal carcasses
• A six pack of Lightning Bolt Throwing Knives and Sheathe
• 100 bee bees all over the floor
• Large bag of clothes that did not fit (lots of breezy undies)
• Multiple Mountain Dew cans (one can he deemed "Special")
• Most of the houses pillows and comforters

Prior to this event we had noticed a distinct burning stench coming from Harrison's side of the house.  David and I jumped to the conclusion that my stepson, with an insatiable sense of thrill, had cooked, mixed, or created a fiery concoction in his bathroom. We cleaned the entire bathroom, vacuumed out the vent, but still could not find the source of the smell after weeks of looking.  After further investigation, looking high and low, we found a Hacky Sack resting on a bathroom spotlight slowly melting into the rice core of the children's toy. When taken off the "Slow Cooker" we found it scorched, yet not ready to combust at any given time during its time on the light.  We were very relieved to find Harrison had not committed accidental arson.  To not give him the satisfaction of the event, we threw it away immediately after discovery. 

Parenting Tip: Childrennnnnn just wanna have fuuunnn!