House O' Sullivans

Today was the best Sunday the Sullivan household has seen in a very long time.  Somehow we convinced Sophie and Hallee to take a nap with us in the basement while Zeke slept upstairs.  Hallee eventually bailed and went to play alone (but quietly) while the rest of us enjoyed a delightful nap.  Oh, the glorious bliss!  Here are a few glimpses from our week: As I surveyed the scene on the couch earlier this week, I remembered a night in Paradise.  Paradise, Utah (near Logan), that is.  I was with my friends Sarah and Carlynn at Carlynn's sister Cathy's house.  We were having a sleepover, anticipating an early start with Cathy and her husband Scott and two others, headed for the Wind River Range in Wyoming on an epic backpacking adventure to the infamous Gannett Peak.  Cathy and Scott have four kids.  At that time the kids ranged from maybe twelve down to four years old.  Before they went to bed, I found t...

Being Friday night, the Sullivans settled down for family movie night in the hand-me-down Lazy Boys in Wayne's Bar, giant bowls of buttery popcorn on our laps.  At the end of Parent Trap, Sophie said, casually, "That wasn't REALLY about a boy and a dog."  Apparently (I missed it) there was a preview for Old Yeller before the movie started.

Tonight, as I was singing her a bedtime song, Hallee hugged me around the neck (read "death grip") and said, "Mom, I love you more than butter."

A friend of mine, Natalie Romrell, made the invitation to join her in her lent deprivation.  No sugar treats or desserts until Holy Saturday--April 7th--the day before Easter.  As I contemplated my jiggly belly, I made the rash decision to join her.  Of course I'm not Catholic, so it's OKAY that I'm only observing the last half of the deprivation, right?  Last year I went virtually the whole year only eating "treats" one day a week.  Before that, I went several weeks straight with no treats (in order to win a competition with our friends, the Newtons).  Honestly, I have to say, it is easier for me to not eat ANY treats then try to be moderate.  Why is that?  Why is it easier to eat none than some?  I think it must be the same principle that President Monson talked about in October 2010 conference. "I share with you an example of one who determined early in life what his goals would be. I speak of Brother Clayton M. Christensen, a ...

Candy, Fire Fighter, and Black Bill Last Friday we made the annual trek to the IFA in search of chicks.  We have three full-grown chickens in the coop right now--Rainbow Lacey (Sophie's), Tosey (Hallee's), and Bunny Wailer (Zeke's).  The plan is to teach the kids where meat comes from and EAT these three once the new chicks start laying eggs.  (Don't worry.  We've already informed the kids and they are excited about the adventure--so they say.)  This year we picked out two Rhode Island Reds (the golden ones) and one black Astralorp.  Hallee adopted the black one and named her "Black Bill" (even though she's female).  Sophie picked one of the Rhode Island Red's and named her "Candy."  Zeke, by default, is the proud handler of the other Rhode Island Red (the one with the gray patch on her head) and the girls named her "Fire Fighter."   Soph with Rainbow Lacey  We let the chickens roam the backyard on occasion.  It...

Hallee has been potty trained for a long time.  At least a good year.  She has, however, continued to wear a Pull-Up at night (and used it liberally).  We ran out of Pull-Ups a couple of weeks ago and decided that it was time to quit the expensive addiction.  Casey and I have held out the carrot for months: "If you stay dry at night for a week, you can move into a bunk bed AND get purple Popsicles."  Hallee came up with the purple Popsicle idea herself and tacked it onto our initial of a bunk bed.  So with no drama, Hal left those Pull-Ups in the dust.  Tonight we celebrated heartily with PURPLE POPSICLES. 

Yesterday we spent the morning out at Sea Base in Grantsville.  Out in the middle of nowhere, really, are a series of hot springs that have been developed into an operation where you can go scuba diving or snorkeling.  Sharks, sting rays (one named "Steve" and another named "Irwin"), and several species of exotic fish populate the waters.  Our friend J-Rad (Jared McBride), mentioned in a previous post, was working on adventure #39--a free dive down to 50 feet.  According to his wife, Jenny, his training for this endeavour consisted of holding his breath for a couple of minutes at a time while he lay in his bed.  We arrived early to watch the marine life feed, then went over to the pool they call "The Abyss," where J-Rad dove down to the depth of 50 feet (as confirmed by the resident dive master). That's the man in the flesh, just before the successful dive.  After several warm-up dives of 20, 30, and 40 feet, he finally whipped the abyss!