A New Year

So I mentioned to Carrie a while ago that I would like to start taking some pictures and posting them somewhere. I starting thinking more seriously about it and, duh, I think I had a blog out there in the cyber world being neglected. Since I'm too lozy to come up with captions or even correct my spelling when I spell "lazy" wrong I decided I'll just post them here and if I write something about it, great, if not...oh well. Here are a few from today...



Tanner and his "Disintegrating Snowball" trick



Snowball instantly before and after impact

Little Pumpkins

My first set of pumpkins came on Saturday. The women of the stake were blessed to be able to attend a 3 1/2 hour meeting so I was blessed to be able to watch our neighbors 3 little girls in the morning. There are few kids that are as compatible with ours as these three are. They never fight or argue and the girls laughs are contagious. I let them play the Wii for the first hour then decided it was time to go outside. Our yard isn't really prepped for children's play yet so we walked to the park. So there I was, walking to the park with 6 kids ages 9, 6, 5, 4, 1, and 1.

Bella



Lilly (I called her Lillehammer)



The four olders: Ayva, Parker, Carson, and Bella



Lots of long hair!



Very cute...



The wind picked up and the freezing temperatures set in so it was time to go home. The walk home was painfull with 2 tired one-year-olds. I picked both of them up and walked for much of the way but even with all my muscles I couldn't do it all the way. Dogs started barking and sucked the kids' attention away from the goal of getting home.



This is Cameron's defense mechanism...



Ohhhh, another doggy!



Every year my sister, Fern, offers to paint our pumpkins in whatever way our kids desire. While Carson was throwing up I was outside with Cameron and Parker. I came across the following creatures, the subject was interesting, the lighting was good, and I had to take a couple pictures:

Poor Old Jack,



B.O.B.,



...and friends...

Meltdown

The past 4 nights I haven't been getting to bed until around 1:00 for one reason or another. I've been falling asleep on the bus every night on the way home and I have some wonderful friends and coworkers who have kindly woken me from my slumber when my stop was coming up. Friday was no different. When I got home I was greeted by my wife and kids and we discussed some options of things we could do that night with no clear resolution. Cameron has been total cranky pants, plus Carrie works from home, which has its good and bad points. I laid on the couch and Carrie told me that if we don't do something she was "going to have a meltdown". I got up, told the kids to get their shoes on and get in the van, with no idea of where we were headed. I just knew if we started driving that would tide Carrie over until we came up with something. After the recent Pinewood Derby I remembered Roberts had a bunch of craft stuff for kids to do so I suggested we take a look at that. Finally, some success! We let the kids pick out a craft to do and, in pure Sweet fashion...started and haven't finished yet!

Carson chose a treasure chest to paint...



And Parker chose a rescue helicopter...





I didn't get many pictures of Carson painting because he woke up early Saturday and painted his while we were asleep. Carrie got up to see what they were doing so early on a Saturday morning. Parker was at the table swinging his legs and said, "We're just waiting for dad to get up and help us with our crafts". Very cute but it wasn't even light outside yet!

In other meltdown news...the Colts lost the Superbowl. Not even us all dressed in blue and white could bring them good luck...



In the end, the Saints were just too much for Manning to predict. The Colts were just plain ole' beat. Laaaaaaaaame....

Relatives

Soon is such a relative term

Hey

For the two people who are wondering, I will update my blog soon...

A Few of My Favorite Things...

My friend, Davis, was convinced I wouldn't update my blog last night and he was right. At this point it seems like such a daunting task but I have to start somewhere. These are a few of my favorite pictures starting from tonight and going all the way back to mid-July. I have no idea who reads this blog but I hope you have a few minutes...and thanks

I saw this sign when I was driving to my in-laws to help them move an exercise bike tonight. I think I'm going to set it as my desktop background at work. I love it and Carrie thinks it's artistic, I think it's just a good idea:



Last night a group of neighbors went to Big Cottonwood Canyon for a little FHE in the MTS. The weather cooperated nicely. Here's a shot of Carson, Tanner, Anna, and Mikey working the rock face:



I like this blurred photo of me and the Cam-man coming down the hill. It's symbolic of our entire existance, seemingly in control, confident, filled with promise...but really it's just a blur and you're not sure of what's really happening. I mean, you can't even see Cameron's face! Am I leading him to joy and happiness or destruction and misery? Is that even Cameron at all? ...and what does it all have to do with The Cure? I have no idea, but it's cute.



Parker was complaining of a stomach ache, we never really did figure out why...



Last week I went to The Dead Weather concert (it's not as gloomy as it sounds). It was one of the best I have been to. Here are a few of my best shots with my point and shoot camera in a low-light situation:

Jack White from The White Stripes:



White normally plays drums in this band. The sound is very unique (think gritty electric blues) and hearing them live was incredible.



Dean Fertita from Queens of the Stone Age, Alison Mosshart from The Kills, Jack White from The White Stripes, and Jack Lawrence from The Raconteurs.



Here's a great picture of Carson looking closely at a bee. Carson is the big, blurry face in the background:




On our Anniversary we took a hike to Donut Falls. The boys and I were ready to go but we had to wait for Carrie to finish lunch...






Freakin' cute boys:



....and then the rest of the family....



Funnily enough, it was our anniversary but we never did get a picture with just the two of us. I guess that's what happens when kids come poppin' around, eh?

Stay tuned for Island Park/Yellowstone, Zions, and girl's camp. Oh yea, and teaching Cameron the finer points of Flight of the Conchords: "New Zealand's 4th most popular guitar-based digi-bongo acapella-rap-funk-comedy folk duo"



Peese

Cleaning Out My Closet

A while ago I blogged a thoughtful insight into how I might be like my father. This one has to do with my mother. Without going into the psycho-babble of it all...my mom likes to collect stuff. Some if it is sentimental, some if it is useful, a lot of it is neither. My closet is my own personal space in the house that I can do with whatever I like. I recently (and Carrie a long time ago) realized I had too much and it was overflowing. Carrie thought it would be a good idea for me to let the world in on my world...

Spot the: Mission pictures I haven't done anything with in 12 years, newspapers I kept from hurricane Katrina, Handyman magazines full of good ideas I'll never do, old Jazz ticket stubs, framed segment of A Proclaimation to the World that the Hansen's framed and gave to us for our wedding (recently taken down in the remodel), two "mini" toys cars picked up in England, old bass module from some computer speakers (maybe it will come in handy one day), and a picture of me playing on the floor with my kids two years ago.



I don't consider myself a packrat, but what do you do with decent shoes that you don't wear as much that are in good enough condition not to throw away but bad enough that I can't give them to the D.I.?

Spot the: 3 pair of Dr. Marten's that I wore on my mission and can't bring myself to toss even though I'll probably never wear them again (they may make a good object lesson for Primary some time), the pile of 15 sweatshirts I still wear, the football helmet bank I made in jr. high, the box that had my snowboard bindings in and is now full of tapes nobody in their right mind would listen to again (well, maybe one day...)



This is just another angle of the previous pic. Spot the 30th Anniversary Cure calendar I special ordered from the website and don't do anything with, England Birmingham Mission Christmas group photo, map of England, and 3 Cyprus High School Piratescope directories.



My favorite are the little sentimental things I come across and am glad that I've kept for some reason like anniversary and birthday cards, old Jazz tickets, a review of the Greenday concert I went to with my brother and nieces, baptismal program from my neices baptism, old Stratosphere ticket stub, plane tickets to Seattle, a raincheck from Blockbuster for the movie "Batman begins
from 2005, my old Frankie the Brave Fireman book from when I was, like, 6, and Frank Newman's (sister's father in law) funeral program.



The best was finding a journal from 1988. I was in 6th grade and 12 years old. Carrie and I have been laughing about some of the things I wrote, like "Today I got up real early, like about 3:30 am. I got up and went into the kitchen and my mom, Rod, and Shauna were in there talking so I just got a drink and went back to bed". What were my mom, brother, and sister talking about at 3:30 am in the kitchen?! I will never know. I remember my mom staying up all hours of the night baking wedding cakes. My job was beaterlicker. Carrie said she knows I had a good childhood but she feels sad for me when she hears me read my journal. Here's the last picture that's a tribute to my mom (Carrie is making some blamtastic cookies right now!)

A Few Days Ago

I was reading the news and came across an article that said 6 soldiers had been killed in Afghanistan in a conflict against the Taliban. The lead story was (and still is) Michael Jackson's death. My friend, Ed, sent me this email today and it mirrors what my thoughts were at the time. I don't care if it's from a real soldier...

Subject: A Soldier's Take on Michael Jackson's Death

This is written by a young soldier serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. Thought you might find his take on the Michael Jackson news interesting and he's right.
Okay, I need to rant.

I was just watching the news, and I caught part of a report on Michael Jackson. As we all know, Jackson died the other day. He was an entertainer who performed for decades. He made millions, he spent millions, and he did a lot of things that make him a villain to many people. I understand that his death would affect a lot of people, and I respect those people who mourn his death, but that isn't the point of my rant.

Why is it that when ONE man dies, the whole of America loses their minds with grief. When a man dies whose only contribution to the country was to ENTERTAIN people, the American people find the need to flock to a memorial in Hollywood, and even Congress sees the need to hold a "moment of silence" for his passing?

Am I missing something here? ONE man dies, and all of a sudden he's a freaking martyr beca use he entertained us for a few decades? What about all those SOLDIERS who have died to give us freedom? All those Soldiers who, knowing that they would be asked to fight in a war, still raised their hands and swore to defend the Constitution and the United States of America. Where is their moment of silence? Where are the people flocking to their graves or memorials and mourning over them because they made the ultimate sacrifice? Why is it when a Soldier dies, there are more people saying "good riddance," and "thank God for IEDs?" When did this country become so callused to the sacrifice of GOOD MEN and WOMEN, that they can arbitrarily blow off their deaths, and instead, throw themselves into mourning for a "Pop Icon?"

I think that if they are going to hold a moment of silence IN CONGRESS for Michael Jackson, they need to hold a moment of silence for every service member killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. They need to PUBLICLY recognize every life that has been lost so that the American people can live their callous little lives in the luxury and20freedom that WE, those that are living and those that have gone on, have provided for them. But, wait, that would take too much time, because there have been so many willing to make that sacrifice. After all, we will never make millions of dollars. We will never star in movies, or write hit songs that the world will listen too. We only shed our blood, sweat and tears so! that people can enjoy what they have.

Sorry if I have offended, but I needed to say it. Remember these five words the next time you think of someone who is serving in the military:

"So that others may live..."
Isaac

5 Years Ago Today

A friend once told me that the worse thing that can happen when you lose a child is that others will forget...



Thomas James Sweet, our precious angel, was taken tragically on June 23, 2004. Thomas led his brother Nicholas into this world, and now his mission completed, his perfect spirit enjoys the warm embrace of his Heavenly Father.

Thomas never had a bad day. He radiated happiness and his love for others was genuine. His example and influence will teach us all to show more patience and love for one another. He loved to hang with dad, Sydnee and Nick. Afternoon at the pool with mom were among his favorites, along with Slurpees and ice cram cones which he requested daily.

He will forever be in the hearts of his parents, James and Melanie Sweet, and his best friends...big sister Sydnee, and twin brother Nicholas, who share his infectious smile and love fore everyone around.

He will be missed by his grandmothers Fontella Sweet and Lois Bills, grandpa Sidney Sweet and many aunts, uncle, cousins, and friends.

Special thanks to friends, family, emergency personnel, and Dr. Morris and his staff at Primary Children's Medical Center for valiant efforts.

We love and miss you Tom and look forward to the day when we will see your sweet smile once again.

WTF? (Why the Frase?)

What does this mean....really?