Happenings from the past 6 months

Oh boy, do I have some explaining to do or what... Yes, I do. My life has been kinda crazy but lots of fun too. I keep on looking at my last posting and that was the day that my crazy story begins but before I get to the life changing event that most of you know about already, I am going to give a quick rundown of things that have happened and then I am going to be posting a lot of photos during the next few days with simple captions. This is simply for my own family history and will not be super entertaining. I am going to start with all that has happened this year.

January
- Made my cousin's wedding dress
- Finished Jackson's room (we are talking installing and painting bead board people!)
- Major health scare for Audrey. July of 2009, Audrey was diagnosed with NF1 (look it up on the web if you want the real skinny), during a followup eye exam in January at PCH (Primary Children's Hospital), vision was not as good as previous visit - concern there were tumors on optic nerves. MRI was done and it was confirmed that yes, there are tumors on optic nerves. Panic set in - much fasting and prayers by family and ward members as we learned that if tumors grow, she could go blind. Treatment, if needed, would be chemotherapy. After we met with the oncologists at PCH, it was determined to wait and see, it seemed to them that tumors were very slow growing if growing at all.
- I came down with a nasty case of Shingles (okay, this really hurt bad!! Stress brings it on - need I say more)

February
- Nathan in DC for a few weeks as part of his Masters program. Big snowstorm kept him stranded there for many moons. Missed him tons
- Jackson completed third basketball season playing Junior Jazz (kids sports are so fun to watch, I don't know who is more entertaining, the kids or the parents all I can say is "take it down a notch okay?"
- Nathan and I celebrated 13Th anniversary of our engagement

As you can see, Audrey's favorite past time is dressing up in MY shoes and scarves - I'm happy my closet is so entertaining for her... This particular dress up session, she had ripped a page from my Nordstrom sale catalog, pointed at the model in the photo and exclaimed "I want my hair and makeup to look EXACTLY like hers does". One hour later and BAM - a close copy of the photo - should I show this photo as an example of my work when I apply for a job at the MAC counter at Nordstrom??

March
-Steph came to babysit Brandon's kids while he and Debbi were so fancy and went on a 10 day romantic vacation. Stephanie and I had too much Diet Coke, too many kids and too much fun.
- Went to my friend's Alias themed birthday party. It was crazy and amazing. My friend Kamille is the ultimate party animal but in a very appropriate LDS standards kinda way.
- Nathan learned that he had passed a series of exams and interviews and was ultimately invited to join the U.S. State Department Foreign Service (more details on this later). I was soooo proud of him! Way to go hot babes!

April
- Spring Break (I honestly don't think we did anything as Nathan had started to seriously work on his Thesis for his masters program)
- Celebrated our 13th Anniversary. I love Nathan tons and can't imagine my life without him. One thing for sure, he keeps me on my toes and he is always thinking of our next adventure - this way of life may not be for everyone but it is just perfect for me.
- Had to buy a new computer (okay, this is a major expense) - our computer sits on our kitchen counter top at home and we use it everyday - for EVERYTHING!! We finally killed it and had to bite the bullet but I really love our new one.
- Audrey had another round of MRIs and eye exams- everything seems to be stable and normal according to the doctors. Prayers are being answered!

May
- Nathan had to go to a conference for work so he brought me along (yea me!). We went to San Francisco and Monterrey, California for 5 days while my beloved sister Bobbi Ann babysat all my kidlets! Okay, it was soooo much fun. We shopped, ate yummy food (thank goodness Nathan is a foodie - I always eat really well with him) and saw the beautiful ocean. This was a perfect way to kick off the summer.
- Nathan and I mountain biked Corner Canyon several times in May and June. The trails are amazing and it's fun to have something we both enjoy. We are lucky to live minutes from some of the best trails in the state! No car necessary!
- Visited the international Pez museum in Erda, Utah. It is AMAZING!! Thanks Brent Beezer - the curator - quite talented.
- Tons of stuff to attend for my kids - dance recitals, piano recitals, end-of-year programs for school. May is by far the busiest time of the year.

June
- Nathan in DC for 2 weeks to finish up his program
- Jackson went to scout camp and BYU basketball camp (he loved this! Thanks Mom and Dad for letting him stay at your house during this) What a blast. He met all the players and got autographs. It's so fun to see your kids on cloud 9!
- Bobbi Ann and I took our kids to see Stephanie in Boise. It was so fun but I swear- all we did was feed our kids and clean up the mess, feed our kids and clean up the mess! Steph - you are the perfect hostest and I now have changed my opinion of Boise.
- Lots of swimming at the pool! First tans of the summer.
- 300 Soldiers from Nathan's Batallion deployed for a 1 year tour to Iraq. This was most people's second deployment. It was so inspiring to go and to be a bystander this time around. It was quite emotional for me. That night many families in Utah watched TV before they went to bed and had no idea that 300 soldiers left for their deployment and 300 families went to bed without their loved one. I remember that feeling very well. I am so grateful for all the men and women who continue to serve our country and I feel so honored to be married to such a great man who felt it was his duty to serve many years ago when he joined the Utah National Guard at the age of 21 and began ROTC at BYU.
The man in the middle of this photo was the one deploying that night. This is his third deployment while serving in the Utah National Guard. Many years ago, he started operationgive.org - a non-profit organization that sends toys and school supplies to children in Iraq. Nathan and I both agree, he is a very cool guy!

July
- Fourth of July breakfast with Nathan's side of the family at Cherry Hill farm, bar-B-Q with our own little family that night and patio-of-fire with a few fireworks. Perfect Summer day and night!
- Celebrated Draper Days with parade and fireworks. Both our families came and we had a blast
- Nathan's Graduation in Washington D.C. He got his Masters in Strategic Intelligence from the Defense Intelligence Agency college. Congrats mister smarty pants! My dad, Stephanie, Nathan's Mom and Dad, all came out for the festivities. What a fun trip we had (us and the millions of Boy Scouts that were there for the National Jamboree - I've never seen so many scouts in my life nor do I ever hope to again!)
- Celebrated Audrey's 7Th Birthday at America's Great Pizza Company of Draper. It was fun and she is the ultimate party princess but my digestive tract was out of sorts for a week (I promise I am NOT exaggerating!). I don't think I will visit that place again for a while.
- Audrey began a two week session of swim lessons- she will learn to swim by the end of the summer!!! I am committed to this goal - even if she could care less!
- Audrey went back to school for one week of Chinese immersion camp. This will be her second year of her Chinese immersion program at Draper Elementary. This will come in handy in the future when all us Americans are working for China, paying back the loans we've racked up in the past 8 years - she'll be our official translator. Oh ya, I know you're jealous...
- More doctor visits with Audrey but everything seems to be stable - thanks for your continued prayers!Here are a few pictures of the kids on the Fourth of July

Annie and Scott (yes, a former model) moved in July to Omaha for school. I miss you guys tons!!


Draper Days is such a fun event - it lasts all week but on Saturday night they launch fire works from the elementary school next door. We have a front row seat from my back yard. It's perfect. George, our next door neighbor, hires Leatherby's Ice Cream to dish up ice cream for anyone who wants some. I discovered Jane in the back yard, all by herself, eating her ice cream.



August
- Nathan was in the Ukraine for two weeks compliments of Uncle Sam.
- Jane turned 2!
- Jackson turned 10! Double Digits baby . . .celebrated by taking cousins to seven peaks water park. Nathan made it home just in time for the splash down. I am realizing I am becoming such a wimp in my older age - could only handle the boomerang once and yes - it is exactly like what it sounds like - A giant half pipe for inter tubes and you launch into it with a MAJOR drop off. Yikes. Brandon and Debbi had the raw end of the deal - I took their kids to the water park and they got stuck with my grouchy Jane. It was fun just playing with the kids all day. Thanks Bobbi Ann for your parking pass and your Tube rental pass. So fun!!
- Nathan and I took a couples retreat up to Park City. We read, worked out, saw movies, ate at Spruce (okay, this is a very yummy place - great place for anniversaries, grown-up birthday celebrations and romantic dinners with your honey - you won't be disappointed!) Thanks Alyssa for staying with the kids. You are such a professional nanny! They loved it.
- I, Tammi Ringger, ran my third 1/2 marathon. Debbi and I ran the Hobble Creek 1/2 marathon and I got my best time ever! This was very unexpected as I was not very diligent in my training this summer. Sometimes I do get happy surprises!
- Nathan received his start date for the foreign service - we were so excited! October 24! Washington D.C. for initial training and then onto our first assignment - it could be anywhere in the world- there are 250 Embassies and Consulates worldwide so there are a lot of options for us out there. I would love New Zealand or Australia but who knows, it could be Canada!! (For the record, I have nothing against our neighbor to the north but it just doesn't seem very exotic- sorry my fellow Canadians)
- First day of school for my Jackson who is now in fourth grade and Audrey who is now in second. Sorry Jane, that means you are stuck with me and me alone for 8 hours a day. Should I be offended that on the first day of school when you looked through the window and saw Audrey walking home, you ran out the front door, screaming her name with your arms open wide as if she holds the very key to your continued existence? Needless to say It's taken some getting used to having the kids back in school. We both miss them but boy, I can sure get a lot more cleaning done now that we are not constantly on the go, chasing down the next bit of summer fun.




September
- Sun Valley family reunion with my parents, siblings and their families. What a blast - I love Sun Valley and this year was just perfect! We ate yummy food, ice skated, spent a day at Red Fish Lake and did a tiny bit of shopping (when you have that many ladies - you're going to sneak it in there somehow), watched the BYU football game and had a hot dog roast (Jane is not a fan of fire and smoke - she spent the entire meal in the truck watching a movie on my phone! When Jane has had enough of anything, she yells "Show, Show, Show, Show" until I turn on a movie for her. I am embarrassed to say this happens at least once a day. What 2 year old will sit and watch a Barbie movie all the way through? I know I should be more diligent then I am at distracting her from spending so much time in front of the TV but she has a short fuse and she is my third - enough said.
- Jackson began flag football - we won't let him play tackle so this will have to do. He is really great but what is even more amazing is he really understands the game - all the plays, the rules - all of that. He and Nathan have so much fun watching the BYU football games (well, except last week- lets not think about that game against Air Force!!) and all last winter they attended all BYU basketball home games. I think they've gotta be some of BYU's biggest fans.
- Audrey started dance again. She just loves it.
The ones who started it all - Mom and Dad. Thanks for a wonderful vacation! We love you. You're an awesome couple and so good looking too!


It isn't Sun Valley unless grandpa take you to the candy store. Each year my dad takes all 13 grandchildren to the Sun Valley candy store and he lets them pick out an assortment of candy. All year they talk about going to the candy store. They can't wait! What a fun tradition.


Here's the candy man himself!

Jane is a outdoorsy gal to the core. She is happiest when she is in the fresh air amongst the flowers and trees!
Aunt Steph with a few extra kids.


A family that skates together, stays together - put that in vinyl and stick it on your wall!!


Audrey has an obsession with band-aids and we were at the campfire site and she kept saying over and over "I need a band-aid for my owie, I need a band-aid for my owie". All of us were busy getting dinner ready but grandpa dug around in his car and finally found a band-aid. He also found an extra something and put it on her nose and told her it would stop her from snoring. She wore it the rest of the night!

Jane loves to get in the bed of my truck - I think she is well on her way to being a back-woods redneck.

Well obviously there will be more to come as we get closer to our official moving day. I want the kids to stay in school here through December and then we will move with Nathan. We decided not to sell our house due to the highly depressing real estate market so we are going to try our hand in the rental market. If anyone knows of anyone looking to rent a home in Draper, send them our way! I hope I will be better at posting on this blog - but I have to say, it's kind of indicative of the way I do things, I have 12 journals around my house with the first 4 pages written in and then nothing so I am honestly not surprised that my writings here have been sporadic as well. Please excuse the bad spelling and grammar - writing is not my strong suit.

Audrey and her best friend Daisy. They had to take a photo with their parasols of course!

UP!

This is so funny....
Okay so Brandon, my brother and his wife, have been out of town for the past 10 days. My sister Stephanie has been staying with their kids while they have been on vacation. Yesterday, she was picking my niece up from dance when she gets a call from her daughter who is at the house.

"Mom, there are some balloons stuck on the house and we can't get them off."
"What? Okay, whatever, I'll deal with it when I get home."

She pulls up and see this! Apparently some used car lot is missing their balloons and flags... (I'm sure there is one more jobless person out there because of their lack of knotting skills).

You have to know them to understand but let it be said that this instantaneous white-trash decoration could NOT have happened to a better person. Steph is letting it stay put as a sort of welcome home. They are going to die! Don't worry my OCD-neat-freak of a brother, we may tease you but we still love you guys!

Life's little annoyances

Okay, today I finally caught up on my reading of every body's blog (shame on me for taking so long). I love reading every body's blog but I have to say...not a huge fan of the music thing. I have a very simple mind and for some strange reason - I cannot read and listen to music at the same time. Sadly enough, I just have to mute my computer. Don't worry- it's no biggie but I wonder if I am the only one to have this problem? Probably.

Today Jackson's friend that we carpool with informed me that there is a merit badge in scouting for video games. Seriously? I'm sure they just thought up one more badge the Boy Scouts of America could make money on. Did you know that every badge is $3-$4? Even if there were 1 million boys participating in scouting, that is $4 million for one badge that probably cost them 3 cents to make. I swear, Boy Scouts is a rip off. Jackson loves it and I think it is so fun but do they really need a badge for EVERYTHING?? Apparently the person who came up with this latest badge thinks so. Oh brother!

Bacon - eeww gross!

Okay, I am not one to eat bacon but last night I made a really yummy tomato basil soup that requires you to cook five strips of bacon at the beginning and it gets blended into the final soup. Anyways, while I am making the bacon, I am thinking how gross it smells so I open a window - it doesn't really help but after a while, I just start to smell all the other ingredients in my soup. Two hours later, Nathan and I are watching Survivor (Heroes Vs. Villains-so intense!) and all of a sudden I smell bacon and I realize it's in my clothes! The smell permeated my clothing - Nathan smelled it the whole time I was smuggled up to him but he never said anything - a case of true love but also so embarrassing for me. If I stink, please tell me - I'm a big girl - I can handle it (except for the times that I might be feeling rather sensitive- don't you DARE tell me then).

Audrey's first tooth fairy visit!

Audrey lost her first tooth about two weeks ago. She went to bed about 8pm and at 10pm, she walked into our room and told us her tooth could twist all the way around. Nathan did the final pull and it was out! What a cutie. I can't believe she was quietly working on it all that time in her bed. In the morning however I could believe it - her bed looked like a crime scene. There were spots of blood everywhere but hey - no pain, no gain. Now her piggy bank is just a little bit fuller. Actually it's not. That money was burning a hole in her pocket. We went to the mall and I introduced Audrey to a store she had never been in before . . . Claire's Boutique. She was in heaven! She had to touch every item in that store. We were there for an hour before she finally chose her item. A beautiful heart necklace. My little girl is growing up!

Know any Hypocrites?

How do I teach my children that they are being hypocritical when they aggressively insist I recycle every box, paper plate and discarded tissue yet they themselves declare a perfectly white and untouched piece of paper to be unusable if it has a slight wrinkle. Every morning they leave their bowl of almost-all-gone cereal with enough leftover milk for a small rodent to bathe in. All clothing must be washed if it has been on their body for five minutes (I can identify said clothing by finding it oh-so-conveniently on the floor).

I am so gratefully to our increasing liberal school system for brainwashing MY children on the importance of recycling - however, would you mind mentioning that they don't have to use a new cup every time they need a drink of water? My dishwasher and water bill will thank you!

I have thoughts . . .

Okay, so today as I was racing Audrey and Daisy (Audrey's friend) to dance, I passed by one of those impromptu, side of the road blanket stands. You know what I'm talking about - the scene always includes some old brown, customized van from the late eighties (they have blinds on the windows), a plastic, collapsible beach chair and a questionable guy sitting in it, just waiting for his next customer. Mean while, every fuzzy, polyester blanket he has is flapping in the wind on portable clothes lines.

As I drive past these blanket stands, I find myself asking the same question in my head "Who in the heck buys those blankets!?" Okay, so if you notice, there are always a few with a wolf howling at the moon, some with super heroes plastered across or a Native American scene. Once in a while I will spot the Disney trifecta (Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Cinderella) but not very often- they must be in high demand. Today I noticed one I had not seen at previous blanket stands - Marilyn Monroe from the waist up on what looked to be a king size blanket - Oh boy. Seriously - I would love to know the thought process one goes though in purchasing this kind of item . . . "I need a new blanket for my bed. If only I could get something that was made of synthetic materials, fuzzy on the top but smooth underneath and jeez- it would just be perfect if I could get one with a few deer on it. Yes, that would truly make me happy."

I hope I did not offend any of you with my comments. Just remember...these are my own personal views and do not reflect the opinions or views of others in the Red Brick House.

We are the champions, my friend!

Jackson was in heaven today. I honestly think Las Vegas is his favorite vacation destination (yes, we really don't travel much). BYU blew out Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl and so all the BYU fans rushed the field. Nathan just sent me this photo from his phone and I had to post it. It is with Colby Klausen (I have no idea on the correct spelling) and he felt like he met a real life celebrity. Here's my little guy with one huge football player. Jackson, Audrey really misses you and keeps asking when you are coming home. Nathan, Jane has walked into your office several times today saying "Da? Da? Da?" What can I say, we three ladies are missing our men! Drive home safe tomorrow and we can't wait to see you. XOXO

Yes, I actually do care about this blog....

My boys just left for their annual pilgrimage to the Las Vegas bowl game to cheer on the mighty Cougars. I honestly can't think of two bigger fans of BYU sports. They bought season tickets for BYU basketball and once (sometimes twice) a week they head on down to the Marriot center, grab a cougar tail (a really long maple bar) and very intensely watch, discuss stats and cheer for their team. Nathan is such a great dad, I hope Jackson realizes how lucky he is!

So what am I to do? Well, Audrey, Jane and I are going down to my parents to spend the night. My dad is having surgery today and I just wanted to be there to help my mom take care of him. She has been having a lot of problems with her knees and I think she could use a little help. Honestly, old age is not for wimps! I did not coin that phrase but once I saw it, it stuck. I love my parents and I wish them less doctor visits for the upcoming year.

I have totally neglected my little space on the world wide web for some time now and it has been really difficult even wanting to start blogging again because I feel I must write about all the things that have happened since my last post. So here I sit and start pondering what has happened and quite honestly, my mind is drawing a blank ----- yup - not much up there. So don't worry, you don't have to read about all the stuff that apparently didn't happen. The one thing that did happen is Jane finally decided to walk. . . okay, run. It's amazing - she never plays with toys, she just walks around my house, stopping only for meals and for naps. She does spend a large amount of time in my pantry and as a side effect, I change a unusually large number of messy diapers. She is so fun and sweet - she knows a few words such as "sit" (I guess that's a given with having a large dog) and "meow" (thanks to Rose the cat for that one). Babies are fun we just can't wait for February 8 (Nursery - yea!).

Jackson has been very busy with Junior Jazz basketball this season. He loves it and their team is really quite good. He plays on a team with a bunch of his friends from school so it is a lot of fun hanging out with the other kid's mom's who have actually become really great friends of mine. Total bonus. Audrey is, as always, still one of a kind. We can't imagine our house without her - she is so kind and is always drawing little pictures for me. I often bypass Nathan and ask her opinion about an outfit I am questioning - she gives it to me straight up. She has yet to encase her foot in a sock of any kind this winter - if it is really cold outside, I will bribe her to wear tights but they have to be footless. Once a California girl, always a California girl.

I have been in my sewing room nonstop this season. Sometimes I wonder if everything is right in my head. I made Christmas dresses for Jane and Audrey and there was a lot of tulle and lace involved and Audrey even had a little black wool jacket. I took some photos but I don't know if you can see all the detail. Then, a few days ago, I decided that I too wanted a new dress so I made just a simple red wool dress, classic Jackie O style. Nathan was impressed and said that even rich people don't dress their kids this nice. Maybe that is why we are not rich, I just would have no need to sew. Finally, one of life's burning questions has been answered.

Well, just in case I don't post again before Christmas, I want to wish the few readers I have a very Merry Christmas. I love the holiday season and truly a highlight for me was being able to do Black Friday with my sisters. For the record, Stephanie did invite Brandon (our brother) and Debbie (his wife) but neither of them had the desire to get up at 4am and fight the crowds. Bah humbug. We had such a great time laughing and laughing and looking totally unkempt and homeless the entire time. I can't wait till next year. They should have a Black Friday every six months but honestly, what would we shop for in July? Fireworks and hot dogs at rock bottom prices!