Super Angie...no death on Baker...

Well, what I mean to say is, No, my husband isn't the one who died on Baker, but unfortunately, someone else did. A woman fell off a waterfall. I am not sure what she was doing by the waterfall, but it happened fairly close to where Rick was climbing and hiking. Scary!

I have been talking quite a bit today with Rick on the phone. I can't wait until his plane lands... :)

Signing off..Super Angie

Super Angie...rain is falling all around

And Utahans everywhere are FREAKING OUT! Not I though. I am rejoicing! Its gorgeous and the temps are sooooo nice (although I do feel bad for my friends who had plans today to go trad climbing outside).

My parents arrived. Tanith was very sleepy and didn't take well to being introduced to them. She is now 10 months old and the last time she saw them was when she was 4 or 5 months old. She did enjoy showing her walking skills to them though. :)

I have yucky allergy problems today. I checked the pollen count-sage brush is high. Thats why I hate Utah. Sagebrush is everywhere. Its ugly and my body doesn't like it. ugh...

I canceled my babysitter for tonight. Gonna stay home and try to get better. I hope Tanith actually naps right now. She is kind of driving me nuts. She must not be feeling good either, plus Mark is in town and has the boys all day, so, she is missing them and daddy. I miss Rick too. He called from Baker--the guide's cellphone works in one particular spot on the mountain. He said it rained all night and he's miserable and wants to leave. I wonder if he'll summit tomorrow. Poor guy. When he climbed Rainer, the weather was beautiful and perfect.

Well...I better go read a book and feel cozy because of this un-usual Utah weather...ahh...its perfect! Now, if only there was NO sagebrush, I would be feeling better and be able to enjoy it more.
Super Angie, signing off...

Super Angie...missing Rick

My dear DH is climbing Mt. Baker right now. I love it when he goes climbing, but hate it too...here it is, 1am and I can't sleep. I miss him. I don't mind so much when he is on a business trip because we can call and text, but when he is on some mountain somewhere, rarely there is cell phone service--I miss those texts!

Tonight, I went climbing with Sarah. We wanted to go outside since its perfect climbing season (no snow yet, but not hot either), but I don't know how to lead belay yet, so I'm not much of a partner for climbing. :( So, we went to the gym and had fun. I did on 5.9 (a new one that had a funky start--loved it!), two 5.10 (a and c--my favorites routes!!) and then I attempted three 5.11!! WHOA! Those were so tricky. I can see why its hard to make that jump from 5.10 to 5.11, but now I have some fun projects I can start working. The only problem...my technique goes right out the window when I'm trying to hold onto those 5.11 holds. YIKES!

Please pray I am NOT getting a sinus infection. My allergies are driving me nuts...time for another kleenex.

Signing off...Super Sniffely Angie

Super Angie...in aw of Super Sam

Okay, so I have been checking my blog daily and FINALLY someone made a comment. I was so thrilled to go read it, but I didn't recognize the name. But I did recognize the Team she was on. Its Sam, from Team Bury the Dragon. She climbed this past weekend at the HERA event. Talk about an amazing person.

Please, go read her journal. I linked it as SUPER SAM. http://slockwoo.livejournal.com/

Reading Sam's journal really made me think... I am so lucky to be as healthy as I am. Yes, I am still wanting to loose some more baby weight. Yes, my allergies suck (especially while living in Utah). Yes, I have Asthma. But COME ON! I am just fine. Meanwhile, there are people like Sam and so many countless others who have gone through so much. What about my own mom? What about Kathleen's mom and John Thompson's mom? What about my grandma? and on and on ...

I remember back in 4th grade. There was a girl named Angie in the next classroom over. She was diagnosed with leukemia. I remember wondering about her. And then I remember having to visit her classroom one day and sit in her desk. OH MY GOSH. Was I gonna catch it? Too bad the education wasn't so great back then. I often think about Angie and wonder....

Anyway, thanks Sam for visiting my site. Its great to hear from another climber. How did you find my blog?

Love and Hugs to everyone...
Signing off....Super Angie

Super Angie...climbing for the cause!

Chris Linder...nice reach! Leading the first route. ( I later did this route--5.9--I am so proud of myself that I was able to get over this bump on the wall. It was quite a challenge!)

Hard Rock 5.8--Thats Chris in the background belaying! ** notice my HERA shoes. I look kind of fat in this photo, but I do like my technique.

Look Ma! ONE HAND! (no, I'm not falling, just holding on with one hand as I shake my other hand out and re-chalk)

Perfect straight arm!

SMILE from on top!

Chris Linder, Dallin, Brennan and me! (Rick and Tanith in the background)

Whitney Boland...getting ready to belay me!

Megan, making her move on the Warm Up Boulder in Secret Garden, Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Almost to the top on HARD ROCK in American Fork Canyon

Eric Sculley, Noah Harper, Me!, Amy (I forget her last name) and Portia Menlove at the bouldering crag- Cabbage Patch, Little Cottonwood Canyon

My CRUX on the bouldering problem. A V1 on the Warmup boulder, the Secret Garden. I hit the move twice, but couldn't move past it. This is where I lost my skin. ** click on this photo to enlarge it. You can see I am hanging on with only 2 fingers! BUT that hand handled it. Its the other hand where I lost some skin. That granite is just so sharp!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This weekend I had the opportunity to climb for Ovarian Cancer. http://www.herafoundation.org/events.cfm

I raised $750 to help support Ovarian cancer research. This is such a scary cancer. There is very little early detection--not like Breastcancer. And there is a really high probability of dying within 5 yrs of getting it! PLEASE, check out the symptons and take charge of your body if you feel like something is wrong. http://herafoundation.org/ovca.cfm

Anyway, the weekend was two days of climbing, a slide show from a lady who climbed Everest, a breakfast and raffle. I won some great stuff in the raffle and met some cool people. Saturday was my favorite day of climbing. I top roped in American Fork canyon. I did HARD ROCK. My pros were Chris Linder, Joe Kinder and Whitney Boland. Talk about COOL people. Chris and Joe signed posters for Dallin and Brennan and Rick brought the boys to the crag to meet them. It was fun. This was only my third time climbing outside and it was awesome (although today, Sunday, I am still recovering. PHEW! It was rough!). I climbed a 5.7, 5.8, 5.9 and half of a 5.10!!! I got really scared on the 5.10 because the route was longer then the rest, plus it was windy and exposed. It was quite a challenge to climb outside--the holds are so different and for me, hard to see. Our volunteers were great too. Carla, Jenny and Agnass. Whitney was very supportive and helped me a ton. She had a saying, "Pitches Bitches!" which means, "Climb to the top Girls!"--in other words...stop screwing around and just do it. You know you can and I won't let you come down until you do! lol

On Friday, I made the mistake of signing up to do Bouldering. I like to watch bouldering, but my hands just can't handle it. I did one V0 and that was it. My friend Megan was with me and she rocks. It was fun watching her, but I just couldn't do it. Megan was a machine. She was trying some really difficult stuff. Just amazing! I lost quite a bit of skin off my fingers, so Saturday, I had to tape up. The pro for bouldering was Portia Menlove.
Portia was sweet to watch and had some interesting stories. Eric Sculley was the other pro and he just got back from a trip to Spain. We bouldered in Little Cottonwood Canyon where the Mormon Pioneers quarried for Granite. In fact, the boulders in Secret Garden had marks on them from the pioneers cutting and drilling etc. Very interesting and a nice shady area. Can't wait to go back there with Rick--although I am not sure I will boulder as much...I like my skin and hate loosing it! OUCH!

What a fun weekend it was. I love looking at my photos. My groups were fantastic. I met such awesome people. (I also met Joe's girlfriend, Colette. She was in a recent issue of ROCK AND ICE. They both climb at Momentum, so I will now say HI to them when I see them at the gym. Talk about sweet and down to earth people!)

I can't wait to climb outside again. I also look forward to doing another weekend fundraiser or clinic. FUN STUFF!

Thanks to everyone who donated money. It was awesome to raise $750!!!


--Super Angie... CLIMB ON!

Super Angie...a marriage propossal

Today my sweet little Brennan told me he wants to marry Me and Tanith (his sister!). He said, "Me kiss you and Tanith. Me married to you and Tanith...and Rick too! But not Dallin. He doesn't like it when I kiss him!"

What a sweet heart. He is growing so much as he is attending preschool and loving it. Today was "mommy and Brennan day at the gym". Tanith stayed home with a babysitter, while Dallin was at school. Just me and Brennan rock climbing. This kid is FANTASTIC! He got to the top of yet another route and this time, it was a route with a bell on top, so he had quite a bit of fun ringing the bell and then telling everyone that he rang it!

I love being a mom!
Signing off...Super Angie (with a clean house for once!!!)

Super Angie...super weepy

Today Dallin started 1st grade. Of course I cried...thats just me! He looked so grown up in his school uniform and was so excited to sit in his class. He also was pretty stoked that his class has a class pet! A small blue bird. :)

I love German traditions, so I always do an ERSTE SCHUL TAG TUTTE. Which is a First day of school cone--you put gifts for the child in it. The boys were excited to get theirs this morning. They got music CDs, candy, books, stuffed animals and scripture pictures. Dallin also got a new chalk bag for rock climbing. Brennan was really happy to get a bag of Swedish Fish--he loves those!!!

Tomorrow Brennan starts preschool.
Signing off...a proud super mom

Super Angie...super busy

ATTENTION! I have added several new blogs and tons of new photos. Scroll down to see all the new ones. :)

Super Angie...I'VE BEEN TAGGED!!!

My friend Emily tagged me on her blog, so here goes...

Jobs I've Had: Microsoft (software Tester), Alpnet (software localizer), Sno-King ice arena- Edmunds (Skate Patrol and learn to skate class helper), Peaks Ice Arena, Provo (learn to skate class teacher).

Places for a Weekend Getaway: Colorado-- Keystone, Breckenridge, Aspen, Utah--Moab, Neveda--Vegas

Movies I Could Watch Over and Over: You've Got Mail, GOTCHA!, The Cutting Edge, Legally Blond, Clueless

Guilty Pleasures: Peanut Butter M&Ms, Reality TV (Survivor, Amazing Race, America's Next Top Model and now Dancing with the Stars), figure skating competitions and shows.

Places I've Lived: Redmond, WA, Rexburg, ID , Munich, Germany, Provo, UT, Cedar Hills, UT, Saratoga Springs, UT and finally Lehi, UT.

Places I've Been on Vacation: I love traveling, so I'm just gonna highlight my favorites--Munich Germany, Moscow Russia, Bratislava Slovakia, Prague Czech Republic, Sydney Australia, Tokyo Japan, Victoria BC Canada, Florida Keys, Estes Park Colorado, Wisconsin

Places I WANT to Go: (I ADDED THIS CATEGORY) Hong Kong, New England, Finland, Norway, Mongolia, Antartica, Ice Land, Romania.

What I First Thought When I Saw Rick: Super Talented, Super blunt! lol

If I am In a Jam with Rick, Tactics I Use to get out of the Dog House: oh gosh...I don't know. We bicker and disagree a ton, but like the Kirby Heyboure song, I know we are perfect together.

Favorite Foods: German food!!! Chocolate. No-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies (not made with peanut butter)

Websites I Visit Daily: ksl.com , cnn.com

First Kiss Location: Oh gosh...Dan Alquist! (so funny since most people who visit my blog know him and grew up with him). He was my first "real" boyfriend, meaning I was 16 and allowed to date. Never kissed anyone before I was 16. Anyway, It happened on my trampoline, I think, or was it in my drive way after we jumped on the trampoline. hmmm. hee hee. First Rick Kiss: I surprised him by kissing him. Aren't I forward?!

Places I'd Rather Be Right Now: Anywhere but Utah. lol But seriously, anywhere that isn't HOT. I am sick of this stinkin' hot summer. I would rather be swimming in Lake Samamish or Lake Washington. I would rather be in Summit County, Colorado. I would rather be rock climbing or figure skating. I would rather be sitting on an airplane, flying somewhere really cool.

People I Tag: well, everyone I know who blogs has already done this once except Shannon, so SHANNON! I tag you!!!

Super Angie...snakes, campfires and fun

Here are some pictures from our latest campout, climbing, and from another reptile show the boys went to. ENJOY!Brennan at the top of a hard route in the gym!

Brennan having a blast climbing in Maple Canyon

Dallin climbing in Maple. I belayed him.

Brennan enjoyed hanging out in his camp chair.

Tanith enjoyed camping!

The boys, sitting with a HUGE snake!

Campfire fun. (I think Dallin is roasting a marshmallow here)

Brennan enjoying his new "friend" at the Reptile Show

Tanith loves eating!

Brotherly love--showing Tanith a snake.

Super Angie signing off...with a camera in her hands!

Super Angie....super Anniversary

Here we are at the top of Turkey Rock.

Turkey Rock as seen from the road. When I first saw it I freaked out. "We can't climb THAT!"

Scott (our guide) leading the route.

To celebrate our two year anniversary (August 19th), we went to Aspen, CO (where we were married). We stayed in the same cabin and ate at the same restaurants. And again, we wished we could move there--but seriously, who can afford a two bedroom condo for 2 million $? I think we can afford monthly rent on a parking spot in Aspen and that's about it! lol

Anyway, we hired a guide to take us rock climbing outside. It was our first time and we had a BLAST. We climbed TURKEY ROCK. It was amazing!!! Our guide was Scott and he was excellent. I learned to Repel and trad climb. We also found a huge area thats great for bouldering, so we did a bit of that the next day on our own.

The weather in Aspen was perfect. We enjoyed walking the city and enjoying the beauty. The wild flowers were out in full bloom. There were daily afternoon thunder showers which lasted for about 10 minutes. Shopping was fun too (don't worry, I didn't hit the Dior store or the Louis Vuitton store!). We found a great mountaineering store that had a HUGE sale going on on everything in the ladies department. I got a new winter coat and some pants to Ice Climb in. (I'm gonna learn to ice climb this winter.) The pastries in town were to die for. I really enjoyed the zucchini muffin and the banana chocolate chip one. :) They also have a dang good BBQ place right on main street--YUMMMMMMY! We also enjoyed the farmer's market on Saturday. The whole town is just picture perfect. Ah...to be able to live there....maybe someday we'll be able to afford a carport! lol

Signing off...Aspen Angie

Super Angie...super mad!

Dear Friends. I have to tell you about my horrible experience using reserve america USFS Maple Canyon Campground.

Heres what happened: my friends from Momentum (http://www.momentumclimbing.com) invited my family (husband and three kids including an 8 month old baby) to try outdoor climbing in Maple Canyon Utah. I went online to reserveamerica.com and reserved two campsites for the weekend of August 25th--prepaid. I printed out my receipts and packed up the gear. We got down to Maple and found our campsites were taken and there was no camp host to in force anything. We talked to the climbers occupying both sites who told us "its not our fault" and "good luck finding the host. We aren't moving to a new site". (Later when our car wouldn't start, we asked around for jumper cables and only ONE climber was friendly enough to help us. What is wrong with these climbers? Where is humanity??) We eventually gave up hope on those very un-kind and snobbish climbers and plopped our selves down in the vacant "group" site. Our trip was just so-so. The boys had fun climbing outside for the first time and we had a nice time as family, even though our sour camper neighbors stayed up drunk until 2am!!!
Anyway, When we returned home from our trip, we filled out the appropriate form on reserveamerica.com asking for a refund. Then I called and talked to Bill at the Utah Forest Service for the area of Maple Canyon. Bill told me he agreed that I should get a refund (and I was willing to pay the $15 for the group site). Bill told me to fill out a different form and reserveamerica would refund my money. So I did this....guess they don't care about climbers coming to their little campground and using their online reservations, because this is the response I got back.
Dear Ms. Miske,

Thank you for using Recreation.gov for your camping needs. It is my pleasure to assist you today.

The Group sites are $ 40. a night. You only paid $ 17. a night for your single sites. You will not be charged the additional
fees for using the group site as you were unable to find the campground host.

Please let us know if we can be of further assistance.

Thank you,

So, there you have it. There was NO campground host (found out they only come 3 times a week)! Reserveamerica.com RIPPED US OFF! They refused to give a refund on our fees. They even lied to us about the price of the group site (the sign at the group site said $15!!!).

Anyway, we are very frustrated, as you can imagine. Don't use Reserveamerica.com They charge an outrageous fee for their reservations. (The campsites in Maple are $8 each...they charge us an $9 reservation fee, for a total of $17 per campsite!!!!) If you want to camp, go to reserveamerica.com and search for the campground you like, and then google them to find a local phone number you can call to make a reservation.

So, there you go.
Frustrated Super Angie, signing off.... I'll post some pictures from the camp out in a day or two.

Super Angie...skid marks, training wheels and crawling up the stairs!

What a glorious day!
Last week I took off one of Dallin's training wheels and he has been getting used to that. Well, yesterday, I saw a talk show that talked about taking off the training wheels and learning to ride, so I thought, today is the day!

While Brennan and Tanith napped, I took Dallin outside, took off the training wheel. I held onto the back of his seat and his steering wheel. Oh man, he could not find his balance. It was hard and frustrating. Then I remembered from the show, to have him ride the bike without trying to peddle--just let his feet kind of drag. He did this and found his balance and before I knew it, I was running after him as he rode. He does a great job of regaining his balance by touching one foot to the ground as he continues to peddle. The smile on his face was priceless.

He also thought it was fun to make skid marks on the new sidewalks. We just laughed and laughed each time he made one. I love my son!

And then there is Tanith....last week she started crawling UP the stairs and today, she went all the way to the top. She is only 8 months onld and she climbed the whole flight. YIKES!

Super Angie signing off....

Super Angie... feeling great

Summer is coming to an end and I have survived the Utah heat! I have enjoyed watching my kids experience summer things like splashing in the pool, playing with squirt guns, picnics in the mountains, summer camps, making homemade pizza, visiting historical places, learning to ride a bike without training wheels...ah, the list goes on and on.

Tanith is now crawling up the stairs, so we have to be careful all the time. Brennan is still a little monkey at the rock climbing gym. Dallin is growing in his reading ability. Rick and I are getting more fit by the second and loosing lots of weight. We are enjoying our many date nights and enjoying our new sport. We have fun hiking and thinking about and planning future travel adventures.

I am getting excited for school to start and for the Parent/Teacher meeting. I am the PTA president so I am hoping and praying to get tons of parents signed up for different commitees throughout the year. I feel good about how I have scheduled things and I actually don't feel stressed at all. Phew!

I am also getting excited to buy things for Dallin and Brennan's "erste schul tag tutte". This is a German tradition. Its a giant cardboard cone, that you fill with treats, school supplies and maybe a few gifts and you give it to them on the first day of school. This will be Brennan's first one and I'm excited for him. He will LOVE preschool. He is sooo ready for it.

My trip to China is coming up soon too. (October) I am busy reading my travel book and watching shows about China on TV. I still can't beleive I get to go and walk on the Great Wall. Stay tunned...I will FOR SURE blog about that!

One thing I love about blogging...its a great way to keep a journal. I can write about silly things, serious things, or just my feelings. I can write about big events or small precious moments. Its all about finding out how the simple things make me, Super Angie. What things help you realize you are super?

Super Angie, Signing off....

WAIT! Just found this awesome quote...

Yes, my beloved brothers and sisters, life is good if we live in such
a way to make it so. Believing, desiring, deciding, and choosing correctly
are the simple actions that define an increase in happiness and an increase
in the inner assurance that transcends this life."-- Benjamín De Hoyos

Super Angie...walk and walk and walk

Pioneer children sang as they walked and walked and walked and walked...

On the 25th of July, it was beautiful 80 degree, overcast Utah day, so I grabbed the kids and we went to THIS IS THE PLACE HERITAGE PARK. The kids LOVED it so much, and so did I. We rode a train around the park, played in the kids village (small playhouse size pioneer houses), went to the petting farm, ate at the Saloon, toured some pioneer cabins, visited the Deseret Hospital and had a wonderful day.

Favorite things: going to school and learning to write our names in the Deseret Alphabet.
playing pioneer games in the yard of the school
making a leathing craft at the saddlery
washing clothes the old fashioned way
beating a rug with a stick to get the dirt and dust out
seeing all the volunteers dressed as pioneers

The day was fantastic. I enjoyed being with my kids and seeing their excitement as they discovered and explored. I highly suggest visitors to Utah go to this park. I can't wait to go back! :)

Super Angie signing off...

Super Angie...Oh What Do You Do...

Oh what do you do in the summer time, when all the world is green?
Do you splash in a stream, or picnic with me,
Do you climb every rock in Sight?
If thats what you do, we do too!

Yesterday was so much fun. We took a McDonald's picnic (which BTW was eaten in the car before we even made it to the mouth of the canyon!!) up to American Fork Canyon. We drove around until we found a great picnic area with lots of big boulders for the kids to climb on. For those who aren't familiar, in the sport of Rock Climbing, there is a thing called Bouldering, where you climb on big boulders. There are no safety ropes, usually people bring huge crash pads, so if/when you do fall, you can at least have a semi safe landing. Anyway, we forgot our pad, but the kids climbed anyway. We only had one fall--Dallin--and he just skinned his knee. It was really fun watching the boys get braver and braver.
After a while, we decided to head to another site where there is a well known boulder. No one was climbing it and the level of it was beyond that of the boy's abilities, so instead we went and played in the river. I sat on a rock with Tanith on my lap. I splashed some mountain water on her legs and feet and she seemed to enjoy that. The boys threw rocks (even DH!) and then waded across to the other side. DH could only take one at a time, so the other boy and I would cheer as we watched them go. That water is so cold, but it was 100 degrees, so it felt pretty good. It was cute to watch them all explore the shore line together, holding hands. Sometimes Brennan would hold DH's leg. So cute!

It was a great family outing.
What types of great family outings have you had lately?

Signing off...Super Angie
PS..I changed the colors of my blog...let me know what you think..does it work? Is it hard to read? Do you like it better? What should I do?

Super Angie...climb on!

I am such a proud mom! Yesterday, we took the boys rock climbing. This was Brennan's third time top roping (you wear a harness and you are connected to a rope at the top of the rock wall). --Dallin has been top roping for a while now because he has taken two summer camps for it.

Anyway, yesterday Dallin climbed two new routes that are actually pretty hard for his level. Brennan goes about half way up and then wants to come down. He does like the swing from the rope a lot though.

Well...yesterday I convinced Brennan to keep climbing and climbing and climbing until...he reached the top! I AM SO PROUD!

Here are some photos from the other day (unfortuantly, we didn't take any pictures yesterday).

What types of SUPER things do YOU do with YOUR kids (or family)?


Super Angie signing off....

PS...I changed the colors of my blog. Does it work? Do you like it? Was it better before? What should I do? let me know...

Super Angie...silly things

"Wank you"...yes, thats how Brennan says "Thank you". The other day, we were at a resturant and the kids got a bit anxious, so DH gave them some ice cubes. Brennan grabbed the cubes and proclaimed, "Wank you Rick! I am freezing!"

Today we met my brother's family up in the mountains for a nice picnic. Of course all the kids got crazy and wild very very dirty. We asked my nephew who is 14 to take Dallin and Brennan to wash their hands. Well, everyone must have gotten confused (or just thought their idea was better) because they all came back soaking wet. Well, of course they weren't ready to stop playing in the dirt, so the wet, plus the dirt = muddy mess! So, as we were walking back to the car, DH said, "okay boys, strip down" (so they wouldn't get their muddy shoes, pants and shirts all over our clean car). The same nephew heard this "Strip Down" and said, "Okay Micheal Jackson!"

We often call Tanith, Tan. DH and I thought it would be funny to see how the other kids reacted to having their name shortened, so DH called Brennan "Bren", to which he replied, "BREN! Oh Rick! Your so funny!". That was a few weeks ago. Now, instead of saying that, he either says, "Thats not my name! Me name Brennan" OR he says, "Dal!" (instead of Dallin), "Ma!" (instead of Mama) and Ri(instead of Rick). What a clever kid!

Right after we got married, Rick started joking with the kids a lot when I would go out for a girls night or something that he and the boys were going to "stay home, watch R rated movies and drink beer.". They started watching "Evil Shows" --which means watching a show I don't like--which is like a cartoon that annoys me (not neccessarily a "bad" show, or one that has "adult" humor in it, but just something I can't stand). They cuddle up together, eat junk food and enjoy some time together. Sometimes they watch a show that is rated, "7 and older" but since Dallin is only 6, its so EVIL to watch it! LOL

I love how silly life can be...Anything SILLY happen lately in YOUR life?

Signing off..Silly Super Angie

Super Angie...funny feet

Today, while Tanith was napping and Dallin was at rock climbing camp, I had a rare opportunity to be alone with Brennan. I opened up the July 2007 issue of THE FRIEND and saw a cute page for young children. It had a bunch of pictures on it with words like, "Jump", "Skip", "Hop", "Giggle" etc. I thought Brennan would enjoy this and he did. So I would read a word and he would act it out. I had to teach him how to skip, but he loved everything else about it. I added some of my own words too, like, "Stand on one foot" and "Strike a pose" etc. He loved it and so did I. It was a great mom/son moment.

Suddenly I noticed a bit of spilt red jello on the kitchen floor, where Brennan was performing all these moves. Wait, there is some more. And more. Where is this coming from? I got closer and started to clean it up...wait a second...thats BLOOD! I look at his foot and it was bleeding. He had reopened a wound on his toe (he fell out in the yard and cut it on a rock) while doing all these poses and moves and jumping things. Poor little guy. I cleaned him up, put a new band aid on (HOT WHEELS>>>very cool!) and thought we were done. Nope! He still wanted to do more and more words.

What a sweet little guy.

Super Angie signing off with a warm feeling in her heart. :)

Super Angie...all wet

So, after another 100 degree day, I had had enough...or maybe my brain was fried from the heat...or maybe my inner child just needed to come out. Heres the story...

Tomorrow morning is a huge parade in Provo, so I went down today to save a spot on the sidewalk. Well, I was feeling especially nice and took the kids to the fair they had. We spent a few hours at the fair--in the heat. We drank plenty, but forgot to eat. So when we got home, lets just say I was grumpy. After dinner, feeling bad for having been so grumpy, I told the boys we would light off some smoke bombs (its legal in Utah to light fireworks 3 days before and after the 4th). So, we lit them off and had fun. Then I turned the sprinkler on and felt the sudden urge to run through, so of course the boys did too. It was great. Then they decided they wanted to swim in the kiddie pool in the backyard, so I told them to just go in their underware. They thought that was awesome and so the squealing began... Maybe it was their laughter that made me do it. Maybe I was suffering from heat stroke. Maybe I'm just a Super crazy mom...but I ran and jumped into their pool with all my clothes on!! (too bad I forgot to take my cell phone out of my pocket!!!)

Ahhh...that pool felt better. Suddenly I am not grumpy anymore. Suddenly I don't mind the heat.

So my advice...when its really stinkin hot outside and you just feel miserable, Go jump in a kiddie pool with your clothes on....AND LAUGH!

Signing off...WET super Angie