Tea for Two and Two for T!

For those of you who have 11 minutes to spare again this year, I cooked up a Little Tribute to my Little T's second year. For a more detailed look at her life, visit our Little Richardses blog. What it lacks in excitement and adventure it will make up for in cuteness.

Happy Birthday, House!

Today we celebrate the first anniversary of knowing we were homeowners! The 21st marks the actual anniversary of us being homeowners, but we didn't find out about it for another 2 days. But that's another story. A lot has happened in those 12 months, especially when it comes to our decor! We're on our third set of couches in our living room...and we still have all three in various locations throughout the house...bless Brandon's heart, he loves me even when I surprise him with a deal I wasn't capable of refusing. A friend's sister was selling gently used, genuine leather couches for a pittance and seeing as my heart stopped every time Teagan's grubby, greasy little fingers came within a few feet of our brand new microfiber couches, I decided that already used leather ones would help me be a better Mum. That remains to be seen, but I'm sure glad we got them...and that my sucker of a husband drove our friends' truck with a trailer attached to pick them up. I'm a lucky one, to be sure.

I took some photos and put together some side by sides to compare the differences between our first look at the house and one year later. There are still several rooms (our bedroom & bathroom and the "office") that weren't ready to be photographed (read: we haven't done a thing to them) extensively or even at all. Hopefully by next year I'll have a new paint colour in our bedroom to be happy about and I'll be down one couch and up one door on the office. 

But for now, here's a glimpse at Casa de Richards then and now...some of them just now. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

And yes, my almost-2-year-old is still in a crib. Don't tell her that most of her friends have moved on. If it ain't broke...

Aside from the biker gang down the street that comes and goes at all hours, the hooligans throwing rocks and broken glass in the street, The Twilight Bark every night and an oversensitive HOA, we LOVE our house. We love our ward (old and new) our friends and our location. Let's hope 2013 sees me picking up a paintbrush and some nails to hang at least one photo in our bedroom. Flat paint and black widows aside, we picked a good 'un and we're so glad.

The REAL Moscow's in Idaho.

From picnicking in Grandma's living room to eating sleeves of Keebler cookies to four wheeler rides in the backyard, we had too much fun in Moscow to properly document so forgive me a photo dump. We had fun overlapping with Manda and Camden for a few days. I can't get enough of the three babies hanging out with each other. She coloured, she swung, she climbed, she hugged Great Grandpa's favourite Hallowe'en decoration, she monopolized Grandma's iPhone, she cut with Grandma, she emptied, she posed, she rode and she cuddled. We shopped, we attended games, we watched Downton Abbey, we chopped hair, we crafted, we socialized. We were very busy.

We were all present and accounted for at Megan's wedding, so naturally we had to try to get a photo of all the kids. And I mean try. Someone's kid wouldn't hold still. I blame the parents.

Teagan and I were there for a week before Buddy came to join us. But once he did, the fun started. It seems to follow him. He and Shawn were challenged to relive the glory days and taken on their nephews in a friendly game of touch football. I won't tell you who won, but I can tell you who we laughed at most. Between Buddy "secretly" signaling his next move and catching a football while running with Teagan to Shawn cutting across the trampoline and subsequently losing the contents of his pockets, they were quite entertaining.

Continuing with challenging the elderly, a race to the fencepost and back was initiated.

Tiff joined in halfway and did incredibly well for herself...and the toddler she was carrying. Tara literally picked up the pieces when someone didn't slow down enough when they got to the halfway point.

I don't know if I'm qualified to speak for her, but I'd wager that the highlight of Teagan's trip may have been the trampoline. Every spare moment, she wanted to "jump jump". The first time she attempted it, she looked like the town drunkard, physically incapable of staying on her feet, but by the end of our visit she was jumping with the best of them. And by "them" I mean other almost 2 year olds. To say it was adorably hilarious would be an understatement. Also hilarious was Buddy realizing that he nearly bottomed out standing still. The truth hurts.

We hopped on the 4 wheeler for a backyard cruise and reminisced about our carefree days in 2009 when we got her out on the open road at the cabin. That was fun, but I'll take our extra passenger over the wind in my hair any day.

Thanks for the visit, Mom & Dad Richards! Always a pleasure.

Look out for Flyin' Pigs.

They said it couldn't be done. More specifically: I said it couldn't be done. As in me running. I was employed helping train marathon runners for more than two years and successfully avoided running more than a few steps. Enter my super fit sister-in-law Amanda with a crazy scheme to have the whole Richards family run the United Way Dash for Cash 5K together on September 22nd. I couldn't be the hold out (by the way, those missing from the photo were taking care of a sick child, working in Las Vegas, attending their son's football game or studying medical stuff - legitimate excuses, all.) I told my friends I was going to Moscow for a 5K and they thought I was incredibly dedicated to go all the way to Russia for a race...and silly because "we have those here". I've got to remember to say "Idaho" instead. :)

 

I'd love to tell you that I ran the whole thing. Heck, I'd love to tell you that I ran for more than a few minutes. Mom & Tiff volunteered to take the babies in the stroller so I could run unencumbered. So I searched for reasons to be encumbered. Tara had three of her children participating (awesome, right?) and I selfishly volunteered to stick with Megan, the 8 year old. I came off as the devoted aunt, but I was more than happy to walk when she said she wanted to walk. So while my time wasn't great, it was a great time. We got to chat about clothes (she's the most fashion forward 8 year old you'll ever meet), school and her upcoming (like, in a matter of hours) baptism. It was really fun. It was an out and back, so we got to high five everyone on their way back. 

I've seen thousands of people cross the finish line of a marathon, and I know that their feelings must be exponentially more powerful, but I finally got a glimpse of what it feels to accomplish something like that. It felt awesome. And bonus - I still had enough left in me to take a jumping photo afterward - you don't see many marathon runners kicking their heels up - Reason #681 I Probably Won't Run a Marathon. Most everyone else was there waiting for us and cheering us on. And we all got to celebrate with Mom when she crossed the finish line less than a year after a knee replacement. Pretty incredible stuff. 

Don't let the word get out that I can run. It's bad for my image. Actually, I'm pretty positive it would only improve my image, but I'm just not ready for that kind of commitment.

♫ One of these Hallowe'en decorations is not like the others ♫

We've been toying with the idea of bi-monthly pest control. We're not toying anymore. While cropping the photo made Scarlett Johansson look larger than it might have in real life, believe me when I tell you that it was a monster. Thank goodness it was trapped between the screen door and the sliding door. I slammed the screen door multiple times, but there was just enough room that it wasn't doing an mortal damage. So I upped the ante. I scooted Teagan and the kids I was babysitting (yes, I was babysitting - I was SO freaked out!) away from what was about to become a murder scene. I shook the screen with all my might, forcing Ms. Widow into the runner and frantically stabbing at it with the toe of a flip flop and delivering the final decapitating blow with the business end of a fly swatter. Not the tidiest way, I'll admit (I left the carcass and most of her guts there to warn her friends...and because I'm too traumatized to clean it up) but I just wanted it dead. No need for another "is it or isn't" disaster like the bathroom. 

We were scheduled to get the house sprayed today and of course Mother Nature decides to have it downpour instead. In the meantime our fingers are crossed for...

 ♫ Down came the rain and washed the spider out. ♫

F-H-E-double hockey sticks

I'd love to tell you that tonight wasn't our first Family Home Evening (FHE) in years.

I'd love to tell you that it lasted longer than 5 minutes.

I'd love to tell you that we were all wearing pants. (For the record, Teagan was the guilty party here. No funny business.) 


I'd love to tell you that Brandon knew the words to the hymn we sang and didn't hum obnoxiously the whole time.

I'd love to tell you that we didn't read the shortest scripture in the Book of Mormon as our scripture just because 4 words maxes out Teagan's attention span.

I'd love to tell you that Teagan didn't run screaming across the room in the middle of the "lesson".

I'd love to tell you that I kindly invited her back to participate with us and didn't stare aimlessly at the wall instead, silently counting to 10.


I'd love to tell you that I don't know that it's essential for families to set aside time each week to spend together and learn gospel principles in order to strengthen their relationships and draw closer to God.

I'd love to tell you that I'm really looking forward to trying it again next Monday.

But I can't lie. Especially not at FHE.

On the set of a blockbuster...a year too soon.

When we visited my uncle last year in Nottingham, we stepped into his backyard, completely unaware that the estate round the corner would feature in one of the summer's biggest blockbusters. My cousin called us to let us know that they were filming something there and we totally recognized it when we saw the movie this summer. Any ideas what movie it was?

Something Wicked this way comes.

Go back with me to June 3rd...

I was driving home from the temple with friends and they started chatting about Wicked and when they were going to see it...one of them a couple of times. But they told me it was sold out. To say I bummed hard doesn't scratch the surface. I've heard nothing but amazing things and really wanted to see it. I worked myself into a jealous rage, scouring the internet for cheap tickets. I was busy scowling at the computer and didn't notice Buddy slip away upstairs. Just before I clicked "Purchase" my impossibly thoughtful husband throws two tickets onto the keyboard, thwarting my plan. 

Little did I know that at the very moment I was becoming a whirling tornado of jealousy with my friends, he was using his mother's credit card (with permission - and yes, we paid her back) to buy tickets as an anniversary surprise. And to think, if I hadn't been huffing and puffing at the computer, grudgingly trying to book tickets myself, he wouldn't have been forced to show me the tickets and I wouldn't have found out about them until the big reveal he was planning in 2 1/2 months. How thoughtful of me to ruin the surprise...I mean, save him the trouble!

So on September 20th I embraced my inner nerd and donned my ruby slippers for a magical evening. Our good friends the Giffords had tickets for two nights before, so we switched babysitting which worked out perfectly...once I got her out of my shoes.

 

We went with the cheap tickets up in the balcony, but still had a great view. The theatres look so much bigger on the maps they show you and I'm always surprised at how small and intimate they are. There didn't seem to be a bad seat in the house. We were lucky enough to sit next to really nice strangers who offered to let us borrow their binoculars...after I asked at intermission if they were working well for them ;)

The cast was incredible. I'd heard the soundtrack with Idina Menzel & Kristen Chenoweth hundreds of times, but these ladies certainly held their own. Elphaba came from Broadway and Glinda's understudy was phenomenal. I've been disappointed before when things are hyped up too much, but Wicked lived up to every good thing I'd ever heard. Buddy was pleasantly surprised at how funny it was. We really enjoyed the humour (shocker) and I just loved the backstory and references to the Wizard of Oz. SO clever.

You caught me. We didn't actually take any photos at Wicked - this one is from Blue Man Group last year. (Apparently we only take advantage of living in Vegas on our anniversary.) And the green is way off, but it was the best I could do. Thank, Buddy!

Our 6th anniversary in a word? : WICKED.