tongue in cheek

With the plethora of end of the year activities, I take pictures, dump them onto my computer, and then hurry and empty the card so I'm ready for the next round of photo opportunities. I finally got around to looking at my soccer pictures today. So if my next fifty posts are all about soccer, you know why. It's because I have spent a hundred hours of my life this spring watching soccer. And I want you to share in my pain joy.

In looking at the Youngest Carrotsticks pictures, I noticed a marked trend amongst the 1st grade boys. Look at the following pictures. Do you see what I saw?

Apparently, one's skill on the soccer field is dramatically increased if one's mouth is open! Who knew? This is a major sports breakthrough, people!

After doing extensive research on the subject, the scientists in the Lunchroom have identified 6 major mouth/tongue player styles:

Stay tuned for further information as we correlate mouth/tongue styles to their most effective player positions!

macabre? maybe.

I just saw this listed on etsy:

It is entitled "Giraffe Gaffe".


I think it is incredibly funny. A little gruesome, possibly. But the whole picture/title combo kills me.


You have to click on this link and read what the seller/creator wrote about it. The things people do.


Do you think that's weird? Are you worried that I am amused by this?

city mouse, country mouse

Soccer season is officially over. Now I have no excuses for not posting about our trip to Chicago. And so, for your viewing pleasure, may I share with you the remarkable similarities and differences between Chicago, Illinois and Provo, Utah? (Warning, this is long-ish, but it is mostly pictures and not too much text.)

Let us embark on our journey.

First off, Chicago and Provo have rivers. Behold, the Chicago River and its environs:(See, the river is there on the bottom left, just below the dead tree. "They" say that in the great Chicago Fire of 18-something-something -- the one where Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocked over the lantern -- that even the river burned because it was so full of garbage. And refuse, even. The river burned!! How sick is that??!!! )

And then there is the Provo River and its environs:

Both have interesting downtown skylines. Can you tell which is which?

Both cities have holy ground. Behold, the Provo LDS Temple.

And a piece of granite from the Salt Lake LDS Temple embedded in the side of the Chicago Tribune building.

Both Chicago and Provo are extremely proud of their hometown heroes:

(Yes, that is Kate with the big man himself. They workout together. Sometimes he asks her to spot for him.)

And Provo's big man. His name is Bronco. Bronco Mendenhall. If you live in Provo, you know who he is.

Provo and Chicago each have a favorite letter of the alphabet. Provo's is "Y".

Chicago's is "L" -- as in the e"L"evated train. (The locals call it the L.)

Both cities have fairgrounds. Here's Provo's:

And here is a small part of one building from the Chicago World Fair.

Both cities host collegiate commencements. Here is the home of the University of Chicago's graduation ceremonies, the Rockefeller Chapel:

And in Provo, BYU's matriculates commence in the Marriott Center:

Both have residences that attract visitors from around the world. Chicago is home to the Robie House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.And in Provo, visitors flock to the Missionary Training Center, temporary home to Elders Frank, Lloyd, and Wright. (Or is that Sister Wright?)


See, it's remarkable the similarities between the two cities! I can't imagine why the Oldest Carrotstick was so shell-shocked. However, there is one thing that Chicago has, that sadly, Provo no longer has claim to: (Ok, excluding the one on the left.) My sister Kate and her smarty pants husband Bill (and their cat, Cassius).

Thanks for an awesome time in Chicago!

We love you!

provo picture originally downloaded by provoimages

provo river picture originally downloaded by katie so didn't

marriott center picture originally downloaded by Spaz Du Zoo

mtc picture originally downloaded by Spaz Du Zoo

fair picture originally downloaded by kallen photos

y mountain originally downloaded by troikkonen
provo temple originally downloaded by redsteve

bronco picture originally downloaded by phred84044

L picture originally downloaded by suvarn

life lessons

Lest you have forgotten

(as did the little third-grader on the Middle Carrotstick's baseball team)

Let the Little League coach remind you:

"There's no crying in baseball!"

All the great truths of life are brought to play on a baseball diamond.

good grief!

So the tooth fairy fell a little behind last night and this is what she gets from the Youngest Carrotstick.

Should I be glad or concerned that he doesn't know how to spell "heck"? And can you tell that they have just done a unit on quotation marks in first grade?

sisters sisters

Remember how I told you the Oldest Carrotstick and I went to visit my sister Competitive Kate in Chicago last month?

We really had a great time. I am going to do a "best of" post one of these days. I just haven't gotten around to it, what with 3 kids in soccer, 3 kids in piano, 1 kid in baseball (so far), 1 kid in dance, and church stuff, things have been a little busy.

But here is a picture from our trip -- my sister and the Oldest Carrotstick at the Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago. I was 11 when Kate was born. Kate was 12 when the Oldest Carrotstick was born. Kate says the Oldest Carrotstick is the little sister she always wanted.

For that reason, I like this picture of these two "sisters" in matchy-matchy red jackets. They are both so cute.

Out of curiousity, what color would you say Kate's hair is? Here's a close up.

(I do dearly love to tease my baby sister!)

Since you are all so curious, here are my sunglasses. Seriously, do these glasses make me look like an Oompa-Loompa?

They are from only the coolest store ever (Anthropologie -- need I say more?) And so I have to be cool just by association, right?