Bacon Bits: November 2013

Money maker

Andrew played soccer this fall, but he spent way more time on the field as a referee.

This was his 2nd year and he really put in a lot of hours. He was the referee for 27 games in 2 months! He made a little over $300 for all of his time. Not too bad for an 11 year old!

It was fun to watch him ref and it was great to see him put his heart into a job. He took it very seriously, did an excellent job and made us proud (along with making some serious cash)!

We have good friends that live in North Branch and end up coming to Duluth for church meetings. Every once in a while they make it a weekend affair and stay with us. We always have a great time visiting, stay up way too late and eat lots of yummy treats! Here is Jim in the birthday saddle at Texas Roadhouse!

When we went into the restaurant, I was very clear with the waitress that it wasn't really Jim's birthday, but I wanted them to pretend that it was. They were actually very happy to go along with the plan to have a "surprise birthday party" for Jim!

He was a good sport (of course) and rode that saddle like it was on a horse! Happy pretend birthday!

The next day we sat around and had a meal and talked for hours. Ava, on the other hand, made a living doll out of their little one! Now don't get me wrong...Sarah didn't mind at all! They had matching scarves, sticker earrings, pink shoes and hair dos! They were so happy.

Seriously, a living doll! Everybody's happy when the Zollingers are in town!

New found fame at the fall fest

Our school had a fall fest where all of the kids could bring in things from their home gardens to display and where we got to eat the vegetables from the school garden. Here is a group of kids making fresh salsa - with all ingredients from the school garden - so fun!!

This is one of the many display tables...Ava's flower is here.

This is the staff display. The pumpkin was 200 lbs!!! The flowers in the metal container were so beautiful that they didn't even look real! The staff really outdid themselves.

Here are the flowers close up...the colors were so vibrant!

This is a view of the fall fest tables that were lining the front lobby.

Here is Ava's entry. A hydrangea with peppermint and spearmint...it had a great smell! She got a 1st place ribbon...she couldn't have been more excited!

The fall fest was held on the same night as the public grand re-opening of the school. When it was time to cut the ribbon, the principal gathered a few kids and had them stand in front with scissors! She asked both Ava and Zach to help! They were front and center...with the school board members and superintendent behind them!

The cutting!! They were on both channels of the local evening news...FAMOUS...as far as Ava was concerned. Needless to say, the fall fest was a great night for the Bacon kids!

Pack meetings and marshmallows!

Zach had a pack meeting and after the awards there was a family activity. We built marshmallow temples! Ava and I were on a team...here she is showing our creation!

A close up of our structure...we even built some grounds!!

Zach and Ben went in a totally different direction! Their temple was built with mostly tooth picks showing...they were just held together at the joints with marshmallows. It was fun to walk around and see what everyone did. It was an easy, fun family activity!

School days, school days...

The beginning of new school year is always exciting and has lots of anticipation. This year was no exception! Here is my big middle school man!!

Another picture (on the other side of the school)!

Things were exciting on my end too because we moved back into our newly renovated elementary school. As PTA co-president that gave me many, many "opportunities" to get things put back together and get them settled. These are the bulletin boards that I painted in Mr. Kopp's room (Zach's new teacher). I had never seen boards painted before, but they turned out great and they are so much easier to keep up than paper and borders!

The other 2 boards!

And of course I had Ava, my little helper, with me! She had a great time using the smart board to pass the time!

Ava and Zach started school on the Monday after Andrew (because of the move in to the elementary school). Here they are...ready for 1st and 4th grade! So big!!

I also did some more vinyl work for the school. All of the signs from last year went back up, and then I did some new things. This is a view into the main office. Jane (the secretary) wanted vinyl on the wall above the mailboxes...

Here is the close up!

Kathi (the Principal) wanted this saying over the main doors as you enter into the secure part of the building.

On the first day of school we had a PTA breakfast/gathering after the kids went to class. We had about 75 parents show up and enjoy the little breakfast spread!

Mmmm...

I'm really excited because the kids' bus stop got moved right across the street!! Yippie!!

Every morning they play and explore in the little park until the bus comes...what a great way to start the day!

Here are a few pictures of the first week of school outfits...I just couldn't resist!!

Who knew getting dressed in the morning could be so fun?!? Hurray for school!

Is everything really better with bacon?

Bacon Air Freshener - Your car and/or house will smell like bacon heaven. If you know your bacon lover lives with a vegetarian this is a must have.

Bacon Bandages - If your Bacon lover is like me and is accident prone they will love you forever if you got them some of these. Unfortunately they do not smell or taste like bacon.

Bacon Wallet - It’s a wallet that looks like bacon. Do I need to say anything else?

Bacon Lunch Box - If your Bacon lover is a worker bee then get him/her this. They will be the envy of all the other bees in the hive.

Out of the mouths of babes...

This is a change for this area, but here is a conversation that my kids wanted documented:

Me: What are some good games to play?

Andrew: (Some shooting game)

Zach: Fortnite

Ava: Halo

(All kids laughing because they know how much I dislike those kinds of games)

Me: You guys are the worst children!

Zach: I'm gonna quote you on that!

It's been a long time again since adding to this, but I am happy to add this one! The song 'One Way or Another' was on the radio. The lyrics say, "one way or another, I'm gonna find ya', I'm gonna get ya', get ya', get ya', get ya'..." We were singing along and then Zach said, "I don't understand why Ghandi would sing this." It was so funny to me - I could barely tell him that it was Blondie who sings the song - not Ghandi! The thought of it being Ghandi has brought me a lot of joy though!!

It's been a very long time since I added something to this line - that's what happens when your kids get bigger. But the other day Ava had a priceless conversation with me...She has been studying the solar system at school and had a big project due. She has been really interested in everything and has been coming home and sharing all kinds of facts. She came home and was so excited to tell me about a dwarf planet. She said, "can you believe there is really a dwarf planet?" I acknowledged her interest and she said, "I was talking to my friends and we just can't believe that there is actually a planet with dwarfs living on it!". I was so amused...so amused. I explained to her that it wasn't that kind of dwarf...she was a little bummed out, but it definitely made more sense to her. I loved having an "out of the mouths of babes" moment!

I was in the kitchen making cookies with the kids and was talking to Ava. She asked me if I had big parties when I was a kid. I told her that I didn't, but that I always wished I could have a big party with all of my friends. I told her that I dreamed about growing up and having parties with all of the people I cared about and having great treats and doing fun things at the parties...She looked up at me and said, "all of your dreams have come true"! It was so cute to me...and all I could do was look at her and agree.

Ava was cutting snow flakes out of paper yesterday and then putting glitter glue on them. She was very proud of what she had done and was showing them to me. I told her how much I liked them and she said, "I could teach you how to make it - and, I think you could do it because you are pretty crafty". It's good to have the confidence of my 5 year old!

Ava gave me a mother's day card from school and on it was written (in the teacher's handwriting) "I like my mom because she gives me agates". I read it and didn't really understand the reference, but we do live near the lake and everyone is always searching for agates...I thought it was maybe just something someone else said. This week she came downstairs and asked me if I would make her an "egglette". I didn't know what she meant and she said it again, "egglette". I finally caught on and asked her if she meant an omelet. "Yes!" Then she said, "I call them egglettes, just like I did on your mother's day card." She likes me because I make her omelets...now that's my girl!!

Yesterday I was doing some bead work and Ava came and asked me if she could help me. I told her that it was kind of hard and I wasn't sure if she could help with this kind of project. She quickly told me that she could if I would just let her try. I agreed and she excitedly told me, "Thank you Mom, I've been waiting for years for you to teach me how to do this!"

I was talking to the kids yesterday and was trying to explain that Greg and someone were having trouble seeing eye to eye on the future direction of the company. Zach said, "yeah, like he said (Greg) that they should make a machine with two cranes on it and then the other guy interrupted and said, no, we should make a machine with tank wheels on it".

Today Andrew came up to Greg and was rubbing his shoulders and said, "Why are you so dense Mr. Bacon?". I looked at Andrew and said, "I think you mean tense - dense means that you aren't very smart". Andrew laughed so hard that he literally fell over!

Yesterday I was telling Ava a story and I mentioned Beth. Ava asked who Beth was and I told her that Beth is my sister and her aunt. She looked at me with her eyes wide and said, "you have a sister who is an ant??". Not that kind of ant...

Ava just got upset with Zach and told him, "I don't like you anymore". I had her go to time out and then after she got out, I asked her to apologize to Zach. She did. She said, "Zach, I'm sorry that I don't like you anymore". Nice.

Last night we were eating some cheese and crackers and Andrew asked Greg and I if we liked goat cheese and maggot bread. At first I thought he was being gross, but then realized he was totally serious...so I asked again...thinking I misunderstood. Nope, the question was about goat cheese and maggot bread. He followed up his question by informing us that it was french...that's when Greg figured out he meant "baguette" bread...there is a little difference between goat cheese and maggot bread and goat cheese and baguette bread!

The kids were playing in the toy room in the basement and Ava was bothering the boys and wouldn't stop. I called her upstairs and told her that if she didn't stop, she wouldn't be able to go back down and play. She looked at me and with tears in her eyes said, "but I will miss the basement - and all of my toys". I had to assure her that I meant she couldn't go back down right now...but that it wasn't a permanent punishment!

Today Zach was looking through a toy magazine and saw something he thought was a hand held video game. He commented that he wanted it and I told him it was only for school programs and he said, "I want any kind of a video game even if it is good for my brain!"

When we went to the alpine coaster, Ava said that riding the coaster made her stomach "have the wiggles"...what a great description!

Zach came home from the 3rd day of 1st grade and said, "Tests are a lot more fun than they seem like they are going to be - especially when you show your mom and she's really proud of you"...he's cute.

Today the kids were telling stories about places we have been and they were wondering if Ava had been born for one of the vacations. I said, no, that Ava had still been in heaven with Heavenly Father. Then Ava said, "then I turned into an alien. That's why I would live in outer space." Hmmm, guess we need a little more explanation on that concept!

When we pulled up at the Taco Bell drive thru, there is a new ad campaign with a girl who lost weight eating Taco Bell (the Jared of Taco Bell). When Zach saw her he said, "look at that hot fashion girl with a taco". I had to ask twice just to make sure that's what he said...it was. I guess in his eyes, Taco Bell had been good to her!

Tonight as the family was playing t-ball, Ava was holding the bat and was very proud to tell us that she was, "choking on it" instead of choking up. She also was happy to be wearing her baseball "mitten". Baseball lingo is still relatively new!

The other day at ECFE they were getting ready for the big transportation night and asked the kids what they would like to ride on. Ava said, "a cloud". One of the other little boys told her that it sounded scary. The teacher asked her if she thought it would be scary and how would she get up on the cloud. Ava said, "you would need a very, very tall ladder and you would have to be very careful and have someone hold it". OSHA would be proud.

On the night before Easter I was putting the kids to bed and Zach was so excited about the next morning. He was asking about eggs and the hunt and I told him that Easter was really about Jesus and the resurrection. We had a little chat and then as I turned the lights out and walked out, Zach said, "Jesus on the cross". I said, "what did you say?". He said, "Jesus on the cross". When I asked him why he was saying that, he said, "you know, like how you say Merry Christmas or Happy Birthday". Not exactly the same...let's try Happy Easter!

We were talking to the kids about college and working really hard so that you can get into a good school and Zach said, "I'm going to work really, really hard - like I'm going to try to always color in the lines."

Andrew told Ava that she looked pretty yesterday morning and Ava told Andrew, "You look cool - like rock and roll". Where in the world did she get that one?

Tonight Ava was telling us that her Daddy's name was "Daddy". I asked her what his other name was and she said, "Greg". I asked her what my name was and she said, "Momma". I asked her what my other name was and she just sat there and thought about it. I tried to give her a hint by saying, "Saaannnd", and she proudly said, "Sandbox". Close, very close.

I was eating breakfast and Zach was standing in the doorway talking to me. When we were done he said, "Mom, I know you love me. I'll be in the other room if you need me." He smiled and walked out...it really warmed my heart! This morning I was dancing for Ava while she was eating breakfast (she is usually very happy to have me twirling and shaking). When I turned around and did a little "rump shaking", Ava said, "No, not your booty - not your booty - it scares me". Lovely.

Today Ava came into the room and was whispering and said, "Do you hear that? What is it? It's a musk ox, the baby Moses and Swiper the Fox"! I thought it was quite the trio!

When Ava wants to put her money in her bank, she calls it the "piggy bank ride" like a piggy back ride...very cute!

The other morning Ava was in her bed yelling for Andrew - this is what she said, "Andrew...come here...right now...because...right now...Andrew...please". I thought it was so cute that she tried every tactic she knew - with no response from Andrew in between.

Ava just wrote on the wall with a marker and when I tried to get her to say, "I will not draw on the walls", she said, "I will be nice" instead. It did kind of warm my heart - which she needed in that moment!

I was frustrated today and said to Zach, "How many times do I have to tell you something before you'll do it?" and Zach very correctly answered, "2 times".

Andrew was telling us how excited he was to ride his favorite ride again, "Zach Smith". It took us a minute to realize that he was talking about the "Aerosmith" roller coaster - Zach Smith is our home teacher!

After waking up from a nap on vacation and trying to remember something, Zach said, "That nap made my brain not so smart".

This afternoon Ava was in a "no" mode - answering "no" to any and every question - "are you daddy's girl?", "are you pretty?", "do you love shoes?"...you get the idea. When I asked her if she liked ice cream, she said, "n" and then quickly realized what she was about to do! She happily said, "ICE CREAM" instead! If there was ever any doubt that she is a Bacon - there is the proof!!

This morning Zach was under Ava's bed and was pretending to wonder if he should come out. He kept saying, "is the ghost clear?" - I tried to tell him that the saying is, "is the coast clear?", but that didn't make any sense to him and so he decided to stick with "is the ghost clear?". I guess if there was a ghost in the room, you would wonder if you should come out and maybe it would be pertinent information to find out if he was clear as well...

Tonight I noticed that Zach had eaten all of the food on his dinner plate and I asked him if he wanted more. He said, "no" and so I asked him if he was full. He said, "no, but I'm saving my apple-tight for doughnuts".

Zach just said to Andrew, "Let's play a game of allergic, jumping shoes!" What???

After Andrew was showing me his wiggly front tooth and telling me how excited he was to lose it, he said, "but I am hoping that my sweet tooth is a permanent tooth"!

This has been happening for quite a while and it makes me smile every time. When Zach says prayers, he says, "Thank us" instead of "Thank you". So he is always asking God to thank us for everything - food, our family, our house, nice weather - you name it! I know his intention, but it still makes me smile.

Tonight Andrew said, "Mom, what exactly did you mean when you said "No more"?"

Last night Greg and I were talking to Andrew about his personality and Zach said, "Can you please stop talking about Andrew now and start talking about me?" We thought it was a good showing of his personality!

Zach has been really interested in the concept that Heavenly Father knows everything. Today he asked me, "How does He know everything?" I told him it was because he created everything and so he knows everything about those things. Then Zach said, "He must be very, very, very, very tired from all of that work".

Greg was having a father/son interview with Andrew and asked him about girls. Andrew said, "They're okay. Sometimes they are nice, sometimes they barely will talk to you. Sometimes they are bossy, sometimes they just want to hang out with other girls and sometimes they will play with you and have fun." After thinking for a moment, he summed it up by saying, "I just think they have lots of feelings." Wise beyond his years...

During Zach's interview, Greg asked him what he could do to make Zach happier and Zach said, "Get me a toy that I would like for Christmas or my birthday or if I could eat some Halloween candy right now". He also told Greg that he loved Greg so much that he would even let him keep his red Lightening McQueen - for anyone who knows Zach, you know that is some major love!

Today Andrew and Zachary were supposed to be cleaning the toy room and after about a half hour I went down to see if there had been any progress. When I found out there hadn't been much, I asked what happened and Zach said, "the t.v. annoyed me too much and made me play instead". He obviously meant "distracted", but I got the message loud and clear!

We were at Greg's grandma's 99th birthday party today (at a nursing home) and Zach announced that he didn't want to get really, really old because he wouldn't look like a normal person anymore - is that politically correct?

Zach was talking about someone being excited and saying, "Yeah", and said that "it was the different kind of yeah, not the Book of Mormon yea".

Zach was talking to his stuffed animals about something and told them that if they wanted more information they could go to http://www.com/!

Zach saw a picture of Jesus and we were talking about it. I asked him if he knew that Jesus is our older brother and he said, "Yeah, and he is super, dooper old - like 15 or something".

Andrew was watching part of 'America's Got Talent' when the male Brittney Spears impersonator came on. He was a little confused to find out that it was a man and also that he was lipsyncing. Afterwards he said, "if the guy isn't really the girl and he isn't really singing, then it doesn't seem like he really has any talent".

Andrew and Zach were playing with pretend cell phones and A asked Z who he should call. Z said, "Littlefoot" (the dinosaur from Land Before Time) and A said, "He can't hold a phone, he's a dinosaur - AND, he's prehistoric - they didn't even have phones back then". Ahhh the boundaries of make believe!

This morning Zach was arguing with me that today was not a "church day" and after a while I told him that he didn't know everything. He looked at me with a "duh" look on his face and said, "yes I do". Nice!

Zach was playing castle and he said, "I am the king, mommy is the queen, Andrew is a knight, Ava is the princess and daddy is the joker". Greg and I laughed pretty hard.

I ran a bath for the boys this morning and Andrew thought it was too hot. I told him to just sit down in it and his body would get used to it. When he sat down he said, "my tummy is telling me it's still too hot".

Zachary was telling Greg and me that Mexican jumping beans jumped because there were little caterpillars inside that made them move (something he saw on PBS??) and asked if he could have some. I told him that I didn't know where to get them and he said, "Well it isn't far away, we just have to go to Mexico".

I was explaining the concept of a decision being "black and white" to Andrew and I asked him if he knew what grey was (thinking he might know it was the mixture of the two) and he said, "Yeah, I think it is the color of the tips of seagull's wings".

Andrew woke up in the night to go to the bathroom and I asked him if he was dreaming that he had to go to the bathroom and he said, "No, my brain was just concentrating on sleeping".

I was just telling Zachary to get down from the back of the couch so that he didn't fall backwards and get hurt - the possibility of more staples came up and Cortney asked him, "Wouldn't that be terrible?" and Zach said, "Yeah, but you might get a surprise at the end"(the nurse gave him a teddy bear because he was so brave) - so much for a lesson learned!

A Very Brief History of Our Time

This is where it all started for us - Saturn of Orem (Christina always gets credit for "Greg and Sandy" because she brought me to the dealership to help her buy a car and that is how I got my job there). Greg and I met in August of 1997 at work and eventually found ourselves in a long distance relationship with romantic rendezvous in Winnamucca. Yes, we know we may be the first ones to find Winnamucca romantic. We got married in September of 1999 and I moved to Sacramento. We had so much fun living and playing in California. In September of 2001 we welcomed Andrew into our lives. A few short months later we found ourselves transferring to Detroit for work. Detroit brought many wonderful changes in our lives including Zach in June of 2004. In 2006 Greg finished his MBA and made the decision to leave GM. Off to Utah! We spent two great years there and even fulfilled our "1 child per state" precident with the addition of Ava in March of 2007. One month ago we transferred to Duluth - the headquarters for Greg's work. It's been quite the whirlwind, but we wouldn't change any of our experiences.

We have been so blessed to find wonderful friends everywhere we have lived and we hope this blog helps us to keep in touch.

Bacon Bits

Money maker

A weekend with the Zollingers

New found fame at the fall fest

Pack meetings and marshmallows!

School days, school days...

Is everything really better with bacon?

3 little monkeys

If you'd like to follow my blog...

I Joined - Have you?

Ava is walking! Watch her on google video...

Andrew and Zach

Snow Buddies

Ava's 18 Month stats!

Ava's 12 month Stats!

Out of the mouths of babes...

A Very Brief History of Our Time

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