July

I couldn't really choose a specific theme for this post because there has been so much going on. I could have named it 4th of July/Nikki's birthday/did you hear the news I went to Lagoon/Spudman, but then there wouldn't be much to write about. Well there would be but then all you would be reading is my endless and witty remarks about life. But that's what you read the blog for, so let's press on.

So July was a crazy busy month, so crazy that I haven't been able to blog anything until now, and even now I can barely keep my eyes open I am so tired. The reason being is that Kara does not have school and my work is a little slower. So Kara drags me and the kids off to some activity or other at every spare moment. It's like summer is going to get away from us without us doing all the things you are supposed to do in summer, like Fishing (haven't done that yet, but I think it's planned). So here is a brief overview of the month of July (and if I forget something it is not because I don't think it's important, it's just there has been so much that I can't remember it all).

4th of July and Klc Family Reunion- These two were rolled into one weekend, and I think there was something else that happened that weekend but I can't quite remember. 4th of July was pretty standard, wake up, watch parade, encourage our children to run out into the street to get candy from perfect strangers in cars. Sounds like fun. Family reunion: When Klc's get together it gets loud. For all you people who know me, you know that I can't whisper. I'm constantly being told this by my wife when in church I am trying to whisper something funny and they can hear me at the pulpit. Put 8 boys who have the same difficulty, plus no waiting room, and you have the Klc family reunion. Add in camping in the backyard of my parents house and a freak thunderstorm in the middle of the night and you have comedic genius.  Very exhausting yet very fun weekend, especially watching my brother Philip spin around 10 times with a baseball bat and try and run in a straight line. Youtube funny!

Nikki's Birthday- 5 Girls in the mini-van singing "Call Me Maybe!" When did Nikki get into Music? Seriously she is growing up too fast. The good thing though is that she still doesn't like boys (but I think she has crushes, at least that's what Kara tells me). Now I am not one of those dad's who threatens kids with a shotgun when they take my daughter out. Nope, I'm going to do the old cheaper by the dozen thing, where I ride in the backseat the whole time during the date (of course the guy has to pay for me too).  I'm just kidding. When Nikki does get married I just hope she marries a guy who loves her with all of his heart, has a testimony of the gospel, and a deep passion for college football.

Nikki's birthday was at Color Me Mine, and I made a mug.

Kara made a plate.

Lagoon! You know when you are baking something and you open up the oven and you get hit with all that hot air? Now add rides and you have our day at Lagoon! We went on Harmon's Lagoon Day (Kara's sister works for Harmon's, so we tagged along and got some cheap food and free drinks).  Nikki on this day was a little bit cautious. She didn't want to go on as many rides as we thought she would. Lukas on the other hand went on everything at least once, and usually once was enough. I was proud of him for only going on Bulgy the Whale once. After his first time he was done. Mollie surprised me as well, and she got to go on more rides than normal, like The dragon which is a very fast spinning ride. Speaking of spinning rides, I am not as young as I used to be, and even when I was young I still got sick on the screamer. This time I got sick on the bumper cars (the little ones, I got dizzy watching Mollie go in circles). I guess I am just getting old..... er. I'm still not old. I won't be old until .... well I'll keep you updated. Once I get old, I'll tell ya.  It'll probably be when I have to order those special purple pills.

Deer Creek. This was another whirlwind vacation. Let's call this the Rytting family reunion. Where the Klc family reunion was crazy, the Rytting family reunion was low key and chill. Except for the part where I made Philip swim across the reservoir with me to get an open water swim in before our big triathlon. And when I say across the reservoir, I am taking the shortest route possible across, which happened to be a Bay, where no boats were going anyway, and I think you could stand up in the middle. It was good though, it got the freak out impulse out of the way. After  our children were sufficiently dirty from playing in the sand/mud we loaded them up in the car and headed to our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express in Heber. There we swam some more, ate some more, and didn't sleep at all, because we all know that when children and grow-ups are in the same hotel room, no one sleeps.

Johnson Mill: This is a continuation of an earlier post about Kara's ruined birthday, which was a trip to our favorite Bed and Breakfast, Johnson Mill (Heber City). We were finally able to get away for the night, and it was too short. I think you need at least two days away from the kids before you feel truly relaxed. I must say I am proud of my wife for not waking up the next day at 7 am and trying to get the day going (she used to do this a lot on vacation, especially on days when we could sleep in). Thankfully we slept in until Breakfast time.

The Spudman: That was today. Like really it was. This was planned WAYYYY back in January when registration for this race opened up. My brother Thomas signed up, posted it on facebook. Then my sis in law Corinne registered. Then I did, then Matt, and Philip, and Alex (not necessarily in that order). Corinne ended up not doing it because she got pregnant and figured that was a good enough excuse not to. I've never been pregnant so I can't say one way or the other, but I'm going to err on the side of caution and say it's legitimate. So we trained, and trained, and I hurt my ankle at a trampoline park, I stopped training (when I say we trained, I'm really saying me, because I never saw anyone train, except Philip and that was two days before the race. I'm just assuming everyone trained because they all finished, and finished well). We travelled to Burley for yet another overnighter, and this night the children slept, and slept well, unlike their dad who kept having dreams of being in the hunger games (the new trailer makes the games look an awful lot like a triathlon), evil mermaids (thanks for that image Philip and Alex) and overall list making to make sure I didn't forget my bike back in Provo.

We arrive at the race, and by the way, our van broke down and needed new brakes while we were in Burley. So thank you to Corinne and Thomas for being our taxis this weekend. Don't know what we would have done without you. The swim starts, 2nd wave is Philip, Matt and Alex. For some reason they are at the very front of the horde as the wave begins. Thrashing and panic begin, while Thomas and I enjoy a good chuckle, but they eventually get their bearings and move on. Next is mine and Thomas's wave (ten minutes after the previous). We are ready to rock n roll, the gun goes off and we are gone. I somehow manage to get out of the water first (when I say first I mean ahead of Thomas, not FIRST. Freak that would be awesome if I were first. But you probably can't do that when you backstroke most of the swim). I'm out of the water, and I get to transition and see Matt and Phil just about to leave on their bikes. I say hi, strip off my wetsuit, grab some GU (basically a gallon of ice cream reduced down to a 3 oz packet), put on my helmet and head out on the bike just as Thomas arrives. I'm feeling pretty good. I catch Alex first, pass him. Then Matt and eventually Philip. At this point I am "in the lead" and I start getting a little bit cocky, when I hear behind me "Hey Andrew!" and my hopes are dashed. Crap. It's Thomas and he has caught up with me. We chat for a wee bit before he books it in front of me. Well, there goes my goal of beating everyone. The bike finishes and I head out on the run, and I feel pretty good. I have new shoes and everyone knows new shoes make you faster (every pre-schooler knows that. Just ask Lukas he'll tell you). At this point the rain starts, which is a welcome sight because I would rather have rain than bright sunshine on race day.

Anyway, I finish my race, 5 minutes behind Thomas, and before Philip, Matt and Alex. We all feel good, and Kara and the kids were there to see me at every transition. That's what I loved about this whole thing, and that is the fact that this was a family event. It was great to see my family at the finish line, and my brothers in the race.

So that was July. We also went to a ward barbecue right after the Spudman. July was great, and it was a lot of fun, but I sure hope that August is a little more low key. I do need some suggestions for what race to do next. I'm pretty sure I am going to do the Aquathon at Seven Peaks Resort. My good friend Jimmy is running it and it would be fun to do it together.

Deer Creek Reservoir. 24th of July!

Nikki's Birthday party at Color Me Mine!

Look Dad we put on our own make-up today. Don't we look beautiful?.............Of Course!

Oh yeah, Lukas and I went to a Team USA soccer game. He still chants "USA" whenever he sees a Real Salt Lake Jersey.

Lagoon Space kiddie ride.

Driving in Circles.

Nikki

A little over 7 years ago, a small little girl changed our lives forever, and is determined to keep the ship rockin'. Meet Nikki, my oldest. She just barely turned 7 and is the most lively, creative, and fun loving person that I know. This whole post is dedicated to my daughter Nikki.

Nikki is a very social person. Let me re-phrase that, she LIVES AND DIES by her friends. Right now at this very moment she is outside planning a circus with all her little friends in the complex. Earlier she got a scrape on her foot that took off some of the flesh and she was more upset about missing the circus than the pain from the foot. She put on two band-aids and a shoe and continued on with the show. Ever since she was little she has been social. Her first little friend was her cousin Ryan. These two literally love each other, like brother and sister. Actually better than brother and sister because they actually get along. They pretty much grew up together. Back when we were living in Salt Lake, when I was at work Kara would take Nikki to her sister's house, or vice versa, and they'd both eventually end up at Target. Needless to say, Ryan and Nikki got a lot of play time together, and it has been a real blessing for the both of them. They're pretty alike too. Both have red hair...... yeah that's about it.

Anyway, Friends, Nikki has always sought them out. Even when we go someplace where she doesn't know anybody, if there is anyone who is even remotely the same age, or can even talk, she'll make a friend. Splash pad, she'll find a friend. Kids Zone at the Mall, BFF in five minutes. I think she even made a friend in the bathroom one time. Where ever we go she always seeks out friends, and she remembers them and picks up right where they left off. And Nikki is not just about having friends, she is also very in to being a good friend. She is sensitive about how other people are feeling. Are they left out? Are they hurt? Did they eat too much sugar and need to vomit? ya know the usual stuff. She's very sensitive.

Family: In those few hours during the month when Nikki is not playing with friends, she spends it with us, her family. She is currently the champion at Just Dance 4, Mall Madness, Connect 4, and Headbandz. The family is important to Nikki, and she is a great big sister to her brother Lukas and her little sister Mollie.

She is artistic. When we went to Europe a few years ago for a study abroad, one thing that Nikki wanted was a sketch book (I usually have one for work or school all the time) so she could draw while we were going through the museums. Here is my little girl in the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, sitting cross legged in front of priceless works of art, and she is sketching her rendition of it (oh and she was 3 years old at the time). I think she follows after me, which hopefully that's a good thing.

Smart: This is where she follows after her mom. Nikki is incredibly intelligent and figures out things on her own. One time when she was at the doctor's office with Kara for a pregnancy check-up (Lukas was on the way) she was looking at all the posters on the wall and came to a cross section of a baby inside of a woman's tummy (I don't know how to say that with tact anymore, I've been a dad for too long) and she had the epiphany and she suddenly understood and put together in her mind how a baby grows.  She turns to Kara and says "It's a baby! That's a baby!" The light bulb had turned on. I believe she gets this gene from Kara because Kara is much smarter than me.

Cute: Have you seen my children? Seriously they're adorable. Everyone tells me so. People see my kids and they instantly want to procreate (well not right there, they go home first), that's how adorable my kids are. Nikki is no exception. People would stop us just to tell us how beautiful she was/is. Now she just tells us herself. But I can't say anything any more because I'm her dad and she gets embarrassed whenever I even open my mouth (but so does Kara but for other reasons). Which brings me to this last little bit.

She's growing up. Seriously, I've been at this for 7 years already. It seems like 2 at the most. Time completely flies with your kids. The problem with this is that I am scared that one day I'm going to wake up and my kids aren't going to want to play with me anymore, unless I buy a boat, then they'll want to play with the boat with their friends and leave me home. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE seeing them grow up, but every so once in a while I just cry, and it's usually when I'm listening to a country song or that Youtube video about Dads comes on. That's one thing that Nikki has done to me is she has turned me into the biggest boob in the world. I cried while watching Hook the other night (good movie by the way). That's not the worst of it, I've cried in some pretty dumb shows and for no apparent reason. Look what you've done to me Nikki, you've caused my whole tear duct system to malfunction.


Yeah that's the one. Nikki I love you, and I will always be your daddy. I may be a blubbering mess on your wedding day, but at least you know that I love you.

Love

Daddy

Body Parts

Lukas has been asking some questions lately, questions that almost all little boys ask, and some that I have never heard before in my life. But the way I see it, kids questions are a way for us to glimpse how they see the world.

First question: Where did Jesus get all the eyeballs?

What? Like literally, what are you talking about little man. I had to have him repeat it several times, and Lukas gladly did. He's not like an adult where if you ask them to repeat themselves multiple times they give up and tell you to forget about it.

"Hey there's a bomb."

Me: "What?"

"A Bomb!"

"What? A gong?"

"No, there's a... oh never mind."

So I asked Lukas to repeat it several times and I finally got it all in its entirety, and I was still lost. So I asked him to explain. This would have been the easier thing to do, but hey, I thought I should do it last Ok.
His response:

"Jesus made everybody, where did he get all of the eyeballs?"

?

Yeah, I got nothing. So I did what smart people do, they answer a questions with a question.

"Well, where do you think Jesus got the eyeballs?"

"I asked you Daddy."

Crap, now I have to come up with something. So I take a shot at the truth.

"Well, where do babies grow?"

"In Mommy's tummy."

"There, that's where the eyeballs grow too."

And that seemed to satisfy him.

Now for question number two I need to give a little bit of background. Lukas and Mollie are little enough that we usually bathe them together. That will not be happening anymore.

Question Number 2 is: "When did Mollie's penis break off?"

"What?"

"When did Mollie's penis break off?"

At this point Kara happened to be listening in and explained to Lukas that girls don't have penises.
Lukas looked at us with a look of confusion and perplexity. "They don't? Well then what do they have?"

So we told him, and then he asked, "How do they go potty?"

Shoot this is going downhill fast. So we answered him (we feel it is very important to answer the questions our children ask) and then we distracted him with a ball.