work?

These boys keep me entertained all day. This was after we saw The Last Airbender on Monday, which I actually really liked! The boys clearly did too...they spent a good 30 minutes waterbending in these fountains right after we saw it. Hiiiilarious. The shakiness is me laughing. The bad quality is my phone. The distance is being secretive so Matthew wouldn't take my phone and break it if he caught me recording him. (You should see that kid dance...all videos have been erased by Matthew's force, but I'm determined to sneak one someday. Too funny)


matthew is to the left, in the red shirt. will is the one in the white shirt in the middle sticking his face in the water the whole time. ohh boys




"Matthew are you hungry?"
"NO Aly! I'm hungry for you to get in the water!"

After picking Will up from his 1 1/2 hour golf lesson
Matthew: "Alyyy, I'm starving!"
Will: "You're starving Matthew?! I haven't eaten a thing for THIRTY MINUTES!"

"Do you guys want to go to Boondocks today?"
Will: "YEEEAAAAHHHH!!! I love Boombox!......What is Boombox?"

en.ter.tain.ment.

team harry and ron

I have an announcement. After years of refusing to read or watch...I am reading Twilight.

Now that you've calmed down a bit from that, let me explain. Sometimes fellow nannies become friends. This has happened to me. In an effort to not seem like a book snob or mean person and to become better friends with her, I am reading Twilight per request of a fellow nanny whom I see often. As Kristie said today "You have to be a suck up to make friends". Fellow nanny loves that I am reading it. She asks me about it every time I see her and tells me why she loves Edward. I would never take her for a Twilight fan, and this is what got me reading the book more than anything...how does it hook every single type of person? I'm 2/3 of the way through the book (and its taken me 2 weeks to get that far, not 2 days), and I still don't know the answer to that question.

Every time I go to my Dad's office, I swap book suggestions with a lady who works for him. This week I told her I was reading Twilight for the first time and she was a) shocked that I hadn't already read it and b) ecstatic for me. She said, and I quote, "Twilight is like eating delicious candy with absolutely no calories. AH you just can't get enough!"

"Bring on the shackles--I'm your prisoner"
"I may not be a human, but I am a man"
"And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him." (replace love with obsessed)
"He grinned his crooked smile at me, stopping my breath and my heart. I couldn't imagine how an angel could be any more glorious."

Lets just say I don't think Twilight is my kind of candy

I know this is a blog for what makes me happy, but I am just heart broken over this. I know bad things happen all around the world everyday and they are all sad and full of injustice. Read CNN.com for an hour and you will be depressed for the rest of the week. But the recent attacks in Kampala have really gotten to me.

In April, Invisible Children came to BYU. This year the roadies brought Ugandans with them, people who are part of the Schools for Schools program in Gulu. Tony was with the mountain west team. Tony loved us because we had lived in Uganda. We hung out with him for the night, watching Ugandan music videos and talking about Kope Cafe and Garden City and Posho and the Multi-Choice Hotel and everything Uganda.



3 months later, Tony is on CNN



ah! he has already had such an incredibly difficult past (if you've seen the invisible children rough cut, he's in it) and now he has to deal with this. Now Nate Henn's family has to deal with this, he was there doing good good things. We were only with tony for a few hours but still, my heart = broken. But look how strong Innocent and Tony are, how willing they are to keep fighting the good fight. Ha I'm talking like we're best friends. We're not, but they've inspired me. Anyways, pray for Uganda. Pray for Tony. Pray for Nate Henn's family. Pray for hearts to be softened. Pray for peace.

everyone jump upon the peace train
come on now peace trainnn

more about the bombing http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/07/13/uganda.bombing/index.html?iref=allsearch

a short, humorous, five-line poem

This poem makes me laugh so hard. No one knows why. But I love it

There once was a man from Nantucket,
Who kept all his cash in a bucket,
But his daughter named Nan
Ran away with a man,
And alas for the bucket, Nan-tuck-et!

But he followed the pair to Pawtucket,
The man and the girl with the bucket,
And he said to the man,
He was welcome to Nan;
And as for the bucket, Paw-tuck-et!


children's poetry is the best

earth

today while skyping with Wesley, he was reading a book about space with Doug. Doug asked him where Earth was in a picture of our solar system, and Wesley pointed at it right away and said "Earth!" or something that sounded close to it. (He was also saying Mercury, Mars, Venus, Jupiter...the little smartie). Lets keep in mind he's not even 19 months old. Compare that to this...



hilarious

paul douglas archer

Happy Father's Day, Daddio!

thanks for showing me what it means to be
a hard worker
a good friend
a committed parent
an honest person
passionate
giving
fair
informed and involved
forgiving
adventurous
a go-getter
better safe than sorry
loving
funny
a worthy priesthood holder
a loving spouse
respectful
reliable

I love you so much, Dad! My favorite thing about you being a father is getting you as my Dad

aaand not having to touch the fish because you are there to do it for me!

jaclyn's married!

this girl got married this morning. so happy for her and jimmy! she makes one beautiful bride

(and Darla came for the wedding!)

this time for africa

this is my current jam and i am looooving it. shakira is so cultured



woo world cup this weekend!

brothers

this gets me every time I see it. look at those little studs!

LP

this place is calling my name








i think i'll go there today

i encourage everyone to

Kareena

raekwon, willie and stephanie (open to new name suggestions for her) went on a ride all day saturday. they had a lot of fun. and almost got hit by a mail truck. thank goodness for screams and open windows. thank goodness for red robin and trains and spoon it up and borders and wide bike paths. thank goodness for bikes

mother i love you

awful. I know. this is the first year I haven't owned this shirt so I had to whip this little guy out

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world. To a mom who is

hilarious
insightful
encouraging
compassionate
full of charity
smart
beautiful
hard working
kind
fun
adventurous
wise
friendly
loving
supportive
good listener
optomistic
passionate
exemplifies this:
"May each of us treasure this truth: One cannot forget mother and remember God. One cannot remember mother and forget God. Why? Because these two sacred persons, God and mother, partners in creation, in love, in sacrifice, in service, are as one. "
-Thomas S. Monson

I love you mom!

hello sunshine

spring is sprunging. finally! i opened all of our blinds this morning. oh sunshine

Slide Sideways

all is well in the city of dam

yesterday we celebrated amsterdam remembrance day. not the real remembrance day that they really do celebrate on May 4, but our personal remembrance day of our little 4 day amsterdam adventure trip on the way to uganda. it was magical. we ate bruges and frites and reminisced about staying in the red light district and riding trains and happening upon gay festivals and pretending to be 17 to get cheap tickets to the van gogh museum (didn't work...i was laughed at to my face).

amsterdam looked a little like this:



and this:


(disclaimer: we did not consume any beer in amsterdam. although we may seem out of control. this is just a taste of the festivals we happened upon. thank you)

amsterdam thoughts from one year ago. crazy

Konichiwa! Come and move it my waaay

Laura sent me a package of HI-CHEWs that she found in her grocery story this week! Best surprise package ever. I'm obsessed with Japan

liz lied to me today. we are no longer friends

how liberating

wearing no shoes all day makes me happy. even at work. even while teaching a class of fellow el ed majors. even in stores. even walking around campus. its cool being a part of something bigger than myself, today was one day without shoes




ps thanks spence for the reminder this morning. i passed it onnn

musical moreys

I LOVE visiting Sara, Eli and Tanner in Salt Lake every weekend or so. Having family in Utah is the best and I seriously don't know what I would have done without them this year. Its so fun to watch the little Tan Man grow up, he is such a smart kid and so funny. Him and Wes are getting so big and cuter everyday! Sara has helped me a lot this year and has always been there to talk and give me advice. She has been such a great support, my sisters are the best. And Elijah is always fun to talk to and play games with, and still helps me with homework. I am going to miss them so so much when they move to VERMONT next year, but I'm so excited for them!

I taught Tan another member of the fam a few weeks ago, Gary. Also, check out how he says my name. I'm so proud


I love you guys!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter!


My favorite hymn is "I Know That My Redeemer Lives". I love the powerful words, and I love listening to congregations sing the hymn. I love hearing people sing in testimony together that Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, lives again. Today when the choir and congregation sang this hymn in general conference, I just sat and listened, feeling the power of those two words: He Lives! I add my testimony to that song, I do know that my Redeemer lives. And that knowledge brings me so much joy and so much peace that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. We have reason to rejoice because He is risen!

He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King!

He lives, and grants me daily breath.
He lives, and I shall conquer death.
He lives, my mansion to prepare
He lives, to bring me safely there.

He lives! All glory to his name!
He lives, my Savior still the same.
Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives;
"I know that my Redeemer lives!"

birthday, birthday coming to earth day!

Today is Kristie's birthday...no foolin! On this fine day, April 1, 23 years ago Kristie Kay Archer came into the world. And I am SO glad that she did. I have truly been blessed with an incredible family and that incredible family would not be the same without Kristie...na. She is such an awesome sister, friend, and confidant and I love her so much. I miss living so close to her (if she still lived in the same apartment in Provo I would almost be able to see her apartment from my kitchen window) and after her move to AZ last week we are even farther apart, but thank goodness for skype and phones.

21st birthday

22nd birthday

 can't you see the resemblance? we created a masterpiece

23rd birthday

happy day of birth krissst

I'm so proud of you for moving to Arizona all by yourself and know that you will do great there. Can't wait to visit your new stomping grounds in a month!