Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Performer
Sus had her second grade performance last night at school. They performed Seussical the Musical--super cute songs from the Dr. Seuss books of course! Susanna is very animated with her facial expressions. She did great job and it was a fun time for our family! (I am not skilled enough with the camera to get any action shots!)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Update
We had a great Spring Break at the cabin again this year! We were able to stop on the way down and see Mama Judy. She always treats us so well and feeds us yummy food! The weather was nearly perfect--actually, I can't think of how it could have been better. Clear, blue skies, not too hot, cooler in the evenings and no bugs yet!! My sister and her girls were able to come, and Mama Leslie and Grandpappy stopped by for quick visit on their way home from visiting Nauvoo. We really enjoyed it so much. It was so peaceful and quiet and truly the break from the real world that we all needed.
The Spring Break girls!
On the deck in front of the cabin.
Grandpappy with some of his grand "urchins".
We enjoyed a couple of evenings around the campfire. Boy Scouts we are not--we had to use tiki torch fuel to get our fire going! Worked like a charm for a great fire--perfect for roasting hot dogs and smores, of course!
We celebrated my birthday while there. The girls had a blast decorating cupcakes and cake.
Enjoying smores and the campfire.
The girls spent lots of time digging in the sand, climbing, rope swinging, and riding bikes. I've said it before and I'll say it again--we love the cabin!! The girls are always sad to leave! A BIG thank you to my parents who always go the extra mile to make sure we have everything we need while there!!!!
The Spring Break girls!
On the deck in front of the cabin.
Grandpappy with some of his grand "urchins".
We enjoyed a couple of evenings around the campfire. Boy Scouts we are not--we had to use tiki torch fuel to get our fire going! Worked like a charm for a great fire--perfect for roasting hot dogs and smores, of course!
We celebrated my birthday while there. The girls had a blast decorating cupcakes and cake.
Enjoying smores and the campfire.
The girls spent lots of time digging in the sand, climbing, rope swinging, and riding bikes. I've said it before and I'll say it again--we love the cabin!! The girls are always sad to leave! A BIG thank you to my parents who always go the extra mile to make sure we have everything we need while there!!!!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
The dreaded test
Taks. Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. My poor 3rd graders have been working so hard all year for this test. I think they are a little psyched out--get a good nights rest, eat a good breakfast, get to school on time. So much emphasis on this test and this is just the reading part. Math is still to come later. Since my kids are in the dyslexia program, they will take the test over 2 days instead of one. I'm just thinking of them today....(praying for them!)
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Roses are red....
...Violets are blue,
Here's a Valentine story
Especially for you!
February 14, 1992 fell on a Friday. I was a twenty-something single, dating a great guy named Greg. We had been friends for a long time, but had in recent weeks started spending more time together. We were taking an institute class together at the UofA, went to see some plays and concerts together (Les Mis, George Winston, to name a couple), and had a standing date each week to watch a tv show called Northern Exposure. It had taken us a while to get to this point, but that is a story for a different day. Greg was also my home teacher (he got a 100+% each month), and we had had our first kiss. Things were going great! On this Valentine's Day, I remember thinking about what to get him. Nothing too lovey or cheesy--didn't want to scare him off at this point. So, I ended up making a homemade box, covered it with heart paper, and filled it with some of his favorite candy at the time. So far so good. Earlier that week I had been having a dull ache in my abdomen that sometimes felt like it was in my lower back, but it came and went, and I didn't think too much about it......until it turned into much more than a dull ache on that very Valentine's Day! By mid-morning I was in so much pain I couldn't stand up. It hurt so bad. A little bit later it hurt so bad I was throwing up. I knew I was in too much pain to drive. Fortunately for me, I had a great home teacher who didn't have classes on Fridays! I called Greg and he drove me to the doctor. I felt so bad because he had a brand new car and I was throwing up all over the outside of it on the way! When we got to the doctor's office, they saw how sick I was and admitted me to the hospital right then and there. They did not know at the time what was wrong, but performed an "exploratory" surgery to see if they could find out.
Now it's Valentine's night and I am recovering from surgery in the hospital. Greg called my parents to let them know what was going on. I was in a hospital in AZ. They were in TX. My mom had just had surgery herself and had to get permission from her doctor to travel out west to help me. My dad made her a bed in their car, and started the journey to AZ, though it would be a couple of days before they would arrive. Meanwhile, Greg stayed with me the entire weekend so I would not be alone. He slept in a chair in my hospital room. Occasionally, he would excuse himself from the room when the nurse came in to give me a shot of demorall on my back side. He was quite the gentleman!
Finally, on Sunday evening around 10:00 pm, Greg told me he had to go home. He had classes Mon. morning. I remember watching him walk out the door. The minute it closed, I started crying and crying and couldn't stop. A couple of minutes later, my bishop of my ward came in and was of course concerned because I was sobbing. All I could say was.... I...wwwwant.....GGGGReg... to come bbbbbaaaaack!!!!!!
Cupid had struck on that Valentine's weekend. The diagnosis was officially acute appendicitis. I was in the hospital 6 days, and didn't really start to feel better until my mom arrived. She made sure I ate all my food, got up and walked around, and followed all the doctors orders. Greg of course scored major points with me AND my parents for helping me and staying with me all weekend. It was a turning point for me in our dating relationship. And the rest, as they say, is history--Greg has been my Valentine for 17 years!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Here's a Valentine story
Especially for you!
February 14, 1992 fell on a Friday. I was a twenty-something single, dating a great guy named Greg. We had been friends for a long time, but had in recent weeks started spending more time together. We were taking an institute class together at the UofA, went to see some plays and concerts together (Les Mis, George Winston, to name a couple), and had a standing date each week to watch a tv show called Northern Exposure. It had taken us a while to get to this point, but that is a story for a different day. Greg was also my home teacher (he got a 100+% each month), and we had had our first kiss. Things were going great! On this Valentine's Day, I remember thinking about what to get him. Nothing too lovey or cheesy--didn't want to scare him off at this point. So, I ended up making a homemade box, covered it with heart paper, and filled it with some of his favorite candy at the time. So far so good. Earlier that week I had been having a dull ache in my abdomen that sometimes felt like it was in my lower back, but it came and went, and I didn't think too much about it......until it turned into much more than a dull ache on that very Valentine's Day! By mid-morning I was in so much pain I couldn't stand up. It hurt so bad. A little bit later it hurt so bad I was throwing up. I knew I was in too much pain to drive. Fortunately for me, I had a great home teacher who didn't have classes on Fridays! I called Greg and he drove me to the doctor. I felt so bad because he had a brand new car and I was throwing up all over the outside of it on the way! When we got to the doctor's office, they saw how sick I was and admitted me to the hospital right then and there. They did not know at the time what was wrong, but performed an "exploratory" surgery to see if they could find out.
Now it's Valentine's night and I am recovering from surgery in the hospital. Greg called my parents to let them know what was going on. I was in a hospital in AZ. They were in TX. My mom had just had surgery herself and had to get permission from her doctor to travel out west to help me. My dad made her a bed in their car, and started the journey to AZ, though it would be a couple of days before they would arrive. Meanwhile, Greg stayed with me the entire weekend so I would not be alone. He slept in a chair in my hospital room. Occasionally, he would excuse himself from the room when the nurse came in to give me a shot of demorall on my back side. He was quite the gentleman!
Finally, on Sunday evening around 10:00 pm, Greg told me he had to go home. He had classes Mon. morning. I remember watching him walk out the door. The minute it closed, I started crying and crying and couldn't stop. A couple of minutes later, my bishop of my ward came in and was of course concerned because I was sobbing. All I could say was.... I...wwwwant.....GGGGReg... to come bbbbbaaaaack!!!!!!
Cupid had struck on that Valentine's weekend. The diagnosis was officially acute appendicitis. I was in the hospital 6 days, and didn't really start to feel better until my mom arrived. She made sure I ate all my food, got up and walked around, and followed all the doctors orders. Greg of course scored major points with me AND my parents for helping me and staying with me all weekend. It was a turning point for me in our dating relationship. And the rest, as they say, is history--Greg has been my Valentine for 17 years!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
It's a school night....
...and we are snuggled up with blankets, a fire in the fireplace, movies, and plenty of popcorn! It has been a very chilly day and is expected to be a chilly night with possible freezing rain/sleet. All after school activities were canceled, including a special performance by the third grade that was scheduled for this evening. We have consumed LOTS of hot chocolate, and I made my mom's homemade beef stew--hearty, comforting and warm! Sus was not feeling well and stayed home from school today. I learned later that 10 kids were out of her class today! Truth be told, I am very sorry that she is not feeling well, but I actually love being home and fussing over her, making sure she has everything she needs and is comfortable. I am happy to put aside the fact that it is a school night to do the same for the rest of my family and enjoy the time together!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Maui trip wrap up
We were at the very beginning of whale season in Maui. I am not a big animal lover, but for some reason I LOVE to see the whales! My kids enjoyed the trip (although a few of them didn't feel so well toward the end, but no one threw up) and spouted off (pun intended) many whale facts later that they learned about on the trip. They also became great whale spotters--Natalie especially--and saw many whales right in front of our hotel and could also see them off shore while driving around.
The cousins at the Banyan Tree in Lahaina while we were waiting to board for whale watching.
I could not get very many good shots of the whales even though we saw many. I just could not steady myself with the rocking of the boat. The boats are not allowed to get within a certain amount of feet to the whales, but at one point, the whales were coming toward us. They call it being "mugged" and they shut off all the motors. It was very cool to be close to the whales, but the waves/boat/motion was awful!
We did have one rainy day while we were there. We did lots of exploring around the hotel.
We checked out the gingerbread house display...
...and went to lei making class.
One of the companies I like there was offering a moolight tide pool exploration. It is one of the things in Maui that hardly costs any money! It was a full moon, so we headed to south Maui to check it out.
The company gave us a little information about what kinds of things we might see, and why with the full moon we might see even more interesting creatures. We saw sea cucumbers, sea urchins, many starfish, all kinds of crabs--one really fast one that got Anna's leg! Susanna was scared after that, so we had juice and snacks while the others kept looking!
Dad, you'll notice which flashlight Samantha is using to explore with!
More beach time playing dumptruck and burying themselves in the sand.
Our last night was more hula pie with John and Maria and girls!
Aloha Maui!! We hope to return again soon!! (maybe next time sans kiddos!)
The cousins at the Banyan Tree in Lahaina while we were waiting to board for whale watching.
I could not get very many good shots of the whales even though we saw many. I just could not steady myself with the rocking of the boat. The boats are not allowed to get within a certain amount of feet to the whales, but at one point, the whales were coming toward us. They call it being "mugged" and they shut off all the motors. It was very cool to be close to the whales, but the waves/boat/motion was awful!
We did have one rainy day while we were there. We did lots of exploring around the hotel.
We checked out the gingerbread house display...
...and went to lei making class.
One of the companies I like there was offering a moolight tide pool exploration. It is one of the things in Maui that hardly costs any money! It was a full moon, so we headed to south Maui to check it out.
The company gave us a little information about what kinds of things we might see, and why with the full moon we might see even more interesting creatures. We saw sea cucumbers, sea urchins, many starfish, all kinds of crabs--one really fast one that got Anna's leg! Susanna was scared after that, so we had juice and snacks while the others kept looking!
Dad, you'll notice which flashlight Samantha is using to explore with!
More beach time playing dumptruck and burying themselves in the sand.
Our last night was more hula pie with John and Maria and girls!
Aloha Maui!! We hope to return again soon!! (maybe next time sans kiddos!)
Monday, January 19, 2009
A much needed night out
....with some of our favorite friends Paula and Greg! After a long and busy week, we were so happy to go out and enjoy some great company, great ambiance, and food! Paula and Greg are so fun to be around--we talk and talk and talk, laugh until we cry, etc. Paula and I go WAAAAY back--we knew eaach other at BYU and once spent a week together at Lake Powell with another gal and a few guys! The 2 Gregs ended up working together a few years back and have become great friends! We love to go out to dinner with them, see movies, hang out, and have even traveled to Europe together--they are just super! We lucked out and were able to get the girls favorite babysitter, so they had a great time at home without mom and dad!
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