Food Storage

I would like to introduce you to Rachelle. Her daughter Vanessa and my Ashlin have been friends for years. I love being friends with Rachelle (and usually call her first when I want to go somewhere because she's always game)

I am thinking this last month she wasn't loving me though.

Ashlin and I went out to dinner with her and Vanessa (after one of their tennis matches)... and Vanessa was brainstorming what fun thing she could do for her 16th bday party. She was trying to convince Rachelle to let her do a "Chocolate Pudding Slip 'N' Slide". Rachelle was telling her that she was crazy. And then I remembered the PERFECT thing... I had multiple #10 cans of pudding in my Food Storage that were expired. So then I had to help Vanessa convince Rachelle to let her have the chocolate pudding party, because how fun is that. I offered to donate the chocolate pudding and help at the party. Ha ha, we were laughing, poor Rachelle gave in.

Now I am thinking that was a pretty good use of my Food Storage.

ha ha

They did the slip 'n' slide at the park behind our houses, then went back to Vanessa's to swim. I ofcourse helped with the homemade Rootbeer, I sort of often have that at parties. It just smells so yummy.

Licorice Days

Sophie had swim lessons for the first time. Mrs Lorie has taught all my kids. Poor Mrs Lorie... Sophie cried a lot. As she helped a crying Sophie along... Mrs Lorie always still smiled happily (she's the best).

Lily LOVES swim lessons, her and Sophie had lessons back to back. One day I forgot about swim lessons and they missed. Lily cried and cried. She kept telling me, "I remembered and you forgot, why did you forget?" Poor Lily, it broke my heart that day.

The picture below of Lily makes me want to be a better mom... because even though she is jumping forward with her feet in the air, she is looking over at me, to make sure I am watching her. This reminds me how much my kids just want someone to be there watching them, someone who will cheer for them and be proud of their accomplishments. I look at this sweet little face and think how could I ever be critical. But then I am at times, darn it. I need to tell them more than anything how proud I am of them.

And for Sophie the best part of swim lessons is the licorice at the end. That sneaky little Sophie would constantly try and sneak over to the bucket during Lily's lesson and take another one.

I have to document though that Sophie is my first child who after her swim lessons with Mrs Lorie wasn't swimming. Sophie wouldn't even turn around and grab the edge of the pool when Mrs Lorie dropped her in, like the others. All week between the lessons she would do "Tickle-Star-Pencil" with her little hands so cute, but not for Mrs Lorie. All she did for Mrs Lorie was take her licorice.

Doctors

12 years ago this month Bruce graduated

and became a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

We left Colorado, our trailer and friends and came back to AZ.

... then a few weeks ago Bruce and I flew back to Colorado to see my cousin Casey graduate and also become a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine.

Congratulations Casey and Tiff!!!

Time goes so fast, this was Bruce's senior picture his last year of Vet School

See how poor we were, we didn't even BUY the pictures, we just have the proof... ha ha.

We lived in a trailer.

Below is Ashlin walking around the front of our cute abode.

We had such good friends, and life was so simple in our trailer park.

We went to Casey's graduation because he asked Bruce to help with the "Hooding Ceremony". It was really neat to go to another CSU Vet graduation, listen to the speakers and think on how our life has evolved since then, and reminisce on great memories.

Bruce and Casey below

We have such great memories of our school days and great friends. People act like you shouldn't have kids until you are done with school. But I disagree.

One of the best things in Colorado still...

our dear friends Jen and Alan.

We laugh so hard whenever we visit them.

We love their kids and it is so funny to me how even though they are way bigger, they are each so much like how they were as toddlers. Now we are like all the other old people who say to kids, "We remember you when you were little"...

It was so stressful to leave our kids at home... and guess who watched them so we could go? Our 16 year old Ashlin. She did so good. I had 6 pages taped to the fridge of hour by hour instructions. We came home after 3 days to a totally clean house, all the kids asleep, and Emma's room was playing church music (a CD she said Ashlin gave her). And I was told Sophie called her mom all week. (Ashlin babysat for us to earn the money we paid for her to go to EFY at BYU this summer, that was our deal)

Sweet, now that we know we have such a good sitter, where do we go next?

(We HEART Colorado)

Conquest

Funny Story:

Tonight Lily, Logan, Sophie and I were laying in my bed and I was reading them books before bedtime. Dallin and Emma came in to say prayers with us when we were done. Because there was a stack of books on my bed, and my kids are retarded, Emma grabs a book and says, "Lets all hit ourselves in the head with a book and see who can hit the hardest?" Since that sounded so appealing, all the kids (not baby Sophie, but yes, 5 year old Lily) grabbed a book and got it ready, positioning it right in front of their head. Emma said ready, set, GO... and they all smacked themselves in the head with their book. Then they were all laughing, and yelling how it hurt. Seriously, retarded.

Then I notice 5 year old Lily's nose starts bleeding. It was not a lot of blood, but as soon as she sees it she starts bawling. Poor Lily smacked herself a little too hard.

To console her I said, "Its sad you have a bloody nose.. but GUESS WHAT? You won!" Then she honestly started laughing, cheered up by the conquest.

I am hoping mine aren't the only kids that do goofy stuff like that??

A new path

"The Journey of a Thousand Miles starts with a single step"

I think of that quote a lot,

and how we can do big things one step at a time.

Our development is chugging along. It has been so much work lately that I sometimes wish I could have sleep instead of developing land.

Today Lily, Sophie and I loved the environment enough to walk to the grocery store instead of drive. We just needed a few things and it was a beautiful day, so we walked, playing at the park on the way there and back. Lily really grumbled about having to walk to the store (she really had to walk) but whenever she complained I reminded her that I would buy her a strawberry milk and that made her happy. She kept asking me why we didn't drive again? And the answer was... mostly because it was a beautiful day, but a little because if we WALK by our development we get to watch the workers longer then if we DRIVE by... and they are putting the SIDEWALK in and turns out... that is a fun process to watch.

You use to see our land as just the dirt lot in the distance:

Then our wall went up:

(and within that wall lots of other fun utility trenching and grading)

Then the most exciting thing was the sidewalk forms:

And now there is an actual real sidewalk!!!

I am laughing at the sign above, I am not sure why its there. Its a pedestrian walking with an arrow. I guess it is labeling that the sidewalk is not just for aesthetics, but you can actually walk on it, though at the same time blocking the way so you can't walk on it YET.

Turns out, it has been really fun watching the sidewalk be formed and created.

(Way more fun then staying up late stressing about numbers, talking to the bank, driving to Title company, ever still negotiating the Usage Agreement with the other HOA, reviewing the Public Report docs today and talking to Eric late tonight about letters, wether I like the paint color and the timing on how we are going to wrap all this up, etc...)

but seriously, what a crazy exciting journey.

Wolf Blood

Our family is loving scouts right now! Bruce is the Scout Master and I am a Den Leader working with our 2 sons Dallin and Logan, who are a Boy Scout and Cub Scout.

Logan LOVES scouts and is dressed in full uniform usually 30 minutes before we have to leave. He begs us to work on scouts and has been talking about getting his Wolf award for MONTHS!

After completing all the requirements... he finally got to drink the long awaited Wolf Blood to earn his badge:

And... who can forget Mr. "Scout Fitness Man" below.... ha ha

My Favorite Cub Scout.

Campaigning

5th grade Emma is running for Student Body President

Her chances of winning are slim.

There are 8 kids running for president...

SEVEN girls and ONE boy!

I am thinking the 1 boy has a really good chance of winning.

Emma was in need of a very good, very catchy slogan.

Campaign Headquarters:

(making poster)

The slogan we came up with was:

"Its SO FLUFFY!!!"

(quote from "Despicable Me")

ha ha, well, its unique at least, as far as slogans go.

(you gotta click above pic to see enlarged)

She was SO excited about her poster. We used a turquoise boa for the letters in her name, I glued that on... but Emma cut out all the letters we glued on, then I wrote the letters below and she traced them with the puffy paint. It was a joint venture, not all me. When I took her to the school to hang up her poster every kid that saw it immediately said all excited, just like the movie:

"It's SO FLUFFY!!"

It was catchy just like we wanted.

And her speech is even more awesome. She is going to say "Fluffy" a dozen times. We thought it was a funny slogan, but didn't know how to tie it in with meaning. We were brainstorming as a family... then Ashlin said you should use the letters in FLUFFY like an acronym. PERFECT.

F- Fun

L- Leader

U- Understanding

F- Friendly

F- Full of enthusiasm

Y- WHY wouldn't you vote for her?

Emma's brother Logan told his whole class to vote for her. Isn't Emma lucky to have such a big family, we make up quite the campaign committee.

The littlest Committee member is the cutest:

Peek-A-Boo

And don't worry... on the way home from helping Emma hang up her poster at school, Sophie, Lily (in her pajamas still) and I stopped and voted for our Local Gilbert Town Council Members!

Good Luck Emma!!