May 15, 2009 Connor's Graduation

sniff--My baby just graduated from pre-school! This fall I will be entering a new phase of my life. I will have no more children left at home during the day. Well, not until after school, anyway. It is a bittersweet day. I have absolutely LOVED having my babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. I will miss it immensely, but I am so excited for the freedom that it will bring! Thankfully Kindergarten is only part-time. In fact, Connor will be gone only a couple more hours in Kindergarten than he was in preschool. I will be broken in gently!

Connor and Mrs. Thompson. She is the best teacher ever! I should know, she's my VT companion!

Daddy is so proud of his little Connor.

Check out that dumdum sucker boutonniere.

Connor, you're a winner!

Emily got a hold of the camera and took about a hundred shots just like this only making crazy faces.

...And Hannah, of course, was drawing the entire time :)

Alex (after turning 16 then deciding not to date): "Mom, can I go to the Prom?"

Me (feeling VERY excited about this): "OF COURSE!!! When is it?"

Alex: Tomorrow night.

Me: !?!?!?!?!

I went on You Tube and learned how to make a corsage. It was beautiful! So was his date, Celeste!

Alex had a great night and danced like only two dances with his actual date!

May 1, 2009 James' 40th Birthday

James and his best friend, David Atkisson both turned 40 this year within just a couple of weeks of each other. So, the wives began scheming! Connie asked me if I was going to do something for James' birthday, and she was trying to decide what to do for David's. I told her that we'd be there for David's no matter what! She decided on a surprise party.

So, we headed down to Utah for the party. James had spent countless hours coming up with the perfect gift after discovering the rules: create a gift from a memory of David. While James and David were serving on their missions, they wrote back and forth to each other. They would create drawings of outlandish items such as the do it all name tag and the super missionary bike. James drew his inspiration from those letters and created a one of a kind super missionary name tag with blinking lights and speaking commands. It was really awesome! David loved it and then had to come up with something for James that would be just as cool.

I put a spin on James' party since the people coming haven't known James for more than two years. I asked everyone to bring something for him that would help us get to know them better. We also played games to get to know James better.

The name tag.

David was so surprised at his party!

The Birthday boy. What could a 40 year old possibly want for his birthday? Peanut Butter Crunch and BACON!

....and as a gift....a JUMBO bag of m&ms.

Alex was feeling very generous as he gave James his dollar and change that he earned while playing his guitar in the Walmart doorway (until he got kicked out).

The Buska's Gave James a CD of really bad music from 1969

Chelsea's gift was awesome: Kidney beans (she had problems with her kidneys) and a IN Colts Tee shirt since her hubby served his mission in IN.

The Corbett's gave James a toy cow representing the 40 cardboard cows that Doug Corbett placed on Farrah Kays yard the morning of the wedding. (40 Cow Wife)

and David's gift....a 100 watt stereo (or something like that). It was another one of their crazy designs!

The Orms gave James some toy motorcycles since Val rides them and Nancy gave him some nuts.

I gave James a Ronald McDonald Tee shirt.


Although David is highly alergic to cats, he stayed with us anyway. He brought little Emily with him and big Emily was thrilled! It was a great party!

Easter and Zoo With Josh's Family, April 12, 2009

After our whirlwind trip to Whitney's wedding, we woke up early and headed down to Logan to spend the weekend with my brother Josh and his family. We went to the little zoo while we were there.

Emily and Phebe. Little Twin hair dos.

Me and the boys.

Hunter is soooo afraid of heights even though he's safely on daddy's shoulders.

Connor's not afraid at all--at anything. (except spiders)

Look at those sweet blondies!

This crazy bird never put its wings down.

On Sunday after church we did the anual George Easter Candy hunt. They have the kids go outside and then the adults put treats all over the floor. It was great, and of course, they got way too much candy.



The Easter Bunny made these cute little finger puppets. They were a BIG hit with the kids and gave an alternative to candy!

We always love spending time with Josh and Susanna and the kids! They are sooo much fun!

Easter Egg Hunt April 11, 2009

Connor, feeling very sad that they were too late for the goods.All that Hunter ended up with was the candy he brought from home and an egg that Emily took from another child.Emily, happily scrounging for a measly piece of candy for her brothers.Alex, of course, spending time gabbing with the chicks.

Because of our extremely eventful weekend, with a wedding reception three hours to the North, and an Easter party two and a half hours to the South, we decided to invite the Easter Bunny to come on Saturday. He graciously obliged bringing lots of candy, kites, and new clothes! It was nice having the secular part of the holiday over with before the actual day so the true focus of Christ could be on the day of Easter. There was one minor flaw with my logic--it would be very difficult to have Easter baskets and still be able to get to a town Easter Egg hunt on time.

I checked in the newspaper and found a hunt at 10:30 am. Perfect! Then I realized that the whistle is blown at 10:30--whether you're there, in the parking lot, or not. Sadly, I sent James and the kids to the hunt a little too late and by the time they got onto the field, all that remained were stomped and smashed bits of candy and plastic Easter egg shards. The boys were very sad. Emily saw a couple of kids with overflowing grocery bags full of eggs, and scrounged a couple of eggs for her brothers from them. A very noble thing for a big sis to do!

Lesson learned (until it's forgotten again next year).

Whitney's Reception April 11th 2009

When we found out that Whitney was getting married, we couldn't have been more excited! After all, she's like one of our own kids! We met Ben, Whitney's new hubby and had to laugh at how little they actually knew each other. Well, forever is a long time, and I'm sure they'll be able to get to know each other a lot by then. I always wondered what kind of a man would risk it all to tame the wild Whitney. Ben is a pretty great guy. A saint, really.

We found out that Ben is a good old Idaho boy and that the reception would be held in Salmon, Idaho, three hours away. Wild horses (or even not getting an invitation, which we did) couldn't have kept us from attending. The best part is that Ben is my very good friend, Audrey's nephew. So the Salmon reception was going to be a mini Virginia reunion with the Tibbitts and the Fitzgeralds and the Moores!

We drove the three hours to Salmon, enjoyed immensely being with our long lost friends for a couple of hours, then headed back home. It was a long trip and we got home in the wee hours of the morn, but it was worth it to see Whitney and Ben so happy and looking majestic!



The Skittish Bride??? NEVER!

The Saint, AKA Ben.

Alex and Matt. Two handsome studs (that tux is really coming in handy)!

Hunter designated himself the reception photographer and went around taking some of the most interesting shots. Many were somewhat embarrassing--so much so, that I can't even post them.

Here is what will become known as the infamous "Inside the Garbage" shot. I love it because it captures the true essence of the reception. Always look at the garbage if you want to know what really went on. It's true, just ask any PI.

Oh, and the lovely "Mop" shot. That place was clean when we left, and here's proof!



Aww, my beautiful buddy, Jean. I miss her so much. We got in a little conversation even though she was the stressed out mother-of-the-bride.

Emily misses her "Big Daddy." We all miss you Kurtis!

Here is the match maker herself, Audrey. I loved seeing Audrey. She just has a way of making you feel so at ease. She can easily bring anyone smoothly into a conversation or situation. She is amazing!
This was also the photo that inspired me, along with my ultra in shape friend, Connie, to get off the couch and start exercising. I wouldn't have been surprised to have been asked when I was due! Although I have a long way to go, I'm now walking and jogging about two miles a day! I'm feeling GREAT!

Alex's Guitar

I believe that it's really important for teenage boys to be continually involved in projects. They need to have some kind of an outlet, whether it's building an engine, sports, or even paper clip collecting. They just need a place for their brains to land whenever free time rears its ugly head. And so I try to be supportive whenever my son decides to do a project. His projects typically tend towards the creative side, which is good, because I can relate to them.

Enter electric guitar; purchased on Ebay, disappointing sound, shiny black and white coating, immediate desire to "flip" (sell to someone else at a profit) the instrument.

First off, Alex decides to re-string the guitar to make the sound better (sorry musicians, I'm not privy to guitar jargon). I'm okay with that until I learn that it will require money and power tools! Not having yet gained that kind of confidence in him leaves me a bit leery of allowing him to destroy something that already cost him a very large percentage of his income.

After he does a lot of Internet research, the task is accomplished, and my confidence is gained. It did actually sound better!

It isn't good enough, though, and he decides to sell the guitar to his buddy Chaz who promises and promises payment, until his dad puts an end to the all of the promising, and gets him his own project; a run down motorcycle (Chaz's dad and I see eye to eye on the project thing).

But, the sales opportunity has not passed Alex by. He announces that his friend from school is going to buy the guitar for $30. I figure he must be getting hard up for cash to let it go for $30, but who am I to judge, it's not my money! I question why he is removing the neck of the guitar and find out that the section won't be needed when his friend smashes the guitar on stage during some performance. (!!!) Okay, destruction is where I draw the line, and the control freak mama comes out and cancels the sale.

So the guitar sits...and waits...

A strange flicker comes into Alex's eyes. I can tell he's been surfing the net. He has a new idea for his guitar...He's going to tie dye it! This is when realization comes to me that it's good for a boy to have an obsession--er--uh--a project.

First, the sanding begins, then the hand hole drilling, then the puttying, and more sanding. And a little more sanding after that. Next comes the priming...and yes, more priming...in the house...in the winter...hanging in the shower.

And finally collecting the supplies for the dying. The paints, Borax soap, a container large enough to submerge the guitar without touching any sides or the bottom, a plastic bag large enough to protect the container, and about a thousand gallons of water to float the paint on.

Drying time, then a lot of spray varnish. Oh, yes, and a little more spray varnish (in the house...in the winter...hanging in the shower).

Alex puts the guitar back together and the results are actually really cool.

I'm not sure how the guitar sounds just now, but I will tell you that it looks pretty awesome hanging on his wall!

Next project: clean up the mess made from one end of the house to the other, and throughout the garage!

Technical Difficulties

Well, I've been a very bad blogger lately, but I do have a very valid excuse; I can't get access to my pictures from my computer. So until I can hire a hot looking guy to investigate, the world will have to be patient! I have lots of great stories to share!

Kamas Valley Fiesta Days 2009

It's that time of year again....time to get ready for July 24th in hometown Kamas, UT. I've been seeing a lot of hits on my blog again this year for the Fiesta Days Schedule, so I thought I'd pop up a link to the Kamas City Website. Tickets will be going on sale on May 11th and it ALWAYS sells out, so get them early! The link is http://www.kamascity.net . I checked there today and the Fiesta Days link seems to not be working, so you may have to try back later. My mom has always gotten tickets for us in the past, so I'm not sure exactly how it works, other than there is a form that you can mail in and order the tickets. There may eventually be a place to download the form from the website, but as of now, it doesn't seem to be working. Enjoy the Derby, Rodeo, parade, or just the exciting hometown celebration!

Seedlings

As soon as the snow melts in Idaho, it's time to start planting seedlings! Connor and I are getting a jump start on our garden this year by planting starts in the solarium. We want to can a lot of salsa this year, so we started with tomatoes and sweet peppers. Then we added some flowers for beauty and some broccoli for nutrition! Then we had to plant a surprise...We're going to have a *great* garden this year!

The surprise seedling is sprouting!It's getting bigger... And bigger....POP! Just look at that Cute connor plant! Thank goodness little boys grow more slowly than plants!