Our Family

Beautiful

2010-06-02T19:39:00.001-07:00

I saw that nobody had posted in a while so I thought I'd take this opportunity to share this pic with you...I took this on Alexis' birthday and I just love it, she is so beautiful and such a joy in all of our lives. I am so thankful that I finally had a daughter, she is everything I could have ever asked for in a little girl!!

Anyone, Anyone, Anyone???

2009-07-09T19:45:00.000-07:00

Anyone else interested in contributing to Artie's headstone. I checked online and got a few quotes. They are between $295.00 and $500.00. So it would only be about $50.00 each. Let me know so that we can start planning what we want it to say.
Thanks, Mom

A headstone for Artie

2009-07-05T06:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we were talking about Artie's headstone, or lack thereof. We decided that it is time to order one. If you would like to contribute to this, please let me know. I will get an estimate and depending on how many contribute, then we will know how much it will be.
Love, Mom

What I Did This Summer-Toronto, Canada

2009-07-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

This is the little market and square across the street from our hotel. It was a really cute little market, kinda of like a neighborhood market.

Our hotel was right on Lake Ontario and we saw many boats including a cruise ship. This is a picture of the view from our second hotel room. We were on the 30th floor and the first night we were there some kids played with a fire extinguisher in the 5th floor pool area and made the fire alarms go off and the elevators not work. We were stuck down stairs and could not climb to the 30th floor for about 2 hours. That was bad enough, but the next day I got stuck in an elevator for 15 minutes and it kept lurching down ward. So that is when I said enough and asked for a room on the lowest floor.

Grandma's 6th Annual Movie Day

2009-06-20T21:17:00.001-07:00

Here is the whole group, except Matt, at the box office. All full of anticipation. And goofyness.

Matt and Elara. Before.

All of us during.

What a great movie. For anyone who has not seen "UP" yet, spend the money and see it on the big screen, at least once. Many times preferably. It's amazing how much more they put into the movie everytime you go to see it. See it in 3-D. It's so much clearer, crisper. Oh, and take a box of tissues. It's sad, happy and it will change your life. Guaranteed.

Daniel's Graduation

2009-06-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

This is Daniel, all graduated. And one proud mom.

This is Daniel in front of the car with the dead battery. He would not pose in front of the car with the flat tire. We fixed both and got to Graduation on time. It was a miracle.
Hannah, Karley and Paige with our Graduate.

The Graduate with his cords before the big ceremony.

Daniel's Last Game

2009-06-05T04:39:00.001-07:00

These are Daniels' friends, AJ, Johnathan, Andrew and of course his sister Hannah.

This was Daniel's final game of his senior year. He was the captain of the Varsity Team and was named MVP a few days later at the sports banquet. We are really proud.

2009-05-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

How cute is she?! Alexis Rose Wims came into the world today at 3:33 this morning. Happy Birthday Alexis.

Daniel playing Volleyball

2009-05-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

Daniel played Varsity volleyball. He was the team captain and was "setter". He did a great job and we're really proud of him.

Family outing

2009-05-16T09:45:00.000-07:00

A gaggle of geese at Tule Springs Heidi fetching a rock at the Lee canyon meadow Madeline doing her best Jack Jack impersonation

Last monday I had the day off, so we decided to go on a little outing. We started by driving up to Mt. Charlston. We then drove over the mountain to Lee canyon, and played in the meadow. On the way home we stoped at Tule springs( it was fun we need to plan a family trip there it is 6$ per vehical).

Western!

2009-05-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

It's finally back! The home movies are coming again. This is one that was shot around the end of January.

I just found this...

2009-05-08T18:53:00.001-07:00

As we get closer and closer to this years family reunion, I wanted to post a fond picture memory of last years excursion!! We had soo much fun, but apparently not as much fun as Jack Jack!! Too cute

Who remembers...

2009-05-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

Who remembers the year when Brother Nottage was conducting Sacrament Meeting on Cinco de Mayo Sunday and he wished us all a happy Sensio de May-O! That is one of my favorite Cinco de Mayo memories, what are yours??

Easter Saturday

2009-04-04T13:54:00.000-07:00

Please come next Saturday to Grandma Sarah's for an Easter Egg Hunt and lunch and maybe even (if the weather permits) a little water park action. We'll start hunting at 10:45 a.m. for those of you who observe MST or 11:00 a.m. regular time. Bring your bathing suit and some tanning lotion and a beach chair if you want to "lay out" in the sun at the Rainbow Water Park while the kids run through the water. See you then!!

2009-03-18T15:04:00.001-07:00

This Could Be Fun!!

Ok, Here's the deal: The first five people to comment on this post will get something made by me.My choice.For you.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.2- What I make will be just for you.3- It'll be done this year.4- You have no clue what it's going to be. It may be a story. It may be photography, I may sew or stitch or bake something. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!5- I reserve the right to do whatever I want!The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same deal to 5 of your own lucky blog readers. So, the first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are in, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it.

Fam Fieldtrip 3: Fine Dining and Fine Entertainment

2009-03-16T20:58:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of outings with the Fam! Madeline and I rallied the troopes for a fun night out on the town! This week at work a rep from Planet Hollywood came by with comp-ed tickets for a few shows playing there.

I came home told Mark, Victoria and Matt and we decided to make a night of it! We called up Dad and Ruth and got all gussied-up and decided to go to dinner before the show.
We saw "The Ultimate Variety Show" which ended up being better than anticipated!

We chose a lovely Tuscan Grille at Town Square called Brio. It was FABULOUS! I even had my first Pork Chop with the bone still in-Que Fancy!

Matt and Chrystal chose a Steak with Gorgonzola and other fancy ecoutrements (no clue how to spell that!) The waiter looked rather surprised that Chrystal wanted ketchup for her Steak!

Dad and Ruth made excellent choices as well and even sprung for the best appetizers EVER! Shrimp on a piece of Eggplant in some kind of magically delish sauce. There was prob some high brow name for it! I also give five stars to their Spinach and Artichoke Dip!

Markie chose a Chicken Limon with Capers!

Don't know how to remove this duplicate picture! Sorry!

Opportunities like this should come my way more often! So call me up and we'll go on our own lil' Fieldtrip! The more the merrier!

The Family Test

2009-03-15T13:49:00.000-07:00

The Test.

1. Who said, "You have buns and you did not tell me?" and "I'm not a Frenchie, I'm a Belgie"?

2. Who did the Richard Nixon impersonation?

3. Name the holiday that children are chased around by raw poultry.

4, What are the Friday night and Saturday morning meals?

5. Who in the family plays the piano? There can be many answers.

6. What is your nickname?

7. Submit your own question.

Happy Birthday, Matt and Andy!!!

2009-03-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

Matt, the birthday boy, and Markie, Becky and Hannah at Ethel M a few days before Matt's Birthday.

Andy at Daniel's Eagle Project in October of 2008. Andy is wearing his St. Patricks Day face paint.

City of Henderson 5K

2009-03-07T11:50:00.000-08:00

Waiting around while we wait for Leah and Dustin to check in.

Putting on the time markers

Police Department Academy

The "waiters".

The runners, after the run.

Everyone from Madison's school who participated.

"Little Black a Pony" who also ran in the 5K. He won in the horse division.

The three biggest winners.

Hood Rat Thousandaire The Movie

2009-03-03T12:34:00.000-08:00

Coming Soon to a Theatre near you!

A new movie starring the famous actor Markie Warren Jr. in his most daring role yet. Please turn off all cell phones and return your seat to it's full upright postiton.

A tale (or tail) of a young man born into poverty who goes to a family party where he participates in a game show, of sorts (it was actually a cart wheel and head stand contest) where he takes top honors in the break dancing division. (He was the only entry in that category, but that is not important.) He then breaks out of the poverty he was destined to and buys a little house in the suburbs where he raises chickens and bunnies and dogs and collects rocks and rusty tin cans. (It sure sounds a lot like the same place he was born.) Oh, well. That is just the denoument. The End. That's all folks!

Family Fieldtrips: Flea Market

2009-02-21T15:47:00.000-08:00

Daniel-"Hey-Save Me a Piece of that Carn!"
Sat. mornings are always TONS of fun in little Mexico!

Before the Mish, I had gone to the Swap Meet and joked the whole time about how embarassed I was to be there-like "What is all this trash!?!" Now, I LOVE it! Can't get enough of it. Makes me SO happy to be back with my peeps! I love how much "culture" there is to discover at the Feria!

Aside, from buying new animailitos..this week Matt, Mark and Daniel tried for the first time EVER..... "Nacho Libre Corn" from the Krazy Korn stand!

Loved being their with them! So funny! It's a piece of corn with mayo and Chili Powder. Here they even add butter! Super healthy, verdad?

Mark just happens to be a connoiseur of fine corn and it appears that this passed the test! Sounds gross, but seriously delish!

MORE TO COME SOON!

Desert Gloom (Yesterday's Trip to Mojave National Preserve)

2009-02-08T19:15:00.001-08:00

Matt, Asher and Victoria look at how trains are moved mannually at the Kelso Train Depot.

The beautiful Kelso Train Depot, out in the middle of nowhere.

Emma dressed herself.

Alex had a great time at the depot.

Back in the saddle again. Asher is a total dweeb.

How many girls can ride the same horse?

Victoria and Madeline.

Winter Wonderland, Joshua Tree Style.

For a while, it was snowing like crazy.

It was a beautiful day, even if it was freezing and blizzard like.

Beck and Ethan

2009-01-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

Beck's computer is not working right now but she wanted to announce that indeed the baby is a little:

Alexis Rose Wims

Congrats on your first little girl, Beck and Ethan!

Congratulations Billy!!

2009-01-24T11:34:00.001-08:00

SSgt William Calban III, A1C White, and A1C Blakeslee receiving their award from Colonel FergusonBilly doing a post loadBilly preping the missile

Loading the missileLifting the missile to the Aircraft (yes, we manually carry these over and put them on the Aircraft)Attaching the fins to the missile

going over his checklist

Congratulations to Billy for winning Load Crew of the Quarter!! Little Billy and I braved the freezing cold to watch Daddy kick some tail. Billy and his crew finished the load more than six minutes before the other crew!!

Funny words...

2009-01-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

So last night William woke up and was crying over and over again, "I want Ice Cream, I want Ice Cream" which is too cute, Ethan and I agreed that we want to go back to childhood where your dreams consist of nothing more than the desire for Ice Cream!

And at church today Greg asked Ethan to take him up to bare his testimony and in Jack fashion he followed along. Gregory gets up and says, "um I'm Gregory and I hope I love my Bumblebee and transformers, at that point Ethan intervened and gave him a few more appropriate lines to say. So than Jack gets up and before Ethan could get to his ear he says as loud as the mic could carry his voice. "Im Jack and I love Optimus Prime."

It has been a funny week, and Congratulations to all the Sunday School move-ups! Greg went up to CTR 5 and Jack Jack went into Sunbeams!! YEA!!

New Years Lake

2009-01-02T22:49:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of pictures from our recent outing to Lake Mead on New Years Day. To protect the "innocent," some of the more provocative pictures have been omitted. Enjoy!

After all these years, Hannah still knows how to pose. Hannah was looking away and Leah called out to her, and this was the face she was making as she turned to look. She is always ready for a candid shot!

Daniel takes a few of his nieces and nephews for a jaunt.

Madeline and Markie love to kayak!

Karley ponders the universe.

Grandma leads an all-girl canoe excursion.

The rescue party that had to be sent out to Hannah, who foolishly jumped on the raft without grabbing a paddle first.

Daniel also jumped on the raft without a paddle; however, he used his extremely long arms to get back to shore.

Alex exploring the shoreline.

Asher, the pink-nosed reindeer.

Maddy, enjoying a peaceful moment in the kayak.

Against their better judgement, a contingent of our party did the Las Vegas version of a Polar Bear dip.

Daniel had to jump in to catch his life jacket that accidentally fell in.

The great and spacious shoreline. Our job was to shout insults at the crazy jumpers.

Paddle Forward!

Madison's 12th Birthday!!

2009-01-01T08:17:00.000-08:00

Madison turned 12 years old on December 30th. We can hardly believe she's going into Young Womens! Please leave a Birthday message for our sweet, little tween-ager!

Yellow Beach Excursion

2008-12-28T16:54:00.001-08:00

Here are a few pictures from our little trip to Willow Beach, or Yellow Beach as Emma called it. The boys were dying to try out their new canoe, so we made a day trip out of it. We ate a little picnic lunch, then hit the water:

The view down the Colorado River.

The sun was blinding, but not heating. It was a pleasant 50 degrees with no wind to speak of.

Asher and Paige head for land.

The Darrington crew enjoy a leisurely paddle.

Make way for Mallard and his "lady friend".

Markie, right before demonstating a flawless eskimo roll.

Hannah and the cousins go for a little trip.

Stuck on a Razor

2008-12-26T14:52:00.000-08:00

This one pretty much speaks for itself.

A Very Florida Christmas

2008-12-25T14:32:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas TrainThese are Billy's Christmas jammies

'Frankensteins' Stitches

2008-12-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

Daniel's stitches on his hip for his bone graft. Looks pretty good, huh? Tomorrow he gets his stitches removed. He's pretty excited.

"Oh, The Weather Outside Is Grateful" and I am so frightful!!!

2008-12-17T20:02:00.000-08:00

Kind of hard to see, but the trees are laying down, almost to the ground.

Steve knocking all the snow off of the trees. They were bent down to the ground.

My rose garden, or snow garden.

The front door. We barely made it into the garage without snow tires.
Frosty, the SnowDork.

Merry Christmas Grandma and Grandpa from Your Hutto Elves

2008-12-10T08:55:00.000-08:00

Grandma

Grandpa

He He funny Ethan...

2008-11-19T20:33:00.000-08:00

So, I was so excited to look at who had posted a new post on the family blog, to my shock it was my husband posting about a pregnancy that we hadn't yet announced!! So I guess were announcing, Oh Ethan, Ethan..So we are 10 weeks pregnant as you can see we got our ultrasound today and everything is right on track for a mid to late June delivery!! YEA!!

First Picture

2008-11-19T18:11:00.001-08:00

Sorry that the quality isn't that great but you can get the idea. Here is the first picture of our baby from the ultrasound today.

Family Almanac

2008-11-03T10:25:00.000-08:00

As a school project, the kids and I are making an Almanac for the coming year. I'm pretty sure I know most of the family birthdays, but I want to make sure I get everything right. Please comment with all the birthdays in your families. We are also welcoming any jokes, proverbs, words of wisdom, recipes, etc. that you would like to see in print. We'll send them out for Christmas as long as everyone cooperates! Thanks!

Homeschool day at the Johnson Space Center

Mémé finally gets a picture of Papa and Cambria

2008-11-02T09:01:00.000-08:00

We finally got a picture of Papa holding Cambria as well. I think she likes being kissed, she's moved her head up to get it!

Our Little Monkey

2008-11-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

Halloween from Hutto

2008-11-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

Here are our Halloween pics for 2008. Since I'm too cheap to upgrade my Flickr account and it will be another month before Halloween catches up to my free uploads, here's the pics.

The haunted house this year. This year we placed the haunted castle outside our house to share the frights with the neighborhood kids.

Bronwyn (Dorothy) just woke up. Quinlan was a Phantom, Rhiannon a movie star and Ethan was a ninja.

I carved this pumpkin mask/helmet for Quinlan; but apparently pumpkins are heavy, even when gutted.

Happy Halloween!!

2008-11-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

We'd like to see every one's costumes! Please post a picture so we can see what every one was for Halloween!

madison- Jenny, from our favorite campfire tale.

karley- a zombie ballerina.

paige- a bride.

scott- a curious little monkey.

Hope every one had a Happy Halloween!!

Some Halloween pics - if you have them, post them!

2008-10-31T22:51:00.000-07:00

Do you remember those days when you were "allowed" to wear makeup because it was part of a costume? Now if we don't wear makeup, people think we are wearing the scary lady costume (or in my case, the ghost lady).
Our resident inventor, Karley Jayce, and her new conveyance for Brother Scott.
It may be Halloween, but it's still light enough to ride bikes!
Karley and Paige starring in the White Halloween album.
Here is Cambria in her designer Bethany ladybug costume. This is here first holiday!
Scott and Grandpa--who is teaching whom how to be a monkey?

A Smattering of Recent Photos

2008-10-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

Emma on her first day of pre-school. She enjoys learning new things and loves her teacher, Miss Miyomi.

Every once in while we ask Emma: "Why are you so naughty?"

Her response: "Because I'm so cute."

From Asher's "Indiana Jones"-themed birthday a couple of weeks ago. He and his friends watched Crystal Skull and ate popcorn. Then, they dug into this cake. They'll all make great archaeologists some day.

Asher at this past month's pack meeting, reading a short story on which he and his compatriots collaborated. It was pretty funny.

Asher and his friend Cayson getting their Wolf badges at the meeting.

Over Labor Day, the boys and I drove to Great Basin National Park to hike Wheeler Peak and tour the Lehman Caves. I had to beg the boys to go on the cave tour, but once inside, they had a great time.

Eating lunch on the trail to Wheeler Peak.

Wheeler Peak - the high point in the picture - is about 13,000 feet above sea-level. The boys started malfunctioning around 11,500 feet, so we had to turn back. Maybe next year.

Alex and the aspens. Such beautiful trees.

The boys on the first day of school. This is the first year they've had to wear "standard student attire," and, for the most part, they enjoy it. The only customization allowed is shoes. Alex chose camo; Asher skulls.

Happy Birthday, Dear LIZZIE!

2008-10-24T09:31:00.002-07:00

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, Dear Lizzie,

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, Dear BECKY!!

2008-10-24T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday, Dear Becky,

Happy birthday to you!

2008-10-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

Alex was a good sport in agreeing to model this newest river runner hair style!
Tippacanoe and Markie, too!
Madeline has the definite markings of a professional river runner in the making!
We don't know if Asher was bigger than the coyote, or if they both were vying to be Victoria's housepet!
Emeline is thinking that it might take more than 11,000 tests for the LLVWD to clean the foam out of this water...

Daniel's Eagle Project

2008-10-12T21:01:00.000-07:00

Leah, the very lovely assistant, holding the Air less paint sprayer hose.
Hannah and Madison "working".
Leah, again.

Andy with his green cheek. No, not that cheek.
Hannah working again. Leah and Daniel setting up the sprayer.

Cutting in.
More cutting.
More and more and more cutting. (Notice Victoria following in Hannah's foot steps in the helping department.)

Karley and Leah and doughnuts.
Hannah with gloves on "working".
Andy and Leah at the start of the official painting of the railing.

Daniel and the official "Before" photo. I will some day get the hang of adding pictures to the blog and the first shall actually be first.
Madeline, who has also taken lessons from Aunt Hannah on "working".

Sanding the rust before the painting began. Notice Uncle Markie in red. Thanks to everyone who worked on Daniel's Eagle Project. Even Hannah. It was a 'blast'.

Especially after we got the air less paint sprayer.

Thanks everyone!!!

Post?

2008-09-30T22:19:00.001-07:00

Just wondering if anyone took any pics of Uncle Markers big homecoming?? Please share if anyone has anything, Thanks-Love you all!

The last days!!!

2008-09-23T07:05:00.000-07:00

This is the last set of random Pics of my deployment. It has been one crazy ride, One that I am happy to be done with. This first one is of me with my gat and a snowcone at a Baby bash concert. It was a concert that I would have never gone to or paid for, however it was a lot of fun.
Me in the transition tents with some delicious pizza and local Pepsi.
This is the night we were supposed to fly out needless to say we didnt make it out. This was the worst sandstorm to date. Everyone was so mad I had to break up two diffrent fights. I was sad But I knew everything would workout, and it did.
The most welcome sight of our whole deployment, going home.
Unwinding in Kuwait, I was a natural. I love you and will see you all soon all my love Mark jr

Happy Birthday Gregory!

2008-09-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to the yellowest boy I know!! This is a big step birthday, my baby is now a boy! I am sooo proud to be part of Gregorys life he has a heart that I can't even begin to comprehend, he is so intelligent, he is such an awesome big brother and the best child I have ever had four years ago!!

2008-09-20T23:37:00.000-07:00

The whole in my back yard, pathetic.

The dirt from whiting brothers, free.

The bobcat Brother Gibson rented for us to use, I am sure how much, but a lot.

The whole filled in after 8 hours of labor, thanks to Brother Fox, Day, Rohas, Faught, Elesworth, Ovley (my home teacher) and the man who made it all happen Brother Gibson. The way I felt at the end of today priceless, they all said this was thier pleasure and they couldnt be happier to do before mark came home.

Madeline and Dustin loving the new back yard. They palyed for a long time, and got really really dirty.

New posts on the Calban site

2008-09-19T16:58:00.001-07:00

......THIS JUST IN.......

2008-09-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

I received a phone call 30 minutes ago that Mark had landed in Fort Dix New Jersey. I am so excited that I had to share with every one, after all it's only 6:15 am. He will be there for a few days and his tentative date to arrive home is still the 25th. Yeah! it's such a blessing that he is here and heavenly father had answered our prayers. Madeline and I prayed really hard last night that we would here from him soon, because we haven't talked to him in a few days. He called us at 5:30 am to tell us he is state side. This next week is going to be very difficult and I am not sure I can keep it together much longer. We have all experienced the Military and how they work, and waiting is the worst especially when we don't his exact date. Don't forget about his party on the 27th and the out of towners are more than welcome to come, I just assume it might be a far drive. Well that's the latest and I will tell everyone when he arrives at the Armory for his homecomming ceremony. Were in the home strech now!

Against my better judgement..

2008-09-10T20:57:00.000-07:00

I went ahead and posted about the baby, taking for granted that I have had three healthy and uneventful pregnancies. The baby miscarried and the docs believe it could have been an ectopic pregnancy. They are just waiting for some more blood work to verify that theory. All is Well, and we will get right back on that horse. Please don't feel sorry for us, I just feel bad that I didn't wait the recommended 3 months to announce and now the reason is staring me right in the face. I feel like a fool for getting so excited but we are just going to keep working on making a healthy baby!

Baby Wims expected (TBA)

I hear once your outnumbered it's just another baby...

2008-09-03T20:06:00.001-07:00

Anyway, that's what people tell us...So here's to completely throwing off the parent to child ratio!

BABY WIMS
expected May 4, 2009

We can't wait!!!

Visitation

2008-09-03T07:47:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to go to visitation and give all the left over candy and toys that we have accumulated, To the families that came to visit their loved ones. Its the second time I have gotten to go, the first time was back in febuary. We played soccer all day long las time, this time it was too hot to play. I loved it it was an awesome experience. Cant wait to see you all soon Love Mark Jr
This little girl was very shy I won her over with some gum.
It dosent matter where you go in the world kids still love doing bunny ears in pictures
This little girl reminded me of Madeline I dont knoww how may pics I have of her sleeping while we are out and about.
I dont know who had more fun the kids or us

Happy Birthday!!!

2008-09-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

Paigey turns six today! I can hardly believe it!

Paige you are just so much fun and I love your little personality. You are the girliest girl. You were just the sweetest little baby and now you are so big and going to school all day. You are such a big help to our family and we love you!

Happy Birthday..pinchy girl!!

Happy Birthday Unabomber!

2008-08-25T12:39:00.000-07:00

( I figure one of the Leah's will kill me for posting this picture.)

Happy birthday to my little sister, who turns thirty today. I know it's hard to believe since she still looks 29. I remember coming home late at night from a week of fun in Mexico around New Years 1997, and Leah was in the living room tending little Madison, who had just been born. I remember all the fun we had hiking and camping in the mountains, going to Disneyland and San Diego, and all the fun we had at home when Mom and Dad worked (spaghetti on the ceiling, the clean-up game, etc.). We had a lot of fun! Good times were had by most.

Anyways, happy birthday! Welcome to your thirties!

Death of an Arch

2008-08-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

It came to my attention last night, that there was some confusion about which arch at Arches National Park actually fell. In an effort to ease your minds, here are pictures of the ones that didn't fall and the one that did.

Delicate Arch -Still Standing

Landscape Arch - Still Standing

Wall Arch - Not Standing Anymore (we took this picture in March)

Wall Arch - Before (from the NPS website)

Wall Arch - After (from the NPS website)

Jumper

2008-08-21T21:24:00.000-07:00

Jump Over To Our Page For Greg and Will's Videos. hehe

Andy! How come we're always the last to know?!

2008-08-21T21:08:00.000-07:00

Andy's Big News!

Mark your calendars

2008-08-21T18:48:00.001-07:00

If you're anything like me, you have fond memories of the PBS show, "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?" The show in and of itself wasn't anything special. I think the most memorable part was the theme song, performed by that famous a capella group, Rockapella:

Last summer, Leah, Alex and I got to see them perform in Boston, as they were touring with the Boston Pops. It was an amazing concert. It brought back a flood of memories and, unlike many from adolescence, they were actually good.

As luck would have it, Rockapella is coming to town for a free concert at the Clark County Government Center on September 13. Come join us for a fun, entertaining concert that is sure to delight you all.

Here is the information from the county website:

"Rockapella, appearing Sept. 13, laid the groundwork for many pop a cappella groups today. The group’s most recognizable appearances came in the 1990s with its appearance in Folgers commercials and the popular PBS geography series, Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? The group began performing together on New York City street corners in the 1980s. As the 1990s arrived, Spike Lee and Debbie Allen took notice of the group for their PBS show, Spike & Co.: Do It A Cappella. Rockapella took its act to Japan and added a “vocal percussionist.” Since then, the quintet has enjoyed an international and homebred following and released 10 domestic albums, 11 international."

So, where in the world is Carmen San Diego? I don't know. But the fun will be at the Government Center on September 13.

2008-08-20T14:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Mr. Jick

2008-08-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

Jack you are the best boy a mom could ask for...You have the best chipmunk smile I have ever seen and I am so glad you are mine! You have been such a blessing to us! You are the coolest THREE year old Jack I know! I love you more than words can describe and I can't wait to watch you grow up and learn all that life has to offer you! Jack Jack you are my sunshine!

Happy Birthday, Emma!

2008-08-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

Emma in her "Splish, Splash" Costume - June 2008

Emma on her blessing day - September 2004

Four years ago today Emma came to be a part of our family. It's hard to believe it has already been four years. She is getting so big and is so independent. We love to watch her make up funny little dances. We love when she makes up funny songs - like "Jumprope, jumprope, really really jumprope. We are having so much FUN!" (That is an Emma original.) We love her big smile and her mischieviousness. If you ever need a mess to be made, she's your girl (she is always trying to do things herself which usually spells disaster). She is a smart girl and we are so excited for her to start preschool this year because we know she will do well. We love our little "Lemon-lime". Happy Birthday, Emma!

(Happy 70th Birthday, Joey!)/2

2008-08-14T20:01:00.000-07:00

Joey & Crew (J. Crew?) in March 2007

To our dear older brother:

It's easy to reflect on all the good times we've had with Joey over the years. He is always the first with a pithy comment, idea for a game and an eye for the fun in every situation. I remember when we went and watched a Rocky movie at the Lord's house (no, not that Lord's house) and came home to a locked-up house. Joey tried to ease open the window to our parents' bathroom, broke it, and ended up cutting his wrist. Sometimes I don't think he knows his own strength. I was acutely aware of Joey's strength since I was typically at the other end of his fist. As I watch my sons fight with each other and hang out with each other, it reminds me of the times I spent with my big brother. I don't know if it was the closeness of our ages, but I always remember doing a lot of things together. Trips to Disneyland, camping, Angel's Landing, scout camps, church.

Now that we're all grown up (I can make fun of Joey's age because I'm half-way to 67), I cherish two particular adult-era memories. One is the camping trip to Zion that Joey organized before my wedding when we all climbed Angel's Landing, my favorite hike. The second memory occurred last year, when Asher and I traveled to Hutto for Ethan's baptism. I had so much fun reminiscing, playing games (Powergrid, anyone?), and enjoying Erin's great cooking (we still make Bengal barbecue skewers, though not as much as I'd like). Of course, I also enjoyed meeting and getting acquainted with your friends, Rudy and Amy. I wish y'all, including Rudy and Amy, would move back to Las Vegas.

Happy birthday, brother! We love you!

Happy Belated Birthday Alex!

2008-08-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

Alex with his teacher Mrs. Botsford

We wanted to wish a Happy Birthday to Alex (a few days late)! We love him a ton and we are so proud of what a big kid he is becoming. One of my favorite things about Alex is his loving heart. He is a great friend. Once you are his friend, you are always his friend. He stills asks about his friend from preschool, Summer. He is also a great friend to our neighbor, Braydon, who has Cerebral Palsy. At church, he is the first one to say hi to him and he always wants to sit near Braydon to help him feel more comfortable in Primary. At school, he always hurried from class to say hello to Braydon and give him a big hug, whether he wanted them or not. I am so proud of the boy he is and the love he gives. I hope he had a great birthday this year. We can't wait to see what the future holds for him. We love you, Alex!

I want you to meet the new recruits...

2008-08-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

These are this years new Air Force recruits.

Trainee Gregory has a sharp eye for his uniform. He is wearing his black AF tee with his AF shorts and AF belt, he added a new addition to the uniform this year the yellow AF tie and yellow AF boots.

Trainee William is just happy to be part of the USAF!!

Trainee Jack Jack has mastered military discipline. The Air Force is no joke to this trainee. He chose his Dinosaur uniform for this picture session! The Air Force is very proud of our newest and sharpest troops!

More random pics of Iraq

2008-08-04T03:11:00.000-07:00

Me showing off my sweet modeling skills......note the sweet mustash
Me and my buddy Boyd. Give me a big smoocharoo
Me and my buddy Bautista before my promotion cerimony
Our 1st Sgt pinning on my new rank, he had a hard time cutting my old rank off it was fused to my hat.
Here he is making sure my new rank stays on with his fist, how thoughtful. It has been a long time coming. I cant wait to see you all soon. I love a miss you very much. I hope you all are doing well and know that I am doing well also. This will all soon be over, all my love Mark Jr

Some random pics of my deployment starting with Fort Dix

2008-08-04T02:55:00.000-07:00

Firemans carry, us messing around in the cold New jersey morning
See even I have a little talent for posing
Lunch break between training, I dont think I was very happy that day
Pupule squad posing for a picture on Thanksgiving, day before dinner
During traning we had to give five i.v. s to get certified as a combat medic, which means we had to get five i.v.s from our fellow trainees.

Were back!

2008-08-02T08:54:00.001-07:00

We finally got our household shipment so were officially moved in...YEA!! We unpacked our computer and I couldn't wait to see what I had missed on the fam blog... Anyway for your info...Our new address is 214 Carlton Court, TAFB, CA 94535 and my new cell is 707-815-6713...so that's it, I miss you all and we had such a great time at the family reunion!

I have a lot of good pictures, but...

2008-07-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

Long story short. I keep forgetting to bring my camera to work so I can do a day by day travel blog like I did for my Hawaii trip...Then I thought I should just launch my own blog. I am always recording voice memos on my phone about stuff to blog. And then I don't post cause I feel like a blog hog. Or I feel like it's so random that it doesn't belong..... so I'll make my own. I have tons to write about. So I'll post the address here as soon as I create one.

This is what I mean by random; I want to do posts on the craig Titus/kelly Ryan sentencing thats coming up august 22nd. I'll go interview him again after his fate is learned. I have a local politics post I want to write that will mostly endorse a few candidates for family court judges. Mybe I'll write a bit of celeb gossip. So watch out Mr. Belding and Screech... Sorry I mean Dustin Diamond. Maybe even bag on Kanye a bit. Maybe I'll do a weekly segment called Kanye doesn't care about....." It won't be your average blog. Ok I'm gonna go... gotta figure out how to make one.

Grandma's Movie Day

2008-07-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

Grandma's Fifth Annual Movie Day at WALL.E. It was such a cute movie.

This is a picture of everyone, except Grandpa who is the photographer. We arrived at the theatre after having hot dogs at Mark and Victoria's. We had Daniel and Hannah helping with the chaperoning this year.
Here is everyone waiting to go in. Elara is especially eager as you can see by her stance. And Grandpa is in the backround buying tickets.
Popcorn in hand and everyone seated and ready to see the movie. Daniel is behind everyone watching over us. If you haven't see WALL.E, yet it is so cute. A wonderful, green love story. We had a really great time.

Yeah forYellowstone !!!

2008-07-23T20:19:00.000-07:00

Here are just some of the pictures I took at Yellowstone. I loved seeing the paint pots and the bear. My favorite was seeing all of the bison and driving through this part of our beautiful country. I had a great time and I'm sure we all have memories that we'll treasure forever.

Who is This?

2008-07-23T08:52:00.000-07:00

I came across this picture the other night. Am I the only one who thinks this looks like Matt's baby pictures?

2008-07-18T10:43:00.001-07:00

It is the happiest day, just when I thought I couldn't bare it any long the news has come, we have a finalized date for MARK COMING HOME. He will be here for our anniversary September 30 and probably before. We found out yesterday, they have to leave Iraqi by mid month. I am trying not to think about it but our year will be over and he is home for good. (Sigh of relief) I can shed tears of joy and no longer tears of sorrow, I love him so much and I will once again be the happiest person on earth. I am planning a large party for mark and Richard, I'll let you know more of the specifics later on. I cant explain the events of this week and blessing it is to find out that he is coming home sooner. I am so happy I am finally speechless!

Time flies

2008-07-17T10:50:00.001-07:00

Thank your for thinking of the kids! We were sure sorry to miss this trip. It looks like it was a lot of fun, so we'll try not to miss another. We were happy to see Liz and the Billy's on their way, even if it was only so Big Billy could have Rudy's again! J/K!
Bronwyn loves to "box" and asks for it from morn until ev'n.
Our "new" old piano. Thanks to our good friends for donating it. This is a rare moment when nobody is playing it!
Aaah! That's better. We've had it two days and the kids can't keep their hands off of it. I prefer it to the electronic keyboard, though. This can't be left to play on it's own.
Bronwyn will be two soon and I think it's a shame you all don't know her. She is so sweet and funny, loves babies and "Signing Time" and is my best garden helper. I just love this picture of her and had to include it!

The Grand Finale

2008-07-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

After the reunion concluded, we spent some time in the Tetons and Jackson Hole. We did some window shopping in Jackson (what a tourist trap), saw the Bar-J Wranglers (what a show), and even found a little time to...

get our feet wet in Jenny Lake (what a chill).

Some of us got more than our feet wet.

In Elk Antler Park, the kids got to pose with a moose.

Some more pics of the Family Reunion

2008-07-16T12:56:00.000-07:00

Here is the entire group, minus Markie, Timmy, and Joey and his crew. We had a great time and wish everyone could have been there and even talked a little about next time when Markie will be home and Timmy back from his mission and hopefully Joey and fam can come up for the next big extravaganza. And behind door number 3 a buffalo. (Another buffalo, that is.)
A very beautiful and deep hole full of water. Hot water. Very deep. Very full. Very hot.
The bikers and binky suckers.

Party!

2008-07-14T06:54:00.000-07:00

These are two of my roomates we had a party in our room partly for my birthday and partly for us finishing another chapter of our deployment. Thank you all for everything you do for me and my little family. I miss you all so much and cant wait to see you all The time is starting drag now that we are in our fourth quarter, and the goal is in sight. I love you all Mark Jr

Bison, Get One Free

2008-07-12T15:56:00.000-07:00

Oh, Give me a home...

Where the buffalo roam...

We saw more bison in Hayden Valley than anywhere else in Yellowstone. At times we were surrounded by these gentle giants on both sides of the road. Our opinion of bison changed when we saw the video "Yellowstone Today" at the Canyon Visitor Center. Apparently, they are camera shy. When provoked, they can get pretty frisky.

A trio of Calbans.

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River.

A quintet of Wims et al.

A couple of poseurs.

Dew you think you can guess what D's doritos taste like? I don't think Alex knows.

Elara and Emma - bosom buddies, constant companions and demanding divas.

Grandpa, who's that monkey on your back?

Either Madison just let one rip or the geysers did. This attraction stunk.

The trees aren't alive with the smell of sulphur.

More Norris Geyser basin.

Madison at Madison Junction.

The Fountain Paint Pots were really neat. We even saw a brown bear go a-wholloping across the meadow (sorry no pics).

Happy Birthday Soldier !

2008-07-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

No this is not a picture of Mark in the Vader costume. Above is a pic of Mark Belanger of the orioles.
Don't ask me why! I just wanted to share these pics

Mark,

It is no surprise you are sacraficing your time, and energy for your country. You have always been one to step up and do difficult things.

I admire your knowlege of world history and current events. You are always in the know on important issues and facts. I loved rapping with you about politics last election season as we would deliver water and listen to rush in the hot summer.

Like I said. It"s no surprise you are doing what your doing. Thanks for all the times you helped Callista and I move. And for going through, and fixing my Enduro, for a little while anyways. Thanks for going halves with me on stuff like the go-cart , chopper, and more.

And finally don't forget the time we got Vicky C. back, or when we'd ding, dong, ditch Bruce and Chung, or the time you ran into the back of a parked truck while night ridin' the go kart. oh, those were the days!! love you dude ,Now hurry back and make us some chicken fingers and spicy diced potatos-MATT

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery

2008-07-09T18:32:00.001-07:00

A representative sample of the family at Old Faithful.

This attraction blows.

It must be before Labor Day, because these two weirdos always wore white. We're camping. Hellooo?

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting for the thing to blow.

It's been eight years since we were at Yellowstone and, I guess, these parks have to remain "relevant." So, the park people thought it would be neat to put in this crude imitation of the Bellagio water show. The timing was all off. It took ninety minutes between shows. No Lee Greenwood. No Andrea Bocelli. No synchronized lights. I don't mind when someone comes to Vegas and steals one of our ideas. But come on. Put your heart into it.

Anyways, we woke up and had a delicious breakfast of bacon and eggs (Thank you Billy and Lizzie). We made sack lunches and then drove to Old Faithful. We waited around for the thing to blow. It was pretty exciting. We asked at the visitors center where the line was for the "Baby Launching" platform, but they said that it was too early in the day. Apparently, the geyser needs to get its burps out before it can successfully launch a baby.

After the eruption, our party split up. Some went to the bathrooms, others to the medical clinic, others to the Old Faithful Inn, and others to the general store. After some time and a couple of false starts, we all got back together at the campsite (Sorry Matt and Victoria).

We spent the afternoon hanging out. We took the kids to the visitors center to get their junior ranger books and then took them back to the visitors center later for an intense ranger program on weasels. I'm sure Matt will want to share Elara's line of questioning of Ranger Kassebaum, so I won't steal his thunder. Let me just say, if you ever have to face Elara in a courtroom, watch out.

We had a lovely dinner of dutch oven chicken and potatoes. Then, we all got to taste Pumpkin Spice. No, it's not a tawdry Spice Girls joke; it's a cobbler. I went to bed with a splitting migraine, but everyone else seemed to be able-bodied.

Coming up in tomorrow's installment: Bison, Falls, Sulphur and Bears (Oh My!).

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel...Ahhhhh!!!!

2008-07-09T16:10:00.000-07:00

This is his latest cast. On June 4th a little girl who weighs about 100 pounds broke his little finger. But don't worry, Daniel took his cast off at Boy Scout Camp because he got it wet. He's doing fine and is off towards his next adventure.

Whats up?

2008-07-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

This was during our last sand storm it was crazy it was just like in the movie the Mummy, it just rolls right in. I cant wait for the next installment of the reunion diaries. I have a tentative date for our journey home. It will be on or near the 10th of october so I should be home for Halloween. If our timeline holds up, I miss you all so much love Mark Jr

Hellostone from Yellowstone

2008-07-08T18:53:00.001-07:00

Asher, who was recovering from a freak encounter with a rare face-scratching racoon, helped us set up camp.

Alex loves getting his picture taken. You may not be able to tell, but he's thinking, "Is this the pose you want? Am I working it? Am I looking fierce?"

Emma, on the other hand, does not know how to pose. Could this be another Hannah in the making?

I know what you're thinking. How can Lizzie and Billy be standing when they have no legs? But this is not trick photography. In fact, the pair of them are actually wearing camo pants.

Billy is going for the ride of his life. Hold on, Emma! Hold on!

On the first day of the reunion, Billy and Lizzie and Billy were the first to arrive (partly because they live closest to Yellowstone). We showed up about an hour or so after them. We quickly set up camp, because (tut tut), it looked like rain. We went on a short walk to the visitors center at Yellowstone Lake. As we were walking back from the visitors center, it started to rain. Then Dad drove up, then Matt and then, late at night, Victoria and Becky.

The weather was beautiful. We had stew for dinner, then some of us had smores. It was a good start to a good week.

A Teaser (from our pre-reunion road trip)

2008-07-06T09:57:00.001-07:00

We stopped in Salt Lake on the way to Yellowstone. After checking into our hotel, we drove to Temple Square, where we toured the Conference Center and the North Visitors Center. It was nice to get out of the car and be able to walk around. Leah had never been to the Conference Center and we were all amazed at its enormity.

Reflecting on the Temple.

We took time to smell the wildflowers.

We visited Bechler and Cave Falls, in the southwest corner of Yellowstone before the reunion started. Leah's aunt lives very close to that part of Yellowstone, so we drove there after we locked ourselves out of the cabin for the day. We saw a lot of wildlife on the hike. Unfortunately, they were all mosquitos.

Asher taking in the grandeur of Cave Falls. A little closer to the fall and behind Asher is a small cave that one can stand in to appreciate just how pretty the water fall is.

Random pics

2008-06-26T11:29:00.000-07:00

Elara and I happened upon a party at my apt. complex. A So. cal . spanish church put it on, and provided toys, games, candy, balloons and a clown. They gave Elara a Boots stuffed animal.

I finally went up to the Top of the stratoshere! My freind Charity had free tickets. This is a picture I got from my cell phone.

These are my friends Lisa and Scotty Alexander (scottyalexander.com) He is an awesome fiddle player and plays for Terry fator and Wayne Newton. She came by the house I'm trying to sell and I couldn't remeber how I knew them until she started talkin' 'bout Scotty. Small world huh!!

I took this picture at FIRST FRIDAY. This is Damien Marley. He is One of Bob's three sons and his Mom was miss world 1976. Anyhow if u evr get a chance to you-tube "jamrock" it is an awesome video with great lyrics.

I looked away for a minute and Elara walked into this pond in her sandles. She was after a Disney princess ball. Thankfully she didn't trip and get her cast wet.

She met this boy and when I came up to them ,he told me elara was trying to kiss him

Crystal at First Friday

Spankin'man

My new car.

This is the couch I got for my new pad.

Are you ready to RUMBLE !?!

2008-06-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

The food has been purchased.

The tee shirts are in.

It's almost time for

the fun to begin.

Happy Birthday, Uncle!!

2008-06-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

Today is Uncle Artie's birthday. He was born on June 19th, 1956 in Henderson, Nevada at St. Rose de Lima Hospital. I have a picture somewhere of him at the age of two in a red satin bathing suit that I am sure may be the precursor to the speedo. Except it was not quite as skimpy. I will save that for next years post. Stay tuned...

I think this is Uncle Artie's first trip to San Diego with us. He moved into our house on the day after his birthday, June 20th, 1996 (I think). He literally laid on the floor for two weeks while he regained his strength. (You kids all came home from school that first day and wondered who that fellow was that was collapsed on our living room floor.)
We told Artie that we were leaving for San Diego, our annual vacation to the Surfer Motel in Pacific Beach, and invited him along. He had no clothing except what he was wearing and so he went out shopping and came home with a few beach outfits. He modeled them all for us. Chicky was over and loved seeing Artie so happy and enthusiastic about the trip.
This is Artie and I on the hike where we stopped to have our lunch next to a waterfall in the Tetons where we had gone for girl's camp. It was my first experience with girl's camp since I am a convert and did not get to go to girl's camp when I was younger. I was the assistant camp director and the camp cook. I enlisted 'Uncle' to come and help cook. It was the perfect way to get him to come. He was always our cook at home. So 'Uncle' brought his own vehicle and came up to the Tetons. We stayed at Bishop Coon's Ranch on the front lawn in our tents until it started raining. Anyway, with 'Uncle', as he was known to everyone in the church, as our 'Cookie' we had very good food and never lacked for snacks or treats. Uncle Artie was never the same after this trip. His heart was touched by the love and comraderie that the girls and leaders had for each other and for him. He took the missionary lessons a little while after this trip and was baptised.

Uncle's famous 'Marlboro' backpack. He sent away for it. He got two backpacks and a cook book and some other stuff. He took off the Marlboro patch that was on the flap so it wouldn't look bad. Artie at Jenny Lake waiting for the hike to begin.
Uncle Artie was everyone's uncle. He came to a Chili Cook off with us before he was a member of the church up at Mt. Charleston and brought his famous red bronco. He had toilet tissue in his car and when the outhouse ran out of tissue Artie became very popular. President Michaelson won the bread division of the cook off that year and Artie entered bread the next year and took the crown away. President Michaelson never quite forgave Artie for his bread prowess. Artie's name is still enshrined in the glass case in the Tropicana Chapel on the coveted "Bread Board" award. Artie was also known for his famous 'Meat Bread" and the spread he could put on for a Missionary Farewell Openhouse. For Matt's openhouse he served so much food it could have been considered a Ward Dinner.

Artie is missed every single day. I am sad that he is not here to yell "Where's T-Rex?" when he would come home from work with his grocery bags. I miss the laughing at 'Friends' that we could hear through the door of his bedroom. I miss the way he loved to use us as guinea pigs for his latest dish. I miss him bossing us all around with his very loud voice and I miss seeing him at the kitchen table with his little scripture brief case laid out studying his beloved scriptures. But most of all I miss his "Cha-Ching".

Cha-Ching to you, Uncle.

See ya when we see ya.

We're Back!

2008-06-18T19:48:00.001-07:00

After a couple of months with a non-functioning computer, we finally bit the bullet and bought a new computer. No one is safe. The goofy comments will return very, very soon.

Here are a couple of pictures from our recent ward outing to a couple of Dodgers games. It was a blast. We rode down with some members and attended a Friday night and Saturday day game. The Dodgers won both games!

Before the game started.

Alex and the ballfield.

We even saw a couple of homers!

Off the field and on!

Dominique is coming to the reunion

2008-06-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Dominique is coming to the reunion. I talked to his Mom the other night and asked if I could take Dominique too. She said he was smiling, and really wanted to go. When he was over the other weekend he said "his Dad didn't have as much" and I could see in his eyes that he was envious of Elara having such a involved and engaging Dad. So a big shout-out to Callista for letting him go. I bought Callista a silver necklace and some charms for Mothers day and that always seems to pay off, It worked back then and it still works now.

Dominique is a real nature lover. He always loved going on hikes or fishing with me. He was always up for going out early on saturdays and catching a car show, or going to pick up Hunter for a rabbit chase at vo-tech. I really enjoyed those times, and miss having a son around.

This is a conversation I had with dominique the other weekend.

Dominique: Can I get the big Ironman slurpee cup?

Matt: NO! it's really expensive.

Dominique: Are you kidding me ? it's a dollar ninty-nine! That's two dollars.

Moral of the story: He's way to grown up, and too wise for any of my nonsense.
This is the kid's at Ethel's in the district. They both look a little faded from the chocolate shake.

I am grateful to have a good family who helped me get on my feet and I know I STILL "wouldn't have as much" if I wasn't so God blessed with a family like you ALL!!!

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel!!!

2008-06-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

Guess what happened to Daniel on the last day of school? Apparently he did not want to be able to go swimming for the first five weeks of the summer. Oh,well!!!
Daniel was playing around with friends after school on Wednesday and got his baby finger jammed. We went to emergency and they splinted him. Then he got his permanent cast on Friday.
Oh, Daniel...

For You, Markie!

2008-06-05T12:48:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder of what (and who) you are sacrificing for....

THANK YOU!!!

Keep your chin up and know that we love you!

Madeline Claire and Scott Charles

2 years old

June 3, 2008

Yes sir, that's my baby...(Baby Boy that is...)

2008-06-01T15:45:00.000-07:00

Here is the video of Daniel's final performance this year for Choir. He was selected to be part of a quartet and it was fantastic. Listen for the little solo that he has. He is very good. He is also a very good dancer, as we saw in one of the other numbers that they performed.

Moving party this Saturday

2008-05-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

The time has finally come. I found an apartment. It was a easy choice, it was either Players Club Apts., or Playa Vista Apts.. I Chose Playa Vista because Elara will love the kid pool seen below. We are on the back side of the bulding closest to the pool. So we will be close without hearing all the noise...hopefully. Also desert Pines Golf Club is across the street so I'll have to dig my clubs out.
I went shopping last night, I bought so many housewares including most everything from the "Everyday Sam Walton collection" I got a BIG beautiful wall tapestry of a wal-mart 18 wheeler , a Caterpiller equipment bull dozer style rolling pin, I normally do my shopping at the dollar store because it's casual, you don't have to get all dressed up like you do for wal-mart . I'M KIDDING I'll buy all that nice stuff when I get my millions from the African bank I mailed a thousand bucks to.
I really did get some cool stuff, I got a nice shower head, cloth shower curtain. My signiture colors are green, and blue, some stripes, some solid. I may have our painters Jorge, and Jeffery come do a faux finish in my bathroom. They do great work BTW. I got a dvd projector that projects a picture the size of a garage door , so I got a curtain to frame the screen. And that curtain matches the window curtains. of course I got my own dead bolt.
I get the keys at 9:am on Saturday. Ill have Dad's and my truck loaded the night before. It will be a easy move since I'm having couches delivered. Here is the plan: One trip from Enchanted peak, we'll unload, we will change the dead bolt. Then Go over to Merrill cir. and get one load. And while we are over there I want to treat you to my favorite Mexican Restaurant for your help. This is gonna be a easy stress free move and we should be done by noon. I'd appreciate any help!!!
Repondez S'il Vous Plait, Merci Beaucoup! Bring your swimwear if you think you"ll want to jump in the pool!!!!

Our wild weekend

2008-05-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

As most of you know Elara broke her wrist on mother's day. She was going down the slide and the girl in front of her stopped so she decide to "fly around her " as she explains it. I just remembered that I cut my lip and needed stitches from a slide and it happened on a holiday too.

This was on the monday following the break. She was pretty cranky and drugged up so I made her some crab legs (the ones that are cut down the center) to make her happy!!!

Callista asked me to watch D so we went to the district. One of my favorite new spots. We ate and then watched a reggae band They did a few Bob Marley songs . They need some Wailers or some Melody Makers, but we enjoyed it. I really liked the steel drums I saw a steel drummer in Hawaii too and just really enjoy it . The kids ran around with other kids and Elara got 'em dancing. we shared a few chocalate bars and a chocolate shake from Ethel's.

We took a trolley across g.v pkwy. and there was big screen set up and people were watching a movie. My kids weren't gonna sit still for that though. They saw the carousel.We went to whole foods market and got marinated artichokes and mushrooms, a Avacado, 3 Bananas, a big fritter donut that was the size of a 3 fists. They have little kid sized shopping carts and they each pushed one. Dominique is so good to his sister. They may have different Dad's but they are truly 100% siblings that make no distinction. I am so glad D is patient and told him not to let Elara boss him so much.

One love . I love how she put her hand on his arm.

This was a non-stop weekend. The kids had a blast at Andy and leah's. Thanks again for watching 'em while I was at work.
And the next day we had IHOP (thanks dad) and went to the park.
And of course they had a blast at the big 2 yrs birthday bash.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY, MADELINE AND SCOTT

2008-05-19T19:19:00.000-07:00

BIRTHDAY KISSES!

"Come here, Madeline, let me give you a squeeze!"

"Thanks, Scott, you're always there for me"
Cake Face!
Party girls
Elmo cake...I never got a picture of the cute cookie monster cupcakes!
Madeline and Scott both love the game..."Let's play DJ's"
wicka wicka wicka

For me??
These babies love their cake!!

Who needs hands?!?
CAKE DRUNK...hey, it happens!

Give me a smooch with those frosting lips
Opening presents

Madeline and Scott both got lots of cute gifts!
Thank you, every one!!

We can't believe that you two cuties are already 2!!!

Happy birthday!!!!

My Wonderful Mother's Day

2008-05-13T17:52:00.000-07:00

Mothers Day Sunday was a wonderful day because all the kids who live here in town came for dinner and to talk to Timmy on the phone and Markie on the web cam. We had a great time. Matt got me the video 'We Are Marshall' and the cutest card.
. Timmy got me an old reader that I love.
Joey sent me the cutest card with a wonderful sentiment inside.
Rebekah sent me animal shaped cookie cutters with a giraffe cookie cutter. (Daniel and I are gonna make cookies very soon.)

Hannah (my fashion guru) got me a couple of new outfits.
Lizzie got me flowers and candy and Billy delivered more flowers for me.
Leah took me for a pedicure and found the cutest card about her favorite activity, laundry.

And Steve and Daniel 'made' me breakfast.

I really had a good time and loved all the wonderful gifts that I got for Mothers Day. Thanks everyone for everything.

Thanks, Lizzie and Billy!!

2008-05-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

Thanks, Lizzie and Billy for my beautiful flowers on Mothers Day. They are spectacular. I love them.
Thank you so much!!

Happy Chickie Day!!

2008-05-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to my mother...and my daughters...and my granddaughters.

This first picture is my mothers high school graduation portrait. What a good looking young woman.
This picture was taken on one of our San Diego trips. We were probably checking into the hotel and waiting to get our room keys. We always got there before check in time. This is a candid of Chickie in my dressing room wearing her favorite red sweat shirt.

Another candid of Chickie in the favorite red sweat shirt. Today, Saturday, I am going out to see Chickie in Boulder City. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about and need my mom. It is hard being an orphan. There are times when I need to call her to remind me of different things that only she remembers. I wish I had written down more of her personal history.