A Memorable week and a Memorial Day

Well, this has been one of those weeks with a lot of "Little Milestones." First of all, on Monday, Andrew had his Preschool Graduation. We had a picnic at Hess Farms Park and the kids did a little program. Andrew was sad to say good-bye to Mrs. Hazeldine.

Ben had his last soccer game. It has been fun to watch him this year. He played on 2 different teams and he's loved every minute of it!

James went to the "Sixth Grade Dance" and had a great time. Here is a picture of him when he got home. What a hottie! He had no trouble filling up his dance card. Can you believe this guy is going into Jr. High next year?

Joey's big news is his first word. Actually it's a few of them. He says, "Dee-zhee" which means Daisy and also "Ga-Gool" which means good girl (and also means Daisy.) As you can tell, our dog is about the most important thing in Joey's life.

We had planned on going to a picnic at the park for Memorial Day, but since it was raining like crazy, we ended up going bowling. It was so much fun! We found out that Andrew is not only a champion bowler on the Wii, but also with the bumpers.

Nate and Larraine, Josh and Lisa and Matt and Andrea and their families (minus the twins) met us at Bountiful Bowl.

The kids did a "Chicken Dance whenever they got a strike. For Andrew, that was six times!

As soon as the weather cleared up, we got together with some of our neighbors for an impromptu BBQ.

The kids played outside and we visited at the Fluhrers. Then we went over to the Reeds to roast marshmallows. James can sure make a mean s'more. mmmmm.......

Izabella got marshmallow all over herself. It was in her hair, on her feet, her face and her clothes, but she was a master roaster!

So, that's our fun week in review. Countdown: 4 days to Summer Vacation!

Welcome Home, Brick

Well, the adventures of Lt. Col. Izzi in Iraq have come to an end. He flew in a few hours ago and it's time to celebrate! Our neighborhood all put out their flags and wrote notes of appreciation on hearts. Because nothing says "welcome home" like soggy construction paper on your lawn.
Even though the weather is yucky, Brick and Rene' are all smiles.

Separated at Birth?

Well we've all got Jazz Fever! Andrew loves to wear this little ensemble which he calls his "Boozers." Truth be told, the resemblance is uncanny. When he wears this, I often have to do a double-take before I realize that it is Andrew and not Carlos Boozer playing in the sandbox or walking out of the preschool. GO, JAZZ!!

Happy Mothers' Day

Mothers' Day was great this year because I had my mom back! We had some killer Mexican food at her house--She and my dad are both 1/4 Mexican which is why she can whip up such bueno enchiladas. It was great to have Marme and Par there, too. You can tell from this picture where Joey got his awesome red hair.I am so lucky to have learned about being a mother from these super women. Happy Mothers' Day to all you moms out there.

Two doggies

I guess one dog wasn't enough, so now we have two. Joey spends the day crawling around following Daisy, sleeping with her in her bed, eating her food, playing with her toys and loving her. (Yes, I said eating her food--I'm grossed out, too) Daisy is a pretty good sport

Daisy

Well, we have a new member of our family. We took James down to the Utah Adopt-a-Pet event for his birthday and this is the dog that we all fell in love with... Her name was Daisy and we thought we'd change it. (James really liked Artemis) But, her name has just stuck.
She is so sweet and cuddly and we are so excited that we finally talked Dad into it!

Mmmm...Brownies!

I made brownies today and Joey was standing on a little step-ladder by me. When I held up the bowl to scoop the batter out, I saw a little finger slowly reach under the bowl to touch the mountain of batter. About 3 seconds later, a whole hand reached over to grab a wad of the chocolatey goodness! That's a happy boy, right there!

James is 12

J--Just chill. That is James' motto. He just lets things happen as they will and doesn't get too stressed when things don't go his way.A--Animal lover. James has always had a way with animals. He is gentle and they can sense that he is a friend. Here he is with his new dog. (she doesn't have a name, yet)M--Mr. Golf. James is awesome at golf. He won 1st place in the sixth grade golf tournament yesterday. It is the perfect sport for someone as laid-back as he is.E--Example. James is a great example to his younger brothers and they all want to be like him. He is a peace-maker and always keeps everyone smiling. S--Super helper. I can always count on James to help me out with yardwork, the kids or anything else I need. He is always willing to lend a hand.

Happy Birthday James. We all love this guy and here are some reasons why:

We are so lucky to have James in our family! We love you, J-Dawg!