Denacre

It was so fun to have Dee in town. She came over to our house for dinner and FHE. Dee is from Zimbabwe. She lives now in London with her son, Roger, and her mom. The kids loved to hear her talk about Africa and England. They were fascinated by her accent and the different words in British English. I think their favorite was the word "jumper" which means hoodie in England. I love having Dee for a friend. She is so funny and smart and thoughtful. When she came, she brought a gift for each of us. I can't wait to get back to London and visit her again. I'm going to have a hard time going without Andrew, because he is pretty smitten by this sophisticated European lady!

Marme and Par

The other day, Marme and Par stopped by for my birthday. I was thinking about them after they left and I was overwhelmed thinking about how they have always been there for me. They've made the effort to be with me for every event in my life.



My baptism..My wedding...My new babies... Marme and I even went on a trip to Europe together--That's right, two crazy girls taking on the world...My kids' birthdays...They even drove all the way to Cedar City to take me to lunch on my birthday a few years ago.
What a great example to me of love and of putting family first. I can't even count how many sweet things Marme and Par have done for me. With so many grandkids and great-grandkids, they still manage to make each of us feel as if we are the most important thing in their life. I can count on them to support me, help me sew, help James with his pinewood derby car, let Andrew play with the train, take us to Wendy's and then to Sugarhouse Park for a picnic, and countless other things that add up to these two special people being such a huge part of me.

I love you, Marme and Par.

It's Derby Time!

Who doesn't love the Pinewood Derby? Ben's car was called "Red Fury." You can tell he was way excited to have his picture taken... This is just about the funnest thing about being in scouts. And possibly the most stressful thing about having a son in scouts. Ben's car finished getting weighted about 30 seconds before the Pack Meeting started.On your marks...

After the official races were over, the boys just played around racing whoever they wanted. They loved it.
Ben received the award for the "Best Lego Warrior." His Cubmaster, Robby, made it really fun and cut out a lot of the competitive stuff that gets all the dads so worked up.

My Helper (kind of)

Well, I was reading yesterday and I heard Joey playing with the little plastic plates and bowls in the kitchen. He likes to take them in and out, stack them, move them, etc. So, it was no big deal when I heard him leave the kitchen. I decided finally to check on him. I set my book down and found him... with a washcloth washing all the dishes in the TOILET! Frank asked if I took a picture, but there are just times when your first thought is not to grab your camera. So, the dishes got sanitized in the dishwasher and I'll never tell which ones they were. And Joey got sanitized in the tub. Maybe this kid needs a little kitchen for Christmas instead of having to improvise with other household appliances.

Ben is 10!

Today is Ben's 10th Birthday. Here's some stuff we love about Beanbag...

B--Big Heart. Although he acts like a tough guy, he's pretty sensitive to others--especially little kids.

E--Everyone's Friend. Ben makes friends easily. People like to be around him and friends are always wanting to play.

N--No Fear. With the one exception being birds, Ben isn't afraid of anything. He went off the High-Dive at the pool when he was little and is always willing to try new things.

J--Jokes around. Ben is so funny! He loves to play jokes and just make people laugh.

A--Always playing. Ben is always running and playing. He loves sports and when he's not playing soccer, he is outside or bouncing off the walls in the house.

M--Maintains a low profile. Even though he is crazy, full of energy, talented and a little crazy, he manages to slip under the radar a lot. I realized this when I was looking for pictures of him. He manages to stay out of the spotlight. I really like how he always passes the ball to let someone else have a chance to score a goal instead of always scoring himself.

I--Intelligent. Ben does great at school. He works hard and we've found that he's a real smartie!

N--Noisy. As a little kid and even now, playing nintendo, soccer, with toys or watching TV he always is making little noises. He gets into it, dude! I love how he can get so excited about stuff...

We love you, Ben! Happy Birthday!!

Treats from State College, PA

Every once in awhile a package arrives for me in the mail from my brother, Dave. He just randomly likes to surprise me. He's sent all sorts of things over the years. Really thoughtful stuff like a crepe pan or a Springsteen album or a new hat for James. Lots of times books. I love it! When I was in Pennsylvania, we went to this little Amish store called Peights and I got some candies for my boys and discovered these little bits of deliciousness. It was so fun to check the mail today and find a whole bunch of them. Has anyone else ever seen these? Yummy! Thanks, Dave for being such a thoughtful brother. Now, I just need to find a good hiding place so they don't all disappear while I'm not looking.

ALOHA!

Frank had to do some major work at the airport in Kaua'i, so I decided to come along for a few of the days. It was super! Is there anything nicer than sitting by the pool or on the beach with a good book? My cute friend Hillary is doing an internship over there for Del Sol and so I got to play with her a little...Mmm...Sushi! I know that Sherman, Jen, Rob and Liz will remember the Sushi Chef from the Marriott, Bryce. He was there again and he HOOKED us up! (ok, that was a pretty lame pun) He would make special rolls for us to try that weren't on the menu. Then of course there is the Shave Ice. For those of you who think I used incorrect grammar, You should know better! That is how they say it on the islands, Bra.

Here is Lonnie--who Frank was working at the airport with and his wife, Tammie. What you can't tell in this picture is that Frank is hiding his phone. He was in the middle of a conversation. But for the purposes of this photo, he is acting like someone who knows how to relax, leave work behind you, and have a vacation. Pretty convincing, isn't he?
Aahhh. How sweet. We hiked up to this lighthouse, but there was nobody there to take our picture. So, you'll just have to imagine. The lighthouse is actually on top of that cement pad that you can see way at the top of the picture.
Ok, so that was just too much fun and over too fast! Thanks, Frank for the break. I needed it!

It's a Tie!

Look at this big boy! He just loves these shoes, but has been frustrated that he can't tie them. I spent about 15 minutes showing him how to do it--figuring that he'd lose interest, but after about an hour and 1/2 of work, he came running in with the proudest face and a beautifully tied shoe. Here's a boy who can accomplish whatever he sets his mind to. Maybe some day he will actually have webs shooting out of his wrists or invent a real omnitrix to enable him to transform into aliens--we'll have to wait and see.

Preschool!

Well, Andrew and Jack were so excited for their first day of preschool! They won't be going to the same elementary school, so it's great that they get the chance to be together this year!Everyone got their Spiderman backpacks? Ok, let's go then... Miss Lesli is our neighbor and also the best preschool teacher! This year is going to be super!

Haircuts and a near disaster!

Well, I said I'd never do it, but I caved. Little Joe got his first haircut. Here he is before... And here he is after...
I found myself thinking, before I started cutting the boys' hair,

It's so cute and curly in the back. I like it long there. I wonder if I should just trim up the front and sides...If this thought ever occurs to you, stop and think about it. This is how mullets are born. I know that the first mullet was created by a mom who liked her little boy's hair in the back but thought it was too scraggly up on top. Never do this! It is better to have a nerdy haircut than to flirt with the danger of a mullet!
Seriously, if I hadn't taken a moment to think before I cut, this could have been my kids. It's a scary thought and that is why I am warning all of you out there... Don't be tempted. It is not worth it. You need to either go short or accept the sides and front getting longer with the back. There is no middle ground here. I hope for all of our sakes, this post has been read and everyone is better informed now.
My near-mistake could save you or a loved one from tragedy!