Journal Jar Prattle #2

I still don't feel like uploading ALL the numerous (why did I take that many pictures?!) camping pictures. So I've decided to do the Journal Jar. It's just much easier as I'm feeling rather lazy today. I guess I better get over that as we've got things to do today.

"WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE TEACHERS? WHY?"

Let's see...There was Mrs. Newfarmer (yes the name connotes hippiness, and guess what, she was!) She was my kindergarten teacher and she was AWESOME. The school did this experiment with the kindergartens that year I was 5. One of the classes was to include Phonics in their reading program, the other wasn't. Luckily for me, my class was the one who had it. Here's the interesting thing: the kids in my class turned into great readers and went on to do really well in English while the other kids did okay. That's not to say that if you didn't have Phonics growing up that you're a poor reader. I'm just saying that as the years went by, the teachers could pick out the kids who had Mrs. Newfarmer's class because we were great readers. I ended up getting her in third grade as well, and really the only thing I can remember is that she wouldn't let us color with yellow. Absolutely forbid it cause it hurt her eyes.

Scary.

I also like Ms. Sincavage, my second grade teacher, who, to me, was the most gorgeous teacher on the face of the planet. She used to dress up for christmas in an Elf costume. It was so cute! Of course now that I view this with an adult perspective, that red skirt was REEALLLY short. She got married halfway through the year and became Mrs. Goleneski. Her fiance would visit our class every now and then.

Then there was Ms. Rasband who was more than a teacher when I was in High School, but a great mentor as well. She was my math teacher for two years, and then took pity on me and gave me a C when I had her for Pre Calculus. I think I should've gotten a D.

All in all, I've been pretty lucky that I've had amazing teachers through the years!

Camping

So...I'm going to be camping for the next five days. If you know me, you know I don't really enjoy camping. Perhaps it's because you have to take your ENTIRE house with you when you go. Aren't you supposed to be getting away from home not taking it with you? Not to mention all the work that camping entails. Really...it's not a vacation. A vacation is going to a hotel with room service at my fingertips in another country. Someone to wait on me hand and foot. Somewhere I don't have to cook. Somewhere with a large body of water, not just a swimming pool. Okay, so where we go camping has two out of the three- Fort Bragg, near the ocean. Yes, if you've been there you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, just know that it is spectacular. There is just something about the ocean that is calming yet so energizing at the same time. It's really just a gamut of emotions. I LOVE IT. So here's the deal we got going. We camp with some really great friends and their families, it's near a large body of water, and I don't have to cook. Yes, you heard me right. I....DON'T...HAVE...TO....COOK. Our friend cooks for EVERYONE. EVERY MEAL people. And it's not just so-so food. Ir's really good food! So, really, what do I have to complain about? Well, I may have to chain Zak to a tree this year, there will be sand in my bed and every other crevice, and it's cold. But, I have to say, the pros FAR outweigh the cons. And when we get up the cash to buy a tent-trailer, (which I hear is the only way to camp, or if you have a fancy trailor, or really anything ABOVE GROUND) camping will actually be a vacation.

I really am looking forward to going and hopefully I can get some pics that I can share. Until then,

Ta-Ta!!

Something New

In enrichment night, many weeks ago, there were some excellent talks given on family history and journaling. And really, the two go hand in hand if you think about it. As part of the evening, every sister was handed a jar with a bunch of folded up paper in it. I promptly took it home and stuck it up in my closet. Now, this is not to say that I didn't like the idea, which I'll get to in a second, or that I didn't like the talks on Family History, because I did. In fact, that was probably the first time that I actually LIKED a family history discussion. It's just that I couldn't be bothered with something else. Sometimes there's just so many GREAT ideas that it's overwhelming to me. Much like the internet. However, there were some really awesome ideas presented that night. And one of them is this jar, with folded paper in it.

Doug saw 'said jar' in the closet, brings it out, and says "what is this?", like I'd grown two heads suddenly. (He just knows all the fun little projects I start but don't seem to finish.) I explained to him this: the jar is full of ideas to talk about in a personal journal. Each slip of paper is supposed to start you off thinking and then putting it on paper. I actually like this idea! Since this is the only thing I write in, or on, or at, however you want to interpret blogging, I figured that I would start doing one of these 'ideas' a day. Okay, maybe not EVERYDAY, but frequently. I'm actually hoping everyday, but one shouldn't get too immersed in something, especially if one is like me and only does things halfway. In my defense, however, I am getting better. Being in my 30's has really helped. Seriously!!

Okay, so I'm going to call this "Journal Jar Prattle." If you'd like to read what I've written, feel free, if not, you'll know to avoid all posts starting with this title. So here goes...

I'm drawing right now...


Wait, I don't want to start with that one.

Okay, here's a good one. Oh and I forgot to mention, I'm going to try to go through
the bulk of these. I know, that may take forever, and it might be slightly boring, but my posterity will LOVE IT. (They BETTER love it.) It says...

"What activities (sports, music, dance, etc.) did you participate in while you were growing up? What were some experiences with this activity?

WEELLLL... Not many. I am sad to say that there really wasn't that many. I look back and think I should've been more daring and brave and put myself out there, but the sad truth is, I didn't. But here's what I did do. Obviously, piano is the 'something' I stuck to by far the longest, and that is solely due to my mother who wouldn't let me quit when I was not wanting to take lessons. She'd say, "you'll thank me when you're older." I honestly didn't think I would. I HATED lessons. I wanted to play what I wanted to play, and as I got older, that happened, but as a student learning, there are certain things you have to do to get better. Now that I teach, my perspective has COMPLETELY done a 180. Funny how that happens as one gets older. And you know what? She was right. I bet she's longed to hear those words from me. I do thank her, with all my heart. I get so much enjoyment out of music and being able to play an instrument for my own pleasure. I play when I'm happy and when I'm stressed I play too. Sometimes you don't want to be around when I'm stressed. It tends to get VERY LOUD.
I also really enjoyed playing volleyball, and I played on the church team for years. We actually went to state a couple of times. When you play for this type of genre, everybody makes the team, so it was safe for me. But I was pretty good, not to stretch my ego at all, but I was pretty decent. Not so much now though. But I wish I would've tried out in High School. Again, too afraid. I regret that now, and that could be why I'm always encouraging my girls to do things in spite of their fear. And you know what? They do! And they are so proud of themselves afterwards.
I also played basketball as well, but we won't talk about that. Oh, and softball too. But we won't talk about that either.

I wanted to take dance, but my mother thought I was better suited for the piano. I don't know if she was correct or not, but I think I have pretty good rhythmn. I wish that I would've been able to at least try.

Of course, I was always involved with church activities and camps. Good times we had. I used to be somewhat of a closet prankster. Secretly I always wished I'd had the cahones to do what I thought up. One year at girls camp, I think I was about 16, my close friends and I all slept in one tent. I'd brought my "getto blaster" (so cracking up having used that word!!) and had armed it with fresh batteries. As we got settled into our sleeping bags for the night, and the camp got quiet, I had this idea come to me. I had brought along my Bon Jovi tape. Yes TAPE. CD's weren't invented then. At least I don't think so. Anyway, I was a HUGE Bon Jovi fan, and in fact still am. I wouldn't mind seeing them in concert still to this day. But I digress. I whispered to my tent mates that I thought it would be funny to play, "Shot through the Heart" as loud as we could and scare all the other people around us. I thought this would be tremendously funny, as did the co-pranksters in the tent. So we did it. All was quiet. It was pitch black. Not one flashlight within a 50 yard radius. You could hear the crickets chirp. Suddenly, Bon Jovi's voice rang through loud and clear through the woods: "Shot through the Heart, and you're to blame. Darling, you give loooove, a BAD NAME." All three of us starting laughing so hard we were hiccuping. And you know what? NOBODY SAID A THING. Nope, not one word. Yeah, we may have heard a couple of snickers, but nothing else. I look back on that and I think of the trouble we used to cause our poor leaders. They probably just didn't want to deal with us. Either that or they found it intensely amusing but didn't want to give us the satisfaction. I'll never know.

Well, I've waxed eloquent enough for one evening. You probably didn't even get through this entire post. You probably looked at it and thought, that's too lengthy. I'll just skip it. Well,shame on you if you did. You missed some excellent reminisces. Just excellent.

(I'll try to keep it shorter. But for those of you who know me, you know that's virtually impossible. But I'll sure try!)

Scout Camp

So Doug was at scout camp these past couple of days. Which is fine, really. I think because of tax season I just get used to having all the kids to myself, with no reprieve. But I still missed him! But here's the thing: he's up at camp with a bunch of boys and men, which typically means somewhat of a structured free for all. Guys just don't worry about getting mucky and dirty and sweaty when they're with a bunch of other males. However, I wasn't prepared for the all encompassing dirt that was brought home to me.

Doug was so STANKEY that I almost didn't want to hug him. Almost. I hadn't seen him for a couple of days, so I sucked in my breath and gave him a hug. Usually I get big hugs in return, but all I got was a light kiss and a hug. I thought, "what gives?" Doug knows I have a thing for sweat- I HATE IT, and he knows it, and he always tries to make me touch him when he's soaked his shirt from being at the gym. He thinks this is mildly amusing. I, however, DO NOT. So when I got nothing more than a quick hug and a kiss, but lots of chatter, I was faintly surprised.

Come to find out, my sweetheart, the guy who swept me off my feet, the father of my children, hadn't changed his clothes in 2 days. 2...DAYS!!! If I knew how to change my font on this I would blow those words up to mega huge. TWO DAYS. Who does that? I asked him if he was the only one that decided to throw personal hygiene to the birds, cause let's face it, they're cleaner, or if it was one of those male bonding things, the kind where your stench bonds to another and it suddenly stops smelling? Honestly, I don't know how people procreated back then, when there was only baths, and even then the water went through like 5 people. He informed me that a couple ot the boys actually showered (they had showers and nobody else used them?!!)but most of the boys didn't shower the ENTIRE WEEK, and some didn't change their clothes either. Yes, let that sink in. If this had been a bunch of women, there would have been mandatory, SCHEDULED shower time.

After hearing this, I thought about how Doug had almost taken my car up to scout camp. Can you imagine the stench that would have permeated my vehicle? Really, can you? Cause I can! My dad was scout master for YEARS, and I know exactly what that smells like. It's not pretty people. I still think how lucky I got past this one. I would've been spraying my car for weeks with air freshener. Unfortunately, they did borrow the Andrus' excursion, and although Doug took it through the car wash before he gave it back, there's just no getting rid of that SMELL. I'm truly sorry for the Andrus family.

Suffice it to say, we're all thrilled Doug is back, but most especially, I am thrilled that he is showered. NOW I have my man back!

However, as he was shaving, he got too close and shaved off part of his goatee (I think goatees on the right man are so sexy) and so now he is sporting the biker dude look. It's not pretty. He really does look like a hard nosed biker with his head shaved and this new, I don't even know what to call it. His new 'chin do.' If you see him on Sunday and he still has it, tell him you think it's ugly so he'll shave it.

But he had a great time, and that's really all that matters right?

July 15th!! Oh Happy Day!

Do you notice the orange juice stain and the no underwear? Yep, that's our Zak!!
I was in Costco yesterday and passed by the stacks of boxes of diapers. It seemed as if they were saying, "Wait, don't walk by. You still need uuusssss....." I just thumbed my nose at them and said "ha-ha, NO I DON'T!!!" 10 years later, we are finally diaper free. Maybe not pull-ups free, a must for night time, but definitely diaper free! And it feels sooo GOOD!

This is so Zak! My unwilling model.

Funny for the Day

My sister sent this in an e-mail to me today, and I thought it was so humorous that I had to share via my blog. I've related many times to some of this that you're about to read, which may be why I find this extremely amusing. I especially like to laugh at LDS culture, just because it's so dear to me, and really, sometimes we just need to laugh at ourselves. I especially like to laugh at myself, as it keeps my head from remaining in the clouds for too long. I hope you enjoy it and don't take offense. If you do, don't tell me. I really don't wanna know!

Only in Utah would this be printed in the Salt Lake Tribune!!


Robert Kirby
Tribune columnist
Salt Lake Tribune


Most Sunday mornings, you'll find me on a pew in the Rosecrest 1st Ward chapel. It's where I'm supposed to go to church. Lucky for me, it's also where I want to go. Technically, Mormons don't have a choice. For church, we're bound by the geography of the ward.

We worship where we live. The only time Mormons can switch wards without also contacting a Realtor is when we attend specialty wards. For example, I went to a Spanish-speaking ward in West Jordan for a while.

Specialty wards allow members with specific common needs to worship together and support each other in their exclusive part of the Lord's vineyard. There are (or have been) lots of LDS specialty wards, including singles wards, college wards, deaf wards, ethnic wards and nudist wards.

OK, I made up that last one.

There are even seasonal 'snowbird wards' in places where Mormon RV owners congregate. I talked it over with my friend (despite a restraining order) Ken Wallentine.

We think the specialty-ward idea needs to be improved on in our ever-changing and increasingly divided culture. For example, there needs to be a late ward, a ward Mormons who are perpetually late for church could attend and not feel bad about dragging their herd in 15 minutes late. The only problem with a late ward would be showing up late for a meeting that was supposed to start late in the first place. Eventually, you would end up with a ward that ran out of time before it started. 'Welcome to the Tardy 3rd Ward, brothers and sisters. We will close now by singing hymn No. 145.'

Given the high birthrate among Mormons, I thought about the need for maternity wards. Except that we already have those.

They're called married student wards.



A Star Trek ward might do well. The bishop would preside from 'the bridge' instead of the stand. High-council Sunday would be referred to as a 'Klingon Sunday.'

Harley riders congregate to the exclusion of just about everyone else. Why not an LDS biker ward? White shirts and neckties go well with black leather. Ken really wants to attend a concealed-weapons ward. He says church would be a lot more interesting if real personal risk were involved in disagreeing with a lesson.


There could be a texting ward for teenagers. Bear your testimony with your thumb. In 25 years, they'll all belong to carpal-tunnel wards. At the less-active ward, maybe there'll be a meeting and maybe there won't.


Testimony meeting in an anger-management ward might be interesting. Nobody's going to sleep through, 'Hey! I know the church is true, you stupid #*&@s!'


I think a Democrat ward is a good idea, although in Utah the best we could probably hope for is a Democrat branch.

What? You're Not Shocked?

I know, it's not shocking anymore. Just the same old thing at the Bassett house. Andon and Zak in nothing but their undies. In fact, it's more shocking to actually see them with clothes ON. If I can manage to keep clothes on till 2p in the afternoon it is a stinking miracle! I just don't try anymore. I just don't want to wage this particular war, because we all know, once you declare war, you better win, and this war, well...I won't. But if I did, it would be because I felt shame. Which I don't, but if I did, I might just wage the "keep your clothes on war." But they would win, and my credibility would be shot. Then before you know it they'd be taking advantage of me, wanting to get into all the hair care products, the screwdrivers, the fruit snacks, the refrigerator, the cookware, etc. Oh wait, they already do that. Oh well...I guess I can win the battles?

So anyway, I'm really not sure who took this picture as my camera sits on my dresser. Actually, it could've been me, though I don't remember. I really do have selective amnesia. I'll do something and then completely forget that I did it. Doug brought this to my attention the other day, though I don't remember what it was specifically. See...selective amnesia. I REALLY CAN'T REMEMBER. But whoever took it, it's a great picture of my computer lovin, underwear wearin boys.



A couple of weeks ago Andon discovered his shadow on the wall. Ever since, when evening comes around, he can be seen doing different things on the wall. One evening he was doing different things with his hands and I found myself trying to remember the different animals you can make with your hands. I attempted a the butterfly and the alligator, but it looked nothing like it was supposed to, and pretty soon, the girls had joined in. And then Doug walks over from doing the dishes to try his hand at it (pun intended). Pretty soon it had become a family event with six people vying for this small space on the wall. "No, look at mine. I think I've got it."...."No,that doesn't look anything like it, let me try."....."Wait, Eureka!..Wait, nevermind."....

It really can be done. I wasn't a believer, but there is such a thing as "free fun."

A New Find

I love finding new things on the internet! This one from Animoto is seriously cool. It's just a great way of making a video of pictures, etc. Just wanted to share this new find.

Our Fourth of July "Fireworks"

So, the fourth has come and gone, pretty much like every other holiday this year. I swear time is speeding up!!! We decided to forgo the stake pancake breakfast this year. Last year we went, but since we are not morning people, by the time we got there it was only pancakes and some sausage. (Note: don't go to pancake breakfast past 8:30a.) So this year when Doug mentions the pancake breakfast, I hear in my head, "no, Mcdonald's." I haven't had a McMuffin in months! I know, you're probably grossed out by that, but really, I love them!! Without the egg however. I soooo hate eggs. But that's another post. So I talk Doug into picking up breakfast at McDonald's before the parade. (I'll get to that little tidbit in a moment.) After we order, Doug says disgustedly, "Wow, "17 bucks for 6 little breakfast sandwiches." I concurred. I mean seriously, $17 bucks for 6 sandwiches? Good Grief!! But whatever. Breakfast was good and we made it to the parade. Okay, here comes the complaining. We've done this parade for a couple years now and every year I hope that it's going to be better than the year before. BUT IT NEVER IS. Never. Not so far. Not even a teeny bit. Maybe I'm used to the big parades when I was growing up in Utah. The floats there were amazing! Miss Murray and her attendants on their big beautiful float made me want to be somebody. (Just kidding, but it was really fun when you're 8.) And the candy... Ohhh the candy! It was like Halloween but you didn't have to exert yourself on foot to get it. EVERY float threw candy like it was going out of style. We used to bring grocery bags to just hold all of it. There's nothing like elbowing the next kid out of your way to get that one last mint. The encouragement the parents would shout to their kids to run after it... to get it at all costs so that they could gloat at whoever was sitting next to them like "that's my kid. See how fast he threw that elbow?" Those were truly special moments. THAT my friends, is a parade. And it's still the same! In Rancho it was just businesess that wanted free advertising. Don't get me wrong, that's okay. BUT THE WHOLE PARADE? Where was Miss Rancho on her beautiful float with all her attendants? Oh wait, I saw some girl I guess could've been her, but since you could hardly hear the announcer, I'm really not sure who she was. Maybe she was the spokesmodel for Mike's Car Dealership. I DON'T KNOW!!! It was fun though to yell at the people we knew in the parade. But that's about all the fun we had. The kids kept asking where all the candy was. I'll get off my soap box now.

The rest of the day was great. Other than the fact that it took the girls an hour to agree on what movie to rent, it was great. We went to the Brady's for dinner, desert and fireworks. They have the perfect view! Thanks Nathan and Michelle! It was a blast. Oh, and sorry that Zak burned Daniel with a sparkler. I feel really bad about that. (This kid is going to be the SOCIAL death of me.) All in all, the kids loved the fireworks, loved playing with the Brady boys, and me and Doug actually enjoyed the fireworks. Even though he was sitting on the opposite side on the lawn. Is this what 12 years of marriage does to you? We don't even care if we sit apart?
All in all, one of the better fourths we've had!

(If you've said to yourself, "there are no pictures," I'll tell you why. Every time I went to take some, one of the kids was handing me sparklers. I had the water bucket near me for them to throw the ones that were done in. 6 kids handing me sparklers doesn't give me a lot of time to take pics so I took the camera inside. Then when I saw a cute moment, I ran into get it, but then something else happened, like Zak burning Daniel with a sparkler, and I had to put the camera down to see if my child forever maimed another. By that time, I'd just given up and decided to just enjoy not having to hold someone in my lap. I love that my kids are getting older!

Photo Shoot #2

I think I took somewhere between 60 and 70 pictures! Is that excessive? It's just so easy to do when the camera shoots 5 or 6 every two seconds! Anyway, I just wanted to share the pictures I took of the girls. They were such good sports! In fact, Brittnee didn't even want to do it, but indulged me anyway. Let's see, what was it I bribed her with? Oh yes, that's right. Food, clothing, and shelter. Yep, the girl knows what's good for her. Doug's probably wondering what possessed him to give me such a thoughtful gift. Doesn't he know not to do that? Doesn't he know I'll spend EVERY WAKING MINUTE on my newest hobby? I suppose he does, but he did it anyway. See, that's the kind of guy I married. He knows he's going to get shafted, but he does it anyway. Because he knows how happy it'll make me. How sweet is that!! So thanks again, babe, for an incredible gift. I only hope I'll be able to use it to its full potential.

So on to the pictures. These are my favorites. I hope you'll be able to see what I wanted to capture in my girls. Listen to me...I talk like I know what I'm doing. I hope to be getting there at least. But I do really like how these pictures turned out!

This one is Teaghan's sweetheart face. This one tells of her big heart, her innocence, her reliability; her wariness, her wanting to be center of attention but being too shy to put herself out there. Her angel-ness.



I was going to take this one out so you couldn't see it, but then I decided to leave it in so you'd see what happens when an edit job goes bad. It looks like she's been hit with a dose of sunless tanner.


Do you see the mischief behind this smile? She's thinking of something very funny, and it usually has to do with me! I'm seeing this face more and more these days. (sigh)






I think I'm going to frame one of these, either the one above, or the one below. When I look at these two pictures I realize that she's not little anymore. The inevitable has come. She's maturing, changing, and getting prettier everyday. These pictures are MY reality changing. One day she's going to realize that her parents aren't perfect. One day she's going to start driving. One day she's going to start dating. The latter scares me more than the former. One day she's going to realize that we need her more than she needs us. One day...
She's turning into a lovely young woman right in front of our eyes. It makes me weepy just thinking about it.


One day this smile is going to be for somebody else and not me.

This one (below) is sooo Teaghan! Easygoing, silly, wanting to be grown up, yet still a child.



This picture (below) I didn't even think I'd like. She was just messing around while I kept shooting. I almost deleted it, but then when I went in to edit, I realized that it was quite a cute picture. Just goes to show that the pictures you catch on the sly are usually the best ones. I think this is why I haven't gone to a 'studio' to have my kids' pictures done for 4 years now, because I prefer the more candid moments.
This is the face she gives me when she's about to say something flippant, something that makes me laugh, something she hopes is going to shock me. At which point she giggles like only an innocent pre-teen can. this is the face that I've come to expect means trouble for me. And then we both laugh together.



These two (below) I shot after I told her I was done. I love these of Teaghan! See what I mean by catching candid moments? I don't know, maybe it's just me.




This picture came about when Teaghan said, "here mom, take this one." This one is her MODEL pose. Doesn't it just scream, 'high fashion?'




On to Brittnee. Oh the things I could say about her could fill volumes.

This is the first shot I took of Britt. From her expression you can tell she's still not happy to be having her picture taken. But she ended up having a good time. I only wish I'd been able to shoot more candid moments of Britt, the funny, spunky, spirited ones. But there's always next time!! (My kids are going to start running whenever they catch a glimpse of me and my camera!)




I don't know why I love this one. (above) I just do!! I think it's one of the rare times Britt is serious. As she gets older, I'm realizing that she's more serious than I think. Brittnee is a deep thinker. She picks up on things at an earlier age than Teaghan did. Very perceptive.



The one above is Britt's vulnerable face. Her openess, her shyness, wanting to be accepted.






When she saw this picture she said, "Mom, I'm hugging a tree." Then she looks at me like I'm crazy for liking this photo.





Anybody who knows Brittnee will look at this picture (below) and say, "yep, that's Brittnee!" Our fun-loving, spirited, heart ten sizes too big, sweet little girl. She just has so much love that at times it just explodes out of her. This is Britt.

Photo Shoot with the Boys

I desperately need to update photos of the kids. The beautiful ones that Nikki took are a year and a half old, and the kids have changed so much. Especially Zak. I was going to have Nikki take them again because she does such a great job, but I decided to try to do it myself, since I just got a new camera. I have to say that it was very difficult to try to pose the boys. I think cause it's "Mom" doing it, they thought "whatever!", so I gave up and just shot them however and whenever I could. I'm really happy with what I managed to get and it's been SO MUCH fun to see what I captured in a picture. However, I'm not familiar enough to know how to change dimensions. The camera picture has way more background to it than when you use edit software. It might be because I'm using the freebie Picassa stuff, but I really don't know. Anyway, if anyone knows how to keep the dimensions the same as they are from the camera, let me know!!! I hate when the picture is fine in the camera but when you go to print it's not. Why is that I ask!!!???!!

I can't decide which ones I truly like, and these small pictures don't really do them justice. I'll have to figure out how to post them really large. Anybody know how? Let me know, pleeeezze!

All in all, I'm really happy with how they turned out. The girls will be next!










I love how these turned out, but I'm really not liking the basketball stand in the background. I guess I need to be more aware of the background, but when you're trying to catch a candid moment, you have to be quick! This is why you should probably pay someone to take the photos. Ah well...









This particular picture of Andon reminds me sooo much of my brother Aaron. They have the same hair too! The kind that just sticks up and grows forward.





This is my sweet little nephew who is Andon's age. It couldn't have been planned any better. He spent time with us this past weekend without his parents and we were so privileged to have had him. His mom said that when he was saying the prayer at dinner that he mentioned how much he loves Andon and Doug and Kristin. Seriously melted my heart!! Both Doug and I are very touched by that. Thanks Treven!!!

Dance Recital

The girls' had their annual dance recital this last Saturday. Thanks so much to all our family who came and supported the girls! It's so much fun to see all the hard work that they've put in this year. I personally just love to see them look so cute!! We had a great time watching and cheering for them!

This is Brittnee doing Tap to 'Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog.' The boy in the middle was the bullfrog and all the girls were frogs. Hence, the green costumes. It was so dang cute!!







This is Teaghan doing her Jazz routine to 'Conga.' We were a little afraid the flowers might fall out. But they didn't, much to everyone's relief.