Court of Honor

I was able to help Pete get ready for the scout court of honor today. The boys have worked really hard and were able to get their patches. Connor advanced to 1st class.

Boating

Let me say first that I have never been on a boat for "fun". Deep sea fishing wasn't my idea of a good time. So when some good friends invited us out on their boat on maybe one of the last best days of lingering summer, I jumped at the chance. I even went so far as to pull Connor out of school an hour early. Yes, I'm that kind of mom. At least when I can be.I think the pictures tell it all.....
Connor got up on his knees, and then the competition set in.....

I even tried it. I knew I couldn't hope for success, but I had to try....

Mal didn't want to try the knee board but she liked the tube and even got daring enough to stand up. She could stay up longer on her knees.

My three water guppies. They never cease to amaze me.

Thank you for inviting us out on the water. We had a fantastic time. The only problem is that the kids want to know when we can get one!!

Z's Eulogy

A little more than 11 years ago we found out that we got the internship with Intel and that even better, we were going to be working in Hudson, Massachusetts. We were very excited and then it hit us. What are we going to do for a car? The poor Subaru had no chance to make it to the east coast unless it was towed by something or thrown on a train. We had to get a car, but as poor students, what could we afford? Julie started to search the newspapers for decent, cheap sedans. She found an ad for a 7 year old Mazda 626. We checked out the reviews (quality - check), took her for a test drive (ran fine - check) and negotiated it to our feeble budget (cheap - check). Weeks later, her toughest test was on.

We drove down to LA from Provo for Mike and Kim's wedding, turned around, packed her up in Provo again and made our way to Hudson. One week, both coasts, and she gobbled up the miles. Every weekend we were traveling somewhere new: Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, etc. After returning from the internship, she settled into her life as the family car. She brought 2 babies home from the hospital, moved us to Oregon and carried us to who knows how many meetings, soccer practices, basketball games and band performances.

Although oxidation set in early, she continued to cruise on with only oil changes. Julie pushed me to get another car. I have to admit, she was was looking pretty bad, but I couldn't justify anything until a couple months ago. We had some friends visiting and Julie and the girls met them out at the coast. I had another day of work, so Connor and I headed out in the Mazda the next day. I'll be honest, I was a little worried, but she kicked in and had no problems. I was surprised and proud enough that I bragged to Julie that she would never die....and then we had to come home. After we got back, I noticed a strange sound that would kick in after starting her up and driving a half block and it didn't go away. I held it from Julie for about a week. There was no way to hide it any more. Z had to be retired.

We have spent the last couple months trying to find a suitable replacement and pulled the trigger on Saturday. Z will be donated to hopefully be given some good attention and regain a little of her good form to help another family. So to you Z, thanks for the memories. You were a GREAT car!

The replacement...
The girls have dubbed her Graysie...

Scripture reading fun....

We were reading our scriptures this morning in 3 Nephi when Christ visited the Nephites. He had just completed teaching and the multitude was about to travel down to the waters edge to be baptized. Pete stopped reading and asked the kids what would happen at the water. Connor quickly responded,"They're going to be attacked!"

He may be concentrating too much on the wars.

Another 1st day of school!!

Ahh, the first day of school! I love this day. Not just for the fact that I will have the day to myself without the constant ring of "mom" sounding in my ears, or even for the fact that once I clean the house it stays that way for almost 7 (yes, SEVEN) hours, or for the sheer pleasure of having my own time. No, believe it or not the kids look forward to a new school year too. They are tired of me and want to see their friends. They don't realize it but they are looking forward to some structure in the day. This too will shortly dissipate but the first day, that wonderful 1st day, we each look forward to a fresh start.Okay, this is how they really feel! I just might be the monster mom that all fear to become. No wonder they're so excited to leave home!!! They all had a great first day back and have had a great week starting into school. It really does go fast and I'm trying to treasure the steps a little more than I did before. That doesn't mean I love all of the new stages I'm finding myself flung (yes, flung) into, but I look for the things my kids enjoy and try to enjoy it with them. Hopefully this year will continue to be a fabulous one.

Courtney gettin' her groove on...

Courtney Loves her roller blades! Mallory has been outside with her every day holding her hand and encouraging her. After only two days trying them out Court is all over now! I'm so impressed with her!

Courtney's 10!!!

Courtney turned 10 today! She wanted a Safari Sleepover for her party. Pete made a "What am I" animal scavenger hunt for the girls to find through the "safari" trip to the zoo. These girls were quick to get the answers!
They tried out the elephant tricycle. I don't think that all of them together came close to the weight of even a baby elephant.
Back at the house Court opened her presents. Her friends know her really well. She got such fun gifts! Pete and I got her roller blades. We'll see how that goes.

After kabobs for dinner, they had cake and ice cream.

And after Dance Dance Revolution they had a dance party.

And sing along.

Courtney had a good birthday and I think her friends had fun too. I can't believe she's already ten! They really do grow up fast. School starts in a week and I have a 7th, 5th, and 3rd grader this year. I remember when they were so little! Happy Birthday Courtney. I hope you have a wonderful year!!