School & Basketball Photos

These are just proofs of the pictures that the kids had taken at school and I totally forgot it was picture make up day, (I forgot the first time too) not that I planned on buying any. I think I have decided to just take my own from now on anyway. But these are just for the record.

And these are their Basketball pictures that I never posted. ( You get them free as part of the registration fee)

BOYS

This is all you get when you live in the suburbs.

Popeye Wanna Be's!

This is what you get when you ask to see muscles.

They're all trying to be like their mom. They love my muscles.

Hey, it's something to be proud of. I'm a hard working mom. {hehe}

5th Grade Choir Spring Show

Here is our Choir Boy. 5th grade choir is officially over. Yeah! That means no more early morning practices. I think it was a great experience for Ethan and he did a great job. He never complained and I think he kind of liked it or was it just the cute girl he got to sit next to? Anyway, we were able to attend his Spring Show. He asked that I make sure to record three of his favorite songs, Splish Splash, Contamos & Chocolate. They had some really cute . choreography and Ethan had some really good rhythm.

Our Handsome Choir Boy

The Riser Boys. They recognized all the boys that helped with setting up the risers during choir season.

Getting ready for "Splish Splash"

Resting during some announcements.
Close Up

Far Away

Farther Away

Chocolate

Cantamos

Splish Splash

The List

This is just for fun!

This is Steve & I on our Alaskan Cruise @ Hubbard Glacier

THE LIST

1. Started your own blog X
2. Slept under the stars X
3. Played in a band (the trumpet) X
4. Visited Hawaii (went to school there) X
5. Watched a meteor shower X
6. Given more than you can afford to charity X
7. Been to Disneyland X
8. Climbed a mountain (Mt. Fuji) X
9. Held a praying mantis (on a leash) X
10. Sang a solo (I'm sorry) X
11. Bungee jumped (upside down, too) X
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea X
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch X
15. Adopted a child (I was adopted, thought that was close enough) X
16. Had food poisoning (Braums) X
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty X
18. Grown your own vegetables X
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight X
22. Hitch hiked (in Hawaii) X
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb X
26. Gone skinny dipping X
27. Run a marathon (it was a try-it-outathon  X
)28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset X
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise X
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person X
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors X
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (Japanese) X
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa
39. Gone rock climbing X
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke X
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight X
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted X
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling X
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud X
54. Gone to a drive-in theater X
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (Cakes by Melissa) X
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (for my daughter) X
62. Gone whale watching X
63. Got flowers for no reason X
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (Didn't everyone in Provo?) X
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (toy iron and I hate ironing) X
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial X
71. Eaten caviar X
72. Pieced a quilt X
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. Broken a bone (two) X
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle X
79. Visited the Grand Canyon X
80. Published a book (lots of photo books) X
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (a mini van) X
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper X
85. Read the entire Bible X
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (a cow, rabbit & chicken) X
88. Had chickenpox X
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Kurt Russell) X
92. Joined a book club X
93. Lost a loved one X
94. Had a baby (four) X
95. Seen the Alamo in person X
96. Swam in Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone X
99. Been stung by a bee X

Ethan's Gone!

I just sent my 10 year old Ethan off at 6:15 am on a Saturday morning for a 3 hour Charter Bus trip to San Antonio Sea World with the 5th Grade Choir. Why am I so anxious?

Spring Break Picnic @ the Park

We debated all morning long what to do on this day of our Spring Break. We had a day in between camping and going to Grandma & Grandpa's house that we had to go to the beach. But I think everyone was too tired and not just Steve and I. So we finally decided to go to the MJP Park and actually got there in time to roast some hot dogs for lunch, do a little fishing, ride bikes, play on the playground, have a treasure hunt and do some more fishing.

She looked like the Parks Event Coordinator. Notice the toy princess phone, the jewelery and her hand on her hip. I would hire her in a minute.

Ethan is actually holding one of the two little perch he caught.

This purple dinosaur gives away what park we are at every time. She rode it for a long time because of the two girls standing patiently in a line to take their turn on the purple dinosaur.

There was also another line for the swings and Lauren wasn't going to give it up.

I should know better by now. Look what you get when your daughter gets a hold of your camera. I guess it is just pay backs.

Cub Scout Matthew's Treasure Hunt

Like always, Matthew was thinking about cub scouts. He had figured out a scavenger/treasure hunt surprise for all of us while we were at Mary Jo Peckham Park. We had to follow the clues all through the park and at the end we found our treasure/our snacks. Thanks Matthew for the good time.

The Man in Charge!

Clue #1

Clue #2

Clue #3

Clue #4

Our Treasure!

Mommy, Take a Picture of Me!

I have trained Matthew well. I think he likes his picture taken almost more than I like taking them. These were from our camping hikes at Huntsville State Park during Spring Break. And everytime I turned around he said, "Mommy, take a picture!"







He brought this bag to collect trash along the way as part of his cub scouts achievements. He always thinking cub scouts.

Spring Break @ Huntsville State Park

Get ready, this is super llllooooonnnnngggg!!!!

Mathew 2-23-09 - My Spring Brack.
On my Spring Brack my family went to Hunsfill state park. I went fishing We did not ketch anything. We all so went on my Dad's kannoow. On the kannoow ride we sall a Aligater We went closer and closer to it. My Mom toock a picture of the aligater. My Mom was sacrd and so was My sister Rachel. To me it was awsome. At night we had smores. The next day we went on a highk. It was cool a little. My Mom cep on tackeing pickturs of me. I like it We sall a blueming tree. We also toock picher of it. The flower were Wite whith yellow in the middle. After that we went on the ckannoow. This time it was me, Ethan and my Dad. We went fishing on it. We didnt' ketch any thing. My brother wanted to ketch some thing. He did not car about what size it is He just wanted to ketch a fish. then we went in are tent
{I thought Matthew's words were perfect for our Spring Break Post.}

Here we are, all six of us, in the canoe and what do we see just ahead of us.......?

Yes, it is an alligator. This is about as close as I would let Steve get us.

This picture is just a close up but not personal.

Wet bottoms after the canoe ride...

But still happy children.

Our Camp Site



Last year we took our tent, which looked like this one below on the Youth Pioneer Trek and when we returned home we set it out to dry while we went to San Antonio to pick up our kids. When we got home it had flown away and we have never seen it since, until we went camping and found it. Okay, one just like it.

But had it not flown away we would never have had this bigger and better tent.

Our dinner the first night was delicious and Steve just made it all up. I am thinking you almost can't go wrong with a dutch oven, chicken, carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, bacon and some elbow grease from the kids.

Steve and his masterpiece

The best part about camping is the SMORES.

Ethan built a good tee pee fire and we had to make due with sticks and tongs for our marshmallow skewers since I left our real ones at home.

Fun Bed Time in the Tent. We played a lot of 20 questions.

This is what you look like in the morning after you were freezing all night long. Only I was cold. I left my warm sleeping bag at home, so we stopped at Target to get a new one that we thought Ethan could use for scouts and it turns out it was extremely light but not very warm.

Nothing like some nice hot chocolate, or in Ethan's case hot apple cider, on a nice crisp cold morning.

Rachel is making our breakfast for us, breakfast burritos with hashbrowns & bacon, yum yum!

Just a few hiking pictures...

The tree with the blooming white flowers that Matthew liked.

The arrowhead leaf

Ethan spent every spare second he had fishing, which is a lot when you are camping.

While Ethan was fishing he got his hook and bobber stuck in this tree, so the canoers retrieved them.

Here I am with my contribution to our dinner the second night, dutch oven peach cobbler.

Some Girl Time

Lauren found this treasure on one of our hikes.

The Game of Horseshoe
Our two ringers for the day.
Rachel plays Horseshoe just like she bowls. And she gets turkeys all the time.


Time to pack up and go home, we had such great little helpers. It made for a wonderful time camping.

The ride home, check out those filthy feet, Yikes!

Yes, it was worth it. Night Night!!