I'll be back soon!

Teish has advised me to inform my faithful blog readers (all 5 of you) that I won't be posting for sometime (shocking, I know) due to our recent happenings!  I'm sure Season will help me (force) when we're in Portland in July.

Happy 10th Birthday Mads!

Maddie has always wanted to have a food fight (anyone want to volunteer their place?) but since her mean mommie won't let her, this is as close as she gets; spreading food all over her face.

Macy, Rylee, Adrian, Madison,Madison S., Arden, Haleigh

Mads and Macy

We took Madison and 5 of her best friends (Megan was out of town :() to the Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine to celebrate her 10th birthday. What a great choice! I was a little worried after I had to take all 7 girls into Limited Too to get Madison a swimsuit (I think hers was packed). I felt like the queen ant with all her little ants scattering in different directions...Once back in the car I was a little (not much) more in control. The girls changed and went into the water park right away and didnt' stop until we forced them to take a break to eat pizza. We are not big fans of sleepover so much to Madison's dismay, Steve brought them home at 10pm and we spent the night (a very loud night) at the hotel. I am so grateful Madison has such fun, good friends to be with and I'm happy to report their were no girly fights. :) We love you baby!

Schools out pool party

Megan, Macy, Taylor, Madison & Taylor

Emily, Taylor, Jenna, Amy, McKenna & Rylee

Macy, walking on water!!!!

Ouch!

School's out for summer!!!!!!

We can't decide whether we should be really excited or really sad!  Both girls had an amazing year and really thrived at Heritage.  They were blessed with great teachers, lots of happy, fun friends, and great report cards!

Rylee received 1 of 2 awards given out (each specials teacher gives one) for her great attitude, helpfulness and skills in computers.

Rylee's reading counts award.

Sadly, the camera battery died when it was Madison turn, but she got an award for A honor roll.  Way to go girls!

Madison and her 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Shiver

Rylee and her 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Lee.

Reality (R #2 - making up for skipped Q)

Reality is in full bloom around here.  It hit me the moment the sign went in the ground. Leaving Washington/Oregon was not easy to do - our family, the girls cousins, amazing friends, our HOME.  I thought leaving Texas would be a breeze :( 

Steve received his well deserved promotion and we are off to Chicago, snow and all.  

responsibility

I found this note taped to the wall by the backpack/shoe dumping station.  It reads "Put your brown shoes in a bag for the play" and was a note Rylee wrote to herself so she wouldn't forget the shoes she needed for her Repretzel play! Madison hates being late anywhere and develops anxiety fits anytime we are showing signs of tardiness - ring a bell Season?  I now bring a Target sack with me in the car to church so just as we're entering the parking lot, I can take my curlers out and put them in the sack.  Just doing my part.  The girls are not embarrassed AT ALL that I drive w/curlers in my hair.

Piano

The girls have begrudgingly taken piano lessons for about 2 years now.  I have held my ground (pat, pat) and despite the grueling Wednesday afternoons and daily 20 minute practice sessions, have not let them quit.  I have yet to meet an adult who doesn't wish they would have stuck with piano lessons - and by gosh my girls will know how to play piano!  Steve thinks it's flat out cold hearted to make them continue, me, I think I should be praised for helping them develop their talents. :)  Anyway, my endurance recently paid off when Rylee told me she loved piano.  SHE LOVED PIANO!!  I literally fell to the ground in shock.  WAHOO!  This was said the day she memorized a new song and passed off 3 new songs (they earn $.50 for every song they pass off - I'm a big fan of bribery) but I am sure she meant it!  I also enjoyed a short reprieve when their piano teacher(whom I adore), Sister Marianne Peredes, told Madison she had natural talent for piano and should really continue practicing...maybe I can get someone to say that every few weeks or so.

On stage at Studio B

working on uploading a video...  This %#$!^#*$ Mac doesn't have an SD slot?????

Nice pictures

Can you tell we love this red brick wall for photo ops?

Mom

*This blog is long and personal so feel free to skip!

Mom at my wedding in 1995

Things I learned from my mom (or Manaw as her grand kids call her)
*Independence
-I don't know too many women who could move from one city to the next with a u-haul containing a houseful of furniture, 6 kids and at least 3 different kinds of house pets in tow.
-I vividly remember (I don't remember much, especially vividly) walking into a new ward many different times (we moved, A LOT) and mom would smile (she was always smiling at everyone) with her head high and introduce herself and each one of her children. When we moved here to Texas, I was so embarrassed I hid behind Steve as he introduced us.
Although I am sure she did not want to do any of this on her own, she did it well, AND STRONG.
*To pray
-As far back as I can remember we always knelt around mom's bed for family prayer and most of the time we had 2-3 extra kids with us. Scripture study would come and go, but we ALWAYS had family prayer and mostly around her bed.
-I remember a time when Season and I had been very naughty as teenagers (I am sparing Maddie and Rylee the details) and she brought us home and into her bedroom without saying a word and asked us to kneel. I thought we were in for either a beating or a major grounding but she simply prayed for us, with us. I know she had run out of options and needed the Lord to intervene and like a wise, loving mother, she asked The Only One who could help us for help. That night was a major turning point for me.
That anything I wanted to do, I could
-I remember being in the bathtub one night (I think I was 10 or 11) and she came in to talk to me (we always did this - especially when she was in the tub...can't a lady get some alone time?) and she came in to talk to me. She was telling me how talented I was and told me I could do and be anything I wanted to. I have just about zero tangible talents yet I believed every word she told me. I told her I wanted to be a broadcast journalist (random, I know) when I grow up so she gave me ideas to practice. That began my sitting in front of the mirror talking gibberish because I was not familiar with the political terms I heard on T.V (heck, I'm still not)
*To love and respect all animals
-Again, don't know too many single, LDS women who picket a primate center because of un-ethical practices on chimpanzees.
-She had a 'pet' spider who lived in her shower and would say hello to it occasionally. She finally put it outside and set it free.
-I don't remember the details but as a young adult she asked me to help her with one of the propositions in Portland regarding a ban on cougar hunting. We solicited signatures and everything!
-We always had at least 2 dogs who were like family members. I remember the day I learned that some people kept their dogs outside and I was horrified.
-Her favorite picture was of the lamb and the lion (don't know the name) sitting in a field together and she talked often about how she couldn't wait for the day she could be with all animals.
*To keep a clean house
-Growing up my friends always commented on how clean my house always was, especially with so many kids and pets. Mom said she hated waking up to a mess, and I am the same way now.
-She once taught the Relief Society at Enrichment night different cleaning techniques (one of them was to finish the room you're in before you move on to the next which I am so guilty of)
To decorate on a budget
-Funds were low but her creativity was not. Many times we came home to our room being changed around for a new look.
-Our couch needed to be recovered so she bartered cleaning for reupholster from some guy in the paper.
*Entrepreneurship
Clearly this had an impression on me!
-I copied some (not all) of the different things she did and am amazed she did this on her own.
-She had the opportunity to go on a job interview to Seattle and Season & I really wanted to go with her. She told us we could go with her if we earned our plane ticket money. So...she taught us how to make suckers that we wrapped and sold for $.25 (or was it $.50?) We lived behind an elementary school and the kids would come to our fence and that is where we would conduct our business! Oh, the good ole days! Anyway, we met our goal and got to tag along with her!
-To love and respect nature and the environment
-To love reading- she always had good books
-To always strive for better
-That Heavenly Father knew ME personally
-To be friendly and smile
-To never gossip - I swear I never heard I say a bad thing about anyone (even our father - if that's what you call him)
To keep up with current events. I could ask her about anything going on in the world and she would know the answer, or find it.
I only wish she was here now, and I could tell her how grateful I am for her!

A newspaper article about her company and idea 'Earth Life Bag Co.'

The back and front of a door hanger we delivered for her to advertise her cleaning company.

A letter she drafted to give to grocery stores about her bags.

The logo she came up with for her enviromently friendly bag. She was WAY ahead of the game!