Talent Show

Today was our Primary Talent Show, and it was just about the cutest thing I have ever seen. We had lots of singers, dancers, joke-tellers, piano players, and too many more to name. The kids were very creative.
The Sunbeams were performing a song together, but Jackson decided he also wanted to perform a song by himself. He chose I Am A Child Of God, and rocked the house. He got right up there in front of everyone and sang as loudly and clearly as he could. It was great, and really cute.

Look how he has to go up on his tip toes to reach the microphone.

It is amazing to me that he has no fear doing this.

Megan and her friend Allie performed a jump-rope routine to music. They made up the entire routine themselves and did a really great job. It was very fun to watch. Megan is quite a good jump-roper and I was impressed by the tricks she knows. They had kept the routine a secret, so I got to see it for the first time with everyone else. I am just happy Megan went up at all. She doesn't usually have fear going up in front of people, but she had a major meltdown before performing. I still have no idea what the cause of it was, but it was over fairly quickly. Girl drama really gets to me sometimes.

At the end all of the kids received medals.


Our first talent show was a success!

All about me, again

1. What time did you get up this morning?	6:30 a.m. and not very happy about it
2. Diamonds or pearls?	I'll take either. But diamonds if I have to choose.
3. What was the last film you saw?	At the theater: Kung Fu Panda At home: Parenthood (circa 1980's)
4. What is your favorite TV shows?	I love T.V.! The Office, Any Bravo reality show
5. What do you usually have for breakfast?	Nothing! Sometimes a little orange juice.
6. What is your middle name?	I don't have one
7. What food do you dislike?	Green vegetables
8. What is your favorite CD at the moment?	Phil Vassar
9. What kind of car do you drive?	Yukon
10. Favorite sandwich?	Mushroom Cheese Steak, Peanut Butter and Jelly
11. What characteristic do you despise?	Meanness, fakeness
12. Favorite item of clothing?	Jeans
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?	Europe, China (I really want to see the Great Wall)
14. Favorite brand of clothing?	Old Navy
15. Where would you retire to?	I have no idea
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?	They have all run together.
17. Favorite sport to watch?	Probably football or basketball. Not of my own free will.
18. Favorite movie quote?	"Drop that zero and get with the hero" Vanilla Ice (Cool As Ice)
19. Best Romantic Comedy?	I can't recall one that I absolutely loved.
20. When is your birthday?	October 2, 1977
21. Are you a morning person or a night person?	More of an afternoon person. But more night than morning.
22. What is your shoe size?	5 1/2 - 6
23. Pets?	We are pet free.
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?	Eric's home, not out of town or working late.
25. What did you want to be when you were little?	Television newscaster
26. What did you today?	Cleaned the house, made lunch, went to the Primary talent show dress rehearsal, overheated in the extreme heat!
27. What is your favorite candy?	Snickers
28. What is your favorite flower?	Gerber Daisies
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?	September 15th - school is finally starting
30. What are your favorite pastimes?	Reading, watching T.V., blogging
31. What are you listening to right now?	Sadie crying, wanting to be picked up.
32. What was the last thing you ate?	Salmon and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (I have this every day for lunch)
33. Do you wish on stars?	You bet!
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?	A nice soft blue color.
35. How is the weather right now?	When I got in my car a couple of hours ago it said 117 degrees. It is hot today.
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today?	Rachael. 90% of the time it is Rachael.
37. Favorite soft drink?	This is the easiest question to answer. Dr. Pepper
38. Favorite restaurant?	Zabas, Chilis, Macaroni Grill
39. Real hair color?	Dark Blond
40. What was your favorite toy as a child?	I loved dolls
41. Summer or winter?	Summer
42. Hugs or kisses?	Kisses
43. Chocolate or Vanilla?	Chocolate
44. Coffee or tea?	I used to love iced tea. Now I don't drink either.
45. Favorite cleaning product?	Swiffer products
46. When was the last time you cried?	I can't remember. I think on vacation a few weeks ago.
47. What is under your bed?	Wrapping paper, blankets, sheets
48. What did you do last night?	Went to Zaba's for dinner. Took and picked up Megan from activity days.
49. What are you afraid of ?	Snakes, I worry about my kids or husband being injured
50. Salty or sweet?	Salty
51. How many keys on your key ring?	3
52. How many years at your current job?	7 years as a stay-at-home mom
53. Favorite day of the week?	Saturday
54. How many towns have you lived in?	Between 6 and 10
55. Do you make friends easily?	I think so
**Will you do this meme too?**

What Happened?

I don't know how it happened, but I realized yesterday that my little Sadie is growing up. With my other kids, especially my first, I was so excited when they learned new skills. But with Sadie I was in no hurry. You can imagine my surprise when I walked into my room yesterday and found this.

I had no idea she could pull herself up, or was even close to it. Doesn't she look so proud of herself.

And look at her sitting up so straight.

And after a lot of finger sucking and some crying, she now has her first tooth. I am no longer in denial, my little baby is growing up.

SPT

The SPT theme for the month of August is based on the Olympic Motto:
Citius, Altius, Fortius
(Faster, Higher, Stronger)

Higher (Altius)

Do you know what I am doing that is higher this month? I will tell you. I am paying higher bills. My power bill, water/sewer/garbage bill, Internet bill, and health insurance have all gone up this month. Needless to say I am not thrilled. Not to mention the higher gas and food prices. Now if we were making more money I probably would not complain as much. But when prices keep going up and wages are staying the same, it just doesn't add up.

More Swimming Lessons

We just finished another round of swimming lessons. Both of the kids did really great. This past year Megan's swimming ability has really increased. She is now officially a swimmer.





We decided to put Jackson in private swimming lessons. Just kidding. None of the other kids showed up. Very weird. It meant that Jackson got a lot of individualized attention and basically had someone to play exclusively with him. How cool is that? He did really great this time. Last session he would not go under the water, but this session he had no problem with it. It was great.





Today Jackson was supposed to go down the big slide, but when he got over there he thought better of it and chose to go down the small slide instead.

Jackson and Sadie waiting for Megan's class to end.

SPT

The SPT theme for the month of August is based on the Olympic Motto:

Citius, Altius, Fortius
(Faster, Higher, Stronger)

Stronger

To me strength is internal. I don't have big muscles or the endurance to do much physically, but I do have the endurance and strength to succeed in any path I choose to take (even if that path is to gain big muscles) . Growing up, it truly never occurred to me that I would have limitations based on my sex. Women that grew up just the generation before me did not always have that luxury. My goodness we couldn't even vote until 1920 and I have a grandma that was born before that. I am strong-willed (and maybe a little stubborn), but I always know that if I have a challenge I am strong enough to overcome it (or at least deal with it).

Me and Rosie (actually in my research last night I found out this picture is not the original Rosie the Riveter). Nevertheless, to me she represents strong women everywhere. We are capable, willing to help and can get the job done. We are pretty cool.

I am a girl, therefore I am strong.
(and yes I am wearing tissue paper on my head)

This Is Why

This is why we leave big pillows next to Jackson's bed:


So when he falls off, the place he lands is just as cozy as the place he came from.

Today I'm Sad

Actually I have been in and out of sadness all week because one of my friend's is moving. Not only is she one of my bff's, she is also my neighbor, so I am losing two different aspects of her. Bekah is the best. She is so funny, beautiful, sweet and truly one of the most loving people I have ever met. We can talk for hours and my kids would choose to play every day at her house if they could. She has helped me and taught me more things that I can relate here. Now I do realize things could be worse. She is not moving horribly far away, but far enough that I won't see her all of the time. My kids are also losing their friends and Eric is losing his tennis partner. What will we do! Life goes on, but we will all sure miss them.

I am also sad today because I have the biggest zit on my face that I think I have ever had. So big that I am considering not leaving the house for a few days. I will spare you a picture.

Trip to Washington

Last Wednesday we left on our long-awaited trip to Washington to visit Eric's family. We spent the first half of our trip at a family reunion for Eric's moms side of the family. The first day while the guys golfed, us girls took the kids to the lake. When we pulled up to the lake, it was raining. I thought to myself, "I wonder what we are going to do now, since it is raining, and there is no way we can swim in the rain." Apparently, not being from Washington I did not understand that rain does not change plans. So we all got out of our cars and swam in the rain. It turned out just fine, and the kids didn't mind it a bit (not even Sadie).

We spent the rest of the day getting settled into the cabin, eating, and having a campfire program. We sang lots of songs, watched some skits, and had smores. I had to leave early however, because one of the skits that I was chosen for, involved getting buckets of water thrown on me. I was soaked. I literally had to wring out my hair multiple times. But it was memorable and I am sure fun for everyone to watch.

Day 2:

The morning of day 2 was spent playing games with all of the kids. They had so many things planned. Numerous water games, parachute games, and a form of kick ball that had a crazy name that I don't remember.

Miss Sade loved the swing and smiled and smiled while on it. Not too far away the kids found an enormous ant hill, and a snakes head. The next day they found the rest of the snakes body. I almost passed out from fear.

That afternoon we headed out to the Ape caves with Eric's brother's Chad and Derek, along with Krista (Chad's wife), and Kate (their cute little girl). Before we went I thought they were caves that Ape's had made in the side of the mountain. You can imagine my surprise when we got there and I found out it was a huge (13,000 foot) underground lava tube that was formed from a Mount St. Helens eruption 1900 years ago. I also have to mention that it is extremely cold in this cave (about 40 degrees). Since I was unaware of this, we didn't exactly come in warm clothing. My kids were both freezing the entire time. Megan was so scared to go in that we literally had to pull her. We hiked about 30 minutes in and then turned around and came back out. Even though the kids complained a whole lot, I am sure that they will be happy the did it (It just may take them a few years to register that happiness).

Megan and Jackson with Uncle Derek. Sadie loved Derek and spent much of the trip cuddled up to him.


Although Megan and Jackson didn't enjoy the caves much, Sadie didn't mind them a bit. She was extremely content in her carrier and didn't make a peep the entire time. Luckily I did have a jacket for her in the car.

We spent the rest of the day playing at the cabin. There were so many things to do. Tennis, volleyball, pool, foos ball, hiking, a playground, not to mention a whole lot of area for the kids to run free.
I have to note Megan's injury tally for the day. She was hit by a ball twice (each hit left her with a big bruise). She fell off a swing onto her head (she still has a goose egg on the back of it). And she burnt herself with the lantern from the cave 2 times (once on her arm and once on her finger-they both left big blisters). Not to mention we had a bathroom issue that I won't even go into. I almost locked her in the room so she couldn't get hurt anymore.

Day 3:

On day 3 we packed up to go to Eric's parents house about 1 1/2 hours away. On the way we stopped at Mount St. Helens. I had never been and really wanted to go. It added a couple of hours to our trip but it was worth it.

When we first arrived there was a big cloud covering the top of the mountain.

However by the time we watched the movie about the eruption and climbed to the top viewing area, the cloud had moved, and we had a great view.

I am including this picture of Eric and Jackson because anytime anyone would ask Jackson to pose for a picture he would do this crazy bent knee model pose. At least he wasn't sticking his tongue out like he usually does.

Sadie playing the drums. I don't think it would have been possible for Sadie to have been any better on this trip. I think it was because she loves to be held, and there were plenty of people around to do that. She was so content and happy the entire time.

Day 4:

Eric's parents 40th wedding anniversary was the day of Megan's baptism, so we all celebrated it this last Saturday. A couple of Eric's brothers made an amazing video that we all contributed pictures for. It was set to music and celebrated the 40 years they had been married.

Don't they look so in love?

We also got new family pictures taken. Here are some of them.

Eric's family

Eric's parents will the grandkids

Eric with his brothers and parents

We had so much fun with everyone. We got to see so many new things, had plenty of time to hang out, ate a lot of great food, and played plenty of games. In my view, it was pretty perfect.

SPT

The SPT theme for the month of August is based on the Olympic Motto:

Citius, Altius, Fortius
(Faster, Higher, Stronger)

These words encourage the athlete to give his or her best during the competition, and to view this effort as a victory in itself. Each Tuesday this month we will do the same challenge. Each week think about the Olympic motto, and how it can apply to our every day lives. Are we giving our best? Can we find victories in the efforts we make every day?

This past weekend we were in Washington and took a day trip to go and see Mount St. Helens. So for this picture I am focusing on Higher.

I trekked higher up the trail.....

To get a better view of Mount St. Helens