Hello Again!

I made a goal to update my blog today...And I'm doing it!

The first 3 pictures are never before seen pictures from 2 summers ago that I came across.

Blade came over, saw this picture and asked, "Why is my face like that?"
I said "because you were a little boy then".
"No, why am I brown?"
(he didn't even comment on the hairstyle Nicole had given him)
(We had been on vacation to Arizona, San Diego and Vegas)

Not too long ago, Blade had a conversation with Dave and it went something like this...
"You, Nicole and Chay are brown, and me and Mom are white".
"No, I'm Black and Mom is...yellow".
No, You, Nicole and Chay ARE BROWN and me and Mom ARE WHITE! See, (and pointed to his skin...sad but true, we are quite pale).
Apparently, this went on like this a couple of times and each time Blade was getting more upset and so Dave decided he better just let it go.

Michael and Petrea had visited us that summer also when they hiked around Southern Utah (if I remember correctly, Petrea was carrying Drew at the time)

The following 8 pictures are misplaced from January and February (before my birthday)

Blade got a new bike and I got a great deal!

Blade rides the bike throughout the front of the house and we've wondered how it is that he falls over so much with the training wheels still on. Last week I noticed that the training wheels are bent up a bit and can now easily understand how he could be tipping over. Those constant sharp turns to keep going around the room may have contributed to the need for and adjustment.

Chay finds things around the house to get into and he used the tools he received at Christmas and fixed the gumball machine that was stored in the basement (I thought that the main screw was missing). I was so impressed that Chay was able to take the entire thing apart and figure out how to repair it.

( he told Blade that it ONLY takes quarters)

I was tired of the freezer being FULL so on a cold day in... January, I de-iced the freezer, with alot of help from Blade. He really loves helping me with this annual event. Actually at a point it's me helping him.

When I replaced the food in an organized fashion, the freezer had plenty of space.

I love the opportunity Blade has to build something (for free) 3 times a month, once at Home Depot and twice at Lowe's. Chay will officially be too old for any on them on his birthday.

This display will be nice for the derby car that Chay build a few(couple) of years ago and won the second place trophy, which I think was nicer than the first place trophy.

For Valentine's Day I decided to make cookies for work but I changed my mind about the "for work" part after the kids got involved and decorated the cookies. Some were cute, some had ALOT of icing, and some...only a mother could love. All of the cookies TASTED GREAT!

Blade made me a jewelry holder for Valentine's...
...made with love as you can see.

Workshop #3

In March, Chay's Middle School put on the musical "The Wizard of Oz", and Chay was a Winkie (a soldier). It was a major time commitment for the students and Chay loved all of it. As the curtains opened and I saw the scenery, I was amazed by the quality of the work! Saying it was of professional quality is an understatement. Throughout the performance, the quality didn't change- the acting, singing, costumes and scenery were top notch! There was even flying across the stage!

Dave and I actually had a day off together and so we took Blade to the zoo. There are traditions when going to the zoo, and the Rhino is one of them.

I don't know who is more intrigued, Blade or the prairedog (grounghog? gopher?).

Chay looks forward to going to the Gem Faire each year just as much as I do- actually, I think he gets more excited than I do. This was the first faire this year (they usually come in April and in the summer) andI controlled myself and only bought a few sterling silver supplies (they didn't have the two sterling silver items I was REALLY looking for) and Chay bought some bone pendants, a shark's tooth and multiple 25 cent spins on a wheel. Chay has good luck when it comes to spinning wheels (years ago he spun a wheel when LoveSac was opening a store and he saved us 80 or 90%)

Chay won a clay block with "tools" to dig out a prize and he gave it to Blade.
Blade was so excited!

...I see something...

...it's a dinosaur!...

(that blurred action shot of the hand is an indication of the excitement in the air)

APRIL brought GREAT times!!
I LOVE FAMILY!

Sorry Candi for this shot but I had to share it so that people know what is out there available to buy to help solved everyday (night) problems.
Doug found a box of "these" at my "favorite" store (that title is slowing changing but I don't know to what) for a "can't lose" price. You stick it to your face before you go to bed and it stops you from snoring...and when you remove it in the morning, your skin is exfoliated and you have no black/white heads. Okay, I added that last part, the company doesn't promise that.

Doug thought it helped but, the girls verified that it did NOT, he was actually quieter the night before when he WASN'T wearing it.

Nicole wanted shiskabobs and with Takahashis visiting, it was the perfect time to make them because that's almost a tradition now.

I loved it that they all pitched in to help. My kids had their special combination of things that they only ate.
I also learned that Candi normally does not touch raw meat...and she freely did so while helping us and she did an exceptional job. Come to think of it, I don't think Jamie touches raw meat either...and she didn't give any indication of that either.

Our next project was cutting up silk ties to decorate eggs. First we had to make sure that the "men" didn't want any of the thrift store ties before we cut them up.

...then we wrapped and tied...

...and then we boiled...

VOILA

I should have read full instructions so that I would have known the tips to get the entire egg covered with the pattern. When Candi said that it had to be snug she wasn't exaggerating.

Then we moved on to the Ukranian eggs. Most of them were done with blown out eggs
...and quite of few of them were broken...
But, the blowing out part had the most laughs. We may need to invest in a egg sucking out syringe for the future though.

Then it was down to some serious work.

Thanks Sheila for all the supplies. This is the third year for us.
Doug got involved later in the process...

...and took it more seriously than the rest. He did research online and did a very intricate design. I think that he is part Ukranian.

Nicole resting comfortably, or completely bored, while melting the wax off her egg.

Blade's finished project.

He was very involved in the project...
I was thrilled that nothing caught on fire and that he didn't get burned. He wasn't worried or concerned about that issue but "many" were.

Some of our finished work.

There were some great designs. I was impressed and amazed with the work. I have a difficult time figuring out the whole process because it's backwards work and you have to have a plan.

On Saturday we really did watch Conference and the "kids" played Conference Bingo (as long as I didn't charge for the Bingo cards it's okay right?)
There were prizes for Bingo, four corners and black out (no one got a black out because on Saturday no one mentioned the first vision, family history and a couple of other things).

Notice how everyone has his or her head down focused intently? There were "packets" for conference but the BINGO and coloring parts (draw the GAs tie, color the GA and his suit) were the winners.
(Even on Sunday morning when I fell back asleep and then woke up 20 minutes late, Nicole and Chay were intently listening to Conference with their bingo cards in place.)

Chay hasn't had his hair straightened for a long time and it was apparent how long his hair has become (even though he had a trim a few weeks ago) after Nicole straightened it. It was just too long. Jenelle worked on some braids. Who would have ever thought that there would be a picture of Jenelle braiding Chay's hair... Nicole's hair, yes but, Chay's....

Grandma treated all of us to dinner a couple of times to celebrate the 3 birthdays in April and Candi's that just barely passed, and also told me to pick up a cake to make it official. She didn't want me to take the time to make one and to just pick one up....so I did. Who am I to argue? I decided to keep it small because if there was left over cake, I know who would eat it...ME!
Thanks Mom/Grandma for treating us to Chinese Gourmet and Cafe Rio!

...thanks for getting a cake for Blade...

...or so it seemed in the candle lit room...

...I don't even know what to say about this picture...
Candi, you look great!

On Sunday morning there was little snow when Doug, Candi, Jamie and Jenelle left for home.
On Monday morning (whatever the 6th was) when I opened the door to leave for work, I sounded like Blade..."wow" was all that came out of my mouth.

It was wonderful having those 4 for the week. The week went by too quickly and we just didn't have enough time together.
So, we joined Doug, Alana and Jamie in Idaho Falls the following Saturday! Alana had a wedding to attend in Idaho Falls and with Judy and Jenelle in Hawaii, Doug and Jamie drove down to keep Alana company, and being ony 3 hours away, it gave us the perfect excuse for a road trip!

Our room had a fridge and microwave and so we were able to have treats available, ice cream, root beer floats and popcorn were the treats of choice.

On Saturday night, we were able to all get together and we played a drawing game that Doug learned from our cousin Calvin. I had heard about how much fun it was and that night I found out for myself that it really IS a fun game. At one point we were all laughing, and okay, I was laughing the hardest, I'll admit it, and the phone rang. Who would be calling us at 11:00 at night in Idaho Falls? Management would...."could you please try to keep it down". That was a first for me. I made it through high school basketball trips, trips with friends while a single young adult without "disturbing the peace" and then on a family trip in "Idaho" I get "the" call. Go figure...

Good times...
Have I said recently how much I love family?

Today I made good on a promise, and took Blade to the park to feed the birds (seagulls, geese, ducks, pigeons, whatever came around).

He didn't want to just "toss" the bread in, he wanted to "throw" the bread as far as he could or as high as he could. As a mother, watching Blade throw the bread the way Blade does, and with his feet hanging over the edge like in the picture, was alittle too intense for me.

Since I was at Costco filling up with gas so Nicole would have a full tank for her journey to her lacrosse game today (1 hr 45 min way), I stopped at the party store across the street to look for supplies to make a birthday cake for Blade (I was unsuccessful at finding what I needed), Nicole spotted this hat and had to have Blade try it on. I miss Blade having long hair...

That was a long entry. Whoever is still reading this, thanks for hanging in there, and I'll try to post a new blog before another 2 months go by.