Friends = family you get to choose.

On Saturday our wonderful friends Howard and Sandi Collins said goodbye to California and started on the road for their new home in South Dakota.  Their home here sat on the market for quite a while, but things moved VERY quickly once it sold, and all of a sudden we were bidding farewell to friends we've known for 17 years so far.  Jason has reminded all of us:  it's not goodbye, it's "see you later," and I've held on to that wisdom when I start feeling down about the change.

Howard and Sandi are adopted family.  Before they left I made copies for them of all the pictures I could find on my computer of them with us and our kids.  There were over 80 photos that together told a marvelous story of a couple who embraced our kids and supported their achievements, milestones, activities, recitals, and birthdays.  We celebrated holidays together, had barbecues and swim parties.  Howard and Sandi came to stay with us when we were living on the East Coast.  They gave Wade a steady, weekly job for almost two years.  We could be ourselves and talk freely with them.

I hope they know how much we love them and appreciate them!  Their friendship and kindness has filled a major void for us, living so far away from other family members--we are so grateful for them!

We love you, Howard and Sandi!

October 2005

October 2005

Farewell dinner at Bernardino's, April 2017

A very happy 4th of July!

July 4th was a wonderful day!  We got up "early" and headed to the stake center for the annual 4th of July program.  Several children in our stake performed songs and dances to tell about the history of our country.  They did a fantastic job!   It was fun and patriotic with a lot of heart!  Loved it!

(The activity was open to all kids, but ours weren't interested.  And that's okay, because I wasn't in the mood to force them into it, either!  Maybe another year!)

We enjoyed catching up with friends and hung around to help clean up a bit afterwards, and then we headed to the fireworks stand closest to our home and STOCKED UP!

I think Rhiannon's expressions tell it all!  Sparklers are the BOMB!

Driveway fireworks are where it's at!  Thanks, Daddy, for the fireworks show, and
THANK YOU, Howard and Sandi, for sharing your Wyoming fireworks stash, too!

We enjoyed dinner together with Howard and Sandi, visiting, and enjoying the perfect 4th of July weather. 
And check out those layered 4th of July Jell-O squares!  They took a little time to make, but I had a BLAST doing it!

That's a first

We had a great time last night finishing up Jason's birthday celebrations.  We had Howard and Sandi over for a huge dinner of baked salmon, wild rice, salad, pineapple, asparagus, and some yummy bread that Sandi made.  Then we kicked back to watch Jason open a few gifts with the 49ers/Giants game in the background.

For the first time in our marriage, I did not make Jason a birthday cake.

He didn't want one.

And I was okay with that...

because it's pretty cool (and a lot easier) to put a candle in an apple instead! :)

We had some delish ice cream sandwiches, too, so you don't have to worry about us!

Rhiannon turns 11!

Thank you SO MUCH for the phone calls, messages, and happy thoughts sent Rhiannon's way for her birthday.  She loved it all!

Rhiannon turned 11 on Memorial Day.  We went to a ward pancake breakfast and then came home and put her to work helping us assemble the new solar cover for the pool.  Not the greatest birthday activity, but we sure appreciated the help!   

In the afternoon the whole family went to see Thor at the movie theater.  It was pretty good!  (Thanks, Dad, for the movie treats!)  Rhiannon was very gracious and didn't mind Wade going to a friend's b-day party that afternoon, too.

Howard and Sandi joined us for a Pizza Hut dinner that night and more birthday celebrating in the evening.  Rhiannon was excited about the books, clothes, and birthday money she opened!  She also had a great time opening up an oyster from Howard and Sandi and finding her first pearl.  The pearl fit inside this cute turtle necklace. 

The next day Rhiannon took cupcakes to school for her class and said they all enjoyed them!

Then yesterday we concluded the birthday festivities with a swim party.  Her guests were her excited brother Wade and friends Sophia, Nick, Kyler, Keagan, Natalie, Janelle, JenAi and Halle.  The kids were WONDERFUL!  We had an owl theme and made some fun pins (thank you, Oriental Trading) and decorated cupcakes.  We played one game that we borrowed from our friends the Evans family, where you take turns chipping away at this frozen candy bar and let someone else have a turn when they roll doubles.  It was perfect and EASY and the kids loved it.  I sure was glad when Rhiannon gave me the hint about playing the game outside--I'd been really worried about banging on any of our tables indoors--it was painless out on the patio cement! :)  The rest of the time the kids enjoyed swimming, swimming, and more swimming.  (Can I just say right now how much I love the solar cover?  Not only does it keep a LOT of debris out of the pool with the never-ending wind we have, but it also made the pool water temperature bearable.  It's been unseasonably cooler here--I'm not complaining about it!, but without that cover on the pool, I'm not sure a pool party would have ever happened! :)) 

Our party guests and birthday girl looked like they had a wonderful time.  It is always a pleasure having kids over who are polite and know how to have some good, clean fun! 

Rhiannon is a loving daughter, kind sister, and loyal friend.  She brings joy to our home and really makes life easy for her parents!  Happy birthday, sweetheart!  We love you!!!!!!!!!!! 

Catch-up

It's very windy this morning--perfect weather for staying indoors and getting important things done, like updating the blog!  :) 

Rhiannon:

--Has been sick for over a month.  After two doctor's visits last month and a 10-day run of antibiotics, she is still congested and has a crazy cough.  Allergies?  Cold?  Right now we're dealing with it a day at a time.  I keep hoping that she'll wake up one morning like it never happened.

--Took away a LOT of awards at last month's school assembly for reading and math.  The big one was finishing all of the 5th grade math objectives in the Accelerated Math program.

--Missed the "Growth and Development" videos at school because she was home sick, so instead she got to watch them with me at home over a big bowl of popcorn.  That's the way to go! :)

--Participated in an ensemble recital with the music teacher's association here in town.  She played "Babbling Bears" with her friend Elise, and they both did a great job!



Rhiannon with Elise

With her teacher Melanie McDonald, a wonderful, kind teacher!

Wade:

Hippie Wade in his cool tie-dye shirt!

--has been to a lot of baseball practices lately!  He had a 2-hour one last weekend!  He told me this morning that he was worried about the scrimmage scheduled for today, saying, "You have to actually get people out, Mom!"  Yep, it's a lot more intense than t-ball.  I tried to help him by saying that he just needed to try his best, listen to his coaches, and have fun! 

--is quite the party animal.  He's had fun at some birthday parties recently for kids in his Primary class and had a great time!

--has lost 4 teeth so far.

--still loves Encyclopedia Brown books, and has been reading the Alex Ryder books (teenage 007-type books).

--LOVES, LOVES, LOVES Indiana Jones right now.  We lined up the movies in our Netflix list and have enjoyed the first 2 so far.  (He quotes the Sandlot movie a ton, too, and laughs hard at all the funny parts in that movie!)

Jason:

--tore out the rest of the reeds around the front pond outside.  This was a big job and should make maintenance much easier there! 

--work has been very stressful lately, but he's managing!  He hopes to move into a new building this week.  Last week he was in Nevada, this week he's home, and next week he'll be in D.C.

--has taken me and the kids out with him for "target practice" with some guns south of town a couple times so far this year.  He is very patient with us, and it's been a good learning experience.  My hands weren't quite as shaky last time. :)

--for all the ups and downs that he deals with, I think he really enjoys working with the youth in our ward as Young Men president, and he's good at it!  Right now he and the other leaders are focusing on teaching about the importance of an education with some cool activities and presentations.  (Ask him about it!)

Me?  Well, I'm the home manager and taxi driver.  I'm trying to exercise more.  Sub jobs have been infrequent, and that's okay!  I finally pulled weeds out in the yard this weekend and made a good dent in them, even though there's still lots more.  Primary is going well.  And, yes, I still try to sneak in a Psych episode here and there for my "put-your-feet-up" time!

On Saturday we got some much needed Howard-and-Sandi-time in.  Sandi invited the kids over to make green tie-dye shirts for St. Patrick's Day, and it was cool!  The shirts look gray in the picture, but really it's a nice dark green color.

Thanks, Sandi, for that fun project!!!!