Mid-season check-up

Chacity is developing quite an appreciation for the sport. Her team has a 6/3 record. Not Bad for a first timer!

Check out the cone monster!

He chose the fashion design himself - STYLIN'

Happy Birthday Chelsea

Chinese food and shopping! What more could a girl wish for on her birthday? I know, someone else to do your kitchen chores. Which is exactly what Karrie, Brad and Chacity did. What a great day!

All for the good of the cause!

We have been working to get the basement finished. Scott and I lived in the unfinished bedroom down there for the past fifteen or so years and now it is finally getting finished. The walls are just about done. The tile in the bathroom is well on its way and the laminate flooring is in the process. It is the later that caused Andy to shed blood and curse a bit. He was ever-so gently coaxing a piece of flooring into position with his trusty German hammer when he smacked his thumb - full force!

What a crazy week!

Memorial Day this year came in with a double whammy. In addition to being a great family day, it was also Bradley's 15th birthday. He asked for a fish tank and ribs for dinner. That is just what he got. We bar-b-qued 16 racks of baby back ribs. They were exceptional. Shayne helped us shop for his fish tank and volunteered to set it up if we got Brad out of the house. So, we all went to the movies to see the new Prince Caspian, Chronicles of Narnia flick. Brad was so excited when he got home and found it all set up in his room. He can't wait to get fish in it.




Family Fun

Family ties

 
 
 
 

Another third Sunday. Good food, conversation and fun.

The Morning After

He is quite proud of this one!

Weekend Warrior

Well it seems no good day goes unpunished. There is nothing better to top off a great Saturday than an evening of softball tossing at the neighborhood school. So, of course, that's where Shayne, Kim and the kids all went. About 20 minutes later they returned with Leo and his first shiner (of many to come I am afraid). No one can ever say that he is afraid of the ball. He ran right after it and watched it bounce and smack him right in the face.

Buddies in a Barrow

What fun! Gabe slept over with the boys and they had a great time. After Lady and the Tramp II, everyone went right to sleep. YEAH! The morning was all for boys. We worked outside for the first time this year since it was such a beautiful day. The work exposed a new sand pile and a wheelbarrow full of dirt to play in and play they did. When Justin and Melo came to pick Gabe up, I warned them he was pretty dirty. But, I did not know that he was literally rolling in the dirt. We found two little boys in the wheelbarrow of dirt rubbing it in their hair and on their faces. Justin had to bathe Gabe before he could even go home. We had such a good time that we added pizza to the mix and had a little party. I love weekends!

So sorry salesman!

Bradley did the funniest thing tonight! A door-to-door salesman came to the door tonight and Brad answered the door. When asked if his parents were home, he responded with "No, they are in Africa." (completely serious) "Africa huh?"responded the salesman. "Yes,in Chad," answered Brad. The salesman, caught off guard responded with,"I know Chad." To which Brad declared, "It's hot in Chad." The salesman questioned if Chad was a city. Brad repeated, "It's hot in Chad." After which the salesman asked when his parents would return. "Next week." was the reply and he closed the door.
It was so entertaining to watch from the vantage point of the living room that BriAnna offered to pay him $5.00 next time if he would don a helmet and bang his head on the door frame while he conversed at the door. Where is a video camera when you need one?

Monday Night Softball

Another girls softball game and another win for Chacity's team. She is learning and having a great time. That's what it is all supposed to be about.

Mother's Day

What a great day! The weather was beautiful and we had a peaceful wonderful day. Dan, Brandy and the girls, along with Shayne, Kim and Seth joined all of us and Grandma for breakfast at Golden Corral since our church is late in the afternoon and Dad loves to go out to breakfast. He says that it brings back great memories from his childhood. I love spending time with everybody. The kids are great fun. It was so much fun to watch watch Dan and Brandy as parents. They have changed and grown so much over the last year. And Shayne and Kim have developed such a good relationship with the younger kids that it is fun to see them interact and share with each other. It is so good for all of them.
After church, Justin & Melo and the boys came over. Gabe, Leo, Will, Jaxon and Seth are such good buds that they just play so well. And Tug is the most delightful baby. He is even smiley and cheerful when he gets woke up.
Terrie and Steven and their girls came for dinner to spend time with Grandma. It is sure nice to have space for everyone to get together when they want to and be separate when they want to do different activities. What a blessing.

Munchkin Sleepover

The boys had a great time with their impromptu sleepover Friday night. They are such good buddies!

Hey, I found this as I was cruising through the zoo pictures. Chelsea did the video so it is sideways. You will have to turn your head to view it but it is a little off anyway! Stay tuned for Andy's rendition of the Swazie quick step.

Wow! We decided to go to the zoo today. Yes, we did sluff church and in BriAnna's observation, it bit us in the bum! We all shoehorned ourselves into the van under protest from BriAnna. Jaxon persuaded her to go along with the plan. We made our way slowly through the zoo without incident, having quite a pleasant time for the most part. Bradley pushed Grams in a wheelchair so that she would not get tired and could enjoy the day. We brought lots of water and snacks so the kids stayed happy. And, we left the playground for last so they all had something to look forward to - the little ones could play and the big ones could sit upon their hinies for a while. The playground, however, proved to be the 'undoing' of the day. Jaxon turned the opposite direction getting off the slide and became disoriented. He started to cry and a women got to him before any of us. She assumed he was lost and took him to the front gate guest services. Kim stayed with the other boys and the rest of us split into different routes to retrieve him. By the time that Shayne reached him, Jaxon was hysterical and the rest of us were emotional messes. Then when we met back up, Leo had wandered off into the prairie dog cave oblivious to anything going on. That was two-too many scares for all of us. Dad took Leo by the arm and declared (loud enough for the entire zoo to hear) that Leo would not go anywhere without a leash from now on.
Then the drama just got worse...
Some busy-body piece of ... decide that he would save Leo from dad and followed them towards the gate. Shayne heard him and went to intercept. The guy started making loud accusations at dad traumatizing Leo and angering dad. Shayne got his attention by knocking his hat off his head. By that time, Grams had caught up and stepped in between them trying to calm Leo, who by this time was so scared of this want-a-be do-gooder. The man soon turned around and sputtered back to his group passing by all the rest of us. Leo cried all the way to the car. It took the whole ride home for everyone to calm down. What a way to end a great day!

Scott has a 24 hour shift tonight at the fire station so we all sat around the living room for a chat fest. Grandma just got home from Arizona today after watching Mary's
kids while she and James attended a Guinea Pig convention in Idaho. So she joined in too. We decide to engage in some intense psyco-analytical therapy by taking the Princess quiz. Andy refused to participate. However, he video taped the whole event on BriAnna's phone causing her to freak out that her batteries would not last. We were all entertained at her expense. I will upload the video if I can figure out how!
The results were pretty funny. BriAnna stumped the quiz however. She was equally divided between three. We all knew that she was bi-polar. After much discussion, Esmarelda won out as her princess. Chelsea is Ariel. Karrie is Pocahontas, Grandma is Mulan and Chacity is yet to be decided. Maybe we will have round two with Scott tomorrow!

Gram's results

You Are Mulan!

Strong and spirited. You're no one's girly girl; actually you are very determined person with a strong sense of self. Never let go of that! The only thing that equals your sense of self is your family, but the traditions of society can always be bent to protect something or someone you love.

BriAnna's results

You Are Esmerelda!

Mysterious and passionate. You are a survivor. Even though life has swung you some difficult situations you have a strong intuition that gets you through. Also, you have the capacity to sympathize and relate to a variety of different people.

Chelsea's results

You Are Ariel!

Headstrong and fiesty. You have a mind of your own that's full of romantic dreams about the world around you. Exploring exotic places is your ultimate dream, and although you can be a little naive you'll realize that there is something to be gained from your family's wisdom.

Karrie's results

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Keali's results

Independent and adventurous. You don't want much; just to break out of the guilded cage society has put you in and experience life to the fullest. Following orders isn't really one of your strong points, and you would rather live a life of poverty than being forced into something that you hate.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

...so we begin!

O.K. - with much prompting we begin our family blog. It is hard to speak for such a diverse crowd. So, our entries will probably collaborative efforts as we chat around the living room. That seems to be a practice that began years ago and has been revitalized as teen-agers have filled the house. The big news for anyone who is familiar with our legacy is that Zeb is on a date this evening. A date of his own volition. He asked a girl from school to go to the Jazz play-off game tonight. Since he has only dated about 5 times in the last 9 years and most of those were blind dates, this day is truly momentous.