Baptism Day

Marie was a little angel all weekend. We're so proud of her. Thanks everyone who was able to make it a special day for Marie.

Sunday Dinner with Grandma Jane and Papa Randy

My parents came to visit for the afternoon. The cat Tessa is holding showed up in our backyard on Saturday. The kids thought it was a gift from God. Strangly enough, the cat allowed the kids to do just about anything to him, including dress him up, push him in the shopping cart, and throw him down the slide. He stayed for two days and then vanished again.

Marie's Birthday

Finished just in the nick of time.

Happy Tax Day, everyone. Here are the cupcakes I made for Marie's class. The idea came from a book my mother-in-law gave me titled, Hello Cupcake! I have to admit these cupcakes were not Marie's first choice. She really wanted the princess ones, but I just didn't have the strength. (That, and I'd probably have to drive to another state to get all the ingredients.) Perhaps next year...

Ben and Grace Eating Lunch

Ben and Grace asked me if they could eat lunch outside. Here is the view from my kitchen window.

Musuem of Science and Natural History

My dad scored some awesome tickets the weekend of my birthday. Had a great time, but you know me--I don't take a whole lot of pictures.

Is it Spring Yet?

Two weeks ago was our first sunny day in a long long time. Although it was a mere 45 degrees and there was still snow on the ground, it felt so good. After church, the kids decided to sun bath while I made lunch.

The Brontosauras

I had a really weird moment the other day. When I opened the garage door, I saw this car parked in front of my neighbor's house. For a split second, I thought, "Oh, Mom is here to pick me up." Totally bizarre, but funny. For those of you who don't know, this 15-seater commuter van was our family's mode of transportation for the last 10 years of my childhood. Some days, I drove it to school when the maggot was out of commission.

Do you know what it is like to back out of a high school parking lot driving this?! And I was grateful because it sure beat what I usually drove. I remember being really disappointed my senior year when I didn't win the "Ugliest Car in the Lot" yearbook competition. For once, I thought I had something in the bag.

St. Patrick's Day 5K Run

A few weeks ago my girl friends and I ran the Shannon O' the Green 5K. We looked pretty silly, but had a blast. Despite the obnoxious head gear, cold weather, and heavy layers, I was able to shave two minutes off my time (compared to when I placed 3rd in Seth's school meet last fall).

Ben's New Room

I started this project after Christmas. Ben started moving in as soon as I put in the lockers, but I didn't move his bed in until today. He feels pretty special.

Most of the squares are cork so he can pin up his pictures, but I put a few mirrors on this side.

Ben added all the "finishing touches" (super soaker, handcuffs, etc.).
This is the "before" picture (well, after I put in the fan).

Blue and Gold Banquet

I don't know but I've been told,

It is time for Blue and Gold!

Sound off...

What can I say? We rocked the house. The BSA's theme was "Light a Candle." Huh?! So we changed their lame theme to something more macho: The Military. The CSU ROTC came to do our flag ceremony. Some people got teary eyes. All of our in-active boys in primary were in attendance --with the exception of two. We presented dog tags to all the boys (while playing the Top Gun theme) and served MRE desserts.

Sitting on camo blankets.

Tribute to soldiers in the background.

The kids pose in front of a WWII tent.

An awesome group of leaders.

St. Major Olsen gives us the game plan.

The ROTC guys prepare to present the colors (while the Young Women swoon).

A talk about why we do a flag ceremony.




Tug of war. When it was the adults' turn, the rope broke.

Camo face paint.

Camo cookies.

Pizza pot-luck.

Part of our obstacle course.

Hello, Sailor!

Crawling under barbed wire.

Experiences from a veteran.

The presentation of the dog tags.

Some happy Cub Scouts.