Happy Birthday Joshers!

Tomorrow is Joshua's 17th birthday...where has the time gone? Right now he is in Wyoming on a pioneer trek. He returns this evening around 9:30 and I am anxious to hear about his experience. Josh has always been such an enjoyable child. I remember when he was in kindergarten he would always write his name and turn the curve of the letter "j" into a smiley face. He was always so happy. The picture above captures so well Josh's personality when he was young...always smiling.

Here are some things I love about Joshua:

1. His wicked (extremely wicked) sense of humor. He is always making me laugh. One time I remember him calling me "woman". Okay...not funny at the moment. I stopped in my tracks (literally), turned to him and calmly corrected him. He then smiled and said "Jesus called his mother "woman"" He then directed me to the scriptures where it was. How do you argue with that? However, he never called me that again. Smart kid.

2. His intellect. This kid is smart...very smart. He is like a sponge and loves to challenge himself and learn new things. He has been blessed with a great mind. I am constantly reminding him to use it for good :)

3. His love of reading. How many 16 year old boys ask for the entire collection of Sherlock Holmes books for Christmas? Love it!

4. He does not care what people think about him. This attribute is somewhat alarming to his some of his siblings. I, on the other hand, encourage it. Last Halloween at the last minute he decided to dress up as a lady bug, complete with wings and antennas. Jenni was shocked. She could not believe that he was walking out the door in that get up. It was great!

5. He is very responsible. This is the first child that we have not had to give a curfew to. The older kids are outraged, but I just tell them that until he does something stupid, he can come home whenever he wants. The latest that I recall him ever being is 1 am.

6. He loves chocolate. Need I say more? Kindred spirit.

7. He is a night owl. I love staying up late with him and watching YouTube clips and listening to music. Josh is definitely a night person...not morning. He is rather grumpy first thing in the morning, but about 8pm he seems to hit his stride and is very enjoyable. We have had a lot of fun stay up late together.

I love you very much, Joshua Shawn, and hope you have a great birthday!

You Know It Is Hot When...

Dayna sent me this. It made me laugh.

What Day Is It?

My Dad called me yesterday. He calls me every Sunday. As soon as I answered he asked me what day it was. I told him Sunday. I then asked him if he went to church. He started laughing and said that he thought it was Saturday and that no, he did not go to church. He actually went out to lunch and had himself a steak and unknowingly broke the Sabbath. He then said, "No wonder the restaurant was so full."

Sadly, his days are starting to run together from lack of a schedule. I guess this is what happens when you get older and are relieved of your responsibilities. I suggested he get a calendar and start crossing off the days. It was then pointed out to me that he would probably forget that he had already crossed off the day and do it again, only to confuse him more. Ha! I love my silly, forgetful, crazy dad. Perhaps he should just call me everyday and I will tell him what day it is. I'm good with that :)

Back In Business

It has been almost 25 years since I have drawn anything of substance. That is until this past weekend. I finally picked up a pencil and sketch pad and resumed my love of art and this is what happened. I am not too happy with the perspective of the barn, but that is something I will perfect next time. It is a long story as to why I have not produced anything, but it feels good to know that I still have a little something left after all these years.

Grandma's 70th Birthday

Last night we celebrated Greg's mother's 70th birthday. All of our family was able to come and I could not pass up the chance to take a picture. Can you believe how big we are becoming? What a difference a couple of years makes.

Steele Days '10

Our family lives in a city that has a yearly celebration called "Steele Days". I think it is derived from all the steel workers that used to live in the area many years ago. American Fork is a great little town and we have come to love it here. It is not the south and it is definitely not Oregon, but it is the next good thing.

I love how this celebration is so old school. It really has that old "Americana" feel to it. On Saturday Emma, Jenni and I went to watch the parade downtown. Marja invited us to come with her family and we had a great, relaxing time watching all the floats go by. Marja's family has been doing this for years and has a favorite spot just down the street from where she grew up. Her dad even had chairs set up in the shade for us older gals. Emma, Braige and Brogan sat right up on the curb catching all the candy that was thrown their way. I even scored a free car wash!

Later that evening Emma, Jenni, Josh and I went up to the high school where they were showing an outdoor movie and then having fireworks after. Josh quickly left with his friends and that was fine. We had a large blanket that we spread out and we all just laid down to watch the show. Jenni's good friend, Debra, joined us too. Before the show they had a small carnival that catered to the kids. Lots of face painting, rides and food. It was great.

They finally began the fireworks around 10:30 pm. There is nothing like fireworks in the summer in Utah. I love everything about it. The smell, the sound and the visual display. Awesome. We must have been sitting fairly close to where they were lighting them off because on more than one occasion I could actually feel the earth beneath me shudder. Sweet. The display lasted about 20 minutes...not too shabby for a little place like AF.

I later learned that Josh had returned home before the fireworks with a group of friends. Evidently they watched from the roof of our garage. Ha! Greg was in bed snoozing and had no idea that a gaggle of teenagers was lurking about our rooftop. Funny stuff. Josh told me that they had a great view. Maybe next year I will have to hoist myself up there and see for myself.

What's New?

This summer seems to be flying by and I have not been a very consistent blogger. Sitting by the computer has not been a top priority lately. I would much rather be out sitting by the pool. However, I need to record what we have been up to lately. Here goes...

1. Scout Camp - Josh and Greg attended camp with the priests this year. They went down to Moab and had a great time. Poor Greg came home a little frazzled. He is not used to being in such a laid back environment. I guess one day they did not even get lunch until after 4:30 pm. Ha! It is good for him. Josh had a ball and took a lot of pictures that I will have to post later.

2. Jenni moved back from California - Jenni came home 9 days ago and I have been running around ever since. Cordell comes back tomorrow - thank goodness. I am too old for this stuff. Let's just say it has been a long 9 days. Fun...but long.

3. Tara & Austin update - They are both still working for 1-800-contacts and going to school. Austin will complete his bachelor's degree next August - yipee! Tara invited me to come to her ward's enrichment this Saturday to learn how to can meat. I have always wanted to do this. Should be fun. Tara is a mini version of Martha Stewart. It's great!

4. Christopher & Samantha update - They have both started new jobs working at the same place in SLC. They work with autistic children and love it. They have the same schedule and are able to even have lunch together each day. Christopher is in school and is doing very well. He has a long road ahead of him, but if anyone can do it, he can. That boy is full of talent and drive.

5. Me - I have been busy...not sure what I have been doing, but I am certainly tired every night. I love summer in Utah. Go, go, go. It is great. Tomorrow is pool day. Marja and I have decided to start going every Friday until school starts. It is supposed to be close to 100, so that will be perfect. Sounds wonderful.

Pic's from Trip With The Gals

Emma and Casey as we pulled into Boise. I thought it was cute that they shared the headphones. When Emma saw this picture she freaked out and thought that I took this while I was flying down the freeway. No...this was at a stop sign at our first exit.
At McDonalds with their Frosty's from Wendy's and their drinks.
At Sonic in Boise. Aunt Dayna loves Sonic. Me...not so much. Too much grease.
Emma and Casey sleeping on my mom's living room floor. This is where the vomit story occurred.
Eating dinner inside Aunt Dayna's gazebo. (We did a lot of eating...didn't we?)
Playing Guitar Hero at Pete's.
I kept stopping on the way home to snap pictures of some old barns I noticed on the way up. This is one of the barns. Cool angles...huh?
While I was taking pictures, I taught the girls how to get the semi trucks to honk at them. That kept them occupied for quite a while.

These Girls Say The Funniest Things

Emma and I just returned from a short trip to Boise to see Dayna and my mom. Emma invited her good friend, Casey, to come along too and I have to say these two girls were VERY entertaining. My mom and I were laughing a lot at the crazy things these two girls would say. Here are a few:

1. "Girls don't kidnap people, they brainwash."

2. "We like boys with "sparkly eyes"" (Not exactly sure what this means)

3. "Never eat the outside of a kiwi or you will have fuzzy poop."

4. " I don't like to read in the light. I prefer it to be dark when I read."

5. "Does this ward have a shortage of boys?"

6. On the way there we stopped in Tremonton to get some lunch. The girls wanted vanilla Frosty's from Wendy's and chicken nuggets from McDonalds. So...I went through the Wendy's drive thru and then headed next door to McDonald's for the nuggets. On the way into McDonald's the girls realized they were holding (gasp) Wendy's cups. Casey said to me "Maybe they will just think that this is ranch dressing for our nuggets." Sure. 16 oz of ranch dressing. Each.

I really enjoyed this little outing with these two gals. Well, except from the one night of vomit. I could have probably done without that.

I have no doubt that in the future whenever I hear Carrie Underwood sing "Undo It" I will think of our little road trip and I will remember how we cranked up the music and sang that song as loudly as we could. Good times. Pictures will be coming soon...