14 Years of Wedding Bliss

Today is my 14th Wedding Anniversary and it has been 14 wonderful years. I just can't believe that it has been that long and to tell you the truth I never thought I would ever get married and here I am married to a wonderful man for 14 years. Since, Will has to work tonight, we went out to IHOP for breakfast and it was very good. Then we went looking at Christmas Decorations in a few stores and some of them were very cute, but I didn't buy anything right now. During our 14 years of marriage, we have added 3 wonderful boys, who are the best sons that we could ever ask for. Despite all of their challenges, we are thankful for Ethan, Zach and Connor to be a part of our family.

Okay, I will tell you the story of how we met. After I graduated from high school in 1991, I didn't go to college, I just worked for a couple of years, which I am glad I did. I wasn't ready for college yet. I found out about Southern Utah University in Cedar City from one of my cousins and so in Sept. of 1993, I went to SUU. I met Will at the Institute Dance the Saturday before school started and it must of been a great first impression. The first week of school, we kept running into each other. We had a few classes in the same building. He was taking theatre classes and I was taking dance classes. Then Friday comes around and we decide to go to the Institute dance together. Then a bunch of us were going to see the midnight movie that night and I invite Will to come along. We saw "The Fugitive" at the Fiddlers theater and we all couldn't sit together, so Will and I were in the very back, but hey I love sitting in the back and well I still love sitting in the back when I go to the movies. My grandparents were living in Kanab at this time and so when Thanksgiving came, I took Will to Kanab with me, cause most of my family would be there and I wanted them to meet him. Then Christmas came, I went home for the holidays in Ramona CA and Will went back home to Kentucky for the holidays.

Then on Mother's Day in 1994, Will ask me over to his apartment and there were these 2 monkeys dressed as a bride and groom and I didn't get it when I saw them. Then there was the card in back of the monkeys with the ring box in front of the card and I still didn't get it. So, I read the card and yes I finally got it and I of course said yes. We called all my family and then he called his mom. We decided to get married in December in the San Diego Temple. So, I met Will on Sept. 18, 1993, we got engaged on May 8, 1994 and we got married on December 17, 1994. The wedding was beautiful and it was great to have most of my family there, my brother Tim was on his mission. Will's mom and brother were the only ones that came and so it was great to finally meet them. We lived in Cedar City from 1994-July 2004. Then from July-2004-December 2004 we lived in Phoenix AZ, but Will came back in Nov. 2004. Will's new job didn't work out for us, so Will got his old job back in Cedar City and so we moved back. So, we lived back in Cedar City from Dec. 2004-present. That is pretty much the story of how we met and what we have done since then.
I was going to post some pictures of my Wedding Day, but for some reason it wouldn't let me post any pictures, so maybe I will post some pictures later.

The Nutcracker Ballet

Talisha and I after The Nutcracker Ballet

The Nutcracker tree at The Jubilee of Trees on Nov. 22.

Last night, I traveled to ST. George with my best friend Talisha to see The Nutcracker Ballet. We left alittle after 4:30 pm and it was a good thing that I did, that is when the winter storm hit Cedar City. It was windy the whole way down there and it started snowing, but it wasn't to bad to drive in at that time. We got down there at about 5:40 pm and I ordered my tickets online, so I went to keep them up. After that we went to Wingers for dinner and it was very good. Then we went to see The Nutcracker. We got there at about 7 pm amd the ballet started at 7:30 pm, so we looked around at the little gift shop they had there. I am very proud of myself, I didn't buy anything and I saw somethings I wanted to, but I didn't buy anything, so that is good.

The Nutcracker is my favorite ballet and I haven't seen it for 8 years. The Nevada Ballet came to Cedar City in 2000 and so I haven't seen it since then. We went to the Jubilee of Trees in ST. George on Nov 22 and that is when I found out The Nutcracker was going to be in ST. George and I picked Dec. 13 because it was a Saturday. I was so excited when I learned they were going to be in ST. George, I just wish The Nutcracker was going to be in Cedar City sometime again, but who knows if that would happen. The first time that I saw this ballet was in 1991, when I saw it with my sister Sandra and the San Diego Ballet put it on. I thought it was so beautifully done, that I knew that I wanted to see it again and I have seen it about 2 or 3 times, since then.

Anyway, back to the performance of The Nutcracker Ballet from last night. I thought it was really good and they had some really great dancers last night. One of them was the guy doing the Russian Dance, all I can say is wow, he was so good. The other one I liked was one of the girls doing a dance from China, she was amazing. There were other great dancers last night to, but to me those were the ones that stood out. To end the evening, Talisha and I took some pictures by these Christmas trees that were in the lobby. It was wonderful that Talisha could come with me, it just was a nice evening, until we had to drive back to Cedar City.

I was driving and thankgoodness I had the van, cause if I had the smaller car, Talisha and I probably would have stayed in ST. George over night. Talisha said a prayer before we left and then we made our way to Cedar City. It normally takes 45 minutes to get home, well because the freeway was bad, it took us about 1 hour and 15 minutes to get home. I was so thankful, to see exit 57 and to get off the freeway, but I still had to go slow, cause I heard Cedar city got about 6 inches of snow. I dropped Talisha off at her house at 11 pm and I went home. When I got home, I noticed that my wonderful husband shoveled over the driveway for me and I thought that was so sweet of him. I pulled into the garage and I was so glad to finally be home.

Ethan is now a Deacon

This past Sunday, Ethan was ordained a Deacon after Church was over. Will ordained him and he did such a great job and I almost cryed. The Bishop was out of town and so one of the counselors called him up during Sacrament Meeting and it was so great to see Ethan up there. I don't like giving my testimony and well I never have and well I got up there and I was scared. I have always hated getting up in front of people, especially when there is many people, like at church. I told myself all week that I would get up, cause well Ethan is only going to be ordained a Deacon once and I kind of rehearsed what I was going to say and of course I didn't remember everything I wanted to say, but hey that always happens to me. A few people did come up to me after Sacrament Meeting was over and told me I gave a very sweet/good testimony.

When we were about ready to get Ethan ordained, one of the Young Men teachers came up to us and said thank-you for given us another Deacon, Ethan makes it 3 Deacons. He also had his first assignment as a Deacon, he went and collected Fast Offerings and he said it was easy. Next week, he gets to pass the Sacrament for the first time. Then tomorrow, he gets to go to his first activity and they are using the climbing rock wall at SUU and Ethan is very excited.

Ethan

Here are some more Pictures of Ethan. Enjoy. Ethan. Celebrating his 12 Birthday, 3 days early.

Ethan on his Baptism Day.

Having a Birthday Party for his 9th Birthday.

Having a Birthday Party for his 10th Birthday.

Having a Birthday Party for his 11th Birthday.

12 Years Ago Today

Ethan's 1st Birthday. A few days early.

Ethan, a few months old

The Day Ethan was born. My mom is holding him.

Taken in Oct. 1999. Ethan is 2 1/2 in this picture.

Taken in 2002, when Ethan was 5. Dixie, Ethan and Zachary

Ethan with Dixie. I think Ethan was 4 in this picture.

It is hard to believe that my oldest son, Ethan is 12 years old today. Where did the time go? Ethan was born at 11:45 pm on Dec. 2 and he was 3 1/2 weeks early. I was going to Southern Utah University at the time and I was in my Effective Parenting Class. I had to give a presentation that day and I hate getting in front of class and I always have hated that. Anyway, after I was done I sat down and I gave a sign of relief, well I guess it was more than that. I didn't know anything was wrong, until class was over and I got up. All of the sudden, I started leaking quite a bit and so I went up to my teacher and I told her I think my water just broke. She was talking to 2 girls in the class and both of them are moms, so all 3 of them, agreed with me. One of the girls took me to the hospital and I called my husband, Will there. At the time we lived very close to campus, so Will walked to the school and got the car. He drove to the hospital and later he told me that the song, "Tonight's the Night" was on the radio when he started the car. Anyway, I got to the hospital around 10 in the morning and Ethan wasn't born, until 11:45 pm, so it was a very long labor. Ethan weighed 6 lbs. 4 ozs. and he was 19 1/2 inches long.

Ethan is in the 6th grade and he loves school. His favorite subjects are Math and Science. He is very good at sports and he plays Soccer, Basketball and he wants to play baseball next year. He has many friends and so he is well liked. His friends know he has diabetes and they help Ethan,when he needs it, so I am grateful for his wonderful friends. He is a great big brother to his 2 younger brothers and for the most part they get along. He loves to play Video games and he is really good at them. He also is very helpful around the house, especially the last couple of days, since I have been sick with some stomach virus of sorts.

In my church, when boys turn 12 years old, they get ordained to be a Deacon and this is a big deal and it is exciting too. I just can't believe that I have a son, who is 12 years old and most people also can't believe I have a 12 year old, cause they think I am younger than I actually am. I am 36 years old. I was going to download all of Ethan's birthday's that he has had, but I got sick yesterday afternoon and so I was only able to download his 1st birthday. I do have his 9-11 birthdays, cause I got a digital camera for Christmas 2004. Some of the pictures are of Ethan with Dixie. Hope you enjoyed the pictures.

Dixie 1994-2007

Ethan & Dixie

Ethan & Dixie

Dixie, Will and Ethan

Dixie

This is a tribute to the family dog Dixie, who died on Nov. 26, 2007, so that was exactly one year ago today. Let me tell you, she was the best dog that I have ever had. Of course, she is only the second dog I have had, the last dog I had I was in the 5th or 6th grade. We got Dixie from the animal shelter in Cedar City on Sept. 1, 1999 and Ethan was only 2 1/2 years old. Dixie loved to go for walks, she loved to have you throw balls at her, so she could go fetch them and she loved when Ethan blew bubbles at her, she would jump up and eat them and that was pretty funny when Dixie did that. She hardly ever barked, I only heard her bark a few times. She only barked when she felt threatened or she felt one of us was threatened. She also was a very good dog towards the kids, so that was a plus.

When Zach was born, Ethan wasn't the one who was jeolous, Dixie was the one who was jeolous, so it was pretty funny that a dog would act that way. Dixie just loved to be a part of things and she was the best. As the years went by, Dixie was getting older and so things weren't the same. She didn't play as much as she used to, she just slept alot, well most dogs do that and she also didn't eat as much either. She got many tumors all over her, the vet did tell us, as certain types of dogs get older, they get tumors and it doesn't mean she had cancer.

When Thanksgiving came around last year, we usually don't go anywhere for Thanksgiving, but last year we went to Spanish Fork where my sister lives and so I forgot to call the kennel. I called the kennel, but all of them were filled up, so I had to call kennels up in Spanish Fork and I found one that Dixie could stay at. The drive up to Spanish Fork was okay and Dixie did okay. We dropped her off at the Kennel in Spanish Fork and we went to my sister's. The Monday after Thanksgiving, we picked up Dixie. I went inside to get Dixie and one of the workers went to go get her. Usually, I can hear her running, cause she wants out and wants to see us. Well, this was different, she was walking very slowly and I noticed she had paint on her behind. I grabbed the leash and walked her to the van and it looked like Dixie couldn't see where she was going. Will had to lift her in the van and I guess the ride went okay. We were finally home, so Will got Dixie and put her in the house and she just was laying there and she was also shaking, so we really knew something was wrong with her. After we ate lunch, I called the Vet and all I said was, "I think my dog is dying" and we were able to bring her in right then. Ethan took a few pictures of Dixie and Ethan stayed with Zach and Connor, so Will and I took Dixie to the Vet.

The vet weighed her first and for a Golden Retriever/Golden Lab, she is suppose to weigh around 90 lbs., but she weighed only 45 lbs and that is not good at all. The vet also looked at all of her tumors and he said that the tumors are probably cancer. The Vet left, so Will and I could talk about it, to see what we wanted to do. We thought the best thing to do, was put her down. Probably the hardest thing I had to do, was call Ethan. I told him that Dixie wasn't coming home, that we had to put her down and I could tell that he was upset, but Ethan has had Dixie, since he was 2 1/2 years old. Will & I stayed, while the vet put her down and it was very sad. We said goodbye to Dixie and the vet was going to take care of the rest for us, so we didn't have to. It was a very sad day, but Dixie wouldn't be suffering anymore. WE LOVED DIXIE, SHE WAS THE BEST DOG EVER.

A Fun Tag

I saw this tag on my friend Tammi's blog and I thought it was fun, so here are my answers.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (First pet & Current Car) Kitten Sienna

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (Favorite Icecream & Favorite Cookie) Strawberry Sugar

3. YOUR "FLY GUY/GIRL NAME": (First Initial of First Name & First 3 Letters of Your Last Name) MSiz

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (Favorite Color, Favorite Animal) Purple Dolphin

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (Middle Name or Maiden Name & Where You Were Born) Gold Mesa

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (The First 3 Letters of your Last Name & First 2 Letters of Your First Name) SizMa

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2ND Favorite Color & Favorite Drink put "The" First) The Blue Dr. Pepper

8. Nascar Name: (The First Names of Your Grandfathers) Milton Melvin

9. STRIPPER NAME: (The Name of Your Favorite Perfume/Cologne & Favorite Candy) Exclamation Kit Kat

10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (Mother's & Father's Middle Names) Jane Ralph

You can do this tag if you want.

Christmas 2008

This past Sunday, we put Christmas Decorations up and yes I know it is before Thanksgiving, but hey Thanksgiving is this Thursday and I didn't see any other time to do it, unless I did it on Dec. 13 and that is to far away. Anyway, I love Christmas and so it was fun to put the decorations up. First, Will and Ethan put the tree up and it was nice, because it is a new tree and it is one of those trees with lights on them already and those are the best ones. We have this plant shelf in our family room and I love it, cause I have so many Christmas decorations, that without a plant shelf I don't know what I would do. Ethan helped me put the Christmas decorations up on the plant shelf and I was holding the ladder for him. He did a good job. Ethan even asked me, why do we have so many Christmas decorations and all I said was, I like Christmas. Ethan, Connor, Zach and I helped put the decorations on the tree and then I don't know what happened, cause maybe about 10-20 moinutes later, I was the only one left putting decorations on the tree, but that happens every year. Each year after the tree is up, the first decorations on the tree, are the boys ornaments. Ethan has a Buzz Lightyear, Zach has a Winnie the Pooh and Connor has a Mickey Mouse, which he broke, but Will was able to super glue it back together, just like he did last year. Yes, Connor broke his Mickey Mouse ornament last year. I also hope Connor doesn't break that many ornaments this year, I think he broke 3 or 4 last year, but it could of been more than that, but I wasn't counting.

My Journal Part 2

This past Saturday, I am happy to report that I finished my 22nd Journal and this one has taken me long enough, almost 8 years to finish. If you have been reading my past entries, it explains on Oct. 15, 2008, I wrote an entry on My Journal and it tells why it has taken me so long to finish this Journal. So, I started a new Journal yesterday and I really hope this one doesn't take me as long to finish.

Seeing Brad Wilcox Again

I got to see Brad Wilcox at Zach's school this morning. He is good friends with the Principal there and he came to a school assembly to talk about writing and he also read "Hip Hip Hooray for Annie Mcrae", which to tell you the truth I have never heard of that book before. Anyway, I had to bring Connor with me, but for the most part I guess he behaved okay. It was a good assembly and I was glad I came. Then he was going to be in my son's class to talk about writing and I wanted to go to that, but he wasn't going to Zach's class, until 10:30 and it was 10 am, so Connor and I went for a drive. Came back to the school and went into Zach's classroom and we said hi to him. Connor was not behaving all that well this time, but luckily he was wearing a monkey on his back and I was holding the tail. (leash) After Brad was done, I went up to him and he said he has a present for me in the office, so Connor and I followed him and he gave me a book called "There's Always a Way, Annie McRae" and he put Connor's name in there and signed it. I also asked for a picture of him, so someone took the picture of Brad, Connor and me, along with the book he gave Connor. He also gave me a hug and told me it was good to see me again and thanks for coming.

This is the second time that I have heard him speak. The first time I heard him speak was at a Youth Conference, when I was a Senior at Ramona High School. He knew my Seminary teacher Susan Carr, who was a wonderful Seminary Teacher. She gave all the Graduating Seniors a book called "Gifts For The Heart" by Brad Wilcox and she wrote in my book and told me my book was the only one that Brad Wilcox signed and yes I still have this book.

So as I was walking into Zach's school, I saw Brad walk out of the gym and I went up and talked to him. I told him he probably doesn't remember me, but I am a friend of Susan Carr's and that he spoke at a Youth Conference when I was a Senior in high school. I even showed him the book, "Gifts For The Heart" and I showed him that he signed it too. I am glad that I went, it was another good experience.

My Children

I haven't been feeling all that great about anything lately, so I decided to post something about my children. I love my 3 children with all of my heart and I am so thankful they are in my life right now. I need to write about them and tell you what they are dealing with right now. My family and some friends know what they have to go through, but I mostly wanted to right this down for me. This is going to be long, so please bare with me.

Ethan has diabetes and he was diagnosed at the end of March of 1998. He was almost 16 months old when we learned he had this. At the beginning of March of 1998, we just moved into the 1oth Ward in Cedar City Utah and so we didn't know many people in this ward, but we have lived in Cedar City, since the end of 1994. Ethan, just went to the doctor and everything was fine. Then about 3 weeks later, we noticed something about him. He was only drinking liquids, we had to change his clothes several times a day, he wasn't eatting anything and it looked like he lost some weight. Now, for a 15 month old child, you can tell he has lost weight. He also wasn't interested in doing anything. Then a Sunday night came and Will was worried, so he took a drive and so I was home alone with Ethan, when he threw up and I was scared. Will came home a few minutes later and we decided to go to the ER. We were going to wait till morning, to take Ethan to the doctor, but it couldn't wait. We got to the ER and several nurses had to hold him down, so they could get an IV in them. They finally got one in, which was good and they called his doctor. They checked his blood sugar and it was 540, which is not good. His doctor told us, he has diabetes and I am like what, cause no one in the family has diabetes, but way back in my mind, I thought Ethan might have diabetes. Anyway, Ethan had to stay in the hospital for 5 days and during that 5 days, we had to learn all about diabetes. Then when the lab results came back, his blood sugar was over 800. If we would of waited to take him to the doctor in the morning, we probably would of lost him, so we are grateful that he threw up that Sunday night in March of 1998. Now, Ethan is doing pretty good. He is 11 years old and in the 6th grade and he will be 12 next month. He has really great friends, that knows what to look for, when his blood sugar runs low.

Zach has Muscular Dystrophy and mild Autism. When I was a senior in high school, I found out I was a carrier of Duchene Muscular Dystrophy and that when I had a son, they had 50% of having Muscular Dystrophy. Now, there all over 100 forms of Muscular Dystrophy and the kind my son has, only boys get it and girls would be carriers. I have a 26 year old brother who has Duchene Muscular Dystrophy and a 10 year old nephew who has it. Well, I wanted to have peace of mind and know if Zach had it. Well, to know if he has it, he just takes a blood test and I had Zach take this test, at the age of 8 months. Zach tested positive for having Muscular Dystrophy and I was very upset and I didn't know what to do anymore. He has been doing okay, he still walks okay, but he needs help with stairs. Then this past Feb. 2008, we found out he also has mild Autism and again I was upset to hear about this. Zach doesn't need anymore, so I am hoping that this is it, that nothing else is wrong with him, cause this is enough. To help him at school with his Autism and Muscular Dystrophy, he has 2 teacher aides that help him, 1 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon and he also does Physical Therapy at school. He is 6 years old and he is in first grade right now.

Connor, has PDD-NOS, which is Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not otherwise specified. It is all the Autism Spectrum, but on the lower end of it. So, he has been slow at talking, but he is getting better at talking. I love to hear him talk and I get this smile on my face when he does it. He is 4 years old and he goes to the preschool through the district and I am so grateful that there is a preschool here, that can help me and they have helped him quite a lot I might add.

So, as you can see I guess you can say I have my hands full with all of this, but I have a wonderful husband, who helps me out the best that he can. I do love my kids and I will always love them, no matter what challenges they face throughout their lifetime. Now, of course there are days, that well I get very emotional about having children with challenges, but there is really nothing I can do, except love them.

The Primary Program

I thought I would tell you about the primary program that was yesterday. It was really good and all of my children did pretty good. Connor (my 4 year old) got up when it was his turn and said something you couldn't understand and then sat down. Well, at least he sat down and wasn't running all over the stand. Then, Zach (my 6 year old) got very shy when he got up there. He put his hands over his eyes and he spoke very softly. His teacher was helping him, so he spoke alittle louder and you could hear him and he did pretty good. My son Ethan (my 11 year old) had a very big part. He was one of the narractors, saying scriptures throughout the whole program. I thought he did such a good job and I am proud of him. It is weird to think, that this is Ethan's last Primary Program. Where did the time go? I found out later, that after Connor said his part, he was asleep for the rest of the Primary Program, he must of been really tired.

The Joys of Walmart

I haven't posted anything in over a week, so I thought I would post something, my life hasn't really been exciting lately. Usually, when the 2 older boys are at school and it is Friday, Connor doesn't have pre school on Friday, we usually go to Walmart, just to kill time more than anything. Today, we had to go to find my husband a birthday present, his 39th birthday is tomorrow, but we couldn't find anything. All I got for him was a birthday card and I also got a card, so the boys can give him. Connor and I mostly looked around and I was thinking of buying a Christmas Tree today, but I didn't. We threw away the tree after Christmas last year, so we have to get one soon. Plus the thing I don't get, why do they have to play Christmas music now, I would rather hear it after Thanksgiving. Yes, I like Christmas music, but it is too early to play it. Also, everytime we are there we have to look at the fish, that is Connor's favorite thing to look at there.

4 Years Ago Today

2 months old

1 Year old

2 Years Old

3 Years Old

4 Years Old

Connor Nathaniel Sizemore was born on Oct. 29, 2004 at 12:49 pm in Phoenix Arizona and he is the 3rd son of William A. Sizemore and Malinda Sizemore. It is hard to believe that my baby is 4 years old today and that we were living in Phoenix at the time he was born. Yes, we didn't live there to long, 4 months is the time we spent there, but Connor was born there, so that is something good that came out of Phoenix.

Connor is a wonderful son, well all 3 of my sons are, but each of them are different in their own way. Connor is a happy boy, well most of the time he is. He is starting to talk more and it is so wonderful to hear him talk. He loves to run and play with his 2 older brothers. Right now, he really loves Scooby Doo and he especially loves to watch the cartoon movies of Scooby Doo. Sometimes, you can catch him trying to repeat the words everyone is saying in the cartoon movies of Scooby Doo and it is really cute. He also loves to go for rides in the car and he has a routine he has to do when he gets into the van. First, he has to open the automatic door of the van, even though that is not where he sits in the van, Zach sits over there and then he locks the door from the inside, even though I can open the car with the car key. Second, he buckles the seat belt, without him in it and then he opens the garage. Then I open his door and he sits in his seat and then I buckle his seat belt with him in it. Then he has to shut the automatic door, with the car key. That is his routine and yes it is very weird, but hey Connor is a strange 4 year old. I hope you enjoy the pictures of Connor, that are shown above.

Time for Friendship Night

Last night, I had Friendship night again and I even made Banana Bread and this was the first time that I have ever made bread and I guess it turned out okay. It tasted pretty good, but it didn't look so great. Anyway, I was looking forward to it, like I always do, but only 3 people came, so I was a little disappointed, but I knew some people couldn't make it. One of them brought their daughter, who is 10, so there were 4 people that came. Anyway, I asked everyone to bring a list of 20-30 things about themselves and I thought it was really cool to hear things about others. I thought I would put my list up here, but I could of come up with more things then 30 things, so here is the list.

30 Things About Myself

1. I was named after my Great Grandma.
2. I love the color purple.
3. I have been Bungie Jumping Twice.(before I was married)
4. I have never had a broken bone.
5. I have had my tonsils out.
6. I was born in Mesa AZ
7. I love the ocean.
8. I have lived in 5 states and 10 houses, by the time I was 16 years old.
9. I love to take pictures.
10. I love anything with strawberries in it.
11. I have 2 brothers and 3 sisters.
12. I love to listen to Classic Rock.
13. My favorite candy bar is Kit Kat.
14. I love to watch movies at home and in the movie theater.
15. I love Italian Food.
16. I hate Olives and Pickles.
17. I love to Dance.
18. Favorite Actor is Harrison Ford.
19. Favorite Actresses are Julia Roberts, Reese Witherspoon and Sandra Bullock.
20. My favorite Vacation Spot is Dillon CO.
21. I have always wanted to go to Sweden and Italy.
22. I love Tinkerbell
23. My favorite flower is Tulips.
24. Favorite food is Chicken.
25. Favorite Place to eat is, "The Olive Garden"
26. I love Dolphins.
27. I have held a baby aligator before, I have the picture to proof it.(I showed them the picture)
28. I am a Chicago Cubs Fan.
29. I love Dr. Pepper(the only soft drink I like)
30. I am a big Fan of the show "Survivor"

Like I said I could list more than that. Someday I will put that picture up, of me holding the baby aligator. I am not having Friendship Night next month because of Thanksgiving, but I will have it in December, so I will post on it then.

I Have Been Tagged by My Sister Amy

As you can see by the title, my sister Amy has tagged me, well she say anyone that wants to. Here is what I need to do.

1. Open my pictures folder

2. Go to the sixth folder

3. Open the sixth picture

4. Import into my blog ane tell the story.

The picture is above.

Well, the story of this picture was taken July 25, 2007, when we were on vacation in Dillon CO. My parents own a time share there and it was are turn to use it. Gayle, Brian and their kids were also there, they stayed in another time share. It was at night, as you can see Connor has his PJ's on and Zach also has his PJ's on. Ethan is in the back ground playing Nintendo DS and Will is watching something on TV. We were just relaxing and having a wonderful time in Dillon CO. I tag Tonya.

My Journal

I am so excited, I have been writing in my Journal for 8 days straight and I haven't done that for several years. Let me explain why. Back in Oct. 2000, I found out I was pregnant, but it ended up being a ruptured Ectopic Pregnancy, so I had to have emergency surgery and they had to take my left tube out. I was devastated and I didn't feel like writing in my Journal all that much anymore. I heard that women who have had Ectopic Pregnancies don't have any more children, but some women do have more children. I was scared to have more children, but I had Zach and Connor after that happened to me.

The Journal that I have now, I started on Dec. 24, 2000 and it is now Oct. 15, 2008. The reason for that is, sometimes I would go on for months without writing in my Journal, but I hope I can continue to write in it everyday now. I got my first Journal May 4, 1984, so I was 11 years old and it was the Father Daughter party at Church. The Journal I am on now, is # 22 and it is great to have a Journal. Sometimes I go back and reread my Journals to see what I was doing way back when and it is fun to do, well most of the time it is.

I've Been Tagged Again

Tonya tagged me again, but hey that is okay this is lots of fun. This time it is a book tag. I need to find a book, I got "Tangled Roots", well it is the last book I read. I need to go to page 56 and the 5th sentence on the page. Here is the sentence "She took a sip of her chamomile tea and forced herself to be more forthcoming than she usually was." I don't really care who does this tag.

On another note, this in regards to the first 2 books before "Tangled Roots" by G.G. Vandagriff. I was at a used bookstore last week and I found the 2nd book, "Of Deadly Descent" and I got it for $8.50 and I was so very happy that I found it. Then I was at DeseretBook on Saturday. I was there for Ladies Night, they always do that during Priesthood Session during Conference and this was my first year doing it and it was fun. I was just looking at books for along time and then I came across "Cankered Roots" and I was so excited because this is the first book in the series, so I had to buy it. Just wanted to share all this.

I Have Been Tagged

My friend Tonya has tagged me and this is my first time being tagged. The tag is what was I doing 20, 10, 5 and 1 year ago. Well here it goes and I looked in my Journals to see what I was doing.
20 years ago- I was living in Simi Valley CA and I was in the 10th grade at Royal High School. I was only at that school for 3 months. We moved to Ramona CA in the beginning of Dec. 1988. I was happy to move, I wasn't very happy living in Simi, but I did make a few good friends there, that I still keep in contact with to this day. I also was of dating age, but I didn't go on any dates in Simi Valley, except when we did a Laurel/Priest activity, where we got in a group of 4 at each table and I didn't do much talking at all, so I don't know if that counts. I didn't really go on any dates, until after High School.

10 years ago- We were living in Cedar City and we only had Ethan and we were living in a duplex. We learned Ethan had diabetes at the end of March of that year-1998. Ethan was a happy kid for the most part.

5 years ago- We were still living in Cedar City and we had Ethan and Zach. We were living in our first home, that we bought in 1999. Ethan was in first grade and playing Soccer for the first time and he still plays soccer, it is his favorite sport. Will was finishing up school for his Education degree and I was looking forward to moving out of Cedar City, I wasn't very happy in Cedar.

1 year ago- Still living in Cedar City, but living in a different house. Have all 3 boys and a dog. All of my family was at Sandra's for Thanksgiving, which was lots of fun. Dixie, our dog, died after we got back from Thanksgiving, we had to put her down and it was really sad.

Yesterday- Will and I had our appointments with the Chiropractor and then we went to the grocery store. Watched a few of my favorite shows, "Heroes" and CSI:Miami". last night.

I am not sure how many people to tag, I don't have many blogs that I follow, so here it goes. I of course tag all 3 of my sisters, Ginger and my cousins Alice, Ashley and Monika.

Cedar City Arts Festival

For the past 3 years, I have been in the Arts Festival trying to sell some of my photography and I sold 5 pieces this past Friday and Saturday. So I made $29, even though my prices were probably low, but that is okay, I don't know what the prices should be. I had many good compliments from people, that really loved my photography. Some of them bought and some didn't, but I am just grateful to be involved with this. Last year, I didn't sell any, the weather wasn't that great and the year before that was my first year and I made $45. The last 2 years, I just had 5 by 7's and 8 by 10's of the pictures. This year, I decided to mat my 5 by 7's and 8 by 10's and the pictures actually looked better. Saturday, my friend Talisha joined me and she was probably there for 3 1/2 hours and I was grateful for the company. I also started a book Friday and I finished it on Saturday and it was 294 pages. The title of the book is "Tangled Roots" by G.G. Vandagriff and it is a Genealogy murder mystery. She is LDS and I guess she is the first LDS Author to write about a Genealogy Murder Mystery. This is the 3rd book in this series and she wrote the other 2 in the 1990's and this book came out last year. The other 2 books are "Cankered Roots", which came out in July of 1994 and the other book "Of Deadly Descent, which came out in Sept. 1996. I know I read this one first, before the other 2, but that is okay, I really loved this book, so I need to read the other 2, but Deseret Book doesn't have them, but amazon does, so I will see when I get those 2 books. I think some of you guys will enjoy them, that is if you like reading about a murder mystery.

THE TV SHOW ER

Okay, some of you know I still watch ER and I have watched it since it began way back in 1994. Anyway, of course I watched the new episode of ER on Thursday and let me tell you something I thought the writers did a good job. Okay, so I don't think I have ever cried watching a TV show before, but I cried during this episode and I know its only a tv show, but when they have a main character die, I think it is sad, especially since Mekhi Phifer who plays Greg Pratt has been on the show for along time and I really liked him, he is a good actor I know some of you probably think I am nuts for crying over a character on a TV show, but hey I have watched this show since the beginning and I can cry if I want too.

Southern Utah University Special Rodeo

Zach with Miss Rodeo Iron CO and 1ST Queen Attentant
Zach, Will and Malinda

Cute Zachary
Zach riding a bull
Roping a Steer
Zach with Mrs. Mom
Zach on a horse

SUU had a special rodeo for special needs kids in Cedar City and Zach was able to participate. Will and I came to watch him and he had so much fun. When he came in, he had a cowboy hat on and he looked really cute. They had 5 different events to be in and Zach had fun at all of them. All of the events were used by dummy animals, except for 1, which is the horse, which he got to ride on twice and this was his first time on a horse and he loved it. All of the SUU students that were there helped out all of the kids and the guy that helped with Zach, was so good to him and I feel bad I forgot his name. Anyway, his aide is Sherly or as Zach calls her, Mrs. Mom and she is the one that helps Zach out at School and she also helps out a girl in his class too, but Zach needs more help than she does. Zach also has another aide come into help him and this girl after lunch. All and all, Zach really enjoy himself and I am glad that Will and I were able to come watch him and to meet Sherly and she is really good with Zach. Sherly says that Zach makes her laugh alot and I also got to meet her husband and he helps out a few special needs kids at Canyon View Middle School and that is where Ethan goes.

I'M SO EXCITED

I love going to the Parade of Homes each year and we have been to them since 1996, but we missed 2004 because we were in Phoenix. It is always Labor Day Weekend and the weekend after Labor Day. Anyway, for many of the houses they have drawings that you can win something and Will and I have never won anything, until this year. I got an e-mail from one of the homes and said I won. I could either choose 2 movie tickets, a Chili's $20 gift card or a massage. Will and I love to go the movies and we also love to go out to eat, so I chose the Chili's $20 gift card. I talked to the guy that send me the e-mail and the gift card will be in the mail, so I should receive it in a few days.
I guess this year they changed the name of Parade of Homes to the Festival of Homes, since this is the Festival City because of the Shakespearean Festival. There were 16 homes to see and we saw all of them, except 1, it was at Panguitch Lake and that is over an hour a way. Plus you got to see a house twice if you wanted and Will and I choose the one by the golf course here, usually those houses are expensive. This house was nice because it was 1 story, it only had 3 bedrooms, but all of them were good size and it was an open floor plan, which we need. Over all it was a nice house and the front and back yards were all ready landscaped, so that was nice.

Can't Do it anymore.

Sadly, today I had to go to the Senior Citizen Center and talk to Connie, who is one of Directors there. I told her about the problems that I have been having with my back and neck and that it wouldn't be a good idea if I kept on volunteering there. I really didn't want to it because I really enjoyed driving the truck and delivering the meals to the Senior Citizens that was on my route. She thanked me for volunteering and if I wanted to start volunteering again to come back in.

On another note, I had a Chiropractor's appointment this morning and Will came with me, which was very nice of him, I really needed him there. My neck has been hurting quite a bit today and it is only 11:33 am, so I hope my neck and my back get better soon. I hate being in so much pain. Some days are better than others.

Back and Neck Problems

If you read my blog titled, "My Best Friend Talisha", you know that she works for a husband and wife, who are both Chiropractors and I have been seeing them, since the end of June for lower back pain and well it is also for neck pain too. Anyway, everything was still hurting and well I should of started feeling better, but I wasn't. Ethan suggested to me that maybe I should get an X-Ray and so when I went to see the wife last week, I suggested that to her and she thought it was a good idea. They didn't do x-rays at their office, so she gave me a name of another Chiropractor in town that does x-rays in their office. So, this past Tuesday, I got the x-rays done in the morning and they gave them to me and I then dropped them off with Talisha, since I was seeing my regular Chiropractor later that day. I went there that afternoon and she showed me my x-rays and now we know why nothing is working. She showed me my spine on the x-ray and it is straight, until you get to my lower back and it shows it being all twisted and so I am like oh great, but she says I don't need surgery to fix it, which is very good, she says there are things that they can do in their office to fix it, so that is good. Then she showed me my x-ray of my neck and that isn't good either. It curves the other direction, then it is supposed to and she says usually whiplash causes that and we knew that is why my neck has been hurting me, but we didn't realize it was that bad, but at least she can fix it in the office, I hope she can. She also says there are things that I can do at home too, like be careful how I turn my neck when I look at something, I am trying to do that, but that is hard to do sometimes, especially with 3 kids to look after. Also, I got this pillow that should help with my neck, but the pillow is going to take awhile to get use too, I have only used it twice. As far as my back is concerned, I need to be careful how I pick things up and well sometimes that is hard, especially when I have 3 boys to take care of. I sometimes wish Will had a job that he can work during the day, that I think would help me out a lot, but as long as he works at Metal Craft, he has to work Mon-Thurs. 3:15 pm-1:45 am and so Fridays are considered overtime. He gets paid $1.00 more an hour if he works that shift and we need the money. Anyway, enough about Will's job. Who knows how long my back has been that way and as far as my neck is concerned, I think that happened in 1998, when are car stalled in the middle of the intersection and we got hit from behind, but we thought everyone was okay, well everyone looked okay on the outside. No wonder, I am tired all of the time, especially when it comes to cleaning the house and being outside doing some yard work, that is why Will does certain chores around the house. That is also probably why I don't go outside that much with the kids, cause it hurts a lot to keep an eye on them, cause Connor is to fast and Zach is to slow and Ethan is okay on his own. I am going to be seeing the Chiropractors at least once a week, maybe twice a week for the next month, so hopefully with seeing them more, I will start to improve. I really hope so, I need to be there for my kids and my husband and somedays I am okay and other days, it hurts to really do anything.

Sharing Rooms

This past week, we decided to have Connor and Zach start sharing a room. So, we put Connor's toddler bed in there and put his clothes in Zach's dresser, thankgoodness it was a big dresser and put some things on the wall on his side of the room. Connor really enjoys being in there with Zach and for the most part they like each other. Now Connor's room is used as a TV room and a toy room, since all of Connor's toys wouldn't fit in his new room with Zach. So, we decided to move some more furniture around. We took the tv and tv cart out of the master bedroom and put them both in that room and we also put the big bean bag chair and put it in that room also. We are also going to put our lazy boy chair in there too. We are also going to take Connor's changing table out of that room and put it in the garage, so there is more room in the tv room for all of this furniture. So, now there will only be one piece of furniture in the family room that you can sit on and that is a blue love seat, that reclines and so we will be going to ST. George tomorrow to look for a couch and we hope we can find one in blue, so it matches our love seat.

I HATE BEES!

We have had some problems with bees, well actually wasps, which are worse. Anyway, I have heard that many people that live in Cedar City have had problems with wasps this year, so at least I am not alone in that. We started having problems with wasps, I would say for a few months now. The wasps build a nest in one of our light fixtures outside and it was driving us nuts. Last week, I finally bought spray, to kill wasps, so this morning Will went outside with the spray and killed the wasps, that were in the light fixture and got the nest out off there. So, I am very happy that the wasps and the nest is out of our light fixture, as you can see by the pictures.

VERMONT

Not many people know this, but I have always wanted to go to Vermont ever since I was younger. I don't know if people remember this, but back in the 1980's, you could get small license plates out of cereal boxes and I got one of Vermont that said WE SKI on it and I still have that license plate and I don't even know how to snow ski, I only know how to water ski. Anyway, I was with Connor in the car and I saw this car with a green license plate and at first I thought it was a Colorado lisence plate, but when I looked at it closer it was a Vermont license plate. I was so excited, I haven't seen a Vermont license plate in years and to see it here Cedar City, I thought that was so awesome to see one here. I hope one of these days I can get to Vermont, but who knows when that will happen. I just thought that I would share.

Friendship Night

A few of you know about this, but some don't. I started doing this probably about a year ago and I do it once a month. We have many people move into my ward every month, it seems like it. Anyway, I wanted to do something to get to know the women in my ward and to basically get out of my shell and not be so scared to talk to them. I have 15 women signed up for it, but the last few months or so, I have had only 4 women show up, but that is okay, it is nice to have a small group, my house isn't that big. I mail them reminders each month and I do tell them to call me, if they can't come and a few have called me to tell me they can't come. I had someone call me a few hours before it started, to ask me if she could bring her daughter and of course she could bring her, my kids would be there, because its at my house. This was her first time there and she has been in the ward for 3 months. I usually have them bring something, but this time I decided to do something about loving life. I have had this saying on my fridge for years and I believe I got it had homemaking, when they called it that. This is the saying:

It's Up To You

One Song can spark a moment,
One Flower can wake the dream.
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring.
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what's true.
One life can make the difference.
You see, it's up to you!

I each gave them a copy of the poem, I put it on colored paper for them. I also gave them a tiny brown sack with a white card in it and it said "Be Yourself", it was a stamp I got at a craft store and I stamped each card with it. Then I read this book called "LoveLife" and my sister Gayle gave it to me for Christmas, so thanks Gayle for that book, I really love that book. It is a book, with many different quotes about loving life. Everyone thought it was a really good book and funny. Everyone enjoyed everything that I prepared for Friendship Night and so that was good. I wanted to do something like this for Friendship Night for awhile now and so I did it. I have been having a hard time about life for awhile now and this is the second time I have read that book, since I got it at Christmastime and it was great to read it again. I need to read that book more, I think it will help me and I also need to read that saying more often, its on my fridge, I just need to look at it more. I am getting better at loving life, but sometimes I wonder what my purpose is here on earth. I love being a wife to Will and I love being a mom to my 3 wonderful boys, but I don't love myself. To tell you the truth ,I don't think I ever have. I really try to love myself, but it is hard for me to. I just am really hard on myself and somedays I feel like I can't do anything right. Anyway, I also have a dessert and I usually buy it because its easier that way. Talisha couldn't make it, so I dropped by her work and gave her a brownie
and the saying of "It's Up To You" and the card with "Be Yourself" and she appreciated me stopping by. We are going to a movie tonight, so that would be good for me to get out.

Cool Pictures

A picture I took of some clouds taken in my backyard, a few weeks ago.
A picture I took of a sunset taken in June of 2005, when a fire was close to ST. George and this was taken in Cedar City.
Picture I took of Lake Dillon, when I was there in July 2007.
I believe I took this a few years ago, when we only lived here for a few months. It's in my backyard.
A took this when I was visiting my sister Amy in CO back in May 2008

U.S.A. U.S.A.

I love watching Gymnastics and so of course I have been watching the Olympics. I had to tape Women's Gymnastics last night because I was to tired to stay up. So I watched it this morning and I was so happy. Nastia did so well, I was so happy for her. Of course don't forget Shawn, she did a very good job too. I was clapping for both of them. Plus, it was so cool to see Mary Lou Retton in the audience and just being happy for both of them. I also watched the Medal Ceremony and it was great to see 2 Americans up on the stand. As they were playing the National Anthem, I was getting emotional and I have no idea why. I was just so happy for Nastia and for Shawn, both of them deserved their medals.

My Best Friend Talisha

Will and I went to a wedding reception last night and it was for Seth Topham. He happens to be Talisha's younger brother and so it was a very nice reception and I was very glad I was able to go. Talisha's mom is Ethan's primary teacher and she also works at Fiddler's Elementary, where Ethan used to go to school. Now Ethan is going to be in Middle School. Anyway, even though Taliaha is 10 years younger then me, we get along great. Or course many people think I am probably about 25 years old, but that is okay. I have always looked younger, but hey thats a good thing, right? I didn't think that when I was 16, but everyone said, oh when you get older, you will love looking younger, I guess they were right. The day before the wedding, which would of been Thursday, she called me to see if I wanted to go shooping and of course I said yes. No one calls me to go shopping and she didn't have to work that day, so I was happy to go. I also am happy that Will lets me go out, so I can spend time with my friends and he stays home and watchs the kids. He doesn't have to leave for work until 3 pm. I don't have many friends in Cedar City and the ones I do are either younger then me or older then me. But age doesn't matter to me, it shouldn't matter. We had fun shopping, she was looking for last minute wedding things and then we went out to lunch. We go out to lunch a lot. She has a 2 hour lunch.

She works as a receptionist for a husband and wife, who are Chiropractors. For the last 2 months, I have been in there as a patient. The doctors know me, so that was a plus. Thats why I wanted to go to them, even though my insurance doesn't have them in the network, I didn't care. I didn't want to keep driving to ST. George to see a doctor down there, there is some doctors there that is in the insurances network. Anyway, I have had back problems for years, I think since I have had kids and I guess I have other problems too. Like my neck is really in bad shape and so are my ribs and I had no idea I had those problems, but hopefully all these problems will go away, that is why I am seeing them a lot. I usually see the husband, but once I saw his wife and I will see her 2 more times in the next month. I still have problems, but I hope in time all of the problems will go away, we will see if that happens.

Talisha is the best and I am grateful for her being in my life right now. I am her visiting teacher, that is how I became to know her and now we are best friends. I have known her for over a year now and it has been a pretty good year for me so far, I guess. I am trying to be more happy about life. I have to remember all of my blessings in my life, which I have many. I have a wonderful husband, 3 terrific boys, wonderful friends in Cedar City and many other places and a great family. I also have a car to drive, food to eat, and a roof over my head Many people in the world don't have these things, so I have to be thankful for what I do have.

A New Look

I decided to do some changes to my blog, but there are still so many things I don't know how to do with the blogging world, but at least I learned how to change the template. I was so excited that it worked. I Love anything with strawberries in it, so when I found this template with strawberries, I just had to use it and I think it looks really cool with them there. I hope everyone is having a good Summer and for us it will be over soon. Ethan and Zach go back to school on Thursday and Connor doesn't go back until the 25th of August. I am so looking forward for them all going back to school, I don't want to hear bored again, at least Ethan is the only one saying. Of course I have no idea what I will do with myself when they start school. I am thinking of probably reading more or even go walking on the indoor track at the University, which is free. I need to exercise more anyway, I don't do much of that at all. Unless you count walking to the mail box or walking all over Walmart.

Trip to Northern Utah

We all went to Northern Utah for a few days and we stayed with my sister in Spanish Fork, so thank-you Sandra for letting us stay with you. We got up there on Wednesday July 30, I had a tour of Utah Valley University in Orem at 4 pm. We dropped of all of our stuff at Sandra's and Ethan, he didn't want to come on the tour with us. We got there and right away I really liked the campus. Even though, I was the one there for the tour, both Will and I got free t-shirts, so that was nice. The tour went really well and most everything is in one building, so I really liked that, but you do lots of walking, so Zachary wasn't liking that, but Will put him on his shoulders quite a bit and Connor was on a leash, thank-you Wal-mart. For those who don't know I am thinking of going to UVU and I want to study Photography, they have a 2 year degree in Photography, so I am happy about that. After the tour, we got coupons for free Icecream, so it was nice to have a treat like that, for it was very hot that day. Later that night, we did some shopping and Ethan stayed with his cousins for he doesn't like going shopping, unless its only for him.

Thursday, Ethan and I were the only ones that went to Lagoon. Will, Zach and Connor stayed at Sandra's. Ethan & I had lots of fun, but man the food is to expensive, but I knew that, but at least the food was good. We went on some rides, Ethan played some of the games there and he actually won some games, which I was very impressed at. We also bought some stuffed animals for Zach and Connor. I also had to buy a hat first thing, because I got my hair cut short the day before we left and so I needed something to protect my head and it helped so much. It was a fun day.

Friday, was my 36TH birthday, where has the time gone. Anyway, all of us went to the mall in Orem, except for Ethan, he wanted to spend more time with his cousins Kelsey and Kent, well I don't blame him there, for he doesn't see them that much. Then we went to the mall in Provo and the other thing we did there was look at Sears and get the boys some McDonalds for lunch, they both love McDonalds. Later that day, I went to one of my favorite stores in Provo, "The Quilted Bear" and I have to do that store by myself, I have to go up and down each of the aisles to see what there is. I love some of the magnets there, so of course I had to buy some, I bought 2. Then I went to Sandy, I planned a get together with some of my friends that live up in Northern Utah and only 2 were able to come, but that is okay. Anyway, I went to "Target" before I met my friends and I got the boys some clothes, they all needed some. Then I went to "The Olive Garden", my favorite Restaurant and I am glad I got there early, it was very crowd, well it was a Friday Night. Anyway, my friend Keri came, she lives in Orem and I have known her since I was 12 1/2, when I moved to Simi Valley CA. Then my friend Marilynn came and she lives in Logan and she brought her niece Milly with her, so she could stay awake on the way home. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to get back to Logan. I have known her, since the 5th grade, when I lived in Thorton CO. We all had a wonderful time and they brought me presents, which I thank-you both for. Plus, some of the staff there sang to me and gave hime this cake, which I am glad I had friends to help me eat it, it was a big cake for just one person. Plus, Marilynn paid for my meal and I wasn't expecting that, so thank-you Marilynn. It was a wonderful evening and then I went back to Sandra's and opened Will's presents, which was a doll and the movie, "Dan in Real Life". So over all it was the best birthday that I have had in awhile.

Saturday, all of us went to "The Hogle Zoo", which I haven't been to since I was little and Will and the boys have never been there. We got there after lunch and we all had a fun time. It was fun to do something as a family this trip and we all like going to the Zoo. We went shopping after we were done at the Zoo and Will got a mug and the rest of us got a stuffed animal, even me. I still like stuffed animals. Afterwards, we went to Murray, that is where Will's Great Uncle Fred lives and we haven't seen him for several years. We all had a great visit there and then it was getting dark, so we had to head back to Sandra's.

Sunday, we left after lunch and Ethan didn't want to leave, he loved being with his cousins. Luckily, it only took 3 hours to get home. When we got home, I unpacked, yes I am the one who pretty much unpacks everything as soon as we get home from a trip. I have always been that way, I really don't like messes at all. Even though, it was a Sunday, I had to do some laundry and I also had to go to the Grocery store, we didn't have milk or bread and I needed that stuff.

All and all it was a good vacation. We all had a good time and now Summer Vacation is almost over. The kids start school on August 14 and I am so looking forward to that. Also, Ethan's 6th grade teacher came to our house last night and pretty much introduced herself and just welcoming Ethan to her class. She also gave us a letter of what she needs Ethan to bring and what she expects of her students. Ethan thought she was very nice and he talked to his best friend Bubba this morning and he has the same teacher as Ethan does, so both of them were very happy.