Anhder Reunion

Every other Memorial Day, my mom's side of the family holds a reunion/bar-b-que. It is held at my Uncle Kurt's house up in Richmond. It is a good time for me to reconnect with my aunts, uncles, cousins and their extended families. It amazing me how big the family grows in just 2 years and how much bigger the little kids get.

This year we had a tiny toy fish pond that the little kids dig through to find fun prizes. I don't think anyone that went after Jace found any cars! There was a blow up jumping house that entertained most of the kids all afternoon. A craft tent that the kids could color in, make funny styrofoam animals and play with playdough. Then we played Anhder BINGO, which is a huge hit every year.

I appreciate Kurt and Lisa for letting us invade their home, and for my other aunts and uncles and my mom (of course) that make everything else come together so nicely.

Memorial Weekend Miller Camp-out

Welcome back tree and fall leaves, I missed you...

Every Memorial Day, the Miller family gets together and camps out in the backyard of Grandpa Roy & Grandma Peggy's house. They have 5 married boys (one of them is my stepfather-in-law, Dave) and a whole bunch of grandkids and great-grandkids. It is a lot of fun for everyone... What I like most about camping with this family is how relaxing it is. No one needs entertaining, no one has a schedule of events and no one cares that you could probably use a shower. The kids (all 50 of them) play real well together and so do the adults. This year the weather behaved and we even ended up with a little (ok a lot) of color.

Thanks Roy and Peggy for opening up your home and yard and for making this time of year special for the whole lot of us!

Of course, I didn't recharge my camera battery after all the film I took at Dax's kindergarten program, so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked. And for the record, Dax took the majority of these pictures.

Happy Birthday Kallie!

It's my sister-in-law, Kallie's, birthday today.
Kallie is a one of a kind gal and here are a few things that I admire about her:

• she doesn't care what others think about her
• she is independent
  
• I haven't EVER heard her say one bad thing about anyone... or anything for that matter
• she likes/loves to have fun
• she enjoys spending time with her family
  
• she has an incredible smile
• she loves her nieces and nephews and has a large amount of patience for them

Kallie, you are gggggreat and I hope you have a great day today.

Photo Friday # 12 - Flew the Coop

I think this will be the last photo session of our Robin family. It has been fun for us to watch them. From building a nest in one night to the laying (didn't get any pictures of the eggs), warming and hatching of the eggs. Then the constant feeding and late night alert to predators and finally letting the babies (or young adults) take that first leap and fly.

I will be sad to see them go, but very happy to get rid of the poop in my garage!

Kindergarten - check

Tomorrow is Dax's last day of Kindergarten.
This school year flashed before our eyes and my little boy has turned into a smart little man. He is such an inquisitive kid, always asking deep questions and wanting to know the whys and hows. He is also a witty boy, making his family and friends laugh at some of the things he says and does. His teacher says that he is a delight to have in class, he is a multi-tasker (he can work AND be social), and that he enjoys helping her and his classmates.


Dax with Mrs. Schmidt and a few classmates.

Justin and I were entertained this morning by the school's kindergarten program.
Just sitting there with all these hopeful parents and their sweet, innocent little people. It makes me wonder what happens between now and high school to some of them that leads them down the path to... my school? I can tell you that not all the kids that go to SC have behavioral or emotional problems, but the majority of them do not have the best home lives.

What a stud!


Dax is on the second row, in the middle with the black shirt on.

Enough said, the program brought tears to my eyes because I am so proud of Dax and I am blessed to be his mom.

Ancient Chinese Secret, huh?

I have a lot on my mind and yet nothing to write about...

• my niece Lola
• school
• Jill's graduation
• graduate dinner
• another 60 graduates
• Disneyland
  
• money
• the fate of South Campus
  
• Memorial Day
• the garden
• the birds
• my comforter (bedspread)
  

Have you ever been so busy and had your mind so occupied, you couldn't even put one thought together?

"squirrel"

Do you remember this commercial? The baby is crying, the boss is yelling, the phone is ringing and the woman in the middle of it all exclaims,

Speaking of Calgon... For whatever reason, the following commercial was a favorite of mine when I was younger. I looked up the air date and found it was from the early 70s , I would have been 6 or 7! It left such an impact on me, I memorized every word and can still recite it.

Will you look at that? 30+ years later and for just a moment... Calgon took me away!

Hair today...

Justin had the kid's hair cut this afternoon. Yes, Jace's curls have been lopped off. As cute as it was, I felt bad when it was hot outside... it did however, provide a nice sunshade - the frobrero.

Jace before...

Jace after.

Dax before...

Dax after.

Seriously, have you ever seen such a good looking pair of boys?

The Peanuts Gang

It wasn't until I was an adult that I saw the humor in the Peanuts gang. I always loved Snoopy and Woodstock, but found "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" dull. The comic strip was even worse, boring and humorless. Last year, I bought "I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown" and laughed my butt off for a couple of reasons...

1-The relationship between Lucy and her 2 younger brother's, Linus and Rerun, is funny and really hits home. It reminds me of Jill, Dax and Jace. I even found Dax quoting one of the lines in the movie. "Sister's are the crabgrass in the lawn of life." and Lucy talking about how unlucky she was to get stuck with 2 younger brothers.

2-Snoopy is such a cool dog. Sometimes I think Frodo could be this cool if he wasn't so stupid! Here is a conversation in one of my favorite scenes:

Rerun: By the way. When someone walks by, how do you decide if you should bark at them?
(Snoopy flips a coin and looks at it)
Snoopy: Woof

I would love to own all the Peanuts movies...

Hey Jack, can you pass those tissues?

I am LOST for words.

I don't often watch every episode of every season of a TV drama, but I did with LOST. It was a heck of an emotional rollercoaster and one that I would like to ride again. I would love to own it on DVD and be able to watch each episode, knowing the outcome.

Looking back at my original post (LOST... oh brotha), I have to say my opinion of my favorite characters didn't change much. Everyone just kind of grew on me at different times for different reasons.

I know it's silly, but it took me to another place at least once a week for the past year, which I guess is what TV is all about. Was I disappointed? Not with the finale... just that it was the finale.

On a funny note...

Don't Knock It 'Til You Try It

Justin made himself some eggs tonight for dinner. This reminded me of a favorite meal of mine... My kids love it too.

One egg sunny side up on toast slathered with A1. Yum!

Photo Friday #11 - Meet the Robin'sons

Look how quickly these babies have grown. The last photo we took of our robin family was on Sunday and you can see how much they have changed in less than a week. My kids love to open the garage door in the morning and watch the mom and dad feed their babies. Jace yells "bird" and makes this funny cawing sound.

Meet Lola Rose

Justin and I were finally able to meet our newest niece, Lola. She is adorable. I argue that she doesn't look like her sister Zoe did when she was born except maybe around her mouth. She slept the whole time we were holding her, making those cute little baby noises. I love to watch babies sleep... I especially love their little expressions and the way their tiny lips move.

Meta phor Jill

met·a·phor

   /ˈmɛtəˌfɔr, -fər/ Show Spelled[met-uh-fawr, -fer]

1. a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance, as in "A mighty fortress is our God."
2. something used, or regarded as being used, to represent something else; emblem; symbol

This afternoon as I was watching the robins in our garage I had the following thought:

Momma has been feeding, warming and loving the babies for a while now. Soon, she will throw them out of their nest and into the cruel, cruel world. They will have to learn to fend for themselves, learn how to survive and not get eaten by predators.

Around the same time, possibly the same day and instance, my daughter Jill will graduate from high school. Mmmm...

Then another thought occurred to me:

I am totally ok with momma bird doing this and Jill has been concerned and wanting to put a net under the nest to catch the birds from falling and breaking their necks. Mmmm...

Happy Birthday Shelley!

This is my mom-in-law, Shelley. Shelley is wonderful at planning family time together. While we don't spend a ton of time with this side of Justin's family, the time we spend together is always fun and enjoyable and much of this is because of Shelley. Shelley has great vacation planning skills. She has single-handedly planned family trips to Lake Powell, Salt Lake, Hogel Zoo, and Bear Lake. Each vacation has been a success, with fun and entertaining things to do for a whole bunch of relatives ranging from ages 0 to 80!

This is not the only thing Shelley is good at either...

She has mad "Greatest Race" skills and was very much the reason our team came in first.

She is wonderful with her grandkids. They love to spend time with her and she can even convince them to try things they normally would not.

Even the teenagers enjoy her activities.

She loves to water ski...

Look what she taught me!

Shelley has a big heart and devotes a lot of time to those around her. She is dedicated to her children, leads by example and wants nothing but the best for them. I appreciate her for her kindness, her support and her love.

Pet Peeve #12 - Holes

I haven't had a pet peeve to speak of in the past few weeks and while this is totally lam-o, it is indeed a peeve of mine...

Pet Peeve #12 - Holes

My son Dax goes through blue jeans like crazy. Is it because he is a boy? Is it because he is constantly running around at full speed? Is it because jean makers are using poor material? I don't know... I just bought Dax his 7th pair of pants since the beginning of the year. No joke. I have thought of sewing patches on his knees, but then you would just notice that not only do his pants have patches, but they are way too short as well. The boy is growing like a weed. Thankfully it is short season!

Why is it in the summer that his bare knees aren't all banged up?

Robin Update & Family Fun

I was a little worried that something had happened to the babies because I have not heard one "peep" from them. I have watched a few videos on You Tube that show them growing day by day after hatching. I guess all birds are different, but I was made to believe they would get bigger and fluffier and annoying in a shorter amount of time. Justin took the following picture this afternoon and Jill and I were able to take a peek into the nest... Baby Robins are NOT pretty! Seriously, they look like something out of a bad cartoon.

We went for our 2nd wheeler ride of the year. It was a lot of fun. I can't believe how tired we all were when we got back. Who would have thought just riding around enjoying breathtaking sights could take it out of you? I'll share some pictures and then tell you a tale...

We were about 3 hours into the ride and decided to head back to the truck. I was getting more and more comfortable riding my wheeler at faster speeds and going on rougher terrain than just the main road. I had Dax with me and Justin and Jace were a bit behind us. I saw a trail off the main road that looked like it followed pretty closely and I thought it probably connected back somewhere down the road. So off we went, with Dax being excited that we were racing dad and Jace.

It was a pretty cool trail, mostly grass with a ton of hills. We were going at quite a good clip and having some fun and I could see ahead that we were going to connect with the main road. However, once we got closer I saw that the entire area was fenced off and the only exit was gated. I worried that we were on private land, (you know, old guys patrolling their fields with rifles) so I quickly turned around.

I followed the "trail" back and a few minutes later, we encountered quite the change in terrain; lots of rocks and mud and the trail was getting narrower and narrower. Apparently, I had missed something, somewhere. Again, I turned around. Any of you that know me, know that I have a terrible sense of direction and yes, you have the right to be worried!

Crazy thoughts were running through my head about getting lost and disoriented. Was it going to get dark soon (it was only like 3 o'clock), how far my granola bars and gatorade would go if we had to spend the night, would I be able to outrun most wildlife and keep collected so Dax didn't see how freaked out I was, could Justin hear the call of the Great White North (coo roo coo coo coo coo coo coo)? Of course, I was also thinking about what an idiot I was for not telling Justin what I was doing.

Thankfully, I remembered some landmarks and was able to get back on the grassy trail and eventually to the road. It was then another 10 minutes to the truck and I was still not confident that I was even on the right road until I passed a couple of things I remembered seeing on the way in. When I got back to the truck, I was relieved to see my husband casually hanging out with Jace. Thankfully, he didn't seem too concerned that I got back much later than he did and I don't think that he knew (until now) how badly I wanted to cry and apologize for being so stupid.

Lesson learned!

Black & White Days

We attended Richmond's Black & White day parade this afternoon. It was fun and the weather was perfect. This is an annual event held on my mom's front lawn but a couple of people were missing this year and honestly, it just wasn't the same...

Beans & Wieners

OVER BEANS & WIENERS



Dax is a great storyteller. Sometimes I wonder what he tells his grandparents and school teacher and mostly I wonder if they worry about him or think he is just being funny. I don't know where he comes up with some of this stuff...

This was a conversation Dax had with his Grandpa Dave. They were in the car and they were talking about the Incredible Hulk. I will try my best to relay the story correctly, but it has been awhile since this happened. I believe they were talking about the movie or maybe the video game.

GD: Dax, have you seen The Incredible Hulk?

Dax: No, my mom and dad say that the hulk is too mean and angry and they won't let me.

GD: Why do you think the Hulk is so angry?

Dax: Maybe because he has a wife.

The Cutest Boys in the World

Jace, Logan & Dax

For the Birds

Justin backed the truck in tonight so we could stand on it and get a picture of the robin's eggs. Guess what?

Jill has named the momma Claire and I suppose the babies will get names too once we find out how many there are. I count 5... Cool!

The Office

Since I am going on nearly 5 years at South Campus, I decided it was time to decorate a little. 40 hours a week means it is my home away from home and I figure it should be comfortable and me... I also thought it might be nice for those I have daily conversations with (you know who you are) to get a visual of where I am when we are talking.

Entering the fishbowl...

Inside the fishbowl...

Frogs and plants in the fishbowl...

More plants...

In case you are wondering, the windows are NOT bullet proof (one of my students asked me that), but I do have a good view of each entrance and surveillance cameras outside each door. I also have an evacuation plan in case of emergency, if you get my drift.

Aren't my shelves cute? Plants, bears, fish... I would like to add my own personal mission statement to the wall above my cupboards. And in the next few years maybe a flat screen TV, curtains, a hide-a-bed and a fridge. I might even dare putting in a wet bar if I could be certain the students wouldn't find out about it. Or maybe it would be good motivation for them to come to school. Mmmmm...

What you can't see:

• Han Solo and Chewbacca bobble-heads
• tons of family pictures
• golf club bouquet
• 44oz diet pepsi
  
• Gary
• Dax's drawings
• snacks
• socks and running shoes
• dumb bells (yah, right)
• my boom box
• dozen coffee mugs
  

.

My Brother-In-Law Kicks Ass!

Well, I was going to wait until his b-day post,
but I just have to say...
I LOVE MY BROTHER-IN-LAW.
Seriously, the guy is awesome, funny and just a plain old hunk.

He offered to take Jill's graduation announcement pictures and did a fantastic job. I am excited to get them. Here are a couple of pictures he took...

And a couple of candids I took...





Thanks Jason, Mildred is all grown up.