Well, the Prom starts at 8pm tonight lol, and they have been getting ready since 8am this morning . . . I had to have Gus at the hair salon at 10, the tailor at 11, the florist at 12; Hannah had to be ready by 2 to go for portraits. I bought Gus his first Tuxedo, we all think he looks smashing! Hannah had to visit literally every single dress shop in town, & now she is so cute she looks like a Barbie doll. Mark looks like he is getting shorter but it's just that these darn kids won't stop getting taller, he's a good dad and very proud of these two, well we both are! I can't believe we only get one more year of this. John Iverson filling in as the honorary Grandpa, I thought he might cry when he saw them come out looking so nice.

Spring Break 2010

Well we had a nice quiet break this year. The big highlight was Gus getting to go to Disneyland with is choir group, for the first time ever, of course he had a wonderful time and we're all glad he was able to go; although now he wants to go back with us as a family right away. He "says" he took pictures with the camera I sent with him . . . I'll post them when I see them!

Gus and Ryan each got a cooking lesson and Gus can now make Spinach Manicotti (Grandma Bonnie's recipe) and Ryan executed a perfect Corned Beef and Cabbage (he is already quite a good cook - definitely got that from me and John).

I took all three of the kids for a driving lesson . . . it's amazing how many times you can envision your own death in an empty parking lot . . . and now they want to go again, lol. They like to practice parking and backing up, mainly because none of them can drive straight forward. We were practicing in the school parking lot (no cars due to Spring Break) and were driving all the way around the school; as we came back around to the front while Gus was driving, we discovered that the Tennis team and parents had all shown up for practice (lots of cars and kids), and I heard this tiny voice from Gus say "I'm Scared . . ." lol, they will soon be grown and driving out of here. The kids just wanted to hang out around the house relaxing so not too many picture op's but I'm sure this weekend's Prom will take care of that!

Here's Hannah & Ryan at the airport, Ryan is now taller than me . . .

Weekend camping trip . . .

Well gosh darn it I didn't realize that I hadn't taken the time to write anything on here yet about our camping trip. We had a great time as evidenced by the pictures. Mark & I along with Hannah, her friend Tim, and Gus met up with Ryan, his dad John and Zoe in Riggins for the weekend. The weather was perfect. We had rock skipping lessons, hikes, target practice, a trip to a mountain salvage yard (Mark of course lol), my incredible BBQs and John's even better breakfasts. Mark's a workaholic but he does know how to leave it all behind when I insist on a family time trip - he and John even got shushed at midnight by the people camping in the next site, for talking politics too loud . . . I'm sure John's killer Bloody Mary's had nothing to do with that . . . lol all in all another great family trip.

Another Choir Concert for Gus

Gus is doing great in Choir and hoping to make Choral Edition next year, he scored in the excellent range at the Solofest competition. So many of these kids have already had years of professional training, but Gus is holding his own and making us quite proud. It's really heartwarming watching his entrance into this world, knowing that one day very soon these days of nervousness and youth will be gone to all but the memories that belong to us his parents.

Genealogy . . .

There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children - one is roots, and the other, wings. Holding S. Carter

We took the kids to Salt Lake City this past weekend, to visit the Family History Library. It was such a great family activity. Hannah traced my Grandfathers lineage back to the 1200's, she found photos and even a WWI draft record. Ryan went all the way back to the 1600's and was still in Illinois, but his greatest moment was when he discovered that he is related to Mark Twain. Gus traced his and Mark's family back to Germany, found the immigration ships log that Mark's Grandfather was on, and even got a picture of the boat he came on.
The people who were there to help were so wonderful, we all owe a really big thanks to Elder and Sister Ricks. We spent two days with our heads buried in computers, microfilms and old journals; here's a shot of the guys hard at work.

Monkey in the tree . . .

Yes, Hannah is my tree climber . . . you gotta' love the life in this kid!

School Dances . . .

Well this one wasn't formal; it was girls ask guys and the theme was Super . . . as in Super Heroes, Super Stars, Super Bad, Super Villains . . . you get the picture :) Gus and Rebecca were Super Heroes, and Hannah and Tim were Super Villains . . . would you expect any different? They had dinner here at our house before the dance, and then dessert at Rebecca's house after . . . fun was had by all. Now they're planning for the Prom!

Choppin' wood . . .

One of the kids most favorite chores is "choppin' wood" lol. Hannah played Tom Sawyer and had her good friend Tony over "to help with the fun". Of course Tony heads straight to the chicken coop every time, lol that kid has the best smile when he's holding a chicken!

2010!!!

A happy New Year! Grant that I May bring no tear to any eye; when this New Year in time shall end; let it be said I've played the friend, have lived and loved and labored here, and made of it a happy year.~Edgar Guest

Yet another perfect family evening spent with good friends, great children and loud fireworks! We were joined by Mac and Marnie, their daughter Sophia, Hannah's new boyfriend Tim and Gus's new girlfriend Rebecca.

Ballroom Dancing . . .

And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once. Freidrich Nietzsche

I have the greatest and most talented kids . . . I suppose every mom thinks that, but I am sure I am right! LOL!

So, the kids big Christmas present this year was a years worth of Ballroom Dancing Lessons. They have been twice now since Christmas and already the want to sign up for more than once a week. They're working on the Rumba now and making great progress. Here are some shots from the first lesson; the extra guy in the first pic is their dance instructor, and the fourth dancer is Ryan's friend Sophia.