One of those teary-eye moments...

Reed is standing in front of the bathroom mirror. Bryan is standing behind him walking him through the process of tying a tie. And I am looking at their reflections. For reasons unknown, I found myself feeling a little misty. Every once in a while, I recognize that my chilren are growing up and I wonder if I've prepared them for what comes next. The years are flying by and before I'm ready, they'll have moved out and all that will be left will be the small moments that live in my memory.

It's Rachel's birthday...shout HOORAY!

(Rachel is in the gray sweater.)
Some great things about Rachel:
She is incredibly talented!
She is an amazing bargain grocery shopper!
She is a great wife & mother!
She has a fabulous eye for decorating!
She is a KSL.com shopping guru!
Have a great birthday...Love you!

Easter fun!?

Every year, we color Easter eggs at Bryan's grandma's house. This year was no different. I hard-boiled 15 eggs (only 1 cracked) and the kids took turns dunking them in to the various colors. No stains...yay!







As for Easter morning...
The Easter bunny was too tired to make it the previous night so at 7:30 a.m. I was depositing Renee downstairs with strict instructions to stay put while Bryan and I hurriedly arranged Easter baskets and hid candy.
Rose knocked down the decor on half a wall while jumping up to grab a Reeses.
Renee's dress was too small and her shoes were too big. (Fortunately, I had a back up dress.)
Reed was completely unimpressed with his first "real" tie. And even less enthusiatic about letting his dad actually comb his hair.
The bubble guns didn't work, but did manage to leak all over the carpet.
Amid all of this confusion, I was trying to bake a cake to take to my sister's house for Easter dinner. (Dinner was great! If only I had remembered to bring the napkins and the strawberries and the angel food cake and the whipped cream. Or at least remembered to bring home my casserole dish.)
So glad Easter is over!

Spring Break

It's been a busy few days here at our house! Thursday, Reed had a Guitar Hero party with several of his friends. There was pizza, soda, candy, popcorn and video games galore. Reed's friend, Cody, came all the way from Arkansas for a visit and has been a constant presence in our home since he arrived...as well as 3 or 4 other boys from the neighborhood. Reed has been in heaven! I have been trying to be the "cool" mom, and just let him and the boys be. (Even though the running in and out of the house has been tough to handle.) Sunday will be a family day, but I'm pretty sure that Monday will be more of the same as it is the last day of our Spring Break. I wonder if I'll survive without totally losing it.

Just for Fun!

I think I'm going to have to keep practicing! I couldn't stop myself from backspacing to correct my errors.

74 words

Speedtest

Behind the Times

Bryan and I went to purchase a VHS/DVD Recorder on Tuesday only to find out that, due to government regulations, they no longer make units that are compatible with our prehistoric television. (I have decided that this is a brilliant scheme thought up by the electronics industry in order to force us into buying things we really don't need.) This prompted Bryan to look at tvs, thus ending in a more expensive purchase than we had originally planned on. The whole process made Bryan want to puke (he hates spending large amounts of money) and the kids ecstatic (they can't wait to play Guitar Hero on a bigger screen). Upon returning home that evening, Bryan made the comment, that in the event of an earthquake, he hopes the tv is edible, because we could have substantially added to our year's supply with the money we spent on it.

Anniversary

Bryan and I celebrated our 14th anniversary nearly a week ago (March 4th). It is hard to believe how much has happened during those years:
Bryan has completed two degrees and worked for 7 different companies.
We have moved 7 times.
We have owned 2 homes, 9 automobiles and 1 motorcyle.
We have 3 beautiful children and a cat.
We have gone to Disneyland 5 times, soon to be 6.
My piano studio has grown from 2 students to 26 students.
Anyway, here's to the next 14 years babe! Love you!

Happy Birthday Leslie!

(Leslie is on the left in the pink shirt.)



March is a busy birthday month in my family...
A few thoughts about Leslie:
She is a fabulous aunt! My kids adore her and are always happy to see her.
She has the most will power of anyone I know! She once gave up sugar!
She has fantastic taste in clothing and shoes and is an awesome shopping buddy!
She is so much fun to be around...wonderful sense of humor and laugh!
Love and miss you Les!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Just some things I remember about my dad:
He used to take us to work after hours and we'd ride the Big Wheels all around the store.
He let me hide a Barbie in his office so that it wouldn't get sold before I could earn enough money to buy it.
He took us on a vacation every year...who can forget driving through the New York City Greyhound bus terminal, the wrong way? Or sleeping in the van in Kentucky? (He also took us shopping at Bloomingdales and Macys.)
He attended more ballet, clogging, and piano recitals than I can count. (Thank goodness Jen came along and he also got to watch some great softball games!)
He shared a bathroom with four daughters...WOW!
My dad has got to be the best, most supportive, hardest working dad/grandpa ever! Hope you have a great year. I love you!