New Outlook

So, a routine eye exam turned into a new look for Rachel and Samantha. They were both so excited to get their new glasses. Not a care in the world that anyone would call them geeky or a bad name - nope. Not these two. They were thrilled with the new perspective they gained. Rachel is far-sighted, so she was excited to see more clearly when she reads, plays the piano and texts on her phone. Samantha is near-sighted and the WHOLE ride home from the doctor's office she was narrating- Speed limit 30, Railroad crossing, no parking, Adams Street, Dave's Vacuum repair....the WHOLE ride home! And don't they look GREAT?!?!

The Lighter Side of Easter...

Whoa, Boy!

I love having a little boy in the house. Even more, I love watching him grow into a little man. Let's just slow it down a notch, okay? (Jay Michael, three years old and almost nine feet in the air....) Sorry about all the bikes and trucks in the picture, but, you can tell by all the toys and dirt that all the ladies are also outside-loving kids!

KidBits, April 2011

In this edition of KidBits - a little news on everyone - we will cover dental hygiene! I took all five kids to the dentist for one appointment! I am ashamed to admit it, but, this was Jay Michael's first dentist appointment. So until now, I never took all five kids. Jay was excited at first, but, not happy by the time we left. We use a pediatric dentist who has televisions mounted in the ceilings above his chairs, so the kids wear earphones and watch SpongeBob while he works on them. My ladies love the dentist. Weird, huh? Jay Michael? Nope. Not so much. As you can see from the picture, it's a kid friendly kind of place.

The Activity Girls at church hostessed a night for the parents this month - a Modesty Rocks Fashion Show. Each of the girls took to the runway in various apparel. Some showed modest sleepwear. Some showed playclothes, athletic gear, or school clothes. Charlotte chose Sunday Best and modeled a modest, respectful outfit that showed her personality - bright and happy. You can't see well from this angle, but, she even has a flower in her hair! And sorry the picture is blurry - she was strutting her stuff down the runway!

Samantha is the oldest of the Activity Girls group and she was the Master of Ceremonies, introducing all ten girls and describing their outfits. She hammed it up and made it fun. She had to coach a little, too, helping the girls know when to come out (Samantha translation: Get out here!) and when to walk (Samantha translation: Go on; strut!), which the audience thought was pretty comical.

When we got home from the Fashion Show, we had this group at our house - the entire Young Women's Presidency and 16 of the Young Women! The were there to give James a Heart Attack! To do this, they marched through our kitchen and living room muttering, Heart attack, heart attack, all the while taping hearts all over our walls. The hearts had been made my them and each had a good wish or a scripture for James. Stuff like, We are thinking of you and your family. Or, We are here for you; we love you. James was surprised and delighted. The group then sang us a song they are practicing for the church Easter program. Just beautiful! Then they took requests and we had them sing our favorite Primary songs! The picture is bad, it was a little too dark outside to take a good picture without a flash; sorry. Such a great surprise! (Well, at least I had a warning....but James was surely surprised!)

(Rachel is the pretty one on the front row in the brown shirt....) They are a great group of Young Women and Rachel loves being a part of it! (Samantha can't wait until she turns 12 in July and gets to join in, too!)

Junior High South Soccer Update

Rachel was thrilled to make the Junior High South soccer team as a seventh grader. She has played goalie in the local small town rec league for the last three years, so she wanted the goalie spot for her school team, too. Being a seventh grader, she knew she would be back up, since the back up goalie from last year was now the eight grader with more experience. She is riding the bench most games, but, she has had some time in goal - and a few good saves to boot! Rachel has even had some field time as defense and forward, but, she says she'd rather be in the goal! The team travels to away games and rides the school bus. I can remember the same thing in seventh grade (except I played field hockey) and it was a big deal. Fun memories of school! So far, the team has had a great season - with a record of 5 wins, 2 losses. The season has just one more game to go - against cross town rival Junior High North!

I love this snapshot of Rachel's fans! The kids love the games. Jay shouts, "Kick it Rachel", whether Rae is on the field or on the bench. So cute.

Spring Break 2011

Since I'm now working and James is home and not feeling well at all, we didn't have much chance to to travel for spring break. Instead, we broke in spring at home. Here are some highlights of our week in pictures:

We took goofy pictures with Mom's phone!

Rachel spent three days at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch with friends! Samantha took horseback riding lessons (and loved every minute)! We went out for ice cream - on a school night! Samantha went to Pinnacle Mountain with her bud, Laura! Swimming at the community pool - indoors! See how Jay is holding his toes? Cuteness. We slept late, we played in the backyard and we played at friend's houses. Yeah, we played and played. And spring is officially broken in!