Rigatoni, Cinderella and Captain America!

Andrew was home sick for a few days last week.  He had a bad cold.  While enjoying lunch with me he had the brilliant idea to put uncooked rigatoni up his nose. I don't think it helped him breath any better, but it sure did make for some silly pictures.

The kids have played Blokus a lot lately, especially the older boys.  It is fun to watch their frustration and good humored rivalry. Every one wanted to watch this game between Sam, Tim, Freddy and Daniel.

 Sam won this one and remains unbeaten.

Tim has LOVED his homemade salsa and quinoa chips from Rebekah.  

Last Friday, Richard and I took Daniel, Laney and Susanna to see the new Broadway version of Roger and Hammerstein's Cinderella at Mesa High School.  We all loved it!  It was a great show with great talent, beautiful costumes, sets and props and fun choreography.  We loved the live orchestra as well.

The girls with Prince Charming

Daniel made sure he got in the picture with Cinderella. He put his arm right around her.

Charming Princes

My friend Leslie Woolf, from Millennial Choir, told me about the show and that her daughter was in it. She also was in charge of all the costumes.  I'm so glad we went!

Tim and Sara went on Saturday night with friends, Isabelle Hunsaker and Taylor Lesueur. They had a great time too. (Taylor had run a marathon that morning. 26.2 miles in 3 hours and 28 minutes. Pretty incredible! and he was still a fun date.)

Sara, Prince Charming and Isabelle

I love the girls' curly hair!

Last week, Grammy caught Captain America mowing her lawn!

Pretty Awesome!

I sent a what I thought was going to be just a silly face to Dandi in a text, to make her smile. Instead, I worried her.  It was after midninght and my lighting was bad, so I looked a little unwell. Ha! I had to send her the next picture to prove that I really was fine. It's so awful that it's hilarious!

February Fun

I have still been plowing away at costumes for the play. Freddy kindly modeled and Indian costume I had just finished. My kids have been pretty sweet about trying things on for me.  Even when it's a fairy costume and I only have boys home, I can usually get one to try it on, even though it's not at all what they want to do.  They love me THAT much!

Tim got this sweet doorbell ditch reply to his prom-posal.  Rebekah left him a cute note in Spanish say she would love to go to prom with him.

We decorated Pat and George's house with hearts and a birthday banner for Pat.  Daniel made her a German apple cake and we all sang Happy Birthday to her.  She loved it and we love her.  Pat and George spend so much of their time and money teaching the kids West Coast Swing Dancing, feeding them, entertaining them and loving them.  They are two of the most generous, giving people I know.

Valentine's Day

Tim planned the cutest Valentine's Day surprise for one of his best friends, Rebekah Smith, to ask her to go to prom with him. They are seniors and have been great friends all throughout their high school years.

He stayed home from school and prepared all morning and then the two of us spent a couple hours decorating and setting up. We used a lot of tape. The house looked so cute! We used a ladder and Tim did some stretching and jumping to get the high ones up.  Thankfully, he survived.

Inside, the entry way ground was covered with about 40 red and pink balloons. He hid around the corner until she walked in from school and then presented her with pretty balloons and chocolates as he asked her to go to prom with him. She was so surprised and happy with the grand gesture.  She said, "Oh, thank you so much!" and smiled and hugged Tim. Then she and her mom went on about how sweet it all was.

When we got home, Tim asked me if she answered him about prom.  I told him I didn't hear her say yes or no, but assumed he had heard her answer.  He didn't remember her answering either.  A little while later, she sent him a text saying she couldn't believe she had forgotten to answer him and that yes, of course, she would love to go with him, and thanked him again for everything.

It was a super fun Valentine's Day.  And to top it all off, Richard hired a barber shop quartet to come to our home and serenade me with sweet love songs.  They presented me with a rose and chocolates.  It was a very sweet surprise.  I am so blessed that Richard chose me to be his eternal sweetheart. We have so much fun together. I love you, Babe!

You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/RNrRlKr2mIE 

And here: https://youtu.be/sBdog7faOvo

Mermaids, 41 and a New Baby!

I have been working on costumes for the elementary school play Peter Pan.  I love costuming, but it does make me a little crazy and super busy. This last week I worked on 16 mermaid costumes.  17 fairies are next on my list. then on to 15 Indians, 8 pirates, 6 lost boys, the Darling family, a crocodile and of course Nana the dog. Eeek...  um... I mean, So much fun!

I stopped sewing for a day to celebrate my 41st birthday with my sweetheart.  We started by going to the temple.  The flowers were incredible!  Then we had lunch and went to second hand stores and used book shops.  It was a dream day for me.  I LOVE BOOKS!  He bought me 28 books.  I love hunting for books and we found quite a few elusive ones.  It was wonderful! 

That evening the boys all went to a men's leadership training and us girls went to Kohl's to get the rest of my birthday gifts.  I got a super cute purse, at Richard's request, and a pretty ring.  He wanted to take me himself, but I spent hours and hours looking a books, so we ran out of time. It was a perfect day.

A few days before my birthday, little miss Freia Elizabeth was born to Gavin and Cadie.  She is a beauty and I can hardly wait to meet her. She had a super exciting birth in the triage bathroom at the hospital.  She could not wait any longer, she wanted to meet her parents so badly.  They are pretty amazing people, I can't blame her for the rush. I think that Cadie might have done things a little differently, if it had been up to her.

When Freia came, Grammy went to Tucson to help out. Peter, Fred and Daphne kept her on her toes, mostly the tornado named Fred. They are all so adorable! I love this picture of Grammy.  She is so pretty! Daphne is darling too.

Cadie and Peter

Cadie and little baby Freia

Daphne is blossoming in language and personality.  Grammy had a ball with her.  She is such a little jabber-jaw.

Fred is a whirlwind of fun, not a big talker, but tons of excitement with this cutie.

In Grammy's words, the beads make the outfit.  She is such a doll!

Dress up time

What a fun week we have had.  Life is great!

Cuties and Sadie Hawkins

My camera hasn't been working well.  I think it has beach sand in the lens so it doesn't turn well.  It started working again so I tested it on my Sweetie.  He's so handsome!

I've been doing some spring cleaning. I cleaned a hall cabinet out for Sara to put her cosmetology stuff in.  She decided to try it out herself first.  Silly girl!

Sara dressed like a hobo and asked someone to Sadie Hawkins.  He gracious declined because he had already been asked.  So when she heard Brandon didn't have a date yet either, she thought it would be fun to go with him. Brandon was hanging out with Tim at the house, in their pjs, so a quick name change on the sign and she was good to go.  She even had a few pennies in her hand and said he should go with her because it just made cents.  Of course he said yes. 

 Tim was asked by Makaila.  They were supposed to dress as famous couples.  Tim and Makaila went as Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.  Brandon and Sara just dressed with the same country theme. They had a good time together.  Mostly, when they came back to the house and played games.

Tim's 18th Birthday!

HE'S 18!!! How did that happen?  I have 3 adult children.  Wow.

We had choir on his birthday so I knew I need to squeeze his birthday dinner into a very small window of time, between school and leaving for choir.  I cleaned the house, dusted, polished, etc, because I know that he loves it.  Service is his love language.  He came home, noticed immediately and was thrilled.  I also made a Thai steak strip dinner, with onions and peppers and Thai noodles, garnished with cilantro, just for him. He loved that too.  Whew... I was so glad that I chose well for him.

After choir we gave him his "birthday cake".  All he wanted was a candle in a Lofthouse sugar cookie.  He hadn't had sugar for a whole year.  He started last year on his birthday and made it a whole year. He said it wasn't hard and that he didn't really miss sugar.  He ate 2 1/2 cookies that evening and is back on the no sugar kick. He just doesn't see the need for sugar in his life. Good for him.

I know this picture is blurry, but I love how he is looking at that cookie.   

 This one was just before he ate it. 

Here is the video of his first bites of the cookie.  It's so cute!

https://youtu.be/yIk8bQ1ia4c

I had to hold my adult baby before he went to bed.  I love my Timmy Willy!

The following Saturday we spent the day together shopping for his gifts. We stopped at Red Robin so we could both get our free birthday burgers. We get them every year together since our birthdays are so close. Before Josh, we would go with him too, since his is just before Tim's. (Missed you Joshy!) 

He got the A-1 Peppercorn burger and added lettuce and fried jalapenos.  He said it was the perfect burger, just spicy enough.

We had to get some fun selfies to document the occasion, of course.

It was a super fun day.  We got Tim some awesome clothes and we came home happy and full. What more could you ask for?! Love you Timmy 💕