I'M GOING TO BE BETTER!

I haven't posted, I don't know....since over a year ago. Perhaps I should get back into the swing of things. Life has had some changes. Austin and Hayden are driving and dating. I thought I'd be more nervous, but I'm not. They are both good drivers. I hope they are good daters. Makenzie has been on the water polo and swim team for Cedar High. Madison is on the junior swim team and will get to play water polo next year. Gary and I are older.

I'll post more in a day or two...this much has been too exhausting.

Veteran's Day Celebration in Cedar City. Austin and Hayden are in the Cedar High Symphonic Band and they performed wonderfully. They played an original song by a man from Cedar City and it was really inspiring. I've tried to load the video by it is 17 minutes long. I am able to load up pictures of my studs, Austin and Hayden
Austin in his James Bond pose.
Hayden with friends Joseph Palmer and Greg Cox.
Austin was able to play the herald trumpets as well. He is the one on the far right.

Makenzie played in the Cedar Middle School Varsity Band. They played at the dedication of the Veteran's Park in Cedar. The program was really nice except the mayor's talk was tooo long. (I'll probably get in trouble for that comment...but it's true.)
This is Makenzie and her friend Dante. They are both percussionists.

Swine Flu Fun!!!

Hayden has been inflicted with the dreaded SWINE FLU! One day one he didn't look too bad.


But by the time day 5 came around, he was starting to show signs of wear.

This is a horrible picture of us with Grandma Clark on Confernce Sunday, but it is from my phone. We love our Grandma and hope she will receive the comfort and peace she deserves.

Quick Vacation to Estero Island Florida

We went down to Fort Myers Beach, Florida for a few days. We stayed at the lovely Pink Shell Resort on Estero Island. The accommodations were fantastic. A huge 2 bedroom/2 bath condo with great pools and easy, clean beach access. We had a blast.

Wild children....10 and 13This photo cracks me up because it look like we photoshopped Hayden's face on some little body in the water.
Sunset.....
Everglades....we rode on this air boat. Note to self: When they sell you the ticket to ride the boat, and there is a display for insect repellent at the counter, take the subtle hint and apply (buy) the repellent! Huge mosquitoes!
Austin
Janet, Gary and Madison (age 10)
Evil alligator near the roadside.
Madison at the Pink Shell
View from our condo

View of the kids in the water from our room.

Things Happen....

Today at swim team practice, Makenzie was injured on the diving board. Some juvenile delinquent boy felt the need to toss his towel at her legs just as she was jumping off the diving board. When I arrived, the mother bear in me came out and I had to shoved it back once I learned that this kid did apologize. What's bugging me now is who is going to pay for the new swimsuit which got holes in it? The pictures don't look as bad now as they were at first. Her body was one huge red, bloody mess, but then we cleaned her up a bit.Hip
Hip
Upper back

Leg and ankle
Elbow

Isn't growing up fun?

AFY, Elder's Quorum Party, Girl's Camp, Powell....

This summer is just whizzing by. The boys attended Adventures for Youth at BYU Idaho last week. My goal for them was to enjoy themselves and learn to be social (e.g. learn to talk to girls!). They went white water rafting, did baptisms for the dead, did a ropes course, attended two dances, and lots more. And, they accomplished their mother's goals.

Makenzie attended Girl's Camp last week. She had a blast! We are so thankful to the leaders who make it happen every year. On the first day, she managed to get a bee angry. The bee responded by stinging her. Fortunately, the rest of the week was great! We have no pictures to prove she was there, but will get some from someone who had a camera and post the pictures then!

We hosted the Elder's Quorum Party at our house. About 60 people attended. We had lots of fun eating hamburgers, hot dogs, pickles, chips, cakes, cookies, salads....YUM! Even some ventured into the pool. I think it is the most people we've ever had in the pool at one time.
The night ended with the sprinklers going on right under where every one was enjoying the shade and having good old time chatting away. I swear it wasn't a sign to end the party. I had turned the power off earlier in the day to repair a light and forgot to reset the sprinklers. Anyway, we all had a pretty good laugh and I've never seen so many people jump and run so fast!

LEARNING TO WAKE BOARD WITH THE COX FAMILY

Our friends, the Cox family, showed us how to wake board. First I was up. This picture above is me and my mad skills. There was no lesson. I simply hung on and let it rip! (Okay, truth be told, I had tried it previously, but just wanted to show off a little....oh wait...that's not the truth, the truth is that this is a friend of the Cox family showing Austin and Hayden a few helpful hints.)

Austin
Hayden
Hayden

Austin

That's all it took. Just a few short hours (for Kevin it must of felt like the majority of the day) and my boys were hooked. Thanks Cox family for sharing your time and equipment.

SUMMER - GOTTA LOVE IT!

We went to Lake Powell again. This time we brought Grandma T. The weather had been cold and rainy all week. We hoped for good weather. During the day it was mixed with clouds and then complete sunshine. We managed to have a great time throughout the weekend.
Madison and Dad
Grandma T, Makenzie and Madison
Makenzie


Austin, Makenzie and Hayden on the tube.
Dad, Austin, Madison and a lady whom I'm sure I don't know....after all, who would I know that would have her picture taken when she looked like this?
We met up with our friends, the Cox family, and they took the time to show Austin and Hayden to wakeboard. What fun!

FAMILY TIME OVER MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

Family is everything. Our weekend started out with Gary taking the kids to SLC to see Grandma Clark. While there, they attended one of Hayden's favorite activities...WWE. I'm glad I had another commitment since WWE isn't my thing. I was happy to attend a Thomas family event organized by my cousin RaCail. It was a truly spiritual experience.

On Sunday after church, we drove to Beaver, Greenville and Minersville to decorate for Memorial Day. The cemeteries all looked beautiful. I'm grateful we have this one day to pay tribute to our ancestors. This is the 29th consecutive year I've participated, with one absence when out of town.

Monday was filled with boating fun on Quail Lake. My sister in law, Kathy, and my two nieces, Courtney and Cassidy and my mother, joined us for the fun. The weather was great until about 2:00 and then the dark clouds rolled in. We got out of there fast.
Hayden
Courtney
Makenzie

Cassidy, Courtney, Makenzie
Hayden, Austin, Makenzie
Austin

Madison never got in the water so she remains photo-less.

Family Beach Pictures

On Mother's Day, we were recuperating from the wedding the previous evening. Before meeting family for breakfast, I wanted to go down to the beach for pictures. This is what I was giving myself for mother's day. The weather was a bit overcast, and the sun was bright (hence the squinting) and the wind was blowing just enough to cause hair to fly. Here is the result....

Thanks Aunt Janice for waking up early to go with us and act as photographer!

This is my cute grand-niece....Savannah Kate! She just insisted sitting by me at breakfast. She told everyone how I was her favorite great-auntie and that I had really fun things to chew on in my purse. Oh sweet innocence!