Home Repairs...

This week our home has been getting a face lift.

The sides of the home have had some serious dry rot going on...this last summer my kids were throwing a ball in the backyard and it hit the house and literally left a hole. Due to years of moisture and an original backyard that had flooding problems the siding was no longer durable. Unfortunately like anything with owning a home, fixing it was necessary and having to pay for it is unavoidable.

This week we were finally able to fix it...at least a quarter of the siding had to be replaced. And again like anything with owning a home, usually when you go to fix something a domino effect happens. In this case, the house needed to be repainted...

I came home from work today to a new home...or at least it looked and felt like one...

We decided to go with a completely different color...I love it!!!!!

I love that it is motivating me to tackle some other unfinished projects inside the house...

Whooohoooo...next up...turning brown grass into green grass...Stewarts we need you!!!!!! :)

Just a thought...Maybe thats what I need...a face lift...and maybe that would motivate me to tackle the extra weight that needs to be lost...mmm...just a thought.

Lots of basketball...

So how many basketball games have you attended in a life time?

My answer to this question is, A LOT!
I believe no exclamation is needed...

With that said...I have three kids playing basketball right now. December, January and February is filled with attending a lot of basketball games. Though I miss having Saturdays to catch up on things I want/need to do...it is fun to watch your kids play a sport...

For family history sake I had told the kids that I would be documenting their sports and activities...so far no resistance from the crew...here is the first of our current basketball players...

Karch made his high school Frosh Basketball team... he is really liking it...this past summer during summer league he was around the 12th man off the bench...we were not sure he would get any playing time during the high school season...he worked really hard after summer league and found himself part of the starting five when the season began...it has been fun watching him find success in something he loves...





Sandon and Kendall basketball pics coming soon...

Eagle Project # 1

Nothing like waiting until the last minute...

But yeah!!!!! One project down, two to go...

A great group to spend an early Saturday morning with...

Rain or shine...the project was on...

Mckay had his eagle project this last Saturday morning. He will be 18 years at the end of February so he was running out of time. Not that he did not have ample time to plan a project. All McKay had to do since March of '06 is his project...but hey...no complaints here because he ended up really doing it!

We might have bribed some with donuts...

He decided to repair some benches and a table at a local elementary school...he with a few of his friends with one great Tony Powell (thank you) pre cut the pieces on Friday after school...the actual repairing took place the next morning...a HUGE thank you to everyone who showed up to support Mckay...it was a good time while doing something worthwhile...even with weather conditions less than ideal...I will also go on the record and continue to state that we seriously have the BEST YM leaders in the world...yep thats right...love to them all!

Before...

After...

Before...

After...

A Small Taste or Tease...

Depending on who you ask...

Corina, Kendall, McKenzie & Jenna...

Kendall was invited to her very first Young Women event...New Beginnings. She is turning twelve this year. The invite arrived last week and since then Kendall could not wait...she was VERY excited! I can't believe she will be in Young Womens...unfortunately for her though she will now have to wait until the end of August to actually BE a Beehive. There will be 4 new Beehives this year...McKenzie & Jenna have January birthdays...they entered YW this last week.
Patience...to bad that is not a YW value...Kendall will be very experienced with this word...

Atlanta Bound: Way to go Mckay!

Mckay's club volleyball team came in first place this past weekend!

Celebrating their first place finish!

This past weekend Mckay's club vb team (Riptides) qualified for the Junior Olympics. There were 76 teams in the 18 year old division. It was a 3 day tournament. They had to place in the top 10 to qualify to go to Atlanta to compete for the national title this summer. We love watching Mckay and his team play. He is part of a very talented squad. Six of the nine players on the team have already signed National Letter of Intents to play volleyball for Div. 1 schools. (Mckay has signed to play for Long Beach State: Go Beach!)

Warming up before a match...

Nice block !!!

Mckay's fan club...(mom and Greg not pictured)

This tournament officially ends the winter season for club volleyball. Next up on the schedule is high school volleyball. The club season will start back up in May after the high school season and ends when they go to Atlanta to compete for the junior national title...

Weather you like it or not...

This is the view from my work this week...(and yes that is Catalina)

It is the second week in January and the t-shirts, shorts and flip-flops have come back out...(not that they ever really get put away)

One week ago at this time when taking Karch to seminary at 6am the temp was 49 degrees(okay I know not that cold but to us it was freezing)...this morning at 6am it was 69 degrees...seat heaters not required... last week at this time there was a layer of fog that wrapped itself around my work building...this week daily temp. highs in the 80's...cloudless sky...people beaching it...people smiling...almost feeling that desire to ACTUALLY do something with my weight, which usually happens when I know I can't hide beneath layers...forecasts shows more of the same all week...it almost makes you forget that we are in the middle of winter...wishing I could be outside enjoying it more...at least I have my view from work...grrr.

note: will make effort not to whine too much in this blog about working...because I AM grateful to have a job.

Christmas Memories 2008...

What do you eat in bed in the middle of the night???

William Sonoma peppermint bark??

Apparently this is what happens at the end of a holiday that you just worked 13 of the 15 days...love that it was also on the wall behind her bed...not sure any of the broken off bark made it IN her mouth...love that this is what greeted me Sunday morning when I went to wake her...love that her room all day smelled like peppermint...love that I was smart enough to get this shot for posterity...love that all day Greg and I would just start laughing at random times when thinking about it...

note: subject was not completely happy that I ran to grab my camera...in fact she was grumbling at me, not quite aware or understanding why ...but I am sure she is really happy now that I did...

love you honey

This one is for Kendall...

Because she is sooo excited that I have started a blog!

Yes...she is as tall as I am now...this photo was taken at her choir concert a couple of weeks ago...she informed me that my blog needed a little more something...like photos, or color. I reminded her this is MY blog...but maybe I can make it better...sometime...in the meantime...thank you Kendall for being excited to see YOUR photos on my blog and for not worrying when I post about the good and bad and ugly (by the way, Aunt Shirley just gave me the rights to her life, awesome)...thank you for the energy that you give me from the excitement that you have for most things...love that you like to stay in touch with family...love that you know more about what is going on with the extended family than anyone else in the household, love that you love sending family a thought of the day, everyday, love that you are self motivated, love your free spirit...

Now if I can just figure out how to bottle up some of that eleven year old energy that you have so you can share it with your mom...that would be awesome...love you Kendall!

2009 New Year's Resolution #10

Create a blog for me. (and possibly my mom, aunt shirley, sister and greg's family)


Record happenings, thoughts (random and not), funnies, and anything else that I feel like.


***note to self...still need to convince some members of the family that my blog will not invade their privacy...this will be a challenge I am sure...it is most likely that their privacy will be disturbed...will work to make privacy issues a non issue...will try to keep blog updated...a year from now would love to pat myself on the back with a year worth of "journal" entries...