The Alexander Family

The Process Begins

2012-01-19T13:49:00.000-07:00

After many days of planning the boys are finally ready to have there pinewood derby cars cut out.

Tuffer is getting help from Pop pop.

Sherman is helping Matthew with his first pinewood derby car.

Now they can start the sanding!

Saying Goodbye

2012-01-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

Thirteen years ago we brought you home, a tiny wiggle little puppy, our practice baby. You waited eagerly as we brought home our first human baby. You became his instant comforter, caretaker, guardian and friend. Keeping him out of trouble when he started to climb the fence. Tattling when he was doing something wrong.

As our family grew you were there to watch over each of them as well.

I miss those days when you were small but you never really lost the eager to please puppy that you were. You worked your way into every heart you met, have been with us forever, you will be missed. Your place in OUR heart can not be filled.

We love you Jake!

New Year's Eve Sledding Day

2011-12-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hooray for another Sledding day! And on New Years Eve no less. We invited a bunch of our friends to meet us up on the mountain for sledding, chili, hot chocolate and fun! We had planned on having a nice little set up with an awning, chairs, heaters, the works. That plan was literally blown away by the gusty wind. It was so strong we didn't have a hope of setting up. But other than the wind the day was bright and warm enough to be pleasant. Annalyn taking her first run of the day. When she got up from her sled she said,"oh momma that was cool! That was cool momma I liked that!" then up the mountain she ran to do it again.

Heather hiding in her coat, Sherman and Ben.

The snow was pretty hard which made it fast so the kids where having a blast. Morgan though a little nervous at first, in the green on the left, was going down more and more as the day went on.

Even the big kids. Here are Lynett and Heather coming back up to go again.

The boys where really good about helping Annalyn get back up the hill. Shermie is reaching down to get her here:

Tristan, Tuffer and Shermie get ready to go down together.

Annalyn taking a break on Ben's lap.

left to right: Morgan, Tristan, Matthew, Nic, Shermie and Tuffer on the hill.

Annalyn getting a little help form Lynett.

There she goes. It was funny to see the four year old boy who was too scared to go down even with his parents and yet here is my two year old daughter that is all by herself (with the boys ready at the bottom). I wanted to say,"yea, she did this last year too" but I didn't. That's my girl!

We spent the whole day going up an down the hill and it was a blast! The chilis were great and even though the hot chocolate may not have been exactly hot it was still good. Thanks to every one who came you made it a really great day!
Here some video fun. I will post more pictures when I get them form Lynett.

Have a Happy New Year!!!

Christmas Day

2011-12-25T17:47:00.000-07:00

Christmas morning was a busy one. Since we planned on going to church at 9:00 we invited Grandpa and Grandma over at 6:30 to watch the kids open their presents. It is a little bit of a shock to be woken up with the sound, "Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas" when you are dead to the world! After getting no answer at the door Grandpa, Grandma and Stevie let themselves in through the garage. For some reason the kids didn't want to wake us up and had been sitting at the top of the stairs waiting. Of all the days to let us sleep in. It was a nice thought though.

They all raced down the stairs to find the new bikes(their old ones had been out grown and very heavily used) that Santa had left.

Annalyn was making herself right at home on hers

They mowed through the presents even though we tried to keep it organized.

Annalyn had a hard time leaving her bike.

Until she found she got clothes for Christmas too!

Santa brought a very special gift this year for Shermie.

After we did present at our house we got ready and went to church with Mande and Tim in there ward. Mande had a solo in the program which surprised Tim who she didn't tell. She did beautiful.
After a quick stop home and a return to PJ's we then went to Gramie and Pop Pops for more presents and a yummy breakfast.

Cutie little Girlies!

We open presents with Uncle Mike then after Gramies we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's for a nice Christmas dinner. It was a fun packed day and it was so nice to be with so much of our family (Though we really missed the ones that couldn't make it this year and they better come next!). It was good to see Spencer, Sarah, Ronda and Stevie (Annalyn's "STEVEN" she was stuck to him like glue and fell asleep on him to night in a row). I am glad they could be here. It made it that much better.

Merry Christmas!!

Foosball

2011-12-24T17:38:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor Sister Sherman called me yesterday to see if we could use their old Foosball table. With the four boys we said Heck yea!

The boys have had so much on it fun already. I even saw the BIG boys in there on it early. It was a great addition to the Christmas Eve festivities. Definitely a hit!
Thank you to the Shermans!

Putting Up the Tree

2011-12-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

Setting up the tree usually goes pretty smoothly. Usually. This year as we wrestled to keep the tree up in it's stand it look like usually was not going to happen but then we got it to work.

So up went the star who's lights were all out so down came the star...

...but up went the rest of the lights, the ornaments and the garland. We were all but done putting on the last ornaments.

Dad was tired (thanks to the NyQuil) because he wasn't feeling well so he went to ahead to bed.

I came up stairs for a minute and then I heard a big crash and then the kids yelling that the tree had fallen over. SO MUCH, FOR USUALLY! I was Thankful that Grandma came over to help me clean up the glass and mess form the tree. We got it propped up against the wall and left it till we could get a better stand.

With the new stand secured the tree is finally finished and it only took a week. Matthew and Nic got a hold of my camera and decided to take their pictures with the finished tree.

If they had not we might not have had a finished picture because I was done with that tree. Looking at it now I think it turned out pretty good. Even still after Christmas I am watching the sales for a fake tree!

A Christmas Party with Santa

2011-12-04T16:01:00.000-07:00

Nicholas and Annalyn where invited to Morgan's house for her Santa party.

Her wonderfully ambitious mom invited about 15 or so kids over to decorate giant rice crispy treat trees, play games, and have a special visit form Santa.She asked me to come help and she did a great organizing the party. It was so cute and all the kids love it! She asked me if I knew anyone to help in the "Santa" department and of course I did. :) I knew just the right person to talk to.

Santa was easily convinced (with a little persuasion from Mrs. Claus) to come to the party but on the night of his arrival both my husband and I got calls asking how to get where he was going. Although Santa was a little put out at the idea at first he immediately warmed up to the room full of kids that where enthusiastically cheering as he entered.

I doubt that any of the kids noticed that he had two particular favorites as he handed out toys to all the kids...

...and all the kids gave him hugs...and thank yous...and love you Santa(s).

He was definitely a hit with them all. He did a great job and I think he may even have liked it (because he sure did talk a lot about it later). I find it the funniest that those two particular favorites never picked up on it either.

It was a great party. Heather did a fabulous job with everything.What a cute idea and a fun time!

Cutting Our Tree?

2011-12-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

My husband and I had ourselves a good laugh today!

We told the boys we were going to go find and cut our Christmas tree today. They were so excited running around finding hats, gloves, coats, etc. Talking about their game plan for trudging through the snow and searching the woods for the perfect tree.

I few weeks before we promised my dad that we would take out some trees they wanted to get rid of at their house. So naturally Sherman and I thought it was a perfect way to get a free tree. ;)

With the kids loaded in the truck we drove the 3 miles to my parents house and told the kids to pick out their tree. Their reactions were priceless! I don't think any of them were happy.

Matthew was the least impressed. The others laughed at it as they decided that we were serious...Matthew did not! I just kept saying, "no...No...NOOO!" in disbelief.

In the end I think we ended up with a good tree...

...and a laugh to last a life time!

Our Short Time With Lucy Liu

2011-11-30T21:25:00.000-07:00

Analyn for a month had been asking persistently for a puppy. I have a veggie tale to thank for that. She was very determined so to pacify her we would look at puppies on the computer. Neither her dad or I were very set against it (her daddy is ready to give her what she wants as soon as she asks) but we needed to take into consideration Matthew's asthma. We had to give Duke up because he had a huge affect on the asthma(Duke is now a service dog for those who need him). After some looking and research we found a Chinese Crested Powder Puff puppy named Chimera.

Annalyn & I were in love!!!

She would ask to see the puppy everyday all the time.

After talking to daddy it was settled and we sent Aunt NaNa to but the deposit down on our puppy. We quickly decided to name her Lucy Liu. What a doll!

We planned to go get her at the same time as a Bronco game as to give daddy a reason to come along.
(We had a great time! It was an awesome game with even better company.)

Lucy Lui very quickly entered not just our home but all of our hearts. She was a perfect fit. We all loved her very much. Even Jake like her though she was ready to let him know who was boss. She had one little hissy fit at Jake who just stood there looking at her like "I don't even know what you where trying to do... but I like ya". Then they were good.

How could you not love those sweet eyes!!!!

A little over a week after getting her she got sick. We took her to the vet but there just wasn't anything to be done. So we said good bye to our sweet little Lucy. The vet was awesome. It was so very hard but I know we did everything we could do which is a great peace to my mind and my heart. I bawled and bawled, the boy were upset, Annalyn kept asking for her. She has a 2 year old understanding that her puppy died and is with Heavenly Father which she has excepted. My hope is that just like our family can be together forever we can have those other special spirits with us too.

Though Lucy Liu is er-replaceable the breeder has been awesome and has offered to let us pick another puppy in the spring. We shall see if my heart can handle it. It took me forever to write this. I am such a baby.(yes I was crying, shut up sherman and quit laughing)

Trot Like a Turkey

2011-11-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

After getting the turkey prepped and in the oven, one of my dearest friends Lynett and I went to do the Turkey Trot 5k.(muuuwha!)

She may have finished before me and I may have slowed her down but I got a new best time of 32.38 minutes. It was Freeezing cold but it was a fun race and I am glad to have good friends to motivate me.

When I got home I had a beautiful turkey to pull out of the oven to celebrate!

Things to be grateful for:

My Husband I love him forever!

My fabulously crazy children who I can't do without.

Our family and our Health.

My Heavenly Father's gospel in my life and the joy and strength it brings.

His watching over us and His many blessing and comforts.

Fantastic friends.

My country and those who fight to defend it.

Happy Thanks Giving!!!!!

Happy Halloween Uncle Mikey

2011-10-30T18:44:00.000-06:00

Annalyn, Gramie and I made a special Halloween treat trip over to Uncle Mikey's. Since she was dressing up again I thought it was a good time to get some more pictures of her and her egg.

She helped pass out candy to all the guys and made sure Mikey got an extra big hug.

Boo and her Buddy!

Ward Halloween Party 2011

2011-10-29T22:33:00.000-06:00

Had a great time at he ward party. This year our theme was the farm.

Not all of us were excited about the theme to begin with. This is the work that was done to get the egg and bail of hay ready.

Annalyn giving it a test run.

But when you pick the theme you don't always get to pick your costume. (Isn't that right, Honey?)

All and all I think they came out Awesome!! Shermie found a "wife" while we were there.

While Annalyn AND our Mr. Rooster took first places!!! Annalyn said, " Yea, I win, I win, I win!" not sure she knew what that meant but she was excited none the less.

They couldn't give use all the prizes but I think our bail of hay, scarecrow, farmer and cowboy were pretty amazing too!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween Party With Friends

2011-10-29T19:30:00.008-06:00

We had so much fun at our friends', Ben and Heather Felix, party last night. Good food, good fun, great chatting. Thanks you guys!

Halloween Parade at School

2011-10-29T17:09:00.000-06:00

I guess I got bored and was really feeling the Halloween vibe before I went to the kids school for the parade because this is what I did with my make-up.

While I was out that later I was actually asked if I was ok until the person looked closer and I assured them it was just make up(Sherman could have been in some big trouble). Check out that choke hold.

I wasn't able to get many of the kids walking in their parade because they came and went so quickly. Here is what I managed.

Craps And Laughs

2011-10-28T16:32:00.001-06:00

I am naming this Craps and Laughs (to be a little cleaner than the name I first came up with).

Here is the recipe to make your own
2 bags white chocolate chips
1 bag dark chocolate chips
1 bag almond slices
2 bags Cheetos Chester Puffcorn

Put chocolate chips in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 1 minute then stir continue heating and stirring every 30seconds until melted. Put cheetos in a large mixing bowl then pour the melted chocolate chips over and stir until coated. Pour out on to cookie sheet or wax paper. Sprinkle on almonds and Viola! Craps and laughs. Another possible name would be Chocolate Covered Grub Worms With Witch's Nails. ENJOY!!!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T12:07:00.000-06:00

Here some pictures of the fun we had at the pumpkin patch this last weekend.

The giant inflated trampoline!

Our friend Ben and his daughter.

I love this picture!

The large side. Annalyn wasn't afraid at all she wanted to keep going down it.

Heading into the corn maze!

Shermie and the Cello

2011-10-21T21:05:00.000-06:00

Shermie had his first orchestra concert tonight. It was so awesome to see him playing. I loved it so much!

He looks like he is really enjoying it and has a great potential to be good at it too.

Zombies On the Loose

2011-10-17T11:21:00.001-06:00

This weekend we headed to Utah for my cousin Holden's mission homecoming. While we were there we visited our Keller kin and went to a Zombie Feast.

We got all the kids (and me) dressed up.

Eathan and Gavin got the toilet paper and glue treatment.

I just took some time to beat all of my kids till they looked like zombies.

Here is Annalyn before her beat down.

Nicholas is getting his beating.

Matthew after.

Tuffer after.

This is one scary bunch!!!

The next day we got to see Great-Grandma and Grandpa McCall. It was so good to spend time with them. We just don't get to see them enough. Holden's talk was very well done. What a good example he is.

Over all it was a weekend well worth the trip. We got to spend it with a lot of family which is the best way to spend a weekend!

All Made Up

2011-10-13T07:01:00.004-06:00

Someone found a permanent marker and decided to play make-up...

The A-Team Triathlon

2011-10-03T09:26:00.102-06:00

This year the three older boys decided to join me in the triathlon and formed a team of their own. THE A-TEAM!! complete with cowbell support crew (Nic and Boo).

Tuffer was the swimmer(of course) and did an Awesome job! He even went the extra mile (or rather lap) and did one extra lap in his swim.

Annalyn and Nic standing ready with the cow bell.

Here comes Matthew on the bike. Nothing could stop him not even a case of road rash.

Then Shermie was off on the run.

Cow bell crew on the move.

As Shermie was coming in to finish his run the other boys joined him to cross the finish line.

Way to go Shermie! Way to go BOYS!!!!

They had a lot of things to do in between the kids race and mine.

My support crew waiting the start of my race.

Becca and I before the swim.

Annalyn waiting patiently.

This has to be the best way to finish a race!

Here are our times:

Mine-
Place 18 Bib #642 Julie-anne ALEXANDER
Overall time 02:02:59.9
Swim 00:12:01.386
T1 00:03:44.431
Bike 01:00:45.956
T2 00:02:02.796
Run 00:44:25.396
I improved all of my times, hooray!

The Boys-
Place 1 Bid #644 THE A-TEAM
Overall time 00:43:53.8
Swim 00:07:35.075
T1 00:00:44.138
Bike 00:17:29.277
T2 00:00:30.895
Run 00:17:34.423

Yes you did read that right! The boys took 1ST place in their division!!!! It was an AWESOME time!!!

Peaches for Pie

2011-09-30T08:24:00.000-06:00

This year we decided to try peach pie filling with our canning. It turned out AWESOME!

Hair Cut

2011-09-28T09:21:00.000-06:00

After fighting tangles and the self-cut hair on her head I finally broke down and had Annalyn's hair cut for the first time.

I think it turned out cute and its much easier to do.

Big Girl Dress up

2011-09-25T08:11:00.001-06:00

Rainy Game

2011-09-17T19:25:00.010-06:00

Shermie's game today started out in the rain. It was colder than I expected for this time of year but lucky for us Lynett brought hot chocolate and we had the umbrellas to stay dry.

Fall Carnival Project

2011-09-16T09:26:00.000-06:00

I helped again this year with the class project for the silent auction. I think they did a great job. I really wanted to keep this one but we didn't make it to the school carnival. :(

Labor Day Reunion

2011-09-05T07:24:00.028-06:00

We had The Labor Day McCall family reunion this weekend. It started out with everyone going to watch Shermie's football game.

He played a lot so it was fun for everyone to see him in action.

The girls got to help the cheerleaders at half-time make a tunnel for the boys when they come back on to the field. This is Annalyn's favorite part she is like the little cheerleader mascot. They are always vying for her attention. Maddi love it too! They were so cute!

Then we all spent the rest of the weekend at Gramie and Pop pop's having fun and playing in the pool.

Peewee Football...

2011-08-27T06:54:00.006-06:00

...She's all over it!

The New School Year 2011

2011-08-24T23:10:00.008-06:00

It can't be school time again already!! But it is, summer went by way to fast. This year Shermie starts middle school.(I also can't believe I'm saying that!) He is very excited about it.

Well maybe not about the earlier school time though.

Nic will be gone the whole day now! :( Poor Boo won't know what to do!

Matthew is always ready for another year.

Tuffer is the big man on campus now, out of the boys, with just two years left in elementary school.

Oh no, hold up there turbo! You are not going just yet!

Kiss and hug to brother then they are off to school.

YES!!!!!

Now we can clean the floor and it will STAY clean...

At least for a little while anyway.

Football VS. Football

2011-08-21T22:12:00.077-06:00

The Tickets are finally in. The kids again this year will each get a chance to go.

This weekend it was Annalyn, Matthew and Tuffer's turn. After finding out she got to go with Daddy and she got a new cheerleader outfit Annalyn was very impatient to get the ball rolling.

Good thing she had here brother to entertain her while she waited.

This weekend was also Shermie's very first football game ever. He is number 94.

So while we were watching this:

They were doing this:

Getty up horsey!

This was their seats:

Annalyn was the hit of the day at the Broncos football game. She stole the show from The Stampede in the parking lot. As they played she danced and the camera phones were all on her. If they stopped she would give them a look to say "well keep playing" and they laughed and played some more.They even let her do one of the drums. Then gave her a autographed drumstick which she calls her Bronco Stick (this has now been hidden due to the obvious drawbacks of giving a two year old a drumstick).

This was my seat. Shermie did AWESOME! I am so proud of him. What a fun game to watch. I am pretty sure I had the best of that deal.

Go Team!!

Miscellaneous Summer Pics

2011-08-15T16:08:00.000-06:00

We have had a great summer and a lot of fun. here are some of the pictures.
I love this one of Shermie walking home with Annalyn.

Annalyn after a long full day of swimming fell asleep on my shoulder in the pool. She was so sleep she didn't wake up even when she was being changed out of here swimming suit and transferring in and out of the car. I'm she she woke up going, "Wasn't I just in the pool?".

Shermie dancing with Mackenzie at the farmers market. He such a good kid! Mackenzie sure liked dancing with him better than me.

Pool party with the cousins. Grandpa got caught napping.

Shermie used some of his lawn mowing money to buy this and had it set up in about an hour. It was a pretty cool coaster.

Swim Season At An End

2011-08-02T09:30:00.000-06:00

After two swim meets Tuffer's swim season has come to a close. He worked hard and did great. He took 8th place in his 100 back and received the most improved award form his team. Here are pictures form both the Delta and Montrose meets.

Way to go Tuffer!!

4th Of July BBQ

2011-07-05T09:30:00.027-06:00

Another great Independence Day! We were so pleased to have all but one of the Alexanders present in addition to our friends and neighbors who joined in our fun. We are getting quite good at this.

We set up the slip and slide for the kids. They also had fun with the sidewalk chalk (good thinking Honey).

Spencer and Sarah brought their bocce balls which was such a fun game that we had to go get Susan's set for the kids to play in the backyard.

It was great to see everyone have a good time. I especially like that Jen and Scott brought out the futon they had in the back of their truck. It made for a comfy lawn seat.

The kids got in on the firework fun. Next year we will have to avoid the swarm that found the firework table and make them on wait on the grass.

I love these!

It was also exceptional nice to see my new niece, Sylvia, for the first time. What a cutie pie!

Thanks Everyone for coming!!! See you next year!!! (and probable before)

Swimming in Cupcakes

2011-06-27T16:37:00.001-06:00

Tuffer's swim team is having a Swim-a-thon next week as a way of raising money for their group. Not wanting to send him around asking for money we came up with a better idea. It doesn't hurt that he has a "SWEET" Aunt Dee. He enlisted her help to make and sell cupcakes to raise his money. To start he came up with his own compilation of flavors: Root beer(float), Red White and Blue Raspberry, Strawberry-Lemonade, and S'mores. He got recipes from her and we were off and running to the store.

Then (after I stayed up half the night baking) with Grandma and Dee's help he decorated a lot of cupcake!

After advertising on facebook and helping Gramie send out some as thank yous,,they were gone before dinner!

Let me Just Say they where DELICIOUS!!!! YUM!

I think he did a fantastic job and learned some good stuff while he was at it!

Way to go Tuffer! And THANK YOU, Dee, Grandma, and Gramie!

Mexican Dinosaur

2011-06-25T17:02:00.024-06:00

For my birthday Gramie and PopPop took us to the Dinosaur Museum to see the new T-Rex (some of us have been asking to see it for weeks). Annalyn was not crazy about the him.

The kids had fun digging for bones and playing in the water.

Getting "spit on".

Earthquake simulator.

Making foot prints.

Afterward we went to eat at our favorite Mexican restaurant! What better way to celebrate a birthday then with my favorite people!

Water On Main

2011-06-13T16:26:00.014-06:00

On a hot summer day what do you do with 5 kids and there cousins that wont cost you an arm and a leg? Take the to the new water park on man street of course.

It is the source of hours of fun without breaking the bank! In fact it was FREE!

Fun for everyone!

Girls Camp: A Dream Come True

2011-06-12T14:28:00.037-06:00

Ever since I became to old to go to Girls Camp as a young woman or youth leader I have secretly hoped to be called to be an adult leader. Going to back to Girls Camp at Ragged Mountain has been my ambition. It has been many years waiting but with some joint plotting together, my friend Paula and I found a way! Paula was called to be assistant craft leader last year and, to my good fortune, craft leader this year meaning she needed an assistant. Who did she think of? WELL ME OF COURSE! Not because I am particularly craft but because we share the same need for Girls Camp(and she loves me). After establishing the possibilities of child care for the week and securing the appropriate sitter(only the best! thanks to my mother-in-law) it was determined that I would definitely go and SO, IT WAS A DREAM COME TRUE!...

...Well maybe it did start out like more of a nightmare when we got a flat tire just after the gate going into camp. Said gate by the way is about 2 miles from actual camp, over very hilly terrain and it was getting late. (we couldn't get the jack to work right)

So enjoying the hike in and the help we received after getting there(in fixing the tire/retrieving the car) we started our week at Girls Camp.*said with longing sigh of relief*

Where else (except Alaska maybe) is it perfectly acceptable to throw a dead bear or coyote over your head and run around.

Where else are crazy skits the best source if entertainment...

...And a squirrel family is your neighbor?

Where else can a member of the priesthood get acquainted with his Crafty side or snooze undisturbed?

Hard working at times though it may seem,
Where else can you have leftover pie FOR BREAKFAST and be in good company!?

Where else can you find the best group of people to make new friends, stay up til past midnight laughing and talking with!?

Where else can you stink to high heavens and not be shunned?

Where else can you sing songs about Mentally Disturbed Llamas, toilets, and sharks out loud and not be thought unusual!?

And yet be able to feel the spirit so close you feel like your in the temple, all in one week...

...Well, I am here to tell you it is at GIRLS CAMP!!!!
(thanks Paula)

There maybe other places where those things can happen but NONE are as awesome as Girls Camp!

I am so glad I was able to go! I am thankful for my husband and mother-in-law for holding down the fort and making it a possibility for me. It was everything I remembered and hoped for, then more!

I can't wait til NEXT YEAR!

(Yes, Honey they want me back)

Titanic Murder

2011-05-28T11:10:00.004-06:00

Another dress up book club. This time we were on the Titanic when a murder took place.

Julia wrote the mystery. She did an excellent job and we had so much fun with it!

This is our serious photo.

Jennifer and Becca dressed to kill.

Julia, Lynett and I with Julia being extra friendly.

The Killer Sylvia the snoop.

Thank you Julia, it was such a blast! Next month is an 80's bash.

Tigers, Elephants and Bear's Oh My!

2011-05-27T10:26:00.037-06:00

The Shriner Circus was in town this weekend and my mom had free tickets for the kids to go. With the prospect of an Elephant ride of course we went! I love elephants!

We were suppose to all be on the same one but the guy wasn't listening and Annalyn and I wound up going on the next one. I turned out better that way because I was able to get a picture of the boys.

The one of Annalyn and I Sherman took with his phone from the stands so not it's not so great. The boys loved it and would have gladly gone again if not for the price of the ride. Annalyn on the other hand was excited to see the elephants but not so much to sit on one.

Here she was mad because Shermie was holding her and she couldn't see them.

They were also very excited to see the tigers. Annalyn kept pulling on the fence saying, "Ti-ger ti-ger open it, It's ti-ger open it, open it". If she only knew what she was asking for.

Getting excited as the show started.

And here are Boo's Tigers. Does she look excited or what.

She called this the "Tramp-O-lean"(as she says it).

It was a fun time. Matthew liked the guys juggling fire (of course), Tuffer liked the elephants, Shermie liked the "catapult guys", Nicholas liked the motorcycles in the ball, and Annalyn liked the elephants, tigers, and the trapeze. I loved watching them enjoy themselves.

Growing Up

2011-05-27T09:38:00.030-06:00

I can not believe that I have a kid who will be in middle school next year! We went to Shermie's graduation from elementary school today.

He has had some great people teaching him these last few years. His teacher Mrs. Lynch has been wonderful. We will really miss his principal Mr. Schmaltz as he will be retiring this year. He has been so good to all of the kids.

The graduation program had a dvd of the kids through the year and was full of music. A little too much music for Boo who fell asleep.

They sang this in Kindergarten it made me cry then and it did this time too. Here is the picture from kindergarten.

I am so proud of Shermie and the work he does in school. He is so smart and loves to read. I don't know if I am ready for him to go to middle school...

...But I know he is.

Next year will bring new adventures!

Tri...Tri...Tri Again

2011-05-23T19:28:00.001-06:00

Had a great weekend with my mom sister and sister in-law at the Women of Steel. The weather could not have been better. I had been worried that it was going to be rainy and cold as we had been warned. But the morning of the race the sun came out and it warmed up nicely without being too hot. There were 739 women who finished the race. Starting at the pool we lined up according to our time for the 300 meter. They would let swimmers into the pool every twelve seconds.

The swim went like this:

(those are some mad paint brush skills right there)The pool was kind of crazy because no one was in a really good order of swim times. Either because people didn't know their time or weren't asking others what their times were. This lead to a lot of congestion during the swim. I didn't like that they added time to your swim by having the timer at the gate but I guess I would rather that then the timer mess up my start and stop times. At any rate the pool was over quickly enough and we were on to the bike course.

The bike course made two loops around a pretty little neighborhood and the cemetery. On one side of the loop it went up hill for a bit then was flat, then it hit the down hill. I loved the bike course especially how fast you could get going on the down hill.

Why, yes that is snow covering the mountain behind me!

The run went along part of the bike route with the same up and down hills but we only had to do one loop.

I finished my race then went back to find Mande and Jessie, who started later, to cheer them in.

It was a really super race and we can officially say we are Women of Steel!

Thanks Jessie for suggesting this race. I had so much fun, What a great experience. I'm glad to have shared it with some of the Awesome women in my life.

Here are my times:

Swim-00:08:53.232
T1- 00:04:37.810
Bike-00:51:17.958
T2- 00:03:27.507
Run- 00:35:16.284
Total Time- 01:43:32
Place-120

This is the necklace we received at the end of the race. So cute!

While we were racing my mom was dealing with getting the car towed(battery went bad), while running back and forth cheering us on and snapping pictures. Yep, She is a Woman of Steel too. Thank you, Mom! We ended the weekend with some nice relaxing shop therapy. Fantastic!

TWO!

2011-05-14T16:35:00.013-06:00

I can't believe she is two! My little princess.

She was so excited to get dressed up for her birthday. When I asked her if she wanted me to do her hair she said,"oh, yes!" when I got done she said, " oh, love it." I love that she is such a girly girl!

She makes us smile and laugh every day!

Not to bad for my lack of experience doing little girl hair.

She is so Pretty!

Grandma got her a bunch of cute outfits and a fluffy white puppy that she absolutely loved!!!

She was also very excited over the kitchen set that she got from Gramie and Pop pop, but the box was the big hit with the boys!

Let The Hot Dogs Roll

2011-05-13T17:23:00.010-06:00

Just a few pictures of the boys playing baseball.

During the baseball season with four boys and three different teams, we live at the ball field. The dinner of choice of course is hot dogs, cheese fries and an occasional frito pie. That's a lot of dogs.

Having Matthew and Tuffer on the same team has been nice. I like watching the two of them playing together.

Sherman and Steve are coaching Shermie's team this year. Let's just say they are a work in progress.

Annalyn loves to cheer for the boys.

Nicholas' team is funny to watch. Mostly because Nic is such a nut!

He has gotten some good hits.

He may turn out to be a good catcher but I think he just likes the equipment.

Annalyn with ketchup corners.

Buy the time the season is over we will be full of both baseball and hot dogs. But hey what am I complaining about...week night entertainment with the family, cheap no cook dinner...I'm all over that!

100 Years

2011-05-13T16:09:00.002-06:00

Appleton Elementary turned 100 this years old this year.

Poppies!

2011-05-09T17:53:00.001-06:00

I had two bloom this year!

Better Safe Than Sorry

2011-05-04T16:21:00.003-06:00

We had some concerns about Matthews heart so the doctor thought he should get an electrocardiography done.

Everything turned out to be fine with nothing to worry about.

Easter

2011-04-24T15:36:00.008-06:00

The kids Easter morning.

We went over to Pop pop and Gramie's for dinner after church. Pop pop made a very yummy dinner of leg of lamb.

Looks like the Easter Bunny visited Gramie's house too.

Family Bowling and Bull Ridding

2011-04-23T15:47:00.001-06:00

We had a really great time the other day at the bowling alley.

We ordered pizza and everyone bowled.

Shermie got a strike!

Then we took turns on the mechanical bull. Annalyn sat for about two seconds and when it started to move she had had enough of it. Nicholas stayed on for a long time.

They were so much fun too watch I couldn't stop laughing the whole time.