my girl at seventeen

It's hard to believe this lovely lady is beginning her last year as a full time resident on Sunnydale Dr. No need to remind me of how fast this next year will go. Little did I know when I had her and her older sister a mere 17 months apart, that they'd venture off to college and life outside my arms' reach all in a single year.



But my how she has blossomed over the years! I admire her qualities of faith, perseverance, humor, kindness and humility so much. As the next year flies by I will be sure to relish in our time laughing over silly texts and letters she gets from not so secret admirers. Bake extra batches of cookies as she crams for tests and continue to stay up til wee hours of the morning to keep her company when she hammers out papers on the computer. I'll even promise to work extra hard to get the latest dance moves she teaches us on a regular basis. And as always, I'll take every opportunity to tell her how amazing she is to me and those around her as she fills our lives with love and laughter.

Idawho?

I must admit, when I heard a family reunion was to be held in spud country, I wasn't all that excited to go. There are so many fabulous places to stay-cation right in our own backyard after all. But I sucked it up, dropped a couple hundred in prep for our three day adventure and off we went to Napoleon Dynamite's hometown of Preston, Idaho.

The drive couldn't have been better. Brett drove up with the boys in the over packed van while the girls and I followed along with Analisa playing DJ on the iPod. We jammed out the entire way! I can always count on those girls of mine to keep me current.

After a few twists and turns off the beaten path we ended up on 200 acres of gorgeous farm land. Grandma Judith's brother, Uncle Brent was kind enough to share his newly built "cabin" with us that frankly made my quaint little home look rustic. I miss the double sink bathroom already!

The kids took turns riding the 4 wheelers and enjoyed beautiful vistas for miles around. Here is a one minute video I filmed with my flipcamera to document my first spin on the bad boy.

The boys had fun hangin with their one and only cousin on the trip.

We roasted hotdogs, ate one too many smores and were entertained by the lovely Katherine on violin.

As the sun started to set, Brett entertained us with his made up ghost stories that always include 3 little heroes that just so happen to be the same ages as our boys. He even went as far as to make up a G rated version of La Llorona. The real story still brings back so many scary memories of my days as a child in Mexico.

While the kids and company went off to shoot guns, I decided to stay home to sweep up crumbs. And somehow managed to find a few minutes to dive into a romance novel. This picture is hilarious! I took it as a joke on my own Mr. Darcy's cell phone. He thought it was so funny I had to include it on this little post just for a laugh!

There was plenty of time for playing games, hide and seek and late night Harry Potter movie thrills on the big screen.

Here are my darling inlaws and Aunt Lindsay just before a hike up the Idaho mountains. Just gorgeous.

The rivers and lakes were full to overflowing, but we still managed to enjoy a little time playing in its waters.

Who knew that potato land had so much to offer! A great time was had by all.

'til next time.

pomp and circumstance

I love this picture for so many reasons. Love the sign that our dear friends made for the occasion. Love the care her sisters took getting the sign up to begin with. Her dad in the background watching his baby girl take center stage. And then of course her, poised and eager to move on to the next stage of life.

We were so lucky to sit right across the aisle from her. I snapped this right after she received her diploma. Radiant.

The boyfriend, the grandparents, her mama, her newest baby cousin, her Tias, and baby brother Samuel, lover of all things fuzzy, who insisted on getting her a stuffed animal she could take away to college. "In case she gets homesick" he said.

Because it was such a small graduating class, they had everyone set up tables with special tokens and mementos to honor the graduates. Hence, there sat Osi, a stuffed bear I made when I carried that girl inside of me as I anxiously awaited her arrival. She loved that bear 'til the beads and stuffing left trials everywhere she went. I think I restitched it a dozen times. It traveled from Provo to Ohio, got lost and found in little bakeries and museums across Chicago. It made it's way to hot, humid Texas and finally back to a shelf by her bed in Utah. Yes, little Osi has been through a lot over the last 18 years but is no worse for wear for all it's adventures.

We thought we'd give her a bike to get around the BYU campus similar to what my parents gave me my first year at the same place all those years ago. It has the cutest red birds and music notes painted on it with the word Melody painted on the side. How apropos for my little singing bird so ready to take flight.

Mabel

We've been busy wrapping up an eventful month of May. Miss Sarah who played the part of Mabel in her class recital graduates on Wednesday! Exciting times to say the least. I'll have to come back and share more of our doings later. For now, hope you enjoy this cute little song from Pirates of Penzance, "Poor Wandering One."