The Statue of Accessories

Aaron created this look entirely on his own and insisted that I put it on the blog under the title you see above. Not just any man would be comfortable enough in his own masculinity to pull off such a bold fashion statement. But Aaron is not just any man. Plus, he'll do just about anything to make his sisters giggle. Chad, of course, just rolled his eyes - but we get that a lot around here these days.

Diamondbacks!

Are these the cutest boys you ever saw, or what? If it weren't for baseball, I'd be sorry to see the season end.

Here's a short clip of Chad during warmups. He's #42. I wanted to get a video of the chant the boys do before all of their homegames. It's really cute and it would have been a much better clip. But unfortunately, I walked into the gym while they were doing it. How dare those little turkeys start without me!

Baptism Dress

Okay, everyone! Here it is. The dress that has given me no end of grief. Bethany decided that for her baptism, she wanted a homemade dress to go along with the blessing dress that I crocheted for her when she was a baby. (You don't think this means she'll want me to make her wedding dress do you? Yikes!) It all sounded like a fine idea until I cut the pattern out incorrectly, ran out of fabric, had to go back to JoAnne's and get more fabric, started sewing the dress, realized that Amber had cut a hole in one of the sleeves, had to go back to JoAnne's and get more fabric, went to Sarah's, saw Kaitlyn's store bought dress that cost 1/3 of the cost of what I had now spent on fabric and spent hours gathering and hemming the colossal skirt on this bad girl. And the worst part of it is that now, I have to do it again for Miranda and Amber. Maybe we can go a little more chic, modern and somewhat less full when they turn eight. More pictures coming when the baptism girl actually gets baptized next month!

Soccer Girl!

Here's Amber getting ready for soccer with Bethany's cleats and shin guards. I think it's possible that we've dragged her to a few too many sporting events during the course of her young life. The other day, she found a pair of Bethany's old T-Ball pants and put them on. But hey, at least she's got her seasons right.:)

Book Club!

Everyone, this is big news! So, get ready. I finally read the book club book. Don't faint!!! This month we read These is my Words by Nancy Turner (I think that's her name). It was just my kind of book - historical fiction. I love that stuff! The book kind of reminded me The Diary of Mattie Spencer which I also liked. Luckily Sarah's nasty (first) husband died unlike Mattie's who hung around and made me wonder why Mattie didn't dump that no-good sorry piece of - oh wait, this is a family blog. The book was a bit brutal and depressing in places, but I would still recommend it. So, ladies, I will see you at book club. Get ready to be dazzled by my intellect as we discuss.

Happy Birthday Sam!

Sam is one of the most driven people that I have ever known. He is an Eagle Scout, A National Merit Scholar and he received his Computer Science Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Stanford University with honors after just four years. Later he went back to school to earn another Master's Degree in teaching. He has worked hard during our entire marriage and we are so grateful. Nowadays you can find Sam grading papers, helping Aaron with his math, making sure the boys have their Scouting and Faith in God programs well in hand or helping my mom keep track of her finances. If only I could convince him of the joys of baseball.:) He is the best husband, son, son-in-law, brother and father that anyone could ever ask for, and this girl would be lost without him. We love you Honey!

Rock Star Sons!

I just looked on my computer Favorites links and see that "I" have a new favorite website called "How to Start a Band in Middle School". Oh Boy!

D.U.R. Day!

So, another Valentine's Day has come and gone. When we were in college, my roommates and I used to call this holiday D.U.R. Day (or Day of Ultimate Rejection). Things have gotten somewhat better since those days but I'm not entirely sure how much. This year I decided it would be fun to send Chad a love gram (or four) at his school. This is a fundraiser for the student council. You pay $1.50 and you get to write a valentine that they will then deliver with a rose on Valentine's Day. Now, admittedly, usually you don't get these from your mother, but what's the big deal, right? What could possibly go wrong? My mom and sisters and I spent hours thinking of the perfect names to address these lovegrams with and were very happy with our final decisions - Lola Luscious, Valerie Vixen, Ivana Kissalot and Buss T. Lady. Unfortunately, it all went downhill from there. First of all, the student aid told Chad within 5 minutes of the time I made my purchases that I had sent him a lovegram and then when I told Sam about it, he heard the names we used and informed me that Chad would one day be in therapy - all because of my fabulous Valentine's plan! I still had great hopes that Chad would be greatly entertained on V-Day and would always remember how much his mom loved him. Alas,the day finally arrived and for some reason the student council members who were assigned to make deliveries to Chad's homeroom thought it would be cool to read the Valentines out loud instead of just handing it to the recipient. So, of course my son was humiliated, his friends talked about it throughout the day, he threw the flowers and notes away at the first opportunity and I have scheduled a therapy session at the counselor's earliest convenience (okay that last one is a lie, but it's only a matter of time). Bummer! On the plus side, Sam liked his flowers and Aaron rocked his baseball tryouts - so Valentine's Day wasn't a complete bust.

Hummingbird Concert

Here is a snippet from the concert. Diamondbacks rock.

Hummingbird

We had a great time at Hummingbird. The day was beautiful and the mountains were lovely as always. We watched Chad's concert, had a picnic lunch at the camp and then did a little exploring at Soda Dam. I used to love to go there when I was little and now my kids love it too. We'll have to go back when it's a little bit warmer so that we can play in the springs.

Spelling Bee

Well, I just returned from Chad's 5th spelling bee and may I say that it never gets less stressful. I always find myself mouthing the letters. Luckily the kids aren't facing the parents in middle school or I would probably be asked to leave. It used to be (during Chad's elementary school years) that I could totally have won the spelling bee - now, not so much! I couldn't believe some of the words that the kids were asked to spell by the third round. Only about 10 kids survived into the fourth round and I'm pretty sure at least 40 were left at the beginning of the third. Anyway, congratulations Jessica for spelling "propinquity"- I thought you were doomed for sure. As for Chad, he made it through the first two rounds with "fiesta" and "auditorium" but joined the mass exodus in the third with "subjugate". Oh well! I still think he's the bomb!

Funny Story of the Day (Rated PG-13)

This weekend, Miranda asked my sister Emily, "How did you get those boobies?" Emily replied, "You will have some when you get older too." Miranda laughed and said, "Emily, you silly! If I get some I will just stick a pin in them and pop them."

Awesome Aaron!

Here is Aaron holding his acceptance letter to the Desert Ridge accelerated math program for next year. He took the test last week and found out yesterday that he passed! We are so proud of this great kid. We know that he would so much rather be riding his scooter, jumping on the trampoline or playing with his game boy than practicing his fractions. But, he has worked his cute little bum off for the last couple of months doing just that. Aaron, you are a big stud!

Quote of the Day

"Nummy, Tad. Do it!" - Amber, handing her fork full of carrots to Chad and trying to get him to eat it for her.

Julie's AKA

I totally pilfered this idea from Melanie's blog, but it's kind of fun.

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) Snoops Sienna
2. YOUR ROCKSTAR TOUR'S NAME: ("The" + Your fave hobby/craft, fave weather element + “Tour”) The Baking Sunshine Tour
3. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fave ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Cookie Dough Gold Bar
4. YOUR “FLY Guy/Girl” NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) J-Smi
5. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Red Giraffe
6. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Ann Oakland
7. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) Smi-Ju
8. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The" + 2nd favorite color, favorite drink) The Green Milk Shake
9. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers) Melvin James
10. STRIPPER NAME: (the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent, favorite candy) Lilac Snickers
11. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s & father’s middle names ) Jo Dwight
12. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME: (Your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter) Jeffries Jacksonville
13. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower) Autumn Magnolia
14. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing right now + “ie” or “y”) Strawberry Sweat Pants
15. HIPPY NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree) Wheat Chex Aspen

Now you guys do it!