Date night is the best night EVER!!!

Ok, so Zack and I have finally figured out a way for the kids to still have their special night out with dad and still be able to go on a date. This involved us moving F.H.E. to Sunday night and making their special night be on Monday night.
Anyway, we love having our date night, and we have a blast no matter what we end up doing, but we are kind of out of ideas for what to do. Dinner and a movie, dinner and a walk at Temple Square (or elsewhere), dinner and sledding are about all we have come up with. At least now that the weather is warmer, maybe we can visit the driving range, but that might get old pretty quickly.

Does anyone have any fun ideas that you typically do on your date night? I guess that I am more boring than I thought I was...sniff, sniff.

P.S. I need help, but if anyone dares to even suggest eating cereal on the roof or bowling in formals, I will hunt you down.....

Cannot say "Thank you" enough

Thank you, for keeping our family safe - I rest well because I know you're there.


Thank you, for making your ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.



Thank you, for your never ending bravery.


Thank you, for your family's sacrifice. I know you miss them.


Thank you, no matter what war or what generation, you have all loved us enough...


Thank you, for standing guard over your fallen brothers. What an honor.


Thank you, for showing my sons what it means to serve your country.


So, if you happen upon one of these great men or women in uniform, buy them lunch, a milkshake, or at the very least express your gratitude to them for a job well done.

There is a wonderful new website that I would highly encourage everyone to visit. It has taken all of the casualties from all of the wars (even the Revolutionary War) and has posted their "stories". Plus, it allows people to upload videos & pics of the serviceman you are/were related to or friends with. Also, there is a place for anyone to upload their own American story. Mainly, what they have done in their lives to make America great. Even something as simple as, 'I vote every opportunity I have', or 'I teach my children to respect our nation's flag'. It is so neat!!! And last, but not least, a little humor...

Thank you, for continuing to do your difficult job, even when it may seem like no one supports you.



If you have never heard this song before, it is called "Arlington" by Trace Adkins and it is very touching.

Those dreamy eyes just melt my heart

Tommy is such a sweetheart. He always seems to be kind of in the shadows of the older boys. I think part of the reason is because since they are older, they have more going on, and because he gives us not a lick of trouble. He always says "I love you" to us, he helps Scotty with everything (no matter how Scotty treats him), he is just all around wonderful!


The other day, he and Mikey got back into the van after their piano lessons. Their teacher has a box of goodies they can "buy" with the stickers they good for near perfectly played songs. Anyway, the box has candy, action figures, toys, and even firecrackers - any boy's idea of a good time. I knew that he had been saving up his stickers for about 3 weeks and was really excited to get something out of her treat box. Tommy wouldn't show me what he got until later that night. He had lovingly wrapped up his treasure (with about 3 yards of wrapping paper and a mile of tape)and left the gift on my pillow.
He had picked out nail polish and a nail file for me out of her box. I have yet to stop getting teary eyed over his sweet thoughtfulness. It crushes me to think that he might feel looked over or that he might be getting the shaft every once in a while. Tommy, I love you so much and I am going to try so hard to be a better mom to you!



P.S. This picture of Tommy looks dangerous doesn't it? Don't worry there is a ton of land around him. Zack just got a really cool angle. There is no way Zack would have let him get anywhere near the edge.

Typical

Church ball....that's all I am going to say.

7:15 am


2:00 pm X-rays show no new break, just an old unknown one.


9:00 am the next morning. Apparently the nurse was a bit too tight with the splint. The swelling was pushed to two specific areas. Oh, and the bruising was even pushed down into his toes. Yeeshers!


Friday night. It's looking a little better.

He's a what? He's a what?

He's a Music Man!

Zachary and Mikey just had closing night of their school play. It was so much work and time for them and we are so proud of what they were able to accomplish.
This has been one of our family favorites for a long time. In fact, Zachary used to have the "Train" song memorized when he was 3 1/2 years old. It was a great treat to see him play that particular part in this play. Mikey loved his part and when we re-watched the movie recently, he yelled out in dismay, "What?!? I'm an old man?!" So fun!!

Mikey played the Constable and Zachary was a salesman.

They weren't too happy about having to wear make-up, but they soon realized that the more they whined about it, the thicker I painted it on.
The entire cast did a spectacular job and we had a great time watching it.
Thank you, Julie, for all of your hard work and for helping our kids get excited about performing!

Yosemite Sam

Ok, this is just kind of for journal's sake. I am going to list off a few of Zack's more popular curse words. How he says these so fast in such a painful/angry/scary moment is quite funny.
Also, as Church family tradition goes, the words all seem to evolve from something simple to something grand. They also have to be read as fast as you can to truly appreciate this talent.
First, the simple ones:

Son of a Diddly!

Guy Morris!

This is a group that I would consider a "family".

Mother Monkey Nut Farmer!

Monkey's Uncle Pieces of Crap!

Pieces of Shining Light of Glory!

And my personal favorite:

Judas Mother of All Pieces of Monkey Shining Light of Glory!

Our sweet little Tommy also did his own Yosemite Sam routine when he was about 3 years old. Whenever he'd get angry or embarrassed, he'd yell:

Satellite - poo - poo - airplane - grandpa! I have no idea where he even heard the word satellite.

Cootie Alert! Cootie Alert!

The other night we were in the middle of our family scripture reading, when out of the blue (or should I say green) something landed, then bounced around on my hands. I stopped reading to look down at what I thought would be a bug or spider, but instead discovered that someone had flicked a rolled up booger onto me. I immediately looked up to find out who the culprit was, but no one had seemed to even notice that I had stopped reading.
I was so grossed out and dismayed to think that one of my sons had done this. I tried my best to put on a stern face and tried not to laugh as I asked who had flicked their booger on me. I already knew who it was, I've seen him rolling them between his fingers before, I just wanted to make it known to all what had just happened to me. I have heard that public humiliation can sometimes help teach, but I doubt it will.
Anyway, the offender (Zachary) started to giggle and went to get a tissue to take care of the specimen. When Zack started to get after him, Mikey said, "I can't believe Zachary did that. I would never do that."
This was hilarious to us because of Mikey's history. When Mikey was four, he used to smear all of his boogers on the wall next to his bed. When Zack reminded him of this, Mikey said, "Yeah, but this is way worse."


The disposal of boogers must be a genetic thing, because when I was little, I did the EXACT same thing!!! So gross, right? Since this is my blog I am going to say that I was "four" as well. I used the wall next to my bed until my dad discovered my "collection". When he asked me about it, I was so scared and embarrassed that I lied. Lied badly, I might add. Looking back, I realize that my dad knew I had lied, but I am so glad that he had the wisdom to let me wallow in my guilt to learn the lesson. I picked every booger off the wall as fast as I could in case he asked me about it again in the morning. That way I could honestly say, "What boogers?"
Sometimes when my thoughts drift back on this memory, I wonder how my dad knew I was lying. Was it because my booger decor really was a genetic thing?

Just kidding, Dad!