this is my girl. carson. today is her birthday. she's 12. the things i love about her: she's kind. she helps out. A LOT. she is an example to her sisters. she's bubbly, social and outgoing. she has a natural flair for the dramatic. she loves clothes, jewelry and is the family hairstylist. she is sweet and funny. she puts on plays and musicals for the family. she loves her mexican food. she has a zillion friends and still has her original bff from pre-school. she is the peacemaker. she is starting middle school in a week. best of all she is a great daughter and sister.

i'm taking off for utah tomorrow. everyone have a great weekend and peace out...L

sammy and jonas. this is my niece samantha and her husband jonas. sam is expecting a boy in september. her and jonas have travelled from georgia while they are out of school to do some touring around the western states. they got here on friday and have been hanging out with me and the girls.

it's been so fun to see them both. this is my first time to meet jonas. he's wonderful. he's from germany and his parents plan on flying out in October to visit and see their new grandchild. this will be the first grandchild in my family. i have the two oldest children in the family and let me just express my frustration with brianne and dallas right here: I SO SHOULD BE THE ONE TO HAVE THE FIRST GRANDCHILD! i have been robbed by my younger sister.

since i finally learned how to get some more photoshop skills (due in part to a lot of sleepless nights) i used them right here on these photos. aren't they a cute couple? sam looks beautiful. and i remember the day she was born. time flies by.

happy sabbath to all...L

oh it's been a crappy week here for me. i'm not going into it but let's just say PMS had a little to do with it as well.

but on to happier things...i'm grateful for my friends. friends who listen and cheer me up and try to make me feel better. friends that are always there for me. you all know who you are. and i love you. because even when you feel you are all alone--you have friends that make you feel that you aren't alone.
so kerry sort of dared me to do a layout yesterday. she showed me a cute layout on karla's blog and told me i should do it. of course i told her no. but late last night when i couldn't sleep i looked at karla's layout and decided to go for it. the reason? the other day haley and i were in my room and i was holding her on my lap. it was almost time for bed and i started talking to her about starting kindergarten and tears came to my eyes. for 3 years it has been just haley and i. all the other kids were in school and so haley and i just did everything together. she was always perfect and there wasn't a reason to not take her with me. so i told her i would be sad to see her go off and leave me. but she is so ready for school and i know she's going to love it.

so kerry, thanks for inspiring me to do something creative. and i even hand journaled! i hope everyone has a great weekend...L

she gives new meaning to the words "skinny jeans." dammit. why couldn't i have had that body when i was 13? oh no, i had to have the baby fat that stayed until college. then came back with a vengance after 6 kids and old age.

taylor is one of a kind that is for sure. she is a vegetarian. although i have tried to tell her that hot cheetos and ramen noodles are not a food group. she loves the beatles. she has a turtle named crush. she loves johnny depp and wants to see all of his movies. she loves to read and will read a book a day. she is into bracelets. she was the only girl at camp to hit the bull's eye and nailed the heart of a fake deer, because in real life she wouldn't hurt any animal. although she is deathly afraid of spiders and will scream for me or dave to come and kill the tiniest speck of a spider. she thinks cleaning her room is a form of child torture. although she isn't a child anymore. nope. she is going into the 8th grade and growing up way too fast...

this little peanut here--haley rose? how could you ever get mad at that face? but i tell ya the little one has been mighty vocal lately.and non-stop talking. i mean non-stop. even other people comment on it! i think i may be getting a mini-brie on my hands! here are a few of her latest doings/sayings.

so we have been at pinetop for a week. i just got home yesterday. i went to put her to bed the other night and taylor had been on the top bunk drawing and reading. so i had to clean up all her stuff to let haley lay down and sleep there. then haley proceeds to tell me that "taylor has been eating skittles and drinking soda at night. but don't tell her that i said it cuz she'll get soooo mad at me. just tell her you knowed it yourself." ha

then one night i sat all the kids down to eat dinner. i asked who wanted to say the blessing on the food. both carson and haley said they would. i told carson she could say it. at which point haley starts in (this had been going on all day) with the whining and loud voice that she wants to say it. finally carson gives in and says that haley can say the prayer. haley then lifts her head up and orders me to help her say it. so while i am telling her to say thanks for the food and all i tell haley to ask God to help us to not be cranky. uttter silence. i finally open my eyes to peek at her and she was defiantly looking at me with extreme dislike in her eyes. then i repeated to her to say help us not to be cranky again. at which point she lets out this big disgruntled hmmph. then she says it. it was all i could do not to laugh. oh right, i did laugh. at which point she then told me to stop laughing.

so yesterday i came home with taylor and carson. dave wanted someone to stay with him and haley and anna said they would. dave told them he would get them a toy and take them to the movies and the go-carts. we ate lunch together and then i kissed them all goodbye and me and the big girls took off for home. not a half-hour later i get a phone call from dave asking me what should he do--the girls had been in the bathroom at lowe's for 10 minutes and hadn't come out. um, stick your head in the door and call their names.

well i get a call another half-hour later from dave saying "you knew what you were doing by leaving the little ones didn't you?" who me? wha happened? he then proceeds to tell me that the reason they took so long in the bathroom was that haley had to poop and anna had to help wipe her and there wasn't any toilet paper. then after that crisis was solved and they washed their hands there wasn't any paper towels. then when they were done there haley informed her daddy that she couldn't sit in the theatre seat at the movie or she would get swallowed up. and of course she talks--ALL THE TIME! this is when he asked me if i knew what i was doing.

anyway--you can't really get mad or irritated at that face. it's almost impossible. and in less than a month she will be a kindergartener. you know what that means? time for a grandbaby...L

Happy fifth of July! I've been up at pinetop for almost a week. It's been heaven! It has rained everyday and been around 60 degrees! Awwww, heaven indeed! At least the fireworks weren't rained out! They were in showlow and lasted an hour. I don't know what was better--watching the fireworks or listening to haley and anna. Haley's descriptions of the fireworks included: sparkly, worms, pixie dust, rain pops, sprinkles. Anna broke into song singing America the beautiful. Haley started singing dreams come true. Carson and I laughed the entire time. But the best part is when we all oohed and ahhed together. Or when Haley and anna both said wow at the same time! And I didn't have to hear that stupid "proud to be an American" song once!!

I read in a magazine the other day that one of the best ways to spend your money was on a family vacation. Amen. Some of my best memories are from our vacations. Right now we are having a great time! I love my girls. We have played UNO, watched movies, bar-b-qued, got manicures, painted, crafted and shopped. All in 60 degree weather! Did I mention the weather? It's awesome!

Be back home sometime this week, peace out...l