Bon Voyage

Drew and Rachel leave today. Hopefully I will be very brave and not cry too much until after they are gone. Regardless of the tears, I am so excited for their great new adventure. I'm so proud of both of them for having the initiative and courage to take this big step. They make a wonderful team and all their hard work is going to be worth every second. I know it will be an amazing experience for them, and in spite of how terribly I will miss them, I really am so happy for them. Plus, thanks to Skype and Vonage, and Delta Airlines, there will be many, many phone calls and visits, and no need to really say goodbye. With that happy thought, I'll just say I love you, love you, love you! Good luck, bon voyage, and boa sorte!

Girls Weekend

So, the guys ran off to Cali for a last boys' trip before Drew and Rachel leave (sigh), which automatically left a girls' weekend for those at home. We lived it up baby. First there was shopping, then crafty clothing and accessory creation. On Saturday there were sodas, massages, Park City Outlets for more shopping, dinner at El Buscado or something like that (except I can't spell in Spanish), and treats, a movie and a sleepover at the wonderful house by Jordanelle. There aren't too many pictures because we were just too darn busy for me to be grabbing my camera all the time, but there were plenty of memorable moments from refusing, then relenting and telling Shel the end of the movie, to snoring all night and keeping cute Rach awake. Sorry Rach!! And other things that won't get mentioned here. ;) What an awesome weekend girls! I love you so much!! Thanks so much for everything!!

Here is the heavily laden table with everything you could need. Note the TWO sewing machines! Don't worry, I didn't try to use either one.

Shel gets very serious about her ironing! She has serious skills!

Rachel and Kenzie are working wonders with the hot glue gun. That was more my speed. NO foot pedal required!

It's bedtime...what could we possibly be taking pictures of at this hour?

Michelley, almost hidden under her "blanket" which is really the runner from the hall. It was cold and the place hadn't heated up yet. Never one to be discouraged, Shel rolled up the rug and laid it down on top of her little self. This was hilarious for all of us and made mandatory picture time. Shel, you are the best!

Before and After

Somebody decided she wanted her hair cut "to my ears" and her mother obliged. I was nervous, but it looks adorable!! Cutie girl!

Busy Weekend!

High Fives 5K!
It was the annual neighborhood 5K on Saturday. Major kudos to John Hansen for getting this race up and running. (pun intended) We had a ton of participants this year, and if I do say so myself, the post-race burgers were especially delicious. Thanks to Blake and the other chefs. Michelle will hate me for saying it out loud, because she likes to deflect any credit that comes her way, but she did an awesome job spearheading the activity committee, and making sure that everything came off without a hitch. Fantastic work Michelle!! You are amazing!

Starting/Finishing line at the beginning of the race. The balloons were 'received' from the Race For The Cure folks, continuing a tradition of 'sharing' that Michelle started last year.


Well, some of them look ready, others look...like they will be surprised.

Mother's Day followed on Sunday and we happily brunched at Little America.
We started going there with my parents when we were all little like the little ones pictured here. It was so nostalgic to be back there...missed my dad though, and of course the rest of the siblings and their crews. Maybe next year! Thanks Ann and Greg and Sass and G-man for such a lovely day for our mother!! (Oh, and thanks to mom for making it po$$ible. :)

Savannah makes short work of the chocolate covered strawberries. When she brought her plate of goodies back from her solo trip to the fountain station she remarked..."Why did they keep saying 'and?'?" I could just picture her standing in front, making her selection, thinking the lady would stop handing her treats and instead the lady just kept asking what more she would like.

Grady, post chocolate chomping. I'm not sure what he was eating, but by the time he was finished, we could look at his jacket and point out the different components of his meal. You just have to love it!!

Two of my very favorite people, looking beautiful as always. Love you two! Happy Mother's Day mom!

Look! I am official. If the TSA happens to have a surprise spot check at the container packing place, I will not be tossed out. Actually, I may be because I doubt that Drew hanging this around my neck constitutes official acceptance of my status. In any case, Drew, Rachel, Bret, and Laura were busily packing and re-packing their container for Brazil. I was lucky enough to crash their action and help toss in a few boxes and wrap a little furniture. I'm not sure if this means I am actually accepting the fact that Rach and Drew are leaving soon. I just keep pretending that it's just a little trip. Although why they would need two beds, rooms full of furniture, and a couple of kitchen tables for a short trip is beyond me. Sigh.

Rachel is keeping track of all the containers that are going into the container. I'm not sure I was much help because I couldn't keep track of which one was width and which one was depth. Maybe we should have used volume.

Here's the actual container. I thought it would be good to know what it looks like in case it gets lost and rerouted to NPS. We can stop NPS from unloading and reselling all their stuff. Sorry Bill.

A mere smattering of what really went inside.

Whoops. We dumped the diapers trying to get over the threshold.

Deep in the container, Drew and Bret reorgainze to fit everything inside. Not quite as hot as Brazil, but close. Okay, not close at all, but it was hot anyway.

Neat and tidy, not even half way there. I wish I could be there to help them unpack. I mean that.

Happy Graduation Birthday Rachew!

So, Rachel graduated from esthetician school, and Drew never had a birthday dinner. Michelle decided that it would be lovely to combine the two events into one fun celebration...and she was right. It was way fun, regardless of the reason. It's good just to be together!

Here's Will, taking orders, and taking charge! Love that boy!


Kenz and Rach were meant to be sisters from the start! It's not a good picture of either one of them, but I love grabbing a shot of them together when I can.


Wills looks a little tired, but he was opening an awesome new pair of flip-flops, complements of Auntie Rach and Uncle Drew, all the way from Brazil!

Rachel, Drews, and P. before the pizza arrived. Thank you Litza's for all the lovely fun and delicious dinner!

Dogs update

Savannah was the star of the week and her little helper, Posey, came along to be a favorite pet.


Here's a fuzzy shot of Posey in the box she used to sleep in at school when I first got her. She was so little that she couldn't get out without help. Now she won't stay in without assistance. Hence...the fuzziness of a quick shot before she jumped out. Check out early Posey posts for comparison, but don't tell Pat how much she has grown. I'm denying noticing any difference.


Here they are together. Comrades. Partners in crime. She is definitely Bonnie to his Clyde.

Poco plays the innocent intellect, but don't let him fool you. He's trouble. Just really sweet trouble.

Happy Birthday Cameron!!

One of my favorite 9 year old nephews!


Here he is, with the other one. James and Cameron are only a few days apart in age. How fun to have a 'twin' cousin!


Charles and Cameron during a brief lull in the evening.

A bonfire. Is there any more perfect way to end a family party? I think Ma ingrained the smell of smoke equalling the end of the party in all of us from our earliest days. Love the new firepit Charles! Thanks for carrying on the tradition!

Plus, think of all the shredding you and George saved your secretaries/assistants.

Pretend there is some profound quote about fire here. All I can think of is "Burn baby, burn". Although it is not profound, it was said several times by the little boys gathered around the big boys as they tossed in a myriad of flammable items.