stick a fork in it...it's done!

Today is Mattie's graduation day!

Can it possibly be that all my children are grown? Just yesterday I took her to school for the first time, shiny as a new penny, in her red shirt and jumper...and matching red socks, I might add. She had all her new school stuff: paper, pencils(no. 2), and crayons....and a little blue back pack that she was very excited about. After I watched her go into Mrs. Dobb's kindergarten class, My friends and I all went out to breakfast...sort of a Mother's day celebration for us making it through the long summer without pulling all our hair out.
I remember silently being really torn....yes, I was really glad to have my last kid start school. I would supposedly have time to really paint and my house would be cleaner and I would have time to "myself" (whatever that means) but deep down...how was I going to make it without my little side-kick who went everywhere with me?...who followed me around the house all day just wanting to see what I was doing? I missed her already and it had only been
20 minutes.

The thing is...is that it all goes by very quickly...in a blurr as it were. (hey that rhymes)
You think that things will never change...and they do. And sometimes it gets weary and frustrating being a parent...but what I am saying is that the time seems to have gone by without me realizing that it was going....maybe I just need to burst out in song...."Sunrise...Sunset...."
I know you know what I mean.


I love you, Side-kick.

Road Trip

For Memorial day we all (except Claire and Jeff, ,of course couldn't make it) went to Moab for the long weekend. What a RUSH!! You know...after all these years of going to Lake Powell, Rob and I have never really gone to the other side, and checked out Arches. It was high time, and I am so glad we did! Serious beauty goin' on!

The 3 Gossips(looks like a few RS sisters I know) and balanced Arch.

Devils garden was really cool...rrr hot. Litttle man was in on the climbing, too.


I love my family.

This was at Corona Arch(my favorite)

On the last day, we got up really early ( that's why everyone looks so tired..teehee)and ran one more time back to Arches. we were about the only ones in the park and it was incredible.


It rocked.

Let's Play

Sweet E boy came to visit today.


1st we played with this...



Then...we played with these....after that, he showed me this...

Then, I tried to take this away....but he just smiled.

Then he put these in here....

In the Kitchen, he played with these on the fridge...and ate some of these, too.
Grandpa came home for a minute to play, then he tried my glasses on....(very smart)

Then he looked up....and mom came in the door!

It was very good.

Mother's day

I remember when I was around 8 years old, I was sitting in Marion Ord's back yard, and I told her that my mom had cancer. "The kind that's in your boob", I whispered in her ear with my hand covering my mouth. She was diagnosed when I was 5 years old. As you can imagine, my family all understood the ramifications far better than I did. She died when I was 19. A hard fought battle with everyone around her receiving battle wounds as well as her.
I didn't know how much I would miss her until they put my own baby into my arms, all purple and crying..."Mom, what the heck do I do now?!!" I wish my husband and kids could have known her. She was funny, and fun, and talented and understanding, sometimes. Sometimes she was just a woman trying to get through the day without falling apart. I understand a lot more now than I did then.
That was 30 years ago, and I still talk to her a lot. I say things like, "Mom, will you tell God that I really need him to make everything OK in my life right now?"...or "Mom, will you follow so-and-so around today and make sure she is alright?" I know she does it. How could she not when her baby is asking?


This is the only real picture I have of her......she was beautiful, she was mine.

The McCullens

It was so nice out today that after dinner we all went outside to hang and a
baseball game broke out!!! (it is the American past-time, you know...)
I love these guys.

(click on the pics to see them up close and personal)

Even Sweet E boy got in the game...but then got distracted by the dandelion puffs that were in abundance....mmmm...yummy.

This is Jeff's impression of Alice Cullen....man I'm gonna miss this guy.