Dr's Lukas & Brooklyn

Brookie - " She is warm".  (Her doll)
Lukas - "She has a brain fever".  "Her temperature is hot".
Brookie - "Oh, she's colder now.  She has a brain freeze".

I guess they didn't need to worry about that condition because life went on.

Two funny things I remember them saying while I've been here.  Believe me, they have said MANY funny things - especially while I drive - but I can't write them down then and when we get home I forget the wording and it's not funny when I try to make it up in my own words.

Brooke: "I want a sand hamwich.".....Luke asked for a ham sandwich with cheese and that white stuff.  Which, after thinking for a second,  turned out to be mayonnaise.  The funny thing was she tried 3 or 4 times to say it right.  Each time getting more frustrated and funnier.

Lukas:  "This tickles my balls".   The second step in the pool I hits him in an interesting spot.

I've had a fun time with the kids these past few days.  Their mom and dad come home late this evening and the kids are looking forward to having them here.  I have dealt with 'sore bottom' baby Roxy - which, luckily, I met someone in CVS on Thursday and she gave me a couple of ideas.  The redness is gone, but Roxy still has a couple of blisters that almost looks like Chicken Pox, but they haven't spread at all, so I'm guessing that they aren't CP.  Dropping Lukas off at school each day and then picking him up has been an interesting thing.  I try to keep baby Roxy awake until I drop him off - 11:40 - a challenge - and then picking him up at 2:10 means that I need to wake her if things don't work out like they do in my mind.  All in all, it hasn't been as stressful as I worried about.  I'm sure they have watched more TV then they needed; that they usually get to swim more than 30 minutes; that riding bikes is more fun with Mommy and Daddy and that keeping things picked up is harder with Grandma here.  (She doesn't like to step on Lego's or find a gum wrapper in Roxy's mouth).

Don't ever fly Spirit/Allegiant Airlines.  Story to come.

Choir Pres.....

Friday is here already?  Where did the time go?  I think most of you know that I'm working now.  I actually like it and its a nice bonus to get the check every other Friday!  And now I have a new assignment.....I have been elected......(can you call it that when you were thrown in the spot because you were the only surviving parent that was on the board for the last 2 years?).......Choir Booster President.  It will be very intimidating to say the least.  Yes, I can be loud enough.  And yes, I can make an awesome agenda.  But will things go as planned on paper?  I'm not too sure about that.  It seems that we will have a nice booster club - I mean there were probably 15 parents there for our first meeting (I'm sure that will dwindle) but for the last 2 years there were literally 6 women who carried the whole committee.  We have a brand new choir teacher too.....so we will just go with the flow and see how it go...... (yeah, I know it's supposed to be goes, but I was rhyming there, just so you knows)    hehe!!
Some new additions for our family tree....Jason and Stacey are having a girl in December!  And Jill and Jonathan will be having a boy in January!

We are so excited for them!

Well, it's Monday again and we 'girls' will be getting together to fix some meals for the week.  I think this is our fourth time and we all seem to be enjoying it.  It sure helps me to keep food coming for my family on busy days.  

Today I went to WalMart to buy a few things that I know are cheaper there....and came across this box of Rotini.  Now, the one on the left was the shape of Rotini I was going for, but the right one, um.....didn't match?  There were several boxes that way?.......Luckily I found 3 of the 'real' Rotini.  Shells in a Rotini box?  Get help Barilla.......

 Also, some exciting news.  We are in the process of remodeling me an official laundry room.  Yep, now that most of my kids are in their own homes and we are down to just 2 left, we feel it's the right time to make that laundry room.  My washer and dryer have always had a spot in the downstairs bathroom, but now it will have it's own space and I will actually be able to do laundry without having to share the spot with someone trying to dry their hair, brush their teeth, put on mascara, etc.  For the past few years Katie and Shannon had shared a bedroom for sleeping and then used the other basically for a walk'in closet.  It was nice but now that Katie has been gone for several months, it's time to get Shannon into one room and one room only.  Friday and Saturday we started with the demo. 

 We boxed, shoved and moved clothes into two closets - (thanks for sharing Allan)- and then the baseboards, carpet, pad and nasty dirt that seems to work its way all the way through the layers was taken up and out.  Doug installed a new window which needed to be done desperately.

  The plan is to build a wall about where Doug is kneeling in this picture.  

My laundry room will be to his 'aft' and the new wall will be the back of Shannon's new closet wall.  She will gain about 20 inches or so in her room, and although that doesn't sound like a lot, it will at least have the feeling of being much bigger.  

New window.

Alone in the RV

Nobody.  Alone.  Solitary.  Solo.  Single.  Individual.  Weird.  What more can I say.  I sit here at 8:31pm in the RV in Alan and Linda's driveway by myself.  It's totally odd.  Enough beds for 6....and now I'm here feeling abandoned but knowing that is not the case.  
Today was Snowflake's July 24th Celebration, which we also included a special birthday party for Dad who turned 90 years old on the 22nd.  The 24th has been tradition for those of us who can make it -we just do it.  We all camp out at Linda's home where there is space galore but this year was the first that we had to set up 2 tents.  All of Linda's kids were home - her 5 grown children + 4 spouses and 7 grandchildren - and with Grandpa living there, there was just no extra room for us to squish in.  Thus, Kevin, Jessii and Millie are in a tent and Carolyn's family are in a tent.  It has been lightly misting all afternoon which we love, but I hope the tent's hold the moisture out.  Brian luckily got to come this year because he happened to be coming back from a months stay in Tulsa, Oklahoma, doing medical residencying?  He planned ahead and got a room in Show Low, a 15 minute drive from here.  Doug and I had their children on Friday night because Brian and Celynda wouldn't be here until Saturday afternoon, and so the RV felt pretty full. But the kids have gone on with their mom and dad and Doug left for the valley.  So, here I sit.  Gosh......what should I do.  Read, watch a movie, eat more, sleep.....Probably all of these things.

No, I didn't go out and take a picture of me by our RV.  I just totally found this on the internet and I had to put it in because it was pretty darn close to the look of ours!  I'm not that gray yet!  But she is alone and that was the point.

I miss having Shannon and Allan up here.  They, if you'll remember from my last blog are in California.  I totally miss having Jill, Jonathan and baby Vin!  Jason and Stacey too!  And lastly, I miss Camden.

Thursday - missing the kids

It's 8:36pm on Thursday night.  I am in my jami pants and have been for 2 hours.  It's kinda weird.  As you all know, our 6 older children are married now and out of the home, so that leaves Shannon and Allan still here with us.  Since Wednesday morning they have been on a Student Council trip to California - with a little bit of beach and Disneyland thrown in, so don't feel sorry for them, but it is so quiet.  We haven't had the TV on all night (thanks to Pinterest for some of that time).  Doug is sleeping and I am soon headed that way.  I was sick Wednesday morning so it was kinda nice having the peace and quiet through the midmorning hours to rest and recoop a little bit -although I did have to go to work later in the afternoon.  However, I do miss them.  I think it's because I haven't finished 'growing' them up.  I know with my boys, I was ready and willing to let them go.  My girls it was harder to let them leave and with some of them, Jill, being so far away it is hard for me every day to not see, text, talk, call, etc., her or any of them.  So, I'm looking forward to S & A coming home soon.  I will be in Snowflake when they come home mind you, but I will at least know they are home - safe and sound.

kevin & jessii

 


Sadly, this is out of order of my life story, but just by a little bit. And because I don't have any good photos of that day I let it go by for a while hoping to find some on facebook, but there aren't any.  Here is my new daughter - Jessii.  She has been married to Kevin for 1 week and 1 day.  Yeah!  Survival!  These pictures were actually taken a few days before the wedding at 6am!  Yikes!  And Jessii's 'mum' and I were up literally all night long.  We started sewing some of the lace attachments on at 11:30pm and hand stitched them up until 4:45am when I took Sandy home only to pick her, Jessii, Millie(Jessii's sister) and Becca (her friend from Australia) at 5:30am to get to the Temple.  Actually we were supposed to be there by 5:30 but didn't get there until closer to 5:45am.  Sweet Stacey, got up just as early to get some footage for a wedding video.  Thank goodness she is over her baby sickness!

I will have to find out where some of their wedding photo's got posted because I 'm sure there are great ones!  Jessii is very photogenic.  They were married June 29th!  Love to you both!  

I recently had the privilege to drive with Brian, taking him to the state of Oklahoma to do a months residency of radiology at the hospital in Tulsa.  Here are a few pictures of our 'grand' trip.  Can I say that I found myself feeling if I was any help to him at all, he driving 15 hours of a 17 hour trip, but we talked nonstop and I enjoyed every minute.  And as you will see, we did make a few stops along the way that would 'rewake' us if we were on the tired side but driving with Bri, gave me an opportunity to see the great son he has become and hoping a great husband and father as well. 

 I was looking forward to this trip because of places that I hadn't ever been before, but I have been to New Mexico and I didn't find the land enchanting at all, sorry NM.  However, one happy moment....when Brian and I stopped in Holbrook, AZ., we bought a western states map just for me to look at as he drove along.....after passing the border of New Mexico, I noticed on the map a city called Yah-Ta-Hey.  Only the DeWitt side will smile about that, for the rest of you, it is one of Grandpa DeWitt's favorite sayings of all time.  Apparently he played an Indian in a parade or play or something, and he has hung on to this one line saying and has a pretty good accent to boot when he says it.  Okay, so Brian and I decided to take a detour, about 10 miles round trip off of the highway to visit Yah-Ta-Hey, hoping to pick up a mug, t-shirt, hat or anything with this towns name on it.  What we found was a rundown little 4 mile square town, population in 2010 - 590.   Can you even call if a town?  Two buildings, one being a tire/recycling shop that I'm sure you had to call only in case of an emergency flat tire or if you had cans to turn in for cash.  The second one looked promising from the road but there was a layer of dust so deep on all of the fixtures inside that I'm sure the building was now being used only as a billboard.  Sorry, no birthday gift for Grandpa.

After a nights sleep in Albuquerque, NM., at the Suburban Hotel, we headed into Texas, where we had to drive friendly - I hate that...It's a good thing I wasn't the driver in this 190 mile stretch.  

Along the highway, we saw this huge cross.  I had to come home and look it up, finding out it is called the Cross of the Lord Jesus Christ found in Groom, Texas.  It stands 19 stories tall! and can be seen 20 miles away.  Look it up and read about it and also the the other statues found there.  

Another site we saw but didn't get a picture of was the Cadillac Ranch.  Look them up too, it is quite interesting.  

After only 3 hours we found ourselves in OKLAHOMA!  

Another detour off of the direct route was a stop at the Oklahoma City Temple.  Yep, closed to cleaning so we weren't going to be able to visit it while I was there. Bummer, but we did get photos.  It sat on the same lot as an LDS church building and Brian snuck in to use the bathroom and I noticed on the door these 'Welcome' words, but spelled without the E.  And it was done twice, so it wasn't a misspell just on one door - unless of course the 'e' was defective and fell off....of every door.....hmm...

Another thing that we Arizonan's don't see often - toll roads.  So, silly me, I'm snapping pictures as we drive through.  The toll person, I'm sure, was wondering, 'What the Heck?".  In total we paid about $7 to drive in Oklahoma.  (Luckily me rental car to take me to the airport had a 'fastpass' that allowed me to zoom right through and not pay again).

After finding my hotel and finding Brian's new 'home', we went out to dinner at Pancho's!

Yes, we had fun raising the flag. Are you jealous Shannon and Allan?

In my hotel, it had 3 locks.  Hmm....should I be worried?

 My rental car .....so cute....and bluish!  I loved it.

Lastly, a few signs we saw along the way.  Some funny, some really funny.

If you say it fast, it sounds like you studder.

Too funny.  And the 'Nation' was only about 5 miles wide on the highway.  I don't know high 'tall' the nation was, but wide, not so big.

Believe it or not, this tree looked like a heart - but by the time I got the car stopped one the other side of the hill, it looked pretty sad.  The hills there were really nice and green.  I enjoyed the state of Oklahoma very much.

All in all, I enjoyed being with Brian in our 2 day, 17 hour drive (plus stops along the way).  Thanks Brian!