Learning to Sew...

Caitlin inherited a sewing machine from our friend Sam. She had never really sewn anything - besides just helping me out a bit - so we decided that she could start by making herself a pair of pajamas. She went and picked out colors - pink, orange, and yellow - of course! She settled in one afternoon and worked really hard and got the pj pants made - they look great - and even fit! Now she is wearing them all the time - she just needs to make the top. I wonder what project will be next???

In Memory of Vonda

My good friend Vonda passed away today after a year long battle with cancer. I visited her last week and she was in a lot of pain, so this was for the best. I know Heavenly Father is taking good care of her now. She was also the school nurse - a perfect person for the job - she was kind to every child that walked in her office and treated them all as if their injury was real - whether it was - or whether it was a tiny scrape that had happed two weeks before! So much could be said about what a kind, caring person she was. She taught me a lot about how to think of and care for others by putting other's needs before your own. Here's a picture of us together in 2006 at the Race for the Cure we participated in together. I'm going to miss her a lot!

I don't feel so poor now!

I came across this website this week - no matter how little you think you make, it helps you remember how blessed we really are. I found out I am the 53,205,017 richest person in the world - which makes me in the top .88% of the world's richest people - imagine that - I am in the top *1%* of the richest people in the world! Try it - it helps you realize how blessed we really are!



http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Philip had a birthday too!

Philip turned 10 on Tuesday. I can't believe how time flies! He was so excited for his birthday to begin he was up at 5am waiting for the rest of the world to get up! We celebrated with a trip to Peter Piper Pizza for lunch (his choice!), and homemade pizza and a Lego cake for dinner - also his choice! He ended up with lots of legos and has spent lots of time since then building them all. I can't vacuum the family room right now because there are so many misc lego pieces all over that I'm sure not only would I be in trouble with Philip, it would clog the vacuum as well!

Here is Philip and his Lego brick cake - and the top 10 reasons we love him:

1. He is funny.

2. He sees things in a different way.

3. He wants to be a biologist.

4. He loves Legos!

5. He has enthusiasm for life.

6. He stops to look at the little things along the way.

7. He loves to read.

8. He is happy being himself.

9. He loves his Crocs.

10. He loves homemade hash browns!

Our HOT 4th

The 4th of July here was forcasted to be one of the hottest days this year - somewhere around 112º. So, we decided to put on some sunscreen, get out our bikes, and ride down to a local park that has just opened. It has this really cool "splash pad" - lots of buckets of water, sprinklers, and other fun ways to cool off. It was a great treat after riding about 5 miles to get there. It also didn't make the ride home seem quite as hot!

Happy Belated Birthday Caitlin

Somewhere between vacations, we celebrated Caitlin's 12th birthday. I never got pictures posted - so here is the one of her 12th birthday dress that I made her! In honor of her birthday, I'm copying something I saw on a friend's blog. So, here are the top 12 reasons we love Caitlin:

1. She is tall.

2. She is a hard worker.

3. She loves dogs.

4. She is responsible.

5. She has a great sense of humor!

6. She can be silly.

7. She loves ballet.

8. She loves to read.

9. Pink and orange. Enough said!

10. She loves tacos, spaghetti, and bean burros.

11. She loves anything sparkly.

12. She likes to have fun!

Summer Reading...

Gotta love it! Time just to kick back and not have any school work to bother you and curl up with a good book - of course, it doesn't hurt to have a dog at your feet! This summer we are participating in the library's summer reading program again. Philip is still in the kid's program and brought home a spiffy button today - but is looking forward to earning a magnifing glass in the end (so he can burn things he told me! - ACK!) and Caitlin earned a pen - but is looking forward to earning a Chipotle burro - since that's the big prize in the teen program. Yum - hurry up Caitlin - I need another excuse to go there!

Books loved by Philip this summer - anything to do with dragons, pirates, or Freddy the Hamster. Typical 9 yr old stuff! Books loved by Caitlin this summer - after reading the Harry Potter series for the 89th time (at least!), I convinced her to read Eragon - she loves it as well. I guess fantasy/adventure is more her thing!

Me? I'm catching up on all the new books out by my favorite authors that they have written since last summer. Most are "bubble gum for the brain" type books, but I have read a couple good ones as well! Right now I'm reading Brad Metzler books. If I can't read a John Grisham (he hasn't put out any new books recently!), I guess I'll have to settle for the Metzler thiller!