Arianna aka The BEE!

This little toothless wonder is the "tinker bell" of our Family. She tosses pixie dust on everyone she loves. See Brad in the background? She has "raspberried" his tummy, wet-willied his ear, and credit-carded his bum. Tonight at the dinner table, with 10 different conversations going on at once, she spoke up: "BRAD?" He answers, "Yes?" "When are you guys getting married?"
She loves the outdoors and is quite the "poser" for the camera.
I love that face! That wonderful toothless wonder, glaring eye'd face.
At the top of the mountain...she found a boulder that cradled her.
Off the deck last week, when she wasn't so sure she was ready for 2nd grade. Thank goodness for her kitty, Isabella, aka "Izzy" who sleeps with Arianna every night and without whom I would be at a loss.
Diana said this morning that on the car ride home last night, as Arianna was curled up next to her, she had this feeling that overwhelmed her. The feeling? Her love for Arianna. Maybe it's because Diana was right there next to me when Arianna was born into this world. I don't know, but I'm pretty sure this little caboose in our family holds us all hostage to her sweet green eyes, abundant "angel kissed" face, and toothless smile.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Elk are abundant in the Park. This little gal was on the trail up to Alberta Falls....one of our favorite hikes.
Arianna on the same trail.
Sheesh. Brad Price and his lunatic girlfriend, Danielle. My daughter. This is the affect he has on her. lol
Ohhhh sweet. We like him alot. He was our parting gift from Idaho.
Dara at the top of Alberta Falls.

This is Alluvial Fan Falls...well the bottom of it. Our family loves to go there and play hide-n-seek in the Boulders there. We have established, years ago, which one is BASE.
This one right here...it's BASE. Dean, Ari, Nana and Joseph are on it. Dani was "it" and was still looking for Brad, Kent and Dara. Dean, Brad and Dani on BASE. Look at those beautiful mountains behind them!

So Dani was IT, and Brad wasn't giving in. I wish I'd been close enough to hear! So Dani is on the ground, Brad is on a boulder....still.
Not giving in.

What did you do over the weekend?

Well? What did you do?

Me? Well, since my washer died a week ago, I've been trying to figure out how to get my laundry done. Week before last, Dani and I took it all to the laundromat--$30.00 and two hours later we were done. This week we did it all at Nannette's house where she has a washer and dryer that I am coveting. It's BIG! I might have to take a picture of it. But we could only do one load at a time, so we were over there for like, 4 hours. But we kept busy, cleaning and hanging pictures for Nannette. Cuz she owns me. And she says she doesn't know where to hang stuff, so we got the pictures out, some nails and I found the right tool for the job, a screwdriver that I used as a hammer. Kent loves that I'm so creative. I DID use a level tho...like I knew what I was doing. It was fun, cuz Nannette is nutz. She's a Mom and a Granma. She's entitled to be a little nutz. She's earned it.

I also read the first 3 Twilight books. What an easy read. How many pages is that? Like 2000?

I don't know, but it was a good escape from sick kids and sad puppies and broken washing machines. Other than being a vegetarian Vampire, Edward is pretty darn near perfect. Bella is quite the mess, and I don't know that if I were Edward, she would hold my attention. She is a good example of a typical teenage girl--and having a housefull of girls these days is more drama than is legal in some countries, I'm pretty sure.

I also helped Dara find a monologue for an audition at school for a play they're doing. We found 2--she'll choose one and let me know. Anywho, while we were doing that, I hear Arianna splashing from the bathroom and poked my head in to see what she was doing...the pictures speak for themselves. She is the funnest kid. What would we ever do without her?! Seven kids is alot of kids...but she was worth the wait. I love her.

Joseph has been sick all weekend with a cold. He watched cartoons in my bed all day.

And the mountain pic is off my back deck this morning. I love these mountains.

Sick kids, sad puppies, and School Plays & friends who understand it all...

WARNING: This is going to be an e-VENT-full entry. I'm just sayin.

So the kids started school a week ago, and ALREADY I have two home with sore throats, coughs, headaches and stuffy noses. They've been to school just 5 days and they are already sick.

And they're not grouchy, moany sick, but just sick enough that I cannot in good conscience send them to school.

Don't they know I've been waiting all summer long--thru the packing, and the moving, and the un-packing...to have some peace and quiet?? Not that they are noisy today--they're on my bed quietly watching TV together...that's how I know they're realy sick--they're not teasing each other into a ruckus. Patience.

Okay onto the sad puppy....Denver, our yellow lab... is lonely without Aspen, the golden retriever we sold the day before we moved here. And his loneliness makes him bark--ALOT--and is slowly driving me nuts. "No! Denver! Quiet, Denver! Hush! Denver!" and on and on it goes. And the thing is, we DO play with him, we DO take him on walks...but as soon as we put him back in the yard, he starts whining like a tea kettle (Tisha knows what that sounds like!) and keeps going until he is bark bark barking!!! We have a family that lives in Bailey, CO with alot of land and kids that want Denver. But man, I did not get this puppy for someone else, I got him for us. I don't know what to do. I cannot get another Dog to be his companion. Sacrifice.

School Plays: Diana tried out for her HS Fall Play "STAGE DOOR" this week. Initially, the Drama teacher wanted her to try out for the Lead character. Nana was so excited about that, and we were gonna run lines together for her 2nd audition on Tuesday afternoon, but I got hung up and couldn't get there when planned, so she ran some with another student right before I got there, RIGHT before the allotted try-out time.

Well her nerves got the better of her, and she declined to perform a monologue, though she did audition with another student in a dialogue. I was dissappointed for her, BUT the good news is that she still got a role in the Play as a supporting cast member. Drama.

And lastly, I spent a few minutes with a wonderful friend yesterday who had an awful Imp on her shoulder. If you're a Mom, you know this kind of Imp--the GUILTY one. The one that tells you how awful you are because you are not Super Woman. I hate that one. He stinks on ice.

All she needed was two hands and two ears for a bit. Before I left, we were both laughing at the ridiculous notion that somehow, someway we all believe in this idea that we are in control of our lives!

I have learned that I do the best I can...I am committed to that; I do not control everything that comes my way or the people in my life, no matter how much I would like to!

It reminded me of my earlier life experience where I proclaimed that all I ever wanted to be was a Wife and Mother, and my Family was ruining the experience for me! LOL

So we have to laugh at this stuff. We have to. If we don't, it will be our undoing. Some of the things that we have to deal with in this life is ridiculous--ya gotta let it roll off once in awhile so it doesn't consume or define you.

The first year we moved to Boise, I was reading the obituaries (yeah I do that once in awhile too--I don't know why) anyway, I came across one that was actually written BY the deceased woman. It impressed me so much that I cut it out and taped it in an inconspicuous place so I could look at it whenever I wanted. The gal was a young Mom of 3 young children. She had had a long battle with cancer that eventually claimed her life. Her words that touched my heart were these:

"There was nothing remarkable about my life other than the company I kept."

True story. For all of us.

Sleepless Nights

I have so many sleepless nights, that I cannot tell you when I last slept the whole night through--I'm pretty sure it was before my oldest daughter started dating this new young man in her life.

(Interested parties know their names).

When David Scott was dating, he rarely brought them around the house, and NEVER let on about his feelings toward any of them. One night after a date, he came into our bedroom and said, "Uh, yeah, I think I'm going to ask Tisha to marry me. Will you come with me to pick out a ring?"

I stirred and sat upright. "Tisha? Which one is Tisha?" I asked.

THAT is the Difference between Sons and Daughters. Right there.

Within a family of 4 daughters, I have spent many a night on the edge of my bed or theirs, listening about the many dates that my older girls have gone on, about the boys they want to date, and the ones they never want to see again...and girls go into detail about the dates themselves..how funny, how cute, how silly, how boring, etc. etc. etc. GIRLS TALK.

So my oldest has been talking about this one young man long before I ever met him. Long before they started dating. When she came home from her mission, she and I were pouring over her mission scrapbook, when she came to a page, pointed to this young man's picture and said, "Oh, if this guys asks me to marry him, I'm saying YES!" And then turned the page. I was like, "Wait! What? Who is he?" She smiled and just said, "It doesn't matter, you'll never meet him, but his name is..." And we continued through the scrapbook.

Flash Forward 2 months later and she is heading out the door to go to that same young man's Homecoming from the mission. "No big deal" she says as she heads out, looking way cuter than she had in recent weeks. She went, they visited for a few short minutes, and then she came home. A week passed, and then suddenly she was going to "hang out" with the same young man. And THAT was the beginning. Since then, time seems to have become entangled into their moments. Being the eldest daughter, she has sisters who want to "know every detail"...all of us girls sit on edge as we unitely give our approval of her CHOICE. We like him because SHE likes him. We laugh at his blunders because she does. We watch her watch him.

Is this what it's like to have a house full of Girls?

I grew up with 4 younger brothers. We did not talk about stuff of the heart. Eww. I could have cared less about who they dated and never thought to share one iota of who I was interested in.

So I stay up most nights, waiting for my girls to come in...I am up in case, just by chance, they want to talk. In case they need me. They know my light is on and my ears are primed to hear "Hey Mom, you up?"

Sometimes they come in just to recount the date in short brief sentences abbreviated by smiles or grimaces...but lately, it's long, emotional floods with new words showing up like "love" and "hope" followed by the lip-biting wonder of it all. I'm here, I'm listening and I am awake. Who can sleep at a time like this?

An Idaho Farewell

The Sylvesters!!!! Kevin, Sheridan, Carrie, and their awesome Mom, Lorna!





Me, Marcie Frogley( & One of her twins), and Mary Clark
Sara Rawlings and Arianna My perfect RS President, Joey Hardy and me
Lori Wilkey!!

I forgot to post these pics from our ward's Pioneer Day celebration picnic. But since I just found them, I can't resist posting them becuase they are pics of some of the kindest people we have ever met and find ourselves blessed to have known! I miss you all! Thanks for everything!

Oh and Tisha & David Scott: UPDATE YOUR BLOG!!!! We miss you guys!

You need an Education and a Job!

Mr. Johnson & Joseph Mrs. Koch (pron. "Cook") & Ari
Look at those beautiful Rockies!

So today was the first day of school for Joseph and Arianna. They will be attending Antelope Trails Elementary--an IB school, with the reputation for being the "best school in Colorado". Hmm. How they ended up there is a total blur to me as they were SUPPOSED to go to The da Vinci Academy ( an "Arts and Ideas" school read Artsy fartsy) . But the registrar at the District office didn't put Joseph into the system when I registered them both on the same day, and when we went to Orientation last night, we discovered he had no seat there! Major frustration for Me! So back to the district office we went, and after another hour of discussions, we had to Choice into Antelope Trails....but they could only promise space for Joseph not Arianna (she still had her seat/teacher in the da Vinci Academy!)...anyway, when we arrived at Antelope Trails, we met Joseph's awesome teacher, Mr. Johnson, who looks like he stepped out of GQ. Then we met the wonderful Principal, and after knowing the man all of 30 seconds, he made an allowance for Arianna to enroll in his school too! AHHH! Relief! Can I just say I was so relieved I could've cried right then and there--BUT DIDN'T! (I waited until I got home.)

After all we've been thru, the idea that my youngest two would not be going to the same school together, really made me sad! I don't want them having separate lives this early in their lives!

They still need each other and I like it that way.

SO, in the end, they are going to a fabulous school and both had a great First day!

Being a mother is alot of hard work. I need a raise!

We are not Home-less, home-less...

Thanks to my beautiful and talented and wonderful half-sister (lol!) Nannette...we found a home in her ward! Email me for the address!
We emptied the moving truck last night with the help of Nannette (supervisor and self-inflicted workhorse), our new missionaries Elders' Leavitt and Longenecker, Matt, Eric, and the rest of the familia. It went pretty fast actually. Kent is leaving tonight to go back to Idaho and pick up the rest of our stuff, turn around and come back to CO. with Dani.
We weren't ever really homeless, because my friend, my sister, Nannette would never allow it--but I am much calmer after last night.
This experience has been trying for me. It was never a matter of my faith--I know Heavenly Father loves me and knows me and indeed TRIES me--it is not knowing how far I will be allowed to be tried that concerns me. I know He knows what my strengths and my weaknesses are better than I...and man, sometimes that just freaks me out!
Nannette has rallied old friends around me these past couple of days. Wonderful sisters whom I love and admire who share their trials and their faith and by so doing, have lifted me up too.
I think I might be pretty wimpy to tell you the truth. After hearing what trials I do NOT have, there is comfort in the ones I DO. Does that make any sense??
Sister Malley, from Louisiana said she wishes that when inconsiderate people offend her or her family she could "just slap them! I know that would make me feel better! That's how we do it down South!" lol
Anywho, we are partially moved in--Diana stayed the night in the new house last night with Taylor--my other daughter, and I have to get over there to unpack that house and start making it a Home.