More Disney World Pics

Had a great time for my birthday today. Went around the world for my birthday dinner....taco/tostada in Mexico, egg roll in China, hazelnut biscuits in Norway, bratwurst/sauerkraut and black forest cake in Germany. We all shared, but it's salad for me tomorrow. It's so cool to meet the workers behind the counter in each "country." Disney's rule is that they must be born in that particular country. Lots of them are students on short-term assignments or foreign exchange students that all speak English. Boy, the accents were so interesting! The countries around the lake are Mexico, China, Canada, England, France, Germany, Italy, Morrocco, Japan, America, Norway. Here are the kids right in front of the lake: We spent most of the day at the Animal Kingdom. It was a lot like Wild Animal Park but the backcountry park wasn't as good as San Diego. On the other hand, Joey, Austin and I agreed on our favorite rides as follows:

#4 Tower of Terror at MGM (keep bouncing up off your seat...actually bruised by tushie on that one! Hahaha! Seriously!)

#3 Test Track by GM at Epcot

#2 Aerosmith Roller Coaster at MGM (Loved this one...thought the ride was in total darkness until halfway through I realized it was just me with my eyes closed!)

#1 Expedition to Everest at Animal Kingdom (Like splash mountain, but no water and goes fast forward and backwards! Got the whole ride on video tape! So fun! Even Melody was loving it!)

Fun time on the "finding nemo" ride.

Perfect weather. Out in front of Epcot...80 degrees daytime, and 64 at night. Rained today though--just a mist. Felt great!

Pretty scenery just walking across the parking lot toward Epcot.

We had fun using the gift shop for "props." Who says you have to buy everything. Just put it on, take the picture, and return it to the shelf. Much more affordable! They were getting into the pirates of the caribbean stuff.

COMING TO YOU LIVE FROM DISNEY WORLD!

Tuesday night fireworks!

These herons are everywhere!

Mark asked these guys if he could take a picture for the blog and entitled it "I always wanted to be a cast member!"

Having a blast! Feet hurt and I'm sure we have reached the point that the "Mini Mickey Handbook" describes when it says we will be doing, "AN OBSCENE AMOUNT OF WALKING!!!" No kidding!!! I miss being 12, 20, 25 for that matter. I remember going to the amusement parks and hitting the craziest roller coaster over and over until closing (12, 13 times, maybe). Never bothered me, never got sick or anything. I just LOVED it!

Flash forward 15 years....I have a great time apparently UNTIL I go on that all time fantastic ride....be it "Space Mountain" or "Test Track by GM" and no sooner do I walk out the exit, but I'm struck with pounding headache! Is that why mostly young people are on these rides??? Well, I'm armed with my bottle of Advil and refuse to give in to it and miss out on this fun. Loved Epcot but only got "halfway around the world" tonight....fish & chips from England, Lamb wrap from Morrocco, chocolate mousse from France. We all shared and sampled. Fireworks show was great, but we liked the one at Magic Kingdom last night better. We were right in front of the huge castle and had a perfect view. Here are some pictures:

Yes, the girls were pretty excited to be on the plane!

After the airline scrambled everyone's seat assignments, the kids sat down right smack in the middle of things to play some Chutes N' Ladders while we waited for some acceptable repair to losing all our seat assignments. They did this to us on BOTH flights!!! I sat with the girls while Mark, Joey, & Austin were all scattered around the plane.

Feeling Depressed?....Nothing a Little Shopping Couldn't Cure!

Today has been a really good day. I've felt pretty down and lonely/isolated lately. I know, sounds wierd surrounded by this big family of mine, so it must me a chemical thing. I went out shopping with Mark last night for the last minute items. As we passed through all the hair accessories he mentioned how much he liked the way I used to put my hair up when he first met me. "Oh yeah, I said, I remember that." So I gathered up some fancy, shmantzy hair clips and thought I'd see if my hair was long enough yet. It was. Anything that wasn't wound up getting curled with the curling iron. It was fun getting so many compliments. The funniest came from Joey's buddy (side note...everybody at church call each other "sister __" or "brother ___". This kid said, "SISTER MOSS! YOU LOOK SO......ALIVE!" "Yep," I said, "went out and did some shopping and woke myself up!" We all laughed. The most embarrassing comment came from a man who said, "Hey, April, you got new shoes." Others were standing around hearing this, and I replied, "Well, if YOU know when I get a new pair of shoes, that tells me I need a LOT MORE PAIRS!" Geez! What was that all about!

Had so much fun with mom over Saturday. Kids loved it too. Mom was as calm as a cucumber. Didn't seem like anything could stress her. That job must have desensitized her to distractions listening to that loud music all the time. That's you and Kevin now, Mom....calm, cool, and collected....unless certain subject come up..haha! I need some of that, but I'm not ready to blast the loud music all the time. I do like to listen to the 40s sometimes, and the 80s music on XM radio on DirecTV. Time to throw in more wash and get packing.

Mark is so full of plans for this trip. He's got every menu from every park printed out and all in plastic sheets in a binder...along with the printed out directions from the airport to the hotel, then from the hotel to the parks. I can't believe his efficiency! I'm in awe! You should have seen him come home from work the other night with a sack full of 6 red rain ponchos from the sporting goods store. We can pull it out when one of these supposed surprise thunderstorms comes along and be instantly covered. He bought this book and takes the "Mini Mickey Handbook" everywhere. It tells you the best times to do which rides based on the ages of the kids in your group and which days, which lines are the longest or shortest. It's a science for some. He has made reservations at park restaurants already. It's wild! The one suggestion he got that took me a little time to get on board with, was packing a suitcase to the brim with only food. Sounds like a guarantee we'll need the Saturday Night Live "Food Repair Crew," at some point. (anybody remember that episode besides mom and me?) Well, internet bloggers with families highly recommended doing this with dried boxed food so that when you get there all tired, nobody has to make a stop over to a grocery store for items. We're actually staying in a 2 story townhouse with 3 bedrooms and a kitchen, etc. I'll pack up lunches for everybody each morning then we'll be able to use the mayo, mustard, etc. condiment packages that are placed at the eating areas to finish off the sandwiches. We'll see how it all goes. Till next Sunday.... Have a good week! Keep on bloggin'!

A Rough 24 Hours...

My poor little sweetie was playing around on the low railings lining the ramps and walkways at the high school lunch area, last night with her sister. I was watching them and they were just hugging the low bar which seemed only 12-18" off the ground. Austin had a "pre-festival" concert where they were adjudicated by a couple judges before going to the actual festival. Afterwards, we had to wait quite a while before he came back out.

Once he came out, Melody stopped playing on the rails and then Ressa accidentally let go too soon, before she had her balance. I saw her dropping and screamed as I went to her. She dropped about a foot to the concrete and hit her left eyebrow.

The eyelid immediately swelled up big. Mark stayed with her and I ran to the kitchen where they were luckily holding some sort of gathering. I ran into the kitchen, got a handful of crushed ice out of a freezer, wrapped it in something and got back to her. There were no other bumps on her head. Her eye could move every direction and it changed when I got her in the light. It was about 8pm when this happened. We kept ice on it off and on for about an hour or so. Daddy gave her a special blessing.

This morning the eyelid was larger than last night! We dropped sister off to school and just drove straight to the pediatrician. She wanted to wear her little eyelit fabric "baseball hat" I got her for the trip. She tilted it down over the one eye so nobody could see it. The pediatrician went to the phone and got us an immediate appt. over at the Children's Eye Institute. Luckily it was just around the block and we saw the same doctor that did Katie's eye surgery. He dilated her eyes and did some checking. I was worried because in the waiting room she was describing red and green designs she saw. He said it was just fine and would look worse before it looks better. He said she does not need to be limited in any way as to rides or activities on the trip. Just to ice it around 15 min. every two hours to help the swelling.

It was so handy to be able to go by the Disney store at the mall and buy our Disney World tickets there. That saves us from having to stand in any sort of lines as far as tickets go, once we get there. I helped Ressa pick out some special Minnie Mouse dark sunglasses that she can wear on the trip to sort of hide the eye from people staring. Of course, we got Melody some too. I had thrown my purse away and needed a new one to use. They had a large black bag with Cinderella decor on the outside with the price tag marked down from 25 to 9.99! Had to grab it. Finally made it back home to settle in, relax, and plan the packing marathon that will occur sometime between today and Monday.

MY FAVORITE KEEPSAKE...

This picture is one of my top five most precious possessions. It is a small 5x7 gold antiqued frame with a sweet picture of Jesus with four children. My Sunday School (primary) teacher gave it to me when I was about 6 years old. She wrote out a little message to me on the back that reads:

Dear April,

When you look at this picture, remember how much Jesus loves you and wants you to Choose the Right.

Love, Sister Hawkins

I have hung this picture up in my room or my children's room for the past 35 years. It always made me feel loved. I appreciated the work my teacher went to, cutting out and pasting the picture onto special paper, and pasting the cut-out song lyrics onto the back. Somehow, there are some teeth marks to be found around the frame in front, but I'll just chalk it up to a toddler showing affection for the picture in their own way....

When my oldest was born, I would tell him that the dark haired boy in the picture was him, because it looked like him. When my second son was born, I would point to the blond boy with big blue eyes in the picture and tell him it was him, because it looked like him also. (And they both believed me.) Then when my oldest daughter was born, I would point and tell her she was one of the girls in the picture. And lastly, when my fourth child, a girl, was born I told her she was the other girl in the picture. And so it was complete. Every single time I have ever looked at this picture, it has never failed to give me a good feeling inside about myself and a greater feeling of love for the Lord.

Helping Children Grow Up Without Eating Disorders...CLICK HERE

I thought this was a good list. These were the same issues we discussed in my "science of nutrition" class today. In discussing eating disorders we learned about how extremes and obsessions over food and dieting begin, usually in adolescence or childhood. The child will be made to feel that something is wrong with their size or shape and they will understand their appearance to be unacceptable in inadequate. According to the teacher, it is normal for a child to go through a phase of looking as though they have a bit of a pot-belly, then spend six months in a growth spurt and it works itself out. This pattern can repeat itself many times over while the child goes from 3 to being fully grown.

Central abdominal fat is:

1. the most efficiently absorbed fat, into the blood stream.
2. the fat most likely to be turned into energy in a child's body to fuel play and growth.
3. most likely to reduce when a person diets.
4. in excess, is a risk factor to predicting diabetes, stroke, hypertension and coronary heart disease.

Unlike the central abdominal fat, the fat found on the hips, thighs, legs and arms is present to help regulate body temperature and is most resistant to dieting and being absorbed and metabolized into the blood stream.

Interesting facts:

1. Why do girls who diet or exercise to excess or starve themselves, lose their menstrual period? The body determines is does not have a sufficient fat supply to support a pregnancy, so it naturally stops the menstruation to prevent such.
2. Why do anorexic girls develop fine, long (almost feathery) hair called lanugo on their arms and body? It's the body's way to provide an emergency source of warmth to maintain body temperature since there is not adequate fat to do so.

My Leprechaun Name...."Freckles McPixie"

Your Leprechaun Name Is:

Freckles McPixie

What's" Your Leprechaun Name?

Getting Educated on Education...

I went with Austin to Dr. M, (Psychologist, author) today. Great appointment. We didn't have any serious issues to discuss so instead we picked his brain about Austin's high school choices---as far as what classes and what activities. Boy, he sure opened our eyes to what the situation is like these days. He has two sons in college and a 3rd son is a Jr. in high school. Austin told him that he has always wanted to be a pediatrician. Dr. explained it's a great job with real payoffs and quite rewarding to cure illnesses and make kids better.

On the other hand, he said it's important to understand that there is hard work required up front in the early years in order to accomplish that goal. He told us that college is so competitive these days. In the old days, a guy could goof off through high school and mess around...then wind up in college, choose his career and become whatever he wanted from there. That's no longer the case. Austin would basically have to become somewhat geek-like about doing his homework and staying on top of it, Dr. said.

Something new these days is that all honors and AP courses now give 5 points for an "A," rather than 4 points. Kids are graduating with an overall GPA as high as 4.7 or 4.8 even, because of those 5 point A's figured in. He told us how his son applied a couple of years ago to Berkeley, UC San Diego, UCLA, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Riverside. The kid had an overall 4.3 GPA and was turned down by all but San Diego and UCLA. He appealed the decision to Santa Barbara and got accepted the 2nd time around.

Dr. says the schools are rejecting kids who are straight A bookworms, but not involved. They want to see involvement in clubs, sports, ASB/Leadership or band, etc. They want to see a committment to something over the four years. He told Austin he's got the brain for it all, but has to understand that taking honors math and science anyway is probably a necessity if he wanted to get accepted to a medical school someday. Dang!! The Dr.'s kid got a full one year of college credit for the AP classes taken in high school and got the bachelor's degree in 3 years instead of 4. He said it saved $8k in tuition and $12k in living expenses! Geez!! As we walked out of the office, his son was just coming in the door. I had my camera handy and asked if I could take a picture of such an accomplished success story, as himself. He was quite a fellow and was happy to pose for the picture.

The Value of a College Degree....CLICK HERE!

Good article. I'm going to print it off for the boys. They have some pretty expensive taste and it does not come free. The main fact I read is that census records through 2000 indicate:

1. the average high school graduate earns $1.2 million over his lifetime.
2. the average associates degree holder earns $1.6 million over his lifetime.
3. the average bachelor's degree holder earns $2.1 million over his lifetime.

I took my younger son for his regular 6 wk. visit with the psychiatrist this past week and asked him what his thoughts were as to just how much he should be signing up for, when registering for high school this coming fall. The registration time is NOW and there are things to be considered. For instance, his testing scores are so high he automatically qualified for the Honors Program next school year (9th grade). However, he has recently had a growth spurt, went through a rough patch with the depression, and his grades took a nose dive. The doctor "realigned" his medication to account for the 40 lbs. and inches growth he's made, and now he's back to doing better in every way. The grades are gradually coming back up.

The questions I'm facing are "should he sign up for honors or regular classes?" Should he go for marching band since he's a great trombone player, they want him, and it looks good on a transcript, but it's 9 hours practice a week, after school, and many weekend trips on the road from Sep - Dec. Should he do Jazz Band instead which is a year course, but only involves one class period a day and maybe some performances here and there. Should he do concert choir, rather than band since he's good at reading music and can sing well too? He loves sports, should he do jazz band and regular classes, so adding a sport wouldn't be a big deal, if he wanted to? Whereas, being in Honors classes + sports could be tough. Plus he'll be going to seminary class in the mornings, 6:20 - 7:10am. When I ask "said child" he doesn't have strong feelings about any of it, except that his friends in band are choosing Jazz Band because they are wimping out over marching while holding the heavy instrument out in front of them. He just comes back and asks what I think he should do. So I'm trying to help him make the right decisions. The paper has to be turned in Monday. In Jazz Band they don't have to memorize their music. My son had no problem carrying and marching, but he's inclined to do Jazz Band because that's where his friends will be. The Honors choices are Geometry, English, and Science. We have an appt. at the high school this week to discuss it, but we have to bring the last report card which reflects that rough time he went through.

The psychiatrist had an interesting answer to my question. He said, "The brain does not experience stress/pressure from too many activities. Being very active and involved is good for a teenager. The only time the body experiences stress/anxiety/"pressure" is when a person's ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS fail to keep up with their level of activities." So THAT'S what is wrong with me. Sure made a lot of sense.

I'm inclined to think that starting off slow with regular classes (maybe honors geometry, his strength), jazz band, seminary in the morning, and just see how he does. I don't want him to feel totally overwhelmed transitioning from jr. high to high school. He can always try out for a sport if he's interested and switch out PE if things are going well. I know he will love high school and excel at whatever he tries. He most always does.

My oldest also had to register for his senior year in the fall. It was exciting for him to show an interest in my favorite subject, Accounting. It's only offered to seniors. He is very good in math too so he shouldn't have any trouble with Accounting. He will also have Anatomy & Physiology, Teacher's Assistant, US Government/Economics, and Concert Choir. He was in band playing the bass clarinet for years, but discovered he has a deep bass voice that choir directors love because he can reach all those low notes. It was really fun for me to see him choose (without any prodding from me : ) to take the two electives that happened to be my favorites during my senior year: Accounting & Choir. That's my boy!

Bedtime "Hour" at Our House...

If you were at our house somewhere between 7:45pm and 8:45pm (depending on whether it's a night at home, or we've been out at a school concert or cheering on the boys at basketball) on any given night you would likely see myself or Mark in this position with the kids. He snuck in and snapped a shot, then we realized what was happening and he shot this second one. My crazy hairdo directly relates to the high winds around here. I think it's funny for the girls (in spite of having all the cutesy princess/strawberry shortcake/care bears etc. jammies to choose from) to ignore what PJ's are in their drawers and always come in to my dresser looking for one of Mark's or my t-shirts to sleep in. I remember my sisters and I doing that all the time growing up. In this case here, Ressa picked one of mine. Melody couldn't find one of Mark's that's her favorite, so she moved on down to the boys' room and chose one of Austin's. (without asking would be safe to assume : D

I love reading to the girls. I read about a lady on the internet who is now an avid writer. She said her love of reading and writing came from listening to her mother read the series of books by James Herriot, a traveling veterinarian who goes around the British countryside caring for people's animals, having all sorts of adventures. Mark took the girls to the elementary school night at Barnes and Noble on Wednesday and picked up one of them called, "All Creatures Great & Small." You name it and Mark has most likely read it. He's read the series, but said he never thought of it appealing to children. It's not a little children's book by any means as it has about 432 pages and no pictures! I started reading it and the girls were listening very intently.....do you think the fact the book opened with the vet up to his elbow inside of a cow trying to deliver a calf, had anything to do with it??? We'll see how far we get in this one! Yikes!!

My Junior Cheerleaders

I've been taking Ressa and Melody to cheerleading. It's sponsored by the California Youth Spirit Corps. They teach drill team, baton twirling and cheerleading. The teacher was a high school cheerleader and now has been teaching the kids for the past 10 years. The girls have really been enjoying it. They each have their own set of pom-poms and will get the uniforms next week. I knew they needed some activities that promote physical fitness and this seemed like the most fun, without turning them into "tomboys." They were doing tap and ballet, but it seemed too slow-paced for them. They preferred daydreaming and making up their own dance routines over whatever the teacher was doing. Haha!

As far as cheerleading goes, they're loving it and they get to do it together which helps a lot. It's for the 5-7 yr. olds. It all culminates into a competition held at Cal State San Bernardino on Sat. April 14th. Different cities' cheerleading teams will compete against each other. They have a real fun, catchy routine set to music that they've been working on since January. Our teacher said one of her groups always walks away with 1st place, so she must be pretty good at it. I think the girls love the "spirit yell" part when they are encouraged to start screaming. Here are some pictures from the last practice.

Warming up:

Ressa (practicing that one favorite move over & over). Melody (intent and trying her best to please the teacher) Ressa (very protective of Melody....with a touch of attitute)

Just Call Me "Swiss Miss"

I have spent all day preparing for the Relief Society birthday party tonight. The ladies are having an International Potluck. They asked for volunteers to sign up to decorate a table for the event in the decor from their native country. They also asked each to bring a dish from the country of their ancestors. I chose to decorate a table with Switzerland in mind. I made the flag out of felt and decorated with gold coins to represent Swiss banks and Lindt truffles in a little cup at each place setting. So much fun!

That comes from my Grandpa Stoddart's great great grandmother who was born in Switzerland. Melody helped me and was so excited to run into the picture and struck this pose without any help from me.

I made a great recipe from Mom that was from her friend's mother who was from Scotland. Scottish Shephard's Pie. I made up four of them with the double-crust and all. I took three and left one home. Only one of the pies I took to the party was eaten. The problem was a pretty silly one. Even though I set up a little card next to the three pies saying "Shepherd's Pie," many women ignored it and passed them over, thinking they were DESSERT! I cut into it though and then others followed. Everybody liked it. Thanks Mom....turned out great! As for my table, eight women took the seats right away. I sat at a cute table decorated in an island tiki motif. The tables were decorated in themes of USA, Ireland, Pacific Islands, Switzerland, and Sweden. My favorite food item was definitely the hot German Potato Salad. Some ladies made homemade Chinese food: noodles w/ veges, eggrolls. We had about 40 women come out and a great time was had by all.

My Cleansing, Re-dedication Breakfast....marking a new start!

I keep hearing "cleansing" all the time lately describing food...and it's not in my nutrition class. Well, if it requires fiber to justify using the word "cleansing," today's breakfast qualified. I set out the following breakfast for myself today as a committment to a renewed desire to track points AND exercise daily. I had a garlic butter cod fillet, a can of green beans, a red apple and 1% milk poured into a 1 cup measuring cup. No doubt, that was the MOST filling, five points I've ever eaten. It really felt like (after I stopped laughing at myself) .....I'M SERIOUS, THIS TIME!

Our Own "Aunty Barbs" is a Celebrity....CLICK HERE!

Aunty Barbs, as she is known to the readership is a celebrity in our midst. Her name is featured in a Press-Enterprise article. Wow, pretty impressive! The article is actually about her bed, and it is a pretty amazing sight. I've seen it and THAT'S A BED! Be sure and scroll way down the page until you see the highlighted parts of the article.

Weekend Wrap-up!

It has been a busy week. I started off intent to count my points, one by one, and exercise my fanny off, but as my life attests, things don't always go the way you plan. Maybe I just didn't plan intently enough, but either way, the intended concentration on diet and exercise gave way to gathering the 20 some checks and forms that have come in for the Ball Family Reunion I'm helping to organize. I opened a seperate checking account to deposit all these checks in, setting apart the Ball Reunion stuff from my own. I love working with graphics and layouts using all the windows clip-art. Here's my efforts at a fun reunion invitation: (Sometimes, anything I make up seems to appear to me as if it was done by a 2nd grader. My art abilities stopped at 2nd grade. That's why clip art appeals to me so much. Haha!)

I had to make up a worksheet to organize who ordered t-shirts, what sizes, anybody wanting Knott's tickets, Friday night luau tickets, etc. Then my husband got a pretty nice bonus from work, but I couldn't get too excited about it until I prepared our tax return to know how much we owed. With four children and a mortgage we haven't had to pay any taxes for six years. But after a quick review, last December, I could tell we would owe for 2006. So instead of filing electronically the first day possible in January like I usually do, and getting a refund pronto...this year there was no rush to pay up before the deadline. Wouldn't want to spend it all on vacation, (just kidding) before we know what we owe in taxes. So it took me an entire day this week to get that completed. Then the dentist (who is booked up for cleanings 6 mos. in advance) called with a couple openings available for cleanings, so we made a trip over there this week for Ressa and Austin. Both had 2 cavities. (Could have been worse...).

Then with all the excitement over discovering the long, lost relative for my uncle, I couldn't just sit on all the information I found for him and set it all aside or toss it. Well, I thought about what I would just love to have if I were him...somebody who wanted to know more about their ancestors, but doesn't know where or how to start, etc. So that led to an entire day I spent gathering copies of all the information I came upon in those two hours: 1910 census, 1920 census, and the 1930 census....ACTUAL IMAGES, mind you, of his mother's parents listed along with their occupations, five children listed (but stated the mother had 4 other children who were deceased). I was having way too much fun...putting this all into a booklet with a 4-generation pedigree on top and every bit of information and clues behind it, organized into family group sheets and grouped together into 1st through 4th generations. I was writing down little hints and clues in red pen on some of these sheets as to where I would look next. I was so proud of this packet six hours later, but then there's always the other side. After a day of taxes, a day of genealogy.... well, you could imagine the pile of clean laundry that has piled up on my bed. There's always a downside, dang it! The college is having their Easter break this week, so I'll get it caught back up tomorrow.

And have you seen the temperature out here? Geez! It was 90 something here today, with the wind blowing. I hate that! It gives me terrible headaches to be in the heat. We had to cut loose and throw on the A/C. Last summer we had the hottest month on record in July (117 one day) and the highest electric bill I've ever seen in the six years living here...$550! YIKES! I look at things in term of "dinners out" or "lunches out" and that to me represents "10-12 dinners and a movie!

Then we couldn't miss another church basketball game for the boys team (age 12-18). Our Terra Vista ward team is still undefeated!!! They are awesome. Now they are in the regional playoffs and play in Fontana or Upland on Saturday morning. My hope for a career in sports photography is down the drain once I post these pictures.....but it was the best I could get with the camera I have and the non-stop action out on the court. Here are the boys:

There's Joey on the far left and Austin in the center. The big guy in blue on the right has been nicknamed by opposing players' parents as "the incredible hulk." He's 6'2" and 271 lbs! One father complained a few weeks ago that it was no fair----"nobody else gets the incredible hulk on their team!!!" Actually this guy is quite phenomenal. He is the star "all-cif, all-state star defensive tackle" in high school football right now. He holds the state record with regard to the position he plays in football and had his choice of full scholarships to choose from. He picked University of Utah. Good kid.

Here comes Austin (left) and Joey (right) running up in the blue.

Here are Austin (l) and Joey (r) double-team the guy with the ball.

Austin running to get to the ball.

There's Joey in the center. This particular game was a forfeit by the other team since they only had 3 guys show up. So, the two refs took off their whistles and joined in to play on the other team.

There's Joey in the center with the one ref behind him in white and the other to the left in white. GOOD TIMES, GOOD TIMES!!!

Mark, on the other hand, took off to spend the day out in Ventura visiting his daughter, Kelsey whose 16th birthday is today. Here is a picture of them taken yesterday.

JUST PICTURE IT!

Mark told me the other day that he read about the blind having a very easy time learning how to parachute.....

Surprisingly, the one finding it the most difficult is the seeing-eye dog!

PS. It's a joke.

SIGNS OF A HAPPY HUSBAND...

This might not be what you'd expect to see, but Mark is definitely excited about our upcoming trip. Words can't describe the effect of seeing all these scenes out of Disney World lining the wall going up our stairs. He is taping up these pictures all around the house.

Check out the closet door downstairs as well. He is really getting into it!

He has been studying up on all these websites from "mousesavers" to "trip planners.com." The funny thing is.....he was suggesting we get our park tickets from "make believe tickets" and I replied, "who would ever want those?" It sounds like a rip-off to begin with! I'd never order tickets from a company called "make-believe-tickets!" They are probably exactly that...MAKE BELIEVE and would never materialize!! Victims of cell phone background noise and interference, we are. Just like those TV commercials. After going back and forth a bit, I figured out he was saying, "maple leaf tickets," not make believe. Oops! Well, he says he wants to get the kids anticipating what they will see with these pictures all around. I think it's really great how he's putting so much into it.

Saw Wild Hogs at the movies tonight. Lots of laughs! Dad would really like it.

Just Call Me....WEB DETECTIVE!

I'm so excited right now I've got goose bumps! My aunt Marilyn contacted me recently and told me my uncle has been searching for his sister for many years now. He had information that led to nowhere and some even thought she lived in Mexico. They asked me if I thought they should hire a private detective to look for her. I told them I had some "computer-look-up-savvy" and would love a chance to see what I could find. After two hours of searching this morning, I found the death record of my uncle's mother and found his sister living nearby the last known address of his mother in a mobile home park. I put it all into an email to Aunt Marilyn and called them. My aunt said my uncle was running over to pull up a chair and read the email with her. We hung up and then he immediately began dialing one of the numbers I found. I just got an email back from them in "huge font" saying my uncle just spoke to his sister for the first time in twenty-six years!!! She had breast cancer five years ago, but was doing well. Marilyn said he was shaking on the phone. He wants to get out to Jackson county, Missouri to see her right away. I'm so thrilled for them. It was so easy---makes me wish I could help others locate people. What a thrill!!!

WHAT IS SUCCESS?

"Success is the ratio between your accomplishments and your capabilities." ~Thomas S. Monson, Women's Conference, 2003.

WOMEN'S CONFERENCE PROGRAM...click here!

Check out PAGE 35 of the program. Ladies, the concert is back!!! Yesiree, the "SHADOW MOUNTAIN MUSIC SHOWCASE" is scheduled at 8pm Thursday in the Marriott Center!

Pondering Over the Day...

I've driven the kids to school for years, but the last few weeks we've been getting up a little extra early so the girls and I can walk and get them some exercise. Today, we were running a little late (arguments over who wants what ponytails, etc.) so I drove them. After not driving them for awhile, some sights I had grown so accustomed to stood out to me today.

As I got to the stop sign around the block from our house, I noticed the little, elderly Asian couple walking together in their matching sweatsuits doing arm stretches as they always do, just about to reach the corner right where I have always seen them when I would reach that corner. Though we've never spoken, I wave as usual, and they smile and nod back at me as they usually do.

Then I continue on the way to school and just a couple blocks further along I stop for another stop sign and see my girlfriend from church walking toward the intersection, right where I have always seen her walking when I would drive by, along with her daughter and younger son, while her husband watches the baby at home before heading to work. We wave as usual, and they wave back.

Then I drop off the girls and head back toward home. As I turn out of the school driveway and back into my neighborhood through the gates, I see the same man I always see, up ahead on the right with his rather large-looking bull dog waddling along with its owner taking their daily walk at the same time, at the same pace....always coming around that same turn as I drive by.

I get closer to my block and see my daughter's friend's mother walking her big yellow lab on the left side of the street. I must say, I do admire these people. When I get discouraged or feel like giving up my efforts at an exercise routine, I sometimes think of these folks---only one of whom I know by name. They are my daily role models of persistence and committment. They have been taking these walks at these same times every morning for months and months. If I ever start feeling hopeless or discouraged about things that take a lot of effort, I often remember these nameless faces, examples to me of never giving up in spite of circumstances, weather, etc. Nothing gets in their way and I'm glad. It makes me want to press on.

Today would have been my cousin Stephen's 39th birthday today. I always remember his birthday because we share birthdays in the month of March and our days are multiples of 5. He sure was a fun guy. We had lots of fun when we were younger kids. We lost him early though just after his 28th birthday. I sure miss him.

Kevin's Take on Disney World...my comments in blue.

Hi everyone! I'm baaaack!!!! At least for a little while. How cool is it that you guys are going to Disney World!! Danielle and I went there on the first leg of our honeymoon and cant wait to go again. So, here come the tips! Between Barbi and I, you all (thats plural) should stay out of trouble and if you happen to get into any, at least you will have gotten into it well! My first suggestion is springin the coin and staying in one of the resorts. I would just love to, but there are a couple problems. First, only a few places can accomodate 6 people. Also, we're spending a bonus we haven't received yet. Mark mentioned if something crazy happens with it, maybe we can call Kevin in to make things right....in "Christmas Vacation" style. LOL Hahahaha! The only resorts that do have room for our crew are the Wilderness cabins at 330/night vs. the lodges for 745/pop! Uhhhhh....too rich for our blood after you throw in airfare for six!!! For the kids I would highly recommend the Animal Kingdom Lodge. They will love seeing the animals right outside every morning. This is where we stayed. And they have an African themed buffet there that is awesome! We were at a park during lunch and dinner, but we had breakfast there once and dinner one time, too. They have big ole busses to shuttle you to any of the parks all day and most of the night. I can just see it now! You wont be stranded and its a good ride to be off your feet on your way back to your room. All the parks have certain days when they will be open early or late. You can plan your itinerary around those times. We have to choose between 3 day park hopper tickets vs. 4 day w/out park hopper and only having 1/2 day available on the 4th day. Obviously we don't have time to do everything, dang it! I want to really be discerning about what is new and thrilling vs. something we can see here in So. Cal.The monorail connects Magic Kingdom with Epcot so if one of them closes and the other is open late you can scoot over for a little whatever. Epcot is cool. I didnt realize this but after I did I started sampling my way around the world till I couldnt stand it anymore! LOL! They have little fast kiosks outside each of the restaurants for each country represented. It stretches all the way around the lake! They have a sample of each main course and a dessert for like $3 to $4 a pop so you can sample the fare from each one while you are there. Thats how we did lunch one day. And the coolest thing about DW is that you can buy booze there and walk around swillin' a beer or glass of wine! Thats when that park hit the top of my list! LOL! They have a pavillion there that usually has an old rock band playing several times a day. They only do 3-4 hits but its free and fun to sit and listen. We saw Loverboy while we were there. Cobwebs and overhangin gut and all! THAT'S HILLARIOUS!!! The original band! I dont know where they dug em up at! HA! I have pics and even one video segment on our camera. Unbelieveable. You want to stay and see the fireworks show at Epcot. Outstanding! At MGM they have the coolest coaster! Aerosmiths Rockin Roller Coaster. Just get the souvenir pic to prove you did it. Its indoors like Space Mtn. But, its also an experience to get to the ride. Very worthy. Same thing with Everest! You better not wimp out April! Don't worry...Joey and Austin will be there to do all the pushing and dragging necessary. Mark, she almost copped on riding Boomarang with me at Knotts one year. I still have the picture they flashed of us. You took one look at yourself in the shot and said, "Geez, if I didn't know better, that ride put the eyes of Satan into me." I was laughing my head off!!!! She does well if you drag her on and get her latched in and theres no escape. I'm counting on you, man. HA! Actually, if you dont give up, she wont either. Its a pride thing. LOL! Animal Kingdom is alot of zoo, but the Safari ride the kids would love! Take Rafikis train and do the interactive stuff. Its all about the younguns. Furthermore, dont pass the Magic Kingdom off as a rerun of Anaheim. I was very interested to see the way things were different about the same ole rides. I like their Space Mtn better in one way and ours in another. All in all, count on spending one day at each park, especially with your brood. If you had to pick 3 out of 4, which would you pick??? Would 13 and 16 yr. old boys want to pass on Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom for the other three??? Just Danielle and I came away thinking we needed a tad more time if we had Brandon with us. Four days was just enough for the two of us. There is an interactive restaurant at MGM that is really cool. Its the only place parkwide that serves a good ole fashioned fried chicky dinner with all the trimmings. Its called Mommas Cafe. Its themed from the 50's and its so worthy. That might be what Barbie told me about where you sit in 50s cars in a drive-in setting watching a movie while they bring your food order... Ask to be seated in Dales section. Let me know! HA! At all of the themed restaurants its best to make reservations early. There is another one for all of your princesses at Magic Kingdom inside Cinderellas castle where you all (thats plural) get to eat with her and her court! Very cool!Ok, I hope all of my tips didnt spoil anything for you, but had I known all of this before we went it would have saved alot of time bumping around. No, they are very, very helpful. I would suggest asking all the questions you can of me and Barbi! I wish I'd known they had been there before. I definately would have been brain pickin'! Another good tip is to use a travel agent. The one we used is from Orlando and knew the park thing inside and out! Let me know and we can give you her email. YES, PLEASE DO! MAYBE I CAN GET PARK TICKETS THAT WAY RATHER THAN WAITING AT THE GATE FOR HOURS. You are flying, right? Thats one hell of a loooooong drive for all of you. OH YEAH!! It's Delta out of Ontario at 1:20pm Monday to Salt Lake at 4:30pm. Then 1-1/2 hrs. later we head for Orlando and arrive around 11:30pm (will seem like 8:30pm to us). Then we'll see what we're worth on Tuesday...Day 1 in the parks. I just couldn't see getting the cheapest airfare with the 3 hour layover in Atlanta in the middle of the night followed by a short flight to Miami, another hours wait, then arriving in Orlando. Sounded so terribly brutal. Cant wait to here how it goes when you get back! Love you guys!

Reporting on a Not-So-Good Day...

Here's Mark's reaction to the ticker above this morning"Well honey, if you get behind on that ticker, I can throw you into the car and catch you up lickety split! I've even got a pillow for ya." I guess "miles moved in March" was a little silly. I'm just tracking the miles I walk/jog, or my distance registered on the exercise machine. I'll have to figure out another catchy phrase...

The last few days have just been great. I've been so excited about the trip. But all the excitement and thrill of it all went out the window yesterday. The morning started with a call from the county probation officer making a report for the upcoming hearing and wanted a statement from the robbery victim (Joey) and/or his mother. She said we could be there in court or have a victim's advocate read our statements. Just going back over every detail of it, reliving it in my mind and trying to type out a statement of how it impacted us proved too much. I was in tears as I thought of what could have been and the huge lack of value these characters place on somebody elses life as well as their own. They wanted me to track down receipts, but I couldn't. Then an unnamed child had some issues with honesty while another child's misleading statements were apparent when the mail arrived delivering a progress report with some good, but some very less-than-acceptable grades and citizenship marks. How do you help someone who frequently forgets their homework assignments? Well, I have begged and pleaded with them to "WRITE IT DOWN." Now then, what do you do about someone who always forgets to get out the pad and write it down. I don't know what to do about that. Needless to say, these back-to-back announcements were just too much. I asked Mark to please take the kids out to eat and to a movie last night so I could just get some peace and quiet to clean up the house. He did. One unnamed child was consigned to a 24 hr. restriction, but a deal was struck to swap completing a list of twelve chores Saturday morning to "buy" their way out of the restriction and go along on the excursion. After a fervent prayer for some help and strength, I turned XM radio to "sounds of the 80s" and I really helped me focus on the chores at hand and I got a lot accomplished. Well, today's another day.

BYU Folk Dancers Were Amazing! So Was the Company!

I'm not sure what I liked better: the performance or the company (with Mark, Barbie & Jim). Let's just say I've thought more than twice this morning about tap dance classes and violin lessons...or should I say toe-tappin' fiddle lessons. These musicians we saw were the same caliber (if not better) as the fiddlers Garth Brooks had on stage in his concert. There was lots of clogging, tap dancing (riverdance style), ballet, and many, many dances unique to other countries in the world. It was great fun to watch and listen to. Afterwards, we grabbed a bite over at Hoff's Hut. Barbie recommended spliting a delicious rotisserie chicken sandwich on squaw bread with chicken tortilla soup. It was good too. Mark had us laughing when the Romanian-style dance was being performed and whispered, "I can prove that this is not authentic." "How?" I asked. Their legs are shaved. Haha! As we were exiting the building afterwards, we each contemplated the vast difference between the dancers level of athleticism and dexterity with our own and took comfort reminding ourselves that they will most likely be struck immovable in the years to come with arthritis, knee surgeries and joint displacements of every kind----whereas, if we just keep taking it easy and cling to a slower pace, we'll save our bodies from all that damage. Hahahahahahaha... LOL.... hahahahaha! JUST KIDDING! Got home around midnight! Mark and I getting home that late on a weeknight...it takes me back! Good times, good times!!!!

The wind is sounding like 50-60 mph gusts outside right now. I hear a woman's voice calling and calling after her pet. That's how we lost our dog in January. The wind blows so hard, it release the gate latch sometimes and out goes Fido. Sad! The girls are enjoying pajama day at school today. Everybody looked so cute. They were really trying to insure modesty this year and nearly every girl was wearing a heavy robe over her jammies. Everyone looked so cozy. That's always how they celebrate Dr. Suess's birthday....wearing pj's and listening to Dr. Suess stories. The funniest sight is seeing the teachers out there with the pj's on too. Some wear giant adult-size blanket sleepers, while others seem to go for the heavy flannel leopard print. Either way it sure makes the kids laugh and smile.....me too, for that matter.

PS. Melody is 6 weeks before her 6th birthday and just lost her 2nd bottom tooth yesterday. The tooth fairy made a lightening speed performance this morning placing the money just in time for Melody to find in her second search for it inside the pillow case :D

PUTTING MY BEST FEET FORWARD....by request.

This is undoubtedly the least interesting news I have to share today. I'm following Stephanie's lead here in putting a picture of my feet on the blog. I don't mean to rain/step on anyone's parade, but the woman with the blog(not Steph), who is requesting all these pictures could very likely be a "gentlemen" who might not be much of one. That's just the Papa coming out in me---but the way she has posted all these names with the person's feet pictures throws up a big red flag for me. Maybe a wierdo, maybe not. Please don't forward my pictures. Haha! Well, I'll play along. I never liked my feet too much either, because my second toe is longer than the first toe. I was always so embarrassed by it, until Grammy showed me hers were the same. She used to always try and make me feel better though by telling me, "you know, that means you are the head of your family." So for the last 28 years since she told me that I remember it everytime I look at my toes. I've always said the good Lord put them on backwards. They will move all the way up in a 90 degree angle to my foot, but not go down like most peoples do. With this dexterity I used to draw two dots and a smile on the front of each and pretend the big toe was the lead singer and the rest were the backup singers. I hate to say it, but I think I was doing that at around 18. Yes 18, not 8---it was not a type-o. I do like the pedicures though....maybe once a quarter just to indulge in the special treatment once in a while. These feet have taken me on some crazy adventures, miles and miles of exercise over the years and have bore the burden of carrying my babies, whether they were riding on the inside or the outside. They've led the way and I hope they have lots of mileage left on them :D

Joey Gets Award Selling Girl Scout Cookies...for sister.

I'll bet you can't believe who the award is from. It's from his high school! Joey has been doing his sister a favor by selling girl scout cookies at school, amidst the giggles and questioning looks by other kids. He just shrugs it off and tells them he's doing it for his sister as they respond with, "OHHHHH, ok," and place their order. A couple of his teachers were talking and nominated him to receive the "Impact Award" that the school gives out monthly, I believe, to a student who has done something to make a positive impact on others. The teachers said they have never seen kindness and sacrifice shown from a brother toward a little sister like that before. A couple days ago he was lugging around a couple filled Tae Kwon Do sparring duffle bags full of cookies from class to class, delivering to the kids, with his order sheet in hand. It was quite a sight. He just sold 39 more boxes yesterday! He drove over to the leader's house at 9:00 last night to replenish his duffle bags.

He's done nothing to help the current level of childhood obesity, but has really impressed his teachers with his sales ability, skills, and ability to promptly deliver the 161 boxes he has sold at $4/ each. He has turned in the monies to me daily and then asks for some fives and ones back so he can make change for the "customers" the following day. He has put Ressa up at 182 boxes sold now. Wow Joey...you're awesome!!! You too Ressa!!!