Our Romantic Getaway

My parents took all 7 grandkids this weekend
and left us to fend for ourselves. Luckily, I
have a pilot for a brother-in-law! Jason and I
hopped aboard Mark and Amy's plane and we
flew to Salt Lake City for a romantic getaway!

Jason and I did the typical tourist stuff in SLC while
Amy laid by the pool and Mark went to meetings.
Jason was like a kid in a candy shop! He loved
every second of it....as did I!

We ate so much delicious food it was insane!
My favorite was The Melting Pot's chocolate
fondue! See how romantic we were!?!

Mark and Jason surprised us girls by upgrading
to the Breakfast In Bed Package at our fancy hotel.
At night they sprinkled our bed with roses and left
a bottle of bubble bath. For breakfast, they brought
us a lion's share of everything your heart desires!
Amy and I left our rooms in the morning to find that
we both had taken the plastic laundry bag the
hotel provides and filled it with our leftover fruit
and pastries. Are we cheap or what!?!
No....just smart! Breakfast tomorrow!!!

While waiting for a table at one of the restaurants,
Mark decided to model for us! Isn't he hot!!!
No wonder Amy is pregnant with #5! :0)

Seriously, could she be any cuter?
I don't think so!!!

Our trip was filled with excitement, too:
*Mark getting pulled over
*Dodging lightning strikes in the plane
*Our 35 minute drive to a CLOSED hotel
*Our stinky Super8 last minute motel
*Our stomach issues
*Missing every movie (1 by two minutes)
*Enough meat to kill a lion
*Our police car escort from the airport

Jason and I just arrived home and we are
heading to California to meet up with the kids
in the morning. I feel so lonely without
them (no offense, Jason)! :0)
Thanks for a great time, Amy and Mark!

Preschool

Ty had his end of school ceremony last week.
He got a cute yearbook, his diploma, and
lots of hugs from his favorite teacher!

He has had the biggest crush on Ms. Pandi
since the day we met her. He'll be so sad
all summer! He always loved seeing her
in the mornings when Daddy dropped him off.

We all loved Ms. Patti, too! She was always
so good with Ty. She would notice a new shirt,
or a new haircut right away. Both of his
teachers always made him feel so special!

We haven't decided if we are up for the 45
minute drive to that school again next year.
I sure hope we decide to stick with it, though!
I loved the Science Center, the Water Play,
and the friends he made there. We hope to
have him at Mt. View Preschool again next year!

Last night we got to attend Sydney's
3rd Voice Recital. It's always so cute to watch
her move from a nervous first song
(like the photo below~ looking down)
to a full blown, no fear, finale.
She sang 4 solos this time:
Don't Fence Me In
Marzidots
A Tisket, A Tasket
Brother Come and Dance With MeShe also played a very difficult piano solo
called "Red Robin Rag". She practiced
non-stop for it and did VERY well!

This is Miss Janie with her musical prodigies:
Mary Kate, Sheel, and Little Miss Sydney.

Sydney always loves the flowers her daddy and
Ty give her after her performances. We were
all so proud of her. She is truly talented.
She got that talent from her Aunt Jenny
and Aunt Heather! Thanks, ladies!!!

Bikes, Birds, & Lizards!

We are in the midst of perfect weather!
The evenings are delightful....cool breezes,
beautiful sunsets, and great bike rides!Summer has officially stolen my bike!

We have discovered that it is impossible
to take a cute picture of Sydney while
she is riding a bike. Crazy facials!!!

Ty is the out of control 2 wheelin'
king of the road...watch out!!!Not-So-Charming (our bird that lives
in our hanging Geranium plant out back) is a girl,
after all! We thought it was a not-so-handsome
boy bird these past few years, but HE just had
4 little baby birds. I guess we need to change
her name to Charming. She isn't the prettiest bird on
the block, but apparently she has found a husband!

Ty found himself a little lizard friend
tonight. With daddy's help, he was able to hold it
and giggle because "It Ickles!"...
or tickles to us common folk.

I hope you are all loving the
change in weather as much as we are!

Ward Luau!

First off, Have I told you how much
I love my camera!?! L.O.V.E.!!!

Summer, my 12 year old actually took this shot!
Amazing, right!?! I think I'll put it up for sale
in my shop. That would be a great way for her
to make a little extra money!At the Luau, Jason and Denny Mandeville BBQed
for 3 1/2 hours! They were hot and sweaty,
but it sure tasted good (charcoal and all)!The girls really got into the spirit of the luau
and Sydney and Liza won the costume
competition! They loved it!!!

Connie and Mel had some great connections and
we had actual had a REAL flame thrower,
hula dancer, and a ton of ethnic dancers!
It was beyond all of our expectations!
One guy even caught his hair on fire
and he kept right on dancing!
Now that is entertainment!!!

My Mother's Day!

I woke up to breakfast in bed on Mother's
Day! Waffles, eggs, bacon, orange julius, and
one of my dozen chocolate covered strawberries!
Jason then proceeded to cook dinner, too. The girls
did the dishes.....and I was lazy! LOVED IT!!!Ty presented me with this cute questionnaire
that he answered at school. I love the part about,
"Daddy even kisses her!" Am I that gross that he
is shocked that his dad would want to kiss me!?!

Apparently Sydney thinks I'm not gross!
Look at how beautifully she painted me! I love
the details. My green eyed girl proudly painted
my green eyes. Green is better
than blue, right Syd!?!

This one is to prove that my kids are much more
talented than I! Sydney has really gotten into her art
and Jason and I were so impressed by these trees!

Sydney (and Ty was supposed to) sang
'Mother I Love You' in sacrament meeting.
Summer than got up and sang with the Young
Women. It was a wonderful Mother's Day and
I am constantly reminded how very lucky
I am to be the mother of these 3
precious souls!!!

The teacher closest to my heart!

I'll start this off with a challenge! Can you tell which
one is the teacher? Yep, that's my little baby sister
on the far left! Isn't she adorable! I guarantee you
that every one of her boy students (and maybe even
some girls) must have a crush on her! She is young,
fun, intelligent, and beautiful! She is Mrs. Macbeth.

She is lucky enough to teach Math at
the high school that me and my 2 sisters
attended. Me have HUGE Hawk Pride!

She doesn't teach the run of the mill math
classes (like the ones I was in) either! She
teaches honors and all the high stuff. Look at
me, I don't even know what they are called
once you get past Algebra (I never did)! :0P

Becky has at least 40 students in each class, plus
she coaches soccer and track! I've witnessed first
hand how much patience, love, and talent that
takes on her part! I hope we all show
our appreciation for all those wonderful
teachers out there like Mrs. Macbeth!
WE LOVE YOU MRS. MACBETH!!!

Teacher Appreciation!

No matter your age, your status, or your
ethnicity....we all have teachers! This week,
don't forget to shower them with a little extra
love and attention! After all, they are the ones
that are building a better tomorrow!Liz and I met at the school this morning and
put up 700 paper hearts (teachers lounge,
mailboxes, classroom doors, the grass)! We
had the students help give their teachers a
'HEART ATTACK'. It was a huge success.
I think the teachers liked it as much as the kids!

Our kids decorated this sign that greeted
everyone on their way to the front office.

Throughout this week, each day has a theme.
Tuesdays theme will be bring a flower to school
day. The kids could make flowers, bring live flowers,
or draw a flower for their teachers. Sydney and
Summer are bringing these cute 'earth-friendly'
flowers to their teachers. We cut up old magazines
and cut them into flower shapes, then fastened
them together with a brad. The stems are rolled
up magazine pages that were mostly green. I think
I like these so much I want to make myself some! :0)

Sydney has a male teacher, so we went
with more masculine colors for him. I
think he will get a kick out of it!

Don't forget your teachers this week!
I have an extra special teacher in my life
that I will post about later this week!