Party, Party, Party!!

Yesterday was the day for parties! Tiffany and the neighbor girls invited some friends over to our house for a "school out" pizza/pool party. Looked like everyone had a good time. Take a look at the video to see all the fun.




Next, we started preparing for Kyle's surprise party. He will be turning 20 soon so we invited family and friends over to help celebrate. This is the night that he and Ashley are always at the house, so the plan was that we would just have people start stopping by. He didn't catch on until the second family showed up that just happened to be in the neighborhood. We are so far out, who would just be in our neighborhood?? He was definitely surprised. Bobby grilled, and we ate as always , a yummy "Dawn" cake. We gotcha, Kyle!!!










So, the day was done and I survived 2 parties in one day! Exhausting, but worth it. We love having our friends and family at our house.

Summer time!!!

Here are a few pictures of Tiff and some of her friends at the 3rd grade water day that was at school yesterday. Today was the last day of school and summer has begun. With swim team, dance, 2 trips to California and a trip to Colorado our summer will be full of fun.

Swimmers, take your marks!

Today starts another season of swim team for us. This will be my 15th summer of daily trips to the pool and sweating through the swim meets. We will be there cheering on Tiffany and the rest of the "Buckeye Bullfrogs". Go Tiff!!
Here is a cute story... There was a boy from our church in the same
lane as Tiffany. He would go first then the coach would send Tiff second. She was always beating him to the other end of the pool so he started saying that she was cheating. The coach heard him and said "just because she beats you doesn't mean that she is cheating". Well the next time they went, Tiff attempted many times to go around him and he cut her off every time. He swam zig zag the whole way so she couldn't pass him.

Countdown to the beach....

Have I told you that I love the beach? In a few weeks, Tiff and I will be headed to CA for a few days of fun in the sun with the Shipley's. Sand, surf and friends!! I can't wait! Here are some pictures I found of our first beach trip together with the Shipley family.

May Celebrations

Last night we gathered with the Jakes side of the family to celebrate May birthdays . Happy Birthday to Mimi(Bill's mom),who turned 89, Bill, who turned 48 and Serena, who will be 13 later this month. Another teenager!! We also celebrated Mother's day. Mom said that all of us together in Colorado this summer will be the best gift and for us not to bring any. All the girls granted her wish with just cards, except the "golden" child who always breaks the rules and comes out "glowing". Happy Mother's Day, We love you!!!

Lifesong Musical

Tonight the kids choir at church presented the musical "Lifesong". Here is a clip of Tiffany during one of the songs. Great job with the signing Tiff!

Don't tell my dad......

but I am painting his kitchen and bathroom cabinets white while they are gone for the week.
Remember, don't tell him.

Got wind?........

Make the most of these windy days. We hopped on our bikes and headed to the park for some serious kite flying.

Good News......

Kyle received his acceptance letter in the mail today from ASU West. He will attend classes in the fall and if he stays on task, will graduate in 2010 with a major in secondary math education. Way to go, Kyle!!

Moonlight Hike....

Sounds romantic, doesn't it? (It's not.) For our family fun day, we gathered at the White Tanks regional park and grilled hot dogs and then at dark about 40-50 people (young and old) hiked up the waterfall trail (about 2 miles, up and back) by the light of the full moon. We didn't even use flashlights! I was sure I could make it to the top, but my biggest concern was snakes! We stayed in the middle of the pack hoping the hikers in the front would scare them off the trail, and we didn't encounter any wildlife. Whew! We made it to the top, but no waterfall on the "waterfall trail"? What's up with that? It was a fun evening for all! Maybe next time, Steph, Kyle and Ashley will be able to join us. Click on the video below.

I forgot....

the things that you can do when you don't have to go to work. Today was a rain day for Tiff and I. Let me explain, because you have to go through a wash to get to our school, we can't go to school if we get a lot of rain so they schedule these "rain days" and if we don't use them, we get the day off.
So today was one! Started out for a bone density test then headed to the old neighborhood for a little shopping and a short visit with Lorie. Then it was off to take some flowers to Ashley. She had her wisdom teeth pulled this morning and was pretty much out of it but we stayed with her while her mom went to pick up her medicine. She agreed to me taking her picture. She might not remember, but her mom is my witness. Get well soon, Ashley!!!

Then back to the house to make a "Better-than-Almost-Anything" cake for our Jakes family fun event this evening. It's a moon light hike at the white tanks mountain park.

Motorhome Joke

A gal goes into a coffee shop and notices there's a 'peel and win' sticker on her coffee cup. So she peels it off and starts screaming, 'I've won a motorhome! I've won a motorhome!' The waitress says, 'That's impossible. The biggest prize is a free Lunch.?' But the gal keeps on screaming, 'I've won a motorhome! I've won a motorhome!' Finally, the manager comes over and says, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. You couldn't have possibly won a motorhome because we didn't have that as a prize. The gal says, 'No, it's not a mistake. I've won a motorhome!' And she hands the ticket to the manager and HE reads...
"W I N A B A G E L"

It's hot!

With the temperature at 98 degrees, Tiffany decided to go for a swim today after school. I can't ever remember swimming in mid April.

Young People in SunCity

(We are "young"when we are in Sun City.) Last night Charlie and Nan took us out to eat for our anniversary. We went to Dillon's Grand in Sun City. Out those windows in the back is a great view of the golf course and waterfalls. We thought Tiffany would be the only child in the room but there was one other table that had children. We had a great time and the food was delicious! Thanks, Charlie and Nan!

Russ coming to his senses.........

PRICELESS !!!!