My Bucket List (a work in progress)

Done/in progress
Grow Mangos
Donate Blood
Raise a Guide Dog
Donate my hair
Have lots of kids
Go to Washington DC
Visit the Sacred Grove


Still to be done
Walk on the Great Wall

Scuba Dive

Read Moby Dick

Play in Band again

Own a cow

Own a car with standard transmission

Be in the Mesa Temple pageant
See Mt. Rushmore

More silliness from Abby

The McDonald's across the main street from us, periodically places a 15 foot tall inflatable Ronald McDonald seated in the lotus position.  I am bothered by having to see him there because he defiles my view from my sewing room window.  One day at dinner we were discussing the eyesore.  The kids confessed that they didn't think he was doing yoga, they thought he might be "pooping".

So when Abby and Rebekah walked to Walgreens on St Patricks day they noticed he was gone.  Abby jotted down the address of McDonald's and in an expression of free speech penned this letter:

Dear Manager of McDonald’s,

Thank you for taking creepy yoga McDonald (who was pooping on your roof), off your roof. I appreciate it a lot more than you could ever imagine!

Thank You,

Awesome Person

I only hope that the Manager has a good sense of humor.

Cakes

What would St Patrick's Day be without food. We had the traditional corned beef and cabbage with green kool-ade.  There was a time when we drank kool-ade on a regular basis.  It has been many years since we have had it, and only this year did we have it because my friend bought us some.

We also had Leprechaun cakes. We made a cake mix and baked 3 little 6 inch cakes.  Two decorators per cake.  It was fun.  Kenneth is not in the picture with Hazel because he didn't want to be.  Christian and Truman were gone on a BSA "Mountain Man Rendezvous".

The Leprechaun Trap

We have been on spring break and Thursday is near the end of the week.  Hazel has gotten used to the business of school.  It was a long week for her and she made much creative use of her time.  St. Patrick's Day morning found her out on our new path, making a leprechaun trap.  She used easter candy for bait.

Rebekah, also on spring break and looking for projects, saw the trap and sequestered herself in my sewing/craft room for the morning.  Then She and Abby walked over to Walgreens, and bought some chocolate coins (and got the address to McDonald's). She sprang the trap and put her clever little Leprechauns in the trap and left some "coins" for Nate and Hazel to find.  A good time was had by all.

Merry Christmas Kenneth

For Christmas I gave Kenneth a tandem Paragliding trip. I was secretly hoping that it would satisfy his desire to skydive.  I am afraid that he had such a great time that he is more interested than ever.  I do think that it is only rational for him to wait to sky dive until Hazel is in high school.  Truman took these awesome photos.  Kenneth is in the red shirt.

South Mountain

Kenneth's paragliding appointment time was 10AM, so we went on a hike before it.  We hiked the telegraph pass train in South Mountain.  It was a nice little hike.  Once on the trail, we all noticed how long it has been since we hiked and how much we missed it.  Hazel asked how long the trail was and i told her 3 miles and her response was "well.. at least it is now very far compared to Havasupai."  She hiked without a tired moment.  She did make me look bad because I still hiked at the back.  I think Kenneth is soon going to realize that I am slow, not because the little kids make me slow but because I talk too much.  

Nate's Birthday

Holding with tradition, the kids went swimming.  They had just put chemicals in the pool so we had to go back the next day.  The water was still pretty chilly and swimming lasted all of 15 minutes.

We also had to open presents on the 12th.  Nate got a good selection of swimming toys: a water skateboard, some sinking fish and a net to catch them with, and a toypedo.  He also got a pogostick which he quickly mastered, and his very own bike lock.  He has been complaining lately about how baby-ish it is to have to lock your bike to your mom's.