End of an Era

For that last couple of decades this has been the view of our entryway on many Friday or Saturday nights: some enormous young men's shoes, some daintier girl shoes, and coats, keys, and purses on the ledge.

Hard to believe in a year and a half that will all be over. We will miss the nervous young men, reeking of cologne and trying hard to impress, the giggling girls, the loud games, the late nights, and the rummaging for food to fuel ferocious teen appetites.

Golden Oldies

One of my favorite toys in childhood was a pull toy dog just like this one. When I was three or four years old, Mom's friend Trudi Youngberg from Denver came to visit, and we were walking around in downtown Provo. Trudi stopped at a toy store and bought me this pull toy. I was totally surprise by an unexpected gift, and I still remember walking down the sidewalk and turning around every few steps to admire the dog trailing behind me.

One of my children's' favorite toys was this computer game by Sega. It hooks up to the tv and has books that snap into the Sega. Each book plays dozens of different games. You can change the game just by turning a page in the book. It's geared for children from 3-8, with matching, reading, and math games, as well as painting and drawing activities. It's easy for kids to figure out, yet complex enough to hold their interest. Jessica, Ashley, and Megan all loved this game that is now at least 15 years old.
Now Hailey has fallen in love with this toy. It's the first thing she wants

when she cames to our home.
And because it keeps Hailey happy for an hour or so, I love it too.

Say Cheese!

Children learn many things at a very young age: how to cry till someone comes running, how to whack their sister when they're mad, that candy tastes better than brussel sprouts.

Sometime in the last month, Makayla reached a milestone. She learned to mug for the camera. Pull out the camera and she instantly leans forward and puts on this silly, ridiculous grin.

I wonder where we learn to smile for the camera at such a young age.

This face really is a little scary. No, it's a lot scary. I've never seen this goofy, toothy grin,

except when Makayla spots the camera. I would not recognize the girl in this picture if I hadn't taken the picture myself.

Of course, the next things she wants to do is to see the picture on the camera screen.

One of these days I may actually figure out how to show her.

A Room With a (Cluttered) View

Mom used to walk into David's room, survey the mess, and say "Wow, your ceiling is so clean!"

Megan had one of those months: BPA convention, Grapes of Wrath in honor's English, Skyview wrestling finals, Prom, guitar, church, tennis, a foot injury, and all that make-up work from all the missed school days. Room cleaning fell to the bottom of the "to-do" list.

It has always amazed me that my messy, cluttered teenagers grow up to be such neat freaks. Everyone of them. Something about being the master of your own space

kicks in the clean gene.

Megan's shoe collection would make Imeda Marcos green with envy.


I love the remnants of childhood tucked in the top of the closet next to the Victoria's Secret bag.

Wow! A clean corner! How'd that happen?

It's a wonder there are clean clothes left to wear.

This banner says it all....

How about that National Honor's Society recognition certificate amidst the clutter?

Megan, you sure have a clean ceiling..........

When Grandpa Babysits....

The Big Date

Prom took place on Saturday, March 20. It was Megan's first formal dance--she missed TWIRP because of Mom's funeral. There were 10 couples in her group. They met at Tanner Sprenkle's house, took pictures and ate finger food, went to the dance, went to someone's house to watch a movie, went out to breakfast and came home.

The cute couple
The flowers

The pinning

The finished project

The friends

So adorable!

The hand models

The men

The matched set

The close-up

The women

The group

The End !

Getting ready for prom

The hair
The earrings

The necklace

The fans

The 'tude

The shoes

The cutie

The breath

March Madness

It snowed today. Large, heavy, cold snow. I don't like snow. I especially hate March snow. Aren't we suppose to be flying kites this month?

Last week it was warm and Spring-ish. I couldn't resist planting pansies. Mom always used to refer to certain kinds of people as "pansies". It wasn't a compliment.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered that pansies are tough, colorful, hardy little things that don't seem to mind the cold and snow at all.

High today in Billings: 34

Low today in Billings:18

High today in Payson: 46

Low today in Payson 24

I think I'm more the Payson type. Definitely not the pansy type

Sweet Sixteen

Seriously, when did Megan get so old?

How long has she been this cute?

Megan spent the last few days at the regional BPA conference. She and her team placed fourth in the city for their event, but didn't place regionally. But it's all good. They can still go to Nationals in California and just hang out and have fun. And as Megan says, any school day spent somewhere else is a great day.

Doesn't she look all business-like in her modest Mom-lengthened dress?

And any business professional would be proud to wear these cute shoes...