Square Books Jr.

There is a great kids' book store in town called Square Books Jr. They have tons of great books and readings and activities.
The kids have loved reading The Spiderwick Chronicles. A couple of days ago, the author of the books, Tony DiTerlizzi, came to Square Books Jr. for a book signing. We just had to be there!
It was great. He was funny and interesting, and the kids loved him.

We got there early to get good seats.

He signed all our books.

We were intoxicated by his fame and fortune. I can't get enough of those celebrities.

He drew a picture of a character from the books, and then he asked a trivia questions, and the winner got the picture. Max won! Definitely one of the highlights of his young life so far.

New Orleans

Last week I went to New Orleans with Quincy and Heidi. Quincy and I walked around and took in the local flavor while Heidi went to a conference. Here is a sampling of some of the sights of New Orleans in August. We had a great time.

Bill and the kids did a great job while I was gone. I missed them, and am glad to be home again.

The Olympics

The Race Begins
Originally uploaded by UPI.com

Bill and I woke up this morning, and we were both exhausted. Our Olympic schedule has been rigorous. Good thing we have been in training to stay up till 11:00pm and watch all the coverage.

I have always felt that the Olympics were my destiny. When I watch my fellow Olympians, I feel totally connected to them. They are my people. I can't get enough of the inspirational stories. I am moved to tears when we taste sweet victory, and my dreams are crushed when we fall short.

I will continue to work and train and push my self to stay up till 11:00pm and watch every moment of network coverage. Late-night snacks are a big part of my training. I am proud to stand by my fellow Olympians. This is our moment. One world, one dream.

Just Doing My Part

So for Enrichment, we had this great evening planned focusing on Family Home Evening. There were skits and food, and then we were going to make these cute Family Home Evening boards. Great.

I went early to set up with Keren, my Enrichment counselor, who is fantastic. We put paper on the table where we will paint the boards. Keren suggests putting paper down under the tables. I reject the suggestion, saying no one is going to be so careless as to drip paint! I directly open a can of red paint and set it on the edge of the table. But there is no table under the paper, it's just sticking out into mid-air. The can of paint hits the floor sideways and explodes all over the carpeted floor. This is AFTER the clean-up.

This room is highly used. Thank you very much.

I think they might ask me to go to a different church. I totally understand.

Our Wednesday Night

Activity Days was at our house this Wednesday, and the girls came over and swam and had a "modest swimsuit" fashion show. No thongs allowed.
















The Young Women came over and we made blueberry jam. We have a great group! There are about 15 active girls, and they are so nice. Some of them drank their jam instead of taking it home.

Court of Honor

Max had a Court of Honor and he is almost a First Class. He has a good friend, Blake, and they do their scouting thing together. I pity their scoutmaster. I am always apologizing. But we love Max and are proud of him.

Muddin'

When in Rome... Last week we went out in the country and drove around in these little trucks that Bill's company owns. We were peeling out in the mud, the kids were whooping and hollering. It made me laugh and cry at the same time.

Portland Trip

Finally I put together a slide show of our trip to Portland. We had so much fun! It was great to see friends and family. I wish we lived closer! All my brothers and sisters and my mom were there. All the cousins got to play together, and they had a blast.


This is my favorite picture of Lucy.


Why aren't my captions showing? I still haven't mastered the slideshow thing. The captions are there, you just have to touch the picture.

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school! It is the middle of summer, and we are starting school. It's just not right. And it was such a shock to have to wake up at 6:15am to get everybody up and going. Henry and Charlotte are over-the-moon excited, Max is fairly excited, and Hannah is not excited. I hope it's a great year!



Hannah starting 8th grade




Max starting 5th grade






Henry starting 2nd grade





Charlotte starting 3rd grade







Here they are, ready to go.

Henry is Toothless!

After years of Henry not losing any teeth, they are all falling out at once! He looks and sounds so cute. He has a lisp and has to eat very carefully.

Bill said all it took to make Henry lose his teeth was to move to Mississippi. Very poor taste. And we hope this does not offend anyone. Just a bad joke.

Hannah is 13!!!

On Friday, our little Hannah turned 13 years old. I can't even believe it! As we enter the bewildering world of adolescence, we are charting new waters.

We love her so much, and we are so proud of her! Ice cream cake for everyone!

The phone has become very important to her.

A 13 year-old's presents.

Five fyes.