Thanks Tami !

Another one of my great ideas came to bite me in the butt this summer. SCHOOL! 2 years ago I decided to go back to school. Yes its already been 2 years crazy huh? Well when I applied they asked to see my math and English scores..... UM huh? what scores? they have this nice little test that you have to take and it places you in the appropriate level of Math and English. I about lost it. I walk in to go back to college after about 15 years and the first thing you say is fine here is a test. So I decided to take it right there on the spot and get it over with. I then hand it over to the lady who I think is going to say we will call you in a few days with the results, no... technology has changed since I went to school last and they run it through a machine and there is your immediate score! I placed great in English and Math. I placed above the required classes but then they tell me I still have to take 2 English classes and 1 math class.

For the 1st semester back I did my English and then dove into all the Biology classes that I love to take. The summer is approaching and I get this lovely little notice in the mail that says my test results for my Math expire this summer!!!!! OUCH. I decided to just suck it up and take Math this summer. Ok now I find no class available except one that is 5 days a week. Not going to work with the kids home for summer. So another great idea...ONLINE. I enroll and here comes the day to start the class.

Now realize I have really not done Math is like 18 years at this point. I think the only reason I placed in this high of a math is because I had been helping Christopher with his math the last few years. So in the first week I realize I am up to my neck. I have no idea what I am doing and this is a16 week class shoved into 8 weeks and I have to self teach myself. Not fun. I had decided to drop the stupid class but noooooooo Steve convinced me to go ahead and suck it up and stay with it. Well I should have listened to my gut because I would have never been able to do it with out my friend Tami.

Tami is the best. She is a friend in my neighborhood that majored in Math when she was in college. So I get through my first test and got 79%. Ok for those who know me that about killed me. I am a perfectionist and it did not go over well. The class is just getting harder and I am panicking at this point. so Tami to the rescue. I would call her with problems and we would analyze then forever. I should have just asked her the answer and saved us both hours hahaha not. Well Tami was a trooper. She talked me through tons of problems for tons of hours. She took time away from her kids who wanted her off the phone! She took time away from her hubby who she never gets to see these days. She researched and researched info for me on the Internet, looked through her books, let me borrow books, and really went way beyond just giving me a hand. A huge thank you to her kids for dealing with their mom being on the phone so much. (tell them I am finally done). I am soooo thankful to have had her this semester. She is the most amazing woman ever. She sacrifices anything to give to anyone who asks. She never told me no she never said hey lady this is your class. She sucked it up and helped me the entire semester. I just wanted her know that I saw how much it took away from her own life to help me. It meant the world to me and I am so grateful to have had a resource like that this semester. If I had not I know I would not have passed this course without her. So a huge thanks and kuddos to one of the most unselfish person I know. Oh by the my final is at 7am tomorrow wish me luck cause I cant take Tami with me!

THANKS TAMI!!!!!!

This is a picture of my dear grandma. She will be 86 years old tomorrow. I took this picture last weekend when I went to see her. She has really been going downhill and has been diagnosed with Dementia. It is the saddest thing in the world to see your own family member getting old. Just a post dedicated to her and wishing her the best birthday!

6th Grade Graduation!

Alyssa is officially a Jr. High Student! I am lucky that I have already had one start and it was a boy. I am so worried that she is going into the real world! I am so thankful that she has a good head on her shoulders and has always been a bit more mature than her age. I know she will do fine but its my job to worry right?? Here some of the best pictures of that night. She looks so much like a young women its kinds scary! She had so many great pictures taken this night but I can only put so many on here!

Sandra and Alyssa!



Jessica G and Alyssa
Mariah, Jordan,Alyssa and Jessica!
I could not get a good picture of this sorry:( you get the point though.

Mariah and Alyssa!

Beach Day!

Hunter's Kindergarten class had a beach day the last week of school! I volunteered and really got Lucky that I did not have an official group so I got float around a bit and enjoy seeing Hunter play with all the stations!

Here he is doing the hula hoop which I had no idea he could do and he is so good at it he even did it for the talent show and rocked.
This was a station to find sea shells. The funny thing is we found a ton of blue glass and a teacher and I were throwing it away as we saw it, come to find out it was supposed to be there for the kids to play with???
The sidewalk chalk was not his favorite but I got him to let me take a pic!
The music was crazy! It was loud and the kids loved it but for my ears it was a bit hard!

I think the day was a total success and all the kids had a blast. It was a bit too hot but the kids were fine because they were wet and lets face it kids do not care about the heat as long as they are running around and playing!

Mrs. Slocum.

This was Hunters Kindergarten teacher. She also had Alex about 6 years ago. That sounds weird to say, makes me feel really old. I am now sending my 5Th child to Kindergarten and we are a bit sad that she is retired now and that my son was the last to have her as a teacher. We will hope to see her as a sub at the school.

Alyssa at 6Th grade graduation with Mrs.Slocum
Alex at the beach day with her too.
Of course a good Hunter face to go along with the picture!

We will miss you so much thanks for such a good year.

Madyson's First Dance Recital!

This was the first year I had put Madyson in any extra activities other than preschool! I loved that she could go with some of the neighborhood friends. I loved loved loved the carpool even better! There is just not enough said about the ease of carpooling. I know it has its ups and downs but I really appreciate all those who share this with me. As for the dance experience I think she loved it. I really liked that it was out of someones house and that it was not expensive. Madyson has not stopped talking about it ever since the recital. She still wants to go everyday!
I think she has rude awakening when she realizes I did not sign her up again:( I think I will transition Abbey into dance and have Madyson try Tumbling this year! The recital was a bit too hectic for me but all in all it was a great experience

Madyson in her angel outfit.
This is not the best picture but it is still cute. It was really hard to get good pictures in the hall because of the lighting.
Her eyes are shut! but this was the only good one I had of the three girls together.

Madyson, Lauryn and Olivia.

Julie had to run to another daughters piano recital so we took Lauryn

home and we had to stop for ice cream!
Lauryn and Madyson in my front yard!

Memorial Day!

Our day started off not very exciting with the normal day off type of lounging around..... This is how it ended up.... Steve and I had decided we would take the kids to the local pool to hang out in the afternoon that was about the only plan we had. Before noon we had an invite from friends to go to do a BBQ after the swimming. We had also decided we would try to get away to do a lunch just with Steve and I and a trip to the Home depot. For some odd reason we changed all plans and decided to go to the lake! So off we go heading towards the lake, we arrive at Power and McDowell and they have the road completely closed to all traffic. They were closed due to being over capacity! As Steve says they closed nature to the public:) We decided to try the Ellsworth way and drive by the police putting up the road block just in time before they closed the road there too.
We drive for some time and because we have never really been out here realize we never bought a pass to park anywhere in the Tonto forest! Great now we are not allowed to park and if we leave we can not get back in. The only way to get a pass is to drive all the way back into town. We both are pretty frustrated at this point. Steve wants to park along the road where it says no parking and I am against it. He knows I am right but just frustrated and wanting a nice idea not to turn out like this. We finally go into a parking lot and notice all the cars have tickets on them. I tell Steve to stop the car and I check the tickets and notice it was only a 12 dollar fine. That made our decision the passes to buy are 6 and for double we are in. I decide to go ask the nice Ranger if there is anyway we can get a pass he says "no but you can buy a ticket from me"! Just then I notice a guy getting busted for having glass bottles and being drunk so I go ask him since they tell him he has to leave can I buy your parking pass. He actually sells me his pass for 6 bucks! The best part is we sold it to the next couple as we were leaving the park! FREE PARKING!

Steve and Christopher wading out in the river!




Abbey just catching some rays!

My very studly looking man!
Madyson trying her best not to fall!

Alex and I trying to get a good pic, It really did not turn out:(
Cutest little boy in the world!

After we had enough of the sun we pack up and get ready to go. Christopher had to be home to do Flags with the scouts and we still had to eat dinner. As we were driving back we say so many people getting DUI's along the road. It was crazy to see people going to the lake and driving in seeing a massive amount of cops and then driving home drunk????

We decide to have Souper Salad for dinner and boy what an experience that was. If any of you have had the privilege of knowing my hubby you know he can be a bit crazy. So we head in and after about a 15 minute normal dinner with 5 kids(Alyssa was in D.C.) all went crazy. Yes my good old hubby decides to start bantering Hunter and gets him a bit hyper. He is sticking pieces of ham up his nose and blowing them out. I can not stop laughing. I am trying so hard to be the mature adult here and I could not get a hold of myself.... Which makes the kids and Steve just up the scene. They go to get ice cream and Steve starts making farting noises as the ice cream comes out of the machine. What he does not know is there is this old man standing right behind him:) He starts talking to this families little kids and getting them started too. They were the kind of family that were very proper trying to teach their kids to behave and here comes Steve! The couple behind us were really trying to have a good dinner but we can not hold it together for a minute without losing it with laughter. Just to add to it Hunter falls into the man's chair and he was not happy. Finally we are pretty embarrassed ourselves and just have to leave. I have to say the day started out bad but we definitely have some great memories!