Valentine Dance

Last night was the youth Valentine dance at church.


Amy did Maddie's hair and make-up.



Maddie danced three times and said the dance was awesome!

Tyler, the Toothless

This is how Tyler looked Wednesday morning.


This is how Tyler looked Wednesday afternoon!


He lost his first tooth.

Unfortunately, it had to be pulled by the dentist, after extensive silver and cap work just a year or so ago.

The curse of having a dad and grandpa with soft enamel...

We just call him "Hillbilly Tyler." (We think he's adorable.)

So Am I Crazy?

So maybe I HAVE had it in the Christmas trunk for thirteen years.

So maybe it IS constructed of an old pair of nylons, a wire coat hanger, and poster board.

So maybe it is STARTING to deteriorate.

So maybe it is getting wrinkled and BEDRAGGLED.

Could YOU throw this treasure away???


Especially when THIS is inscribed on the back???


I don't think so...

Duly Chastised

My sweet granddaughter has notified me that I haven't posted in quite a while. So I thought I would let you all know how much I LOVE HER!

As you can see, she is extremely cute. I may be prejudiced (I know, I know) but I think this is one of the cutest faces I know.

Not only is she cute, though. She has an extremely large and kind heart. She is two years younger than the "big girls" and three-eight years older than her little cousins, but she will play with/entertain ANY of them. Tyler has long said that "Little Ally" is his favorite. (Although I happen to know he has a soft spot for the other "big cousin" in this photo also... AND the little one too, come to think of it...)

She is a good worker too. She is willing to babysit, and according to her flier she would be a good one because she would "feed them, play with them, watch them at all times, and..make sure they have fun and have a good time!"


I love this girl.

Where in the world...?

...did I go..


...after an entire year of deprivation...


...and withdrawal pains...

....and lack of beauty...

...and magic


...and fantasy...


with my good friend, Vicki?


The Happiest Place on Earth, of course. Ahh... It was like finally coming home after a long absence... (Don't I have the nicest family ever???)

Book Club

We had our last 2008 Book Club meeting tonight at my friend Julie's house. (I know. We are slow.) That makes two years of books I've read for discussion with others. I've never done that before and I'm still not sure it's my favorite thing to do...but I do like reading the books and I think I should support the activity...so I do it! Tonight's book is one of my favorite young adult reads. It has all the elements of a great story, complete with all kinds of lessons to learn - even for not-so-young adults. I highly recommend it as a read-aloud good tale for younger children or as a thought-provoking read for older kids and adults. Warning: Do not leave it lying around where your thirteen-year-old daughter can find it or you may have trouble getting it back in time to finish it for Book Club!

An MLK Day Adventure

We spent a fun day today in the motorhome, driving around the lake, stopping at points of interest. We did some hiking, and as you can see, some of us were very prepared!


We started out at our shop where the motorhome is parked.


We drove to Redstone picnic grounds and did some serious rock scrambling. Or "bouldering," as the case may be...

...and we did a little cave dwelling.


This photo may not look very remarkable, but what you don't see is that we were at the top of a VERY steep, high climb.


We were just on the other side of Dad here. Look hard. You can see him. I told you it was a high, steep climb. A grandma's nightmare in fact...


Luckily for Grandma D., she decided to stay down below!



Then we stopped in Overton...


...and checked out some restored Indian dwellings. Ooops. I mean "Native American" dwellings. (Thanks, Maddie.)


Hey, the sign said, "Keep OFF of the Pueblos" not "Keep OUT of the Pueblos."


Some people were quite tired by then...


but we still stopped at Rogers Springs on the way back.


We tried some rock skipping...


...not too successfully...


and marveled at the warm spring water...


and the "un-desert-like" view.


If you look closely, you can see some of our party up by the cave. Dad was sending us light signals, but, alas, not one of us "reads" Morse code...

In the words of our old friend, Fawn K. of Midway, "a good time was had by all!"