Goin' Batty

We stopped by Carlsbad, New Mexico, on our way to Utah recently and we saw the wonders of the caverns. The cool temperature underground was so refreshing and the exercise of walking for nearly 3 hours was great after sitting in the car for 7 hours. I've always been fascinated by stalagtites (they hang down from the ceiling) and stalagmites (they grow up from the floor). We stayed until dusk and watched the bats leave the cave as they swirled out and flew off. We had so much fun. Steve bought a metal bat that hangs upside-down that we put on our back patio. It's very cute. We spent the night in Roswell, New Mexico. The kids were dissapointed we missed the alien festival by two weeks. We did get a kick out of the space ship that crashed into the front of the WalMart there.

Best Birthday Ever!

Yesterday was my birthday. Usually birthdays are a quiet event at our house and I'm lucky if anyone even remembers mine. I will never forget my birthday of 2009! I ordered my APQS Freedom SR! Yes, my dream has finally come true. My long arm quilting machine is on its way to my house. My dealer, sweet Connie, gave me this t-shirt for my birthday. I have been talking to her for at least 2 years about getting a machine and so she knows that it is a big deal for me. Well, I don't think my kids are that excited. It means cleaning and throwing things away to make room in the game room (which is now MY quilting room!)

To add to my happiness, Steve brought me flowers and my favorite chocolate and Kayla gave me a slice of chocolate cheesecake with raspberry sauce from the cake shop she works at. It is so heavenly that I'm making it last as long as I can!

23 years and counting

Steve was out of town for our anniversary which is the 27th of June. He went to his 30-year high school graduation and then went straight to Finland for a quick business meeting. Last night he surprised me with a night out at a fancy small hotel in downtown McKinney. We had such a lovely time that we might do it again next year. I love to tease him about my planning our wedding before he offically 'proposed.' This was because when he asked me the first time he was 'just testing the water.' Well, I'm so glad that I married this man!

Twinkle, Twinkle

How many variations of 'Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star' do you know? Well, Sophie knows six that she can play on her violin. She has played violin for almost a year and she had her first recital the end of May. She played a solo and with a group as well. I got to play the piano accompaniment for both pieces. That has been one of the benefits of using the Suzuki Method books, they all come with piano accompaniment. Her teacher is an inspiration to Sophie and me also. The violin has incresed her knowledge of music so much that she is sightreading pieces on the piano when she has a spare moment.

Our Garage Band

Tyler and his friends have formed their own band named "Mobius Dickenson". They practice every chance they get. They even have a 'manager' who got them their first 'gig' at a talent show at a nearby library. Out of 13 acts they got 2nd place based on the audience's applause. They brought home a trophy and $25 to split 5 ways. Each person agreed that the trophy belonged in our garage because that was where the band was born. (It actually had it's beginnings in Kayla's room before she returned home from college.) Sophie and Emma are devoted groupies who love to take photos and video. Follow the links below to see their talent show debut on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO0f5lxre-M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYU5PCThgZo

A Little Scrappy

These are my first digital scrapbooking pages. I am attending a stake scrapbooking party this coming week and I hope to do more with the older printed pictures I have. My poor kids don't have much to look at of themselves because I haven't organized any of their pictures yet. This is new to me and is fun once I figured out how to work everything.

Parametrics project...what's that?

Zach used his graphing calculator for a project in pre-calculus to design a picture by using equations. That's called 'parametrics' and it took 9 pages of equations to explain it all. OK, that's all I understand, but it turned out so awesome. Kayla even said it was way more cool than her project she did because she did not understand how to do it. Zach said it is an old BYU logo he found. He has been working so hard studying for college tests that he is getting in the college mode. We're hoping this is where he'll be able to go.