THE PIERSONS

New Year's Eve Snow

2010-12-31T20:18:00.005-07:00

We were trying to find something fun to do this afternoon and decided to go for a ride. Kevin and Ian thought we should look for snow, so we headed North, up the freeway. At the Toquerville exit we got off and pulled into the untouched snow of a pullout area. We all got out, Kevin and Ian slipping on the ice on their side (Ian did fall- he's definitely mine), and then we grabbed snow and let the snowballs fly! It was great, but then my wrist that I hurt rollerskating a few months ago started to ache, so I got in the car and watched them. It was too funny! I was laughing so hard I started to do the smoker's wheeze! Kevin would kick snowy bushes toward Ian and the snow would usually blow back on him. Ian keeps reminding Kevin, "Remember when I got you on the bald spot Dad?!"They chased and had fun and it was a definite success!
When we got home, I told Ian to take a shower, and he said, "One minute, I need to pull this tooth out." And he did! It is the 3rd in like 2 weeks! The tooth fairy is probably sick of coming to our house. I think he only has a few molars left.
Now they are both getting tired and Ian thinks maybe they shouldn't have done it because he might not be able to stay up 'til midnight. :)

SNOW

2010-12-30T09:23:00.004-07:00

It snowed during the night- not quite the 2 inches we were expecting, but still enough for Ian to go out and play in. When he asked me where his "snow clothes" were I didn't quite get it, then he said, "You know, my hat and gloves." I was picturing a snow suit and such!

Ian's NERF Stampede

2010-12-26T08:53:00.003-07:00

Ian wants everyone to know how much he loves his NERF Stampede that Santa brought him. He and Dad have had lots of fun trying to knock over Batman and other targets...maybe a bit too much fun! We will try to get a picture of Ian and his NERF gun posted before the end of the day.

NEW YEAR, NEW LOOK

2010-12-26T07:12:00.003-07:00

Since our closest cousins are moving to Tennessee, Ian and I have decided we better be more on the ball about blogging so we can share with them and others. He has promised to keep me up on things and will help with photos and the posts. We will see how it goes. I would love to get rid of the old posts, but haven't figured that out just yet...I'm still in the learning process.

Random summer stuff

2009-09-19T19:45:00.002-06:00

In August Ian participated in his first Raingutter Regatta. He loved making the boat and racing in the "gutters" set up in the Sage Creek ward's Bishop's backyard- it's as big as the lot our house is on.

I am also including a picture of Ian's first turn at mowing the lawn. He was very proud and excited. I was a bit nervous, but Kevin stayed right behind him just in case.

Random summer stuff

2009-09-19T19:45:00.001-06:00

Cub Scouts Summer 2009

2009-09-19T19:20:00.000-06:00

Today I attended the Cub Scout Day Camp at Staheli Farm with Ian. He is still the only really active cub in our ward. Luckily we got put into a group with friends from school and my computer guy- Charles- was in our group as a leader for his ward and was good about including Ian with his 5 boys.
Ian had fun! We started at the leather crafting station where they made neckerchief slides- Ian's had a bear, a forest looking thing, and arrows around the initial P. Next was one of Ian's favorite parts of the day- CANOEING! I was nervous because they had said they wanted one leader in each boat of 3 scouts. The last time I tried this was when I was a nanny and we were in Sun Valley. The 10 year old I was caring for stood up in the middle of the pond and we tipped- I was very sore and bruised! I was very grateful when Charles eagerly volunteered to be in a canoe and asked Ian to join him and 2 of his boys. Ian did great in the front of the boat and really loved it. Next was the bike rodeo. Ian didn't really like this one because none of the bikes really fit and they were trying to ride in deep, soft dirt. He fell a few times-hard!- but still got up. I was proud of him. After that we had about a 15 minute wait for the farm machinery/animals portion. The most exciting thing there was when a bull calf came toward us and everyone started to scatter (which made the calf a bit nervous). I walked over and practically had to slap the calf's rear to get it to turn around and wander the other way. The last few things were making Navajo tacos (all they did was stretch the dough) and planting seeds in wet cotton balls and then putting them in the fingers of a plastic glove. Our last rotation sent us to the archery/wrist rocket section the 8 year olds did the wrist rockets and Ian and the 9 year olds did archery. Ian loved it and is pretty good at it (if people will just remember he is a LEFTY and not try to "fix" his hold).
All in all we had a very fun day and after some grocery shopping came home and vegged.

Some summer fun

2009-07-19T10:02:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know it has been quite some time since I blogged, so I will do a quick overview...We finished school in May and Ian is now 3 weeks away from starting the 4th grade! Time is sure flying!! We have spent the summer playing with friends and cousins and just hanging out. The pictures are of our Whittaker cousins from Mesquite. The boys like to play Playstation and/or DS and Alyssa just goes around looking for stuff to get in to.Ian would like to swim more- he would spend all day in a pool of he could.

We got to go visit Grandpa and the Dennis cousins after the 4th of July. The plan was to drop some of Grandpa's stuff off at Nicole's then go to Lagoon (a local amusement park). When Kevin and Leon got done putting the stuff in storage, Ian decided that 2 cousins, 3 dogs, a Wii and a pool held more appeal than a hot day at Lagoon! We didn't mind and had lots of fun hanging at Aunt Nicole's. The next day we stuck to schedule and went to Hogle Zoo and Cabella's on the way home. We will most likely go back up in another week or so to take the rest of Grandpa's stuff and maybe we will get to Lagoon that trip.

Kevin's work is really slow- unusual for this time of year- so he will be only working 3 days this next week. We can get in some more family time before I have to start work on the 27th. Yes, I have to go in 2 weeks before the kids start. This year the teachers have to teach their own computer lab classes, but I am still over the lab and I work in the office. I still do the assessments, so I will probably have a trip or two to Richfield again this year. I already have one TBA to Cedar City.

That's all we have for now, I will try to do better with the blogging thing. Between this and facebook I will have few secrets! :)

Little Black Mountain Petroglyphs Site Spring 2009

2009-03-18T14:16:00.000-06:00

Here we are in the middle of Spring Break and Ian and I decided to go out and have a fun hike. I thought about going to a certain spot, but Kevin, knowing how I am about heights, reminded me it may be easy to climb up, but getting down can be hard. In other words, he knew if I got up some where, I might look down and decide, "No way!". So, we chose to go to Little Black Mountain Petroglyph Site. It's a little southeast of St. George out near the Arizona Strip. We went there about 4 years ago but haven't been back since.
It was a beautiful morning- 60 to 65 degrees- and Ian and I had it all to ourselves. We hiked both the West and East trails and even went off the trail in a few spots. It is such an easy-going hike that we were there a little over and hour and a half. We just took our time and had fun taking pictures of the neat petroglyphs. On the way back we drove slowly and ate our trail mix and jerky while listening to the birds. Tomorrow we are heading out in search of Old Fort Pearce and Warner Valley. What a great day!

Science Fair 2008-2009

2009-03-18T13:56:00.000-06:00

Last week we had our annual Science Fair at George Washington Academy. Ian decided he wanted to participate this year, but didn't come up with anything doable until the night before. He decided to see how many teaspoons of salt it took to float an egg in 1 cup of water. He was very excited and loved taking the pictures we put on his display board. He won 2nd place out of all the 3rd graders who participated (I'm not sure how many there were). He was very proud and is looking forward to next year!

Choir Competition

2009-03-01T11:10:00.000-07:00

The GWA Choir went to a competition this week at Desert Hills High School. I didn't realize how nervous Ian was until I watched him onstage. After each song- there were two- you could visibly see him take a deeeep breathe and let it out slooowly through pursed lips. I'm afraid if there had been more songs he might have passed out! This was their first competition and it was funny when we all regrouped back at the school and their teacher, Mrs. Whiteside, came over with their certificate and said, "We got a I (that's a one)- is that good?" YES!! That's the best score you can get!! She was very pleased since our choir is made up of 3rd-8th graders (mostly 4th) and there are only about 24 kids. They meet once a week for about 50 minutes and were by far the smallest and youngest choir there. In the group picture, Ian is in the very middle of the front row.

Great hair!!

2009-03-01T11:06:00.001-07:00

Ian got a haircut and he looks GOOOOD!!! I let him tell how he wanted it and he was very specific. Makenna and I (the girl who cut it grew up in our ward and has always loved Ian) thought he might want the sides and back shorter, but he said no. She made note of which guard she used so that if it grows too fast we can go shorter next time. He probably should have had some of the top trimmed a bit more, but he likes it and it looks good, so we are happy!

THE HAIR!!!

2009-02-23T18:06:00.000-07:00

Ian promised me that after his Elvis performance he would get a haircut. I wasn't asking for much, mostly a trim and MAJOR thin. Well here he is before the haircut. We didn't take an "after" picture yet because I needed to get all the other pictures off my camera. I would have done it when we got home from school, but he really concentrated today. I could tell because when he is working hard he twists his hair in the front and it tends to stand on end. In the morning we will do the after shot.

Colonial Times @ GWA

2009-02-23T17:49:00.000-07:00

Last Friday the 3rd graders at George Washington Academy appropriatley enough, went back to Colonial America for a short visit. The girls wore skirts and covered their hair, while the boys wore knickers and knee socks. They split into groups and took turns playing games- marbles, jacks, and others- and learning useful skills like candle making and how to make a colonial game with string and a button!
The kids loved it- especially when Mr. McCleery told them the gross history behind the childhood game "ring-around-the-rosy". (If you don't know it, look it up or ask me and I will tell you.) The climax came when the kids got to eat colonial foods- berries, cheese, jam and whole grain bread with whole milk The only condition was they had to stand and eat in silence for 10 minutes!! They did pretty well, only cracking up when we adults made pretend conversation about our colonial families. Ian caught me when I said my son had milked the cow that morn- the girls did that chore in colonial times. I had already spoken of fictional daughters, so I had no excuse.
It was lots of fun and we are thankful we have teachers like Mrs. Raybould and Mr. McCleery to come up with these great ideas- I hear next year they are going to be Berzerkers and do some pillaging!!

Musical Extravaganza(ish)

2009-02-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

Ian has been a part of a musical theatre class the past 2 trimesters and they finally had a showcase of all their talents. Of course Ian had to do his Elvis thing and he really rocked the school with "Jailhouse Rock"! He had some hip moves that he must have picked up from Daddy.

Ian's First Pinewood Derby

2009-01-29T20:56:00.000-07:00

What a fun night! We weren't expecting much- we have a small troop and we found out just this past Sunday that it might be today- but it was just right. There were 4 scouts and the cub master's little boy. We hadn't spent much time on the car, Kevin and Ian had cut it down some and sanded it, so last night they painted it and that was pretty much it. I kept asking about weights, but Kevin said they didn't need them. The only other thing they did was add a tiny washer to each wheel between the wheel and car so there wasn't any friction with the wood. We got to the Derby and the other boys were "practicing" and their cars were pretty fast- one of the boys had added little weights to the entire bottom of his car. I had prepared myself to console Ian since I didn't think his car would do that well without the weight. Little did I know we had some kind of mojo going on and his car would win every heat he was in! A couple were close until the straight stretch at the end when his car would just pull ahead. It was so freaky! We even let the others check out our car after the races were done and they couldn't believe it either. On the way home Ian just kept exclaiming his amazement that he had won since he thought the other cars looked faster. He was very happy with his first Pinewood Derby experience- and so was Daddy! He got a little bit of "I told you so" on that one!

Latest trip

2009-01-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

Once again, Kevin surprised me with the suggestion we go visit Grandpa in Ogden- 5 hours away. I was able to talk him out of leaving Friday afternoon around 2pm- it helped that the hotel we like to stay in was sold out. Go Jazz! Anyway, we left Saturday morning at 7am and once again "Lead-foot Annie" was driving and with a stop in Nephi for gas, we got there at around 11:30 or so. Grandpa was very happy to see us, but kept asking when we were going to get him down to St. George. My goal for the month- what's left of it- is to get on that and not stop until he is here. Nicole and her family have done a great job taking care of him this past year, but her health isn't the best and I know Dad would just feel better being "home"- and out of the snow!
We went over to Nicole's to visit and see her 2 new mini-schnauzers- Taylor (a girl) and Ruff( a boy). They are too cute! Ian had fun playing with the cousins and we just visited- Grandpa came too!- and ate some awesome Chinese food. The weather was great- we did have some ground fog along the way- and we were home by 11:30 pm. We did have a moment outside Parowan when Kevin suddenly swerved because he was about to hit a deer. Luckily the deer kept going across. He laughed because I was reading and when he swerved I looked up, saw the deer, and cursed loudly, "SH**!!" . Ian was so out he didn't even realize what had happened. We were all glad we had another safe and successful trip to Ogden.
We have just been enjoying our days off with the long weekend and are all rested and ready to get back to work/school! Oh! We also bought a chest freezer, so if anyone has any suggestions on freezing meals and such to put in the freezer- that means you Sherrie- let us know! Thanks!

Holiday recap

2009-01-19T14:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, everyone is getting after me to update so I am going to update and try to do better this year. Over the holidays it was just nice to not have to be on the computer for anything. When it is a part of your job it gets old.
Our Christmas was nice. Like all of you, we kept it simple and didn't spend too much. In fact, Santa gave Ian a DS Lite and instead of playing with it all the time- like I was sure he would- he and I played Chess for almost a week straight before he picked-up the DS! He is such a smart kid! We got a game called No Stress Chess. It teaches chess basics with playing cards, and eventually you will be able to play without the cards. We both learned alot and now we we have to keep it at best of 3.
Christmas eve was an adventure! Kevin decided around 12:30 that we should drive up to Ogden- about 5 hours away- to visit my Dad in the Assisted Living place he is at. There was a huge storm on the way- as we all know by now- but we headed out anyway. "Lead-foot Annie" aka Ann-Marie drove on the way up. We stopped to potty and for gas and made it up there about 5pm. Grandpa was very surprised to see us, yet very tired. We stayed with him for about an hour and a half. We didn't know at the time he was fighting the lingering effects of his latest bout with MRSA- a super-bug type of staff infection that he picked-up last year and gets again and again. He was so out of it I worried he would wake the next day and think it was all a dream! Ian had tucked him into his recliner with the new blaket we bougth him and he was all set. He had the relcliner tipped all the way back, his blanket wrapped around him, and his oxygen mask on. I snuck a picture with my new cellphone I got for my birthday, but decided not to share it- it looks really Hanibal Lechter-like!
We stopped at my sister Nicole's house and had a quick bite to eat and then we headed home- it was about 7:30 pm. I thought we were doing a good job because we left before the snow started- I didn't realize the storm was coming from the South! We hit the worst spots around Fillmore- of course- and Cedar City. We got home safely- thank you Kevin- around 1:30 am. We all went right to bed and Ian had us up at 6:30 to open presents. We later went to Mesquite for Christmas dinner with my brother Wil and his family. All said, it was a pretty nice holiday.

Hawaii girls

2008-12-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a cute picture of me and my sisters when we lived in Hawaii- I'm the baby, the blonde is Nicloe and the older one is Michele. Hard to believe we were ever that young- or naturally tan and blonde!

Ian's First Pack Meeting

2008-11-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ian started Cub Scouts in August and really likes it. Due to the constant comings and goings of people in our ward, we hadn't had a Pack meeting until last Thursday. Ian was very excited because friends and family had told him it was like a big party and they play games and have goodies. He even went in to lay on his bed for awhile all on his own (I think he was a bit nervous- he's like mom that way). He got all ready in his brand new shirt with patches all neatly-and painfully- sewn on and was raring to go hours before it was time.
The meeting was short and sweet since the guy in charge had only just been called to the position and our ward only has 4 Cubs. Ian got his Bobcat patch and Mom got her little pin. Ian is 3/4 done with his Wolf and very excited for the next Pack meeting. On a side note, Ian's Den has a new Assistant Den Leader- Ann-Marie! She is at the meetings anyway, since they are right after school, so it makes sense. She doesn't have a shirt yet because a)they are expensive! and b)her friend has a yellow (yuk!)one that doesn't quite fit and she would rather wait and get the khaki one.
Anyway that's it as far as Cub Scouts for this month!

Just checking in

2008-11-13T05:03:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a photo to go with any of this, so I chose Ian's desert habitat. He did a night one because that's when the animals come out- Duh! We have been busy at school, getting ready for SEPs (parent-teacher conference) and attending meetings. I'll try to catch everyone up...
A few weeks ago I had a meeting in Salt Lake. Kevin had to work and it is hard to find someone to take Ian at 3 am, so Ian came with me. He was so good! He got several comments from the other attendees (most of them principals from other charter schools)and now he wants to go to all of my meetings! I have one in Richfield on Dec. 12th that I may let him attend just because it is on a Friday (half-day for us) and we would probably stop in Circleville to play in snow (fingers-crossed) and visit Grandma Trish's grave.
The day before the meeting in Salt Lake, Ian's teacher showed me something when I went into her room for something (she was smiling, so I wasn't too worried). She explained that the class was going to go see "Joseph and the Amazing..." on the following Monday (sort of a last minute thing) and permission slips had been given out that needed to be returned the next day- the day we would be in SLC. Then she handed me a slip, and as I looked at it she said, " Now, Ian knows he shouldn't have done this, but he was worried since he was leaving and said he knew you would let him go."- The kid forged my name! Yep! He did it in his neatest cursive, he even hyphenated!, but he spelled "Marie" M-e-r-r-y! I told him that would be too cute of a spelling since my birthday is 4 days before Christmas! He didn't do the forgery as a bad thing, but I let him know it was wrong. (We still chuckle over it!)
Last Friday, Ian and I attended the funeral of my cousin, Lisa Romine. I won't go into detail, I'll just say that it was unexpected. The speakers were very moving and shared several great things about Lisa. I really feel for her 3 daughters who are 20, 19 and 18 (I think?). I know personally that losing your mom at any age is tough. They have a strong support system in their aunts and Grandma and Grandpa so I hope they will be okay. When we got to the Circleville chapel for the luncheon (they buried Lisa a few feet away from my mom) Ian stated, "We've been here before, huh." We'd been there just last Spring. I said yes, and he then said, "And it's always the same people!" Well, he had me there. It's all been on my mom's side of the family. I think the only time it will be Grandpa Hart's side is when he dies.
We have school until Wednesday next week, then we are off until Dec 1st! The teachers are going to a Core Knowledge Conference in Anaheim. I was going to go, but we just can't afford it, especially this close to Christmas. I would have recieved a per diem, but I also would have had to figure something for Ian since Kevin's work has them working 5 days a week in preparation for the week they take off at Christmas.
Well, that's all for this blog! Hopefully we will have more excitement, of the good kind, and I will have something to blog about!

Snow White 2008

2008-11-01T19:19:00.000-06:00

Well, thanks to my good friend Michelle Cowles our staff at George Washington Academy pulled off the best costumes ever! It all began when our principal decided she was going to be the wicked stepmother and asked (told) her assistant to be Snow White- she is perfect. Michelle C. got it into her head that the office staff and some of us who are support staff should be the dwarfs. I was cool with it, especially when she told me I was Doc- I am Doc. Then Michelle got a little too involved in being as close to the real thing and had me switch with the Kindergarten aide, Mr. Wilson, because he already had a short beard and Doc had a short beard. It was easier to make me a long beard for my character, so I became...BASHFUL!! I know, so not me! SO here is our lineup- Michelle Wilson-Snow White, Mr. Wilson-Doc, Bobbie Jo Forsythe- Grumpy, Michelle Cowles- Happy (so her, Linda Giangregorio- Sleepy (another good fit), Mr. Sedgewick- Sneezy, me- Bashful, and Mrs. Gullo- Dopey. In the back you will see the evil stepmother as portrayed by our principal, Amy Trombetti. We all had fun but almost lost it when at the end of the day Michelle Cowles says, "What should we be next year?"!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T19:17:00.000-06:00

We had a great Halloween! Ian chose all by himself to not just be Elvis, he wanted to be "Jailhouse Rock" Elvis. I think we did a great job- the hair is all his, except for some sideburn help from our friend Martha.

Student of the Week

2008-11-01T19:12:00.000-06:00

Ian was chosen as student of the week! At the beginning of the school year, his teacher had all the children make a poster about themselves. Each week is a new student of the week. She displays their poster and their classmates each write on a Post-it a message about what they like about that student. It was really neat to read what the other kids thought about Ian.

Creepy Crawlies- YUK!

2008-11-01T19:07:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago Ian was getting into bed and saw a shirt on the floor move. I nudged it and a long black thing went under the dresser. Long search short, Kevin pulled the corner of the carpet up where the rug had pulled away from the wall and we got a 3 inch long centipede!! It was so gross! The next night Kevin and Ian put in a new subfloor and put the carpet back down and all is well.

We're back

2008-11-01T18:40:00.000-06:00

I've been having computer problems, but for now I am back. I will try to keep it short and just use a few lines for each picture. This first one is from when Kevin's 2 nephews from Toppenish, WA showed up in Mesquite for a softball tournament. We only found out they were coming the night before, so hurried down and searched for the tribe's team until we found them. When Kevin went up to the oldest and asked him if he was Terry, the poor guy thought he was in trouble for something! I know you will all appreciate the family resemblance.

The Five- tagged by Sherrie

2008-09-11T05:56:00.000-06:00

10 years ago I:
1. Quit the casino and worked at Red Mountain Spa
2. was with Kevin
3. had a kidney stone blasted
4. had knee surgery and wore a "boot" for 3 months
5. Kevin's mom died

5 things on today's "to do" list:
1. Have Ian finish cursive
2. make Ian's lunch
3. connect projector to computer to teach website scavenger hunt to 4th grade- Mrs. Matuauto's class
4. Check Mr. Bruschke's computer- why not showing picture on TV and computer monitor?
5. Take Ian to Karate

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Mountain trail mix- nuts, raisins, M&Ms
2. popcorn
3. carrot sticks
4. chips and salsa (extra mild- I know, I'm a wimp)
5. chocolate

5 things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. pay off our debt and take care of Grandpa Hart (my dad)
2. put money away for Ian's education
3. put money away for our retirement
4. build our dream home in our dream location
5. travel

5 places I have lived:
1. Hawaii (born there)
2. Northern California
3. Georgia
4. Northern Utah
5. Southern Utah

5 jobs I have had:
1. Custodian
2. Preschool/Daycare teacher
3. Casino Marketing/Promotions
4. Reservations at Red Mountain Resort and Spa
5. Computer Aide

I tag...everyone who reads this

New Glasses

2008-09-09T19:10:00.000-06:00

Ian got glasses today! We went to the eye doctor on Friday and yep!, Ian is nearsighted- like Ann-Marie! His vision is 70/20 in the right eye and 100/20 in the left. He was very excited when he heard he got to get glasses! The lady that helped us choose the frames has children that are part Native American- their Dad is a member of a different tribe in Washington State!!!- and she was very excited about Ian getting the dark blue frames since they look so good with his skin tones. Ian can't wait to get to school tomorrow and show off the glasses. He has already enjoyed "discovering" things this evening.

More Baptism Day Pictures

2008-09-07T18:48:00.000-06:00

My sister-in-law, Sherrie, was kind enough to play photographer and took pictures of Ian with all the people who came to share his special day.
Ian and Lauryn Kinzie

Ann-Marie's (and Ian's) Romine cousins and kids

Ann-Marie's sister Michele and her kids

Ann-Marie's brother Wil and his family

Thanks again to all who came and those who were there in spirit!

Ian's Baptism

2008-09-07T09:29:00.000-06:00

Well, yesterday was the day. Ian was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He was very nervous to begin with, but soon relaxed and enjoyed having friends and family there for his special day. We want to thank everyone who came- especially Uncle Wil who baptized and confirmed Ian- and shared with us.
Ian also received his own Hymn book-with his name on it- and his own pocket Primary songbook. He loves to sing and will put these to good use.After, Ian got to go home to Mesquite with the Whittaker cousins (Ann-Marie's brother's family). Kevin and Ann-Marie were going to go to Vegas, but it was already one in the afternoon, so they stayed and went to the movies instead- they saw "Hancock".
Ann-Marie picked Ian up at about 5:30 Nevada time and they met Kevin at the casino for dinner. We love to eat at the Eureka because the food is good, cheap and the portions aren't too small. Ann-Marie ordered some of their good onion rings and is still regretting it after a long night of little sleep and Tums! Ann-Marie and Ian then went to the Wal Mart in Mesquite to see if they had any brown loafers that Ian could wear to school (they have a uniform code and can only wear certain kinds of shoes). They have looked all over St. George and couldn't find any under $30. Not only did they find the shoes (YAY!!!) but they found Sing Star microphones and 80s video game for only $24- $20 less than they had seen it at Target! We considered it a bonus trip and it only got better when they stopped at Target on the way home to get Ann-Marie a new coupon organizer- she is lost without hers- and they found out the Isaac Mizrahi bag that Ann-Marie had been coveting was on sale- $20 less than the original price! She snapped it up and now everyone is happy. It was a very good day.

Ian celebrates with Shai

2008-08-22T06:41:00.000-06:00

Our friends Amos and Shai didn't make it to McDonalds, so that night they came over and the kids played while we grown-ups visited. Ian and Shai always have fun, even though they're about 3 1/2 years apart. We use to watch Shai while her Dad went to meetings and Ian got the biggest laughs from her by being silly and pretending to run then fall flat on his face. They were playing darts and Ian snuck one into Shai's hair. He had to have a picture of it, of course.

Happy Birthday Ian!

2008-08-22T06:22:00.000-06:00

What a fun time we had! Ian invited some friends and we all met at McDonalds and ate then played. After playing, we had hot fudge sundaes instead of cake. We had the cousins from Mesquite -Wil was up helping clean Grandpa's trailer-the Dyes, our friend Lauryn, and Ian's friend from school, Luke. Others were invited but didn't make it. After we dropped everyone off, Jaxon and Tyler came with us to get Ian's cake- german chocolate, of course- at Harmon's. The store was celebrating its birthday and had people dressed-up and handing out candy and such. We got a picture of Ian with the Keebler elf- not our friend Wayne Dye- and a hippo in a pink tutu. They kind of weirded-out the cousins.
Ian got some nice presents and now can't wait until his baptism on Sept. 6th.

Dentist visit

2008-08-14T20:47:00.000-06:00

Last week Ian and Ann-Marie went to have a dental check-up before school started. We found out Ian had his molars, so they needed to be sealed, 2 tiny baby teeth cavities, and the doctor decided to pull 2 baby teeth on the bottom front to help the other teeth come in a bit straighter. We scheduled all of this for yesterday (Wed.). Ian was such a trooper! Since I am very nervous at the dentist, I have always striven to make it a good experience for Ian. After about an hour and 1/2 of work (laughing gas and 3 shots of Novocain too) Ian was good to go! He only flinched once at the end when the 1st shots had kind of worn off and Dr. Ivan was pulling one of the teeth out. They just gave him the 3rd shot, waited maybe a minute, and went on about their business. Everyone in the office was very impressed and raved about how well he did. Just wait until next week when they have to give his mom a root canal and do an overlay (rather than a cap) on a back molar! The nervous shaking is a bit worse than the sweating, but if they give her the good stuff directly it works better (and the adrenaline rush takes her mind off the procedure!). The rest of the evening we called Ian "saber tooth Ian" because of the gauze rolls sticking out from the holes on either side of his mouth.

1st Day of 3rd Grade

2008-08-14T20:29:00.000-06:00

We started school on Monday, Aug. 11th. Ian was excited to start the third grade and be in Mrs. Raybould's class. This is her second year and we heard how much fun it is to be in her classroom- Ann-Marie heard them singing "Oh Canada" through the walls for a few weeks last year, but Mrs. Raybould moved further down the hall so Ian will have to sing it for her this year (and maybe in French!). We were also excited because our friend Lauryn Kinzie got a phone call Saturday night that there was an opening in the 4th grade and she decided to try it out! We take her with us every morning but Friday. It's too fun!

County Fair Birthday

2008-08-14T06:04:00.000-06:00

Friday, the 8th, we headed out on what has become a birthday tradition. Kevin came up with the idea a few years ago that Ian could invite a friend to go with us to the Washington County Fair and we would buy the all-access wristbands for the rides. We took our friend Brandon Dye again this year and the boys had a blast! We were worried when the rain came pouring down about half an hour before the rides opened. The carnival shut the rides down because of lightning and it got a bit sad in our little group. Soon the rain stopped and they fired up the rides and the boys were off.
Ian felt very brave this year and went on all but the really grown-up rides like the Zipper and circle roller coaster. He even braved the ride that made him cry last year and declared it "Awesome!". The guys declared next year they will try more of the scarier rides, but I don't know.

Ian baby pictures

2008-08-06T19:22:00.000-06:00

Ian has been having fun seeing pictures we had on our old hard drive and now use as a slide show screen saver. He especially likes it when I narrate the photos. I told him to pick one he liked and he chose the "peaches" one. As I recall, he wasn't too sure about the taste of the diced peaches, but liked playing with them. He is about 13 months old and CUTE!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2008-08-06T19:18:00.000-06:00

Today Kevin turned 46! I can't believe it. We sent him birthday messages all day, then made him his favorite cake- yellow with chocolate frosting. We went to Denny's for dinner and were strictly forbidden from mentioning it was his birthday- he does not like the singing. Ian and I went to Kohl's and got him a nice pair of slacks he can wear to church and Ian's baptism. No photos because we forgot-sorry!

We're Baaaaack!

2008-07-25T15:59:00.000-06:00

Finally! We had to replace the hard drive on our 71/2 year old computer and it has been torture waiting for the $$$ to get it done. We had to wait a whole payday and it was torture! Word to the wise- back everything up, especially pictures! Luckily, they got all of mine off and it's all good.

The 4th of July Weekend

2008-07-10T10:16:00.000-06:00

I know we told people we were going to go to Circleville for the 4th, but that was when we thought Kevin had to work the following day. When he found out he didn't, he offered to go up to Roy and see Grandpa and maybe go to the zoo the next day. We left bright and early the morning of the 4th and headed north, stopping only for gas and breakfast. We made it to the care center in time to visit with Grandpa before Nicole's husband came to get Grandpa in their car (our Tahoe is too tall) and we all headed over to Nicole's to eat and swim. Ian stayed in the pool about 3 hours- even staying in while the rest of us ate ice cream!(Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Panic, of course) When Grandpa decided he was ready to go, he just grabbed his walker and started to get up! Kevin thought he was just changing seats, but nope! He was headed to the door! Leon came quickly and the guys took Grandpa back and settled him in for a nice rest. They then went on a little adventure, helping a lady take her mother from the care center to Hooper. Then Leon showed Kevin around some out of the way spots. That evening, after checking-in at the Ben Lomond (a supposedly haunted hotel in downtown Ogden), we followed Leon, Kevin, and Becky in Nicole's car as we headed up the canyon to Huntsville. We ate at a small cafe and had fun looking at the beautiful scenery! They then followed us to our hotel to check if we had ghosts with Nicole's ghost meter that she has on her phone. I was not happy, as I knew Ian wouldn't sleep well if she "found" ghosts. They didn't, and we all went to Leon's office parking lot to watch the fireworks. We were in a great spot where we were able to view at least 4 different shows (and a distant fire) at one time! After, we set off our own fireworks in the middle of Nicole's cul de sac. I shouldn't have worried about Ian being too scared to sleep. Between the early rising, travel, swimming, and general playing with the cousins and dog-not to mention the late hour- he fell right to sleep! Kevin did too, so I got up and turned off the TV and turned on the bathroom light with the door cracked as a night light. In the middle of the night, I thought I heard wire hangers banging in the (empty!) closet and someone pressing all along the bottom edge of the mattress with their fingertips. At one point Ian woke up, and facing me (like looking right at me) asked, "Who's that lady?" I choose to believe he was tired and looking at me and told him it was me, mama. He fell right back to sleep. In the morning Kevin asked if I turned the TV off and turned on the bathroom light. I said yes, of course. My non-believer of a husband said that when he first woke up and noticed it, he thought "the ghost had done it" and he was "mad". He finally realized it was probably me. So, is the place haunted? I don't know, most things I heard I put down to just the noises of people celebrating the 4th.
The next morning we went and visited Grandpa and said our goodbyes. He is doing much better physically, although his short-term memory is off. We then went to Nicole's and said our goodbyes and hit the road. After 10 minutes of discussion we decided we were too tired, and it would be too hot, to go to the zoo. So Kevin suggested as a compromise we go to Cabella's- the giant hunting, fishing, everything store. They had a good time looking around and I just enjoyed sitting on a bench and resting since I would be doing most of the driving. After Cabella's we stopped for gas and lunch and then headed home. It was a fun trip and we loved seeing Grandpa (we miss him being right next door!). Maybe next year we will make it to the reservation in Toppenish, WA like we had planned before the price of gas went so high.

Busy week

2008-06-27T09:39:00.000-06:00

This week was a bit busier than we anticipated, but it was still fun! Ian got to play with Lauryn on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Tuesday, while Lauryn was next door at choir practice, we got to watch her 3 year-old nephew Jack. He loves Ian.
We have Lauryn again today, at our house, and the two of them are outside playing before it gets unbearable. We are going to meet our friends the Dyes at 12:30 for lunch at McDonalds so the kids can play on the playland and we get a break.

Last night Ian advanced to a brown and blue belt.He was very excited about it! After he stayed for Black Belt Club and got to practice with his nunchuks. He begins his 6th year in September. I can't believe he has lasted this long!!
We start school on August 11th and it seems to be closer than I realized! After the 4th it just all seems to go downhill. We will soon be buying Ian's uniforms and school supplies- and clothes and supplies for Mom too!

WHAT?!?!?!

2008-06-22T19:49:00.001-06:00

This morning Kevin stated he wanted to go somewhere to get out of the heat. I was bored (and hot), so I said whatever and Ian said he wanted to go to Kmart (?). So what did we do you ask? We went to Mesquite and THEY HIT BALLS IN THE 105 DEGREE WEATHER!!How that is getting out of the heat, I don't know. I stayed in the car with the engine running. When we came out of the Eureka after eating a late lunch, the rearview mirror thermometer read 123 degrees. It did cool down to 109 by the time we reached St. George.

End of Outdoors Class

2008-06-22T09:20:00.000-06:00

Well, we made it through the Outdoors Adventure class. It was fun, but so hot the kids got very whiney. By the second day, we were prepared for being out in the 90+ heat for two hours and had a good time shooting and playing games like sack races and wheelbarrel racing On Wednesday Ian stayed at Lauryn's and they tried out their new above ground pool. It's not too deep, but it is very wide and lots of fun!

They forgot sunscreen so the next day they were both suffering from sunburns (Ian wasn't sure what was going on, he just knew "it hurts my shoulders when the cloth scratches on it". Even Ann-Marie was red after so many hours in the sun! It looked painful, but only hurt when hot water hit it.

We also went and saw "Kung Fu Panda" and loved it! Ann-Marie came away hungry for Chinese food.

We look forward to some down time next week; the hardest thing will be trying to beat the heat! It is still 102 at 9pm here and our little window unit just doesn't cut it, especially in the back bedroom and bathroom!

Another fun class!!

2008-06-16T18:25:00.000-06:00

Today was the first day of Ian and Lauryn's Outdoor Activities class. They got to shoot a compound bow
and make birdfeeders out of pinecones, peanut butter and birdseed. Tomorrow they get to shoot an air gun!

After class we went to Lauryn's and stayed with her until her mom got home from work. While playing they found Martha's wig and Ian tried it on! At first he rocked it like a rock star, then they tied a kerchief around his head and he took on a peasant girl persona- I thought he looked a bit like cousin Megan! I had to put a stop to it when Lauryn started looking for the lipstick and mascara!

Father's Day with Grandpa

2008-06-14T14:20:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Friday the 13th, Ian and Ann-Marie headed up to Roy to see Grandpa in the care center. He has been there since April. Physically Grandpa is getting better and better. He is a bit more forgetful than he used to be, but he remembers us and that's all that matters. We attended the Father's Day Fish Fry and Nicole and her girls (including her dog) came and we visited with Grandpa while Ian and the cousins played. We were really sad to go and can't wait for the time when Grandpa can come back down here and we can spend more time with him- maybe even go fishing!

Last day of Baseball

2008-06-14T14:07:00.000-06:00

Today was the last baseball game of the season for Paxman General Contractors. Ian will sure miss it! Good thing Kevin likes to take him out and play catch and hit balls. Ian definitely wants to try Little League next year! I guess we will finally have to break down and buy some camp chairs to sit on at games.

Summer buzz

2008-06-08T19:13:00.000-06:00

Last Sunday we gave Ian and Kevin their summer buzz cuts. Ian says they are now twins! The other day when Kevin came home from work Ian yelled, "The other twin is home!" Goofy kid!

Those busy summer days!

2008-06-04T17:47:00.000-06:00

Tuesday was a busy day! First we had the second day of Ian's acting workshop- Monkey Business. Our friend Martha pays for her daughter and Ian to attend different classes during the summer, and Ann-Marie is in charge of driving them around and sometimes keeping Lauryn after the class is done. The class is scheduled for 9am-12:30pm but has been going over about 30-45 minutes. They will be performing a very condensed version of Alice in Wonderland. Ian is Humpty Dumpty and The King of Hearts- both parts have many lines. Lauryn is the Cheshire cat and Butterfly (she really wanted a pretty costume).

Later that afternoon, we headed to Hurricane for karate. Ian has been taking Bobby Lawrence Karate since right after he turned 3. He is now a brown and purple belt, and with hard work will most likely have his black belt in about 2 years. We go early so he can help teach the Little Ninjas (4-6yrs. old). He attends class with the kids that are 9 and up because none of the kids his age are at his level.

After a quick dinner and change of clothes, we were off to the ball park for a 7:30 game of coach-pitch baseball. Ian is really good and has earned the title of "showboat" because he knocks the ball out there, runs and runs, and then the last few yards strolls home. He is also good in the field, playing bases, short-stop, or outfield. He really loves it!

I'm still getting the hang of this, so please excuse the editing and such!

Playing with the Whittakers

2008-06-01T20:24:00.000-06:00

Ian loves going to visit The Cousins in Mesquite. Yesterday they played on the trampoline with the hippity-hops. While 2 rode, the third would try to kick the hopper out from under one of them or just knock them off. Ian always acted like he was jumping into the middle of a dog fight. He would yell then bounce into the middle of everyone. We all laughed very hard.

In the beginning...

2008-06-01T19:47:00.000-06:00

Okay, here it goes. I guess since I am the computer teacher (aide) at my son's school I better be doing some of the computer stuff myself. I'm not up to designing a web page, so I'll start with blogging. There won't be much to begin with, but as the summer wears on and I get more familiar with it, watch out!
We named it Beaver's Family News because many of Kevin's friends and family know him by the nickname "Beaver". We may change it later.