my garden of weeds

I'm referring to my kids and their amazing growth this summer!!  Monkey and Bugs have both grown 2 shoe sizes, Goose didn't start out in shoes, but I know that the shoes I brought for her hoping she could wear them this winter are too small, too.  Seriously!!!!
Goose is talking like crazy. Although we still can't hardly understand what it is she's trying to say.  But she is so insistent that she is a big girl like her sisters, until we say she's too old for her Binky, then it's back to being a baby again.  She LOVES to color with anything and on anything.  She also loves to read books, which she is rather content to read by herself. She sits in a corner and opens a book and points to the words as she babbles along in her sweet little language.  She begs to go to dance class every time we take the girls to their classes. When they get home she takes their bags with their shoes and begins to attempt to put them on and show us all her moves.  She loves dance parties which occur nearly every day as the girls and I are all in dance classes this semester and we love to show off our moves together!
Bugs is busy trying to keep up with her sister all the while trying to avoid her big sister's bossy demands.  She is hard into her 4 year old boundary battles with mommy and daddy, but so far she's met us on a patient battle front.  Her imagination is running wild as it does for 4 year olds.  She loves to play at the end of the halway in front of the mirrors and talk to her imaginary friends.  She makes sure they all take turns and are kind and loving to each other.  She loves to read scriptures. She repeats the phrases after us and it is so funny to listen to her mimick what she thinks we say. She thinks that all verses start with "And it came to pass" and now the chapters have to end with "rain of judges over the people of Nephi's".  I love that she is getting used to the phrases  used in the Book of Mormon.
Monkey is busy learning anything she can.  A few weeks ago we went to some Indian Ruins and she was asking a bazillion questions and reading all the information she could absorb about everything she saw.  It was great and I hope she always has a thirst for learning new things.  She is such a great little reader.  She loves to read books to Goose and anyone else who will listen to her.  She is also keeping busy writing letters that never get sent to friends, grandmas, and fictional characters she makes up.  She sends them in her own way and refuses to let me put them in an envelope and mail them.  I have to sneak any worthy pictures and letters to send while she's not looking.  Monkey has a very generous heart.  I try not to complain about our poor circumstances, but I can tell that she's wearing down with all her requests to purchase things or activities that cost money being turned down with excuses of have no money.  I try to say things like "that sounds like a great idea for when daddy gets a job!" but recently she's been responding cheerfully with "But I have money!!!!!" Of course she's referring to the few dollars she has from the tooth fairy and a couple more bucks from a lemonade stand from the beginning of the summer.  She was very sweet and made my day when I was selfishly complaining about not have clothes that fit nor the money to purchase new clothes and she ran into the kitchen and grabbed her little Ziploc bag where she kept her money and grabbed her 2 dollar bills and thrust them at me and said "Here mommy, I have money, go buy some new clothes!!"  What a humbling and learning experience for her selfish mommy!  It isn't even thanksgiving yet and she already has little gift wrapped presents for everyone.  I think they must be small toys from their toy box and pictures she drew and folded up small, but she is always thinking of things to make her loved ones happy.
I've been busy attempting to homeschool Monkey and grow my personal recipe collection as I try new dinners on a rather picky family.  But they show appreciation for my efforts to fix dinner every night so I continue to try new dishes.  I've not been able to afford quenching my crafty addictions, but cooking has definitely been an outlet for creativity.  Homeschooling is hard, but it sure has its rewards.  I see how much Monkey and learned and I feel a sense of accomplishment when I think that I gave her the learning tools she needed to learn everything.  She amazes me how much she has loved learning at home.  I had always thought that she would learn best from someone else, but I think after her kindergarten experience she has realized that I can help her to learn in a way that suits us both.  It has been great to see how well we actually work together.  I'm excited for the rest of our homeschooling career!
Eric has been busy studying for the patent bar, the last exam he hopefully will ever have to take!!! He finally heard from AZ and after mailing is his "Swearing in" he'll be official in the state of Arizona!!  Yipee!!  He has also been pushing himself every morning by working out at the college gym, of which I am so envious as it has become too cold for my comfort to run outside anymore.  But he's going strong and I couldn't be more proud of him!!!

Sabbath temptations

Last Sunday Monkey was looking in the newspaper while waiting to leave for church. I overheard her ask Eric "Howcome sometimes Grammy's crossword is bigger on Sunday's than normal days? Do they want us to not go to church?"  In the Sunday paper they publish the LA Times crossword in addition to the small daily puzzle in our local paper. I couldn't help chuckle to think of her little perspectives!

Las Vegas Baby!!!

We stayed at the Excaliber, we heard that it was the most family friendly. Of course that means that it's decent untill 4 o'clock when the scandalously dressed dancers start working!!!



We got to see the Statue of Liberty!

Inside one of the hotels, maybe the MGM? I forget, we were all over the strip!

Yosemite National Park

A fun detour on our way home from a Family Reunion in Oregon. We spent an afternoon in Yosemite, CA. A very short afternoon as the traffic getting in and around the park was as bad as NYC, CRAZY!!!! But we got to see the amazing mountain scapes and enjoy the family time.

My Esquire

Where have these last three years gone? Here's a clue:


My sweetie graduated from Law School!


His LDS homies. John, Jared, Travis, Ben, and Eric. Also, Brandon Mecham, however, he was unable to come back from an externship to attend the Commencement.