Memorial Day 2012

"Jake, go put your arm around Emma for the picture..."

We drove down to good ol' Grand Rapids, Ohio for a Memorial Day lunch at our favorite pizza buffet. The restaurant was decked in patriotic paraphernalia, including a photographic tribute to veterans along the top of the salad bar sneeze guard. The food was delicious and the people watching exceeded our usual expectations. We may have witnessed a biker convention. I'm not sure.

Once we had our fill of the warm, buttery dessert breadsticks, we walked off our indigestion along the canal. With persistant nagging, I was able to get the kids to pose for a few bazillion pictures.

I think Jake might be showing off his biceps in this one.

What a catch!

This is what happens when you let your 14-year-old son hold the camera

This is also what happens when you let your son hold the camera. You have to pick your battles.

Don't let the green trees and running river fool you. It was hot outside, hence the ponytail.

Rick felt the discomfort of carrying his food baby. Those "Braxton Hicks" can be rough!

My handsome boys.

"Mom, take a picture of me with this guy's crazy hair!"

A sweet mother/daughter moment - NOT!

After walking 53 feet, the kids got tired! They had to rest in the swing.

Isn't she just so dang cute?!

The flowers along the path were g-g-g-goregeous!

We were lucky to get this shot of the whole family. The old guy behind the camera had a terrible time pushing the button.

Here's Rick's new car! It'll be Jake's in just over a year. Crazy, right?

Rick had to work in the ER from 3:00 to 1:00, poor guy. I'm sure he had a fun time dealing with the extra drunks and crazies that show up on holidays! The kids and I joined my besties and their families for a Memorial Day BBQ. Yup, I'm blessed!

The Triple As: Audrey, Angie, and Anita

Mothers and Daughters

I serve in the presidency of the Young Women's Organization in my church, working with girls ages 12-18. On Wednesday I had the privilege of hosting a special Mother/Daughter Activity at my house. Some of the older girls weren't able to come because of other commitments at school, but we still had a decent turnout.

We asked the mothers and daughters to wear coordinating outfits, which we photographed as they arrived. I was impressed that everyone actually did it! We got some adorable shots which I later turned into a collage for our bulletin board at church.

Sydney, Kat, and Rory

Becky and Abbey

Tylah and Angie

Jess, Olivia, Amber, and Ashley (Jess filled in as "mom")

Carolyn (grandmother) and Maryn

Em and Aud

Heather and Kendra (sorry about the wind)!

Dayna and Karen

 

Bella and Carol (grandmother and YW President)

We gathered in the basement for the M&M game (an idea I tweaked after seeing it on this website). Everyone got to complete phrases such as "I am scared of..." or "I was so embarassed when..." We got to hear some pretty funny stories!

We voted on our favorite mother/daughter outfit and had the girls take a "Mom Skills" quiz. Apparently I have some work to do still with Emma because she missed 6 questions!

We also played a game incorporating pictures of the girls' mothers when they were in the teen years. Can you guess which girl is me?

To cap off the activities, we watched a beautiul message that I found on YouTube. We also passed out personal letters that the mothers wrote to their daughters. If you have about 5 minutes, it's worth watching the video below. I hope the girls "got it", although my daughter should probably listen to Elder Ballard's remarks a few more times...hahaha.

Of course, no activity would be complete without refreshments! Just look at this yummy cake!

I'm so glad it came together. Now to prepare for a Daddy/Daughter night...

It's All About Family

I'm still grinning. Bonnie is FINALLY getting the "happily ever after" she deserves. Scott is a good man and I'm so glad to have another brother!

Photo by Sorensen Studios

If you want to read Scott and Bonnie's sweet love story, click on over to my sister's blog. She's written 10 hilarious posts about their looooooong courtship.

Photo by Sorensen Studios



Our trip to Phoenix for the Sorensen's wedding bash was a whirlwind experience. We had to pack a lot of fun into those precious five days! The sealing was lovely. It was a sweet experience to be in the Mesa temple with all my siblings and parents! Scott and Bon are a good match. They're the yin to each other's yang.





I believe the credit for this pic goes to Nick Sorensen.

The reception was gorgeous too! I just wish I had taken some pictures. It was so fun to catch up with my Arizona besties and extended family members. I even ran into some of my church leaders from my teenage years. I just wanted to hug them, thank them, and apologize! Let's just say that I see things differently now that I'm a youth leader (wink)!

One of our other favorite experiences was getting to meet the newest additions to the Colyar family.

Em and Eli's first meeting

Bless Sheila's heart! Just over 2 weeks after giving birth to baby Eli, she crossed the country with him. Mother and baby were troopers, to say the least. It was such fun to cuddle my new little nephew and gaze in wonder over his mass of dark hair. Seriously, Eli is SUCH a cute little boy! It was so fun to stay at my folk's house and have my sister Sheila just the next room over. Just like old times!

Emma is in love!

Before we flew home, we managed to squeeze 2 extended family gatherings into 1 day. We dined at Rick's parents' place for a HUGE brunch. Family members drove great distances to be altogether and we really appreciated it. Rick's brother, Mark, took the opportunity to announce his engagement to his dear Rosie. We are so, so happy for them. We look forward to another wedding trip to Phoenix in December!

Rosie's pic of Rick and Jake

Rosie was smart enough to bring a camera to our Saunders Fest, thank goodness. She captured some long overdue pictures.

Rosie's pic of the Saunders siblings and parents

Not all of the Saunders grandkids could join us that day, but we got most of the younger ones together.

Rosie's pic of 6 of 11 Saunders grandkids

 We need to Photoshop Dani, Veronica, Stacy, David, and Douglas into the picture!

This pic is even CUTER by Rosie!

It was hard to say goodbye, AGAIN, to Rick's parents. However, they'll be coming out for a visit when Rick graduates residency in June.

Rosie's pic of the Rick Saunders clan and parents

Later in the day we crossed town to gather with the Colyars at my brother Tim's house. He and his wife live in Gilbert with their (now) 5 kids. Daisy just joined them 2 months ago, and she's a keeper. 

Dusty's pic of Audrey and Daisy

Once again, I was frustrated that I didn't bring a real camera. I made do with my phone and Dusty covered the rest with her good camera.

Dusty's pic of me taking pics. Weird.

I must say that I find my husband particularly attractive when he's charming babies. He has such a good way with them. If we weren't getting so old...

Dusty's pic of Uncle Rick being cute with Daisy

Here is photographic evidence that my sister Sheila is amazing. Look how beautiful she is! I'm pretty sure she was operating on very little sleep when this picture was taken. It's tough being a mama to a newborn, but she's a natural.

Dusty's pic of Sheila and Eli

One of the happiest people at the party was Lala. She had most of her chickens gathered in one place. That sure doesn't happen as often as it used to!

Dusty's pic of Lala snuggling her youngest grandbaby Eli

 These two little cousins are just 2 months and several states apart.

Dusty's pic of Audrey and Papa showing off the newest Colyar grandkids

 It's hard to believe these babies are related, huh?

Dusty's funny pic of Eli and Daisy

It was a fight for who got to hold the little ones, but we managed to get an okay picture of all the grandkids but Joely-man. He was back in Maryland with Daddy Mario.

Dusty's pic of 10 out of 11 Colyar grandkids

The next morning we got up early so we could for Detroit. It was harder to leave this time. Maybe that was because we didn't get to stay long enough, I'm not sure. Like I said before, this trip to Arizona definitely made me nostalgic.

On our way out of the house, Jake got sick (throw up sick). It wasn't just an isolated incident due to our overindulgence the day before. The poor guy suffered the rest of the day. He buried his head in the trash can just at the entrance of the plane, much to the dismay of the other boarding passengers. On the bright side, no one chose to sit by us at the back of the plane. Maybe they didn't want to be around if Jake had a "crash landing" on his way to the bathroom. He made it every time though!

So, we're HOME in Perrysburg, but it's hard. I subbed seminary all week, Rick worked long hours every single day, and the kids are still making up missed school work. We already long for the time when we can get away again.

Thanks for the memories Arizona family!

Travel Tips

Since our move to the Midwest, we’ve become quite proficient at flying on planes and such. We had the privilege of crossing the country just last weekend to witness my sister Bonnie getting hitched to her sweetheart, Scott. In order to better enlighten our vast readers, we thought we would share some of our secrets for stress-free travel. You’re welcome.

1.       Always schedule your travel the week your kids have their annual standardized tests. The school LOVES it!

2.       Save all laundry washing and suitcase packing until the night before your flight.

3.       Run low priority errands the morning you need to leave. Be sure to get your hair done.

4.       Skip breakfast AND lunch so that you will have a reason to stop at a Subway on your way to the airport.

5.       Tell your pet sitter that you’ll drop the dog off at one time, and then show up 2 hours later when she needs to pick her child up from preschool.

6.       Though you might drive by several gas stations the day before you leave, wait to fill up your tank on your way out of town.

7.       Have Rick drive to the airport. It’s especially fun to see new parts of Detroit when you’re running late.

8.       Check your bags less than a half hour before your plane leaves. You’ll get a special tag for your luggage. Plus, it’s exciting to think about all the other places your underwear may go.

9.       10 minutes before your plane is to depart, go through security. See how many suckers will let you cut your way through the line.

10.   Run to your gate. The flight attendants love dramatic entrances.

Second Thoughts

Warning: Don't read too much into the ramblings below!

My sister Bonnie is an old married lady now. She tied the knot with her dear Scott just last Saturday. Our whole family had the privilege of flying out to Arizona for the festivities (posts with pictures soon to come).

While I love all the charms of my current residence, I must admit that our trip west made me quite nostalgic for my old home. Flying into the valley of the sun at dusk reminded me of summer evenings spent riding bikes and swimming in a warm pool. Nothing beats a desert sunset either!

Los Compadres was our first stop after Sky Harbor Airport. One bite of their chips and salsa and I was in heaven! Gratefully, Rick's parents are always happy to indulge our craving for Mexican food the moment we arrive.

My mom and pop let us stay at their place in Peoria. They live near several small mountains great for running and hiking. Rick and I took advantage of the mild morning temperatures a couple of times. One day we were even lucky enough to run after a rare rain storm.The desert smelled wonderful! Oh, how I love the mountains!

Back in the day, my family would often gather for dinner and visiting late into the night. We revisited some of those old traditions and I realized just how much I missed them! I snuggled my newborn niece and nephew so much that I even started to fantasize about having another baby of my own. Yikes!

The wedding preparations left us little time for playing with friends, but we did manage to sneak in a lunch with our dear old friends Dix and Les Oliver. It was so good to hang out with them again. They've always been so easy to talk to. Plus, we all share a great love of Thai food. Hearing about the old ward and talking with their boys got me wondering if we made the right choice about staying in Perrysburg. Why wouldn't we want our kids to attend a high school where 10% of the students are LDS?

Another thing that got me thinking was the new temple being built just minutes from where we used to live. How amazing to be so close! Our nearest temple is in Detroit...

Yep. All these things got me feeling a bit anxious about our decision to stay in Ohio, but I relaxed the moment we returned home. It felt right...until we heard Emma crying in her room last night. She wanted to go back HOME. Where, you ask? Home to Arizona. Oi!