Happy New Year!

When I think of 2010, the first thing I think of----is they can't make those cool eye glasses with the 2 zeros in the middle to see through anymore.  It will be off centered now.  Not as cool.  (hee hee)

The things I like about New Year's Eve:

**above all else-spending it with my family.  Even though T goes to the church dance, we still have some time to hang out together before he goes.  We were invited to a party tonight and everyone wanted to stay home and keep with tradition.  Who am I to argue with that

**having homemade pizza for dinner (a tradition that we have just decided to start this year)

**eating all kinds of junk food and not feeling guilty about it

**playing one game after another after another after another....

**Letting the kids stay up all the way to midnight.  The little girls think that is so cool. And blowing horns and popping "poppers"  And of course, the kiss from my sweetheart.  SWAK!

**watching the ball drop in Times Square.  I know, it is corny, but there really is something to hearing the countdown and seeing the energy of all the crazy people there freezing to death and seeing the big numbers announcing the new year and hearing everyone sing and toot their horns

**seeing the fireworks go off on the top of Pikes Peak

**going to bed and knowing that I get to sleep in late the next morning


So whatever you are doing tonight to celebrate, I hope you make it super fun and enjoy those that are with you.  I hope that this new year will be a great one full of happy memories and wonderful people.

HAPPY 2010!

"ROFL"

Have you ever laughed so hard you cried?
Have you ever laughed so hard that your cheeks hurt?
Have you ever laughed so hard that your stomach hurt?
Have you ever laughed so hard that you couldn't breathe?
Have you ever laughed so hard that you couldn't stop laughing?

That is how hard we laughed tonight during the activity portion of our FHE.  And it is all this guys fault......

It is just a little plastic man, not much taller than my hand, but what power he has to create laughter and, oh, so much fun.  My sister gave us "Pictionary Man" for Christmas and we played it for the first time tonight. It is much like the normal Pictionary game, only you have this man to draw on with a dry erase marker.  There are other items to draw on as well to help guess the picture.  It is electronic and has many different categories that it picks from.  With any guessing game like this, you never know what will happen.

When we have teams, we try to have one parent with one bigger kid and one smaller kid on each team, so it is better with the little girls.  They actually did very well tonight in drawing some hard pictures.  Our team won with the help of K drawing the winning picture that T and I guessed.  We laughed so hard trying to guess some of the crazy pictures that were drawn, the words that were read wrong or interpreted wrong (is that inverted or vertigo T), but it got to the point that it wasn't anything about the game at all that was so funny.  We ended up laughing at the stupidest things, but what a blast we had tonight.  I am so tired from all the laughing---Thanks Deb for the great game.

Just in case you are not up on your texting terms:  ROFL means "rolling on floor laughing" (hence the title of my post)

Over In A Flash!

It seems that we spend so much time getting ready for Christmas and then it is over before we know it.  But it doesn't make it any less fun and fun is what we had this year.

I love Christmas.  It isn't just one thing that makes it so great, but a combination of things.  And without one of those, it wouldn't be as great.  Those things are: 

The lights....the Christmas music....the tree and all the ornaments....the traditions....the kids....the food....being with family....the Christmas stories....Christmas cards and letters from family and dear friends....love and togetherness....and above all, the spirit of Christ that seems to radiate the most during this season.

I really hate not being able to go "home" for Christmas every year.  That is not a luxury we have in my family as my hubby's work is the busiest the last few weeks of the year.  And this year was really hard as my sister and her family as well as my brother's daughter were all at my parent's house for the holidays.  That doesn't usually happen so it was an extra tug at my heart.

I am glad that we have the tradition of going over to my hubby's parent's house for Christmas Eve dinner.  It is always fun to see them and his siblings.  I love to watch all the cousins as they play together and laugh.  We are lucky to live near family.  We eat a yummy dinner and then we gather downstairs to read Christmas stories and have my father-in-law read from the scriptures.  We also have each of the grandkids, starting with the youngest,  pick a piece of the manager scene and tell about it.  It is always fun to hear what they think about each of the characters.  K seems to always pick the baby Jesus since she is first to pick.  At the end of the evening, we gather in a circle and each get a gift.  A story is read and the gifts are passed all around and across the circle.  At the end of the story, we all get to open the gift bags.  There is always a stuffed "something", lots of candy and snacks and money.  This is the highlight of the night, which is sad since it really should be the Christmas story read from the Book of Luke.  But we laugh so hard during this game, you can't deny it is fun no matter how many times we've done it.  We are glad that we could get together again this year and that my hubby's father is doing well in his health issues.  Then it was home to open new jammies, sprinkle reindeer food on the lawn, get cookies out for Santa, and check online one last time to track where Santa was.  He was in Roswell, NM when the little girls decided they better get to bed cuz he was close.

The boys are waiting for their turn--patiently?

The much-loved "gift game"

I love this picture because they are all standing on their tip-toes to try to be taller than me.  T is the only one that made it!

New Jammies--Don't they look warm and comfy

Sprinkling reindeer food

Christmas day is always relaxing and fun cuz we never go anywhere that day.  We stay in jammies all day and play the games we got as gifts and watch new movies on our nice new comfy couch.  And eat all day long, of course.  So this Christmas was no different.  We had our traditional breakfast and dinner and went to bed fat and happy!  It was nice to have the day after a Saturday, so my hubby had the day off and we enjoyed another leisurely day watching movies and playing WII games.  And we even went out to dinner so I got a break from the kitchen after several days of baking and cooking.  Thanks son for suggesting it.  (And no I did not hit any after-Christmas sales-------YET!)

These are the pillow I made the little girls in their favorite colors

This is T's blanket I made for his bed.

M hasn't pulled hers out but it is purple and green to match her room.

T ready to pump some iron now

Even Duke got to open a present

T really is getting into this new game

This one is fun too

J started her craft project from cousins

K worked on making a new bracelet

We hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoy a fantastic New Year.  2010--wow that seems so sci-fi, doesn't it?!  So futuristic.  Make it a great year.

My Creations

Can I just say-------BYU ROCKS! I just finished watching them kick Oregon in their bowl game in Vegas.  What an exciting game-the Cougars were so hyped!

I was happy to finally get to try a recipe of my mothers that always tastes so good.  It is homemade carmels and I think I did okay for my first try.  I made them for friends and hope to get them delivered tomorrow. (it is snowing right now and the storm is only going to get worse from what I heard, so we will see...)  I know, I am late.  I usually have my gifts done and given out the week before Christmas.  It has been crazy this year.

Look how cute these are----

I put these together today with the intention of putting my carmels in them as a "cute and clever" way to present the gift, but discovered that once I got 2 carmels inside the jar, it was very hard to get them out.  And then I wouldn't get to fit the amount I wanted to give, so I had to go to Plan B-clear candy bags with cute tags on them.  What to do with these cute Christmas jars now?  I guess I will store them away for next year. (if I remember where I put them or that I even have them when the year is up)

I am very excited for this snow that we are getting.  We are hopeful that it will last until Christmas because it has been a very long time since we have had a white Christmas (or so it seems).  If only this storm could have waited 2 more days.  Anyway, the snow sure makes the Christmas lights look even more festive.

Week #3

First of all--this is my 100th post.  I started this blog 14 months ago while visiting my mom for fall break.  I resisted for so long in getting into the blogging world and now I can't imagine not having one.  So thanks to all those who visit regularly and comment.  Hopefully it is not too boring and you will always want to come back.

Now, on to the many details of the week--and I don't say many lightly......

For the kids, this week had mixed reviews.  For the bigger kids, it meant finals and lots of studying.  For the little girls, it meant school parties and not much homework.  But it also meant the start of Christmas vacation so it was all worth it in the end. (I think) 

M started out the week by having basketball tryouts and then spent the week in practices because.........she made the team!!!!  Congrats girl!  I had no doubt that she would make it, but it is always nerve-racking anyway.  I guess it is a good thing we are not going anywhere for the holidays as she will have practices almost everyday during the break. 

J joined the Drama Club and had tryouts this week for the play, "101 Dalmations".  This is something for only 5th graders and so it is always looked forward to in our family.  T did "Annie" and M did "The Emperor's New Clothes", so we love it.  Anyway, J got the part of LUCKY, one of the puppies.  She was so excited.  Practices start after break and their performance is in April.  It is always fun to watch and I am sure this one will be no different.  Way to go J!

T and I got a free pass to a fitness center so we have been doing that together.  It is fun to have that time as mother and son that you don't get when they are little.  He wants to join, but I am happy just going for these few weeks knowing that it is FREE!  And I must say, I am sore from using the free weights.  I haven't bench pressed in forever and I can feel it today.  It came at the best time since there is no school and we have time to go without too many scheduling conflicts.  With finals week, we didn't get to go as much as we wanted to, but now we can because WE ARE ON VACATION!

As for me this week, I have been just as busy as the two previous weeks and still haven't completed everything I wanted to do.  But I did get in some important things.  

The biggest thing I have been working on the last few weeks has been this.....

The Boy Scout Cookbook

This is a fundraiser for our troop this year and I think it turned out pretty good (if I don't say so myself).  The boys submitted the recipes for Dutch oven, campfire and grill cooking.  I typed it all in my computer and got a good deal on printing.  Then this week, the scouts all got together and put it together.  They collated the book and then spiral bound it.  I was glad that I had an IN at the school to borrow the binding machine.  We put together 100 books and so far have sold almost 40.  Hopefully the boys will bring more orders to me tomorrow as they were assigned.  There are some really yummy recipes in there and I am anxious for camping season so we can try them out.  Anyone want to buy one????

I also made these.......

A friend of mine asked me last week to teach her how to make scripture totes, so after going over to show her, I decided that I needed to make some as well.  They are really easy and so cute and fun to give away as gifts.  I received mine for my birthday a few years ago from a dear friend and earlier this year asked her how to make them.  I had gotten together with another friend to teach her and found out that it really was indeed--EASY.  So eventually, you all might get a bag from me in the future.

I have been trying to get the last of my shopping done and haven't succeeded yet.  It is really bugging me too, as I am usually done by the time December hits.  I don't understand why I am so slow this year.  It can't be age, can it???  My main goal was to get all my "out-of-town" items purchased, made, boxed, and shipped this week AND I did that!  (Phew)  I have a few more items to make and wrap for under the tree, so watch for pictures of those fabulous creations--after Christmas of course.

The rest of the week was spent volunteering at school, attending K's 2nd grade Christmas Brunch, M's band performance at the elementary school, making cookies for J's cookie exchange at school, visiting teaching, coaching J's basketball practices, and enjoying a yummy lunch at a friend's house with other friends.

Next week will be a nice leisure week with some more baking, wrapping presents, and playing with my kids. 

Bring on Christmas---I am ready! (I think)

Second Week Down

It is Saturday and the end of the 2nd week of December.  Of course, it was a busy one again with multiple things happening for different kids at the same times.  It is crazy, but fun to be involved in all my children's accomplishments and activities.  I wouldn't have it any other way-even if my kids wanted me to butt out.

M had her Christmas Band Concert and thankfully it was shorter than last year.  They have decided to put the 6th grade on a separate night, which is good cuz it is usually a struggle to listen to them since they have just started in band.  The 7th graders are with the 8th graders and we have the percussion that play that night as well.  It was very nice to listen to instruments that sound like they are meant to be played.  It was a nice concert even though I couldn't see M.  Since she plays the trombone, she is seated in the back row and there are 3 other rows of heads to see between.  Usually I can get at least one picture of her, which is all I got this year.  I had a great view of her foot tapping though.   Good Job M!

T was honored at a school assembly for good grades for the semester.  Usually they do it in the auditorium on an evening with only those invited to come.  This year, they decided to make it part of the normal assembly held during school hours.  I haven't been to one of those since I was in high school and I must say they are pretty crazy.  But I had a great time being a part of his high school experience.  Anyway, he had a GPA of 3.5 or higher and received a certificate for an Academic Letter.  He is one away from getting the actual "letter".  Then I guess he will need to get a Letterman's Jacket to put it on, right?!  I thought it was wierd that they just called out their names and the kids stood up where they were in the assembly.  Then they had to meet up afterwards for their actual awards.  But the principal came up to us while we were eating cake and told us that with the evening event, only 30% would show up and so they thought they could get more people out this way.  I guess it worked but he mentioned that next time they would put up an archway of balloons or something and have each kid walk through it.  All the kids at our table thought that would be a great idea.  So congrats T-AGAIN.  Keep up the good work.

Last night was the busiest night of all with 3 things happening at the exact same time.  And yes, we were able to get to all three.  I was shocked but it happened and it was all fun.  We had the annual Pizza Bingo at the elementary school and an annual holiday Open House at a friend's house.  We go to both every year cuz they are both so fun, but this year it happened to fall on the same night.  So we headed to the school for the first hour and then to the party after that.  We missed seeing a lot of our friends at the party but we were able to visit with a few and have good eats too. (And M and I even got bingo.)

Also last night was T's annual Military Ball for JROTC.  He went last year and had a great time, but this year he could take a date now that he is 16 so he was excited about that.  He actually wasn't sure who to take but ended up taking a friend that he has liked for about a year now.  She is in another ward and school, but they have seminary together every morning.  They said they had a great time and that the DJ was pretty good.  Dinner was just alright for fried chicken and mashed potatoes.  The school district makes the meal and I think they need to get a better menu or a different caterer.  But he sure looked sharp in his uniform and they looked cute together all dressed up.

This morning J had another basketball game and they won 12-6.  It was a good game with an opponent that is usually very tough.  And they were, just not as tough as they have been in past years.  I am glad that they won and J even had a couple of rebounds to her credit.  Now if we could just get her to be more aggressive in getting the ball.  But she had fun and again, they won, so I think it was a great morning.  My hubby had scout training all morning so he couldn't make the game.  This is the last one until after the new year so we will have a nice break.  Way to go J!

With all that has been going on these last two weeks, I am ready for a date tonight.  Dinner and a movie sounds heavenly to me right now. 

Bring on Week #3!

It is Done!

For Family Night last night, we decorated our Christmas trees.  We were so tired from running like crazy on Saturday, that we put the tree up and left it until last night. 

It is always fun to decorate the tree together.  I let the kids pick out a new ornament every year and it is fun to see what they pick.  T is into the series ones and so I know it will be the plane every year.  That is the way it has been for like the last 10 years.  The girls are a different story as they change around like crazy.  M for a few years got the Harry Potter ones, but this year went back to the sports theme as she has in the past.  K seems to always pick doggies of some sort and J went totally different this year and picked a snowglobe-like one with her name on it that lights up.   We let the kids put whatever ones up they want from past years, so thank goodness we have an 11 foot tree.  And now, we have a smaller one in the basement for them to add ones to as well.  What will my hubby and I do when the kids are gone and they take all their ornaments with them?  Our tree will be bare I think.

basement tree

It always seems to take such a long time but it is worth it in the end.  The kids got to bed so late that is another reason why I was glad it was a snow day today.  Otherwise they would be dragging at school.

Now This is a Snow Day!

School was cancelled today and I couldn't be happier.  That means no getting T to seminary in the early morning hours, getting little ones out the door all bundled up and then feeling sorry for them having to walk in the cold that I jump in the car and take them to school anyway.  It also means that I can stay in my jammies all day and not feel guilty.  It means not going anywhere and staying home to bake and lay by the fire.  I love snow days.

I do have plenty to do, mind you, but I will gladly take a day off if it means spending it with my kids in a nice warm house.  I only wish that my hubby could have a snow day too.

B-Balling, Drilling and Hunting

As predicted, we ended the first week of December with a bang!  We were running so much Saturday that we were too tired to even go to our Ward Christmas Party that night.  We heard it was fun, but we were ready to just hang out in front of the fire and veg.

We started our day by splitting up.  My hubby and I tend to do that a lot these days but we always get back together eventually :). 

M went with me to J's basketball game.  She decided to play this year and so of course, I am one of her coaches.  I was M's coach in 5th grade as well, so I guess it is tradition.  I am enjoying the girls and I having a good time.  J is doing pretty well especially since she has never played before.  She is playing under the basket and we are working on her rebound skills.  This is our second game and we won this time.  The girls were so excited and so was I.  They played so much better this time, that it made for an exciting game.  Now if we could just get J to stop running and jumping like a girl!

My hubby and K went to T's JROTC Drill Competition.  They have those a couple times a school year and they are always fun to watch.  For those of you who don't know what they are (I had no idea before I saw my first one) ---they are divided into flights (groups) and they are lead through a series of commands and graded on it.  Then there is also inspection, grades, physical training, etc. that they are given points.  Then they are awarded for 1st place in each category.  T's group got first in uniform inspection.  Then they always end with the Drill Down.  I was lucky to be able to get there just in time to see that.  That is when they all get out there and some men and women from Petersen usually, call out commands and those that get it right stay put, but those that get something wrong are out.  They narrow it down until there is a winner.  They are very picky too when it comes to this.  T was knocked out because he had his thumbs slightly bent at a REST position.  He always does so well and gets within the top 20 but he got out early this time.  He was quite mad at himself for the reason, but I am always so proud to see him out there in his uniform.  Of course, I think he is the best one out there.

So after we were all reunited and had changed into warm clothes, off we went to the mountains for our annual Christmas tree hunt.  We love doing this every year and I am always so grateful when it is not snowing.  It was cold this year though and so we had to dress warmer, but we still had a great time.  We decided that since we have a finished basement now, we needed a tree for downstairs.  So we cut down TWO trees.  We found them rather quickly this year which was nice since it was so late into the afternoon before we got up there.  There was a lot of snow, but we always have fun playing in it too.  We bring Duke every year and he has a blast romping through the forest.  T usually romps with him and then we are calling out for them to come back.  This has got to be one of my favorite traditions of all time.

I must admit that I love it more now than when the kids were little.  There was always someone crying and I ended up carrying that one while my hubby carried the tree.  And when we needed two people to carry the tree (which was most of the time) and there was a crying baby, they had to be pulled in a sled by one of the older ones.  And then they ended up crying too because it was so hard to pull them. It was a struggle to do this every year, but I am glad we perservered.  It is so much easier now--the 2 guys carry the tree and I get to carry only the camera and take pictures.  I don't really even have to help load the tree onto the car anymore since I have a burly son to do that now with his dad. 

The fun is just beginning so, now on to Week Two of December.

The Busy Season Has Begun!

We have just finished the first week in December and already we are busy.  We started out the month with J's Christmas Choir Program.  This is usually a program only for 5th graders, but there never seems to be enough that want to participate, so they open it up to 4th graders and sometimes even 3rd graders.  They have to practice after school 2 days a week during the whole first semester.  The performance was actually held earlier than normal, but I was happy for that--the month is only going to get crazier.

Anyway, it is always fun to hear the kids sing.  They do everyday songs and of course, they end with a bunch of Christmas songs wearing santa hats.  It's tradition!  She did very well and she was so excited that she actually had a speaking part this time.  She never seems to get any of those, so she was thrilled that she was chosen this time. 

Since it was Mutual night, my hubby was with the big kids there, so only K and I were able to see her perform.  She was bummed that Daddy couldn't be there, but thank goodness he was able to see her sing some of her songs at the craft fair a few weeks earlier.  I am glad that all my kids so far have participated in this when they were in 5th grade and I know that K will want to as well.

It Must Be Over---All the Turkey is Gone!

Our Thanksgiving vacation went by too fast and now it is back to waking up early, carpool, homework, basketball, choir, throwing, conditioning, and going to bed early.  I'm not ready for life to resume yet.

Our time off of school was nice and relaxing and full of fun times with family.  We were lucky to have my parents come over for several days to play with us.  Mostly we just visited, swam, and ate of course, but we did spend a day in Denver enjoying the nice weather.  My hubby had to work as usual that day, so he wasn't able to join in the fun.  I went back into my childhood and shared a favorite place we used to go for lunch when I was young.  Casa Bonita.  It has been several years since we went so the big kids were the only ones that had been.  It was all new to the little girls and they had a blast.  The food is not as good as it used to be, except for the sopapillas (YUM), but the atmostphere is fun.  We were seated right next to the waterfall so we had a great view of all the shows.  K was so close in fact, that the gorilla almost landed on her when we was "escaping".  She didn't scream, but the kid behind us sure did.  He was terrified and didn't settle down for a long time.  She thought that was fun.  We explored Black Bart's Hideout, the cave, the mine, the jail, and of course, we stopped for some Penny Candy on the way out. 

Then it was off to Jumpstreet for some exercise.  It was a bit more crowded than the last time we went but the kids had a great time jumping and jumping and jumping some more.  Did you know that an hour of jumping on a tramp burns 1000 calories?  I think I know what I want for Christmas!  Anyway, they even took in several games of Dodgeball.

Our Thanksgiving dinner turned out nice.  Along with my parents, we were lucky to have my hubby's parents and his brother and wife join us as well.  It was nice to visit with them and have each set of parents catch up with each other.  I met my hubby in my home ward, so our parents were friends way back when.  It was a good day especially since all the food turned out and it all tasted so good.

But now is back to the grind for another 3 weeks and then more time off.  HURRAY!  I love Christmas and I am so happy that we had good weather to get our outside lights up already.  Now, this week will be spent decorating the inside.  Happy December Everyone!

The Reveal.....

Many people have been wanting to know when I was going to post pictures of our basement.  I have still been decorating and finding places for everything.  There still are a few things that I don't know where to put them, but for the most part, it is done.  I had to wait to take pictures until it was actually clean and so, TA DAH......OUR FINISHED BASEMENT

family room

T's room

office

bathroom

And also M's room upstairs is officially done now too

It feels so good to be done and we are enjoying the extra space.  T especially likes the fact that he basically has the whole basement to himself.  Anyway, you are welcome to come see it in person at any time.

Something OLD, Something NEW!

Of course yesterday was Monday, so last night was Family Home Evening.  No matter what we do, our FHE's are usually fun for the simple fact that we are together as a family.  It doesn't hurt that we seem to always be laughing.  Which, by the way, is really hard when you are trying to give a spiritual lesson and get a specific point across that is serious.  But we all manage to get the message and grow closer at the same time.

As you know, we have finished our basement.  Because of that, we have been transferring all our "stuff" from the garage where it has been stored for a LONG time to the basement.  It has taken longer than I would like but you know how life gets in the way and besides, we were so tired from working on the basement all the time that when it was finally finished, we took a break for a bit. 

On Saturday, we finally reached a wicker trunk that of course was on the bottom of a pile.  It has seen better days as the wicker on the top has been pushed in and mangled.  My parents bought me that trunk to take to BYU my freshman year to store some of my things in.  I love that trunk, so I was not happy to see it so broken up.  Anyway, the fact is we have had some games stored in there from before we got married and soon after.  Fun games that we have obviously not played in awhile--games that even some of the kids have not played before.

So for FHE we decided to have "game night" and we played........

STOP THIEF

Has anyone ever played it---or even heard of it?  I got this game as a birthday gift before I was married, so yes, I have had it a long time!  It is an electronic mystery game where a thief commits a crime and with sound clues you have to figure out where he is and try to make an arrest.  It is very fun and the kids loved it so much we played it late into the night.  I think they have found their new favorite family game--for the time being anyway.  We actually have quite the list of favorite games and we seem to keep finding them.  Obviously we are a game family-ask anyone.  Wanna play?

Another Shout Out!

November sure is the month for babies because between my hubby's family and mine, we are slammed with birthdays-brothers, sisters, moms, nephews, nieces, friends.....  and HUSBANDS!

Today is my hubby's birthday.  He is turning 29 (WINK!) 

We will celebrate by him going to work and the kids going to school - leaving me alone in the house all day.  What a perfect birthday. **Oh wait, it's not my birthday, is it?!  We will go out to dinner at a place of his choice (Red Robin-free birthday burger you know) and he wants homemade ice cream instead of a cake this year-YUM.  Then open presents.  Sounds like a plan to me.

I must say, that I have the most wonderful man as my husband.  He is so patient with me and loves me no matter what.  He thinks I am beautiful (even when I just wake up) and would do anything to make me happy.  I am so glad that he wants to stick with me forever.  I love you honey and I hope you enjoy your day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday!

You know, I have the best mom in the world.  She is one of my best friends.  How many of you can say that?  I actually liked being with my parents when I was in high school.  Ya I know-crazy nuts.  But with me being the baby and my brother four years older, I was pretty much an only child during those years.  So I had my parents to myself and we grew really close.  There is a bond there that none of my other siblings have with them.

Anyway, my mom is great and I just had to do a shout out to wish her a wonderful day.  She will have an absolutely fabulous day since she is in Aruba today.  How does that Beach Boy song go----"Aruba, Jamaica, ooo I wanna take ya,  to Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama........."  Can't imagine a better way to celebrate -you are so lucky Mom.  Have fun!

I love ya Mom---Happy Birthday!

The Big Apple (well, sort of)

I am so happy to have my son back home.  He has been gone for a week to West Point New York to a leadership program.  He flew into Newark and then drove straight north for an hour to get to West Point.  He did see the Statue of Liberty from the plane, but that really was the closest he came to the actual Big Apple. They stayed in a hotel 10 minutes from the school since there was no room for them on the academy.  But they would drive to West Point every morning and stay all day attending classes, having lunch with the cadets and listening to important military officers.  They kept him busy all day and then at night, they were allowed free time. He had a few presentations to give and one had them staying up until 2 in the morning preparing for it.  He said it was hard work and he ended up being tired by the end of the day, but that it was more fun than anything and well worth it all.  Come to find out, it was not at all ROTC related.  I guess we figured it was since his ROTC teacher recommended him and it was put on by the Military Child Education Coalition at a military institution.  But it was for any outstanding student in their sophomore or junior year that wanted to apply.  T said there was only 2 other kids besides him that were in ROTC, one being from Falcon.  Also, there was a kid from Korea and one from Belgium among the 14 that went, so it was international as well.  So that made it even more exciting to know all of that.

Last night for FHE, we made welcome home signs for him and today, I pulled all the girls from school so we could all be at the airport to surprise him.  My hubby was able to get away from work for a bit to come too.  It was fun to embarrass him as he came off the plane with our banners waving and us shouting at him.  I am so glad he is home safe.

Every day the little girls would tell me how much they missed their brother--we all missed him.  But what an experience he had.  We have been enjoying all the stories and events that happened and I love to hear the excitement in his voice.   He did comment just now how it is weird to just sit here and not be hustled around like he has been this last week.  He will have a hard time coming down from this time away and will struggle to get back into the routine of his normal every day life.  But hopefully he has come away with better ways to be a leader and more motivation to always do his best and be a team player.  Experiences like this don't come around every day and we are so glad he was able to be a part of this.  We are so very proud of him!

Frances Hesselbein

Classic T

WELCOME HOME SON!