Family Reunion '09

Several years ago, our family agreed to gather together for one week during the odd numbered years. So far, we have held 3 family reunions. The first was in '05 at Mt. View, Arkansas. The second was in '07 at Petit Jean State Park, also in Arkansas. Arkansas is the most centrally located state for most of the family. This year we had intended to return to Petit Jean, but due to scheduling conflicts, our original reservations had to be canceled and a new location was necessary. What a pain that turned out to be! Anyway, to make a long story short, we ended up having a traveling reunion. It began on June 13th in Ft. Worth, TX at my brother Bob's home. He has a very nice pool so most of the day was spent splashing and talking. My brother David and his family met my family there and we spent the evening talking and laughing as we caught up on all the family happenings.
On Sunday evening, most of the family then moved on down to central TX to spend a couple of days with my parents. We just crashed at either my house or my daughter Rebecca's house, which gave us even more opportunities to spend time together while sunburns healed a little. By Tuesday, we were ready for the sun and water again, so we all headed to Schliterbahn. It was a blast! That is truly the one vacation spot in TX where you can be outside all day and remain cool. That evening we returned to Temple totally exhausted, but thankful we had been able to spend so much time together. Wednesday was spent playing board games, eating, talking, laughing, and having a wonderful time. Unfortunately, it all had to come to an end on Thursday with families returning to their various homes. Sadly, no one from Larry's branch of the family could attend. But, there is always the next reunion. I wanted to post a group picture from each reunion, but couldn't find one taken in '05. So, here are the group shots from '07 and '09.

End of another school year...

As each school year ends, for some reason parents feel obligated to purchase thank you gifts for me. As a teacher, I have to admit I have received some very nice parting gifts. I know that they are sincere expressions of appreciation for the time and energy I put into teaching their children. However, every now and then I get a gift that really means a lot to me. It usually isn't one of those gift cards to my favorite restaurant, a certificate at the teachers' store, or luxurious lotions and shower gels. It is always the gift that was given to me by one of my students. I can always tell that a lot of time and effort was put into those gifts, and they always make me chuckle or bring tears to my eyes. I thought I would share one of my all time favorites. It was given to me by the same character that showered the bathroom with ketchup and tried to mend the hole in his shirt with tape.
Here is the text:
"Roses are red vilets are blue my feet smell stinky, you are cool to play baskit ball. I shuld stop talkig and here is a special someting for you love ben A I will miss you. for being a graet teacher."
It also has an illustration of me shooting baskets with him during recess.
Who would have thought a few basketball shots at recess would have stuck in his memory!
Enjoy!
p.s. those are coins that are attached with scotch tape.

Memorial Day as a Mom...

I will forever be grateful for my experiences as an Army Brat and as an Army Wife. Living in so many locations, meeting so many wonderful people, and struggling through the challenges associated with that lifestyle, helped me become a person I am happy with. I also believe it has contributed to my deep sense of Patriotism and pride in my country. Is it a life I would choose for my children? Probably not. However, being that Scott has dedicated a goodly portion of his adult life to the military through his years in the National Guard I have accepted the fact that my opinion doesn't matter. Luckily, Scott has come through a tour in Afghanistan and most of a tour in Iraq safely. We miss him terribly and worry about him constantly. We try to not count the days until he is home with us again. Instead, we stay busy and keep him in our prayers. But on holidays like Memorial Day, our thoughts can't help but turn to him. We are proud of his dedication to our country, his honorable performance of his duty, and the commitment he has for his fellow soldiers. As we enjoy the blessings of living in this wonderful country, let us not forget those who serve and make that life possible for us all.

J is for joke....

My class has been counting down the last days of school by the ABC's. Each of the last 26 days is assigned a letter and activities are planned based on the letter of the day. A few days ago we had "J is for Joke Day" and these are some of the best:

Ben A. "What do you call a bank robbing bird?" ...A robin"
Alison B. "What is the worst gift in the world? ... an inflatable dart board"
Emma N. "What did the dentist give to the marching band? ... a tuba toothpaste"
Rylee O. "Why couldn't the bike stand up? ... it was two-tired"
Celes G. "How do you make a tissue dance? ...you put a little boogie in it"
Alex K. "Why did the rocket lose it's job? ...it was fired"
Ben M. "What did the sea say to the beach? ...nothing, it just waved"
Alore F. "Why was the flower able to go for such a long bike ride? ..it had petal power"
Grace K. "What did the chef give to the marching band? ...a drum stick"

Just remember, they are only first graders!

Special temple trip...

Yesterday we escorted Leslie and Gerson through the temple! What a wonderful day filled with sweet spiritual experiences, joy, happiness, laughter, close friends and family.

A rainy Saturday morning...

Rain in Texas is such a time for celebration. I love the fresh-washed feeling that comes when the storms pass. The effects on the flowers, grass and trees is amazing and it always seems to give me a sense of renewal and hope. I guess knowing that the long, hot, dry and barren summer is lingering in the not too distant future and I simply do not want to let go of these wonderful spring days.
Seth stayed the night last night and watching him splash through the puddles and hearing him giggle when the cold drips from the wet leaves fall on him reminds me of the days when I was young. I can remember one time when Larry and I decide to use a sudden downpour for a quick rainwater fresh shampoo. There we were, standing in the back yard of Mom and Dad's place on Gephart Rd. with a head full of shampoo bubbles and the rain stops. Just one of many of Larry's hair-brained ideas that went wrong.
Anyway, here are a couple of photographs I took this morning while Seth was playing. I include some before and after shots of the front flower bed. Isn't rain amazing?

Something lost in the translation...

One of my son-in-laws, Gerson, is originally from Mexico. Because of the differences in language and culture, he ends up being the brunt of some good natured teasing. Also, we are trying so hard to retrain him so that he "fits in" a little better in social settings. One of the things that G is evidently comfortable with, is eating freely from ANYONE'S plate whether in private or in public. Our family, on the other hand, is totally uncomfortable with that and has been trying to break him of that habit. Unfortunately, G has slip ups quite often. For example, last night all of the family had come over for dinner. We had just cleared the table and most people were at various points in finishing dessert. Ryan, my oldest son, was sitting at the end of the table with a brownie on his plate. Gerson was sitting to his left with his own brownie. I was sitting on Gerson's left and my daughter Leslie was directly across from me. Ryan got up from the table to get a drink of milk at about the same time that Maggie walked up to her daddy (Gerson) and asked for a bite of brownie. Suddenly, Leslie shouts, "Gerson! I can't believe you just did that!" Evidently, when Ryan walked away, Gerson very boldly and without any qualms, decided to reach over with his fork and get a bite of brownie for Maggie off of Ryan's plate instead of his own. Of couse, when he was caught red-handed, he smiled that goofy smile, started chuckling, and said, "What? I was just getting Maggie a bite." Leslie chewed him out for taking food off another person's plate instead of his own. So, Gerson decided to make restitution by taking a bite of brownie off his own plate and placing it on Ryan's plate. Needless to say, that just caused another uproar. I thought Ryan was going to smack the tar out of G, but instead he said, "Dude! Get that @$&*@#* piece of crap off my plate!" Honestly, I think Gerson actually was being greedy and just didn't want to give up a bite of HIS own brownie and thought no one would notice him feeding Maggie from Ryan's plate. But, with that whole language/culture thing going on, will we ever know for sure?