HELP!

I am having trouble with Blogger all of a sudden. I can no longer drag and drop the pictures that I want to post in my entries to the spot I want them to be or to even put them in order. Has something chnaged that I don'tknow about or is there a different way to do it? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Aussie Pink Floyd

We went to see Aussie Pink Floyd in concert last night at the Usana. They were such a good cover band. I couldn't believe how much they sounded like the real thing!! We had such GREAT seats....10th row from the front. It's such a different experience when you're that close and can actually see the band and what they're doing. Being that close to the front meant that we were closer to the sound system!! I love feeling that rattle in my chest from the bass. It was a GORGEOUS night for an outdoor concert. I love Usana and have yet to be rained on =)

We almost missed the concert altogether. Chris thought it was on Saturday. Had it not been for his buddy hoping to get a ticket, we would have missed it. It was so ironic that Duane happened to ask Chris about the concert YESTERDAY and not today or Friday. When he went to try and buy a ticket, he immediately informed Chris that the concert was "tonight". Chris called me in a panic at 6:00 from work and told me to be ready when he got home. We were a little late...missed the first two songs, Breathe and Time, which unfortunately were our two VERY FAVORTIE songs and were the songs that we anticipated to hear the most. Oh well, techincally we still heard them, just in the car as we were creeping into the parking lot. We could have made it if it hadn't been for the STUPID constrcution on the road to Usana. But when it all comes down to it, I'm just grateful that we didn't completely miss it. Man, oh man, would Chris have been MAD if that happened. Especially if we had shown up on Saturday to find that Deirks Bently, Jimmy Wayne and Brad Paisley were playing that night. WHEW!!! That really was a close call! (He despises country music......but I don't.)


Toward the end of the show, they brought out this HUGE inflatable kangaroo! It was pretty amusing to watch it bounce up and down!!

My Kids Are Being STALKED...

...By corn stalks, that is!!!! Not to mention the earwigs, grasshoppers and spiders crawling all over the corn stalks. :)


They weren't very happy with me for stuffing these corn stalks in the van from grandpa's garden and then making them sit with them all the way home. I thought it was worth it though because now I can have a cute bundle of corn stalks to put with my scarecrow and didn't have to pay for them :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I swear I just wrote about it being Chelsea's 18th birthday! But here we are, another year later, and it's her 19th birthday. WHOA!

Chelsea is....well....a ray of sunshine!! She has the most positive, upbeat, cheerful disposition and is an absolute joy to be around. She has grown into a beautiful woman and has made her parents very proud. Our hearts swell with joy as we watch her stand tall and shine like a beacon for all to see.


We are so excited to welcome her into our home for a while. She'll be here in 9 days to live with us for a while as she embarks on a new chapter in her life. No one is more excited than Emmy though! She won't be the only girl anymore :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Chelsea!! WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH <3

First Day Of School 2009....AGAIN!

Todd and Landon finally had their first day of school yesterday! It was quite the day for me, I tell ya what!!! I don't know why, but sending my kids to school has never been an easy thing for me to do. And yesterday, I got DOUBLE WHAMMIED!!! I had to send my very nervous Todd to his first day of Jr. High, and then I had to send my baby to kindergarten.

I wanted so bad to take Todd by the hand and be with him, to comfort and console him, and to reassure him that it would be OK. Could you imagine the humiliation for that poor boy if I actually did that! Not that I could have done it, but I really wanted to. He was so nervous that he wouldn't be able to find his classes....even though we did several practice runs last week. I gave him a big hug and sent him on his way with his friends, Sean and Travis. Luckily I was able to hide my tears from him, but the dam broke as I watched him disappear down the street. I was nervous for him :) I'm finding it very hard to detach a little and let him do this on his own, but do it, I must. I've got to let him have this independence, but it's coming with some growing pains for me that I didn't expect. What can I say, I don't want him to grow up!!!!

I had enough time to recover from the tears that fell when I sent Todd off and then it was time to take Landon. At least I COULD take him by the hand and walk him across the street to the school. I could even hug him and kiss him!! And yes, I cried! Like a baby! The great thing is that I had lots of support! Three of our neighbors were there, doing the same thing I was! Landon was so happy that he has friends he knows in his class. It helped ease some of the nervousness he was feeling. Last week during his testing session, his teacher gave him a bracelet that said "BE BRAVE". She told him to wear it the first day so he would remember that being brave would be his first job in kindergarten. Especially because mom would probably cry. Yea, she knows me! She taught Todd, Emily and Dylan as well. As the kids al lined up to walk into the school, one of the parents noticed that the class was mostly boys. Mrs. Lauritzen (the teacher) turned around and told us that there are only 3 girls in the whole class....and 18 boys!!! WOW!

So here are the pictures I took. I have LOTS of Landon - because I could. Todd, on the other hand, well, only two. My very favorite one of Landon is the one where he's showing me his BE BRAVE bracelet. It absolutely MELTS my heart....and makes me cry!!!!

First Day Of School 2009

It's hard to believe that a new school year is upon us!! Seriously, I can't believe it. I decided to start blogging a year ago, with the 1st day of school being my first entry!! Really, where does time go? It flies past me so fast now days that I can hardly believe it's real.

This year, only Emily (5th grade) and Dylan (3rd grade) started school today. Todd's first day of Junior High isn't until next Wednesday, and Landon doesn't start kindergarten until next Monday because the first week of school is all testing for them.

I took Emmy and Dylan outside for their traditional 1st day of school picture and started laughing as I realized that they were color coordinated, but opposite, of each other!! This wasn't planned....I promise!! They chose their own first day outfits. I had nothing to do with it, but I thought it was funny that even their shoes were opposite.

I hope in a few months from now, they're still just as excited and enthusiastic about going to school as they were today!

Just One More Reason....

In our neighborhood, we're pretty much known as the family with, what we like to call, "The Fleet", of junker cars/trucks sitting in our driveway. Mind you, they're ALL functional vehicles. They're just old! Our newest one is the 1997 Grand Caravan. Chris' "testosterone challenged" truck is a 1993, and our "Big Blue Whale" (that we paid a WHOPPIN' $500 FOR) is an '87!!! But guess what??? Thanks to my AWESOME, self teaching husband, they all run perfectly!! They don't just clunk their way from point A to point B. They really do run top notch.


NEVER, in the history of our marriage, have we paid a mechanic!! Chris has never taken shop classes, he just bought the Chilton manuals for each vehicle and taught himself. I'm so grateful that he's so willing to do that! He has saved us THOUSANDS of dollars.

Our latest issue is the van. It just quit one day...totally dead. He did some diagnostic tests and figured the problem to be the starter, which he replaced only a few years ago. A little stumped as to why he'd have to be replacing the starter again already, he took it out to replace it. But rather than just run to Checker to buy a new part ($60), he took the old one apart to see if he could see a problem. The fix ended up being quite simple. The contacts that the current runs through to engage the starter were REALLY grimy, greasy and dirty. So he disassembled it, cleaned it all up with rubbing alcohol, made look all shiny and new, and wouldn't ya know......it worked!!!! What seemed to be a horrible problem because the van wouldn't start AT ALL, ended up not costing us a penny to fix!!! So, as he finishes up ANOTHER auto job on one of "The Fleet", I just had to snap this picture!! This is just one more reason why he is my HERO!!