Friday, June 13, 2008

My Brag Moment

Sometimes, we only hear bad news...and I want to share some good news. I am so.... well pleased with Kaity and Nathan. Wednesday, Nathan's report card came: straight A's, 4.25 GPA (he is at a college prep school and took an honors class) Not too bad for changing to a new school! Today, Kaity's diploma came, and her final, official transcripts... straight A's (even that pesky Earth Science class online/computer...she pulled an A-) all four years, 4.0 GPA, ranked 1 of 44!! What great, hard working kids we were blessed with. And a special Thank you goes to my older children, for setting such a good example for them! Kaity watched Allison read and study, and it just became part of her routine, as well. Nathan had hard working brothers: Ethan always tried to be number one in his classes, and Doran, though school was not easy for him, he always worked hard, studied, did his best on projects, and turned in his work on time. Allison, Ethan, and Doran, you made our life so much easier!!

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

I Am Awful!!

It took a visit with my daughter in law, sweet Danyel, to point out the error of my ways!! I get on my blog and then check others to see their news...I just love to see how my grandkids are doing, how some of the kids my kids grew up with are progressing. I even get bothered...just a little...when they don't post regularly. Then, Danyel said, "Mom, when are you going to post something?" Out of the mouths of babes!! I read, but don't report. Shame on me. So, here is the update for June, so far.

We are still working on the yard project. First, we had pool troubles. Our pool was just as green as can be. Dee works on that pool all the time...every day... so it is not a case of neglect. Turns out, our salt pool stays nice and clean, as long as we fill it with chlorine tabs...Now, go figure! So, for now, a clear pool is better than one with salt only. We will figure out that mess later.

We have a new family member...Mr. Turtle, or Senor Tortuga (we don't know if he speaks Spanish or English). Doran and Danyel found a smaller desert tortoise on their way home one evening trying to cross the street. He now lives in our back yard. We lost him for a few days, and thought he may have escaped through an open gate, but Nathan saw him this morning out by the hay bales in the garden. I went and fed him his usual lettuce, and he seemed...well when I could see his head... somewhat happy.

Our next project in the yard involves concrete. Dee wanted to extend a patio by our outdoor kitchen, so he would have a place for the smoker, etc. Well, we are putting up the forms now, and hope to pour phase 1 Saturday. I think that my sweet husband will not rest until this whole yard is under concrete!! He even showed me his calculations on the payoff for covering our dirt with concrete as opposed to the money for weed killer and the man hours for digging, etc. Such a statistician!! So, he and I are putting up forms now.

Kid info: Kate and Nate are happily out of school for a while. Kate has three piano students and she works at Party City, near our house. Nathan is now on our stake pioneer trek (I took him to church this morning to leave for the trip, and it looked like a regular ol' polygamist convention - except for the fact that there were so many men there. I never see too many men in those news reports about that polygamist group in Texas. The girls were in pioneer dresses and bonnets, the boys in shirts, pants, and suspenders, and hats. I told the girls that they would not be mistaken for polygamists. The ladies do their hair just that certain way...you have seen it, and my sister, Sharynn, pointed them out to me up where she lives in Utah. My polygamist spying was one of the highlights of our last visit there. Nathan works at Waterworld, and is training for the football team at his school.

There...out of the doghouse, at least for a day. I am going to do the cleaning I didn't get done this morning due to the fact that I got caught up painting Nathan's room. (he wants desert camo painted walls.) He is at trek this week, comes home for a few days, then off to EFY next week. We shall see how it comes out!!