The Newest Blog I Follow

Today is May 8th, 2012...or, to us moms that sent Korea-bound missionaries to the Missionary Training Center, 0508. That is the expected day the missionary is to depart from the MTC. However, Elder Rice, Elder Dyer, Elder Hem, and three other Elders left yesterday morning. As of 2:30 this morning, a check of www.flightarrivals.com confirmed that Singapore Airlines flight 15 landed in Seoul, South Korea at 5:14 P.M. May 8th. There was luggage to gather, a mission president to locate, and at least a two hour drive to the mission home in Daejeon. I am sure the car was full of six sleepy missionaries. So, while it is morning here, it is 16 hours ahead (of Arizona) there. We will get a brief email when they are awake and have a moment. I wanted, thus, to share the new addition to my "Favorite Places"...it being, now, one of my most favorite places, the Daejeon Korea Mission blog. I have followed it for awhile, and Sister Furniss is very good at posting pictures of arrivals, departures, and special days. So, when you see something from the Daejeon Blog, look, for a moment, and see if you can see sweet Elder Rice!

Pre-Mothers' Day

We had a pizza party for the Moms...Nano, Grandma, and Liz Wallin (who will be celebrating Jade's Masters' Degree in Boston) on the Sunday before Mothers' Day. (Makes my Mothers' Day soooo much easier. With a missionary, I will get a Mothers' Day call, though, since he hasn't even been there 24 hours yet, I doubt the logistics of a phone call will be possible. No matter...I talked to him yesterday when he was about to board the plane...he sounded awesome, both in English and Korean! On Mothers' Day, the choir is singing, so I have to get up very early, get ready, get to choir practice, then go to church for three hours, and the last hour, when I sing in the nursery, I come home happy, but exhausted (picture 15 very happy children, and one 51 year old woman, singing, "Hop little bunnies ...hop hop hop" while doing the said hopping. We are talking nap time. Then, no cooking. No cleaning. Just relaxing! Maybe, just maybe, if I am very, very good...I will get to see three little angels on a Skype call...hint hint) Anyway, we made pizzas...at least ten. Dee made. Wade made. Nano decorated. Liz decorated.

 And now, for another episode of "Ethan's Photo Stylings".

He said that if Morgan ever went missing, we could give the police this picture because it really is the only way we see him. Brotherly love...

 Jade and James brought the nicest Edible Arrangement...with the sweetest card!

We took some group pics...

The Wallins

The Family with Grandma (Ethan swiped Nano's cane!)

With Nano

Afterward, I cleaned up...took about two hours. Heck, pizza is not a clean thing, but oh so worth it when you try it. I do miss Nate's, though. He would roll the crust paper thin, and pile on the veggies...with very little cheese. I think I may cry... Nope. Wouldn't have it any other way!

Precious Joshy Spit

I am a Grammy who Love love loves her grandkiddos. Three of them live in Las Vegas. We talk, we text, we Skype, but when they are here, I live "Grammy" and, since I have no drool covered windows, when Joshy stood in my windowsill waaaaay too long ago, I preserved this prize of Grammy-hood...Precious Joshy Spit.

 (Imagine here a clear window with a beautiful green lawn and flowers growing in the flower bed. The white boards are added only to illustrate)

 I circled it on the window, so no one would wash the window (really, not much of an effort to keep people from washing the window...not a throng of folk running for the windex)

 I love looking at that...every single day.

 Well, I walked by, recently, and found...

I don't know why my crazy camera took a mirror-image...help sweet son, Doran...but it says "Precious Dad Spit" and the kids were really grossed out that they could tell the lips, nose tip, and tongue images.

 A few days later, I found ...

 And really, when I confronted Ethan, he didn't realize his ol' Dad had beat him to the punch...seems there was some collusion going on.

 Anyway, I really cannot hold my head up in any self respecting Relief Society meeting (though I am in nursery during Relief Society...my best buds are 18 month to 3 year olds! Just love Henry, Tenney, Cannon, Londyn, Eden, Parker, Carter, Weston, Lucy, Dane, Will, Kennady, Sophie,  Brett, Casen, Samantha, Max,...oh, too many to mention, but they are my besties!) with a window like this... So, time to wash.

 Goodbye Precious Joshy Spit.

I am so sorry I have been a lax poster. I spend my days and weeks cleaning, my evenings raking, digging, moving rocks, cutting pipe, digging trenches (in other words, being Nathan) and at night, I put together care packages for the MTC. I say packages, because Elder Hem, who is in Utah, learning Korean, but a native Cambodian, doesn't get care packages...Mail is far too expensive for that. So, when I make one batch of cookies, I make two. When I buy one box of raisins, I buy two. Elder Hem is my MTC "other" son. It is wonderful, and he wrote us a letter in very broken English expressing his gratitude. So, TWO batches of cookies, two boxes to fill, two letters to write, two of everything...every week. It has been a labor...of love! This is their final week. On Monday, they fly from Utah, to San Francisco, to South Korea (ummm...that little guy in North Korea who has recently been threatening to incinerate South Korea had better re-think...Mommas don't take too kindly to some goofball threatening their sons!) Postage will be awful...and long...so cookies might not be to frequent...or very tasty. (The reason I sent them every week is that I promised cookies for my other missionary sons...A promise is a promise!) Yesterday, my final trip with two boxes addressed to the MTC Mailbox #303 Kor-Dae 0508 with chocolate peanut butter chip, and white chocolate cranberry cookies (freezer dough cleanout), a pepperoni stick, two grapefruit, two oranges, Elder Rice's favorite California Earthquake Potato Chips - went on a special trip to get another bag, but Smart and Final had no more, so Elder Hem gets Cheetos-, thoughts and scriptures I type and print, and two fruit snacks. Tomorrow, the Cinco de Mayo package, with chips, salsa, Elder Rice's favorite hot sauce, spicy caramel corn, and mini sombreros and mustaches will be in the mail. So...my time should be more available. Heck, since my nest abruptly emptied on February 22nd, I have more time on my hands than I realize. Blog will probably be as boring as I am! Anyway, keep that kid in your prayers. It's a long flight. And my kids all know that, though I am much better when Dad has to travel, his trip to and from India was hard...though I get LOTS of work done.

Happy 32nd Anniversary

Thirty-two years ago, at 9:28 am, we were sealed, for time and all eternity, in the Mesa Arizona Temple. Being married...best ever. Being parents...best-er. And Being Grandparents...bestest...totally!

Tonight, we were able to enjoy being parents...and watch the Grand Canyon University Combined Choirs perform "Elijah" with the Phoenix Symphony.

This performance...Kayty is the blonde!

We were actually this close! Dee and the Concert Master were almost knee to knee!

Two hours and thirty seven minutes. But all so worth it!



“Happiness consists not of having, but of being; not of possessing, but of enjoying. It is a warm glow of the heart at peace with itself. A martyr at the stake may have happiness that a king on his throne might envy. Man is the creator of his own happiness. It is the aroma of life, lived in harmony with high ideals. For what a man has he may be dependent upon others; what he is rests with him alone.”    David O. McKay

Happy Birthday Honey!

April 21st Dee turned 55...Yes! 55 means we can go to the grocery stores and get the senior citizen discount! (Now, I have been asked...on more than one occasion...if I would like the 55 and over discount...for MYSELF! Now, I realize that I usually come in my exercise clothing for early morning grocery runs...but really!) He is a hard one to buy for ...if he wants it, we buy it. We are old. So, I gave him a day of "whatever you want, whenever you want". He could call the shots. Whatever he wants to do, to eat...we would do it.

Started out great! He wanted trenches to finish the gazebo and garden watering system (though he planned on trenching, I got out there at dawn and did it. Actually wore a hole through my wrist splint.)

I dug the trench from the water pipes on the left up and under the concrete at the top so we could install another faucet. He was at an auto painting class. Then we put in the rock to complete the gazebo area. 

Nate cut this rock awhile ago. Jessica liked it. So, we called it Jessica-ite. 

I hand dug these. 

Even did a nice 45 degree angle. Not too bad for an old lady. 

I mulched all the grapevince. They are SO much bigger now! 

Grammy's Grapevine Gazebo...much nicer than I ever imagined.

We went to yard sales. We gathered rocks for more cementing in the gazebo area. It was going great...until...the phone rang. Kayty, on her way to work...with tire trouble. We went, changed the tire, and sent her on her way, only to notice that she had troubles with not one, but two tires.

This tire. along with being very warn, had picked up a piece of a mud flap.

He drove her limping car home. I drove her and her friend to Scottsdale to work. We then went, took the tires to Discount Tire, had them mounted, replaced them, and drove her car back to her.

Ethan and Cameo did take us to a nice Italian restaurant for his birthday dinner...the food was awesome and so was the company!!!

Pizza Nite

We haven't had pizza nite since Nate's Farewell Party. So, we decided to round up the kids for a pizza fest.

Most interesting pizza? Alfredo Pizza, with alfredo sauce, roast chicken, pineapple...