Spare the rod....

Spoil the Child....I think that's how the saying goes.
In case you haven't heard (or received a text)
Parker now has his own cell phone.
Now I don't want anyone to think that we spoil our children for no reason.
We have a very good reason for doing it this time.
Let me back up a bit to one year ago when we found out that Parker received 100% score in Math and Reading in the CRT tests at school. We were so proud of him that we let him pick out a lizard that he had been wanting. (I need to post a current picture of Godzilla...oh I mean Clev)

Well, yesterday I received another call from his principal telling us that he received another 100% score in the Math portion of this year's CRT test. He was one of 5 out of 170 students. So not wanting to break tradition....we gave in to Parker's 6+ months plea of wanting a cell phone. "But mom, Everyone has one". Or the time I thought the carpool was picking up Parker from school, but they picked their kids up early. When I found Parker, already walking home...he said, "See, that's why I need a cell phone".
Ryan and I have held pretty strong through the past few months, but just between us, we were about ready to give in anyway. So when we heard the news of his wonderful test scores, we caved!
Parker is so excited and has been texting his buddies that have phones non-stop. Good thing we have unlimited texting. He even sent me a text last night after he went up to bed to tell me goodnight. Ahhh ...nothing like technology to bring a family together. LOL
Ryan has been VERY clear about not wasting minutes by calling friends when he's at home. He does have permission to call anyone on the Verizon plan all he wants (so look out everyone)
When Parker showed up with a new phone, we thought Miranda would want to get one herself. She has a hand-me-down of Ryans (from a couple phones back). But we were wrong. She wants nothing to do with a new phone. She likes her "vintage" one just fine. (her words not mine).
Miranda rarely uses her phone, and never seems to take it when she may actually need it. One time Ryan gave her a hard time because she only used 2 minutes that month. Such a rare breed indeed!
So yes, there are times we spoil our children, but they are both such wonderful students and really don't ever give us too much trouble, so a little spoiling once in a while can't hurt. TTFN

Darn it....

I'VE BEEN TAGGED!
When I started my blog I knew there was this "game" lurking among all bloggers. I had so hoped to avoid being tagged. Since not too many people read my blog I figured my chances were pretty good. However....thanks so much to my once dear friend Sommer.... I now have the chance to participate in this blog ritual. I know....I could just ignore it. I'm always the one who ends the chain on those emails that says..."do not delete or your computer will explode" or seven years bad luck if you don't forward this to 20 people (honestly I don't think I have 20 people in my contact list). BUT.....guilt and blog buddy shame would get the best of me if I didn't comply with the Tag rules. So....here goes

How To Play This Game of Tag: Post these rules on your blog. List: 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the
end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog!

3 joys:
1. Seeing my family happy and healthy! Definitely the top of my list!
2. Having a perfectly clean house in every way possible. Right down to ironing, clean sheets, baseboards, the works. Doesn't happen often but I get pretty close sometimes.
3. Being in COMPLETE Creative mode...in whatever means possible.... cards, scrapbooks, cake making, baking, flower arranging anything that I can just lose myself!


3 Fears:
1. Being Tagged (Thanks a lot Sommer for making me face my fear)
2. Driving next to Semi Trucks ..... (especially on a curve in the road...at night...in the Gorge!)
3. Not doing enough as a mom....(you know, perfect children, Teaching them all they need to know, clean house, home cooked meal every night, Always happy) We can only do our best right?

3 Goals:
1. To go to Hawaii (been trying to get there since my 10th anniversary)
2. To be published - (oh wait...I did that one.. he he)
To finish the remodel plans for our house especially bathrooms.
3. To finally see a difference with all the exercising I've been doing......still waiting...and waiting

3 obsessions:
1. Time (Just ask my family how I get when we're late)
2. Details - I like every last little tiny detail to be perfect... so much so, that I know I can be annoying. (thus my Martha Stewart nickname)
3. Scrapbook supplies....I just gotta have MORE! I'm such a sucker for a new line of paper! (good thing I have an understanding hubbie...love you babe!)

3 Random surprising facts:
I'm such an open book, but lets see...
1. I always check the backseat when I get back to my car after a late night shopping trip.. (you never know)
2. I have crazy craving for Cafe Rio salads all the time! Thankfully there is one opening near me soon!
3. I've never touched one of Ryan's mounted animals. They are beautiful to look at, but touching them gives me the heebie jeebies! Ok, one time I rubbed my arm against one of them but I seriously about jumped out of my skin! I can't even walk on the zebra skin rug with my shoes on!

So that's it....that wasn't so painful.....it only took me HOURS to come up with these lists.
I get so caught up in spending time on my blog....hey maybe that's another obsession, can I have more?
Hopefully the people I tag will enjoy the torture I'm sending their way.
I tag, Natalie, Stacie, Miranda, Nicole, and Stori. (sorry guys...don't hate me)

I can't believe it!

I'm being published again!
My Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie favors are going to be published in the Oct/Nov issue of Paper Trends. This magazine is created by the same company as CARDS.
I created 35 little pie boxes for Thanksgiving last year filled with little candy treats for everyone.
When I read the email I couldn't get hold of anyone to share my excitement. Ryan was even gone on the Rhino. Finally Nancie answered then Heather called me back.
I'm gonna need to get my creative juices flowing and see if I can go for 3!

S'More Fun

Today at Parker's school they had Solar Power Hour!
They turned off all the lights inside the school and the classes went outside to "cook" hot dogs or s'mores using only the sun. Parker's class made S'mores. Miranda and I went in to help out.
Some kids used glass containers other's used metal cookie sheets and others just put them on foil. The results were pretty much the same. The large marshmallows were just too big to melt in the sun, the mini mallows did much better. The chocolate, however, had no problem melting in the 85 degree weather no matter what method they used. There could have been different results if they had started the marshmallows first then added chocolate later. The mallows definitely take longer to soften than the chocolate. The kids weren't too patient.. once the chocolate was melted they just wanted to eat it.Who needs campfires when you've got the sunshine, and we're definitely not lacking that in Vegas. What a fun backyard activity to do this summer when the kids complain they are bored! I hear Peanut Butter cups are a great substitute for chocolate bars too! Hummm....might have to do some experimenting myself.

Memorial Day Fun

We had a very relaxing Memorial Weekend. (My favorite kind)
The Christoffersen's came over for an impromptu Barbecue Monday afternoon.
It was great to just hang out in the backyard. We had to put Gus away while we were eating dinner, but when we let him out.....he was ALL over the place (notice 2 of Gus in the picture)
This was a tricky photo to take one handed while keeping Gus away from the burger.
We had a little fun with the Panoramic features on my camera.... 3 of Byron is scary!
And played a very intense game of Liers Dice. (Parker won...but Sommer was a very close second) Turns out nobody was a very good lier.
The kids kept all the flies away with the handy dandy swat gun.After a little scrapbook and hunting talk....we ended the evening with a few sparklers just for fun.There's nothing better than, good food, friends, fly swatter, fireworks and a camera!

B. Denet

I make the Sacrament programs each week for church. A while back I started putting artwork from the children in our ward on the front cover. I scan their image into the computer and put their name across the bottom. They just love it!
Today after Sacrament a little girl came over to Ryan and I and had a picture in her hand. Ryan and I both assumed it was a drawing for the program, but instead of giving it to me, she handed it to Ryan. He politely said "Thanks" to her then was about to pass it along to me when he took a good look at the image she had drawn.
She had drawn a picture of Ryan (Brother Denet). We're not quite sure what prompted her to create this picture. Whether it was the comment Ryan made about her cute hair right before Sacrament, or the fact that Ryan Home Teaches her family and the topic today was about Home and Visiting Teaching.
Whatever the reason....it made Ryan feel pretty special, (especially since she gave him lots of hair!)

Take me out to the Ballgame

A while back Ryan bought tickets to a 51's game for the entire office staff. Most of them bailed on us, but the remaining 3 joined our family at the game. Parker was able to invite Brecken since we had extra tickets. Miranda tried to invite a friend, but no luck, so reluctantly she went along, and I think she secretly had a fun time. It was raining when we left the house so weren't sure if it would be called for rain, but the skies cleared and it was a beautiful evening.
We had excellent seats right behind home plate not too far back and it wasn't very crowded.
It was free hat night so everyone in our group got a 51's hat.
The boys were brave enough to take a picture with the 51's mascot, Cosmo the alien
(looks a little like Jar Jar Binks if you ask me).We (meaning the kids) consumed Hot dogs, Hamburgers, pretzels, peanuts, and ice cream while the 51's played a winning game of 11 to 3. It was also Fireworks night so we had an amazing show put to music (one to rival Cedar's 4th of July). What a fun way to start off our extended Memorial weekend! No major plans for the rest of the weekend....just making it up as we go along. Perhaps catch a couple movies that have just come out.
Ryan keeps thinking I'm going to start working on some project, but I have assured I'm not. I may actually sit and scrapbook in my newly cleaned craft room. Except that I hate to mess things up once I get it clean. Such a vicious cycle.

Acting and Singing up a storm

If you'll allow me to brag a bit....I have two very talented children.
Over the past two days we have attended a Parker's class play and Miranda's choir concert. They both did a superb job!
Parker played Lewis Carroll in the play Alice in Wonderland. He played the role very well, right
down to the accent! He looked quite handsome in his suit as well.













Miranda had her final Choir Concert. She's in the Show choir as well as Concert Choir. She amazes me how many songs she keeps in her head between both school choirs, Broadway and Handy Choir. She gave me a count a while ago. She never misses a beat! She goes to school an hour early each day to attend the show choir rehearsals. She rarely complains about waking up at 6am. (I do enough for the both of us)
She wasn't much for picture taking this evening (surprise surprise) but I did manage this cheesy grin with her friend (who is moving into our ward soon).
Both Miranda and Parker should be happy with their performances.
They both love to perform and of course they get it all from me. (wink wink)

Let's catch up...

Things have been so crazy lately I haven't been able to post like I would like to.
So now I get to play catch up for a minute.
Friday night was the school's movie night. It went very well and we had about 200 in attendance. We had estimated around 500 so we had PLENTY of snacks. This was the first time doing this so we had no clue what to expect. Amber and Harlen did our sound and it was incredible. They also took cf lights for our concession booth.
Thanks for coming all the way to my side of town to help us out!
Miranda stayed home and had a couple friends come over. They had a crazy- fun time!
I tried to take a picture of them, but no one was cooperating ...hummm imagine that.
In this shot, Miranda is charging towards me to take the camera away.
Needless to say it was a late night!

Saturday, following Stake women's choir rehearsal for me and Broadway rehearsal for Miranda, the kids had a recital for their "Handy Choir". This recital featured spotlight solo numbers from some of the kids. Now you would think that Miranda would jump at the opportunity to perform, but NO.....it was Parker who wanted to do a solo. He sang "Santa Fe" from Newsies. I was so proud of him. I was crying so much I'm not sure how steady I kept the video camera. I kept looking at the words to the song in case he needed any prompting, but I couldn't even read it through my tears. (I'm such a softie)
After their performance we headed to Henderson for a bridal shower and to start on a wedding cake. My cousin is getting married and the shower was for his bride to be and the cake is for them as well. Mom is heading up the wedding plans for them, so, of course I'm pitching in with the cake, flowers, food, favors and whatever else I can (that starts with F).
Mom and I make a pretty good team when it comes to things like that. Oh, I finally got a photo of us together. ( Although I realized the flash wasn't on so it's a little dark). We even have our monogrammed aprons so you can tell us apart.
We made 30 calla lilies out of fondant to put on the final wedding cake. I was pretty happy with the way they turned out. Once I got my system down it wasn't too hard to do. Kind of fun actually! The final cake is going to be covered in fondant, however , it's going to be pleated. It'll be a fun challenge to say the least. We're not making the cake until the 31st, but I'll be sure to post more pictures of the final cake then.The kids tagged along with me to Henderson. Miranda just hung out and watched a movie, while Parker goofed off with his cousin Josh. they were going crazy with my camera and even figured out how to take panoramic photos using it. They are such goof offs. It's amazing how I was able to concentrate with all their craziness around us. They even used my camera to video tape some skit they made up. Not sure how to upload that yet.
It was another late night for us. I didn't get to bed until 1am!
Today was Stake conference. It was very enriching as usual.
I was also able to cut and assemble the card kits for my RS class on Thursday.
Glad to have those crossed off my to do list!
Ryan may be home tonight unless he's too tired to drive from Cedar.
And yes....I turned on my air today, but only to 78 degrees. I figured since it's 100 outside it needs to be less than 82 inside. Parker even complained of it being too cold. Hummm, maybe I'll turn it up to 79.

All is well

I just wanted to update everyone on Raynold, Ryan's dad. He was having slurred speech for the past week or so. He finally went into the doctor on Friday morning. It was determined that he had bleeding around his brain. Complications from the accident he had a while back. Ryan drove up Friday night to take his parents to Provo to see a specialist and possibly surgery to drain the blood. (sorry so graphic)

After and MRI and CAT scan it was determined that he definitely needed the surgery.
They were able to drain most the blood on the right side but they didn't want to do the left side at the same time.

Raynold is doing very well today. He's reading the paper and they even had him walk around.
They are going to do another CAT scan in the morning to determine if they need to drain the left side or not.
Nancie is staying in a family residence by the hospital and Ryan is coming home tonight.

I'm so grateful that he is doing so well.

If life were easy....

...It wouldn't be any fun at all!

Everything and Everyone is in full swing here at the Dennett household. Everyone has lots on their to do list. Thank goodness there's only a few weeks to go until things settle down. Anyone can handle being busy for a little while...right?
*Miranda has started working on a solo and duet for a competition the end of June so she's added a few extra rehearsals to her already busy schedule.
* Parker is in a school play of Alice in Wonderland and has an after school practice this week.
*This Friday is our ward's Father & Son outing. Unfortunately it is the same night as our school Movie Night, so Parker is torn about missing either one. I'm not sure what he'll decide to do.
*I've been briefed on my Girls Camp duties and have already started preparations for next Wednesday's First Aid certification night.
I'm helping with a wedding for my cousin and we're working on the cake this weekend.
I've been getting ready for the Movie Night this Friday at school.
I have 55 card kits to assemble for next Thursday's RS Card Class
*Ryan has just settled a HUGE case he's been working on for 4 years! He's relieved and stressed at the same time. He still has lots of details to work out before it's ALL done.

I'm trying so hard to keep things here at home a non-stress zone for everyone.
We may have had a few too many "fend for yourself" dinner's lately. And the clothes that I washed last week may still be waiting to be folded. And perhaps the house isn't as clean as I would prefer, (these are all hypothetical of course). Ryan has been very patient with me and pitches in when he can.

I read in a magazine today that if we would change our thinking from......
"I SHOULD be doing this" to "I COULD be doing this"
It helps take away the guilt we feel when we don't do everything we would like to do.
Makes perfect sense to me. I put so much guilt on myself for things I "should" be doing.
When I know perfectly well....I Can't do everything!

So.....I could be putting away the dishes in the dishwasher, but I'm going to go settle in bed and read the Host for a bit.

BTW....I still haven't turned on the AC, but this weekend is supposed to get into the 90's so I might break down!

Happy Mother's Day!

Just a little shout out to all the Mother's out there! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day. I'm writing this post while Ryan and the kids prepare dinner/lunch. (That includes carrot cake for dessert!)Yes, that is the tomato and cucumbers from our garden!

Ahhhh....Calgon...take me away!
I have grand plans today of taking a nap and ...well,... taking a nap.
No plans for me today! Just spending time at home with the one's I love...my family!

Thankfully my family is still speaking to me after what I did to them this morning.
I set my alarm for 7:30 this morning to get up and going for church. (trust me the time frame is important to the story)
After I showered and dressed, I went to wake Miranda (around 7:50). I continued getting ready while Miranda showered. Then about 8:15 I woke Parker to get him going and in the shower.
So, Miranda, Parker and I were ready to go by 8:45.
So I'm pacing in the kitchen wondering why Ryan hasn't come out of the casita to get dressed and ready to go. (he knows how I am about being late).
I resisted as long as I could, but finally I went to the casita to see what he was doing.
He tells me I gave him a very crusty look as I asked why he wasn't ready to go.
He innocently replied...."because it's only 7:45".
Uggghhh.......I can't believe I missed out on an hour of sleep because I somehow messed up the time on my clock.
Parker said..."No wonder I'm so tired". Miranda just laughed and asked what I wanted for breakfast. (what a sweetie)

I'm so grateful that I can be a mother to such wonderful children. I know I brag on them a ton, but isn't that what being a mom is all about? They bring me so much happiness. I can't imagine my life without them in it. They are growing up so fast. I know I always say that, but it's so true.

I appreciate all the things my own mother has taught me. She is patient, kind, forgiving, and charitable to the extreme! All the things I hope to be and to teach to my own children. I was looking earlier for a picture of her and I together to post, but I couldn't find one. How sad is that? I found this picture of all my family taken a couple years ago. Flash forward...... I saved my post in draft so I could eat a wonderful meal and enjoy the afternoon with my family. We ate outside and enjoyed the beautiful spring day. We stayed out there just hanging out for over an hour. Now after a nap, reading "the Host" and watching a movie with the kids I'm ready to finish. (yes, Miranda agreed to let me borrow her book as long as I don't take it out of the house and I don't eat while reading)
Miranda gave me her gift tonight and it was well worth the wait. She designed a mini album for me. It is so neat. She printed photo's off the computer to use and decorated each page. She had to work on it upstairs in secret so I wouldn't see it. What a sweetheart. Parker gave me a coupon book complete with a 10 minute back rub....can't wait to collect on that one.
I love Miranda and Parker sooooo much. I'm so proud to be their mother. I told them at Easter that I was going to make them take more family photo's today, but they changed into their pj's right after church and I just forgot until later. Don't worry....I'll get 'em tomorrow!
Happy Mother's Day!

How long can I last?

That is the question I ask myself each spring as the temperature begins to rise outside AND inside! Anyone who lives in Vegas knows what I'm talking about. You open the windows and doors at night to hopefully cool things down enough to sleep. You know you want to....but just can't bring yourself to turn on the AC just yet. Nevada Power will just have to wait a little longer to collect my life savings.
I am, however, almost to my breaking point. All the ceiling fans are going full speed and I'm drinking lots of ice water to keep my body temp cool. I know...as much as I despise the cold you would think I'd be in heaven. Luckily the kids aren't complaining (too badly), and Ryan is on board with me in playing the waiting game.
At first my goal was to make it to May (did that). Now maybe I'll try for June.....YEAH RIGHT!

Fruits of My Labor

I feel so behind when I don't blog for a couple days. So much to tell and so little energy (he he) Actually I'm feeling much more in control than I was before. (I knew I'd survive) Guess I'd better back track to get up to date.....
I wanted to update with the fruits of my labors....
The first fruit is actually a vegetable and a fruit (he he)
I was able to pick the first tomato and cucumber from our garden.... I can't believe I actually have a garden again! The zucchini and squash aren't too far away from being ready. I used some of the cilantro in my salsa I made for the luncheon. And the lizard is quite enjoying the basil and cilantro as well. No I have to confess...I haven't eaten these yet, BUT I will very soon.Another fruit of my labor is actually from my labor and delivery.... (he he)
Wednesday night was Parker's Choir concert. The theme for the concert was "Music from Around The World" Each of the kids got to wear a costume representing different countries. Parker was soooo excited that he got the costume he wanted.....French. He got to wear a beret and everything!Parker took his role in the choir VERY seriously. I tried to get him to smile, but he was all business. I think he managed a couple smirks in between songs. Miranda was able to help out with the CD player that night...she did so well! I'm so glad that both kids have a love of music. I think at least a bit of that has come from me. Since the Stake Broadway Play, they have been singing songs all week. It's so fun to hear them harmonize and sing together. Parker is even going to do a solo song at his Choir concert next Saturday.... (Santa Fe from Newsies). Miranda decided not to sing solo because she already had enough to sing. He and Miranda are both involved in a choir directed by a lady that used to be in our ward. Just a little side job for the two of them....(and one more place to run them to ;0P

Moving on to the third fruit of my labor.....Thursday was the Teacher Luncheon.
After a few days of intensive labor...it's finally done.
It went very well...all the teachers ranted and raved about all the delicious food and the decor. Even today when I went in to help in Parker's class, the teachers stopped me to thank me. The Chocolate and Caramel fountains were a hit...(thanks Stacie for letting me borrow your twin fountain). I don't get mine out too often, but I love to use it! I forgot to get pictures of my centerpieces. I found little tea roses and put them in decorative tins with pink, green and yellow "grass" pouffing out. The tablecloths were pink, green and yellow to coordinate with the stripe on the food tables. We also had raffle prizes for each of the teachers. Nicki and I spent the last couple days collecting and wrapping the gifts.
However, my day didn't end there.... I attended my first Stake Girls Camp meeting(gotta start getting geared up for that) as well as the cast party for the Stake Play (Parker was set on going).
I was EXTREMELY exhausted at the end of the day and was in bed before 10pm. (Shocker...I know). My legs are still aching from all the use.
Now I'm all up to date to today. This morning I actually had a bit of time to put my downstairs back in order. It needed it desperately.
Tonight, I actually sat down and relaxed while Miranda and I watched 27 dresses. Very cute movie, and yes...I cried at the end. Hey, it was a wedding, what do you expect!
Now I'm looking forward to a relaxing Mother's day weekend.

Breathe in....Breathe out....

I find I need to remind myself to do simple things (like breathing) lately or I might forget something. I've resorted to my daily to do list which only happens when I'm super super busy.
If only there were just a couple more hours in the day (and I didn't waste them).
Sorry to bore everyone with my craziness......moving on...

Today was the release of a new novel from Stephenie Meyer called The Host.
(sorry about the ginormous picture of the cover)
Miranda has been anxiously awaiting this book. She wanted us to take her to the store before school so she could take it with her. So to surprise her, I went to Walmart at midnight last night to pick it up for her. Unfortunately they didn't have it out yet. So, on a whim, I stopped at Smith's to see if they happened to have one. Lucky me....they did. I tied a bow around it and put it on Miranda's nightstand so she would find it when she turned off her alarm. She's been reading non-stop and shushes us when we interrupt her precious reading time.

The 4th book in the Twilight Series comes out August 2nd....she's planning on attending a midnight release party with a couple of her friends when that comes out.

Parker got a new game for the Wii Yesterday.(note to self...don't send Parker with Dad to go to Best Buy) I think it's called Mario Kart. He worked out a deal with Ryan to pay for the game over the next few weeks. Parker is quite the negotiator. (Either that or Ryan and I are just pushovers. Nah!)

Today I was able to go shopping for groceries and the luncheon, make salsa and turtle brownie bites for the Teacher Luncheon on Thursday. I Took Miranda to voice and also managed a few loads of laundry...oops, forgot to put the clean sheets back on the bed (Ryan must be cussing me right now... he he)
Tomorrow I'll hardly be at home until evening between the office, PTA and classes. Parker has his first Choir Concert for school tomorrow night. He's pretty excited.
Like I said before.....breathe in....breathe out.....

Back to Normal?

Well, it's over. The stake play is officially finished. It's been a crazy but enjoyable week I had a wonderful time and I was glad to have my entire family there involved with me. All the performances went great! And I must say the back stage crew was the BOMB!!!
I mean just look at us! (don't let Miranda's smirk fool you...she had fun)We all worked together like a well oiled machine! Parker had a great time hanging out with all his song buddies too.... The little guy in the long johns stole the show!The clean-up didn't take too long...we were out of there before 10pm. Amazing how fast things like this come down when everyone pitches in!
Today was nice and relaxing.....I actually cut out a project for all the teachers I was planning to do because I just don't have the time to get it finished this week. (So unlike me) It's Teacher appreciation week and I'm going to be busy getting ready for the luncheon on Thursday.
I'm going to do a chocolate and caramel fountain with all the dippers, homemade salsa, and turtle brownies. Bills need to go out this week at the office and believe it or not...my house has felt a little neglected this past week so I need to focus a bit on that.
The kids are ready to get back to a bit of normalcy too. (whatever that means ;)
Looking at the weeks and months ahead things aren't going to slow down too much for a while. I've just been called into the Stake YW Girls Camp committee, so Miranda will have to put up with me at Girls Camp.

Opening Night

Tonight was our official opening night for the Stake Play. It went sooooo well!
Last night was family night and there were still a couple glitches, but tonight was awesome!
The cast and set crew were right on the money with everything!
We had over 300 people attend tonight and about that many to attend both performances tomorrow.
Seriously that's all our family has been doing this week so I don't have a lot more to post about.
Parker is doing a great job with his part. It may be small but he doesn't mind. He just dances around with some other kids while the song from Oklahoma "Can't Say No" (My theme song) is being sung. It's pretty cute.



















Miranda is just excited to be involved in any way she can. They only allowed kids 14 and older to be in it and she was extremely depressed about that. She is my set prop girl backstage. She does a great job and I think has fun doing it.


Ryan is being such a good sport about helping with the set. He likes to complain, but secretly I think he enjoys it. Hopefully our family will get lots of blessings with all the service hours we're putting in (he he).
I personally love this kind of thing. I like to be busy and involved in things. Just my nature I suppose.

Broadway Baby

What a crazy week this has been so far. And It is only going to get more crazy. Our Stake is putting on a play. It's a Broadway review and has different songs from many Broadway plays. My friend Nicki is producing it and I've jumped in to help her out.
I'm doing the curtain and managing the backstage set changes, Parker is in one of the numbers, Miranda would love to be in it, but it's for 14 and older, so she is helping me backstage, Ryan is also helping with the set changes backstage so as you see our entire family is involved. We spent all of last Saturday at rehearsal, as well as every night this week. Tonight is the Family show and Friday and Saturday night are the big performances as well as a matinee on Saturday.
Here's a link for information for our Stake Play in case anyone would like to come. You do need a ticket, but they are free. Actually, Miranda and I are ticket takers as well, so if someone doesn't have a ticket we'll still let you in. It's going to be a fabulous show! Nicki has done a great job with it.
Needless to say every night this week has been and will be spent at the church. I hope Ryan is still speaking to me after this is over. I'm not sure he's as excited as I am to be helping out. I think it's fun to have our entire family helping out and involved.
I've taken my camera every night but have been too caught up in things to remember to get any shots. I'll try tonight to get some of Parker and the set.