Dream Big

What a surreal moment! I am in Copenhagen, Denmark listening to Beyonce on my ipod and blogging on a computer that is in Danish but yet I can pull up my blog from another part of the world and pictures that were taken before I even left home. Technology is crazy!!! We encourage our kids to set goals for themselves but sometimes I wonder if it is possible for them to dream big enough for this ever changing world we live in. Certainly as a teenager I would not have been able to comprehend the amazing opportunities that were in my future...let alone understand such technology that had not yet been created such as ipods, blogging, digital cameras, texting my kids before we taxied down the runway to say I love them again, checking my e-mails in another country, etc. And so I wonder what amazing opportunities still lay ahead for myself and for my kids. I guess that will give me something to ponder as I lay awake jet-lagged tonight. Then tomorrow we climb on a ship to travel through various ports throughout the Baltic and so for the next week I will leave technology behind and explore the history of some amazing European Cities.
Note to Readers: My teenage daughter thinks I am the ONLY mom that listens to Beyonce so if you too love Beyonce, give a shout out so my daughter can knew her mother is NORMAL.
Note to Burglars: Though I am not at home...our very large & scary guard dog is along with a housesitter that is a Green Beret, martial arts expert and a member of a local SWAT team.

My New Love

I am so in love with this little guy. This is my nephew Zachary Kevin Warner. I have been able to spend so much time with him these past few weeks. I first saw him on July 3 when we arrived in Utah and it was love at first sight. He is named after my brother Kevin who passed away 7 1/2 years ago. There is something in the way he smiles that reminds me of my brother. He is such a sweetie and we've had lots of good cuddle time together. And my sister is amazing! This is her 5th baby and she is such an organized Mom. Her house is very calm, always clean and she makes entire meals from what they grow in their garden. She is my sister that lived in Arizona until two years ago. We parked our RV in front of her house during our visit and it felt like we lived near each other again...walking in the front door without knocking, making ourselves at home, treating each other's kids like our own. I miss them living in Arizona SO MUCH but I love how happy they are in their new location and know that is what is best for them.

Kyle's Motto - Tri Your Best

So what do most 42 year old men do on a Saturday Morning at about 4 AM? Well for Kyle, June 6 before the sun came up and while his wife and three kids were still catching some shut eye for a few more hours (well not too many more hours since we had to leave for a swim meet at 6:30 AM), Kyle was loading his bike & helmet, swim cap & goggles, running shoes & ipod into his jeep for a Sprint Triathlon at Lake Pleasant. And for any of you non-believers out there... here's the pictures to prove it.

Photos of Kyle's Lake Pleasant Triathlon

Our Dad is Superman!!!

So I know that there are a lot of really great Dads out there and we would even like to wish all of them a Happy Father's Day. Forgive us if we burst anyone's bubble with this next part...but our Dad is pretty much the best Dad on the planet. In fact, we would even go so far as to suggest that our Dad may be a superhero. Since he is out of town on this Father's Day, we've been snooping around just a little to see if we can confirm our suspicions. Evidence to date includes: an unusually large number of superman neckties (how many does the Dad at your house own?) and other superman paraphanelia such as fridge magnets, note pads, etc. It also seems that he throws suspicion off of himself by constantly calling other people superman. Interviews with numerous business, church and neighborhood colleagues verifies that they have been called superman on more than one occasion by our Daddy.

At the very least, our Dad possesses superhuman qualities such as the ability to rise at 5 AM and go for a 6-8 mile run then come back & swim laps in the pool. He then works a 10 hour work day and while driving home remembers to call the appropriate child and ask them about their school exam, talent show, swim meet, school play, sport or dance practice, etc. He joins the family for dinner and regales them with trivia that is so random but has been garnished from that day's learnings, radio listening, scripture study, self-help book, etc. He always has some advice for how each kid (& even Mom) can get more out of their next days swim practice, cross country run, gym workout, lifeguard class, backyard basketball drills, etc. He always believes that each of us has the ability to do a little better, try a little harder, stretch ourselves a little more. (I think he forgets that we aren't superheroes.) He doesn't go to bed until the last child is in bed and then reads from some kind of a motivational or leadership book before going to sleep. He then wakes up 6 hours later and does it all again. And his schedule on a weekend...last weekend he trekked close to 20 miles with a youth group. And the weekend before that he did a Sprint Triathlon then came home, did Saturday chores, then helped with a Young Women Fundraiser. You can see that he rarely runs out of steam.

So on this Father's Day we want to send a super duper amount of love out to our Daddy. Superman or not...you save the day for us on a regular basis.

WE LOVE YOU!!!

Lincoln, Tyler, Morgan & Daniece

A Mother's Payday

So as every Mother out there knows...sometimes our paydays are not very regular. I've even been known on a particularly hectic day (okay...so I've done it more than once) to actually call my husband at work and tell him that I need to renegotiate my contract. For it seems that when I took on the role of MOM, I should have thought to negotiate for sick days, vacation days, workman's comp, a normal length work day, etc. But, alas, I didn't and so I relish the mother paydays that make it all worthwhile. By the end of 8th Grade Promotion (yes...I somehow ended up being the Chairperson) I was a little tired & cranky until I found this sweet note from my 14 year old taped to my mirror:

Dear Mom,

Thank you for all you did for

the Promotion Dance. It really turned

out beautiful. I know you put in a

lot of time, work and money.

Thank you for making this a

memorable night. I love you.

Love,

Lincoln

Of course, all that work was suddenly worthwhile. I was immediately glad that I had been so involved no matter how much time it took. And, I will probably agree to chair the next event that my child is involved in. Cause face it...if I had a warning label on me it would probably read, "Mother, so easy to operate even a child can do it." A smile, hug, kiss or thank you from one of my kids and I'm pretty much putty in their hand. Caution: No one tell this to my kids as they are already too good at manipulating me as it is. I don't want them having anymore insider information.

Picnic in Paris

The 8th Grade Class of Paseo Verde Elementary celebrated their promotion from elementary school into high school with a PICNIC IN PARIS. Traditionally, this party is held at the school but hosted and paid for by the parents of the 8th Graders. And so the task commenced of transforming the multi-purpose room at the school into a Paris park with a skyline of the city and the Eiffel Tower in the background. Of course, efforts began in November to raise funds to pay for the event and many, many, many hours of labor filled the next 6 months (and I thought the only labor involved in raising children was going to occur at childbirth...right!!!) But the outcome was a night that our 8th Graders will not soon forget.

Romeo & Juliet Spotted in Crump's Backyard

Last night we were entertained with what arguably could be the best show of the year. But first I will try to recreate the program (handwritten by Morgan) that we received as we were escorted to our seats (patio chairs) at center stage (on the patio facing the backyard). The show was a rendition of Taylor Swift's Video "Romeo & Juliet". Highlights included Morgan (Juliet) chasing Nick (Romeo) through the flower garden, Nick located on the ground serenading Morgan who is at the top of the playhouse, and finally a proposal at the top of the waterfall. Truly spectacular! So here is the program with 7 year old spelling and all.

Brodeway Show

Song & Video this night

No phonse or cameras until after the show

There will be a show with flash fotorgeffe (photography)

Romio & Joliet Video

You can make your own fan letter and talk about it on the letter.

It will say, "Dear _______" and you may right about your

faverit persen in the show. It could be Ben or Nick or Morgan

or Tyler or Lincoln and everything about the show

or you can right about every persen.

Dr. Allen Day & Nurse Donnalee Day The nurses delivered this baby of a mother who
had hiked into the village while in labor because
she had heard there was medical staff in town.

All in a Days' Work--in Haiti

When I say All in a Days' Work in Haiti...I mean literally. This is my brother Allen Day and my sister Donnalee Day. And so these two Days spent 7 days on a medical mission in Haiti. You can tell by these beautiful photos that they fell in love with the children & even some of the adults that they were able to help. I have loved the tales of their experiences...so many in such a short amount of time. They have decided that they will go again next year. I want to go but am going to have to develop some medical skills in the next 11 months. Apparently my occupation as a party planner/wedding coordinator is not at the top of their list of needs. But I LOVE looking at these photos...amazing & inspiring!

Once they received medical attention, each child got some LOVE,

Then they got a lollipop,

And finally a smiley face sticker...

which most chose to wear on their foreheads!