Gone Fishin'

The boys and Doug have been waiting since the snow started melting to go fishing. This past weekend was going to be The Weekend to go and it was in part. First thing saturday morning all the boys were going to load up and head out to a friends place where they have a pond filled with fish. However, one little boy was unable to go. The night before fish time, Christopher started coughing and could not stop. I decided it best if he stay home and I take him to urgent care for medicine. Again I ruined a little boy's day. He was not happy when he woke up to everyone gone. I had to console him as best I could, but I don't think it helped much. Oh well, better luck next time. Benjamin and Evan had a great time fishing and came home telling "fish" stories. You know - who caught the most and how big. Everytime Evan would reel in a fish his pole beat a beat against the bench. He just couldn't seem to hold it up and reel in at the same time. All in all it was a good time had for all. Sorry Christopher, next time you can go.

Bring on the fish pictures.

Here is Evan sitting and ready to fish. You can see the bench on the side/back the his pole hit.

Benjamin with one catch

Ben caught a live one. Look at it's moves.

Baby sister graduates!

This past weekend was memorable in that the original baby of the family finally graduated from high school. For those who don't know I have 7 natural brothers and sisters and one adopted brother. Hence the original baby graduated and not the adopted baby (he is only 3). She was the salutatorian so we got front row seats for the event. It was good to be there for her.

Erin Vanderholm Graduation: June 5, 2009

Salutatorian Speech

Recieving the diploma from our dad. He is on the school board and the board members hand out the diplomas.

Tossing the cap!

Finding the caps!

Aging? I don't think so!

I know that I get older every year, but I don't feel older and I don't think that I look much older. I have been blessed with a youthful appearance for which I am grateful. However, twice in the last month or so I have been accused of being old enough to have a 20+ year old child. Here are the stories.

The first setting is in Target where my sister Paige works. We went in to kill some time while waiting for a prescription to be filled next door. While looking at clothes Paige starts talking to a co-worker and I pay little attention. As we leave the section Paige tells me that her friend asked if I was Paige's mother. What?! I am only four years older than Paige. That would have been a miraculous birth by anyone's standard. I do not look that old!

This next story was told to me by Doug. He was out with the missionaries this last week and one of them asked him a question. The elder asked Doug about the two younger girls that sometimes sit by us in church. (These would be two of my sister: Brin and Erin. They are 23 and 18 years old respectfully.) The elder asked Doug if they were our older daughters! Again, What?! Doug slapped the elder on the knee and asked just how old he thought Doug was. Forget Doug. How old do they think I am? I am old enough to have had Erin if I was 13 when I gave birth which can happen, but I would only have been 8 when Brin was born.

I don't know if I can take being taken for an old woman. I'm not ready yet and while I do feel old after a day in the garden it passes and doesn't last for too long.

It must be our mature bearing and soberness in apperance. Not! We love playing around so I don't know where this is coming from, but it better stop or I may get a complex. :)

Little things

It is so good to be reminded of the little things. Moms are busy people with tons on their list to do and to take a break is hard. Today I took a break. With a half finished project on the counter I went into Alexis' room and played with her. She would hand me stuffed animals to play with or cups of "juice" to drink. She would start a music toy and it became dance time. Every once in awhile she would come over to give me a kiss. How simple. How sweet. The little things.

Weight loss and eight year olds

I have been trying to lose some weight to get back into a healthy range. My kids know this and my eight year old is big on weighing himself. (He has nothing to worry about.) Saturday morning we were cleaning the house and Benjamin comes out of my room very excited. "I lost weight! I lost weight!" He cries. "I use to be 60 pounds and now I am 53." I tell him it is time for him to eat some more food and he runs back in to my bathroom to weigh himself again because that is where the scale is. As he is ecstaticly crying that he has lost weight, I remember that I was in the middle of cleaning my bathroom and had moved the scale from the hard floor to the carpet in my bedroom. I yell to him that he needs to move the scale back in the bathroom to get a true ready and then I hear "Thanks alot mom!" I just ruined his day. His true weight was close to 70 pounds not the 53 he had previously thought. So, instead of loosing weight he gained some just as he should.

Hamburger fun

Benjamin was responsible for choosing treats for tonight. He chose hamburgers made out of cookies. I had to improvise a little because these were suppose to be made with store bought ready made cookie dough and I didn't have any. I used the peanut butter cookie recipe that I posted earlier and then add cocoa to a regular sugar cookie recipe to make the hamburgers. The ketchup, mustard, and lettuce are frosting. How fun.

Memorial Day

We had a lot of fun on Memorial Day. This was the first time the weather has been nice in about 4 years and we took advantage of it. For starters we all gathered at my parent's place and had some competitions. There was an obsticle/relay race for the adults and then everyone got to go on a scavenger hunt. Let's just say it was fun watching others try to run through tires or cast a line into a bucket or run around trying to gather things on the scavenger list. After lunch it was sun time. There was a slip and slide that all the kids loved and a couple of the adults. Yes I will admit I was one adult on the slip and slide and I'm not as young as I use to be. I woke up Tuesday in pain from the experience. Here are some shots of the kids on the slip and slide.

Slip and Slide fun

Alexis getting ready to take a trip. Daddy is going to "throw" her down the slide.

Christopher loves sliding

Benjamin tries to get up, but is still sliding.