What a fun weekend!

I LOVE holiday weekends and this one was wonderful! Saturday was opening day for the water park here. I bought season passes for myself and the kids with some money I'd made off of eBay, but since we'll usually be going during the week, I didn't figure it would be worth it to buy a pass for Andrew. BUT, on Memorial Day weekend, you can bring a friend free, so we all got to go as a family. It was a BLAST. They have two great play areas for young kids. Whitney was a little hesistant at first. She did NOT like the water at the beach and continues to talk about it a month and a half later. "Mommy likes the water. Brandon likes the water. I DON'T like the water. I like the sand." So, it took a little convincing to get her in the pool, but she really warmed up to it after about, oh, 30 seconds.

It was great having Andrew there because he and I could take Brandon down some of the bigger slides, taking turns playing with Whitney. It was perfect water park weather, too. We all got a couple of shades darker, but Whitney is the darkest (of course!)

On Saturday night we had our friends, Greg and Nicolle, over to play games. That is another favorite weekend activity. We can put the kids to bed and stay up late playing with them. We usually play 25 Words or Less, but this weekend we played Speed Scrabble. I've also heard it called "Take Two." It was fun, but Andrew kicked our tails.

Sunday was nothing out of the ordinary--Whitney screaming in Sacrament meeting, Andrew gone all day to meetings, Brandon answering all the questions in Primary, and me trying to keep the senior Primary reverent for Sharing Time(which seems to be getting harder every week!)

On Monday we went back to the water park in the morning. It was another gorgeous day. We tried a few of the rides we didn't have time for on Saturday. The kids loved floating in the Lazee River. Andrew and I both got to go on a few of the rides that would freak Brandon out. I still have whiplash from one of the more daring ones I went on.

Greg and Nicolle had friends over for a BBQ in the evening. We played badmitton, volleyball and bocce. It was a great way to finish off a wonderful weekend.

Today was back to reality. Brandon had his last regular day of preschool. He has graduation tomorrow. Whitney and I ran errands the whole time he was in school. She was a trooper until the very end when I think she got tired and was crying over every little thing.

SHOPPING TIP FOR THE DAY: EXPRESS in the mall has their T-shirts and tanks on sale for $10. They have the great shirts that are really long and ensure that your bum doesn't hang out if even if you're wearing low-rise jeans. They are a little tight, though, so I buy them a size larger than usual. The sale has been on for a while, so I don't know how long it will last, but I was in the mall today and it was still on.

CUTE WHITNEY STORY OF THE DAY: Whitney has turned into a little parrot. She loves to repeat whatever we say (or anyone else within earshot). When we're at Brandon's t-ball games, and the parents next to us yell, "Run, Ben!" Whitney chimes in, "Run, Ben!" When I finish reading her a book before bed, she says, "Now I'll read it for you." She flips through the pages and randomly says words that she remembers me saying on that particular page. But the funniest one that I overheard her saying yesterday, while looking at the bottom of a toy, was "Made in China?" It made me laugh out loud. Brandon can read those words and has recently become obsessed with how you can find the words, "made in china" on just about every cheap little toy in his playroom. So, he is always looking at the bottom of things and saying that. Whitney has obviously heard it plenty of times!

Computer issues

It's amazing how much I come to rely on having the internet at my fingertips. Our computer is having major issues and I've been without internet access for over 24 hours! I feel so out of touch! So, my sweet husband hooked up our ancient computer that we've kept in Brandon's playroom and hooked it up temporarily so we can have our link to the outside world again.

Andrew and I had our weekly(or so) date last night. Our favorite thing to do is to go play tennis, just the two of us, and then go to Sonic, get a drink and some onion rings and just sit in the car and talk. I LOVE doing that. Unfortunately, our plans for last night got rained out! Bummer! So, our back up plan was to go shopping. It was actually pretty fun. We went to the mall and to Lowe's. Those are great places to be without the kids.

We were cheapskates for so long that we rarely went on dates because we didn't want to pay a babysitter. I finally broke down this month and put enough money in the budget to go on one date a week. (One of the perks of being in charge of the finances in the family!) It's so wonderful to have the time for just the two of us.

Boo on the SOUL PATROL!

I am just not a Taylor Hicks fan. I don't know what it is. I remember wondering at the beginning of the season if he knew how he looked when he sang and danced. He honestly looks like he is pain or having spasms or something. It's kind of embarassing. Hey, I guess it works for him. I can't believe he won American Idol. I, like most people I talk with, REALLY wanted Chris to win, but my second favorite was Katherine. She didn't pull it off, though. Bummer.

I also can't believe they drag a RESULTS show into a two hour ordeal. I recorded it and still have to go back and watch parts. I thought it would be lame, but the parts that I saw actually looked good. I loved the idea of the "Golden Idol" awards. I can't wait to see who the other winners were. (I basically just watched during the commercials of LOST.)

Speaking of LOST--what an awesome show! I am going to miss it so much over the summer! Andrew and I have started listening to the LOST podcasts and they are very enlightening. I love to hear what the producers have to say about the shows. They also give little tidbits of information that I don't always catch when I watch the show. So, what are "THE OTHERS" going to do with Jack, Kate, and Sawyer? What was up with that HUGE statue of a four-toed foot? Are Sayid, Jin, and Sun ok? Was I supposed to assume that Desmond died when he turned that key and prevented the island from blowing up? So many questions!!

Oh, and just so you know that my life isn't completely based on the TV shows that I watch, I'll include in this post that today was Brandon's end of the year party at his Preschool today. Diane and I helped out. It was fun. Diane got T-shirts for each of the kids and we painted their hands and had them leave handprints on everyone's shirts as a keepsake. It turned out cute. We also had them bring their favorite board games to play together. That was kind of wild. They all wanted to play their own games, instead of trying out their friends'. Whitney was with me and was an angel through the morning. She loves playing in Brandon's classroom. She is SO ready for preschool, but I'm going to wait at least one more year and just play with her.

Look at the cool shirts we made!
(By the way, is this an amazing photo or what? How did I get seven 5-year-olds to all be looking at the camera AND smiling at the same time. I was pretty impressed with myself!)



Brandon and friends
with the more common facial expressions
in photos of 5 year olds!
(Yes, Brandon's shirt is on backwards. If he has a printed T-shirt and likes the design on the back better than the front, he wears them backwards so that he can see the cool design. I don't mind at all. I think it's kind of a cute quirk. It really bugs Andrew, though.)

What a fun week!

Me and my girlfriends at the birthday party

Some of Brandon's friends from school at field day

I can't believe it's only Wed. I've already had a really fun week. My friend, Diane, had her 40th birthday party yesterday. Several of my girlfriends got together to celebrate. We had a great time.

Today was field day at Brandon's school. I volunteered to help out. Whitney and I were in charge of the soccer station. So, we had about 150 kids come through and kick soccer balls at the goal, while we cheered for them. Man, is my throat sore! They did a great job on the field day. They had jumping castles, water games, sports, and races. When I asked Brandon if he liked it, he said, 'Pony head Yes!" I don't even know what that means, but I think he liked it. :)

He says the funniest things. On Sunday after church while we were eating lunch he said, "Mom, I think William, Peter, and me are the coolest kids in Primary." (yea, don't think I have to worry about low self-esteem with this one!) I said, "Why are you guys the coolest?" He replied, "Because we know how to read and stuff." By the way, Brandon is 4, but both William and Peter are 11! He followed that up with, "But I haven't been to William's house to see his toys. I don't know if he has any cool ones. Maybe we can go to his house sometime."

Brandon also had a T-ball game last night. He did really well. He had two good hits (they only play two innings and get 1 at bat each time.) And he even remembered to run to first this game. He had been having problems with either just strolling along or waiting for another pitch to come after he'd already gotten a hit. Playing out in the field is a little harder. It's just hard to pay attention to a batter for that long! He did have one good stop, though.

And tonight is a BIG tv night! American Idol AND Lost season finales! I guess I better get everything that is really necessary taken care of before 8 pm, because nothing productive is going to happen after that tonight! I hope Catherine wins. I am just not a Taylor fan. He kind of bugs me. I tried to call and vote about 29 times, but I never got through and forgot to try later in the night.

This is me! I'm new at this and just looking for another way to keep in touch with my family members and friends who are spread across the country.