Growing Up

Every one seems to be growing up around here. The chickens, the babies, MOM. Well, the chickens can grow all they want to, the kids....I expect that of THEM, but mom can slow down just a little bit on the growing thing. Today is my birthday, another year older, not bad...just another year older. The good thing about being 51 is that you have a lot of things to show for it. Other than that, I'm looking at it as just another day. You know, laundry, dinner, the regular stuff. I did get to go to Quilting Day with the Relief Society women to start my new quilt this morning. Other than that, I taught my three piano lessons, visited a ward's Enrichment Night, and got to bed late. Oh well, tomorrow is another day...

(Not good for trying to get my weight down. Thanks Gregg!) He doesn't know how to buy 1 pounders...

Goodbyes and Gobblers

For those of you who have ever lived in Moapa Valley, we are losing an icon...Mrs. Kim Delgadillo, our high school band and orchestra teacher (Ms. D) is finally retiring from her position at the school to take the counselor position at the middle school. She has been directing the band and orchestra at the high school for 25 years! She said that she is starting to teach the children of kids she taught years ago. She has meant so much to not only the school, but to the community, and mostly to my big girls, as they are former "pirates". Kira, Lexie, and Michaela went through the band program under Ms. D's wings, Kira playing in the not only the band, but in Jazz Band for three years. Lexie almost idolizes her, as she had made a huge difference in her surviving high school as a legally blind student. Michaela then, and Tibi now have loved being taught by her too. My only sadness is that Landon will not get the opportunity to have a wonderful experience with her. As the principal said last night in his tribute, "She didn't teach band, she taught people." Here are all of the bands playing what has become our signature song, in honor of her, from "Pirates of the Caribbean". It was wonderfully loud! The kind of loud that sends chills up your back...

The chickens are getting bigger by the day. They love to eat scraps, except for citrus. They especially love any kind of lettuce and meat. They are finally getting used to my voice and coming around me more often. The rest of the family is not in the "circle" yet. Their loss!

9 New Girls...and a Boy

Today we finally put our chickens outside in their pen. They were getting too big for the box that we were keeping them in, and they were also getting enough feathers to start flying around. I have had to catch a few of them after they have "flown the coop!" It took them about an hour to figure out that outside in a pen was much better than being in a box. They weren't sure about being confined, but after awhile, they got the hang of it and are doing well. We'll see how they handle overnight living. One thing is for sure...they LOVE table scraps! I can't wait till the grandkids get back to grandpa and grandma's house. It's much more fun to be here, now that we have the chickens to feed and watch. We won't get any eggs for about 5 months from now. They will then lay every 25 hours, which means that we will be finding friends around here that could use some eggs!

I'm not sure how we're going to name them - they all look alike!

We have also added a boy to the family, but he is only staying for a week. Landon has a health project that includes a "flour" baby, dressed and watched at all times, that gives him a pretty hefty grade for 4th semester. He was pretty proud of his new "son's" outcome, and especially loves the quote on his overalls!

YAY for Tibi!!

Tibi brought home her report card for 3rd semester as a freshman. She's probably going to kill me, but I thought it was so good, that I wanted to share it with the world! She got all A's except for one B. Hopefully she can finish strong for the end of the year, because that's when the kids get paid for their good grades.

(Sorry this picture is blurry, I have a stupid camera)

Baseball Has Started...

Landon has started his season of baseball. This is his last year in Little League, and also the last year he will have his dad coach him. He advances to high school next year where he will try out for the team there and have the school's coaches take over. It's been fun to have Kevin involved all these years in Landon's sports, but all good things come to an end, I guess. Here he is pitching for his team. He is pretty accurate, fun to watch, and enjoys the game almost as much as he enjoys eating and sleeping! (Actually, I'm probably not right about that...)

When Landon is not pitching, he plays first base.

Landon's the only lefty on the team. He's been pretty consistent getting on base for his first few games. He is lifting weights to get a little stronger in his pitching and hitting.

Family, Fun, Fair, and Fatigue

It's been a good 4 years since we had a family picture taken, so we figured we'd better take the opportunity while all the kids were home. We got Sharrid by the skin of his teeth as he didn't get into town until Saturday noon. We even had to snatch Kevin from his fair duties to have a "dad" in the family shot. So here you have it...
Our six beautiful children

All the kids in out of order...order.
(2nd,3rd,5th,6th,4th,1st)

We have enough to do a High School Musical shot! Yippee!!

The best thing Kevin and I could EVER create

I think we ended up taking about 30 shots to get about 2 good ones. This must be one of the two...

No...it's not the sun that is making our hair look like that. That's just about what it looks like. Kevin pulls off a nice salt and pepper look, and has for years, while I am getting more platinum by the day. At least I still have my hair...

Why can't a grandmother ever get a great picture of her grandkids on Easter Sunday? This picture was almost next to impossible to capture. And I only have 5!

We got to see Kevin a few times during the day. He was a very busy "Fair Manager" during the four days of fairing. The grandkids were especially excited to see him, and vice a versa.
These two are either bugging each other or are the best of friends. Right now they are the best of friends. Hold that thought...

This happened quite a bit, with all the late nights of fun after the kids went to bed. Of course, the kids were the first to get up in the morning! Notice how Kira has her phone ready to go even though she is asleep!!

Another One Bites the Dust...

One thing that happens when you become grandparents is that you finally decide to get rid of things in your house that COULD be deadly weapons. So it is with our glass coffee table that has been in the family for years, actually ever since Tibi and Landon were babies, back when Grandma and Grandpa Packard gave it to us. Back then, we were thinking "Yay, a new coffee table that looks great in our house, something that is new, something that is nice." Well, after you have grandbabies, some of those "nice" and "new" things become "nice and new bangs and bumps on heads" and are ready to be sacrificed to outer darkness for others to enjoy...others who don't have grandkids. Don't get me wrong, I know the next time my visiting teachers come over to visit they are going to ask what's different about the room, that someday we will remember how Landon tried jumping off the couch into Brockton's arms and instead hit his head on that glass table, thus landing him his first and only experience with getting stitches. Those were the days...but those days are going away. So goodbye, glass table. Goodbye and goodnight.

And now Jonah is thinking, "Hey, where's the table where I always read my books?"