Recent Highlights

Volleyball in the front yard

Ping Pong games in the house

FHE outside with Ross and Anita

Cousins

and more cousins

Great Thanksgiving

 Jump Roping 

Watching my father-in-law taking it all in

Nephew Sam and Holly's engagement party

Watching Cole organize and carry out his eagle scout project

Isaac's first season of soccer.  

Loads of help decorating for Christmas this year

Club Volleyball

Meg's job

Bunker family Christmas party at the park

Big Grandpa 

I need a nap now!

Birthdays

Meg and I are one year older and just had a great shared birthday.

  Meg stayed home from science camp and we went to brunch with this fun bunch( and my mom taking the picture).  Afterward, we met up with Tom and went to Happy Feet.  

We always decorate with signs and pictures.  Summer is such a great helper with this tradition.

After I posted this, I saw a certain picture of me on the wall.... {explanation:  I took my kids to get their pictures taken...I was in my comfortable housewife sweater, no make-up, and self-trimmed bangs.  I somehow ended up in front of the camera, instead of tucked comfortably behind due to some strange influence that my friend, Amy, has over me.  

Well, there were a few glamour shots of "yours truly" included in my kids photo shoot 

and they ended up on the birthday wall. 

Too bad, it was going to be a Christmas present for Tom.

This is our 3rd amigo, Molly, who shares our birthday.  

Everyone needs a Molly in their lives.

Thank you to everyone who made it a special day.

Making of a Video--{shorter edition}

A song from the 80s is the inspiration behind this video---if only in theory---
 about an orphan waiting to be adopted

YW

I am grateful "Amy the Great" helped me out and took these photos of

 my Laurels that will be receiving their medallions...

I call them mine because that is how I feel about them.

 I love working with young women! 

Try-outs this week

I woke to the sound of bumping at 6 a.m.

Summer and Cosi are getting ready for volleyball try-outs this Saturday

Cole is also practicing his shot.  He has basketball try-outs this week

Regardless of the outcome,  I am glad to see the effort.

Happy Halloween

Cosi took the place of Cole...who was at a volleyball tournament down in Tucson.

My mom with some of the grandkids at our neighborhood carnival

Summer and cousin Luke

Summer is a bit of a pied piper with little kids

This is"big grandpa" and he now lives in my ward.  He helped keep 

all the little kids safe on the bouncer and passed out jumbo marshmallows
to the Laurels that were working with him.

He will be 87 this January & is still sharp as a tack and good humored.

BeanBoozled!

I brought the game Bean Boozled to Meg's 5th grade Halloween party.

(You can find it at Amazon.com)

It was very entertaining to watch these kiddos.

Basically you spin the wheel and it lands on a certain jelly belly.  

That jelly belly could be a good flavor or a really bad flavor..they look identical.

Strawberry or Centipede

Chocolate Pudding or Canned Dog Food

Banana or Pencil Shavings

Black licorice or Skunk

.....you get the idea

Meg was a better director than participant.

She about cried when I told her this was the game I was going to play with her class.

She was brave and did play after a little peer pressure.

It takes your taste buds a moment to decide...

Good....

or very very bad....

poor brave soul had rotten egg

Good idea to keep a paper towel close by...

in case of a strong gag reflex

(I kept a container of hot tamales on the table, so they could clear their offended palates.)

Tom's biggest golf dream came true. 

 He played Augusta National last Friday.

(The home of the Masters Tournament, green jacket and a bit of mystery.)

Oooh.. I love mysterious things.

How about this ......You can't ask to become a member..you are chosen.  You may receive an invitation by mail with one question: Would you like to join Augusta National-- check yes or no? 

 It is considered bad taste to even ask members how they were selected.

No phones on the premise, except in your room.  

It sounds like the makings of a Dan Brown novel.

From our first year of marriage, Tom has been talking about trying to go see the Masters one day. 

The winner's trophy. 

It lists the first and second place finishers each year.

Locker room....pretty basic.

The foursome.
Bill, Vern, Johnny and Tom

Hole #11

 These two were given instructions (from Kaci and I) to take a lot of pictures and they
 surprisingly did a pretty good job with their little camera.

Below, is Tom's caddy "Fad".  Poor guy wasn't quite up to the job that day.  

He kept trying to talk Bill and Tom out of golfing more holes. 

 Tom about had to give Fad a piggy back ride because he huffing and puffing.

This was for birdie.....but he missed

They even had the chance to spend the night on the grounds in one of these cottages.
Pretty simple and classy.

Still shocked they took the time to take these pictures.

I always wonder how they keep up golf course grounds so meticulously.

This is how the mowing is maintained daily at Augusta.
These mowers follow each other around in a special formation for about 2 hours and voila!

Oh soccer, here we go.

#2

Assumption:  If you are following a car that is going a little faster than you are, 
you won't get a ticket

Nope

You both get pulled over

He motioned for me to follow him as he went to nab my sister-in-law, Ruth, too.

Ruth tried to get us out of the ticket....

"you know we both have big tires and those speedometers don't work quite as well...."

No luck

I got my second speeding ticket.

I usually can talk my way out of them, but not when he claims you were going 92

Tom's Sunday Beverage

Simply

  +

+

Aaaahhhhhhh!

Tom makes this with every Sunday dinner.

5:1 ratio of diet ginger ale to pomegranate juice with 1/2 of a fresh squeezed lime.

He used to make it with regular ginger ale but we found that we all like the diet just as well.