A L M O S T all girls

malcolm and i both had things planned today.  i was to attend a meeting and he was going to finish the network wiring at our new house.  shortly before the meeting ended, i received a call from my neighbor.  i knew something was wrong before i even answered the phone. 'joanie, your cat is dead in the road'  i wish she has been more gentle with me but what difference would it have made?  the cat is still dead. then came other calls.  my husband, my daughter.  i left the meeting early. ***** jasmine was ready to leave for federation.  she was to play a difficult piece this year for the judges and this happened an hour before show time.  no adult was home so she was the one who had to deal with it.  the smaller kids were inside.  our neighbor, came to help but the emotional trauma had already occurred.  i was racing home but i couldn't shelter her from the pain of losing something you love. she wanted to shut...

Well, I made it a personal requirement for graduation for each of my kids that they attend the prom. Otherwise, in my mind, they didn't get a full education. With that said, Jasmine fulfilled her requirement and went last weekend to prom. She didn't get asked but she went anyway with 3 other friends. They all looked like princesses and I was proud.

once again, the ritual of DRESSING UP, walking the neighborhood and eating candy happened saturday night. this time, we ended the evening with friends galore at sam and jason's house. a feast of corinne's delicious chili, homemade brownies, lemon bars, corn bread and more was at my fingertips to enjoy. the kids had a blast while the parents played games including but not limited to searching the neighbor's yards for hidden pumpkins and an interesting game of 'celebrity'. good friends, good fun. so glad we went.

I think our family is just about OVER BEING SICK. My poor husband is lingering between getting sick and staying well. It seems every day he's on the brink and yet nothing really happens. Everyone except Emma missed at least 2 days of school and I missed 4 days of work plus a weekend. I am on day 9 and still have the cold symptoms and they are slowly wearing off. I do believe that illness is one way of slowing down and forcing us to get rest, stop the madness of every day life and just let go of the mundane things that drive us each day. I welcomed my illness....and now....it can get lost!

August came and went....in a flash. Along with September. We spent many refreshing days lounging by the pool, enjoyed late nights outside until it became dark and we just enjoyed each other and the fun being a family brings. School started at the end of August. The 3 youngest children began their first year in uniforms. I am very excited about the fact that I don't have to worry about 'clothing drama' every morning. Jasmine started her senior year and began depleting my bank account with classes that require hundreds of dollars for books and concurrent enrollment etc. Free, public education you say? I spent a few days back and forth between Utah and California taking care of my parents. Definitely a challenge to be caring for the elderly long distance. We picked a house model to build and found a suitable lot. Money has been put down and the upcoming design center day is just around the corner. We will miss our friends in this neighborhood but are welcoming a ...

Want to take a cake decorating class. I have lost my skill and want to retrieve it. Jasmine finished EFY . She didn't want to go at first but felt very spiritual about it and is glad she attended. On the 4 th , Malcolm and I took each one of the girls on a 2 hour 'mother/father/daughter' excursion. Lizzie wanted to clothes shop at Naartjie so she got 4 dresses. Emma wanted lunch at Einsteins; she got her chocolate chip coffee cake and Ellie got breakfast at IHOP . Jasmine ended up having dinner with us the next night at Applebee's . It was fun to have just one child to focus on. I think we should do that once a month but maybe not spend so much money :) Had a BBQ with Jennifer and Mark at their house. Took Ellie to see my mom on her 75 th birthday. She had surgery the day before so we wanted to lift her spirits. They removed the rod in her leg in hopes to heal the wound from the break. My dad seemed weak and tired. Poor guy. Had our windows cleaned. Elli...

A few HIGHLIGHTS of June 2009 Malcolm and I cleaned out my parents house and garage in California. Mom's ankle was broken and she was non-weight bearing which left her feeling isolated in her bedroom. We went though so many boxes and made abut 20 trips to the Salvation Army. (didn't like the Salvation Army guy) Bought a really nice (nice=expensive in this case) flat iron for the girls' hair. Missed bidding for a new shift at work. Won't do that again. Jasmine did summer school online so she could open a space in her schedule during the school year for Seminary. Jasmine took driver's ed but doesn't seem to enjoy driving. Went to a mother daughter fashion show at our ward with Lizzie. Really enjoyed spending time alone with her.  Went to scrapbooking weekend at Jennifer's. Gave the Relief Society lesson on The Power of Forgiving. Very eye opening for me. Realized I have someone to forgive. Jasmine started EFY (especially for youth)