Pre-School Graduation

This week we celebrated the completion of an incredible year of pre-school!

We were SO impressed with the school Brinley attended. The teachers and curriculum far exceeded our expectations. It was a great opportunity for Binley to be one of 4 "peer models" in her class of 12 students. The other children had various disabilities. I feel like she grew in a capacity to become more accepting and loving

towards children who needed some extra help.

Often times she would come home and be so excited to tell me about one of her peers accomplishments. "Mom, you are going to be so proud of my friend Myra, she sat through all of singing time without crying once." "We are so excited for Paige because she is learning to use her words." Brinley truly was happy for her classmates accomplishments even if they were different from her own. She is going to miss her wonderful

teachers and friends a lot.

(a letter we gave Brinley with her graduation gift...a new book)
Dear Brinley,
We are excited to celebrate your pre-school graduation tonight! It has been fun to see all of the neat projects you have made at school. You have learned to write letters, count lots of numbers, read and write your name; isn’t that amazing! How does it make you feel when you think about all of the things you have learned this year?
Your teachers have enjoyed having you in class because you are respectful, helpful and excited to learn. These are all very important skills that you have learned and will need to remember when you go to kindergarten. It’s makes Mom and Dad feel happy when we hear that you have been such a good friend and student in class. How does it make you feel inside to know that you are a good friend and are able follow directions?
This summer you might feel sad sometimes when you miss going to school and playing with your friends and teachers. Just remember that in August after you turn 5 years old you will be able to start kindergarten. There you will have new teachers and make lots of new friends. You will even have a new playground to play on during recess. It is going to be very exciting.
Brinley, we love you very much are we are so happy that we can celebrate your pre-school graduation tonight!

Love always,

Mom & Dad

Post Surgery Stroll

About 4 days after surgery Mom walked for the third time with the physical therapist. Duane and I took turns being the photographer and IV poll pusher.

I was so proud of her!

Mom is going to be discharged from the hospital today and will be staying at a hotel with Kelty and Aunt Tricia. Apparently the hotel is basically connected to the hospital and so doctors can visit patients in their hotel rooms if needed.

On June 10Th Kelty, Tricia and Mom will be flown back home on Uncle Ken's airplane.

This is a great blessing because dealing with security, baggage claim and a commercial airplane seat would have been a very difficult challenge.

Duane is flying back into N.Y.C. from Chicago today to help out over the weekend again. I think after this next week is up Duane will be thrilled

to not have to hop onto a plane every weekend.

For more info. about my Mom's recovery go HERE.

Chicago Video

Duane made this great video of our time in Chicago!

ENJOY

Pre-Surgery Photo's

(Above is a picture of the home my Mom grew up in for 6 years. It's located in a gorgeous suburb about 30 minutes outside of the city. We all visited it together the day before the surgery)

Although I arrived home late Saturday night many of my thoughts remain with my Mom, Kelty and Duane in N.Y.C. Things have been a bit of a whirlwind since I arrived home. Cody has been working the last three days and for some reason I have extremely tired (very unusual for me). Kelty and Duane continue to give me detailed updates a few times a day along with a number of others. They are holding up, but it has been more challenging than we could have anticipated.

For now enjoy these pictures I took before the surgery.

Next I will post some pictures from after the surgery.

Here we are in Grand Central Station before we caught a train to meet up with Mom at the Bed & Breakfast where she stayed before the surgery.Arian & Kelty in Times Square.
Right before the surgery we all stood around Mom's bed recalling memories, singing some songs and cracking jokes. She was in good spirits.

Surgery, Siblings and NYC

This morning I am flying to NYC to meet up with my siblings and support my Mom as she undergoes a very major, much anticipated spinal reconstruction surgery. After meeting with various specialists throughout the U.S. she finally found the world's leading surgeon who specializes in the type of surgery she will be having. We feel comforted to know that Mom is going to be in the hands of this great doctor (Dr. Boachie) at the "Hospital for Special Surgery's" located in Manhattan. To read a more complete description of the surgery check out my Mom's new recovery blog at http://www.gingerinrecovery.blogspot.com/. This blog will be updated continually with news about Mom's procedure and her recovery. She has held up incredibly well over the past month as she's been poked, proded, x-rayed and examined over and over again in preparation for the surgery.

Kelty, Arian and I would not miss being by the side of our

incredible mother during this time for the world!
We love you Mom!

My Trip To Chicago

Thanks to my sweet husband, dear friends and wonderful sister and brother-in-law, I was able to spend a few blissful and exciting days in Chicago with people I love and without children.

My brilliant brother-in-law Duane was sought after for his computer programing skills by the Chicago Board of Trades. He is currently conducting research for the company using a newer programing language (of which he is one of the leading experts on) called Ruby On Rails. Not only have they put him up in an incredible corporate apartment downtown, but they have covered his flights home every weekend (including limo service to and from the airport), given him a very generous daily food stipend and lets just say much more then that! He has developed great relationships with both of his bosses and has already been offered a permanent job, but alas, after his two month work agreement he will be going to go back to Utah to finish at BYU, then the sky is the limit!


Kelty and I set off on foot to tour the city during the day while Duane was at work. Then when he got off work and on Saturday we enjoyed activities together!

Here is what I loved doing in Chicago:

Spending hours talking with Kelty and Duane.

Walking and walking and walking through the city.

Getting V.I.P. access via Duane to view the actual "exchange floor" where commodities are frantically traded by men swarming around in various colored jackets.

Eating Chocolate Fondue at the Melting Pot.

A double Decker bus tour through the city.

Taking the Architectural boat tour.

*Watching the Broadway production of "Wicked" in great seats*

The view from the top of the Hancock Tower.

Visiting the American Girl & Hershey Stores.

Riding the local train.

Sleeping in.

Eating at delicious restaurants.

Trying a piece of famous Chicago deep dish pizza which we had delivered to the apt. for the bargain price of $35.

Here is what I did not love in Chicago:

Sitting next to a drug dealer on the train at night as I ventured from the airport

to meet Kelty and Duane downtown.

Above in the right hand picture you can see where Duane's apt. is located. It's the building pictured smack dab in the middle with a vanilla exterior and curved windows on the top corner. Thank you Kelty and Duane for sharing your special time together with me. I really loved our late night chats on the bed and will always remember this fun trip!

PS- Duane is making an i-movie of our time in Chicago together which will be forthcoming!

May Stamp Club

This month I went with a Father's Day theme. Using a few word stamp sets, lots of punches, Spring Break Designer paper, ribbon and eyelets we created these dashing treat tins with a matching Shadow Box Card!

Here are a few similar tins with matching cards for Brinley's pre-school teachers.

What you ought to know about my wife...

Many of you who check our blog, attend her aerobics classes or participate in her monthly stamping clubs get a small glimpse of Leah's many talents and abilities. She certainly is a talented woman. But what you may not fully appreciate are the wonderful qualities she possesses. For the last 6+ years I have been privileged to be the major benefactor of the selfless, thoughtful and caring life she leads. Leah is my best friend and greatest example of someone who goes about doing good each day. She is a devoted and faithful wife and the most patient, nurturing mother a family could ever ask for. She is innocent but not naive. She is unselfish but not the caboose. She is strong but not proud. She is persistent but not too stubborn.

Leah wears many hats (wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, aunt, instructor, mentor, demonstrator, etc) but I've never seen anyone multitask and juggle a hectic schedule with such ease and efficiency. And she does it all in a quiet way, understanding the value of her role as a stay-at-home mother, despite the fact that she may never receive all the recognition, awards and pay increases she deserves. It's this kind of determination and spunk I love about her.

So on this day when we honor the great women in our lives, I want to give Leah some public credit for who she is, what she does, and all that she means to our forever family. And I just thought that you all ought to know.

Happy Mother's Day!

Things I Love

I love this little ball full of energy we call Avery. Last week she had a collision with a slide at the gym daycare and has displayed her battered eye to concerned passers by for the

last 7 days.

I love to create simple, healthy meals for my kiddos to devour each day.

I our backyard! I love the fence which keeps my kids from escaping. I love our new garden in the back corner. I love our trampoline with the safety net so that I don't have to experience a heart attack every time the kids run wild on it. I love my darling husband who comes home after a long day of work and spends hours taking care of our yard so that we can enjoy playing in it.

Downline Meeting

Wednesday night = Stampin' Up downline meeting

Where = My house

What = Convention details, benefits & titles tables, make & takes, swaps.

Results = Very excited for convention! Our group will be known as the "Bahama Mama's" thanks to Mary's brilliant ideas! More details on that theme later.

SWAPS:

Kelly B.

Leah Y.

Mary E.

Kim H.

Rebecca M.

Cathy H. (Welcome to our group)

Ashli W.

Ashli C.

Kandice A.