Big Surf

Quik Trip had an employee party at Big Surf. The family's were invited too. Since we had two employees this year we all went. It was fun. They had lots of food, including snow cones and cotton candy. Autumn wasted no time and got both, and we wonder why she has cavities.

They had lots of prizes . Rachel won a large duffel bag with some Product T-shirts. This t-shirt shaped in a water bottle was one and we thought it was cool. It sure was wrinkled when we opened it. Kyle didn't get a prize.

Ballet and Baseball

Autumn all ready for dance class. She has a little recital tomorrow, should be fun.

Autumn with her new DBacks shirt. She got it Autographed by Baxter. They put this picture on the Jumbo Tron. She loves going to the games, she claps and says "Let's Go DBacks!" the whole drive there.

Autumn makes us laugh.

Autumn is talking just like a grown up and of course she does allot of repeating of what we say. Somewhere along the line she thought it cute to say " I like your hair, I like your shirt....I like your boobs". Well we thought it 'cute' and funny (especially the two teenagers) until...We did a overnight trip to Tucson when Rachel was in California just as something to do. We visited my grandma and wen to the zoo. We got a hotel and went for a swim. Well of course a man was down there swimming and Autumn had to tell Karen "I like that man's boobs". We tried to talk to her about how we shouldn't say that to people etc. Well a little later here comes a larger man.
We could see Autumn staring at him and tried to keep her at the opposite end of the pool, but every time we went close she tried to say it and we had to distract her, not funny any more. So we get home and I do a long talk to her about being something we don't say. Later she sits on my lap and lays on me and says "I like to lay on your boobs, but I am not to say I like your boobs, you're not to talk about your boobs so... I like your face". I was laughing and trying not let her know I was laughing but she kept repeating it until I said "thank you". Boy she says something new every day and of course she has the audience too! Jack told her she was crazy and she says "thank you!"

Rachel turned 18!

Wow can't believe Rachel turned 18. We cooked a nice big Italian dinner for her on Thursday the 14th. On Friday morning her and my niece Courtney and two of their friends drove to California to go to Disneyland and the beach. Rachel wanted to spend her birthday at Disneyland and they did! They had a blast. It was hard to let her go on her own, so hard to see them grow and be so independent. She is enrolling at Phoenix College, wow another college kid.

June 2011

I can't believe how fast summer is speeding past! Already July! We didn't do a whole lot for June but it sure went fast. Kyle returned to Arizona June 2. He had a slight worry about his diploma which could have caused him to return to Iowa for school for another month, but all turned out and his diploma should be in the mail any day. He moved right across the street! He's getting a good deal on a three bedroom house that some very good friends and adopted grandparents are renting him. We will miss our friends. We thought it would be awkward to see him move in but all seems to be going well. He has made it his little home already and just bought furniture. We had to get vanilla wafers for him to keep there for Autumn because the lady Joyce always had them for her. Kyle is still at Quick Trip until he finds another job in his field.
Rachel is also still at Quick Trip and is planning her birthday trip to Disneyland in two weeks. Kyle was so nice as to give her his old car. She paid for a friend to fly out to Iowa and he drove it back along with Kyle and his tuck and she will keep the car. Nice brother!
Karen wants a job and is looking other wise she helps out with Autumn and hangs with her friends.
Autumn is still a hand full. She is in swimming lessons and loves it. We are still looking for a good friend for her to play with but until then she has her older siblings to occupy her. We have been doing summer movie fun, 10 movies fore $7! So every Wednesday we have a movie. She is into Despicable Me now and has seen it so many times! She says the funniest things and keeps us laughing. She kept her ears covered the whole drive over and up until they started the fireworks. It was funny seeing her walk with her hands over her ears and once they started she says " see they are not so loud, they are beautiful".
Jack has been riding his bike to work three times a week even in this heat! Been saving gas money and with me not working! Hopefully July will slow down and we will get some rain.

Rachel's big month of May

Rachel has had a busy month. She had her Senior prom, Senior Banquet and Graduation.

Iowa

Baby geese Autumn was trying to scare.

Autumn had fun playing with her big brother.

Kyle pulling weeds in his backyard.

Jack, Autumn and I went to Des Moines to see Kyle graduate from college. We flew and had a two hour layover in Denver both ways. Autumn did fairly well on the plane. She had a hard time keeping her seat belt on during take off and landing. She also chose this time to show her independence by not wanting me to help her and to open/close window and tray on her own and scream when I tried to help. She was sick on one of the days we were there, running a fever and throwing up. We figured from sucking on the plane seat belt or rolling her gum on the arms of the airport chairs. Luckily she was better before our flight out. I was kinda concerned she might have an ear infection. She was a little fussy on the flight home, half asleep half awake and wasn't happy when she found out she slept through juice time. Of course all the time I used transferring videos to the Play Station Portable was a waste, she stayed occupied with ordinary books!
It was windy, but not as cold as it looks. Graduation day it was nice, warm.




Autumn learned how to roll down the hill.
La Crosse WI

Kyle's girlfriend got us a great deal on a Hotel. It was a suite and had a kitchen with two microwaves, full size fridge and dishwasher. We didn't need it though as they had a breakfast buffet and comp dinner. Autumn had fun in the pool and seeing the wildlife at the pond behind the hotel. Kyle let us use his truck so we saved on car rental. He left Thursday for a game in another part of IA, and stayed the night before heading to WI. On Friday we drove over 600 miles through Minnesota to Wisconsin to see his team play ball. Kyle didn't play but we at least got to see his team play and meet the coach. We also spent more on gas than hotel and food. Wish we would have had more time to see WI and walk by the Mississippi.

His graduation was nice. Short and sweet. There were 400 graduates. We got to see our son get his BA in Criminal Justice. So proud! Autumn slept through most of it, she was running a fever. My brother Paul was in Missouri and him and his son Reid drove over to IA for his graduation. We didn't realize until later that Kyle's girlfriend played flute in the band, and we were sitting next to the band. We then went to Kyle's house for a BBQ. His roommate Sean's family lives in Des Moines and they brought food and we had a nice visit. It was fun being at my son's house. A bat flew into the house and everyone was running and screaming. It landed on Kyle's back and kids were hiding under the table. My little nephew Reid tried to hit it with an empty water bottle but then someone else hit it with a shoe. One of the girls tried to reassure Reid that the bat was OK and they took it outside, but that was the highlight of Reid's trip!

We took a quick tour of Grand View University. It is in walking distance for Kyle. We had a nice lunch with Kyle and his girlfriend Dollie and then was dropped off at the airport for home. At the Iowa Airport they have automated toilet seat covers, we had never seen them before and Autumn wouldn't use them. We arrived to a house still standing! So far no complaints from the neighbors that Rachel and Karen had any sort of party!