luau pictures

My nephew Nick and his Fiance

This is my Nephew Nick and his soon-to-be wife Jen. They
are getting married in San Diego on October 10th (my 21
anniversary). We are heading down there on the 8th. I am
really excited for him. I have never met her, but all of those who have, have been very taken with her cute personality. I am excited to go back to San Diego I haven't been back there for 22 years. It's a beautiful city.
Isn't my nephew cute. I love his dimples. He's a really great person too.
There is a cool article on them about there wedding in the Bride and Groom magazine. You can check it out at
sandiegobrideandgroom.com.

Football Season

Brady started football last week . He really loves it. He plays offensive lineman. He really prides himself in not allowing that boy to get past him. The boy that is directly behind Brady (in the picture) is an old neighbor of ours. They moved away for a couple of years and just moved back last year. The boys used to play together all the time. Trey's older brother was Britt's best friend in first and second grade. I am glad they are back. Trey and Brady seem to have a lot in common.

AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

Okay, I feel better having let that out. Well, not really but I feel like I could just let out one big huge aaarrrggghh! My life seems to be one trial after another right now, people living in my house, more people living in my house, business slow, oh yeah and did I tell you I have a potential Dylan Klebold (Columbine killer) living in my house. NOT! You would think so though.
Wednesday I got a call from school that I needed to pick up my son at school because he went ballistic and kicked the crap(literally, about 10x's) out of a girl. Yeah, a girl.
I am of two minds about it. 1. As a mom I want to shake him and ask him, "what the crap were you thinking"? 2. I want to hug him and say, "what did that mean snotty girl say to you that caused you to react that way"? (I have been told that 12 year old girls have the market on "snot factor".
I have had tons of advice, along with lots of other very "helpful friends" tell me things like, "yes my daughter says that he is always yelling at people and losing his temper and being mean". Thank. you. for. that, especially in front of all my other friends. I mean gee, could you have thought of a better way to say publicly, "you suck as a mother and your kid has problems". But, you know I will consider the source. This person seems to gain great joy and self esteem from telling me my kids are losers and hers a perfect. so.......
I have weighed out a lot of options as to whether or not to keep him in the charter school, send him to a "normal" public school, or home school him. I have a phone call to a woman who I feel is the "child guru". She is the most amazing person when it comes to dealing with kids and their bad behavior but also really putting things into perspective and allowing me to see things for what they really are. She is really busy, but I hope she can shed some light on this dilemma before I burst with anxiety.
Maybe someone can answer this for me? Do some kids just not ever get along well with kids? Should I keep him home until he is older (and maybe shaving) and dealing with peers that may be able to better understand him? I don't think he has anything psychologically wrong with him. I think he just doesn't like to be told he is wrong, and I think he doesn't give himself permission to be wrong. So maybe if he understands that it's okay not to always know everything, or to be the smartest or allow other people to have an opinion even if he doesn't agree, that is okay too.
I don't know....Why is being a parent so hard? I hate knowing that the decisions I make now will forever have a lasting affect on who he is and what kind of person he becomes.
Oh please pray I can get through this motherhood thing without really creating a Columbine killer. I think that is all any mother really wants out of life.

The County Fair

The County Fair. What a joy :) Our family (minus all who have a teen in there age) went to the Fair this last weekend. We went on Saturday. I figured with it being the first day, and the weather being beautiful it would be packed. To my amazement, it wasn't. This is a tradition the kids look forward to every year, and Andrew and I count down the days (hint...a bit of sarcasm).
I know, you are all saying to yourselves......."What about the fair could they not just love?" Well, let's just start with.......in the fourteen years we have lived in southeast Idaho, the fair has never changed. I could tell you exactly every attraction that will be there, even the booths in the exhibitors barn. The same food booths, the same rides, probably even the same Carnies....I'm not sure about that, only because they scare me and I can't look at them for more than just a fraction of a second. I think the hardest thing about raising a large family is, doing the same things year after year (tradition) and trying to be as excited the fourteenth time as you were the first time. Not sure I do a good job of it, however, I am still doing those same things, so give me a few kudos for that.
The thing that amazes me the most about the State Fair is, the people that it attracts.....I know, I am one of those people. I look at them and wonder where they hide the other 364 days of the year? There are not enough trailer parks in all of Idaho to house all of these people. I think if they set up a dental booth, to replace all of the missing teeth these people have, someone would make a killing. (I know I am being really "Harbor" right now)
I don't think a year has gone by where I haven't walked away from this place feeling rather sick to my stomach. I'm not sure if it's the "amazing" Cuisine, or the pleasant "aromatic" smells from the barn.
Every year we have to spend an unfathomable amount on tickets for rides. I know you say to yourself, "buy the bracelets", but, even for just the three boys it would have cost $90 for bracelets. NOT going there. So instead we spend $50 and get 6 or 7 rides each. I know doesn't make sense. My logic for not buying the bracelets is......If we buy the bracelets we have to be there until they are sick of riding the rides. If we buy the tickets, once they are gone, we go home.
So once again we survived the Idaho State Fair and we start the countdown just waiting for the next one.....361, 360, 359..... I can't wait.