Family Easter Party

My sister, Wendy and her family, drove down from Vegas conference weekend and we decided to have an early Easter party.

First, we played football outside....(and by "we" I mean, Brad and the kids, while the rest of us sat on the porch and enjoyed watching them work up a sweat...my kind of party)!

Figuring out a strategy to win....

You didn't believe me, did you?  But here we are on the porch, "watching."  Notice my mom and dad both on their phones.....not to each other, of course.....Way to make the picture look good, Michelle!  :)

Wendy brought a pinata for the kids to destroy.  They had so much fun hitting it....think about all those boys getting a turn to "wack" it a good one!  This is Caleb.

Kyle was trying to beat it up with his fists....who needs a bat, when you've got Kung Fu?

Even cute Moriah got a turn, with daddy's help.

Josiah, trying to bust it open....

And Caleb....

And Joshua.....

And Kyle (this time with a stick)....

And Alexis....

And Dallin, who guess what?  He broke it open! That poor little thing didn't stand a chance against all these powerful boys!

And then the candy.....Yippee!

Then we went inside for homemade Sundaes.  We had lots of sprinkles and lots of toppings.  So fun!   Moriah got a sucker....

The beastly Sundaes being made....everyone had a great time!

Tim-Tam-Slam

Have you ever heard of the "Tim-Tam-Slam?"  Me neither, but my best friend, Loralie, taught me all about it.  Her daughter just recently returned home from an LDS mission to Australia.  Apparently Tim-Tams are famous there. 

But first.....a picture of me and Loralie.  We look like we could have been trouble makers when we were younger, but I assure you that was not (always) the case.  We had some good times, her and I, and I love her tons!

Back to the subject at hand.....Tim Tams are little chocolate-covered wafer treats, similar to the size of, I don't know, a bar of soap?.....not a very appetizing comparison, but you get the idea.

Basically you bite off a tiny corner of the cookie bar (not the soap) from each end.  It doesn't have to be a big bite.  Then you put some hot chocolate into a foam cup.  Next, stick one of the ends of the cookie into the hot drink and start sucking as if the cookie is a straw. 

You will be amazed that in a very short time, the hot chocolate will indeed be "sucked up" through the cookie and you will taste the deliciousness of the cocoa.  But don't suck too long, because in a matter of seconds the cookie will melt away and you will be left with a sticky mess in your hands.

 

As soon as that happens, quickly shove the whole cookie into your mouth.  What a treat!  It's really fun to do with teenagers too.....but, just so you know, it takes a little bit of practice. 

Now say that again.  What are we supposed to do? 

Oh yeah, take the cookie, bite a piece off of each end, then stick it into a cup of hot chocolate and suck!  It works, I promise!

See it working?  Sort-of?

Then, don't forget to shove the whole cookie into your mouth, just as it begins to melt.  Oh yeah, and you can drink the hot chocolate afterwards too.  It's a fun FHE activity.....try it!

By the way, my friend gave me the package of Tim-Tams.  She found them at Target, but I don't think they are always in stock.....I've never seen them before.....then again, I've never looked. 

 Happy Tim-Tam-Slamming!

Eric's Junior Prom (as a Senior) Feb 2012

Eric took Jayde Ford to Junior Prom this year.  She is really cute (and I'm not the only one who thinks so.....just sayin').  When she answered him back she came over to our house when he was gone and decorated his room.  But "the answer" started on the stairs.  On each paper that you see she had one word....When Pigs Fly, I Will Go To Prom.  This led to his bedroom.

Opening the door to his room.....he looks pretty happy, doesn't he?

 

 Eric's room was covered in yarn and pictures of flying pigs.  There were also 2 very cute little stuffed pigs with wings hanging from the ceiling.  So stinkin' cute! 

 

Who says pigs can't fly?   Apparently they can....

During the day (of the dance), they went to a nearby park and played on the swings, and played games. It turned out to be a pretty nice day, considering it was March.  I honestly don't think it would have mattered what they did, as long as they were together....ahhhh....so sweet. 

And they took random pictures.....

 

Tray and Kevin (a couple of friends) sitting on Eric.  I'm not exactly sure what that's about, and frankly, I don't want to know.... :) 

For the evening of the dance, they went to dinner, to the dance, and to ice cream afterwards.  Here are a few pictures of their evening's activities....

I love this picture.  It is so cute of both of them.....

 

Eric and Kevin

In the car, with Eric at the wheel....hopefully they weren't actually driving when this picture was taken.

And here they are at Wendy's after the dance.  Eric looks so serious.... :)

Jayde, looking a little surprised.....not sure why. 

Right before the guys took the girls home, Eric realized that all of the planets were alligned for he and Jayde to "spiderman."  What is "spidermanning," you ask?  Yeah, good question....basically it's acting out the scene in the Spiderman movie when he is hanging upside down and he and Mary Jane share a kiss in the rain.  I don't know where these kids come up with this stuff (can you say movies?).  It was even raining, so Eric had to take advantage of the situation.  Here they are discussing how they'll accomplish this great task....

Eric climbed onto the Wendy's sign and while his friends held his legs, he hung upside down, so Jayde could give him a kiss.  He kind-of looks like he's in pain here, but really, it serves him right, don't you think?  :)

And here is the picture we've all been waiting for.....ta dum!  It's really dark, so it's hard to see, but even so, you get the idea.....crazy teenagers!

The night was a success, according to Eric.....I'm stll trying to decide. :)   But I know they had tons of fun and I'm glad they were able to go to the dance together.  No more "spidermanning," though....once is enough!  :)  (I wanted to clarify that this kiss wasn't exactly as the one in the movie....Eric's and Jayde's were more like a "peck."  Just wanted to clear that up).....whew!  (Of course, how would I really know that for sure? I wasn't there, after all.  Well, it's because Eric told me and I choose to believe him.....that's all).

Eric's Eagle Court of Honor

Eric had his Eagle court of honor on February 18th.  It was such a great night!  And by the way, let me just say that it is SO much work to become an Eagle Scout.  How will I ever get through 4 more boys (and their projects?  UGH!) 

We set up a display table with things that represented his personality.

Eric received this framed picture for Christmas.  It says:  "An Eagle unendowed will never soar." We heard the quote from a member of our stake presidency (who was a quoting a former Stake President) and had it printed and framed.  I love this saying!  (Too bad that Moroni's head is cut off----it's just the frame that did it; it wasn't printed that way)...just saying....

Cool Eagle statue!  Ooohh, Aaahhh.....

The cake

Todd and I participated in the program.  We each said a few words.  At first when Eric asked me to speak, I didn't want to say anything because I get pretty nervous for this kind-of thing, but in the end, I decided that there was no way I was going to pass up an opportunity to essentially "brag" about my son.  It is my privelege and my honor as his mother.  So that's what I did.....

The program went really well.  Todd made a video presentation of Eric's growing-up years, scout activities, the family, and his Eagle project.  It was very touching and so cool!  We are so proud of Eric for his hard work and determination in achieving this great award.  We love you son!

1 down, 4 to go....seriously?