New Years Eve

I had to work today. Chris and the boys were home. When I got home the boys asked if they could go to JR McArthur's for a party. I was a little concerned about CJ, but he said he felt fine.

Chris and I went out to dinner at Olive Garden for his birthday. He said he wanted a birthday dinner. They are always so good. Yummy. One of my friends from CB was working tonight and she served us. It was good to chat with her while we ate.

Came home and both read. Exciting evening! I am so ready for the new year. This one has been full of real challenges and trials. We have also had the blessing though. I am ready for a better year!

I'm Back!

When I talked to Brad at work last week about Christmas he said he didn't need any help. CB had called him though and told them I was released for work and to get me on the schedule. He put me on tonight since I work weekends normally.

I was a little nervous because my knee was hurting a bit when I went in, but it didn't cause me any problems. We were slammed almost all night. We had a Jehovah Witness group in town. They love Cracker Barrel. They are usually really patient and nice (full restaurant) and they tip well. It was a good test run.

 

Wisdom Teeth 2

CJ was supposed to give a talk on Sunday as one of the youth speakers. I had to remind him that he was getting his wisdom teeth out today and he probably wasn't going to be able to talk very well. He called the Bishop and excused himself.

I was at work, and so Chris was on duty. He said he was as nervous as CJ. It is a quick procedure. About 45 min. The Dr. Told Chris it went really well. All of my kids have reacted differently to anesthesia. Evidently it makes CJ talk. Chris said he wouldn't shut up. He got him home and iced down. He read all afternoon and did really well.

Family Cookbook

For the last several years I have been slowly working on a multi generational cookbook. I had one to the point I thought it was about 3/4 of the way done. Yesterday when I was working on our blog book I decided to look at it again. It was the victim of a computer glitch or something. The index is there, and all of the recipe titles, but the recipes themselves are gone. I almost cried. It had been a lot of work.

When I really started thinking about it again I decided maybe it was a blessing in disguise. I decided to reformat the whole thing so it could hold mor recipes in less space. I also decided to add recipes from Ann and Kasandra who are now adults and cooking in their own homes. With their recipes it will be five generations of cooks. How awesome is that?

Unfortunately, now I have to recon tact everyone again to get their recipes again. Fair warning family, I'll be calling!

Christmas Day

This year Chris and I really felt the difference of having teenagers in the house versus smaller kids. Our day was pretty quiet. We traditionally get up when Chis wakes up. He's always up before the kids. This year he gave us a break and it wasn't until 8:00. Both the boys rolled their eyes that I still had to take the picture of them coming up the stairs.

With teens I have found that I am leaning more and more towards gift cards. I am having a harder time coming up with fun things for their stockings. I don't want to buy stuff that is junk or they won't use. This year they got snacks, church socks, hot drink thermos and gift cards. One was from grandma Murphy for Barnes and Noble. Grandpa Weidman got them iTunes cards. This year mom and dad added to the collection. We got them $10 cards for McDonalds and Taco Bell so they could eat with their friends. They were really excited.

Santa Clause brought Nathan a much needed electric razor that was plugged in as soon as breakfast was done. CJ got a suit coat for church. He made the comment that it felt different. I told him that it was a dress coat. It was going to fit differently than the hoodies he lives in! It looks really good on him.

Breakfast was one of our traditional breakfast casseroles. This was the sausage one. It amazes me that it is supposed to feed 8 and I'm lucky if it feeds four. This year I did have a small piece left over though. It is nice making it the night before. It goes into the oven when the boys come up and is usually done about the time we are done with presents.

Some of the other things we got. CJ got a fur lined hoodie for winter and an Xbox NFL game Nathan got another pair of dress slacks and a gaming headset. They both got new ties and long sleeve white shirts for their suits. Chris got a new pair of jeans and a movie. I got a $50 Visa card to print our first year of our blog and a gorgeous nativity from Willow Tree. I love it!

After breakfast we divided to play with our spoils. Nath and CJ got on the Xbox and I got on the computer. I worked on finishing our first blog book and getting it ordered. It should bee here next week sometime. I went ahead and sluped in 2010 and 2011. I might as well work on them too.

Dinner was ham, baked potatoes and broccoli casserole. It hit the spot.

It was a quiet day good for reflecting on the year and what it has taught us through our trials. I am so grateful for the true meaning of Christmas. The birth of our Savior in that small town if Bethlehem. I too join the angels in singing Hallaluia to the King.

 

Christmas Eve Traditions

I love Christmas traditions.  Several of ours surround Christmas Eve.  The first one drives Chris crazy, but it is hard not to do for some reason.  That is me waiting until the last minute to wrap the gifts.  I'm usually buying and working on Christmas until then.  They always get done.  It is kind of cool to have a bare tree and then on Christmas Eve day they all suddenly appear.  This year it didn't take long.  The boys are getting to the age that it is quality over quantity. 

For dinner we go out for Chinese.  I don't have to cook and we enjoy getting out.  It came about 5 or 6 years ago when I was pressing the guys for a traditional Christmas Eve meal and they wouldn't commit.  I finally said, "Well, we should just go for Chinese."

A list of our fortunes from dinner:

Mom- Something wonderful is about to happen to you.

Nathan- On Friday your creative side will shine forth with exceptional ideas.

Dad-  blonde from afar has something interesting for you.

CJ- You will soon be singled out for  promotion. Congrats!

After dinner we go drive around town and see the Christmas lights.  There is one house in Bloomington Hills that is always decked out to the nines.  It is our favorite in town. 

After the lights we come home and get into our new matching Christmas jammies and read the Christmas story from the scriptures.  Our gifts to the Savior this year are:

Dad- More time doing the Savior's work

Mom- More trust and faith

Nathan- Spend more time with the scriptures

CJ- Pray more often

New Wreath

About 10 years ago my sister Kelli made me a Christmas wreath that I have loved.  This year as I looked at it I realized it was time for it to retire.  It had seen its last Christmas. 

Michael's was having a 50% off sale and so I went looking and couldn't find one that spoke to me.  I had seen a how to on Pinterest for making your own ornament wreath.  A couple days before that I had been in the dollar store and noticed that they had a lot of ornaments.  I decided to make my own.

I started it before Chris came home, but ran out of ornments.  With one thing and another it took me until this morning to finish it.  We couldn't use the dining room table because I couldn't move it.  It only had two rows of ornments on, and they were not that stable yet.  I promised that I would finish it so we could have the table back.

It turned out really well considering the burned fingers and not having enough of one of the smaller sized balls (sold out).  I just will tell people not to look too close.  I think it looks great on the door.  Not too bad for my first one.

Sledding

Nathan and CJ were invited to so sledding with JR McArthur's family today. They also took Debony, Daniela (Danny) and Jacob. They went up the mountain to Honeycomb Rocks.

I couldn't find any pictures of CJ on Danny's FB page. She only took them of Nathan, JR and Jacob (the older boys).

 

Nathan's Sculpture Class

Nathan took sculpture this semester in school.  They were working in different forms of media.  Here are the results of his class.

Strawberries

Nathan texted me at work that Chris was going to take them to see the Hobbit tonight.  I got home and they came in a couple of hours later.  Long movie. 

Chris had a huge box that he put on the table that was addressed to me.  It was an early Christmas present.  It was two boxes of these wonderful dipped strawberries.  They are soooo good!  Thanks hun.  I'm spoiled.

Christmas Ham

Years ago when the boys were small I had a friend that told me that boys between 14 and 18 had no brain.  They may be very intelligent, but they have no brain cells, because hormones take over.

As my boys have gotten older I have come to understand this very well.  A prime example of this just happened with Nathan.  Last night I went shopping and got our Christmas ham.  Each year we get a voucher for a Thanksgiving turkey or ham.  I didn't use it since we were in Arizona and so I used it last night.  I got a 12lb ham for .34 cents.  I had to pay the tax.  When I got home it was pouring.  I brought all of the bags in at once.  Nathan was right there when I came home and asked if he could help.  I gave him the ham and one other bag for the kitchen and asked him to put them away.  Didn't think anything more about it.

This morning CJ and I went into the kitchen.  I was starting the boys lunches and CJ went to get milk out of the fridge.  He asked, "Mom, is there a reason the ham is on the floor and not in the fridge?"  I couldn't believe it.  He didn't put it away last night.  I went in and said to Nathan in the living room "Really, Nathan, on the floor?"  His response was silence.  No defense.

I guess I am going to go get another ham and pay for it.  ARGGG.

Nativity

Every year I get a new nativity for my collection.  This year I found one very different from anything I have.  I found it at Deseret Book.  I love it, and the fact that it is nesting.

Mom Update

Mom had her gall bladder surgery Saturday.  It went really well.  She wasn't in much pain.  They had said that they were going to retry the endoscopy after the first of the year, but after her surgery they decided to do it today.  They had to go in and clean up debris.  They released her this afternoon.  She is going to Thomas and Jer's house for a couple of days to recoup.

Home For Good

Chris is finally home for good.  All together he has been gone almost a month.  I'm glad he could be there for his family, but we are glad he's home.  He was supposed to arrive in Vegas at 1:30.  They are an hour different in time right now.  I figured if I left right after sacrament at 12:30 I should be right on time. 

He texed me just as I was on the outskirts of Vegas.  His plane landed about 20 minutes early. It figures.  I just picked him up at arrivals.  He got in the car and we drove home.  He wanted to stop and eat, but I had zuppo toscano soup in the crockpot and lasagna for the oven.  He decided that sounded better.  We got home just in time to put it in the oven for dinner.

Mom In Hospital

Got a text late last night from Thomas.  Mom was in the hospital.  Looks like she had major gall bladder attack, but she is doing okay.

Talked to Kelli today.  Mom went in for an endoscopy.  They were going to try and get to the stones.  She has two causing problems.  One at the junction for the gall bladder, liver and pancreas and another larger one at the gall bladder duct.  They decided not to do the endoscopy.  She was having a problem with bleeding so they decided to wait.  They are taking her gall bladder tomorrow though.

Ann said that if he takes both of her grandmother's in a week she is going to become an athiest.  I understand the concern, but mom will be fine.  It has just been that kind of year for our family!

Work

The boys had an overnighter up on the mountain so I was on my own tonight.  I worked late, grabbed a bite to eat and then went Christmas shopping.  On my way home I decided to get a piece of pie at Cracker Barrell and see if I could talk to my GM.  Everyone works the holidays and I wanted to see if I was on the schedule.

I wasn't on the schedule.  He wasn't sure when I was coming back.  He got the work release, but he says those are just for the insurance company.  He was waiting to hear from me.  I learned something new about CB policy tonight.  He said he knew since he hadn't heard from me that it was serious.  (No one passed along my messages!)  CB policy is that when a worker's comp claim hits $10,000 they are not allowed to contact the employee for any reason. (liability issues).  He said mine capped that at 3 weeks.  I updated him on what was going on.  He had no idea. 

He did say that everyone gives Racail, the girl who tripped me a hard time.  They keep telling her not to break anyone else.  I feel bad that they are teasing her so much.

I'm going to try and work a short shift on Christmas Eve.  After walking around all day after my shot I think I will be okay. 

Cortisone Shot

I broke down and did it.  I got a cortisone shot in my knee today.  After talking to the doctor last Monday I started really paying attention to the way I was walking and why I was limping.  He was right.  It was right.  The full extension was where the pain was. 

I was trying to work harder in physical therapy my pain level had gone up.  I realized that no matter what I did, if I didn't get rid of the pain the physical therapy wasn't going to do me any good.  I have to learn to walk without the limp. 

I have to say that the shot wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  It stung, but not near the pain level of the one in the feet.  It started working almost immediately.  I walked out of the office building without limping!  It feels a little stiff, but he said it would for a couple of days while the shot disperses into the knee.  That I can put up with.  Modern medicine is amazing!

Decorated Tree

For Family Home Evening tonight we decorated the tree and the living room.  It helped give a little Christmas spirit even though we are sad.  The tree was loaded.  I forget how many ornaments we have collected over the years.

Indian Food

Chris texted me at work this afternoon and told me I would never believe where he was.  He was in an Indian resturant.  He was right.  I didn't believe it.  He says the only reason that he went was because he thought they would have beef on the menu.  He was with dad, Vickie and Paul.  They all laughed at that.  Indian's don't eat beef. 

He said that he owed me a night at an Indian resturant.  He actually enjoyed his dinner.  I told him he had to take pictures because I didn't believe it.  That made his family laugh even harder.

Christmas Boxes and Tree

Nathan tried last weekend to get our Christmas boxes out of the shed.  Unfortunately he needs a man to help.  They are up on the top shelf and too heavy for him. 

Last night at the party we asked a friend if he would give Nathan a hand getting everything down.  He and his son came over after church and we got everything into the house. 

I was in the bedroom for most of the afternoon.  Nathan called me out a little while ago and he had the Christmas tree all set up.  It almost made me cry.  It was so thoughtful.

Mom Weidman Passed

This has been the craziest day!  This morning Chris and I were up.  I was putting potatoes in the oven for the ward Christmas party tonight.  We got a text from his sister Kristen that his mom had taken a turn for the worse and that they thought she was passing.  We were blown away.  Chris refused to believe it.  Within about 20 minutes she was gone.  It was such a surprise. 

Chris feels so bad for coming home right now.  He would have never left if he had known she was going to go so quickly.  We got on the internet and got him a flight out of Vegas.  Nothing leaving from St George today.  Nathan and I drove him down. 

We left CJ at home to man the potatoes for the party.  We got back right after the party started and made an appearence.  Not easy to have Christmas spirit when you feel like crying. 

Love you mom Weidman.  We are going to miss you, but I'm glad that you are not in pain anymore. 

The one thing about mom passing that makes me smile is the reunion that she is having with her family right now.  I know that Mitchell and Michael were there to greet her along with her parents.

Chris Is Home

I went and picked Chris up at the airport this afternoon.  It is good to have him home.  He would have liked to have stayed a little longer, but everyone was pushing him to leave.  Mom and dad kept telling him that he needed to get home to his family. 

 She is doing as well, considering the circumstances right now.  They are doing surgery tomorrow to put a drain in her lung tomorrow.  The doctor said afterwards that they want mom do some physical therapy for a walker.  Once she can walk they will send her home. 

Knee Verdict

I am really bummed right now.  I just came from seeing the orthopedist for a follow up appointment.  I am still limping and can't stand on if for too long.  For example the mall Thanksgiving weekend.  He said that it looks like the surgery didn't work.  I shouldn't be in pain and limping.  Now we are just looking at treating the arthritis.  They really can't do anything else.  Eventually I will have to have my knee replaced.  Not the news that I wanted to hear.  I've basically gone through the last three months for nothing.

He also released me for work.  Not sure how that is going to happen at this point.  I did talk him into physical therapy for the limp.  I am not going to limp for the rest of my life!  We are going to try it for a month and see how it goes. 

He says that the injury is right at the end of the extension of my knee.  The nerves in my knee are sending messages to my brain that it hurts and to not do that.  That is why I am limping.  I can't fully straighten without pain. He recommened a cortisone shot.  I've had those in my feet.  They hurt more than you can believe.  The thought of doing one in my knee at this point makes my stomach flip.  He said they are not as bad as the ones in the feet.  Not sure I believe that.  I told him I would think about it.

Queen Creek Bullies

When we were in Arizona, Jer told us about a local story of one kid making a difference.  It happened at the local high school in Queen Creek.  There was a 16 year old girl, Chy Johnson, who had a brain disorder.  She was being bullied.  They were even throwing trash at her.  She was coming home from school every day crying.  The administration and the teachers were not doing anything. 

Her mom, not knowing what else to do, called Carson Johnson.  He was in her ward.  She just wanted to know if he could get some names for her.  He said that he would take care of it.  He also happened to be the captain of the football team who are going to state this year.  He called a team meeting that night and explained that they were going to protect Chy.  They would follow her to class and sit by her.  She would sit with them at lunch.  The team was not going to allow the bullying anymore.  No one opted out.

They said what followed was amazing.  The bullying stopped.  They set the example for the school in a positive way.  Chy, now calls them her boys and goes to every game.  The story even made ESPN.  No one could believe that the answer was so simple.  The popular guys standing up for what was right.

Most of this team are seniors this year.  Someone asked what was going to happen next year when they were gone.  Carson's younger brother, who is also on the team, replied "I've got it."

Everytime I think of this story I get choked up.  Isn't it amazing what a difference one person can make?  Not only did he change Chy's life, but he changed the attitude at the school and around the nation as others began to realize the difference that they could make by making a stand for what was right.  This young man was also a latter day saint.  He honored his priesthood by looking out for someone less fortunte.  I hope that my boys realize the influence that they can have on others.  I hope they always will make that stand for the right.

Christmas Lights

With Chris in VA, we are going to have to do a few things differently. Chris does most of the hauling,lifting and decorating for Christmas. Since we are not sure when he is coming back I asked Nathan to do the lights for the house this year.

Luckily Chris left them up last year so Nathan didn't have to string them. He replaced a bulb and rehung in a couple of places. He reconnected them and got them ready for us to use. It is so nice to have older boys who can help out.

Let there be light!

Preference Invitation

I was talking to CJ on the phone this afternoon while I was at work.  He said that Nathan got another dance invitation.  I guess the girls are starting to ask the boys for the January preference dance.  This invitation is from Daniela Contreras.  She is in our ward and part of the group he hangs out with.

Kingman

We got up and left Phoenix about 6am this morning.  I was very grateful that I could share the driving with Nathan.  I got about 2 hours of sleep.  I had one of those nights that I couldn't go to sleep no matter what I tried.  I had told my aunt Ginny that we would stop by before they went to church at 11:00.

Aunt Ginny called me about a week ago and asked me so send genealogy information on mom's line and pictures.  All year she has been working on family history books for all of her kids.  They are all going to be together for Christmas this year.  She has invited Scott and Shelly and she wanted to give them a book also.  I wanted to stop by and see what she had.  It was really cool.  I gave her a little more information about the military service on mom's line for the book too.  We visited for a few minutes and then left.

Drove over to Scott and Shelly's and spent about half an hour catching up with them too.  Shelly has just had another back surgery.  They told us the doctor messed up the first one.  Hopefully, with this surgery the new doctor has her fixed.  It was good to see them again.  It is so hard to catch up with each other with different schedules.

We went to Cracker Barrell for lunch and then headed home.  It was good to be home.  Shadow was nuts of course.  It is nice to know someone misses you when you are gone. 

Arizona Mills

Mom called me when I was ready to leave Thomas and Jer's and said that she and Kelli were getting ready to go out to AZ Mills and asked if I wanted to go.  I told her sure.  I had heard of them, but never been there.  Kelli wanted to go to the Penny's outlet.  I thought I might see if I could find a sport coat for Nathan while we were there.  This mall is huge.  About 6 of ours would fit into this one.  They even have an aquarium in there. 

While we were walking around, we came upon this huge sandcastle.  I had to take pictures.  They said that they used 75 tons of sand and 300 man hours.  It was amazing.

We didn't have any luck finding flannel sheets or a suit coat at Penny's.  We went to a couple of more stores to look.  Ended up at Burlington Coat Factory.  I found a slim 38 jacket that fit Nath for $70.  I couldn't believe that he is in a 38.  Way bigger than I would have guessed. 

By the time we were done walking around the mall I was in so much pain from my knee, I wanted to cry.  We only walked around for about an hour and a half.  We didn't really do that much.  If I can't do this I don't know how I'm going to go back to work. 

Thomas & Jer

Mom and I got up early this morning and went to Walmart to pick up a few things we needed.  When we got home she went out to pick up Logan and Victoria.  I had a project for Jer that I wanted to finish before I went out.  I was about half an hour behind her. 

When I got there the kids had just finished breakfast and were just hanging out.  Jer told me how amazing she thought my boys were.  She said that the three younger cousins had been all over them, hanging, pulling, wrestling the whole time.  She said they were probably exhausted.  She said that she was amazed at how patient they were.  She said they never once raised their voice or lost their patience with them.  She asked me how I taught them that.  I told her I was just lucky.  Both of my boys are great with kids.  She said that she wants Hayden to be like that.  She told them that they had no idea how much those younger cousins looked up to them.

She told us that last year when Nathan was in town, Hayden had showed him a picture that he had drawn.  Nathan had complimented it and Hayden thought that was really neat.  He began taking art lessons and has found how much he enjoys it.  Hayden comments all the time he wonders if Nathan would like a picture that he has done, or if he would do something a certain way.  It has made a big difference in his life. 

Jerlyn told both of the boys that there was no pressure, but she was counting on them to go on their missions for the example for Hayden. :)  I'm glad that she talked to them about their influence.  I tell them all the time that they never know who is watching.  We have to live our testimonies. 

It was great to sit and visit with Tom and Jer for several hours and catch up on life.  I love living in Saint George, but I do miss spending time with my family.

Non Black Friday

We all got up and went over to Kelli's house. We were all going over to the swap meet. I needed a new purse and mom decided she wanted a new winter one. There is a vendor we found there that has a great selection at reasonable prices. All three of us ended up buying one. We looked around for a few more minutes but didn't see anything else we wanted.

On our way out to the car Kelli got a phone call from Thomas. They were around the corner at the theater to see "Rise of the Guardians". This is the first movie Jer has seen in 6 months. It was really good. After the movie we all went across the street to Ross. I needed to find CJ some new tennis shoes. It was fun all shopping together for a while. We found him tennis shoes and a wallet, Nathan sunglasses and me boots.

I have been looking for short boots to go with jeans for a couple of years. I either can't find what I want or can't afford what I find. I decided to look while we were there on a whim. I found a black pair of suede ones. I tried them on and they fit perfectly. I wasn't going to get then, but CJ talked me into it. He told me they were really cute and that I wouldn't find a deal like that again. He was right. They were only $18. I love them.
                         
The boys had to call me over to see this table. They thought it was the most interesting table they had ever seen. Nathan said he couldn't picture what kind of decor it would go with. That was incompressible.

                       
After Ross Jer was done. Thomas took her home. Hayden had asked her if the boys could spend the night. She said yes. We went back to moms for a while. Ann had called me and told me to come into work about 5:30 so I could use her discount. She was off at 6:00. I wanted to buy some Torani syrup on sale. We did that and then went over to her place. Trevor came over and we met Charlie, her dog. What a character he is. He was bounding around the room like a rabbit. Sharing his attention with everyone.
                                        
                               
We visited a while and then I took the kids over to Thomas and Jer's and dropped them off for some cousin bonding time.

Thanksgiving Day

Here we are again having Thanksgiving apart from Chris. Last year he couldn't get off work. This year he is spending the time with his mom in the hospital. We want him there, but it is still hard.

We got to my sister Kelli's about 11:30. Ann was all ready there. So were Trent, Kasandra and Lily. We all said hello and visited for a while. I had taken my camera so I could take pictures of the kids as a Christmas gift. The boys and I took Logan, Victoria and Lily down to the park at the end of the block. We were gone for about an hour. Here are a few of my favorites
                                     
                                          
                                      

Came back to the house and visited for a while longer while the rolls and broccoli casserole finished baking.

We had a very untraditional Thanksgiving dinner, grilled steaks, scalloped potatoes, broccoli casserole and rolls.

We didn't do anything real amazing. We watched tv and talked. I'm so grateful for my family and that we can spend time with them. It's hard being so far away sometimes.

Trip to Arizona

I had to work half a day. We had a double payroll week and I had to get all my garnishment coupons done before I left. We were aiming to leave about noon. It ended up being a little after 1:00 by the time I got home. The car wasn't packed either. We threw things in the car and got on the road.

I love having another driver. Nathan and I split the driving into segments. He did St George to just outside of Vegas, I did Vegas to Kingman, he drove to Wickenburg and then I finished driving into Phoenix. It was nice since those all all about 2 hour segments. I do city and he does the long stretches.

We had another real close call by the I-15 interchange that you have to come off and get on I-93. I got off of the exit okay but within half a mile had a very close call. Thank goodness for prayers of safety before we left. Nathan wanted to change the radio from fm to am. I glanced down for a second to show him which button it was. When you do that the natural instinct is to slow a bit. That it what saved us. My eyes were down for about 10 seconds. When I looked up out of the corner of my left eye I saw a car coming from two lanes over. He came in front of us to hit the exit that we were passing. He barely made it. He also came within inches if clipping the front of the car. Nathan and I just glanced at each other and turned white. A little red sports car not being very smart.

Mom told us to take another way into Phoenix. We normally take the 303 about 20 miles out of Wickenburg. We ended up taking the 75 around Pleasant Lake. It actually was a really good alternative. It didn't have the stop lights that the 303 does. We got to moms about 9:30. We made pretty good time.

Senior Ball

Tonight was Senior ball. They were gone most of the day. Nathan left at 9:00 to go hiking. Afterwards they went to JR's to watch movies. About 6:00 I called Jan Owen to see if I could help at all. She was making them dinner. She said everything was taken care of. I felt really bad that I hadn't thought of offering help earlier.

I decided that I would go over and take pictures for them. I hadn't heard that anyone was doing that. We couldn't afford to have dance pictures anyway.

Dinner was at 7:00. Patrick came to our house to get ready. The boys were so cute.
                          
Here are individual pictures of all the couples.

Nathan and Jaeden

Patrick and Daniela

J.R. and Debony

Here are all the girls. I was impressed with how beautiful they were.

                              
All the guys looking debonair.
                            
Table setting looking gorgeous.  Jan made salads, pot roast, mashed potatoes and carrots, and cheesecake for dessert.

JR's aunt went to the dance and took a few more pictures.

Nathan had a great time. I guess we are getting into the dating world again. CJ will be dating in 6 months.

Chris Visiting Mom

I took Chris to the airport this morning at 6:00 so he could go see his mom. She is still in the hospital.

She was complaining that it was hard to swallow yesterday. They did a procedure and put a camera down her throat to see what is going on. They said that the mass is pressing on her heart and her esophagus is swollen. The pressure on her heart has given her an arrhythmia. They need to get that stabilized before they do any more testing.

They want to do a specialized ultrasound. They are at the new hospital in Norfolk, but they don't have the machine. They will have to transfer her to the older hospital to do it. Not sure when it will happen.

State Champions

Came home from work and Chris and the boys were really excited. Dixie won the state championship today. They said the game was a really good one. They beat Spanish Fork 49-21.

I told them they had the better deal, even though they would have liked to be there in person, and have gone to every game but this one. The weather cold cold last night. They were a lot more comfortable watching it at home than there.

Formal Clothes Shopping

Tonight Nathan and I went out to find him clothes for the dance. Went to JC Penny's. That is where we got his dress slacks. We were looking for a jacket for him to wear. No such luck. They only had 1 that fit, but the sleeves were just right. In a couple of months they would be too short.

I suggested trying a vest. They had several really nice ones. He liked this one with the lapels.
                              
Next we looked for a shirt. His neck is 14 1/2". Jaeden's dress is purple and black. The smallest purple shirt we could find was a 15 1/2". It's hard being tall and skinny! The shirt is a med grape color. I'm hoping it will go okay.

                                    

The tie he picked out is black, silver and purple diagonal stripes. Can't wait to see him all decked out.