The Cube is Conquered!!

We got this cube for Christmas maybe four years ago or so, I can't quite remember. Mr. Incredible and his family still lived here and we all spent many hours trying to put it together. Mr. Incredible had so much fun with it that he even got his very own cube because he was so confident that he would be the one to solve it first. So, we kind of had this contest between our families to see who could do it first. It has been so long that I don't even remember what we decided the winner would get. I think maybe it was dinner at Ambrosia for the family that solved it. (Of course I can say that now that I know who won!) Mufasa and myself along with the rest of our family have spent many hours over the years trying to do it. Like all great toys it just keeps coming out of the closet over time. There are over 19,000 solutions and do you think we could find just one??? NO!!!!

After many years the time has come for the cube to be conquered. Guess who conquered the cube?????? Drumroll.............................................



Yes, none other than our own 11 year old Buzz!!!! Like Buzz always says, "To Infinity and Beyond!!"

So, Mr. Incredible. We will accept full payment in June. :)

Missionary Man

Yes, it has been forever since I have updated my blog. But at long last, here is an update on how our missionary is doing. Well, needless to say he is not that fond of the MTC. He hates the food, is struggling with the language, and doesn't like being in one place all the time. But, we have seen progress through the weeks (he has been there in Provo for six weeks now) and he is starting to feel better about things. He is doing better with the language but of course it will be awhile before he has a better grasp on it but at least he is making progress. His companions (he had two) left this week for Brazil and he said that he filed some online visa paperwork about a week in a half after they did so he is hoping that his visa comes through soon. As soon as his visa is processed he will be shipped off to Brazil. Here are some pictures that he sent home last week.

p

Our Beautiful Daughter

A few weeks ago I took Anastasia out for her senior pictures. We had a great time, just the two of us and the camera. We took the computer with us as well so we could upload after each shoot and decide if we liked them or not. The weather was not real cooperative as it was a little darker than I wanted it to be and it started raining at the end. You can see some of the rain on a couple of them. The rain didn't spoil our party, we had fun. I still can't believe that I have an 18 year old daughter. What a beautiful person she is, inside and out!

Black Saturday!

Yep, it was that time again. Each year my mom, sister and I go shopping on black Friday. Hollee had to work Friday so they came over from Redmond on Saturday and off we went. Nikki had to work so she couldn't join us, next year though. Hollee's baby Dulcie joined us for the day, she was a great little shopper! We started our shopping experience with lunch to fuel us up for the big afternoon. After that we were off. We shopped all afternoon and just had a fun time. The highlight of our shopping is the caramel apple that we always get and share. I am already looking forward to next year.

Christmas Fun!

Last Friday, we took Buzz and Mulan to the Festival of Trees. It's a fundraiser and companies decorate Christmas trees and then they auction them off with big trips and other fun things. We didn't go to the auction part we just went to look at all the big trees and admire the creative genius that goes with them. We were once again amazed and the kids really enjoyed looking at all the trees. We took a break and decided to let the kids decorate their own mini-tree and what a fun time we had. Mufasa and I did one as well and we donated ours to a local nursing home. It was a great way to kick off the holiday season!

Stefanie Daley's Hindorf

Here is a video that I put together of Stef's bars at gym. Her coaches are in contact with a college so hopefully something will come of it. The Hindorff move (the one on the top bar) is an extremely difficult move. According to Stefanie's coaches there are not many girls in the country that can do this move. Yes.....she is amazing.........

Good-Bye Jeep

Well the Jeep that Santa brought Anastasia for Christmas about ten years ago had to go. It has been sitting in the garden for over a year now and it was time to send it to Jeep heaven, aka the recycle center. Anastasia was our neighborhood taxi for many kids and if her brother's were nice to her she might even let them drive it every now and again. The things she could do with her own wheels were endless. The trunk was her main storage and she would carry everything from dolls to rocks in it. She even transported things like snakes and frogs for her brothers. Her friend Alexis had a red jeep and for awhile they forgot how to walk anywhere. If she couldn't take her jeep, she didn't want to go. Why ride two wheels when you can have four, that was her motto for an entire summer. She put countless miles on the jeep and eventually her knees were up to her chest when she would sit in it. When Mulan and Buzz came along we replaced the batteries, wheels and a few other parts to keep it working. They too enjoyed the jeep but all too soon their knees were up to their chests when they would sit in it as well. It was a tired Jeep and no longer in working order. It was time to say Good-Bye.
Buzz and Mulan took the lead in dismantling the Jeep. Mufasa was the overseer on the project providing support and instructions for them. Buzz is very good with a screwdriver and had the most interest as he stayed with the project until almost the end. Mulan was interested at first, but then her soccer ball and squirt gun were calling her. In the end it went the way of all projects. Dad was left to finish and clean up.