2017 Blue Jeans week 23

Busy week!  Miss O went to Sunflower Girls State.  She had a good time with the exception of a emergency room visit the last night.  Anytime your phone rings after 10 p.m. you know it isn't a good thing.  She was wearing her formal dress and heals and carrying a glass vase down concrete steps when her heal clipped the step and she tumbled down the whole flight of stairs landing on her back at the bottom.  The vase broke and sliced her finger open.  Thus emergency room visit in the middle of the night..... ugh.  But thankfully she was okay after 6 stitches :)  ouch!  An adventure for sure!  Mr J had his first swim meet and summer is going well!  Take a look at our week. . .

Sunday Miss O reported to Sunflower Girls State for a week.

Her dorm room for the week.

The girls from her school that also attended.  This is the last evening and right before she fell down the stairs and ended up in the emergency room.  Ugh!

Mr J's first swim meet of the summer.  He is diving in on the far right.

Picked up Miss O end of the week--don't you love her wrapped and splinted pinkie?  We went to a really good homemade ice cream shop in the town she was in to celebrate her being done and surviving the week :)

These cute girls got some new dresses this week that they had to show off.  Beautiful girls!!

And a card making night--got working on Father's Day cards to send out this week.

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a great week!

2017 Blue Jeans Week 22

 Love Memorial Day weekend as we remember and honor those who have served and given so much for us so we can have the freedoms that we do!  Thank you so much to our service men and women and their families!  Have a great weekend and enjoyed the short week.  Miss O and E headed off on a short church youth conference, and we enjoyed slower summer days and the opportunities that brings.  Take a look at our week. . .

We do not live near a cemetery that has any of our family members in it, but we do have a local cemetery that has a wonderful section dedicated to Civil War soldiers that we like to visit every Memorial Day.   

This is a picture my aunt took of my Grandma DeeDee and reminds me what Memorial Day is all about.  She is sitting at the grave of her husband, my Grum, who served in WWII.  Love all the flags.  We love and remember and honor on Memorial Day.  Thank you!  

And we also have fun on Memorial Day!  Went to the lake with some friends--this is Ben and friend having fun tubing on the lake.  Always fun when the dad's get a turn on the tube!

So these long summer days let us have the opportunity to make things we couldn't normally make.  Mr J decided he wanted to make donuts--all by himself!  He researched and found a recipe, and worked all day making them. I only helped a little when we fried them.  They were divine!  Watch out Krispy Kreme!!!

Legos always seems to come out more in the summer too!  Nice to have the extra time to play!  Had some extra little friends over this week and that made playing with the legos extra fun!

These two cute girls got to attend a church youth conference for a few days in Nauvoo, Illinois.  They had a lot of fun.  Their leaders sent me this picture of them all ready to go.  It is funny how often they dress alike

Since Mr J is now 12, he is able to attend the temple with us and do baptisms.  We went Friday night for his first time.  We were missing Miss E and O because they were at youth conference, but we had a wonderful time with Ben, Mr J, and Miss A.  We love to see the temple!

Thanks for visiting!   Hope you all have a great week!!!

2017 Blue Jeans Week 21

Running behind.  Long holiday weekends always put me off schedule.  Love them, but they mess with me too :)  Enjoying summer.  Had a big birthday this week!  My baby is 12!!  When did that happen?  Take a look at our week (from 2 weeks ago :)...

Hello summer and lawn mowing!  Mr J is going to be taking over that job this summer and his sisters don't have a problem with that :)

We are loving our hammocks around here!

Got some yummy donuts from a place in the city--Hurts Donuts.  The huge ones are maple bacon bars.  Oh my!  Yummy stuff!

And a very happy birthday to my boy!  12 years old is a big deal!!!  He wanted an oreo blizzard cake from DQ for his birthday cake.  Yum!  So blessed to have this guy in our family!!!

Summer project--Miss E is working on making a t-shirt quilt for a summer project.  Excited to see how it turns out.

Had an awesome opportunity to go to the Kansas City Temple with this amazing young lady and be her escort on her first time through as she prepares to serve an 18 month mission for our church.  She is a very special friend to our family, and we were honored to be with her on her special day!

2017 Blue Jeans Week 20

Hello Summer!  School ended this past week, and we are sooooo excited for summer!  Take a look at our week. . .

Happy Mother's Day to me!  So blessed to be the mother of these 4 amazing kids!!

Got to go out to lunch with this cute girl today.  Yum!!!

Middle school band concert.  Mr J playing his sax.  They sounded awesome!

Hello Summer!  Our traditional "Toyota jump" to celebrate the end of school!  

School got out, and then the next day Miss O got all 4 of her wisdom teeth out.  Not a fun way to start the summer, but good to get it done.  This is how she was for a few days.  Thankfully she is doing much better now!  

Miss O and two of her friends.  The one in the middle was a foreign exchange student and leaving for home this week.  Always hard to say good-bye to good friends!  Grateful for the good friends in my kids' lives!

We are loving hammocks at our house lately.  We figured out how to get three up on our side porch today.  Mr J on the bottom :)  Lots of fun!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a great week!!

2018 Blue Jeans Momma Week 19

Busy week!  Today is the last day of school.  The kids have one hour left until summer officially starts as I am writing this.  We are sooooooo ready for a break!  But I am moving too fast, we had a great week last week.  My mom is retiring after many years as an elementary librarian.  My grandma DeeDee and 2 aunts came out to surprise my mom at her retirement party.  It was so fun to have them here!  We had a birthday, track meet, field trip, and Little Oscars and so much going on!  End of school crazy!  Take a look at our week. . .

Miss E celebrated her 15 birthday this week!  So love this girl!  She is amazing!!

Miss E had her last track meet of the season.  She did great!  

Here is my aunt Becky, my DeeDee, my mom and my aunt Jonelle right after they totally surprised my mom by driving 1150 miles to be here for her retirement party.  So much fun!!!  I am soooo grateful for these amazing women in my life!!!

Four generations right here---DeeDee, my mom and her two sisters, me, and my four kids.  Awesome!  We had so much fun while they were here--we laughed, we cried, we laughed some more.  It was truly amazing and great memories that will last for a long, long time.  Sure love you Becky, Jonelle and DeeDee!!!!  Thanks for coming!!

I got to go on the field trip with this cute boy and his class to the city to the Museum of Art.  Lots of fun!

Our high school does a "Little Oscars" program for all those who have been in plays for the year.  They do musical numbers in between the Oscar awards.  Miss O and her two friends did a song from  Hamilton  called "The Schulyer Sisters."  They "worked it!"  It was awesome!

And then Miss O won an Oscar for her part in The Music Man!!!  So exciting!  So proud of her!!!  She worked very hard, and loved doing it so much! 

All the Oscar winners for the night!  So much fun!

Had my parents over for dinner.  We had strawberry shortcake for dessert and one of my Dad's favorite things (and my kids) to do with spray cream is squirt it into my kids' mouths.  Jesse was so excited when we bought the cream and knew my dad was coming over :)  Love it!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a great week!!!  Welcome Summer!!!!

2017 Blue Jeans Week 18

Had a birthday this week, state forensics, Ben and I got away for a few days on a business trip, track meet, and enjoying the spring weather!!!  Life is good!  8 days of school left, but who is counting???   Take a look at our week. . .

Happy Birthday Miss O!  She didn't want a cake, she wanted just a variety of ice cream, so we had an ice cream buffet :)  Should have gotten a picture of that.  Her candle is in the ice cream ;)  This 17 year old wanted a skate board :)  love this girl!  What a blessing she is in our lives!!!

These are the state forensics qualifiers from our high school.  Miss E on the front row, right end.  Proud of her!  She made it in prose performing Jon Scieszka's "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" which is so cute!  Good luck at state this week!!

Ben has work meetings in Omaha once a year, and I tag along for the free hotel room and food.  I get lots of scrapbooking done and enjoy the relaxing time.  I was working on a new Project Life album for 2017 and a new kit, so I laid out all the cards to see what I had and how to arrange them.  Love the colors in this one!!

Enjoying Omaha and an evening stoll around a pretty lake and water fountain.  Love this guy and being able to spend time with just him!!

Back home after a few days and hit the ground running to catch Miss E in a track meet this week.  She tried triple jump for the first time ever.  That was fun to watch!  Proud of her and for trying new things!!!

We had 4 extra cute girls with us this weekend as we watched my girlfriends' kids, and I took the oldest two to a science fair they had.  We had a lot of fun!  I was glad I could take them because all my kids were too old!  

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you had a great week!!!

2017 Blue Jeans Week 17

Miss A is home for the summer!  Yeah!  We are so looking forward to having her home for a few months!  It is getting to that crazy spring time of year again.  Lots going on, but it is all good.  We have 2 weeks of school left!  Yeah!  Down to the wire, and we can do it!  Here is looking at our week. . .

Miss A and her cute roommates before they all went their different ways for the summer.  Such cute, good girls and great friends!

Miss O working at DQ--we went in to see her and got blizzards, of course :)

Girls day out--flower shopping!  Sure love these ladies!

National Honor Society induction this week.  Miss O is the president for next year.  Great group of kids right here!

Young Authors celebration this week.  Mr J and Miss E with author Jewell Parker Rhodes

Mr J with illustrator E. B. Lewis

And look at all 4 of these kids!  Together again after 4 long months!  Yeah!!!  Happy Day at our house!!!

Thanks for visiting!  Hope you have a great week!