big girl now

eden is taking her drivers test today. we will see if she is competent enough to pass with the infamous mean lady at the dmv. everyone knows about her. we will keep you posted. pretty nervous about this one, i will admit. this will make 5 drivers and 5 cars in the family. 

that number is so disturbing.

eden is also attending saddleback college for a spanish class she wanted to get out of the way, so i have been driving her every night. we leave at 5:30...then i pick her up sometime around 8:30...she gets her license just in time to drive herself to her last 2 classes. 

so convenient. so well timed, eden. thank you. 

anyway, she REALLY liked her college class and is anxious to take more...loved her professor too...what a brain she is. what other kid actually  likes school...well, actually 

i can think of another one i know quite well. what's with these kids?

and she's gettin an A.

update, as of about 9:55am!

eden passed her driving test, so look out people!

choose your color

ok, emma is now officially famous for her cupcakes. she has been voted superior to cinderella cakes by a reputable and knowledgeable critic, jackie pinner. she will deliver the best cupcake you have ever tasted...oh, one thing, only white cake, her specialty...although with some persuasion, a chocolate coconut, cream cheese version might be an option or possibly red velvet. however, any delectable color you may desire for the luscious signature cream cheese frosting is totally doable.  

pretty pathetic when you spend your time looking on the internet for sprinkles in bulk and nonpareils in every color of the rainbow. 

and did you know they make edible pearls? 

who knew?

fish out of water

my friend julie's missionary son come home on thursday from brazil. she is beyond happy, and we celebrated today with gobs of good food and broad smiles, big hugs and lots of love. his talk in church was all but perfect, said he felt like a "fish out of water" with the transition to "normal" life. he is now a full blown man. 

her rock is home now, and she now has all 5 under one roof-well maybe for 1 night. 

simply wonderful. 

just love my friend julie.

here comes the sun

another great beach day spent with my most favorite people in the whole world. 

have to admit, it was a glorious day. 2 days in a row spent watching the waves. as much as i complain about where i live, i actually love being close to the ocean and love the sunshine. i think i am a california girl to the bone. so dont believe me when i say i want to move out of state.

and...new camera too, so i will be taking even MORE photos of my peeps 

frolicking in the sun.

cant wait.

weird thursday

 sitting at the beach yesterday, enjoying the beautiful weather. perfect day. aenon and hunter by my side. a brand new reclining lime green beach chair. passion fruit tea and lemonade in the cooler. chronic tacos in my tummy. warm sun on my face.

feeling good.

then my cell phone rings...

it's leigh...(she's always the one filling me in on the hot news)

michael jackson and farrah fawcett dead? 

weird.

i unfortunately am at an age where these celebrities played a role in my youth. maybe like britney spears and lindsay lohan or megan fox might be today, although i think farrah fawcett deserves a lot more credit than she is getting. and michael jackson has sort of stolen her thunder. i cant think of anyone today who is as beautiful as she was...she absolutely was an icon. 

as a teenager, i tried relentlessly to have hair like hers. i never made it though. her hair i think was curly, and she had gobbs of it, so i was out of luck. my stick straight fine hair would never do what hers did magically, even with a perm. watched charlie's angels religiously too. i even had an acquaintance in high school who was so insanely obsessed with her it was unhealthy, and found himself comparing ME to her often. i wont mention his name, as it might be a little embarrassing for him. now as an adult i can see how odd he was. in my yearbook he had a scale which rated me (comparing me to her)...i wont go into it, as i am weirded out just mentioning it. 

he must really be sad today.

then there was michael jackson. listened to his music, not a lot, but couldnt help the catchy ones like thriller and such. love his black or white (click on this to go to it) song too. i think my favorite. you should watch this full version of that video. pretty cool. so sad he had such a tumultuous life. feel sorry for his kids (well, actually always have), and the promoters of his new tour who have lost MILLIONS. 

hope he has some peace now. 

so, when thinking about someone i might want to dream about looking like...i think it just might be farrah fawcett. 

hope she's ok hanging with the real angels now.

pure exhaustion

big day. 

6-9am water polo practice, santa margarita high school

 

nap on couch

1-3pm basketball practice, tesoro high school

3:40-4:40pm basketball game, mission high school

come home, throw up, feeling sick

6:30-8:30pm water polo scrimmage el toro high school

bjs for fish tacos

can hardly walk to the car, asleep during 10min drive to the theatre

9:50-1am transformers movie

tired or exhausted. you pick. 

and guess who had the rare privilege of driving to all of these lovely orange county high schools all in one day? 

where'd ya get that hat?

well, it is my birthday today. a day you would like to forget as you age, a day that is not supposed to come. AND, i finally have my age right. for the longest time i thought i was turning 48, i am actually turning 47. need to brush up on my math skills.

in all of my photo sorting i have been doing lately, have yet to find a photo of me during some sort of birthday celebration. i have memories of a lot of them, but for the most part it is a blur. o, i do remember the time craig thru a surprise party for me. it was a disaster. i showed up at the movie theatre wearing no make-up and overalls just to humor him because he was SO insistent we go to THAT movie at THAT particular time. i should have had a clue something was up. my mom was visiting too, and she kept telling me, as i was complaining that craig was "making me see a movie", to "go put some make-up on, go change your clothes..." she was trying to tell me in a discreet way to "go get presentable." well, i did NOT listen, went begrudgingly to the theatre in my gardening clothes, dirt all down the front of my lovely old navy denim overalls. (remember them vividly-LOVED them.) what a memory. just let me be clear...i do not like surprises. never have, never will. but thank you to all of my dear friends who showed up to celebrate with me in such an awkward situation...sorry.

anyway, my kids birthdays have taken a priority for sure, the way it should be, and the way it is. love planning my kids celebrations...although i do have most of them in a row, right during the holidays. should have planned better for that too. next time i will do some calculations to spread them out a bit.

so, because i am lacking in any old birthday shot of me, i have chosen to focus on the BIRTHDAY HAT. a tradition we had when the kids were little. a photo of the special kid in the birthday hat was a must. actually, it is kind of a dumb tradition, but needless to say, everyone was anxious to put it on, and humor me with a snapshot. o, and we always get a baskin robbins ice cream cake. no substitutions. just the way it is around here when birthdays roll around.

wonder what flavor i will get?

listen carefully with your eyes

when aenon was a freshman, she attended a stake youth conference here in rancho santa margarita. during the testimony meeting at the conclusion of the conference, this young man got up to bear his testimony. however, he did not speak. he spoke with his hands. he is deaf. he signed his heartfelt testimony to a congregation of youth who were mesmerized, using only his hands and emotion filled face to convey his feelings. you could hear a pin drop in that chapel. 

those kids were spellbound. 

there was power in his words.

i remember aenon coming home and telling me about it. she was so affected by him-his strength, his conviction and his testimony, all told beautifully without words. she was fascinated...and it didn't hurt that this boy was adorable. 

next thing i know, she is signing up at saddleback college for sign language classes. took them for 3 years, and loved every minute of it. emma soon followed behind her, and before i knew it, i had 2 girls enrolled in sign classes. they loved to sign right in front of me, obviously talking about something i shouldn't hear, laughing out loud. they still do this. very annoying.

well, she didnt see much of this boy after that, just here and there. they attended different high schools were in different wards. had different lives. he played soccer, she played water polo... 

then one day she got a phone call. a call from an interpreter. chris wanted her to go to a school dance with him, prom if i remember right, and amazingly she was one of the few who could actively converse with him now. he inspired her to seek out sign language, and now she would be able to share that with him. it was fun to see them for the brief time before they left, conversing with their hands. she said she spent a lot of time interpreting for him at the dance so he could talk with his friends. she loved it. it all came full circle.

so, now i hear he has come home from his 2 year stint, spent honorably in a deaf mission in arizona, and i actually visit teach and have grown to love his darling aunt...who i didnt know back then. i am sharing this specifically for her.  

wonderful experience for aenon to get to know chris.

 he inspired her to do good things.

full circle effect.

welcome high school sports

this is hunter, 6:30 am...reporting to his first official high school water polo practice. then there's basketball camp at 1pm (well, that starts tomorrow), then there's another club water polo practice in el toro later on in the afternoon...guess my summer isnt gonna change much from school days. once a chauffeur, always a chauffeur. dont know what i was all excited about with school ending. ha...my life in the car is just beginning. good thing i like the fine automobile my butt sits in for hours on end. and hats off to seat heaters, even in the summer. just crank up the ac.

on a positive note, after i dropped him off, i took a little road trip to the beach, and sat on the rocks for awhile, camera in tow. watched the seagulls look for food, and a yellow lab with two women who had absolutely no problem jumping in the water. his exuberance was fun to watch.

nothing like the beach in the early morning...actually any place early morning, but the beach is special. my absolute favorite time of day. LOVE IT. so, the early practice is easy for me...hunter hopefully will learn to love the beauty and quiet of early morning, along with lots of yelling from the pool deck and loud whistles...hmmm. 

at least he wont have to worry about getting sunburned.

dear dad

it is fathers day and i want to take this day to honor my dad. he is the epitome of a great father and grandfather. one who has taught me so many things through out my life. too many to count or keep track of, i am afraid.  he even handed down to me my boney knees and wrists and skin that gets brown in the sun, the love of adventure and sunshine. when we would vacation as a family at lake powell when i was young, he would always look at me and say, "this is the life, shawna." he loves the water and the outdoors, and loves a fun thrill, never afraid to take a chance. when i was a teenager he would take me flying...lets just say we were upside down and sideways a good portion of the time. and he would always let me take the controls. always had faith i could do it, and gave me the confidence that i could do anything. love the adventure and thrill seeker in him. i have posted about him before, and have gone on and on about how much i admire and love him. i will do this again, for a brief moment. my dad is great. i have never met anyone else as hardworking, courageous and who carries with him so much integrity. he is completely honest-something i greatly admire and consider to be one of the most important attributes anyone can posses. if i could have my sons grow up to be like anyone in the world, i would want them to be like my dad. 

enough said. 

i think that sums it up.

happy fathers day, dad. i love you with all my heart.

"Let us reflect gratitude for our fathers.

"Father . . . is ever willing to sacrifice his own comfort for that of his children. Daily he toils to provide the necessities of life, never complaining, ever concerned for the well-being of his family. This love for children, this desire to see them well and happy, is a constant in a time of change."

Thomas S. Monson

                                   

snakes on a plane...oh wait...dogs in a pool

wonder if that bulldog who skateboards wants to come over and do a nose grind with my dogs. they could have a play date. maggie would be the bratty one who bosses the boys around. the one you always 

hated to play with when you were a kid.

the backyard from hell is back.

it's real

at 8:10, my day starts like this...lots of smiles


then at 2:40, my day looks like this, my favorite time...when it's time to pick up dane


then at 2:55, after picking up dane, it is off to tesoro. wont be seeing this for very long time since i am now the mother of big kids who drive...i might even miss being yelled at by the grumpy ladies who direct traffic...


and then...amongst the monotony of carpool, we helped an injured snake cross the road safely. our good deed for the day. (don't worry, it was NOT a rattlesnake)


then my day ends with this, 3:15. will miss terribly talking with this darling boy every single day. his enthusiasm for life and positive energy is contagious. i will miss being your chauffeur, carson...call me anytime if you ever need a ride. i will be there for you.