Wonderful Sweet Scarlett.

I absolutely LOVED spending time with Scarlett while Little Mama and Daddy-A zipped off to Hawaii. It is a tender mercy that their trip was planned during the time frame it was, so I could have the opportunity not only to endear Wonderful Sweet Scarlett to me (Gigi), but also so I could be in UT during a difficult and stressful time for my family and spend some precious final days with my sister, J.

The following may be a Scarlett picture overload, but I collaged to condense a bit. 

These are some of my favorite pics during the week:

Great Grandma G has some great noisy toys that Scarlett loved. She also got quite the thrill from walking up and down the sloped treadmill. Hills and slopes were an overall favorite activity... up... and down... up... and down... you get the drift.

Our second evening together, Scarlett discovered that lever-handled doors are easy to open, especially when the deadbolt is not locked (I thought it was). Figuring she just needed a quick breath of fresh night air, I followed her out the front door, down the front steps, and down the driveway. It was about 9pm at night, dark, and Scarlett was barefoot. She headed down the sidewalk, and we walked, and walked, and walked, Scarlett leading the way. She would stop to check something out, discovered a nice sloped driveway and went up... and down... at least 10 times, then continued the journey down the sidewalk. We seriously walked further down my parents' street than I have ever walked before. Finally I made the decision that the walk was over, picked up that sweet baby, and headed back towards home.

On Saturday we planned a picnic at a nearby park. Jason and Lex had come down from ID, and Taylor and Lynnea had come up from Orem. Lexee quickly became Scarlett's "person" probably because she looked a lot like Little Mama with her hair up (we concluded this when, on Sunday, Lex wore her hair down and Scarlett wanted nothing to do with her. No. Thing.). Scarlett loved the colorful balls we were using in the kickball croquet game, so everyone took a turn switching out their ball color once Scarlett commandeered the one they were using. The day was super sunny and hot - a beautiful fall day at the park. Grandma and Grandpa G. left early because of serious concerns with J, so despite the great weather, fun games, and amazing company, the memory holds a bit of sadness, too.

After our time at the park, we decided to head into Salt Lake City to Rita's (yum!) on our way to IKEA, where Jason and Lex wanted to look for a kitchen table.

Since Scheel's was in the same parking lot as Rita's, we took a pit-stop there to check out the fish tank, taxidermized animals, and such (weights and ammo haha).

Sunday afternoon Mar, Scarlett, Grandpa Great and I headed over to the elementary school park down the street. We discovered that there was another kiddie segment to the park that was new and full of super fun spinning and bouncing things. (This happens to also be the park where, 18 years ago, I slipped with a 15-month-old Shilo in my arms and broke her leg. Ahhh, memories.)

On Monday evening we headed over to Taylor and Lynnea's, where Scarlett played the night away with Auntie NayNay (her "person" for a while), who had put out a spread of stuffed animals, books, a hello-kitty blankie, and a pillow-recliner for her to enjoy. I'm so sad I neglected to snap a few pictures. This was the evening J passed away, and I think we were all subdued and a bit numb after receiving the news. It was a blessing (for me) to be together. That night, after the hour drive home, Scarlett was beat and went straight to bed. My mom and dad arrived home a little bit later, and we talked briefly, then all headed to bed, drained, sad, and exhausted. Just as Mar and I were settling in to our blow-up mattress, welcoming blessed sleep, we heard Scarlett cough in the bedroom. "Did you hear that?" Mar asked. Scarlett started crying, so I went in to console and get her back to sleep, only to find that she had thrown up all over her bed. "That's what I thought I heard," Mar said. Nice. I was too tired to change and wash the bedding, so after changing Scarlett and giving her a little sippy cup of chocolate milk, she laid down on my chest as we settled in for the night on the blow-up mattress. Moments later Scarlett threw up all over me (dang, that chocolate milk). I carefully handed her to Auntie M, and she proceeded to throw up all over her. This was definitely one of those "I'm too old for this" moments. But, as Lolo would say, we survived!  I changed Scarlett, then Mar and I took turns changing our pjs, then I changed out the bedding. Finally we all managed to slip off to dreamland... around 2am. 

Tuesday Scarlett was feeling much better, and that night we went back over to the park with Great Grandma and Grandpa. We may have thrown off Scarlett's schedule a bit, but she was happy as a clam to be at the park in the dark. We would often chuckle about what a little gal like Scarlett thought about all the changes she was experiencing... I would joke that she was surely thinking, "This is my new life."

Wednesday morning Little Billy flew in, and he quickly became Scarlett's "person." It was a huge help to have him there so I could run errands and help with anything my mom and dad needed. I was so, so happy that Scarlett still loved her grandpa, but a little sad that she could so quickly change her affections. I loved being her "person"!! (I was definitely an I'll-take-it-if-it's-the-only-option "person" for her haha.)

Little Mama and Daddy-A flew in on Thursday morning. Bill went to the airport to pick them up while I stayed with Scarlett at Great Grandma and Grandpa's. We were all excited to see what her reaction would be when she saw them.

I would say she was happy. Possibly a bit confused, since I'm sure she was convinced of her new life with Gigi, Little Billy, and Auntie M. Most likely very relieved that it wasn't so. Haha.

I loved every minute... except for a few of the late, late night ones.
I would totally do it again. And again. And again.

Loss and Compensation.

"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude." (Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin)

It's been a crazy hard couple of weeks. Not what I was expecting.

I was expecting to babysit Wonderful Sweet Scarlett, and glad for the opportunity to help J.J. a little with her recovery from a mastectomy. I was hoping to go to the zoo, and wondered if J would feel good enough to go - if not, we could maybe take her to a park where she could get some fresh air. My mom had already postponed the planned family pictures on Wednesday - J was just too sick.

I drove to Utah on Tuesday, and late that afternoon my mom and dad, Jill, and I went to visit J.
She had not been sleeping well, could not keep any food down, and had a lot of pain in her back. She hadn't had a bath or shower since the surgery and felt yucky. My mom offered to help her take a bath, and Jill and I assisted.
My mom cried to see J in such pain.
After a bath (and a thorough shampoo... yay for hair!), we helped her get dressed, then tried to help with her comfort by scratching her back and rubbing her feet. We determined that we would be back the following day to give her a mani/pedi, and to rub her dry legs and arms down with lotion. We talked about what color she would like for her nails... purple, of course.

It is a helpless feeling to see someone suffer and feel that there is nothing you can do to relieve it.
We were grasping for anything.

The following morning Jill and I went to grab a few things for J.
Purple nail polish. A new bath pouf. A couple of yummy-smelling bath bombs. Tingly shampoo. Lotion. Perfume. Popsicles, pudding, and nutrition drinks. A few seasonal things - a scented candle, a fun silver skull, and a super big pumpkin. Things, we were hoping, that would help make her recovery a bit nicer, help her to focus on positive things, and look forward to the future when she would feel better.

Then my mom and dad, Jill, and I headed back to J's.

 My mom tried to get her to eat, in hopes that she would be able to keep it down.
(I love the above pic of my dad smiling at J... and J smiling... my mom looking like maybe it wasn't that funny... I wish I could remember what we were talking about)

 Jill and I soaked her feet, scrubbed her calluses, painted her nails, and rubbed down her legs and arms. We had purchased 2 colors of purple nail polish, one light, one bright, plus a super cool pink sparkle with an applicator that lit up. After some discussion, it was decided among the girls to do J's toes bright, and her fingers light with sparkle.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of me with J that day... regrets, for sure.

Scarlett came to stay with me at my mom and dad's house Wednesday evening (along with Britt and Austin - who were flying out to Hawaii Thursday morning). From the time I dropped them off at the airport the next day, Scarlett was all mine. I worried about how she would transition, but she handled it without a hitch. No tears (about Gigi taking care of her). I loved that! My mom was spending the day at J's on Thursday, and Jill went over again a little later in the day.
Jill flew out Friday, and Mauri flew in. My mom, again, spent the day at J's.

I will post another time about Wonderful Sweet Scarlett and the amazing time I spent with her. There may have been a moment or two that I thought, "I am definitely too old for this," but it was a huge blessing to be able to care for her, hold her, snuggle her, kiss her, and get to know that darling grandbaby of mine (and she LOVED me!). And I count it as a huge blessing that I was there, in Utah, to babysit her, not only for the time it gave me to spend with J, but also for the help and support I could be to my parents and my family.

J went into the ICU Saturday.
My mom went and stayed with her Sunday.
I had the opportunity to visit with her Monday for nearly 5 hours.
During my time with her at the hospital, it was determined that J would not recover.
Her liver was failing. Her kidneys were failing. Her gallbladder was full of infection.
I was with her when she was asked if she'd like to go home. "Yes," she said.

 (I love these pics. At the time J had my dad on one side, and her husband, Jon, on the other.
Above: my dad holding her hand; Below: Jon holding her hand.)

Arrangements were made to transport her home and put her on hospice care. I gave her a kiss, told her I loved her, then headed back to my parents' house to be with Scarlett and Mar.

As I think back, I feel like all the signs were there - that she would not be with us much longer (mere hours) - but I think it's easy to convince yourself that there will be more time. I don't know what I was expecting, but I thought at LEAST a couple more weeks. I thought there would be more opportunities to visit her, comfort her, help her.

That evening I was in the car with Taylor and Lynnea, Scarlett and Mar when I got the phone call from my dad.
Jana had passed away 30 minutes after arriving home.

The rest of the week just all jumbles together.
There were a lot of tears shed,
interspersed with good memories, love and support from family and friends, laughter and gratitude.
So many tender mercies and blessings to be counted, leading to greater faith and strengthened testimonies of the glorious plan of salvation.

  

My BIL, Stan, put together this video to show at the viewing and prior to the funeral:

From Jana's burial site you can see the spire of the Bountiful Temple.
I can't imagine a more beautiful place to be laid to rest.

Bill, Mar and I drove home late Sunday night.

Monday morning I listened again to the first session of General Conference. I couldn't believe the amazing comfort and peace the words from apostles and other church leaders brought to me. It was exactly what I needed to hear at that moment.

Elder M. Russell Ballard: 

"Every time I hold a newborn child, I find myself wondering: 'Who are you, little one? What will you become through the Atonement of Christ?' We ask similarly reflective questions when someone we love dies: 'Where are they? What are they seeing and experiencing? Does life continue? What will be the nature of our most cherished relationships in the great world of the spirits of the dead?' In that world, our family has two granddaughters... and a grandson. With each grandchild's passing, we as a family held on to the gospel truths with both hands. Our questions were answered with comfort and assurance through the Atonement of the Savior. Although we miss our grandchildren, we know they live, and we know we will see them again. How grateful we are for this spiritual understanding in times of personal and familial turbulence."

Sister Neill F. Marriott:

"Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!

Thou art the Potter; I am the clay.

Mould me and make me After Thy will,

While I am waiting, Yielded and still.

...Following [our daughter's] mortal death, our feelings were raw, we struggled, and still today we have moments of great sorrow, but we hold to the understanding that no one ever really dies. Despite our anguish when [her] physical body stopped functioning, we had faith that she went right on living as a spirit, and we believe we will live with her eternally if we adhere to our temple covenants."

Elder Francisco J. Viñas:

"Through our experience in life, we learn that joy in this world is not full, but in Jesus Christ our joy is full. He will give us strength so we will not have to suffer any manner of afflictions save they are swallowed up in His joy.

...The death of someone we love can leave an empty place in our soul...

...In those difficult moments in our lives, the pleasing word of God that heals the wounded soul brings the following message of comfort to our heart and mind:

'Peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.'" (D&C 121:7-8)

Elder Quentin L. Cook:

"Happiness in this life and happiness in the life to come are interconnected by righteousness. Even in the period between death and the Resurrection, 'the spirits of those who are righteous are received into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace.'

My dear brothers and sisters, life is not easy, nor was it meant to be. It is a time of testing and trial. Like the old ships in Bristol Harbor, there will be times when the tide goes out and it seems as if everything in this world keeping us afloat disappears. We may hit the bottom and even be tipped over on our sides. Amid such trials, I promise you that living and maintaining temple-worthy lives will hold together all that really matters. The sweet blessings of peace, happiness, and joy, along with the blessings of eternal life and celestial glory with our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, will be realized."

I know this was from the second session, but feel it's applicable as well. I hope to never have to experience the death of my child, and can only imagine the sorrow that accompanies it.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

"... No love in mortality comes closer to approximating the pure love of Jesus Christ than the selfless love a devoted mother has for her child... You see, it is not only that they bear us, but they continue bearing with us. It is not only the prenatal carrying but the lifelong carrying that makes mothering such a staggering feat."

I will end as I began:
"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude.

One of the blessings of the gospel is the knowledge that when the curtain of death signals the end of our mortal lives, life will continue on the other side of the veil. There we will be given new opportunities. Not even death can take from us the eternal blessings promised by a loving Heavenly Father."
(Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin)

(Seriously so NOT a coincidence that Lolo wrote about this very talk this week, too!)

Blood Moon, Braces, and a Selfie Stick.

I finally chose the option the other day to "rebuild" my iphoto library and it's {at least temporarily} back in business. Woot woot! I hurried and pulled some pics of Lex and Jason off so I can order a print for my hallway at last! Yes, Jason, we are so so happy to have you in the family!!

Here are a few quick pics from life lately:

 Mar caught a couple of good shots of the blood moon the other night...
these are right out our back door. A big thank you to the Sisters who mentioned it when they got home - we would have totally forgotten all about it. You church girls rock! (I can't help but call them church girls, since that is what Lolo gets called in jolly old London...)

This is just a random pic of Jack-o. And a shot of Ava's behind. I love those pups.

Mar got her braces off. Another woot woot for that!
Here's the before:

And the after:

She has the typical Syddall puffy gums (you sibs know what I'm talking about), and she can't wait to whiten, so she didn't want a close-up... yet.

Bill had a selfie stick given to him from a Progressive meeting he attended (he also received a Progressive FLO costume, which Mar is determined to use for Halloween). We thought it {the selfie stick} would only work with Mar's iphone (neither Bill or I have one), but with Mar's ingenuity she discovered it worked with our phones, too.

Oh we had a few moments of fun with the selfie stick late at night, right after a Teen Safe Driving presentation Bill did for Legend High School.

Life has been hectic. My days are so, so full. I wouldn't be posting today except for the fact that my car wouldn't start this morning... not that I don't have a million and one things I could be doing around home, haha.

I'm supa excited for conference, even though I have to work through the first session (going to try and catch that Saturday evening), and Mar has a piano recital during the first 30 minutes of the second session. Bill's response when he heard about our my busy Saturday, "Why are we so busy? Can't we just sit down and listen to conference together as a family??" That probably wasn't the BEST thing to say to me at the end of a long day (last Monday) with the prospect of week of long days in preparation for my fall break trip to Utah...

I am doing my best.
I am not excusing not sitting down to watch conference on Saturday as a family - I would LOVE to do that!
I am also trying to clean the house (for our Sunday conference luncheon),
plan, grocery shop, and prepare food for 30 - ??? people (for the luncheon),
decorate for Halloween (it won't be worth doing after I get back),
arrange carpools (I'm leaving Tuesday, Mar will fly in Friday since school is in through Thursday),
squeeze in hair clients (because I really do NEED to work and retention is important),
help a stressed-out daughter with her homework so she can attend the youth temple night (I spent 2 hours making flashcards),
attend the temple (I have a lot o' family names to keep working on),
get Mar's school sports physical + doctor advice on a few concerns she has,
encourage my daughter's musical talent (thus the recital on Saturday + a choir concert this Monday evening),
and pack for an 11-12 day trip to Utah, in hopes of leaving by 6am Tuesday.

I concur. We are busy. 
And my feet are killing me.
And I am emotionally drained helping an anxious daughter, a very busy husband, and worrying about a sick little sis.

It will all be worth it!
I can't wait to be on my way (if my car will ever start)!
Here I come, Scarlett!
Here I come, Jana!
Here I come, Britt and Austin!
Here I come, Tay and Lynnea!
Here I come, Lex and Jason (they might be coming down from ID)!
Here I come, moms and dads!

I just have to make it through the next 3 days.
I know I can, I know I can, I know I can.

Post post ~  I am cutting back on my facebook time... a long post for another day. I did, however, want to post on "National Daughter's Day" (if it really WAS National Daughter's Day - I don't have time to check those things), but didn't have access to Big Mac's iphoto (now rebuilt... yay!). So here is the pic I wanted to share:

I am one lucky momma. I love these amazing daughters!

Post post post: I tried to google National Daughter's Day... and apparently it's really National Daughter's and Son's Day on August 11th. Just because someone says it's National Daughter Day on Sept. 25th... or 26th... or whatever day you happened to see it passed around on fb (or Twitter), doesn't mean it actually is. Just goes to show you what that crazy social media can do. I've been on a soap box about it the past few days... don't get me started.

Vingt-deux.

Happy Birthday to this beautiful girl!

(Sorry, Lex, I had to pull from the pics I could somehow access on Lolo's laptop! Oh, I remember this day pert near a year ago. Reminder here. This was pre-engagement, pre-marriage, pre-Texas. Wow, it's been a year chock-full of changes for you!)

My advice for you:

Source

and

Source

I have learned that a happy life is not somewhere down the road... when you get a new car, when you purchase a home, when you have a house full of perfectly mannered and well-dressed children, when you get a new job, when everything goes exactly as you have planned... it is here and now, amid the stress and challenges of everyday life! Enjoy it! You will never be the age you are at this moment again. 

You are an amazing, talented, and beautiful woman! I love you!

Hope.

Confession time:

I still have a heart wreath on my front door from February.

I still have the letters for "Happy Father's Day" on my magnet board.

(I'll admit I mixed them up just a few days ago due to embarrassment)

I have not walked {for exercise} once this week.

I ate an entire bag of tropical Hi-Chews yesterday on my way from work to the post office to home, even though it was chock full of my least favorite flavor, banana. In my defense, it was 4pm and I hadn't eaten since 6:30am.

Things continue to go non-stop. I suppose that is how life is (which, funny enough, I am constantly reminding my lone child at home that life is work so get used to it...).

I am hopeful, however, about many things:

I've been on a brief organizing binge, getting some junk together that has needed it for a long, long time. There is hope that on some distant day, everything will be in its place.

(And I like to think it counts towards exercise, since I've sweated my booty off doing it, haha)

I'm getting good at countdowns... keeping up with Lolo's days on the mish (the weeks do seem to fly), counting down the days of a child in braces (FOUR), the days until General Conference (NINE), and counting down to my trip to UT to chill with Wonderful Sweet Scarlett (THIRTEEN). I am hopeful that my beloved granddaughter will quickly be endeared to her doting grandma Gigi (so I can hold her, hug her, kiss her), and that I'll have the chance to visit with lots of family while I'm there.

My sister Jana continues to battle cancer. She found out this week that it has spread, but sent a hopeful text of treatment information after meeting with her doctor. Her hope gives me hope. She has maintained an amazing attitude throughout and keeps a smile on her face and a positive outlook. I so admire her.

I love this quote by Elder Scott:

I'm going to miss him.

Here are a few quick, fun pics NOT from Big Mac's defunct iPhoto library:

This is the photo I used for my conference luncheon evites. Sometimes I just crack myself up. We've been gone the past TWO conferences, so I am glad to be able to resume this fun Syddall Family tradition.

I love love love getting snaps from my kids, and I'm getting better at screen-shotting (Big Mac says that is NOT a word - if he knows so much, why can't he open iPhoto?) to save for later.

 Scarlett opening a package from Gigi and Little Billy... decorated in her fave, Daniel Tiger. Britt sent us a video of her playing in the box that was sooooo adorable - totally worth the time to print those out!

Britt and Austin are moving! They are in the exciting process of building a house, and because they sold their townhome in ONE DAY, they will be spending the next 6 months or so living with Grandma and Grandpa Anderson (I'm soooooo jealous).

Yep, this fun little daily update on that sweet girl makes me so so happy.


We've convinced Tay to play along and it's been so great to get some of his fun snaps!

And Lex keeps us updated on her and Jason's furniture additions and dinners.

And even though Mar is around, I love getting snaps from her too:

(from a recent field trip to an authentic Chinese restaurant for her Ancient Civ class - the homework the previous week was to eat at Panda Express for comparison purposes... why didn't I ever have a class like that??)

They all make me smile and can make any day exponentially brighter. Thanks, guys!


Last night I went to a Relief Society activity... I took pics for the Ward History.
I'm so grateful to be among these great sisters.

Those two cute sister missionaries in the front-and-center moved in with us on Tuesday night (part of the reason for my organization + reorganization projects). I hope our service to them will be returned in kind for Lolo in London... the missionaries don't live with members there (Shi said it would be really difficult because everything is sooooooo small), but I know there are wonderful members who go out of their way to serve her and her fellow missionaries. I am so grateful for them!

Still Keeping On.

Oh, it's been a long loooonnnng time since I've updated. But not as long as others I know {wink}.

Big Mac's photo capabilities are still corrupted, and I hope to get him fixed asap, but I managed to download my most recent photos on baby Mac (Shi's laptop that Mar and I have commandeered until January 2017), so I can at least post SOMETHING. I'm not a good enough writer (or deep thinker with a gift of expression) to post sans photos. You know my theory... a picture paints a thousand words. Now the trick is to see if I can figure out how to get the pics in the post. IF you are reading this, I was successful... YAY!

I'll start with Labor Day, which didn't start all that great. 

Yep, that's a policeman out the back window writing up a nice traffic citation for Billy-my-hero, who was driving a tad fast because he was just so gosh darn excited to have Jason and Lex visiting and to be heading to the Manitou incline near Co. Springs. Oops.

After the short pit stop, we were once again on our way.
It was my great idea to do the incline. I thought it would only take an hour or two (our initial intention was to also visit the Manitou cliff dwellings)... that it was about 200 steps... I had seen several fb friends post about this awesome accomplishment, and I was wondering why I have lived here for pert near 14 years and never heard of it. My neighbor posted this:

"Ready to climb 200 stairs"
and in the comments... "It was fun... we did it twice."

See that incline behind them? Yep, that's what I thought we were climbing.
That is the Castle Rock incline (never heard of that one either!) Oops.
I told the whole fam it would be fun. Quick. Easy.

Here's the Manitou incline... 

It was a little comical when Jason stopped at 200 stairs and said, "This is 200..." We had hardly even started. We discovered after our incline climb that it was actually 2744 steps to the top, and there is a 2000 foot rise in elevation in just over 3/4 mile. Oops, my facts were a bit off, haha.

Poor Lex and Jason had just come from 4 months living in Austin, TX (around 500 ft. in elevation), to Parker (elevation 5900) to Manitou Springs (elevation 6320) to the top of the incline (elevation 8590). Sorry, peeps, my bad!

We took a few breaks on the way up.

A nice family offered Lex and Jason some water from their extra canteen because WE WERE SO UNPREPARED and the Babes had only brought one water bottle to share. Luckily it was predominantly overcast that day, with only an occasional slow burn of a cloudless sun. I'm not proud - I'll admit I crawled part of the way. Some of those steps were steep!

I told everyone it would be an accomplishment we could brag about be proud of if we just kept going. It seemed like an eternity, but we finally made it to the top.

Hallelujah!

Then we had to make the trek back down the mountain (thankfully mostly stair-less).

We followed this shirtless guy and his bra-wearing, underwear-less girlfriend (you could tell, unfortunately) the entire way down. Ugh. Three hours into our adventure, parched, hungry, aching feet, and tired, we were pretty much DONE and feeling pretty ornery. It was joyous to finally finally see the parking lot.

We downed the sandwiches we brought as soon as we got to the car, nixed the idea of going to see the cliff dwellings, and stopped by the nearest Sonic to get something cool and refreshing.

After we got home, rested and showered, we played some ladder golf.

While Lex and Jason were here visiting, they told us how their favorite treat they had made in TX was homemade peanut butter cups. I gave them a try... and they are super simple and way better than the store-bought kind. It will probably be my new favorite I-need-something-sweet-right-now treat. Yum!

The following Wednesday was the Homecoming parade. Another exercise in under-preparedness at the Syddall house {wink}. I think it was the evening of Monday/Labor Day when I reminded Billy-my-hero that the parade was two days away. Oops. He had a class that went Wednesday through Friday that he absolutely couldn't miss. As a sports sponsor this year, he was planning to have something in the parade for advertisement (the purpose of sponsoring, right?). So we (Bill and I) stayed up until midnight on Tuesday stapling, Bill rounded up some people to help,

borrowed our neighbor's vehicle, we threw up some signs and Legend-blue decor, and prepared to pass out flyers (with candy) and toss more candy out the window. Jason and Lex so kindly offered to drive.

Finally the parade got underway. You know I love the marching band.

Mar was walking with the swim team float (so small that only upperclassmen rode). The theme of Homecoming was "Once upon a Homecoming..." {Disney}... everyone except for the freshmen were princesses... the freshmen were {Disney} animals.

Mar and I had a brilliant last-minute idea for a bunny tail... a bath poof. Desperate creativity, haha.

My view from inside the car (maybe I was hiding):

Oh yeah, the parade was great fun.

I discovered the best place to sit to get the most candy... now that I don't need to know that anymore!

Friday morning at 5am Jason and Lex headed back to Idaho.

It was so fun to have them here for a week, and a little sad to see them go!

Friday night we headed to the Homecoming game:

It was so fun to hang out with friends and neighbors, even if Legend lost handily.

The dance was Saturday. This cute freshman girl, like her sisters that preceded her, went with a group of girlfriends.

Her friend Tori's dad made them dinner.

I'm pretty sure these girls had the fanciest dinner of anyone at the dance that night - five courses.

After their dinner, I dropped them off at the dance.
Mar arrived home around 11:30pm - she had had a good time, but said she didn't need to attend another Homecoming dance until her senior year. (Hah, we'll see, I say.) She concurred with her sisters... the dances are kind of yucky because of all the bumping and grinding going on. You have to actively work at avoiding much of it, but don't get away with it completely. Mar mentioned that she has a few friends that she will never look at the same again due to their participation in aforementioned activities. Ewwwwww.

So, that's it for now. This week has been a bit of a bore compared to last. But boring can be good. More time for naps and blogging.
Still keeping on.