Mitchell Is So Funny!

Today Mitchell and I went to EVIT (East Valley Institute of Technology) to check out the programs that they offer to high school students. He walked into one of the classrooms/shops and said that this was the program he wanted to be a part of. It is the "Precision Manufacturing" program taught by Mr. Ward. This program teaches the students how to manufacture metal parts to certain specifications and he can earn a level one certificate in this field. Mitchell will be able to use the skills in this class to create his own bike parts and maybe create custom bikes in his future.

After we left EVIT, Mitchell went to get a haircut. Like all kids that get haircuts, Mitchell got a lollipop when he was done because he was a good boy :) As he drove us home, I heard him start to make strange noises. He had somehow flipped the end of the lollipop stick up his nose while the yummy candy part was in his mouth. It was funny to watch him try to get the stuck stick out of his nose. Of course one of his hands had to leave the steering wheel to help him get it out. He is such funny teenager! I love Mitchell!

Update at Our House...

It's been a busy January so far. Mitchell flew off his bike when he did a jump and has an AC Sprain in his shoulder. He is not allowed to bike or play sports for the next 6 weeks. Grant has started puberty and had his first zit that needed to be popped. Good thing Brent was here to give him secret man tips on how to pop those nasty zits. So basically, we are just having some growing pains this month!

Someone Stole My Snuggy!

Mitchell is sound asleep in my Snuggy blanket that Christy gave me for Christmas. Doesn't he look warm and cozy?

This was the fist year that the boys did not get up before the sun to open presents. Actually, I was able to getup, shower, cook breakfast, and feed the dog before Mitchell and Grant got out of bed. I bet it was close to 9AM before they decided to join our fun! The anticipation of Christmas morning!!!

Max loved wearing his fluffy bell studded collar and Santa Hat...not really, but he did love all of the treats and his new toy he found in his stocking!

As tradition has it, we always open our stockings first. They are usually stuffed with all of the things you love the most. So Grant's stocking was filled with Sour Punch Straws, Coke, and Nerds. Mitchell had gum and several bike tubes.

Grant requested another Nerf gun for Christmas. This one is different though because it works like a machine gun and can repeatedly pound you with bullets.

Brent was super excited to get this butt cover. Technically, this cover goes on his motorcycle so his butt doesn't sit on springs.

It was great to have Julie spend Christmas morning with us. Max really enjoyed sitting by her on the couch and watching her open her presents. She is so beautiful in the morning!

This is Mitchell's BIG gift. Yes, it is almost up to his waist. He had a hard time opening it though because every time he unwrapped the box and opened it, he found another wrapped box inside. He ended up opening 10 wrapped boxes until he found....

...this little gold box. When he unwrapped the final box, he found the IPOD he wanted inside. Lucky!

Grant is a little scary with this hatchet, watch out!

Brent got Grant this awesome LEGO set. It is not only LEGO's but it is also a programmable robot. As of this afternoon, Grant has programmed it to recognize different colors and read it out on a display screen. It seems to be pretty high tech!

As for me, I received a lovely new lightweight fashionable coat as well as the Perfect Brownie kit. As soon as all of the other holiday desserts are finally eaten, I will be making brownies. I will let you know how they turn out!

What a beautiful morning!

I hope your Christmas was wonderful too!

The Forgotten Carols

On Wednesday, December 23rd, we went to the play "The Forgotten Carols" at Tempe Gammage Auditorium. I've seen the play two other times and loved it. This was Brent's first time to see it and he enjoyed it.

Mitchell and Grant did not want to see the play for the 3rd time so we gave their tickets to Julie and Jordan. At the last minute, Sarah had an extra ticket and so my friend, Janine, was able to go too. This play comes to town every Christmas. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend putting it on your to do list for next year! Merry Christmas!

Wrestling Season

Grant has chosen to be on the Pueblo Middle School wrestling team this year. He is on the JV Squad. The Varsity Squad gets to wrestle at every meet. Only certain players on the JV team get to wrestle at the meets. Grant was able to wrestle at a meet for the first time on December 3rd. Grant was confident and ready to start his match.

The refs are fun to watch too.

Grant did a good job trying to take his opponent down. It is an intense sport to watch. The wrestler has to use all of his physical power to try to control his opponent and pin him.

Grant had some great moves during his first match but ended up losing to his opponent. There will be another exciting meet coming soon!

New Front Yard

Brent and I recently decided to give the front of the house an updated look. We felt that our home wasn't welcoming and inviting. So we redesigned the front yard. We thought our plans were pretty basic: rip out the old planter, build a patio, build a planter for flowers, widen the driveway and put in a stream of river rocks. Well, it ended up being a much bigger project than we anticipated. I was hoping we would be done in a week or two but instead it took 6 weeks. Max was outside with us every day as we worked on our project. The easy part was demolishing and ripping out the old landscaping.

The old planter had to go! This is where the new patio will be.

This is Brent's all time favorite bush. He really didn't want to rip this out but it is in the way of our driveway widening project. Brent used a tow rope and tied it around the bush and the car ripped the bush out of the ground. I highly recommend this method of bush/tree removal because it's easy and effective!

Next, we had to start leveling the area where the patio and new planter would go.

Once Brent built the planter, he had to figure out how he was going to do the flagstone on top. It was like a big puzzle with no directions. He had to start by cutting all of the flagstones to be 10 1/2 inches wide. Then he had to see how the colors blended between pieces and if the natural cut of the stone lined up. Plus, flagstone has varying thicknesses. This planter took weeks to build and Brent was outside working on it for many HOURS!!!!

Once the planter was complete, we started to put down the pavers to extend the driveway and build our patio.

This is the finished product! You can see the stream of river rock and the planter from this angle.

The planter turned out to be fabulous! Brent is so talented! I now have my first flower bed. My favorite flower in my flower bed so far are the English daisy's.

All we need now is a couple of chairs on our patio and we will be set! I hope that when you come over now, you will feel that our entrance to our home is much more welcoming!