Ahhhhh the beach

We made it to Orlando. Oh happy day. Addison and Bre have spent condo time with us and the best part so far is sitting with Bre and feeling the baby move and kick.

We went to church on a most perfect sunny Sunday then headed out to sit on a beach. We are good beach sitters thanks to years of Bear Lake training. We took long walks. Watched pelicans and herons dive into the water and squished our feet down into the sand with all of the other shell creatures that like to burrow. 

Family Flashback

June 2, 1996
Monson was sitting with the neighbors at church today for fast Sunday.  The next thing they know the neighbor boy is taking him up to the stand to bear his testimony.  Melinda and Wayne about died. There were others waiting to talk and so Monson had time to wave and say Hi and make faces to everyone in the audience while he sat on the stand.  When it was finally his turn he stood up, smiled and said, "Look I'm talking up here."  Then he would ask the neighbor boy what to say next.  Needless to say he was a "hit" with everyone except his parents.

Spooky Halloween.....

Punkin carving at our house for Family night.....

Me and my twin that grew out of my neck....ooo scary

I love to get my inner witch on the morning of Halloween...and do errands and drive around to catch all of the "looks."  People don't quite know if I'm in costume or not?   It's a riot to make eye contact with little kids and then frown at them....or give them the stink eye....I love it.

Truman asked if he could borrow some of my makeup...and this is what happened. Yikes 

2009

.... I'm doing Halloween donuts  this year.  It was always my mom's thing and she was Soooo gooood at it.   I'm not.  I'm kind of scary at it, so I guess it fits this holiday.  I tried to talk my family into scones instead of donuts, and they revolted.  Can't wait for the smell of sugar and grease to permeate my home for the next week.
 I cried most of last week missing my mom and thinking about all of the holidays coming up that she LOVED. 

2009

Halloween means homemade donuts!  Mom was the donut queen.

 Laila and friends are zombies,  Preston is Mr. Smarty Pants.  Becca is Elliot and ET, Rachel is a lion, Jenna is Kanye West, Tru is Johnny Depp, Gpa Lyle is himself and Marcie is a bearded Red Sox fan!

The Loot.  Laila always chooses the Snickers.  She knows what she likes.

A compliment

Wanting to be in the theatre can be hard on an ego. Auditioning is tough.  I walk away from an audition feeling pretty good about things and then no phone call.  No being in the show that I've cleared my schedule for and planned on for the past year.  Then I feel sad. And then I do it all over again. 

Theatre...can't live with it, can't live without it. 

During my last  audition I was pacing the halls waiting for my turn to sing for the "people who make the decisions," when a lady walked up to me.

She said, "You don't know me, but I just wanted to let you know that you are the reason I am in theatre." 

I was taken back.   

She continued, "I saw you perform at my grade school way back when you were in Kiss me Kate at Bountiful high.  You came and sang, and I thought that's what I want to do.  

You were inspiring and I just wanted you to know that."

She turned and walked away and I didn't really catch her name, nor could I pick her out in a line up. 

It was that fast.  

But the compliment has lasted.  

I made a difference in some thespian's life over 30 years ago.  

I guess going to the audition was good for me after all.

Friday Flashback

May 19, 1996
Now for a Landon story.  The other night he was flossing his teeth and informed his mother that his teacher had said that you needed to use a piece of floss as long as your arm when you floss your teeth.  He started to do so and suddenly stopped and said..."Wow... think how long Uncle Adam's floss would be!"

And then there is Monson.  The other day Melinda was shopping at TJ Maxx and Monson had to go to the bathroom.  To get to the bathroom there you have to go through the lingerie dept.  He saw those tags hanging off of the bras...the ones that show a model wearing the bras.  He said, "Look mom...there are some boobies.."  Melinda said..."Shhh not so loud.  We don't say that. "  So Monson repeated it again even louder and once again Melinda told him not to say it so loud.  Well at that he yelled as loud as he could, "Why not?  I love boobies."

The Welch Family Cabin....

We headed to the Welch Family Cabin for Fall Break. I love this cabin because it's still roughing it but with indoor plumbing and shelter.  For electricity you have to start the generator.  It's just rustic enough for me.  We sleep the kids "piled high and deep" in the big upstairs bunk room.   The kids have a lot of great memories surrounding the cabin.   We have made some improvements over the years.  The Madsen's and Mark Welch families put in new wood floor this summer, so the main floor is really nice now.  We still have to kill alot of wasps and other spiders and bugs at the beginning of every trip...sometimes vermin too.   It's all  part of the adventure.

 Wayne loves to chop down dead trees with his chain saw while at the Cabin.

 It was very cold this weekend.  We sat around the fire trying to warm our 38 degree room to 50 degrees. We told ghost stories and laughed and had fun.

 Wayne had all of the kids - Nash, Laila, Holly, Alex - line up to help get the split wood onto the deck.

Uncle Rob.... loves to tease the kids, Laila and Kylie especially. 

 

I tried to make Rice Krispie Treats, but the marshmallow would not cooperate.  

 Truman was being Paul Bunyan.  He split a ton of wood.......

 Wayne just kept cutting up trees and Tru just kept splitting wood...and we used a lot of it in the fire place in an effort to stay warm.

 We played a lot of card games, rode ATV's, ate smores,  foil dinners, went on walks around the loop, played charades, read books and relaxed.  Ahhhhhh Cabin time!

What are the Welches doing right now?

Every so often I make the fam stop and send me a pic of what they are doing. 

Tru is reading for homework.

 

Landon Is on a hayride with his school kids 
Alex is working on a conference call 
Addison is making dolls for The Nutcracker 
Bre is water coloring pics for the baby"s room 
Elder Welch is proselyting on the WMU
Wayne is running errands getting ready for his China triip
Melinda is with Daddy-o. He's feeling a bit better 
Laila is riding carpool to tap class with her friends Heather,  Jonah and Genacie