Prepare yourself

OK, prepare yourself people. It's happening sooner than we are ready for. Sayre picked up her graduation announcements and cap and gown today. She said it made her cry. Heather laughed because she cried too. Me, on the other hand, I did not cry! I am very proud. My crying days are ahead I am sure, but for right now we can only have one crier in the house.

Birthday week over for another year

Well it was a busy birthday week. Sayre's birthday was Monday, but we did not celebrate it until Tuesday. Monday night was the soccer banquet, so we went there. We had her family party on Tuesday night. We had a yummy lemon velvet cake whose recipe I got from Lisa Bearnson's blog. It was pretty darn good.

Brian's birthday was Friday, but he had a baseball game in Phoenix. He was able to go out to dinner with Brad, Jim, Judy and my dad to celebrate. We had his family birthday party on Saturday afternoon. Uncle Brent, Aunt Karla and Dustin were able to join us along with Gramma and Poppa. He had his traditional Texas sheet cake, which, of course, was delicious. There are only two pieces of it left. Too yummy! OK, now it's time for a serious healthy eating kick. Man, with so many cakes in the course of a week, I need to exercise.

Today we went to the Dorner's to help celebrate Matthew's birthday. I can still remember the day he and Sayre met. Matt was one day old. Sayre was one week. They were both wrapped up tight in their blankets. We had them next to each other on Gretchen's mom's couch that was backed up to the back window. They were so tiny. We have celebrated many birthday's with them. It was kind of bittersweet to celebrate this 18th with them. Both kids will be off to college soon and who knows if they will see each other even close to around their birthdays.

Tricia flies in tomorrow night. Brad is going to Vegas to pick her and the girls up. They will go down to Havasu on Tuesday and come back here for Brian's game on Friday. It will be nice to see them. We may have to make plans for our summer vacation to Disneyland. It could be the right time. Whatever we do, we'll have a great time and I'm sure at least one scrapbook page will be made to commemorate it:)

The weekend

Well, Sayre and I survived the senior expo at SUU. It was actually quite fun. We got lots of information about the school and the programs they offer. We got to go on a tour of the dorms. They said over and over that the communal bathroom dorm is the favorite of freshmen (and lots of others too because of the social aspect). I told Sayre that she should stay there, but she said no. She reminded me that Gramma said she didn't want her staying in that dorm, but I said I'd tell her that they said it was best for freshman. Well, Sayre was happy because Gramma said she didn't agree. That's ok though, she should get her first choice of the new dorm since we put the application in so early. We took a tour of the campus towards the end of the visit and it was really nice. We learned some of the history of the school and some of the features that they offer. It is a relatively small campus (7,500 students compared with my alma mater ASU at 40,000 when I was there) and it is ranked in the top ten by Consumer Reports. I guess there aren't too many things bad about the whole thing. The one bad thing is she is going there and I have to deal with it. I only got teary twice at the very end when they showed pictures of the day and it kept reminding me that it is coming soon. I guess I still have some time to deal with that.


This is Sayre walking towards Old Main. We got a history lesson on the building on our tour. It is the oldest structure on campus (it was gutted by fire and remodeled years ago). There was some snow on the ground. They got snow the week before for their last senior expo, but it was pretty nice weather for us. It was only really cold at night.

This past weekend I met my parents in Wickenburg to give them their new puppy. Our neighbors, the Walkers, needed someone to take their yellow lab. Well, my parents were ready for a new dog and I asked them if they wanted her. They were very excited about it. I said I'd meet them on Sunday at 11:30. I was running a little late and called to tell them not to leave yet, but they were already on the road. Dad said Mom was jittery and said it was like going to the hospital to pick up your new baby. Too funny! Here is a picture of the new family:

They have reported that Roxy is settling in just fine. She knows how to use the doggie door. She's only chewed up a cord for a digital picture frame so far. She has met the neighborhood dogs and been out walking with them. I'm sure there are many happy years in front of them.

Sayre and I are in Cedar City, Utah preparing to visit the Southern Utah University campus tomorrow. We did take a walk around campus today. It doesn't seem too big. The kids seemed pretty normal. We talked to a couple of university employees who seemed very nice. Tomorrow we get to do a formal tour and learn about different programs that the university offers. It should be fun. After the Senior Expo she will be ditching me for D.J. His mother is going to meet us somewhere and take her up to Brianhead for the weekend. Lots of her friends will be there. She will have a great time, I'm sure. On our way here I took some new pictures of the bridge being built by the Hoover Dam. It is getting close. I can't believe how cool it looks. Of course, I don't look forward to driving across it. I know it will save time, but it will be very high over the canyon and I don't like that!

Trish won't like this when she comes to visit. At least it will be a year or more until it is done.

Ah, spring is here

Well it's here. It seems a little early and I'm sure that winter will rear its ugly head at least once more, but today it's spring. Brad and Brian were out this morning practicing baseball and they came home saying that it was hot. OK, now by hot they meant 72 degrees. I was able to go for a run in shorts and it was most comfortable. Ah, this is the season.

We did have a busy week. Brian's first game was cancelled. Mohave did not have a freshman team. He will play this Thursday down in Lake Havasu City. We don't know where he will be playing yet. He hopes he starts as pitcher. Oh, the stress of being a player's mom is on its way. On Thursday evening Brian had a jazz band concert. It was a very good concert. It started with the percussion ensemble, then Brian's jazz band, then the advanced jazz band. I loved it. As I saw some of the kids Sayre has gone to school with it made me sad because they will all be gone next year. OK, so there were a few tears too. I am sappy that way. Here is a picture of Mr. Brian:

Then on Friday Sayre had her last back injection. It was not an easy procedure this time. It took three pokes on each side to get it into the correct position. Brad asked afterward how long the needle was that he put into Sayre's back and Dr. Terry said it was 7cm long. Oh my! All but about an inch was in her back. Poor baby. D.J. was there this time. He was all gung ho to go in but when it came time, he stayed with me. He got nervous when they marked on her back with the Sharpie. I explained what they were doing at each step. I showed him the spot where they were trying to get the needle. At one point he sat down and was a little disturbed. Poor guy. He came out telling his mom (she and little sister Lizzie came for moral support) it was worse than having his knee aspirated. She is up and moving today. I think it still aches from the shot, but hopefully the back pain is gone for a while. We'll see. Here is a picture of her before they did the procedure. She is propped up with a pillow under her pelvis. Hopefully this will work and she'll not have to worry about it again.

This week Brian has a concert band concert. I hope to find a way to add a video link so that everyone can hear it. We'll see if the little technophiles in the house can figure it out for me. That is what I rely on them for!