Father/Daughter Sweetheart Dance

Friday night there was a father/daughter dance at the school and Todd and Raquel went out on a "date". Don't they look so gorgeous!! Raquel was so excited to get all dressed up and go to a dance with her daddy. Mommy did the hair (not bad, ay?) and picked out their outfits. They danced the night away and finished it up with a run to Dairy Queen. So sweet!!

Happy Valentine's Day

You might think that all these Valentine treasures my girl is holding are from her father or mother right? Nope!! I picked Raquel up from school on Friday and she was carrying a gift bag and this rose. When she got in the car I asked her who the flower was from and she said her friend. I asked which one and she says - BRANDON!! Huh? Then I asked her if he gave one to all the girls in her class and she said, No, just me. Huh? Not only did this Brandon give her a regular Valentine at their class party, he also presented my daughter with a rose and a gift bag with a stuffed animal in it and a box of chocolates!! HUH?!? This is first grade we're talking about here people. This young man had to get his parents to buy him this stuff! Super cute, but now I have to find out who this Brandon is and what his intentions are towards my daughter, so I have to run so I can run a background check and hire a private investigator and . . .

Speech Therapy

Raquel and Marcus fight like dogs most of the time. I blame myself for spacing them too far apart and now they seldom want anything to do with one another. I'm sure none of you have this same problem with your kids!! Anyways, I have really been concerned about Marcus' speech lately and his inability to communicate to us what he wants. This leads to our frustration and his temper tantrums. A couple of my girlfriends here told me about some free testing that the school district will do to see if they can help him before he falls behind (thank you Kim & Liz!!). So the other morning I was telling Todd about the appointment I had made for Marcus and all the details and I often forget that Raquel is ALWAYS listening to me even if she isn't included in the conversation. Later that afternoon I go downstairs to my office and before I round the corner I can hear Raquel and Marcus talking. I wait for a second and discover that Raquel is drilling Marcus on his ABC's!! I poked my head around the corner and she has him standing in the corner of my office and she is saying A, and then making him repeat, B, repeat and so on!! How sweet is that!! She overheard me worrying about his speech and took it upon herself to drill him on his letters to help him get better! That was such a great moment for me to see them actually caring about one another. Now - let the fighting resume!!

This is an old pic, but was the only one I could find of the two of them together in the last six months and Marcus' face is hilarious!!

Ward Party

Well, we had our first ward party (adults only) in our new ward and the theme was Tacky Cruise. I really wasn't all that excited to go, but Kim and Allie told me I just had to, so we went. The best part was the day before when we went shopping at Value Village for our tacky cruisewear. I think we spent at least two hours in there deciding on how tacky we could be. It was so much fun!! The party was really nice with good food and good entertainment. I'm sure you've all seen the video on youtube of the ward talent show where the guys did synchronized swimming. Well, some brethren from our ward did it and it was a kick in the butt. So funny!! Here's some pics of Kim & Freddie, Allie & Todd and me and my Todd. We were trying to pose like we were at the prom, but we just look dorky. Happy sailing!!

I Love Company!!

I love to have family and friends come to visit and you have all done just that since we moved to Spokane. My parents were just here this past weekend to celebrate Raigan's first birthday and of course we had a wonderful time and I got a bit of a break which I live for!! The weekend before that my girlfriend Clarissa was here with her husband and I just have to tell one story on her. Saturday morning we were all playing the Wii and having a great time. Well, you know that commercial that you see about the Wii where the guy throws the remote into the tv and breaks it?

Happened.

Well, almost happened. Clarissa was up to bat in baseball and we didn't have the wristbands on the remotes and she got a little bit too into the game. She swung and it was like my world slowed down as I watched a flash of white (the remote) fly out of her hand and barely miss our tv as it slammed into the shelf above my tv and break into three different pieces. There was like this moment of silence as we all absorbed what had just happened and then we died laughing. I couldn't stop!! I thought I would never see that happen, but I did!! Needless to say, it's a good thing I like the old country look because my shelf took most of the beating and I'm pretty sure Todd has banned Clarissa from ever playing the Wii at our house again!! So fun!! I miss my family and friends, but I love that I get to see them more than I ever thought I would. You're all the best!!