123 Book Tag

Christy tagged me for the 123 Book Tag.
Here are the rules:
*Find the book closest to you with at least 123 pages.
*Turn to page 123.
*Find the fifth sentence.
*Post the next 3 sentences.
*Tag 5 people.

It was filed in Hattiesburg at the federal courthouse, a good stone's throw from the Forrest County Circuit Court building, where Dr. Leona Rocha and her jury had rendered its verdict barely two months earlier. Lawyers Sterling Bintz of Philadelphia and F. Clyde Hardin of Bowmore were on hand to do the filing, and also to chat with any reporters who'd responded to their prefiling press alert. Sadly, there were not television cameras, only a couple of green print reporters.

-The Appeal by John Grisham

I tag Michael, Kristi, Sheri, Alisha and Sharon

T-Ball, New Quad and New Glasses

The best thing I can share about last week is that Case started T-Ball. What a hoot! Their first game was on Saturday and eventhough we signed him up a little late...he seems to be at the same level as all of the other players. It is fun to see him in uniform and out there having a good time.

Madi had her 18 month check up this week. She is holding strong at the 90th percentile of height and the 50th percentile of weight. She is healthy and doing great!

I think that Wes would say the best thing about the week is that he bought a new quad. It is way cool. He has been looking for one ever since he sold the jeep. He got a great deal off of craigslist and got a used quad that only had 13 miles on it for about half of the price the original owner paid for it. What a deal! I even took it for a spin around the neighborhood. It is fun to ride and that thing can move. Parker, I'm not sure you are going to be invited to take a ride since you gave Wes such a hard time about selling the jeep. You may need to start sucking up to him!

I guess my only news it that I got glasses this week. My eye doctor told me that I was wearing my contacts too long during the day and it was hurting my eyes. So, you will occasionally see me in glasses. I think they are quite cute, but contacts are so easy and convenient that they will be the norm.

Overall, we had a great week. The Suns are winning again and we actually went out to dinner with some friends. Yippee!

Happy Easter

We had a very nice Easter Sunday. It started with Easter baskets and an egg hunt in the back yard. We had a quick breakfast and then it was off to church. When we got home and had quite a bit of time to get dinner ready and relax before Wes's parents and his brother Travis and girlfriend Stacey came over. It was a great traditional Easter dinner with ham and cheesy potatoes. Yum Yum. Then we watched all of our Peru pictures for the 5th time. We still love to seem them, but I think our kids are getting a little annoyed.

Our Peruvian Adventure

Well, we made it. Wes and I had a wonderful adventure in Peru along with my parents and his parents. I could write a small novel about it, but I will try to keep it short and just hit the highlights.
We left for Peru via Los Angeles on an all day flight that ended in Lima at around midnight. Luckily our hotel was right next to the airport and we could just walk across the street. After falling into bed we got up early and went back to the airport for a two hour flight to a city called Puerto Maldonado. We were picked up and traveled by and open air van (I don't know how else to describe it) to the river where we met our guide Lucy (the greatest guide ever) and climbed into a wooden boat with what seemed like a lawn mower engine and traveled down the river, Madre de Dios, to our lodge in the jungle called Corto Maltes. Each couple had their own little thatched roofed bungalow where our beds had mosquito netting surrounding them. We only had electricity for a few hours a day with limited hot water (our hut never got any) and no use of a hair dryer (a little hard on the ladies). We got up very early each morning, were fed well and had an amazing two days in the jungle. We saw many exotic plants and birds and enjoyed every minute.
Next we took an hour flight to Cusco and after getting settled in our hotel, we were off to see the sites with our tour guide Miguel. After about a half an hour at our first stop, I began to feel a little uneasy. So, when we finished there, I had them take me back to the hotel and they finished off the rest of the day. I was sad to miss some of the sites, but it was good for me to stay behind because I was quite sick. Luckily the next morning I was feeling much better, just a little weak.
We got up early and took a train to Aguas Callientes. The train was definitely built for petite Peruvians. It was a long five hour train ride, but we finally made it to our destination. We checked into our hotel and then caught the bus for a twenty minute ride up up up to the whole reason we came to Peru...to see Machu Picchu. Words can not describe this place...all I can say is that it was amazing. These people we extremely intelligent and their attention to detail was incredible. Every view was breathtaking. After a few hours of wandering around the ruins, we headed back down the mountain and went to dinner. Midway through dinner, I started feeling sick again and unfortunately missed the next day's trip back up to Machu Picchu. The rest of our crew had a tour guide who did a wonderful job of showing them so many of the details about Machu Picchu. I am sorry that I missed it, but luckily I at least got to see it and Wes has shared many of the details with me. Wes climbed up Wayna Picchu which is a steep climb from Machu Picchu on small slippery rock steps. He was the only one brave enough to do it and got to see more ruins and a greater view of Machu Picchu.
When everyone got back from Machu Picchu, we headed back to Cusco via the train. This time we had better seats and it was much more comfortable, plus I was starting to feel better. On our way back to our hotel, our driver took us on a senic drive to see some incredible views of the countryside. Wes was so happy to have the chance to take some amazing pictures. Wes also was a big hit with the kids there. He brought them candy and also showed them how to give five or I guess I should say cinco.
We spent the next few days in Cusco taking day trips to see other ruins. We traveled to Pisaq, Ollantaytamo, and Chinchero which were amazing. Our tour guide, Miguel again, told us that there are many more ruins all over the place. It was just unbelievable. We enjoyed the sites and also did a little shopping along the way. We were excited to stop at a local pottery shop where we were given a demonstration on how they make their pottery and then purchased a few things there. We also had the opportunity to visit a village up in the highlands that was very poor. The people were so nice and we were able to see some great work done by “Hope Projects”. This is a charity that gives 100% of the money to these very needy communities. We were able to see a preschool, green house, secondary classroom and full bathroom that was funded by this great program. I would highly suggest everyone look into the opportunity to contribute to this program. www.simonssays.org
Our last morning we took a flight back to Lima and spent the day there. We were able to attend the Mormon temple, visited the Gold Museum and then get some ice cream at a beautiful mall area right on the water. We took a taxi and almost died on our way back to the airport and caught a midnight flight back to the states.
I know that I am missing a ton of stuff...it was an amazing trip and every minute was full of excitement. I did get sick twice, but I still would do it all over again. I would highly recommend a trip to Peru to everyone!
It was also great to get home and see the kids...I missed them terribly but knew that they were being well taken care of by my sister. Thank you so much Shari for staying with my kids!!! It made me have a great trip knowing that they were in your hands.
We are now getting back in the swing of things and look forward to planning our next big adventure.

BFF, No Fear and Down with Napoleon

Okay, I just have to share a few cute things and a thought.
First off, I took the kids to the park today. Someone was coming to look at the house and so we needed to get out and with the weather so beautiful, the perfect spot was the park. After we had been there a while, I noticed Case singing a little song. I listened in and heard him singing about his BFF and then in the next line he sang "Madison is my best friend". I almost cried. All parents dream of their kids being good friends, and I know that I will have many years of fighting and crying, but it was good to hear.
Secondly, I just have to laugh at Madison, she has absolutely no fear. Case is still a little cautious on some of the park equiptment. While getting onto the slide Case takes a bit of time getting situated before he goes down. Madison was right behind him and being a bit impatient. So, she proceeded to give him a good push and then dive in after him. I had to laugh. They both came from the same two people but couldn't be more different.
Lastly, I must make a comment about Napoleon Dynamite. Our kids went to bed a bit early last night and we had some time to just relax. There really was nothing to watch on regular TV so we started checking the other channels. We came across Napoleon Dynamite. Neither of us had seen the movie all the way through and so we decided to watch it. I am sorry all of you Napoleon lovers, but it is one of the worst movies that I have ever seen. Wes commented afterwards that we had just waisted two hours and I agree. I know that most people loved this movie, but I just could not find a redeeming quality. I also feel bad for all the people who live in Preston ID or ID for that matter.
Happy Monday everyone!

Alright Already!

Well, I've already had many requests to update my blog. Trust me, I am doubtful that it will be more than once a week, but you never know.

The best news of the week, was that my amazing niece Sarah got accepted to BYU. She sent her application in to them in December, but they take forever to let you know wheather you are accepted or not. She will be starting there in June for summer school and then continuing on after that. It is so hard to believe that she is 18 and going off to college, it seems like just yesterday that she was born and I was at BYU. (they were at the same time). I am excited that she will be moving out west as Chicago is just so far away. Maybe she can come down on long weekends. I would love that!

We had a fun day on Wednesday. We met our friends Kelly, Tyler and Brady at the park for a picnic. We don't live to close to each other, but try to get together often for "play dates". We had fun enjoying the beautiful day and each other. The only problem was that there was an obnoxious "bully" kid there that kept trying to play with our kids. He was a bit agressive and did not talk very nice. His dad just sat at a distance and let him do whatever he wanted. But I am proud to say that I put the kid in his place a few times. He really bugged me.

We had our friends Alisha and Tony over for dinner on Thursday night. They are good friends and we don't get to see them often, so it was nice to have some time together. Unfortunately, we found out that on Tony's way to work on Friday morning, he was hit by a bus while riding his motorcycle. He was airvaced to the hospital and underwent a 5 hour surgery to repair the injuries to his spine. Evidently his brain is working properly and he can move his fingers and his toes, which is wonderful news. I know it will be a long recovery, but I know Tony will be back at it soon. Our prayers are with Alisha and Tony at this time.

Mom and Paul came on Friday night, it was a short visit, but we love it when they come. They are great to our kids and to us too. Mom and I got to sneak away for a pedicure on Saturday morning, which is one of my favorite things to do to pamper myself. Paul was so great to take Case and Madison to Case's soccer clinic. It was the last day today and he got a medal. He has loved soccer and we are looking for other activities to keep him active.

After that Mom and Paul had to hit the road home, but our family headed over to Case's school for the annual school carnival. It was nice and warm today, almost hot and Case had a great time checking out all of the different booths. I think his favorite was the cake walk, but after four times, he never won. So sad.

Wes gave Case a haircut and then he and Madi took a bath. I am hoping for an early bedtime tonight, I am quite tired. We are looking forward to this coming week. My wonderful sister Shari is coming from Chicago on Thurday. She is staying with our kids while Wes and I head off to Peru for 10 days with both sets of parents. We are excited to see Machu Picchu and the other sites we will be seeing while we are there.