Have a Merry Christmas Ya'll

It has been a crazy busy season for us this year.  My Christmas cards came in on Saturday!  I got some of them in the mail today but not all of them.  Either way doubtful anyone will receive them by tomorrow :)  So this is my Merry Christmas to all my friends and family.  I hope you have a wonderful New Year as well!

Crepe Myrtle's

 We put some crepe myrtle's in at the end of 2009.  I remember mulching them the next spring, 2010.  The next spring, 2011, I did the same and they hadn't really done much.  Now some of them had been in pots for a while and I knew they were stressed, but still.  So last summer I watered and watered and watered.  It didn't help that there was a drought.  I also fertilized with Miracle-Gro's Azalea, Camellia, Rhododendron plant food.  I had read that they are more of an acid loving plant (not sure I'm wording that very well).

The above picture was taken last spring (April) and they did end up blooming but they sure hadn't changed much from 2010.

 This picture was taken last week.  Look! they finally grew!  Well, except for the little one to the left.  It does have blossoms you just can't see them.

The t-post's were put in so nobody would run over them :)

Scholarship

This is the same scholarship that Justin won a couple of years ago (which I thought I posted about but when I went to look for the link it wasn't there).  Anyway, Alex won this last year and this year.  They give you just about 2 seconds to take a picture and last year I forgot my camera and used my cell phone which made it worse.  This year they made a book that contained the following information which they usually show on screens as they are presenting the award.  I thought it would be fun to scan it and post it here with this years picture.  We are really proud of Alex!!!

Here is the picture from this year.  It doesn't really tell you anything, but Alex looks handsome don't you think? 

Seminary Graduation

We sure are proud of Alex for finishing Seminary.  This is our other graduating student from our Branch.  Both of these kids are incredibly smart!!

Priest Laurel Prom - Alex

Alex had a busy spring, much like Justin did when it was his senior year.  Thankfully, Alex got is Eagle last year and we didn't have to worry about it this summer like we did just before Justin's 18th birthday.  Alex took this cute girl to prom in April.  She is from Round Rock and so once again I didn't get many pictures.  I think it is fun that he styled his hair almost like his character in "Barefoot in the Park".  Alex and his date triple dated with his cousins Jordan (and her date) and KC (and his date).  They made a full day of it which included Olive Garden.

Barefoot in the Park

Alex performed in "Barefoot in the Park" for the last two weekends.  The play was a success and he did great!!  It was a little shocking in that I'd never seen the play or the movie so I was a little unprepared to watch my son and all the closeness of a newly married couple.  He was the youngest member of the cast.  I'm not sure how old his 'wife' was but the other four were into their sixties or so.  Rebekah took plenty of pictures of the most embarrassing parts for her, but I was able to sneak in a couple of others.  I have about 44 and that is after deleting several.  Here are a couple :)

Grandma's Glasses

We went to go see "Barefoot in the Park" a couple of weeks ago.  During intermission the girls got bored and decided to try on Grandma's glasses.  She wasn't really wearing them since she had just had surgery but it was amazing how strong they were and what they did to the girls eyes!!

Easter 2012

I was so impressed with these kids on Easter morning.  Teenagers humoring their mom and letting her take the traditional Easter/Christmas photo.  In the morning.  AND smiling!!!

This too is a traditional photo.  A very hard one to take with those little ones!!  This is the line up for the Annual Farm Easter Egg hunt.

If you look reeeaaaalllyyy close you can spot all 450 eggs :)  NOT!  We never find them all.

Goof balls!!  This is what you get when you ask them to smile big.

The Hunger Games

I decided to re-read "The Hunger Games" about a week before the movie came out.  I saw the movie, which was pretty good, and then re-read "Catching Fire" and then finally read "Mockingjay".  I am glad I re-read the first two because I barely remembered anything.

These books are very good and I recommend them, BUT the subject matter is rather horrific when you think about it.  In fact I never really thought about it until a couple of people admitted to me recently that they couldn't get through the books or didn't even want to read them because of it.  I am so glad I read all three.  The third book finishes it nicely.  I really thought that it would be a "Red Dawn" ending, but I'm glad it didn't end that way.

I really like this quote from the book.  (Possible spoiler alert.)  Katniss is at the end of her rope.

"I no longer feel any allegiance to these monsters called human beings, despise being one myself.  I think that Peeta was onto something about us destroying one another and letting some decent species take over.  Because something is significantly wrong with a creature that sacrifices its children's lives to settle its differences."

And that, really is the whole point.  It is a terrible thing that they have gotten themselves to this point and the story is kind of how they dig themselves out of this pit.  I also liking her closing comment.

"I'll tell them how I survive it.  I'll tell them that on bad mornings, it feels impossible to take pleasure in anything because I'm afraid it could be taken away.  That's when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I've seen someone do."

I wrote this a couple of weeks ago and since then John has finished all three books.  He did not like the third book and it was my least favorite, but the ending was good.  Justin likes the comment at the end, "My children, who take the words of the song for granted:"  The song is Rue's song about the meadow.  I thought that was an interesting concept that struck him.

Barefoot in the Park

Speaking of plays.  Alex just landed one of the lead roles in "Barefoot in the Park".  He will be playing Paul.  Way to go Alex!!!!

Speaking of college.  Alex has also been accepted to BYU-Idaho and will be roommates with his cousin James.

We are very proud of him!!

A Few Good Men

Justin, Alex and their cousin KC were in "A Few Good Men" last December.  Yes, the same month that we had Alex's Eagle Court of Honor, Seminary Auction and Christmas :)  The pictures loaded in backwards from what I wanted so the above picture was taken after the play and I took it because I still am amazed at how tall Justin is.  He towered over everyone.

This was also taken after the play.  KC, Alex and Justin. 

 At the end of the play.  Justin and Alex are the ones that restrain this General from killing one of the lawyers.  That particular picture was very blurry.

Both Justin and Alex had multiple parts.   

Christmas Cards

This is my dad and his lovely wife Cindy

I love pictures.  I love getting pictures.  I have stacks of them here and stacks of them there.  It is getting out of hand.  This year more than any other year I received a lot of picture Christmas cards.  I did something tricky in a spur of the moment, "what the heck am I going to do with all these pictures cause I can NOT just throw them away?" sort of fit.

I scanned all my Christmas cards into my computer and filed them in my December folder for 2011.  I just found them again while I was looking for a picture to post.  It was so much fun.  I love it!!!  Best of all, I didn't create ANOTHER pile or add to my current 4 foot pile :)

Thanks for the cards everybody!!!

Alex’s Eagle

December was crazy busy.  One of the reasons was because we had Alex’s Eagle Court of Honor.  Phew, two down one to go

 

He built a cat house for an animal shelter.  The picture in the middle shows where there was nothing before and the pictures surrounding it show the finished project.

 

 

 

His mentor, our Branch President, who is a veterinarian.

 

I thought this was a good picture of Grandma and Grandpa.  They are so proud of their grandchildren!  Grandpa did all the electrical work for the cat house.