Perspective

Big

Bigger
Biggest

Graduate!

My little brother is graduating high school today!!!!

He is in the process of submitting his mission papers and will *hopefully* receive his mission call sometime this summer. We're really proud of him.

Way to go, Sean!

The 2-Liter Thrill

Materials Needed:
Empty 2-liter bottle (preferably Diet Coke since it is the best drink on the planet)
Water Hose
Air Compressor
1 Big Boy
2 Little Boys (in awe of the big boy)

Last week, Clarke treated Brock and Jamin to a 2-liter thrill. We aplogize to our neighbors who may have found a 2-liter bottle or two hiding in their yards.

Memorials

When Brock and I arrived at the cemetery yesterday morning, it was crowded with cars and people and flowers, but more importantly flags. There were flags marking the graves of servicemen and women who courageously served this country and it gave me goosebumps to see so many volunteers recognizing the graves of these remarkable people.

******

Today marks Miss Amelia's three month angelversary. We send out a big thank you to family and friends who visited Amelia's grave yesterday. Thank you for your flowers and thoughts.

I know she's smiling down on us from above.

Mud Schmud

Turn your back on two inherintely mischeivious three-year old boys and trouble is inevitable; guaranteed.

Brock and Jamin. Cousins. Best Buds. Operatives in a semi-successful scheme to drive their momma's mad! One tip of the dog's water bucket and a muddy opportunity presented itself to these finger-pointing "it wasn't me" three-year old boys. It doesn't matter who's idea it was to puddle jump and finger paint because by the time the muddy culprits presented themselves to us, it was too late. Head-to-toe muddy monstrosities streaked into the living room and then streaked right back outside when they saw the instantaneous horror on our faces (or perhaps it was the steam escaping from our ears!). Its no suprise that they led us right to the scene of the crime, joyfully giggling and delighting in muddy indulgence. Its also no surprise that the dogs had not escaped the clutches of these two little terrors--as both dogs were CAKED in mud.

In the end, though, what can you do? They're boys. Mud is sort of a rite of passage. And they're three....and experts at it. So, I did what any momarazzi would do and pulled out my trusty Nikon and started shooting.

Swoosh

At Last

Happy day!

Today, Amelia's headstone was placed at her grave.

When we ordered it, we had no idea that it took so long for the monument business to create and place headstones, but after discussing the issue with others, we realized that the wait is fairly standard.

It looks fantastic!

Dear friends and family,

It is with hearts bursting with gratitude that we wish to thank you so much for helping with the purchase of Amelia's headstone. We paid for the headstone up front without any idea that our families and friends would want to contribute to Amelia's monument. And then, to our surprise, sympathy cards began to arrive with checks tucked inside to help with the cost of the headstone. Words fail to express our gratitude and the overwhelming love that we felt from all of you. Now, when we look upon Amelia's headstone, we'll remember not only her precious spirit, but the incredible love of our friends and family.

We wish to thank you personally (and apologize if we've forgotten anybody):

Bob & Julie Sherinian and family

John & Barbara Hollis

Dorine See (Oma)

Papa and Nanay Renberg

Charlene Winters & the Lewis family

Scott & Alison Renberg

Alan & Sarah Benson

Brent and Mandy Cox

Jason and Lisa Coots

Bryan and Dana Shigihara

Joseph & Heather Gillespie

Kasey & Stephanie Taylor

James & Stacie Childs

Chris & Sarah Quirante

Richard & Joey Clements

Seth and Nikki Becker

Joseph & Amber Broderick

Jeff & Michele Villano

BJay & Jessica Smith

Cameron & Heather Berry

Clay & Tiffany Freeze

Nate & Kara Andrus

Donnie & Roni Wood

We received so many thoughts, prayers, meals, and other gifts to help our family cope and we are eternally grateful to EVERYONE who blessed our lives in a million different and wonderful ways these past three months.

We love you!!!!

Clarke, Char, & Brock See

Brock & Amelia

Daddy & Brock carved a heart into the wet cement.

Headlines for the year 2029

• Ozone created by electric cars now killing millions in the seventh largest country in the world, Mexifornia, formerly known as California.
• White minorities still trying to have English recognized as Mexifornia's third language.
• Spotted Owl plague threatens northwestern United States crops and livestock.
• Baby conceived naturally! Scientists stumped.
• Couple petitions court to reinstate heterosexual marriage.
• Iran still closed off; physicists estimate it will take at least 10 more years before radioactivity decreases to safe levels.
• France pleads for global help after being taken over by Jamaica. No other country comes forward to help the beleaguered nation!
• Castro finally dies at age 112; Cuban cigars can now be imported legally, but President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking.
• George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2036.
• Postal Service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only.
• 85-year $75.8 billion study: Diet and exercise is the key to weight loss.
• Average weight of Americans drops to 250 lbs.
• Global cooling blamed for citrus crop failure for third consecutive year in Mexifornia and Floruba.
• Abortion clinics now available in every High School in United States.
• Senate still blocking drilling in ANWR even though gas is selling for 4532 Pesos per liter and gas stations are only open on Tuesdays and Fridays.
• Massachusetts executes last remaining conservative.
• Supreme Court rules punishment of criminals violates their civil rights.
• Average height of NBA players is now nine feet seven inches.
• New federal law requires that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2030.
• IRS sets lowest tax rate at 75 percent.
• Floruba voters still having trouble with voting machines.

Decorating Cents

Do you ever feel like there aren't enough hours in the day? Just recently I tried giving up sleep as part of my quest transform my house into a HGTV look-a-like. Giving up sleep isn't something I'd recommend (yawn.....stretch). I've been on a home improvement streak in the last few weeks, from dejunking the junk room to exploring the wonderous world of spray paint; in other words, finding inexpensive ways to make my house look as glamourous as a HGTV makeover. One of my favorite ways to decorate is with vinyl. I get ALL my vinyl through Thoughts on the Wall, which features the amazing vinyl stylings of my good friend Stephanie Taylor. Here are some of my most recent vinyl creations:

"Be" attitudes by President Hinckley

"Welcome" sign--(We gave these as Christmas gifts!!)

Monogrammed Candy Jar (Jar is from Tai Pan Trading Company)
My family room wall...
Vinyl Graphics on mugs (fab mugs are from IKEA)

When we ordered our daughter's headstone, we had to choose a short, four-word statement to be engraved on the stone. We turned over several different options in our minds and I ran them by my friends (includings Stephanie) for feedback. In the end, we decided that 'Families are Forever' is the message we wanted to include on Amelia's headstone. Coincidentally, Steph was fulfilling an order for a client who has requested vinyl that read 'Families are Forever.' When she printed the vinyl she found that her printer has printed two copies of the phrase when she had only intended to print one copy. She was kind enough to send us the second copy so that we could have this precious phrase displayed in our home:

Fathers & Sons

Every year our ward sponsors a fathers and sons overnight camping trip and in year's past Clarke has always said that he couldn't wait to take Brock camping. This year, he got his wish. Since Clarke's brother is also in the ward, they decided to camp together.

Two men. Three boys. One night.

Our bedtime routine at home must lack the excitement of camping under the full moon, as it took Clarke TWO hours and countless dinosaur stories to convince Brock to fall asleep. Apparently, they snuck in a little fun too:

Marshall & TylerThe one and only catch of the day. Way to go, Marshall!
Brock wouldn't touch the fish. But Tyranno(saurus) did!

A Quickie...

"Caughtcha Moment"

Just a drive-by blog post. We need a weekend from our weekend following a campout, one junk room, two cans of spraypaint, a crazy granny, an all-nighter, one giant "S," dead vegetables, purple tools, html, chocolate-chip cookies, the slums of Mumbai, and an awesome mother's day (thanks Clarke and Brock--LOVE YOU GUYS!). Whew!

Mom Day!

Dedicated to my favorite peeps:

(this is hysterical!)

Have a great Mother's Day!

Spring

My favorite of the day...