Graduation part 2

Here we are sitting and waiting for the soon to be graduates to file in.  We just got a new gym how's it look??

Amber sitting and waiting for her diploma. She graduated with honors!

Mom and Dad came to witness the event.  What a handsome crew.

 John and Marylin came as well, and we were so happy that Debbie could come visit as well. 

The proud parents.

The equally proud brothers. 

These are Amber's friends.  Hanna, Rachel, and Stephanie, the one in the white cap, had a lot of health issues the last two years, so she was home schooled.  So she couldn't fully participate.  Kinda sad. 

But all went well, I'm so happy, and excited for Amber to go off and start her life.  I'm very blessed to have such a wonderful daughter with a GREAT head on her shoulders, and a super strong testimony of the Gospel.  She's moving on to bigger and better things! 

It's all about Amber, part 1

My only daughter is growing up.  (sniff)   She has turned 8.  Or is that 18?  I'm a little confused, because her favorite present was a BYU cougar pillow pet.  :)

So I will start off with the crazy two weeks of prep work for the infamous graduation weekend!  As many of you know, Bret and I have slowly been working on lots of landscaping around our house.  Last fall we decided we might need a bit of help to get it all done before Amber's graduation party.  the quote we got back for the work on the walk out basement patio and retaining wall was a bit much for us to swallow.  Like $25,000 to much!  So, we thought we'd plug along with doing it ourselves. So two weeks before the party we went into super work mode.  We new the patio for the walk out basement wasn't going to be a possibility. But we did finish the retaining wall. Also I did all the work around the deck in back, and Bret, with a little help from Bruce, and his Bobcat, were able to finish the "great wall" off the west side of the house.  We were blessed with good weather, and were able to finish the front as well.  LOTS of buckets of rock being carried up by me, Jaime, and Amber, with Ben, Sam, and even Keaton filling those buckets.  We bought a lot of plants, and planted till our hands were blistered and bleeding.  But it was getting done.  We have some grass to plant and a few more little things to finish off, but the big stuff is done.  Let the party begin. 

I asked a friend of mine who did a graduation party last year, for some advise.  She said get a caterer!  So I hired a friend of mine from the wellness center who said she did catering on the side.  Best thing I ever did.  Amber wanted a chocolate fountain, lots of fruit to dip it in, lots of cookies, peanut butter balls, cake and punch.  Yummy stuff!

The weekend started off with my parents coming in on Thursday night, and with it came the lovely mid-west winds!  30 mph SE winds with 40+ wind gusts.  Well living out where we are, there isn't any wind breaks.  So all the plants and furniture and flower pots I had all over the front porch to make it pretty had to be moved inside or to the north side of the porch, where no one would see it.  All the balloons were either popped or torn off.  I had a lot of seating for people out on the back deck and the front porch that we couldn't use.   I was mad!  All that work we did outside wasn't even going to be seen!  My back deck and front porch couldn't even be used, because of the winds that blew for 3 days strait!!!  I really hate wind.  But After everything got set up inside, with the food, the sign-in table, all of Amber's child-hood pictures, and awards displayed all over the house, I was okay.  And at 2:00 our first guests started showing up, and they didn't stop till after 6.  It was a great party, lots of Amber's friends came, and teachers and our friends from town, and church, and family, it was just great!  Mel and Tina, kept the food table full and everyone was happy.  I'm glad it's over!

Keaton's first concert

 After many many years, of going to the High School Auditorium and watching Amber, Ben and Sam, standing up on the risers singing with their class, Keaton finally gets his turn in the spot light.

For about a month his kept reminding me of when his concert was, so we wouldn't forget. He was very excited.  He did an amazing job too.  Also notice the long hair.  Its not me, it's him.  That's the way he likes it.  Also I would like to say, that his front teeth are finally starting to come in.

Another year older?

Funny how each birthday is a day to celebrate getting one more year older.  I sure don't feel like I'm getting older, so I think I'm just going to stop counting, because who needs to know right?  It was a great day though, the kids let me just hang out and not do anything.  Bret brought me breakfast in bed!  He made me french toast and everything!  What a great husband I have.  Amber made me my favorite cake, which is carrot cake with homemade cream cheese frosting.  It was very yummy!  We went to Famous Daves for dinner, which I love!  LOVE the ribs!  We had ordered the notch-yo everyday nacho plate for an appitizer, and it had some jalepeno peppers on it.  Bret ate one and was pretty taken aback by the heat!  Now I have to back up a bit and explane something, we went to Olive Garden a couple of months ago and Bret told Keaton if he tried the hot pepper, (the yellow ones in the salad) he would buy him a new DS game.  Long story short, he ate it.  So he got his game, but it was a Wii game that he'd been wanting.  He said it was very spicy!  Sam and Ben had the same deal, but they wouldn't eat it.  So back to Famous Daves.  Keaton said if he ate another one could he get a DS game.  Bret said "Sure, but I'm warning you Keaton, these are a lot hotter than those other kind you ate."  So it sat there on his plate, until we were almost done, he kept looking at it, and with out a word he popped it in his mouth.  We were all looking at him with horrifide looks on our faces I'm sure.  He chewed and chewed, and his eyes got really big, and they started to water pretty bad and he was looking for a drink, but his was gone, so I gave him my water, and he gulped it down as fast as he could.  He got it down and recovered quite well,  Bret couldn't believe he had eaten it.  So after we were done, we went to Target and he picked out his DS game.  Bret said,"No more hot peppers for games though, it's not a challenge for you anymore!" 

I got a zebra pillow-pet.  I had given one to Bret for his birthday, it was a moose.  So I guess his moose needed a mate. 

We also had the Iowa Jazz Band State Championship last Tuesday.  Harlan has placed 1st the last 4 years!  Quite an accomplishment.  They played so well and did they're best!  Amber had a feature solo on the first song and she did very well.  I could tell she was very nervous and didn't quite get a couple of the high notes but it sounded great non-the-less!  They made it to the finals, and played against Pella.  Both bands did so well.  But Pella won 1st this year.  Amber was heart broken.  She felt they had let Mr Britt down.  Especially since this was his last year with the band, he got married and is moving to Des Moines. But they have nothing to be shamed of.  They did a great job!