What's going on in the wee hours....?

Yes, check the time. It is almost 2:30 a.m.

No, I am not having trouble sleeping - I wish I were sleeping.

It is Prom Night.I have about 20 teenagers eating waffles with strawberries and cream and playing some sort of dance game on the Wii. I hope my floor/bedroom ceiling can take it. There is also a serious game of air hockey going on.I hope the neighbors don't call. The windows are shut, but that only keeps out so much noise.

However, that said, I am glad they are all here enjoying themselves and not somewhere else. Last year they all came over too, but they had a lot earlier curfews last year :-) It must be because they are seniors this year.

Maybe by three......????????

A Long Lost Friend

Meet Leo - an exchange student from Brazil 16 years ago! We moved around so much we lost touch way back in Ohio, but through some crazy means I don't even know, he contacted us this week!

He is married now and has a beautiful wife and son. And his English is still excellent!

Leo was crazy about soccer, tacos, and Reese's peanut butter cups when he lived with us. And I remember when I made buttery popcorn he loved to beat the kids to the buttery pieces. We loved him to death - he was so much fun to have around.

We wanted to get a picture before he left us and he did not want to dress up fancy. He wanted to wear his soccer shirt, so we dug out all of the old team shirts we could find. Good decision.

His sister was an exchange student right before he came out. He was a perfect teenager when he lived with us. He taught the kids soccer and was just an all-around great kid. Someday I may post about our terrible experience with an exchange student, but Leo made up for all of that. I would do it again in a second.

I told you 2010 was full of surprises and good news!

Catch Up

It seems like lately all I am doing is catching up - but that is that.

I was sick AGAIN this week - for two days. This is the third time this semester I have gotten a bug-stomach-virus-thingy. It must be all of those new germs I am exposed to each and every day. Twenty little bodies can let loose a lot of bodily fluids in various ways and means. Even the staunchest Germx can't stop everything.

Bryan left yesterday morning for Utah. He is ready and excited to be out on his own. I couldn't even help him pack and get out the door, I was miserable in bed. The best I could do was a warm hand hug and an "I love you." I will see him this summer and make it up to him :-)

Logan was in another (and his last) play at the high school. He was a son of a King, music-playing guy who later in cursed into being a swan and decides to marry the lovely swaness he shares the pond with. Actually, that is a bit more simplistic that it really was, but this was meant to be a short blog.

Things I Have Missed

With Bryan back almost an entire three weeks I have realized there are several things about having him around that I have really missed:

The Music - he is always playing the guitar or piano, and singing. I love to sit and just listen in the evening when we are all relaxing in the front room. I will really miss that when he leaves.

His "Mama" Yells - He will yell for me clear around the house. If I am silent long enough, and he repeats his calls enough, he eventually finds me.

The fact that he is one wild and crazy guy (and always has been).
We will only have his company for a few more days - he is headed West.

A New Addition

You may remember that Bryan loves animals. There have been times over the years I felt our house was a zoo - we have had frogs, chameleons, ferrets, horses, a dog, cats, birds, rats, rabbits, fish, a bearded dragon and lots of snakes. I was very afraid he would come home with an African parrot. Thank goodness for International Trade Laws.

But.....his friend came to visit last weekend and gave him an African Sulcata. He told me it would be a great addition to my future classroom. I thought that was a great idea. He is a very cute tortoise. And I love animals in the classroom.

What Bryan neglected to tell me is that it is really an outdoor animal and can grow to 200 lbs. In addition, they have very long life spans. He will not only outlive me, but he will probably outlive Bryan. Not exactly the inheritance future generations were hoping for.

Ahhhhh, it is so good to have Bryan home :-)

Swamped

Yes, I am feeling a little bit overwhelmed - school assignments are quickly becoming due and I come home exhausted every night......I know, I know.....big deal.

So,

Bryan is looking for an apartment in Provo (I can you hear you laughing now, how ridiculous you are telling yourself - school is still in session), a job, a car, and getting ready to move. Right now we are batting ZERO.

Logan has only three weeks left, so he really is....um....behind.

Jordan is still enjoying an extended spring break. I asked him to pull the weeds in my backyard flowers beds today and when he said he had three bags full I worried because I know for a fact I didn't have that many weeds. I soon discovered all of my ground cover is gone.............a lot of viney groundcover met its doom today.

Ethan had me read a Christmas book for bedtime tonight, so in other words, he is same-0 same-0.

Loved having Megan/Brian and Claire for a week - the time flew by.

Here is a picture I love of Claire and my nephew, Zeb.
Bryan
Ethan has just now become a responsible driver. In most part due to the fact that Grandma and Grandpa's motorized vehicle is on it's last leg and doesn't go very fast. The first time Ethan got in one of these he drove it off my sister's back porch and flipped over. He also loves the Wiggles, so when he saw Grandma's little car (even though it is a girly car) - it became the Wiggles' "Big Red Car." He was in heaven the whole day long.