Babysitting

Jade and JT spent the evening with Aunt Kristina. While eating dinner T was just being a clown making one funny face after another so I grabbed my camera and here ya go - my little T-bird!
We had the movie Cars on in the background as we colored. All of the sudden, Jade stands up and starts dancing. But her bony little butt couldn't hold up her pants and they just fell down. Like a real comedic pro she hammed it up and continued to dance and do it all again. T had to join in the fun too but of course he had to actually PULL his pants down. It was really so funny to watch them!!
We had such a blast coloring and playing with Rick's crazy Halloween wigs. Here are more of the fun pics. They two crazy kids are just like their Dad though, continually joking around and being silly with non-stop energy. They make everyone laugh and then they bring on the hugs and you just melt. Being an Aunt is the BEST!

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Special Guests

The anxiously awaited day is here - Natalie and Jillian have arrived! Jillian is staying with us for a month while Natalie has moved here. We are so excited to have them with us for so long. They arrived on Sunday and already Natalie has jobs lined up with Cheesecake Factory and Lifetime Fitness (providing her with a free membership to the best gym/pool/spa around). We are car searching for her now and I bet that won't take long either. Things are really going her way right now. Hopefully her luck continues!

Dancing Queen

I was going through and cleaning up some files on my computer when I came across these videos of Jade dancing. The first is when she was a little over a year old. You can see JT crawl across the floor. I had to try to hide the camera from her because every time she saw a camera she wanted to see the back of it to see the picture of her! The second is about a year later. She still shakes her little butt-aye. I remember she was really tired. Near the end she drops her glasses and starts twirling her hair with one hand and sticks the other thumb in her mouth. This is/was her ritual for going to sleep. Rob and Bev still struggle to get her to stop both habits!

Rees Reunion 2007

After breakfast with the Hymas and Allphins we met up with my friend Anne Grenzebach. She and I had about an hour to talk as I hopped in her car and she followed Rick to Fruitland, UT where our family reunion was. I was afraid we wouldn't get a chance to see each other but we at least had some time together. It's so fun to visit with friends you haven't seen in awhile. I would have loved to have had more time to visit even more. I have so many in Utah now!

The Reunion started Tuesday, July 3rd, in the afternoon and we left Thursday, July 5th in the morning to catch a plane back to Austin. We camped in our new "luxury" tent (as it's about 160 sq ft with 6ft roof) right beside a mountain stream. It was so peaceful. The aunts and uncles stayed in a cabin lodge. It was the ideal place for a reunion and we enjoyed every minute of it. Rick realized he has a knack for playing horseshoes as we won the competition (by no help from me at all). I think it's all those dart games he used to play. We hiked up the nearest mountain on Wednesday and took in some spectacular views. It had been so long since I'd been hiking, it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We're already looking forward to next year's Reunion.
Every year an auction is held at the Reunion in order to raise money for the next. Kylene auctioned her massage services and got a hefty bid for it at $65. Jefra framed some pictures of nature that spelled "FAMILY" and brought two of them. These were a definite hit and went for around $65 as well. Jefra and I also decided to put together a Rees Reunion DVD thanks to Rick's consistent prodding. So I've got a new project to work on for a while and I'm so excited. Jefra's pictures of the Reunion are amazing - expecially of the kids - and we've got some great video clips from aunts, uncles and Grandma and Grandpa. Rick, of course, is "executive producer" of the project and is spilling out ideas all over the place. Now I've got to figure out how to do them all!

Utah here we come

After a short visit in NY we flew to Utah. The primary purpose was to attend the Rees Reunion, however we were able to squeeze in a few visits with some friends too! We flew in late Monday evening and stayed with an old missionary companion of Rick's, Justin Allphin, and his wife, Jenny. We stayed up entirely too late but it was so fun re-living mission experiences.

The next morning we met up with Rick's mission President, Gene Hymas and his wife, Diana. Rick and Justin drove in one car to continue with mission stories while Jenny and I followed. I totally love Jenny and Justin!
President and Sister Hymas were so great and you could really tell how much they loved their missionaries. So I was able to hear even more mission stories! President is very soft-spoken and has to be one of the most humble men I've known. Sister Hymas is all smiles and personality. I instantly loved them both and can't wait to visit them again.

Lockport Re-lived

We were also able to go to Buffalo & Lockport, NY on Sunday and saw family. We drove all around Lockport as they were reminiscent. We went to Reid's for lunch in order to have the infamous fast food there (I'm not hooked yet, but everyone else sure is!) We stopped by their old home which was looking a little shabby. Rick even tried to break into his old home he lived in as a young boy. The town owns the home now and is selling the home for $15,000 because it is a mess and they are building a road there and would need to you move it as well! Good luck selling that thing! It was so fun to see everyone. We stayed at Dan and Denise's home. Rachel and Marissa have grown up so much. We love the Wolfe's!

Congratulations Franca and Matt!

Last Saturday we were in Rochester, NY to see Franca Monachino and Matt Borthwick's wedding. It was so beautiful and so fun to be there. Congrats you guys!

YOU!

Cell Phone Pics

So I'm planning on getting a new cell phone in the near future. I had tried the LG VX9400 but returned it for poor battery life. But in preparation I am cleaning off my pictures and saving them to my computer. While doing so I thought I'd post a few here for memories sake.

Some may not know, some may have known, but I was in a car accident last December right around New Years. A truck basically drove over the front of my car as he was running a red light. It was SO FUN! (right) We replaced the Acura with the exact same car just a year newer. I love my Acuras! This is my 3rd!

This is my dad - he's so cute! He has an extremely contagious laugh.

This is our CTR-8 class in Fairport, NY. Rick and I taught them for a year. They were the best class. We are going to Fairport this Sunday as we will be in Rochester for a friend's wedding. I can't wait to see everyone again!

This is the INFAMOUS WOLF SPIDER that decided to scare me literally TO DEATH on HALLOWEEN NIGHT! At first I thought it was a fake spider Rick put in the living room to scare me but next thing I knew I turned around and it was GONE! I was HUGE! I immediately froze. I couldn't move, I couldn't speak. Finally, I got some nerve and ran to the bedroom, jumped on the bed and called my parents who live about 3 miles away. I begged them to come find the spider and get rid of him. (Rick was at school.) He was so big you couldn't squish this thing - it would be like trying to squish a mouse. Ew. They sent my little sis, Kylene. She was a little shocked by his size as well but did a good job of trapping him. We studied him, did some Googling and found out he really didn't hurt humans and was really good for your garden so she let him back outside.

Second side of the story - Rick found him in our yard while mowing a few weeks ago and KILLED HIM because it scared him! (Um, and yes, the picture is blurry because I was shaking like a leaf! You'd have thought it was a grizzly bear!! I had no idea I was such a wimp!!)

Kylene sent me this picture - she's a picture-aholic with her cell phone, but the thing is they are all REALLY good. I don't know how she does it. I really think she needs to make a career of it. But anyways, this is my favorite picture. It just looks so comfy - like the Snuggle Bear!

New Hair

Well what was leftover of my blond has finally been removed! Well, at least temporarily. I didn't want to use permanent since it tends to not blend well and looks stark when you go darker. I quit highlighting my hair about 2 years ago and have been trying to get it back to "natural". So the rest of my hair now matches the roots. What a concept!