Rapelling with the scouts

While I was in Houston with Alex and Ethan, Chad took Jordan on a scout camp out. The boys had a fun time rapelling. Then after the trip they had the wonderful task of removing ticks.

Jordan rapelling
The canyon in Oklahoma

Jordan

The boys and their leaders

Memorial Week End

Memorial Weekend I took Alex and Ethan down to my sisters house in The Woodlands, Tx. Chad and Jordan were on a scout camping trip. We spend one day with my sister and then went to her in laws house on Lake Livingston, Tx. It was a fun time but, to short of a trip.

My Niece Kaylee

Alex and her second best friend, Brax.

Don't swallow the brown water!

Ethan and my Nephew, Koy.

Alex, Ethan and Koy

Ethan with a treasure he found (a stick)

My Dad's Wedding

Saturday, May 14th 2009 my Dad got married to Tami Hewlett in the Provo temple, his brother was able to perform the ceremony. It has been quite an experience going from my Mother passing away to my Dad getting married again. I am truly happy for my Dad and am excited to get to know Tami better. Tami seems like a wonderful lady, she has read the Twilight books and has seen the movie, so I know she has good taste. She has a strong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ and there is a good spirit about her. I believe that my Mother would approve of her. I think that we will be blessed to have her as part of our family. I was able to attend the wedding while Chad took 4 days off to take over my Mom job.

My Dad and Tami outside of the Provo Temple.


My Dad and his two sons, my brothers. What a handsome bunch of guys.


This is a picture of our family. Myself, three sisters, two brothers and my Dad and Tami.

I love my Sisters they are a great bunch of friends as well as family.

Alex meets Jonathan Horton

On May 21st, Jonathan Horton, the Olympian gymnast, visited Alex's gym. He spoke to all the gymnasts and then signed autographs. It is nice that Alex looks up to great gymnasts instead of movie or rock stars. Here are some pictures.

Happy Birthday Ethan.

May 9, 2009-- Today Ethan turned 7 years old. Since we do not have parties every year for our kids, they are allowed to pick any activity they want to do as a family and then invite one friend to do that activity with us. Ethan decided that he wanted to swim in our pool and go to the local park. Then his dinner choice was Subway (he is easy to please). Some of the things we love about Ethan are: He has a very vivid imagination, he loves to learn and already knows his timetables up to 10, he is creative and loves to make things out of junk, he is a good friend to those around him and kids are drawn to him, he loves sports especially football and baseball. We love him and are blessed that he is part of our family.

Photos of us.

We have a church friend that is a photographer, she took these pictures for us and did a fantastic job. Here is a peek at some of the photos.

Soon we will be Utahans not Texans

Today Chad sent me this e-mail.......

Melissa,
Make sure you are seated, because what you are about to read will really bowl you over. I got word today from the boss that the SLC spot is going to be rescinded. Apparently with the budget being tight, they don't have the extra funding to open up a brand new aviation office. I guess with the whole expense of leasing a hangar, providing equipment to support the aircraft, etc. it is going to be quite an expense to get things going. Gee, you'd think they would have looked at all that stuff ahead of time! Man, our management is so impressive. SO, it looks like they are going to hold off on opening SLC for a while. By a while, they mean at least a year or two.
Sorry, I know you were really stoked to go there. Maybe in another year or two the budget situation will improve, and we can still go.
See you at home, I love you.
Chad Sedrick Special Agent/Pilot .

I was floored and at first thought it was a joke, I kept looking for the part that Chad says just kidding and there was no just kidding part, so I believed it. Well, I was about ready to send out some e-mails saying that we are not moving after all, when Chad walked in and said he was just kidding. He got the official notice today that he got the job in Salt Lake and we will be moving. What a Butt. Now we wait for the government to set aside the money for us to move, then we have 3 months to report.

Alex's room

We finished redoing Alex's bedroom. Here is a picture of it. Notice the cute craft on her wall that spells her name. I will have to say that this very, very uncrafty person made that, yes I am proud.

Homerun Ethan

Last week, Ethan had a few t-ball games. I taped several of his hits, but the one I did not tape just happened to be the homerun I was trying to tape. Well, since I do not have the homerun on video, here are a few pictures of our families best 6 year old t-ball player.

He was trying to be cross eyed here.

Ouch!

Ouch! This is what happens when you slide during a softball game in shorts. I guess the pain was worth it, because Chad made the play.

Proud American

Lately I have been thinking a lot about our nation. I do not know why this has been on my mind so much, but it has. I absolutely love being a citizen of the United States of America!!!! I love that men and women can both vote for whomever they want and get equal say. Do I agree with the majority of Americans who voted in the current President, no, but I am glad that there is a variety of opinions and I respect their opposing opinions. How boring it would be if everyone thought exactly the same or, were forced into thinking a certain way. I think that it is wonderful that we Americans have the opportunity to listen to different types of news information, either conservative or liberal. How great is it that we live in a place that is by far one of the richest nations in so many ways. I have visited two third world countires, and Chad has been to several. After being able to wittness other countries and see first hand the poverty, and hardships that so many of the citizens face, I realize how truly blessed we are. Yes, the economy is bad right now, but we are still far better off than most countries of the world. How did I get so lucky to be born a citizen of the United States out of the billions of people in the world!!!!

Do I smell rabbit stew???

Today Addy, Alex's BFF, brought four small bunnies to our house. She found them in her yard and claimed the Mother was not around. Alex, Jordan, Ethan and Addy had a fun time playing with the bunnies and looked up on line how to feed them. The kids mixed up a substance of condensed milk, karo syrup, and egg. They put this in a medicine dropper and fed it to the bunnies. Alex wants us to keep the bunnies, but NO WAY!!!! HMMMM.......I guess we could keep them and let our dogs have a nice meal instead of dry dog food, and then everyone would be able to have a lucky rabbits foot too. Side note: If you belong to PETA, please understand that I am only joking. Look we found our own dinner....

A Fun Easter Weekend

This weekend we went up to visit Shaun and Holly and their family in Arkansas. We took the kids out of school on Friday and Monday, so our visit could be longer. Saturday Holly and I took some kids to an awesome swimming pool, and Chad and Shaun took others shooting guns. Can you believe that both Holly and I forgot our cameras?! That night we ordered Pizza for the kids, rented them a few movies and the adults went bowling and out to dinner. I showed off my vast bowling ability by scoring below 70 each game. Chad's Dad gets the bowler of the year award, by scoring an even 200 - way to go Gramps!!!! Sunday we went to church, had an egg hunt and a delish dinner. Monday we spent the day driving.
People who find out that We are Mormons, often ask if we believe in Jesus Christ. Well, the answer is yes, He is the center of our faith. We are forever grateful for his suffering, not only on the cross, but also in the garden, when he took upon himself all of our sins. Easter is a special season, just as Christmas is. Easter gives us time to reflex on what a blessing it is to understand how much Jesus Christ and God the Father love and care for us. Easter is a time when I ask myself the question, what am I doing that made Jesus Christ suffer more or less? What steps do I need to take in my life to be a better Christian? What do I need to do to feel his presence daily? Easter truly is a blessed day!

EASTER SUNDAY 2009

READY FOR THE EGG HUNTGET OUT THE DYE, WE ARE READY TO BE CREATIVE

Yummy Reciepe

I made these for a baby shower. Try them, you will like them.
Cheesecake Pops
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened1 cup Domino® or C&H® Granulated Pure Cane Sugar1 cup sour cream1 teaspoon vanilla extract3 eggs, beaten1 cup graham cracker crumbs45 lollipop sticks (4 inches long)3 packages (10 to 12 ounces each) vanilla or white chips3 tablespoons shorteningToppings: grated coconut, grated chocolate, assorted sprinkles and chopped nutsLine the bottom of a 9-in. springform pan with parchment paper; coatpaper and sides of pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, beat, cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanillauntil blended. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pourinto prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rackfor 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen;cool 1 hour longer. Cover and freeze overnight. Remove from thefreezer and let stand for 30 minutes. Place cracker crumbs in ashallow bowl. Working quickly, scoop out 1-in. balls of cheesecake;roll each in cracker crumbs and insert a lollipop stick. Place onwaxed paper-lined baking sheets. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm. In a microwave, melt vanilla chips and shortening at 70% power; stiruntil smooth. Place toppings in shallow bowls. Dip cheesecake pops invanilla chip mixture; allow excess to drip off. Roll in toppings.
Printed from tasteofhome.com Apr 13, 2009Copyright Reiman Media Group, Inc © 2009
Place on waxed paper; let stand until set. Store in the refrigerator.Yield: 45 cheesecake pops.

Hail, not Hell, but Hail.

This is a piece of hail that I got out of our front yard last night.

Play Ball!

Monday night Ethan had a t-ball game. He loves sports! On the way to the game I said I would give him $5.00 or a pack of Pokemon cards if he hits a home run. He is a really good player, but had not hit a home run, so I thought I was safe with my bet. Ethan gets up to bat, and wham, he hits a great fly ball that goes into the outfield and that was his first home run. Then his second hit is a repeat of the first hit. I guess I will be buying two packs of Pokemon cards. I did not see that one coming. Well, the game continued. Ethan plays pitcher and a boy from the other team hits a fly, Ethan catches it, so that is one out, then he throws the ball to 1st and gets the player out on first who was running to 2nd. Double play! Wow, what a game. GO ETHAN!!!! Why did I not have my camera for that one??

Diet, exercise, and early mornings.

If you know me well, you know that I am absolutely not a morning person by any means. Well, tomorrow I am going to start attending a boot camp that my neighbor Ember is doing. She is an instructor at a local gym and is going to teach some classes at her house. This does not seem too bad, but it starts at 5:45 am on MWF. I have been exercising on my own,(at about 10am) trying to shed some of my pounds. I have been running/walking about 3 miles a few days a week then I also ride my bike or use my elliptical. I feel good, but I am not getting the desired results, so this is why I chose boot camp. My friend took my measurements today and tomorrow the quest begins. The boot camp runs for a month. I will let you all know the results when I am done. Wish me luck!!!

UTAH-- Here we come??????????????

OK, there is a new position opening up in Salt Lake City, Utah for a pilot. At first we were not going to put in for it, but the day before the opening closed we had a change of mind, and yes, Chad applied for the transfer. This is the pro's and con's list the kids and I came up with regarding whether or not to move. A government career board has to meet and they make the final decision on who gets to move, so it could be months until we know. Chad has a very good chance of getting the position. We figure that if we are suppose to go we will get the transfer, if the answer is no, then I guess we will stay in Texas until the kids graduate. It is in the Lords hands now.

Utah pro's
Seminary not early (this is Jordan's and mine)
No birthday parties on Sunday ( the kids miss a lot of parties because they are scheduled on Sunday)
Good kids with good standards
No sport games or meets on Sunday
California vacations are more probable (this is Alex's)
Less driving time. Stores, church, temple, schools closer ( this should count as 3, I just can not do the driving thing anymore)
Mountains ( this is what the kids said)
Faster speed limits (mine, the speed limit on move hwys is 60-65 here)
Good boss for Chad
School day shorter
BYU is close (kids came up with this one, because they want to attend college there)
Other cousins close
Utah Con's
Make new friends
Shaun and Holly's family/ Addy's family / Julie and Steve far
Snow (I do not know what the kids are going to do when winter last longer than a few months)
Texas Pro's
Good friends in Texas
Big house
weather
Texas Cons
No mountains
Football obsession
humid
bugs/ ants
I deleted this one because it was a little to mean to post.
kids do not really like Texas.
Something about Chads work that I should not write.

Alex Gymnastics-- Tyler Meet 3-09

Alex had a meet a few weeks ago in Tyler, TX. Here is the video that I took with the camera. It is a little fuzzy. For the vault video, she will be in the very back and it will be hard to see her. She did great on all events, except for the bars, which is usually her best event. I do not know what happened, she got nervous or something, because it is not like her to goof on bars. Her scores were Bars 8.4 Beam 9.425 Vault 9.550 Floor 9.625 AA 37.00. It was her lowest AA score, mainly because of the whole point that got deducted on bars. But all in all she did great!! We are very proud of her. It was an all day event. We left home around 11 am and got home around 11 pm, what a day!

Coupons

Yesterday I went to Walgreens and got 3 bottles of Fructis shampoo, 3 bottles of Fructis conditioner, two boxes of Garnier hair coloring, 2 nail polishes (12 day, Hard as Nails), two 40 load laundry soap(cheap brand, but I do not care), a bag of Halls cough drops, and a giant size Butterfinger for Jordan. This came to a total of 6.42. I got all the the shampoo and conditioner for free. Why do I write about coupons? Well, I guess I just want to spread the word that there are ways to save money in these hard economic times. It was hard for me to get started, because I thought it was a little embarrassing carrying around this binder of coupons, but I got over it. It does take time, but is a great way to stock up on items for food storage.

GO JORDAN

Jordan is on the middle school tennis team and had a match today. Jordan's team won. ---GO JORDAN----

Fans looking on.
An the winner is............

TAKS TESTING

Wednesday was TAKS day at several of the schools in our area. I have strong opinions regarding this test. The following is just a portion of something I wrote the day of TAKS, because I was so frustrated with the darn test and the amount of wieght in puts on our children, parents, teachers, schools, etc. If you want to read my entire complaint let me know and I will e-mail it to you. Actually my children do not mind the test. They finish in just a few hours and instead of spending the rest of the day (4+ hours) reading or taking a nap, I pick them up from school early. This is a big no, no and I get not so happy looks when I arrive to pick up my kids.

Here is a portion of what I wrote; e-mail me if you want my full opinion.

---There is a series of tests that all 3-12 graders in Texas must take every year. This test is called the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills). I HATE this test!!! This test is how the schools, teachers, children, and districts are rated. I dislike this test because; First it takes time away from our children learning. There are several practice TASKS tests and practice worksheets students do in order to do well on the test, all teaching evolves around it. Second, it puts undo pressure on our children. Students are reminded constantly about how important the test is. Third, one single test should not have so much input on the schools ratings. If a school gets a high rating it is solely because the students did well on the TAKS.

Is This My Left???

Yesterday was Alex's 11th Birthday. Since we do not do big birthday parties for friends every single year, we let the kids pick an activity to do as a family and let them invite one friend. Alex chose to go to a place called Summit Climbing Gym. It is an indoor rock climbing facility. Alex invited her best friend Addy to come along. Alex was climbing one wall and when she was half way up the wall, she got stuck. When Chad told her grab the hand hold on her left, Alex replied "Is this my left?" Hence, the title of this blog. We all teased her the rest of the day for not knowing right from left. We climbed for about 3 hours, then Alex picked Subway as her dinner spot, no fancy resturants for her. It was great to spend time as a family doing something really fun. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX!!!