Happy Birthday Kyran!

Guess how old I am today!!!!

Happy birthday to our cutie pie.

New Calling....

So recently I put a Big Gulp picture on my Trigranny's (not) training blog, it was in regards to how I was feeling about doing the St. George Marathon with no training, well today's event calls for an even bigger type of gulp.  Today I received a new calling as the gospel doctrine teacher, uh hum, I know family you are all shaking your heads, mom, gospel doctrine teacher!!!  I really enjoy teaching Relief Society, I suppose you could call it "gospel doctrine lite", but gospel doctrine in a ward of the most erudicious (maybe I just made that word up, just think root word erudite) people I know and respect is quite humbling. YIKES, wish me luck.  And if anyone sees one of these 7-11 buckets please send me one as consolation.

Fathers and Sons Lives-

Fathers and Sons was one of our favorite nights of the year when the kids were growing up, Craig and the boys started off on Friday afternoon with a trip to the grocery store with enough junk food to ensure everyone and friends were happy and sick!  Next was stocking the arsenals, buckets of water balloons and a grand water balloon launcher.  Later the motorcycles, bikes etc were all packed up and they were off for a glorious night of play.  Brad and Dad continued the tradition this year, but it's just not quite the same level of enthusiasm--
BUT--look what I just got texted to me:

 The tradition continues, Kev and Kyran just had their first Fathers and Sons outing

which Kev reports was hugely successful!

 

Putting a tent up is much easier when you have help.

 

Hey dad, look I did it, you mean we really get to sleep here?

 Good morning dad, when can we do this again?

Patagonia for Kyle--Mira Costa for Brad (maybe?)

Friday we put Kyle on the plane for NOLS Patagonia, this is my third child to send through a NOLS program, I have nothing but great things to say about NOLS, it's been a great experience for Kerri and Brent and now Kyle's is just beginning.  He arrived in Santiago on Saturday morning and spent a few days there, this morning he flew to Balmaceda and took a van to Coyhaique.  He's been meeting up with fellow NOLS students along the way.  He officially is starting his program on Wednesday.  He said Patagonia is breathtaking and is having a great time meeting everyone that will be on his trip.

 

 

Brad is beginning his senior year, he is registered for the ACT and we are thinking about colleges, the one non negotiable for him is surfing, this weekend we went to visit Mira Costa in Carlsbad, it is beautiful, you can see the beach from the campus, they also have a satellite campus, a mile and a half from the beach in Cardiff, this just may be the place.  

 

 

How Many Steps Forward...

Hmmm...I'm not so sure about this weeks accomplishments, it seemed we were moving ahead quite well:  ac repaired, garage door repaired, deck estimate in progress, new washer and dryer installed, new paint in the laundry room, old washer and dryer hauled away, so then what happened?  In my zealousness to gut and clean the laundry room I decided to tackle the grout, yuck :(, so I read online that oxyclean is miraculous, well so it is, I was so excited to have clean grout I did the kitchen floor too, and you know more is always better, right--well I probably mixed it up too strong so now I have this oxyclean residue all over the tile.  I have steam mopped it like crazy and mopped it with vinegar until I just can't mop anymore, to be honest it is getting better, but it's still there.  And then this morning I noticed something on the butcher block counter top in several places, not just several like at least four or more that has stained the counter top, I honestly have no clue what it could be, but it'll need to be sanded and refinished, another project ahead.

Ahh life would be so much easier if I had my little helper close!  Maine is just about as far away as it could be.  He is being well trained to be grandma's handyman.

Whew, they fit, after I picked them out I thought about the cabinet clearance, because of the angle they look off center but they're really centered under the cabinets, and did you notice the lighter paint, I liked the brown but it was beginning to feel like the bat cave so it was time to lighten up.

The Day After Labor Day

Ohh those long weekends, I love them!!!  We had Brent and some cute friends here until Sunday, very fun to have them. And here's another front door picture:

 

Brent is back at BYU--front door pic 2013

 

We celebrated Maddie's birthday, she is two!!  She's not so sure about papa dressing her in tissue paper!

 

 

 

I sent Kyle and Kael gift cards for school supplies, it is so fun to see how they use them, Kael decided the very best use of his was for a blender, yes a 7 year old bought a blender!  You've gotta know Kaelsy!  It makes perfect sense to me, healthy morning smoothies, right!  Kyle picked an art set, and that is sooo Kyle.  For some reason my computer won't load Kyle pics, I just tried the one with the art set and the one on his bike--no luck :( 

So now it is back to real life, summers end, although you wouldn't know it from the temps.  It feels like a Monday morning, the dog ate my lunch and Kyle's breakfast, the dryer went out and the washing machine is only barely wibble wobbling along, tax stuff has to get to the accountant this week, and my new running shoes have blistered my heels with a marathon looming--







Front Door Pic 2013

Wow, is this really my last front door pic??  Today  is Brad's first day of his senior year, I am excited because he is, but a a little sad too, where have all the years gone!

Lake Powell 2013

Dear Family--
Thank you!!  Thank you to everyone for making the extraordinary effort to be there, it was great fun and for sure memorable.  Here are some pics, Kev had them divided by family etc but when they went on our external hard drive they all went together.  Here are a few highlights, by far my fav is when little Kyle got up on the board on his way out.  Yay Kyle, I can't wait to do it again with you--Kaelsy too.

The nearly impossible--a family picture!

Brian, Sarah and Maddie

Thanks Kendall for humoring me

Kev, Ally and Kyran the Great

                                        Brent

Kyle

Brad

 

More pics to follow......

Summer is never long enough--

Just trying to get every last minute of summer!!  School starts in two weeks. My cute baby will be a senior, hard to believe------

People of WalMart

A successful weekend!!  Attended Kristin's wedding--check, it was beautiful and a big congrats to Kristin and Moayeed.  Condo rented--check, thank you to Kendall and the boys for all of your help there!  Longboard gifted, a little brotherly love between Brent and Brad (and we may be in the Urgent Care this afternoon).  Brad came in this morning with some serious arm pain, he'd had the board out before summer school, being the good mom that I am I sent him to summer school anyway, it's the first day of Econ and if he doesn't show up he gets dropped--hey now, the arm wasn't dangling! Warp tour for the boys--check.  And then a little stop at Wal Mart for some aloe for the sunburned and we were off for a quick cabin trip.  Kerri, Kendall and the boys came home with us for a little summer fun!  Great weekend.  Great week coming up.

Cousins!

So we went to Davis this weekend to pick up Kyle--it seemed like a good excuse to get the cousins together!

This is the Phelan/McCullough clan that started this whole thing!  This was taken at my grandparents 45th wedding anniversary party, in 1976. 

 Front row left to right Rose, May and Ett. middle row Clara ,Bob, Carmel, Eloise and Helen back row Jim, Charles, Bill, Jack and Mike.

This is called the chickensh*t picture because cousin John told them all to say that and they are all laughing, look at Aunt Rose, she's still saying it!

 This was a few years later, we all got together to celebrate Bamp's 80th birthday.

June 1983

Now here we are 30 years later, we better not wait another 30 years!!!

June 2013

A Maddie weekend

 It was a Maddie weekend, Papa and I went down to Bri and Sarah's on Saturday and watched Maddie while they sneaked out to a movie.  Grandma and Maddie match! After that we had a fun dinner at CPK.  

 And this little story is in the same tone as "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie".  If you ask a dentist to help you get a piece of glass out of your foot, he might want better tweezers.  If you can't find better tweezers he might want to go to the office for better tweezers and glasses, if the better glasses don't work he may want to use the microscope.  With all that great vision from the microscope he may decide it's very deep and then he'll want to numb you, and then since you're numb he can take bigger, "better" instruments (forget the tweezers!) to get that piece of glass out of your foot.

Done!  Foot is fine---and that is how we spent a Sunday afternoon.

KERRI:  Yesterday Kael said to me: "mom I think I'm going to tell you my birthday wish because I wished for the same thing for six years and it never came true" Me: "well what have you been wishing for?" Kael: "a pet zebra"

You know--if mom says no, ask grandma!

Gardening......

I can't quite figure out how I fail every year at gardening, here we go again, I hope this year is an exception!  It's a holiday weekend, Brad is surfing, Craig and I did our long run, and headed down to the little farmers market.  My favorite thing there is the organic hummus and garlic, so good!
I suppose we're a little late putting in our garden, but next on the agenda for today was to get the garden started.  Craig's job is the raised beds and he's still working on them, I got off easy with starting some indoor plants, it's mostly peppers.  Anaheims, Jalapeño, Serrano, Sweet, Cayenne and Hot, you think maybe I'll have enough to make some good salsa?  Well if last year is any indicator don't be waiting for my straight from the garden salsa.  For heaven's sake you'd think I'd at least be able to grow tomatoes....

So here it is, my little tray full of seeds and seedling dirt, I hope something pops up!

Coachella 2014

I just bought Brad's Coachella ticket and his car camping pass for his senior year. I've always said "NO" but promised he could go when he was a senior. Wow, that came way too fast. So I'm either "Mother of the Year" or "Stupid Mother of the Year" probably the latter!

Spring Break-Havasupai

 Yeah- that's Brent, no, it's not a bird, or a plane, it's Brent!

Brent had a very quick spring break trip, now it's back to work (MTC front desk) and spring term!

Clippers Game

Do you think Brad's having a good time at the Clippers game?

Not a cake maker....

No, I am not a great cake maker, I think the best cakes are the ones that come from Costco, but I just couldn't resist giving this one a try.  It was fun and best of all I had Maddie to help me!  Happy birthday to Bri and Sarah!

Smoke in Italy?

Up at 3:00 am to drop Brad off at the shuttle, he's off to Italy.  Will he get to see the smoke?  I hope so, that is history even if he doesn't get to see the Sistine Chapel.

Thanks Kerri and Kendall!

 Our Christmas present from Kerri and Kendal was a gift certificate for Doryman's Inn!

 The view from our window!  It was gorgeous.

We used last weekend to do our yearly planning/mom/dad business.  We got that out of the way much faster than we expected and totally enjoyed our beach getaway.  By the way everyone put the first weekend in August on your calendars for our Powell trip!  Thanks family for the mini getaway to St. George this weekend http://trigranny.blogspot.com/2013/01/runners-series-one-done.html  

Brent Wright i want that shirt where did it go?

17 hours ago · Like

Kyle Wright I haven't seen it in a while, but if you find it...it's mine! Haha

17 hours ago via mobile · Like

Brent Wright i bought it its mine come live with me and we will share it.... im still bitter you chose davis

17 hours ago · Like

Kyle Wright Ya ya...Davis is better than BYU...just sayin

17 hours ago via mobile · Like

Kevin Lytal Wright Actually, I bought it. It's mine. And I have it. However, I'm willing to part ways with it to whoever comes to Maine to see me first.

17 hours ago via mobile · Like

Brent Wright oh yeah thats tru that one is yours... i am pretty sure u have others of mine though.... and i want to go to maine but it is sooo far away

17 hours ago · Like

Kyle Wright I want the shirt...I'll look for flights

16 hours ago · Like · 2

Having only one daughter you might think that I missed out on the sisterly fights over clothes!!!