Lindsay, You Can Do It!!

That I really, really enjoy tennis is a slight understatement. One of the people that I have enjoyed watching over the years is Lindsay Davenport. Maybe because her first name is "Lindsay" and her last name is "Davenport" (Rich's mother's maiden name) or maybe not. Maybe because she's from Newport Beach and I love going to Newport Beach. Actually, she's just a "class act". I love the stories of "older" women still being at the top of their game. That Dana Torres gal was incredible in her sport of swimming at the Olympics. Here's a picture of Lindsay playing tonight in her 17th U.S. Open. Wow!
First lesson of tennis...keep your eye on the ball! (And make funny faces while you do so!) I would absolutely HATE to see pictures of what I look like playing.

She always has an incredible smile, happy to be part of the sport! And the best part...she took some time off to become a mom last year and has been able to work her way back into shape well enough to play at her level again. I don't discount that she probably has her fair share of help with the little guy, but it's clear that her family is top priority. I've heard her say so over and over. You go girl!! An inspiration to all of us "wanna-bes".

And so Andy Roddick is playing now...just hit a serve at 147 mph. Do you have any idea how fast that really is???? Can you even see the ball when it's going that fast?

The Life of a Bunk Bed

So, the first piece of "real" furniture that Rich and I bought was for our kids, not ourselves. It was a bunk bed set. I remember looking all over the place for them. I finally found the rock solid ones we bought at Levitz Furniture. (This isn't the greatest of pictures.) I remember the day they came and how excited Chris and Lindsay were. I remember we paid just over $500 for them and that was a fortune. And I will always remember yesterday...the day they no longer will be used by one of our children, almost 25 years later. It's just about as bad as the day we officially took the crib down...more on that in a moment.
Actually, the best part of the bunk bed set is the supporting piece of plywood that supports the top bunk. It became quite the canvas for the kids to draw on and leave messages on. Anyone that came to visit usually "signed in". Marshall and I were laughing quite a bit yesterday. Forget the actual set, the difficult decision will be who gets the supporting boards. Even Dad left a message here for Sarah.
Not quite sure, but this looks like Lindsay's handwriting. Whoever wrote it, Marshall must have been sleeping on top.
Sarah says this one always "creeped her out" because she thought it was a strange eye looking at her as she tried to go to sleep...ok, so who's responsible? Even the bottom of one of the rails has writing on it. "I love Jesus with all my heart" it says. So the bunk beds are taking a little rest of their own for the time being. They've served us very, very well. A wise investment, indeed.

In regards to the crib...it was my project this week. With Marshall and Rich each driving a car to Utah, there was a little more room to send things. I asked Katie if she'd be interested in the crib that we had downstairs. It actually came into our family when sisters in our ward gave me a shower when she was born. Chris and Lindsay slept in an old church nursery crib that we were more than happy to have for free, even though it was nailed together. I was so excited to get a new crib with sides that went up and down! I pulled it out and sanded all the pieces quite a bit and put a new finish on it. Granted, if you look close you can definitely still see little teeth marks, but overall it turned out great...no pictures. Maybe when it gets put together upon its arrival in Utah next week. So excited for baby Claire to sleep there...it's all I could think about!

"Just What Kind of Mother Would Do This" asks Marshall!

Poor Marshall. Marshall is reaping the results of three older siblings leaving home for the first time and leaving a total mess behind for Mom to clean up. In order for that NOT to happen I have been on Marshall's case most of the summer to get his room organized and things put away, etc. However, not much progress was being made earlier this week with him leaving town tomorrow. Alas, I told him a couple of days ago that not only would his room need to be cleaned up, but we were also going to take apart his bed. Which happened yesterday. Sometimes it takes us moms awhile to figure out how to handle things. I may have handled this all wrong (one never knows with Marshall), but at least his room is almost empty. I'm not totally unkind. He has been assured that there will be a bed in there when he comes home at Christmas. The reality is is that Rich and I, 28 years later, are upgrading to a King Size bed and our current mattress needs a place to go.

Does It Get Much Better Than This? Marshall's Special Day!

Yesterday was an incredibly memorable day for Marshall and our family. First of all, Marshall was awarded his Duty to God award in Sacrament Meeting. Major accomplishment in and of itself.
After our church services, Marshall was ordained an Elder by his dad. That was a great experience also. Great things are in store for this young man. I look forward to seeing him perform all of his duties - especially as he serves with his trademark smile! Rich and Marshall are shown with Bishop Coleman. What a great friend he has been for Marshall!
And then...that evening was his Eagle Court of Honor. Marshall earned his Eagle rank back in May, so we are just barely getting this in before he takes off this coming Saturday. Again, that trademark smile! He was pretty excited about his marble cake.
Afterwards, the "boys" heading home in the Jeep! Sunglasses when it's dark outside? Come on, Rich!!
That's my boy, Marshall. Wish all of the other kids could have been here on his special day. We did use several items, including all of those flags, that we used in Chris' Eagle Court of Honor. Thanks, Jennifer, for tracking them down. Definitely a day to remember!

It's a NEW Look!

OK, so I think it's a sign of a good mom when you are really able to let your kids go and make some of their own decisions. I've rather prided myself on the fact that Sarah has never had bangs...I mean never. I made that mistake with Lindsay and Katie and it took forever to remedy the situation. So, when Sarah let it be known that her desire was to have bangs I have to admit that I was not very excited. But alas, I caved...and I think it's rather cute.

Songs To Be Played At My Funeral

Alert for family and friends...Rich has a blog now! It's at www.therealsugarbear.blogspot.com. If you want some entertainment, check it out! This is just a taste of the man I married-a crazy mixture of wit, wisdom, and humor with a deep and abiding testimony of the gospel ever present. So he was playing with it yesterday and figured out how to add a playlist of songs to the bottom. I checked it later and saw that he labeled his playlist "Songs to be Played at my Funeral"! Crazy man. I asked him and he confirmed, that yes, his funeral program is all layed out also. So Chris, Lindsay, Katie, Marshall and Sarah...you can rest easy. Dad's prepared. One of the things that attracted me most to Rich when I first met him was his humor. He makes me laugh all the time, almost daily. Love him tons!