I Got a Lovely Walk Down Memory Lane Out of It...

My poor sister Stephanie is a retired 5th grade teacher...

She retired, to give birth to and rear these scrumptious fellas...

but, having those delicious boys certainly isn't why I feel sorry for her.

You see, because she is a retired 5th grade teacher...

whenever I don't like a school project that my kids have to embark upon creating

I call and practically scold Stephanie about it...

like it is somehow her fault.

Stephanie, I would like to publicly apologize to you for scolding you about

Evan's latest school project...

I believe I called his project, "cuckoo bonga" and "cracka lacka" and said in
an accusing tone to her...

"You know what drives me to distraction? Do you know what makes
me froth at the mouth? Do you know what practically drives me to drink, and as a Mormon woman I have to adhere to rules that forbid that sort of thing?"

If I remember correctly, she calmly replied, "Do, tell?"

To which I continued, my passionate diatribe...

"I despise school projects that make the parents do more work than

the student!"

You see, Evan had to make a scrapbook chronicling his entire

Kindergarten through 5th grade experiences.

I declared a passionately worded epiphany (to Stephanie, not poor Evan) about

how I was going to have to dig through boxes,

pillage negatives, search through archives and digital photography

for this blasted project.

For the entire week if I talked to Mike on the phone

while he was at work I would snort, and huff,

"Asher and I are working on our 5th grade

project...Asher is scanning the originals as

we speak."

Okay, so I exaggerated...but, I though it added to

the overall drama of my plight to say that the 18month

old that I babysit was being forced to immerse himself in my

meaningful work...

Here is where I publicly thank my fabulous Sister-in-Law, Amy

for helping me organize my

pictures those years ago...So that I can

scrapbook them all...

I am a years behind in my scrapbooking...but someday, I will

scrapbook them...(I say, as I pound my fist on the computer desk with conviction)

Perhaps, that is why I got so irritated with this little school project...

because when I look at all of my un-scrapbooked

photos...it makes me want to cry...

And reminds me why Mike jokes that I am more

of a, "collector" than a "scrapbooker"...in reference to all of my

scrapbooking gear and lack of finished pages.

Amy, if it weren't for your help

this project would have been even

more painful than it already was...

But, you know what...

*sniff*, *sniff*

As much as I complained about

this project...

*sniff*

I am grateful it was assigned because

*sniff*

I fell even more deeply in love

with my Evan.

So, I take it all back...'cause I got to unearth some of these...

Here he is learning how to ice skate...He said, "This is the greatest day of my life!"

Who knew falling on an unforgiving surface like a cold slab of ice could be so life altering?

The rink gave the boys used pickle barrels to push around the ice to get used to skating. Adam looks so tiny ... *sniff*...

No Easter Basket is complete without a new Virginia Tech poster for your room.

Fun with adorable cousins...my brother John and the aforementioned fabulous Amy's kiddos...everyone looks so young!

So, thank you to *sniff*, Evan's wonderful

5th grade teacher, Mrs. Sharon Meaders

for assigning this *sniff* fantastic project

*sniff*

So, uh, sorry Stephanie for being such a whiner...

here is a little picture I dug up that can cheer you up...

*

*
I think it is so adorable...

(at the, "cabinet" as Adam called the cabin we rented at Holden Beach, North Carolina August 2003)