Graduation weekend!!!

This is truly graduation weekend for our family. My daughter Kendle Ann will have her pre-school graduation on Friday night and I can't believe how fast this year has flown by. It seemed like I was just taking a picture of her walking out the door on her first day of pre-school, with her new back-pack and all.


She has loved, loved, loved, school and all of her little friends she has met. She is so eager to learn and is always excited to explain everything they did in class that day. I've watched her change and grow this year and I can't wait to see what kindergarten has in store for her. They better watch out!


Also graduating this weekend is my little brother Tucker Jack Tovey.


I've always thought that was the cutest name. He is nine years younger than I am, and his graduating makes me feel very old indeed. Tucker is quite a character and can bring entertainment and fun anywhere he goes. Everyone wants to be his friend, although at times he can be borderline eccentric ( like dressing up as a pirate to go see the new Pirate's of the Caribbean movie). Kendle is very fond of her uncle Tucker and loved cheering him on at all of his wrestling matches the last four years. It's strange though, how you can look at someone and still see them as a little kid with big ears and a big old grin. That's how I'll always remember him no matter how old he gets. Everyone out there with younger siblings can understand this I think.


I'm looking forward to seeing all of the family that's coming and the eating and relaxing at Tuck's open house BBQ on Saturday night. The three F's. FUN, FOOD, and FAMILY. What else do you need. And in true Tovey fashion we will all eat ourselves into oblivion and complain all about it the next day.

Graduations are always a bit sad, but exciting at the same time for what's to come. Hopefully our soon-to-be baby boy will let his mama get through this weekend alright and not try to make an early appearance when he hears all of the fun going on. I'll try to post some pictures of all the festivities after the weekend.

Who could do this?

I read this article this morning and it made me so sad. I have total disgust for people who live in our country and enjoy all of the hard-won freedoms and benefits of life we have here, and yet continue to promote hate and disdain for our country and the people who have served bravely for it. I looked out the window at our flag we have hanging outside, blowing softly in the breeze, and it's one of the most beautiful things I could look at early in the morning.




Flags Replaced With Swastikas in Wash.

Tuesday, May 29, 2007 1:54 AM EDTThe Associated Press

ORCAS ISLAND, Wash. (AP) — Vandals burned dozens of small American flags that decorated veterans' graves for Memorial Day and replaced many of them with hand-drawn swastikas, authorities said Monday.
Forty-six flag standards were found empty and another 33 flags were in charred tatters Sunday in the cemetery, authorities said. Swastikas drawn on paper appeared where 14 of the flags had been.
Members of the American Legion on this island off Washington's northwest coast replaced the burned flags with new ones Sunday afternoon.
The vandals struck again on Memorial Day after a guard left at dawn, the San Juan County sheriff's office said. This time, the vandals left 33 of the hand-drawn swastikas.
"This is not an act of free speech. This is a crime," Sheriff Bill Cumming said in a statement released Monday afternoon.
Investigators believe there's more than one culprit, based on the number of flags that were vandalized, Cumming said in a telephone interview. But authorities have no suspects, he said.
The sheriff said deputies were trying to lift fingerprints off what little physical evidence they were able to recover.

What I wish I was doing this weekend........

It's Memorial Day Weekend!

Here's some things that I wish I was doing:

-Having a BBQ

-Camping

-Finishing some project like our fence

-Hanging out at the beach

Here's what we'll actually be doing this weekend:

-Helping my parents with some yardwork

-Helping my in-laws move

-Getting caught up on the mundane tasks around the house.

Actually I should note that Riley will really be doing these things, I will just be delegating and bossing everyone around.

I hope some of you out there have some fun plans and are going to be soaking up the sun. In fact I really wanted to put Sheryl Crow's "Soak up the Sun" on here to illistrate my point, but I can't seem to get the music to work on my page, (also that's Kendle's favorite song). Have a great, safe weekend everyone and get some blog ideas ready for after the holiday.

I've been tagged

Ok, so Kim M. tagged me with these questions flying around, but #1 there arn't that many people left to tag, and #2 I just did the big old 100 things about me list last week, so I'll just answer the questions and leave the tagging to everyone else. Sorry if I totally ruined the chain.

What was I doing 10 years ago?
10 years ago I was 17 and playing in the softball state playoffs, looking forward to school being out for the summer, and dating lots of guys.

What was I doing 1 year ago?
1 year ago I was doing pretty much the same thing as now, minus being pregnant.

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Chips and dip
2. Cookies
3. Caramel corn
4. Cheese and crackers
5. Mixed nuts

Five songs I know all the words to:
I know the words to a trillion songs, but anything by the Beach Boys and the Beatles (thanks to my parents) lots of oldies, pretty much anything on the radio since they play everything a million times over and over. The Star Spangled Banner.

Five things I would do if I were a Millionaire:
1. By a new car, since I've never owned one
2. Build a safe house for foster and other displaced children
3. Pay off my parents' house and our house and build our dream home
4. Set up funds for my kids that they only get after finishing college
5. Take many lavish vacations, first class

Five of my bad habits:
1. Nagging my husband
2. Procrastinating
3. spending too much time on the computer
4. eating a lot and thinking I can excercise it all off
5. waiting until Kendle has worn every outfit she has before doing her laundry

Five things I like doing:
1. Reading
2. Watching sporting events
3. Something special that's a surprise for someone else
4. getting my hair cut so I can get that great scalp massage
5. Shopping on ebay

Five things I will never wear again:
1. Acid wash jeans/jean jacket
2. High side pony tail, a la Deb from Napolean Dynamite
3. Designer imposter perfume (so junior high)
4. Short shorts
5. High top sneakers with neon laces

Five of my favorite toys:
1. DVR
2. Bread machine
3. shop vac
4. swivel sweeper
5. Ipod phone

What it means to be happy

I've been thinking a lot this week about what it really means to be happy. I found this quote (above) while looking for a new one to post on my page, and it really hit me in a profound way that I'm just like the foolish man, always seeking happiness in the future. Don't get me wrong, I like my life very much and am thankful for all that I have, but I do find myself thinking- oh, if I can only get this painting done my life will be great. Or if we could just finish our landscaping in our yard and pay off some of these bills......and there are so many other examples of things I let get in the way of just relaxing and enjoying the here and now. I've learned that happiness is truly a choice we have to make every day. This has been a long lesson for me. I've had times in my life where for months, I let circumstances I couldn't control, get the best of me and made me feel utterly defeated. As I've gotten older though, I've learned to look around a bit more at those who are going through serious trials and still manage to be hopeful, upbeat, and yes even happy. I want to be happy today, and not wait until tomorrow. What are your thoughts?

The Incredible, Amazing, Wonderful -"100 Things About Me" List

It took me over a week to finally meet this challenge of getting 100 things down about myself. It's amazing how hard I actually had to rack my brain to scrounge up this many things, many of which are totally random. Don't judge me to harshly! Ha, ha.

100 Things About Me

Random Facts
1. I never wanted to be a stay-at-home mom (until I became a mom)or the dreaded soccer mom, crunch, crunch (that's the sound of me eating my words)
2. When I was little I always thought I'd grow up to be famous
3. I'm more comfortable around a roomful of guys than gals
4. I have a hard time trusting people
5. I've played on 2 State Championship Fastpitch softball teams (3rd base)
6. I've torn my hamstring twice
7. I wish I had more self-confidence
8. I care too much about what other people think sometimes
9. I love to play the piano, it's my rehab on a bad day
10. I can chew the same piece of gum all day
11. I love almost anything red
12. Certain songs make me cry every time I hear them
13. I have to have my toenails painted at all times and I can't stand chipped polish
14. When my dad was bishop, I totally did things just to make him mad (horrible I know)
15. I make good cookies and can almost eat the whole batch by myself
16. I don't like deep water where I can't see the bottom
17. I'm terrified of heights and spiders (I once had a black widow crawl on my leg)
18. I would love to be an inventor, I always have ideas in my head
19. I hate math
20. I like hearing other people's conspiracy theories
21. I was in a beauty pageant when I was 17
22. My favorite children's book is "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
23. Rainy days make me feel cozy and in the mood to curl up with a good book
24. I had some pretty wild days in college, now I'm just really boring :)
25. I was engaged to someone when I was 19 and called it off (best decision of my life)
26. I love a good foot massage, it puts me to sleep
27. When I'm old, I still want to be chic
28. In high school I broke the sit-ups record in PE
29. I love to go to sleep early, always have
30. I had a pitch fork go through the top of my foot when I was little
31. I've never broken a bone which is pretty amazing knowing my history
32. When I was 3 or 4 I rolled off of my grandparents very high deck
33. I used to play the trumpet
34. I recieved the outstanding soloist award 2 years in a row at the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival (piano) at the U of I in high school
35. I was a jock and a cheerleader
36. My fingernails never grow long enough to look nice
37. I have to turn all of the lights on at night
38. I love to sing really loud in the car
39. I'm glad I never got any body piercings or tattoos when it was the "cool" thing to do
40. I can't stand any of my wedding pictures
41. I love being tan, but I hate tanning beds
42. I never wear expensive jewlery (other than my wedding ring)
43. In junior high I grew 3 or 4 inches in one year
44. I'm a chicken driving on bad roads in the winter time
45. My favorite time of day is at sunset
46. I love the smell of babies and their joyful laughs
47. I like my house to be cold when I go to bed at night, but warm in the morning
48. I've never liked my teeth and my round cheeks
49. I can't stand when bad singers sing really loud
50. I married someone just like my brothers, oh the irony

Top Ten Favorite memories



1. Going to Idaho every summer when I was a kid to visit my grandparents
2. Wining the High School State Championships for softball
3. Being sealed in the temple to my husband and my heaven sent little girl
4. Buying our first house
5. Running around our neighborhood as a kid without a care in the world
6. Becoming a big sister
7. Summer's spent playing ball and having fun with my friends
8. Being on Homecoming Court my senior year and getting to ride around in awesome cars
9. Meeting my husband and becoming friends before we "dated"
10. The first time my daughter told me she loved me

Top Ten Favorite Things to Eat




1. My grandma Katie's rolls....heavenly
2. My mom's pumpkin pies
3. Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
4. fresh crab and "Sea Hag" clam chowder
5. any kind of potatoes: mashed, baked, scalloped, fried, hashed.....
6. My grandpa's homemade icecream and milkshakes
7. Mexican food: tacos, enchiladas, fajitas, flautas, ......
8. Thanksgiving dinner: turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, ...
9. Movie Theater popcorn with extra butter
10. A big old fountain pop Dr. Pepper with a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos

Favorite Places to go



1. The Oregon Coast
2. The Bahamas
3. The Zoo
4. My parent's house
5. The movies
6. Anywhere quiet
7. Sheet music store
8. Sporting events
9. The mountains, or camping
10. Multnomah Falls

Things I enjoy doing



1. Taking walks
2. Reading a good book
3. Taking a long bath on a cold winter night
4. Baking
5. Gardening
6. Getting new piano music and playing till I'm bored
7. Going on trips with my family
8. "Projects", painting, organizing, decorating, (not so much the work, just how good it feels when it's all done)
9. Taking a Sunday drive
10. I'm trying to learn to enjoy golfing more :)

Biggest Pet Peeves



1. People who don't pick up after themselves
2. Rude people, what ever happened to good customer service?
3. Slow drivers
4. Dishes that have been left in the sink so long they have hard crusties on them
5. Dirty socks left turned inside out
6. Shopping and only being able to find a size XS or XXL
7. When random strangers ask you personal questions
8. When my hair decides to just be frizzy and won't style
9. Running out of hot water in mid-shower
10. People who let their dogs run amuck in the neighborhood and poop in your yard

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I'm sure everyone has the same idea, but since it's Mother's Day weekend I thought I would dedicate this blog to the woman who inspires me to be a good mother, a good human being, and a good friend. My Mom. I wanted to post some of my favorite pictures of her and just tell a little bit about why she is so special.




When I tell everyone that our family has cute babies, it's pretty clear to see where we get it from. I can't think of a more adorable baby picture than this one. My mom has always been blessed to have a happy disposition. I've never met anyone as upbeat and optimistic as her. She chooses to be happy and that is something that I wish to emulate.




As a little girl she loved to sing and would perform for friends and family, and often at church. She has always had a knack for making friends, and I would be willing to bet that there isn't one person in this world that has bad feelings towards her. She doesn't hold grudges and is "cursed" with the need to mother and take care of everyone. My friends often referred to her as "Aunt Mel" and would come over to talk to HER when they broke up with their boyfriends or were having problems with their parents. Mom just has an aura of kindness and goodness around her that people feel instantly when they meet her. I never appreciated that enough until becoming a mother and realizing how hard it is some days to just be kind to your own children, let alone everyone else you come in contact with. Mom's always been kind of a free spirit and always seeks to make peace when there is any type of conflict. She is very forgiving and selfless.




I think my mother is beautiful in so many ways. She is a good person and doesn't believe in talking bad about other people and will always find something positive to say about someone no matter what. She is one of the hardest working people that I know, it's amazing what she does on a daily basis. She's the stake Young Women's president, work's full time, attends two to three of my younger siblings games a week (she's still raising two teenagers), gets some grandma time in with her grand kids, keeps the household running smoothly, garden's, volunteer's at school functions, the list goes on but the point being that she keeps very busy and almost all of her time goes to helping other people. And she is fun!!!(My mom once slid down a huge hill in the mud, sitting on a garbage bag at Girl's Camp when she was the camp director) We have such good times together. Having three older brothers, we stuck together and would have our girl's time going out to lunch or movies and when I was playing summer ball in high school we had many road trips to tournaments that gave us time to talk and become closer. She knows how to laugh and have a good time.




Most importantly though, I love my mom because of all of the sacrifices she has made for me. I wasn't always an easy girl to raise and gave my parent's plenty of worry and challenges as I got older. I'm pretty stubborn and have to figure things out for myself. And with all of the mistakes I've made and bad decisions, and stupid selfish things I've done, my mom has never told me anything but that she still loved me regardless and because of that I've never, ever felt unloved. Now don't get me wrong, my mom has the guilt thing down pat. She's never had to yell or get angry, it was always the really scary quiet voice saying how disapointed she was. That was always worse than any punishment she could have dished out.

Mother's Day is a hard day for my mom after losing her mother to cancer over 16 years ago. No matter how old you are you always miss your mother. I don't know what I would do without mine. Bottom line, Melodee Tovey is one in a million. The world would be a less lovely place without her.




My 10 favorite things about my mom:
1. Her smile
2. Her laugh
3. We both like chicken broccoli casserole
4. Her love of music, old and new
5. Her cute feet and hands (which I did not inherit)
6. Her ability to make anything fun
7. She makes the best pumpkin pies ever, also cinnamin rolls...mmmm
8. How perpetually young she is
9. The cozy warm feeling I get from being around her
10. Her pure humanity and love of those around her

"The Road" by Cormac MacCarthy

For any of you bookies (in the reading sense, not the gambling sense) out there that are looking for a good read, I recommend the latest from Oprah's Book Club, "The Road". It is by Cormac MacCarthy who also is the author of "All The Pretty Horses" among several others. I just finished this book a few days ago and was left with many thoughts to ponder on, which is what I like getting from a good book - things to discuss with other people and thought provoking questions. Cormac has a unique writing style that he uses in "The Road", and manages to base a whole book on very vague circumstances with no names, places, or specific details. This story is a post-apocalyptic journey of a man and his son for pure survival and really makes you ask yourself what you would be capable of doing to keep you and your child alive at any cost. It can be a little depressing at times, but at the end it leaves you with the hope that good can triumph over evil and devastation.

Kendle's stuffed animal addiction

Does anyone else have a child with a stuffed animal dependancy like my daughter? Everywhere we go, she has to be accompanied by the stuffed animal of the week. She has two or three that are the usual favorites, a puppy dog, her "Wilbur" pig, and her teddy bear; all of which are looking pretty sad and scruffy. Many a time we've had to turn the car around and head back if we've forgotten one at a friend's house, restaurant, wherever - to prevent pure histeria and devastation. Yesterday, she even smuggled her Wilbur pig into church before I could confiscate it. It amazes me that we could go into a toy store with a million things to look at and she will go straight to the stuffed animals. Today she even told me to look after Wilbur and make sure he had a bath and got some breakfast. I keep telling her that next year she will be in kindergarten and she can't take her little furry friends with her. I'm sure I'll be finding hidden "friends" in her back pack after school though. What a kid.

My little sis

This is my little sister Tamra who I admire so much. She is such a good kid. I would like to take a little bit of credit for how cool she is, but she might disagree. Not only do I think she is beautiful, but she is funny and smart. I'm always telling my daughter Kendle that it's more important to be smart than anything else, because I feel sometimes that as little girls we are raised to think that being cute and pleasing is everything. Tamra just found out she is next year's National Honor Society President after being this year's vice president. I don't know how she does it. She goes to early morning seminary, then drives 15 minutes to school where she carries a full load with half of them being college level classes. She then goes to softball practice and is lucky if she is home by six o'clock to start home work and grab a bite to eat. All this while getting straight A's. What an example she is to me of hard work. She's not afraid to have her own unique style, (she's a little bohemian) and takes great fashion risks without caring about what anyone else will think. That's bravery because I remember being in high school and always worrying about what everone else thought about me. The world needs more Tamra's. I want Kendle to be just like her aunt Tam.

Large belly

Ok. So at my doctor's appointment this morning I was told yet again that my stomach measurements are a bit larger than average. I'm not sure why my doctor feels the need to keep beating this point to death. I get it. I have a huge belly. I have large babies. Yes, my measurements are above average. Thanks doc for making an already awkward, waddling pregnant lady feel even better about herself. Every time I sit down I feel like I am squishing the life out of this baby inside me, and I feel it's protests in the form of a hard kick or push right by the ribs. And is there anything worse than when random people come up to you and try to rub your belly? Does this bother any one else, or am I just overly sensitive?

The things we do for those we love.

My husband Riley is the assistant varsity soccer coach at Southridge High School and they had their last game tonight. So being the good wife that I am,(ha) I dutifully pack up our gear for the game, knowing full well that the weather is about to take a turn for the worst, but still wanting to be there to cheer on the team and support my dear husband. As we approach Lampson stadium it begins to drizzle more and more. By the time we get our gear out of the car (raincoats, two big blankets, two umbrella's because Kendle has to have her own, snacks, water, and Kendle's favorite stuffed animal of the day which is a whole other blog in itself) it is coming down a bit harder now. No fear. We are weathered sports fan's. It could let up I tell myself. We venture up the bleachers, but then decide we had better use the bathroom before we set everything down on the wet benches and have to gather it all up to go during the game. So off we pack everything to the bathrooms, where of course Kendle insists that she doesn't need to go. But being 8 months pregnant I certainly did, so it wasn't a total waste of a trip. Ok, then back to the bleachers we go to set up our spot and make some sort of attempt to stay dry. Right off the bat Kendle gets me right in the face with one of the sharp parts of her umbrella. Fun, fun, fun. We are having a blast. Up goes my umbrella and we set one of the blankets down to sit on and the other on my lap. Kendle goes off to play with all of the other rug rats and comes back minutes later soaked from the knees down. How in the world? There are no large puddles to be seen. And all of this before the game has even started. Of course all of the other more prepared parents have dressed their kids in nice warm up pants that are staying dry. As soon as the National Anthem is finished, it's like a signal and the rain just starts dumping down hard. My daughter is running around with the hood on her raincoat completly off her head and her wet pants and I'm sitting there hunched under my umbrella with my ankles getting wet and having the baby inside me unmercifully pushing itself under my ribs over and over again. I'm trying to concentrate on the game, but it's impossible and the players are so wet themselves that they are slipping around on the wet turf. I keep thinking to myself "I'm missing American Idol for this"? I look at my soaking wet blanket and my drenched child and decide at half-time we will make a mad dash to the car and head home. And that's exactly what we did. I sheepishly gave my husband an apologetic look, knowing full well the other coaches wives were staying, but perhaps they are just a bit insane I tell myself. So another treck back to the car with armloads of our wet gear and we are on our way home at last. Two minutes from our house I hear from the back seat-"mom, I think I had an accident". It was just the icing on the cake to the most enjoyable night. The things we do for those we love.