Milestone

I looked at the date of my last entry and I can't believe it's been that long since I wrote anything.  Today was kind of a big deal though so I thought I'd share the good news that my beautiful baby girl has her driver's permit as of 11:30 this morning.  I can't believe that all of my kids are driving now.  I can't believe it's been 15 1/2 years since my baby was born.  All of my sons have graduated from high school and now all of my kids are drivers.  When you are a young mother you can't really fathom these days ever happening and then when they do you can't believe they are really happening to you!  We just got through doing the inaugural drive around the church parking lot and she was terrific!  Smooth as silk, never got ruffled.  Way gentler and more refined than her brothers were.  I LOVE HAVING A GIRL!!!  Way to go, Van:)

New Stuff

Some fun things have been happening lately.  Hunter got into BYU and his football career there looks pretty promising.  He will be our first child to live in the dorms and he's actually excited about it.  He is trying to room with another football player from Temecula.  I can't believe he will be leaving in just a few months (sniff, sniff). 

We are starting to prepare for his mission also. (really big sniff)  He went to the dentist for the first time in six years (I know, mother of the year award right here) and he didn't have any cavities!!! Yay!!  He will get his wisdom teeth out as soon as he graduates.  Then it's a physical and paperwork and buying clothes and so many other busy things that we need to do before he goes to school because he will leave for his mission right after Christmas since he needs to get back by the beginning of January in two years for football.  It's all happening so fast.  I can't believe he's this old already.

Tanner just graduated from BYU last week.  We went up to the ceremony and I bawled all the way through it.  I love that school so much.  Probably because I love my religion so much and it is the only school that mixes education with my religion.  Kyle and Logan graduated from there also (last year) but didn't go through the ceremony so we got creative and had them each wear Tanner's cap and gown for pictures so they will have something to put in their scrapbooks:)  Smart huh? I'm so proud of Nan for finishing school even though he has a wife and child and had to work crazy hours to support them.  He's off to chiropractic school now and hopefully he gets into one down here so I can see them much more often.  I love my little Avacita and need to snuggle her wayyy more often. 

We took Hunter and Savannah to Hawaii for spring break and had a blast.  We went to Pearl Harbor and the kids were awed by the history there.  It was a very somber visit.  We are an extremely patriotic family so it really meant a lot to us to see where history was made.  We also went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and watched more Mormons in action.  Our blonde haired, blue eyed daughter was very taken with the dark, muscular Polynesian boys who were performing there (yikes!)  Really fun vacation.

Great news!  My sweet niece, Sarah, is getting married!!  She found a wonderful boy in Utah and they are getting married probably in September.  I'm so happy for her.  She brought him down to see us and we love him.  He is a great guy and he loves her to pieces.  They are going to have some tall kids though as he is 6'5" and she is 6'1".  Can't wait to dance our heads off at their wedding.

Last but not least, I get to talk to my Mexican boy a week from Sunday which also happens to be his 21st birthday and I get to hug him in 36 more days.  I am so excited!  I've never had the opportunity to talk to any of my kids on their 20th or 21st birthdays and thankfully Mother's Day falls on his birthday this year so I get to actually wish him "happy birthday" right on his birthday.  I can't wait.  Three weeks after that he will be home!!!  Only one more missionary to go and we are home free!!

Birthday Girl

Today is my birthday.  Even though I am old I am very very happy.  I have everything in the world I could possibly want.  I have the greatest family ever, I am healthy, I have a gorgeous house that I have a very unhealthy love for and I have the everlasting gospel of Jesus Christ.  I was born on the first day of Spring, the most beautiful season of the year.  I'm going out to dinner with my most favorite people in the whole world and my missionary comes home in 72 days.  Happy birthday to me:)

Proud Mom

I have to put on my bragging hat for a minute and toot my youngest son's horn.  The only thing I have to do with his accomplishments is absolutely nothing so I'm bragging for him, not me.  He has had some pretty cool things happen in the last few weeks.  I can't remember if I told anyone that he not only got voted MVP of our football team but Offensive Player of the Year for our whole league.  Then, shockingly enough, last week he got voted MVP of our basketball team AND Player of the Year for our whole league!  Who does that?  It's not as if these are badminton and golf.  This is FOOTBALL and BASKETBALL, the two biggest sports in high school.  Wow!  He got voted "Most Athletic" for the senior class and won the Scholar-Leader-Athlete award from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame along with a $1000.00 scholarship.  To top it all off he is now running track and has won every race he's entered from the 100 to the 200 to anchor on the 4x100 relay.  Who is this kid?  I'm sure that something swimming around in my gene pool made it into his because my family is very athletically talented but I think most of it came from Daddy's side because my husband is quite the studmuffin. Also, I think that the youngest of 6 boys should get to do something "first".  He is certainly the most decorated Moore boy and I am very proud of him.  I can't wait to see what happens at the end of the school year when all the class awards are given.  Way to go, Hunch, you da man!!

I LOVE these children

I Miss My Friend

Lots of things have been happening lately to make me think of Rita and miss her like crazy.  Our wedding anniversaries are a week apart.  Her's is on Valentine's Day so I thought of her then and mine was yesterday.  While Pat and I were looking for a place to have lunch we passed by about a million places that she and I used to eat at and they brought back so many fun memories.  She likes everything foodwise and I like nearly nothing.  She introduced me to so many new food places that I would have never tried by myself.  I would rarely try something new but at least I went into the new places.  Every waitress in town hated us because we took up a table for 3+ hours at a time and lost money for them.  Pat chose Soup Plantation to eat at and halfway through our lunch, Scott, Rae and Wallers came in and sat with us.  In 20 years we have NEVER run into the Schroeders around town unplanned despite living about 2 miles away from them most of that time.  We had a good time reminiscing.  Recently I was asked to be in charge of our stake youth conference.  I immediately thought of all the things Rita and I have done together in our church callings and assignments.  When we first met I was asked to direct and choreograph a stake musical and I was petrified of the directing part.  I begged her to help me and be my stage manager so I could have her by my side all the time.  When I got called to be stake girls' camp director(what?!) I drug her up there with me to do all the music.  When she got called to be stake young womens' president she asked me to be her counselor.  We were both called to be parents in a stake youth conference along with our husbands and then our "families" got pitted against each other in all the competitions.  I'm extremely competitive (in a fun and nice way:)) and she is not at all.  One of her "sons" was my real son, Tanner, who was extremely tall, strong, buff, hot, oops! I digress.  So they ended up killing us in all the competitions using my own flesh and blood to do it!  How I wish she was here to help me with youth conference and go up with me so we could have more of these wonderful memories.  My only daughter has decided to run for class president at her school.  We have NEVER had anyone do anything like this before.  I know Rita has experience in this and I need her to help me with posters and slogans and general campaigning tips.  There are so many times recently I have wanted to tell her something or ask her something and she can't hear me or at least can't answer me.  It has made me treasure and appreciate our friendship even more than I did before.  There is no one else on this earth who is more equally yoked with me, spiritually, academically, emotionally or just personally than she was.  I have female relatives and other acquaintances that I love and respect but no one is "Rita".  I will never have another friend like her and I'm feeling the pain of that pretty badly right now.  I miss you Rita Mesqueeta:(

Farewell, my dearest friend

Yesterday my best friend in the whole world went to live with her Heavenly Father and I am so sad.  I should be happy that she is out of pain and doesn't have to face anymore challenges in this hard life but all I can think about is me, her husband and her four daughters and how much we are all going to miss her.  Memories of all the great times we shared for the past 20 years keep running through my head.  So many holidays spent together.  Game nights where Pat and Scott beat us every time except once.  Gabbing through a robbery at Marie Calendars' and not even knowing it happened.  Trips to Utah where we talked the whole 10 hours, each way.  Me being more excited than she was when her oldest daughter, Nikki, made BYU cheerleader.  Helping Calee throw a surprise anniversary party for her parents.  So many hours gabbing on the phone or at pie places or restaurants.  Our favorite thing to do was talk.  My boys being the only boys at her girls' birthday parties and her girls being the only girls at my boys' birthday parties.  Her girls being my boys' favorite girls in the whole world.  Mine too.  Doing church musicals together, many years of Children's Chorus together, even the Miss Rancho Bernardo Pageant.  Lots of church callings together.  Baptisms, weddings, divorces, grandchildren.  We have shared our whole lives for the past 20 years and been like one big family.  She has told me just about everything that's ever happened to her in her life and shared every emotion possible with me.  I can't help but wish she could tell me all about where she is now and what she's doing now.  Is she with my dad?  I hope so.  They really liked each other.  She told me she was scared but that she would check everything out so she could show me around and take care of me when I get there.  I'm so thankful that I know I will see her again and boy, when I do, that is going to be one heck of a gabfest. I love you Rita McBride Schroeder. I put this entry in your favorite color:)

Oh. My. Gosh.

This interesting character is my very hot teenage quarterback son dressing up for "Nerd" day at school today.  Wow.