Summer fun with family...

This weekend, one of my sisters, Heather and her husband, Clemente and their kids (Derek, Lauryn, and Eryka) came to visit.. We had a blast with everyone.

Len, Lori, Me, Russ, Clemente & Heather --- we all went to dinner Friday night at Tsunami for sushi. Heather doesn't like sushi, so she ordered something else, but we kept trying to get her to try it. She kept calling us "Sushi Pushers", so we backed off. I know how she feels because between Lori, Len & Russ, it took them about 10 years to get me to eat it and like it, and once I surrendered, I love it now. So Heather, I love you, but you'll give in sometime too!

We had a weekend of swimming and sun and BBQ by Lori & Len's pool. We all had so much fun and relaxation! We missed our 4th sister, Melissa. She couldn't make it. And the only kids that were missing was my other son, Rocky, and Melissa's daughter Nicole. Maybe next time when we have a fun weekend with my sisters and their families, they can make it too! I love my family! We also had Len's brother, Rich and his wife, Nikki (one of my good friends who I made an entry on her b-day on 6/17 below) and their kids.

Chad, Colten, and their two friends, Hunter and Casey

Cute little Peyton!

Ryker & Bode

A day in the life of........

MY FRIDGE....

OK... I peeked inside cute Jess' fridge, and I was really impressed! (http://www.gregandjessolsen.blogspot.com/). So I accepted her tag. Jess, you inspired me to clean my fridge out... Ok, ok.. well, Russ cleaned it out, I can't lie. But her fridge was so neat and clean. I know she may have cleaned hers right before she took her picture after being tagged, but either way, it inspires all of us to clean our fridges. So thanks Jess! I, like you, am very intrigued on what is in others fridges, so here's my fridge......

Here's a description of the contents of my fridge at this current moment:

*Winder Farms 1% milk (this is the best milk ever!) *Chocolate milk (specifically for Madison - her favorite) *BBQ sauce *Worstershire sauce (is that how you spell it? I guess I could look, but this is way too much fun to get off my seat!) *Strawberrys, blueberries and pineapple *Cranberry juice *yogurt *sugar free jello *sour cream *the typical mayo, mustard, salsa, ketchup *Louisiana hot sauce *The ever so famous Macayos hot sauce (you can only get this in Arizona, so thanks to whoever in my family happens to be there at the moment, we always have a supply of that and their enchilada sauce) *eggs *my sinful habit of Dr. Pepper *Diet Coke Plus *Fresh carrots, brocolli *shredded cheese & string cheese *Capri Sun *Ranch dressing *butter *cream cheese *honey butter ...... and the list goes on....

I tag Noriane, Turia & Angie.... You guys, hurry and go clean your fridge! haha!

I Miss Rocky!!

I miss Rocky so much... Time goes by so fast, it seems like yesterday he was little. I know when we moved here to Utah he was a Junior in high school, and missed Arizona so much, so I don't blame him for going back after high school. I miss it there too. Rocky, I love you! You're a incredibly intellegent, awesome, good looking (if I can say so myself) person, you will go far in life. Just remember always that I love you and am ALWAYS here for you!

It's really hard when our kids leave home... I didn't realize how hard it would be until he left, I cried every night for days, and still worry... I always will.... But I know he's a great young man, and will do great. It's hard to let go as parents.




If I could keep my kids frozen at a certain age, this would be it! Here is Chad when he was 1, And Rocky was almost 4.
They need their parents so much, and depend on us. They are so innocent and cute. When they are this age they tell us they're going to live with us forever, and they really mean it! So to my friends out there who have kids this age still, treasure every moment! Time goes by way to fast, and then they leave the house. I'm still trying to figure out how to stop the time for Taylor & Madison. If anyone's figured it out yet, please let me know.

I LOVE YOU ROCKY!!!!! (You can come back home to live anytime!)

Flashback Friday

SISTERS!!!!!! I LOVE MY SISTERS..... They're my best friends. Thank you girls for who you are, and what you mean to my life! I don't know what I'd do without you!

I found these old pictures of my sisters and I....
The first three pictures were all taken in 1970. I'm on the left, Melissa is in the middle, and Lori on the right.

Both of these pictures are of me and my older sister Lori.

Wow!! Nice hair we all have. Back to 1986! From the left there's Heather, Lori, me and Melissa.

I LOVE YOU GUYS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NIKKI & DEL

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Today is the birthday of two very special people!!!

My cute friend, Nikki Page. She is one of my best friends I've had in my life since living in Utah (she's my sister's sister-in-law, so to make it easier for people to understand, I just say she's my sister-in-law too.) I'm so glad she's part of my life. Happy Birthday Nikki!

And Delmer Hacker ---- who is Russ' grandpa, so he's my grandpa too. He's one of the kindest, sweetest people ever! Happy birthday Delmer!

Happy Birthday to both of you! We love you!

There are no words.

Isn't Madison the cutest thing ever? The only thing I can say, well, there are really no words.... watch these videos and you'll see what I'm talking about...

Happy Fathers Day!

There are quite a few Fathers that are very special to me and that I want to honor today.........

First, my husband, who is a wonderful father to our children, as well as his step-children. I appreciate and love him for the dad that he is, and the love that he gives to our children. He is a very 'hands-on' Dad, and is always there for them. The girls are very lucky to have him as a dad, and my boys are extremely lucky that he came into their lives. I love you Russ!

Then there is my dad ---- I miss him every day. He was a wonderful father my whole life, and an incredible human being. I know that he is looking down today on his 4 daughters, and I hope he knows how much I love and respect him! I love you Dad!

Then there is Russ' dad, Norm. He's a man full of humor and laughter. I want to thank him for giving me my husband. If it weren't for him, there would be no Russ.

And last, but definetely not least ------ Tommy (Russ' step-dad). I admire Tom so much and think he is an incredible person. Tommy has been through so much this past year with open heart surgeries and I think he is such a strong person, and he's very loving and kind, to his wife, as well as everyone around him, and he's been a huge part of Russ' life. I love you Tommy!!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO EVERYONE!!!!!

Flashback Friday

I was looking through some old pictures, and ran across these. One of my best friends, Lisa (who I've known since we were 3), did these for me. She has a business where she turns ultrasound pictures into artwork.... Thought I'd share them, because they are really special to us. Thanks Lisa --- I love you!

ROCKY

CHAD

TAYLOR

MADISON

Aren't my children so beautiful? They look a little like aliens in these pictures, but they are adorable!

I miss Chad!

I really miss Chad! I know sometimes with teenagers we feel like pulling our hair out, but until they're gone for a while, you don't realize how much you really enjoy having them around. Chad went to visit his dad in St. George for a few weeks and won't be home until the 20th. I know he's having fun there, but we really miss him and his quirky but loving personality. Taylor & Maddie miss him, and I know Macy misses him. WE LOVE YOU CHAD!

I turned 35 today (for the 7th year in a row!)

Today was my birthday.. And the older we get, it seems like it never fails. When someone asks us how old we are, we think a minute, then we mentally take the year that it currently is, and try our hardest to subtract the year that we were born, to see if we can figure out our real age. And since I'm not the best at math without a calculator, I really think it would be much easier just to say '35'. That's an easy number to remember, and somehow, I still think I look 35 (I don't know if I look that way to others, but I feel that way at least), so that's what I've thought for the past 7 years. And until someone reminded me that I was my son's age (20) when I had him, did it really hit me.... I'm 41 now.


Another thing I couldn't stop thinking about today, is that they (I don't really know who 'they' are) say that you're 'over the hill' when you hit 50. Well, I googled the average life expectancy of a woman. It is 79 years old. So, technically, once you're 39 1/2 years of age, you are at the top of the hill. So, once you hit 40, you are over the hill. So the even more depressing thought is that now that I'm 41, I'm on the other side of the hill, on my way back down. Aren't you sad for me?


Well, because I want to stay young, and a big fear for me is getting 'old', I have quite a few goals for the next year of my life. Instead of being depressed about getting old, here are 3 of my goals (I'm putting this in writing, so it makes me work harder):

1) Get my a%# out of bed every morning at 5:00 a.m. to go running
2) Read a book every month
3) Listen to more music


To help me with my 3rd goal, I asked for a gift for my birthday, this was all I wanted this year.

I Have The Bug!

I want to start out by saying to all my friends that I don't know what happened to me, but I got the "bug". The "Blog bug!!" After viewing quite a few of my friend's blogs, it spread really fast, and I can't stop it. So here I am!!

I've gone back and forth for a while, thinking 'is this really the best way to keep in touch with family and friends? Is it really that personal?' The answer is probably NO. I'm the first to admit it, a call to everyone periodically is much more meaningful. But since my life is so chaotic and crazy so much of the time, this will have to do for the in-between times I can't pick the phone up to call. You can catch up on what's going on in the Crazy Wilkes household.

Our lovely weekend started out by taking Chad to the airport to fly to St. George to spend a few weeks with his Dad. And on Friday night we took the girls to see "Kung Fu Panda", and before the movie even started, Madison complained of a stomach ache. So I left the theater with Maddie to go home, and left Russ & Taylor at the movie. Madison didn't quite make it home in the car without getting sick, luckily she had a cup in her hand.. Needless to say, our weekend was spent with Maddie on the couch and a 'puke bowl' next to her the whole time... Fun, huh? Hope next weekend is a little bit better.

Here's a picture of the girls when they are feeling well..

Today also happens to be the birthday of one of my best friends ever. We've been friends since we were 3 years old. We have so much in common and our birthdays are two days apart! I love you Lisa!!!!!