My first birthday...

Today, I woke up to streamers, signs, and 100 balloons. Mommy and Daddy told me all about the day that I was born. I slowly tore the paper off of my first birthday present. It was a gumball machine. I got to put all the balls inside and then watch them come out of the bottom. I also got a vacuum, and a See N Say. Then, I played on my new rocking horse and castle. I love to go down the slide. Mommy and Daddy took me to Johnny's BBQ for lunch. I ate ham, beef, and french fries. I even had my very own little tiny birthday cake. I ate the icing first and then tried to share fistfuls of my cake. I am now 1 year old. Come Christmas, I will be ready to tear off wrapping paper like a pro.


Moriah Grace Hammett

The Show Goes On...

Well, another birthday has come and gone. Since my last birthday I have...

1. Been blessed with another beautiful daughter.

2. Watched Sydney and Marshall continue to mature and do great things.

3. Said goodbye forever to the evil & drama that for too long occupied my time and energy.

4. Supported Shauna through another school year.

5. Taken steps to rebuild myself and the things that are truly important to me.

6. Watched gas prices sky rocket, seen education funding be cut, and saw no job bills introduced to help the MILLIONS of people that are STILL out of work.

7. Encountered more disappointment from people that claim to be "family".

8. Managed to make it through another year without having knee surgery.

and much much more.

I suppose that the bottom line is, I am thankful that I was given another year. Through the years, I have learned to appreciate the good and the bad. Life is just that, good and bad! People are going to disappoint, anger, and fall short of your expectations. Things are not always going to go your way. Learning to take those things in stride, and in turn cherish every moment that you are given is the key.

In the words of Lupe Fiasco, "The Show Goes on!"

The Chorus of his song reminds us all that...

Alright, already the show goes on
all night, till the morning we dream so long
anybody ever wonder, when they would see the sun up
just remember when you come up
the show goes on!

I'm happy to report that my "show" does indeed go on!

So I will leave you all with this...

So no matter what you been through
no matter what you into
no matter what you see when you look outside your window
brown grass or green grass
picket fence or barbed wire
Never ever put them down
you just lift your arms higher
raise em till, your arms tired
Let em, know you're there
That you struggling and survivin' that you gonna persevere
Yeah, ain't no body leavin, no body goin' home
even if they turn the lights out the show is goin' on!

Sterling

Bloody Brilliant

Today, we saw the new Harry Potter. Dad made sure that we were at the first showing of the day. The theatre was sold out and very crowded. The last few days we re-watched the whole Harry Potter saga. I really liked the character Dobby and was sad that he died in Part I of the Deathly Hallows. In my opinion, I think that Harry Potter Deathly Hallows Part II was the best movie in the series.

I rate it 3 and a half stars. DAD rates it 3 stars. Sydney rates it 3 and a half stars.

I love seeing movies in the summer. We have seen Transformers, Super 8, and Potter. We will be seeing Captain America next week and then Cowboys & Aliens on July 29.

Summer ROCKS!

Marshall

Vacation

WATERMELON

Summer smiles look like this around here.

Air Conditioner Maintenance=Mini Vacation

SO, what do we do when the air conditioner needs maintenance in the month of July? We think fast and plan for fun. On Friday morning, the air conditioner was being replaced. High temperatures were in the forecast, so we made last minute plans for an overnight, in town.

The house was hot, time to start our adventure. First stop, Sydney's favorite place to eat in the city, Salty Iguana. Even Moriah enjoyed a Mexican treat or two. Next, we took the family to Charming Charlie's a fabulous jewelry and clothing boutique. Followed up by a tour through Crate & Barrel. It was a busy afternoon. We then went to check in to the local Holiday Inn. When I say local, I mean about mile from our house. We changed and proceeded directly to the pool. After a quick dip, we drove out to Jason's Deli for a healthy dinner(unheard of for us to eat-out twice in one day). Just because we got back to the hotel after eight, doesn't mean we didn't go right back to the pool. The kids loved swimming at night. Moriah was quite upset that I kept her out of the water this time. We swam until the pool closed and then fell asleep watching a movie in the hotel room. First thing in the morning, we were right back in the pool. Moriah demanded to get in first. It is hard to determine which kid loves the pool more.

It was a fantastic impromptu get-a-way.
Shauna

Fourth of July