Spring didn't come but summer is here

Steph painted wisteria on Grandma's walls for her. Then Grandma has them plant a wisteria outside the downstairs door. Steph has her patio looking like little Costa Rica it's so full of flowers!

We went to see Cars 2. I thought it would be the first movie Sean actually made it through but I was wrong. The movie was 45 minutes late getting started because they had problems getting it started. Were it not for technological difficulties he might have made it.

Our restaurant of the weekend....

Eats of Eden. We've actually been there before. They have a great patio for dining and the weather was perfect.

Flowers at the lake.

The last few times we boated (last year and once this year) Sean has not liked it. He cries because the wind is blowing on him. Don bought this helmet for him to wear to keep the wind out of his face.  It didn't work, he still cried and said he didn't like the boat even though he was excited to go to the lake and try out his nifty new Star Wars looking helmet.

Notice how intense Sean's face is in this picture. It's because he is driving the boat. If he's driving he's happy. The wind doesn't bother him, the bumps don't bother him. Problem solved.

OK family and friends. Call us and invite yourselves for a weekend or Saturday of boating. Don, Sean and I are going to get awful bored of just the three of us. We need some variety in our boating. Granted there is NO BEACH right now but that will improve over the next couple of weeks.

We went in search of ducks today. Bountiful pond was a bust. Farmington Pond was a semi bust. There was bread everywhere and the ducks were not hungry. We did see some ducks. We lost Sean's Iron Man. Don said he thought it was on the peer. In reviewing surveillance pictures he was correct! I didn't want to go back and look, e went to Walmart and bought a new one. I hope whatever child found it is as happy as Sean would have been to find an Iron Man figurine.

Grandma read books all weekend

Alex and Loreal are hopefully closing on their house soon. They brought a bunch of hand me downs for Steph to go through.

Playing Iron Man with Sean

Alex hanging out in the game room watching netflix

A funny thing

There was an article in the paper today with a headline about a high profile murder case in St George. I knew when I read the headline that there was bound to be a quote by my ex-husband in it. Seeing how he's the only attorney in St George who represents death row murder cases. Sure enough the entire article was quotes from my ex. I found an irony in my having an article about tap dancing grannies and one of my ex's murderous clients in the same issue of the SL Tribune. The article was about him asking for a gag order for everyone involved in the case and barring media from reporting on it. Apparently his client is being charged with two counts of murder but according to my ex husband his client was just trying to be helpful and had the misfortune of being found holding a gun standing over two dead bodies in his apartment.
 
I don't care what my ex is doing I just found it insightful and it made me introspective. Aric was not supportive over AJ and Stephs decision to get married. In fact he was a jerk to Steph. AJ was really hurt. He said he couldn't understand how his dad who believes all his criminal clients could not believe that Steph was marrying him because she loved him but rather chose to believe he was marrying him to get citizenship. I can see how that would be hurtful.

This got me thinking about Aric and our marriage. I was so distraught when left me after 15 years of marriage that I had friends who had to come pick me up off the floor. I just did not see that I had any worth as a single person, single mom, single anything. I felt my entire life was intertwined with Aric's and could not imagine being a separate entity. In retrospect I can't even imagine why I felt like that but I did. My life got better after he left. Not immediately but with time it really improved. So much so that I can't imagine if he had not left me. Would I still be married to someone who didn't even like me, thinking my only value was what my husband thought of me.

AJ's wedding was also funny from the perspective of my ex. He showed up with his girlfriend who looked like a $50 an hour hooker. It annoyed by sons. I was actually embarrassed for him because I didn't think he had the good sense to be embarrassed for himself. I don't begrudge my first marriage nor would I change it. I got three great kids and I grew up but dang I'm glad it's in my past! Life is sometimes a funny thing!

Our week in a minute

Sean got sick again. This time with croup and an ear infection. They gave him decadron and amoxicillin and drops for his ears. I was nervous when he started coughing. It started Monday and I had just had the oxygen removed from the house on Friday. His oxygen saturation's have been good though.

All five of our caterpillars transformed into butterflies so Sean and Ethan set them free. That was a fun project. Everyone in the family enjoyed it.

One of the butterfly spent some time resting on the side of our house.

I had my windows cleaned by one of those Internet Super Deals. It was super cheap even when I added the rest of my windows to what I had purchased but I was SUPER unimpressed. I had to go around behind them and keep making them redo things. Finally I gave up. They look better then they did before but I would not recommend them to anyone.

Carter took a visit to the ER this week. He had bad side pain but ended up being fine. He missed one day of work. Just one more health care trip for us this week. Carter is so high strung spending an hour in the ER with him is enough to make me crazy.

Other news: I got a call from the girls case worker asking me to attend a "team meeting" on Tuesday. The girls therapist is very concerned about the girls going back to their parents and has called this meeting. I don't hold out much hope that it will do any good but at least she cared enough to call a meeting. I haven't heard from Jenny this week. I know she had the girls Wed and Thurs. Her phone is still turned off but apparently she can text. Strange.

Sean has been a hoot this week. He keeps running around saying "I am the HOLY GHOST!" Mormon neighbors, what's a family that doesn't go to church to do? I was teasing Ethan's mom about what Ethan was teaching Sean and she laughed said it must have been the topic at primary this week.

 His other big topic this week is the size of penises. He seems to think about it quite a bit he told Alika that daddy has a REALLY BIG PENIS. He told me the same thing and then asked why his was so small. I explained that penises like all other body parts grow as you get bigger. He was pleased with that answer. He likes to point out people and ask me how big their penises are. Honestly it makes me laugh so hard I can barely stand it. He's also very occupied with race. "LOOK THAT PERSON IS BROWN LIKE MOMMY JENNY!" Yes, son, yes they are! He also asked if girls didn't have penises because they had all been clipped off? No, son, no they haven't they were just born that way.

Happy Father's Day

More lost pictures of my dad. They weren't really lost they were just in slide format.

Dad, Carter, Peter and Alex.

Dad and Mom in Belize

Dad and AJ

Dad, Mom and Lynn in 1951

Dad at the grill.


Happy Father's Day Dad we all miss you and love you!

While we were at the ER

AJ and Steph took Sean to Walmart and bought a glow in the dark chalk kit. They had lots of fun chalking all around the sidewalks. It was fun to see. Some of the chalk glowed more than others but it was a cool project. They had to make the chalk with a kit.

The pictures don't do justice to the art work.

Don getting his tank filled

Don got sick yesterday. I don't know if it was food poisoning or the flu but at 7 pm I decided he'd better go to the ER and get some fluids. He didn't disagree. His temperature was 101 and he was miserable. They drew blood and gave him two liters of fluid and some phenergan. His labs showed he was dehydrated and his white count was high. After a couple of hours we went home and he went to bed and slept all night. He's still tired today but feels lots better.

Visit with the girls and Jenny

Jenny had the girls for her second overnight. She called and wanted to know if they could come over for dinner. (Meaning I don't have money to feed them.) I told her they could come over for lunch if she rode the Front runner to Woods Cross. (She has a pass courtesy of DCFS). At 10:30 Sean and I went to pick them up at the train station. Sean kept asking where they were coming from. Since we were at the train station he was thinking it was a big adventure.

They were having an outdoor fair over at the Fresh Market shopping center. We stopped by for hot dogs. The girls got tinsel in their hair. They wanted to get their nails painted but there was a line and I told them Alika could do it for them.

They explored the fire truck. Sean asked the fireman why it wasn't red. They told him white fire trucks were faster but I don't think he believed him.

Sean then asked to see their helmets. He wanted to know why it wasn't red. They told him only the Captain got a red helmet. He told him he was THE Captain because he has a red toy helmet.

Alika painted Brie's nails to match her shirt.

Funny story while we were sitting on the porch. Kylie and Sean left to play in the water so it was just me Jenny and Brie. Brie was talking about how big Kylie is. She said "Kylie is so big she can baby sit all by herself." I asked "are you old enough to baby sit?" and she said "NOOOOO!" like I was so silly. I asked "who can she baby sit" and she said "me." Jenny got all indignant and said "Does Lanette leave you home alone with Kylie?" Brie got  indignant and said "NO, YOU DO!" Jenny had that "I just got caught look" and said "you mean I left you alone when I went to take out the trash" and Brie said "No you left us alone all the time." I said "BUSTED!" and she didn't say anything and the subject changed. It was so classic but it's usually Kylie that talks about things that have happened I've never heard Brie say anything like that. I thought she didn't remember but apparently she does.

Ethan joined in our outdoor fun. You have to know Ethan to appreciate this picture. He is a kid who has to carry as much stuff at one time as humanly possible. He will hold toys in both hands, under his arms and carry them in his teeth at the same time. In this picture he has a toy in one hand and fruit snack in the other and a cookie under his chin.

Jenny trying to throw water on Kylie but Kylie was to quick for her.

Kylie filling up the pool for Ethan and Sean. Just a funny side Sean story. He wanted a present for going potty in the toilet. I used to keep a bag of them in the closet as rewards but stopped when he didn't need them any more. I said "Sean I don't have any more presents. He said "Yes you do, we live in a big house, keep looking."



Alika hosing Sean down.

 Jenny's case worker had told me she didn't want me entertaining the girls while Jenny had them because she wants Jenny to make it or not make it on her own. I respected that up until she gave her overnight visits and made plans to reunite the girls permanently with Jenny and Ryan next month. My general thought is the state isn't going to protect the girls so it falls back on me and I need to be close enough to Jenny that when it all falls apart again and it will all fall apart again that I am the one that gets called to help the girls. Hopefully the next time it all falls apart again the kids don't get hurt and the state puts them back with the Richardson's permanently. Last week on her first over night the girls were here for dinner and Jenny asked for a pillow for Brie because she didn't have one, yet this week she paid $50 to go to Lagoon. It makes me absolutely crazy.

Her fraud charges are completed. She plead to a third degree felony of attempted public assistance fraud. They sentenced her to one to five years in prison and suspended the sentence and put her on probation for three years ordering her to pay back $16750 at $75 a month. Are you seriously kidding me! AND she can still get welfare for the girls. So unbelievable. She is on probation for jail, for prison and has a plea in abeyance. I cannot understand this. I asked her what happened at her hearing and she told me they just continued it and she has to go back in August. I don't know why she lied, she got away with it.

Lanette the foster mom is trying to establish a relationship with Jenny hoping that if the state doesn't terminate Jenny and Ryan's rights maybe they will sign custody of the girls over to them like they did with Sean. It's not a perfect solution but it's better than Jenny and Ryan having them all the time. Jenny likes Lanette but not her husband. I think that Jenny doesn't like father figures in general. The foster family moved out to Utah County so they are far enough away to make that work for them. Jenny likes the fact that they are older, have a pool and live in a nice house. Or maybe she just likes all that because she's thinking she can get lots of stuff from them.

Zooasourous

They have a dinosaur exhibit at the zoo. AJ and Steph have been wanting to go so we took Sean and Ethan and off we went. They were a little scared of the big roaring dinosaur. Sean and Ethan that is not AJ and Steph. Ethan didn't like the big dinosaur that spit. Sean liked the little spitting dinosaur. He liked to spit at it! It was comical a bunch of kids standing on a fence spitting on a dinosaur waiting for it to spit back. Good clean fun!

Ethan's mom sent his with a monkey leash and with good reason. He kept running off. I put the leash on him and then Sean wanted one so I bought him a tiger leash at the gift shop. Here AJ and Steph take the animals out for a walk.

Preparing for a dinosaur expedition.

That leopard looks like it wants to eat Ethan.

Liberty Park and Tracy Aviary

We went to Liberty park yesterday to meet Ryan. He was a no show but we decided to stay and have some fun anyway. I didn't tell Sean he was supposed to be there so he didn't care. We went over to the Aviary and hung out with the birds. The Aviary is under construction and is kind of a mess.

Then we went back to Liberty Park and Sean rode the rides. The rides crack me up because they are probably all 50 to 60 years old.

We all went on the ferris wheel. Then we went to lunch. It was a fun morning at the park. The weather was perfect.

Slides converted to digital

Grandma had Steph convert all her slides to digital. It was fun to see pictures from ages ago and some I don't remember ever seeing. There were over 500 of them. I'm posting a few of my favorites. This is a picture of my mom and dad in the 1980's.

This is my dad and his sister Marjorie and his brother Bill. Only Uncle Bill is still living.

Me, Art, Marjie and Brad in a stream somewhere. It was probably our trip out west when we got sealed.

In front of the Idaho Falls temple in the 60's.

I'm not sure who the little girl on the left is. Marjie, me and Art.

I so remember this picture. It was a daddy daughter party for Mia Maids and we made hats out of tissue.

Halloween in the 60's. That's our dog Buff on the front porch of our house. I think I remember that picture being taken. Or maybe I just remember being lined up on the porch for Halloween pictures.

Tim and me and some kittens.

Me and Art in a dance recital.

In the back yard of 4132 Chapel Hill Road where I grew up. It's all gone now. Note, this was pre mobile home on the hill. We moved a mobile home next to where I was standing and Grandma lived in it.

Grandma Dolder's house on Hyde Park avenue in Durham.