Sweet Sixteen!

We are a perfect 16/16 in free lunch attendance this year! My kids think it is the greatest to be able to go. I think it is pretty great too. No lunch to prepare and no lunch to clean up! Can't get much better than that!

Dear Ole' Dad

Today would have been my dad's 72nd birthday. I have been thinking about him a lot this week, beginning with Father's Day. Actually I think about him a lot all the time.

I remember 3 years ago, my parents came to visit my family here in Kentucky to help us unpack into our new house. We were lucky enough to have them here that year for Father's Day/Birthday celebration. Little did I know that would be the last Father's Day and Birthday we would have together with my dad. I am so grateful to have spent that week with them that year.

As I was going thru pictures this week to put on this post so many memories flowed thru my mind. It is hard to summarize in this little post all that my dad means to me.

As great as my dad was being a dad, he was an even better papa. Even though my children were only 5-1/2, 4, 2 and 6 weeks old when he died they still have so many memories with him that they talk about on a weekly basis. It was very common for Ethan and Ashton to call him every day to see what he was doing. He usually replied with comments such as, "just got done feeding the birds" or "I drove by the temple water today and thought of you" or "I went to a garage sale today and picked up a new fountain for you" or "just dropped a package off at the post office for you. It isn't much, but a few fun things you may enjoy."

Like my boys, I often talked with my dad every day. He always wanted to know how the kids were doing. He also asked about Matt each day, wondering if he was doing good too. He loved us all so much and always wanted to know about all the things that were going on. Nothing was of insignificance to him if it pertained to our family. I am so glad that even though he wasn't a papa for a lot of years, he made an impression in my kids lives that will never be forgotten.

Some of the things I enjoyed/loved about my dad:

• he painted every room in our first 2 homes with no complaints. Something I now realize was a real pain in the rear.
• he worked hard.
• he loved his family.
• he served others on a daily basis.
• he knew how to do just about everything.
• he was more fun to hang out with than most friends are.
• he supported me in all my activities.
• he would take me almost anywhere I asked. This included driving me and my friends to high school hockey games that were 2 hours away in a Minnesota blizzard.
• he brought me to work with him many times in the summer (and we usually ended up at the mall shortly after lunch).
• he loved my friends and enjoyed having them around.
• he was excited for all of our accomplishments. He was a very proud dad/papa.
• he was funny.
• he loved his in-laws.
• he sang in the car.
• he loved to sneak treats to my boys.
• he was a good golfer.
• he was a great coach. I was lucky enough to have him coach my softball team for many years.
• he always had time for me and my brothers.
• he was simple.
• he was friendly.
• he cheered for the underdog.

I could go on forever listing things about him. I was so fortunate to have him as my dad. I love him and miss him so much. Here are a few photos - I hope you enjoy

Uncle Jay (dad's older brother) and Dad (Salt Lake City, UT 1940's)

Dad's mission picture

Skiing in Switzerland (while on mission)

My beautiful parents 1968 maybe?

Dad with his mother (Salt Lake City, UT 1990?)

Miniature golfing (Park City, UT 1996ish)

Dad with his mother, Eva Rosetta Carlson Niederhauser (Salt Lake City, UT 1996ish)

Ethan and Papa playing on the floor (S. Ogden, UT 2005)

Papa sneaking pie to Ethan and Ashton (St. Louis, MO 2003)

Ethan and Papa (S. Ogden, UT 2005)

Ethan on bike with Papa pulling Ashton in wagon (S. Ogden, UT 2005)

Papa decorating Halloween cupcakes (Georgetown, KY Oct 2006)

Papa feeding his 1st granddaughter Brinley (Georgetown, KY Oct 2006)

Papa and his grandchildren (Georgetown, KY Oct 2006)

Smarty Pants!

This past Monday we went to the Lexington Library for Family Home Evening. While there, the boys wanted to get on the computers and play some games. In order to do so, you need to enter your 13 digit library card into the computer. So Ethan was first and Matt read him the library card number. About 10 minutes later, Ryan wanted to use the computer. Matt told Ethan to get the card from me so he could enter the number for Ryan. Ethan replied, "Dad, I know the number". Ethan entered the 13 digit number by memory and Ryan was hopping on the computer. I'd be lying if I said that I was surprised. Ethan has always had a good memory and has always been a little bit of a "smarty pants". Boy do we love having him in our family!!!



This photo was taken in July 2005 in Huntsville, Utah (age 4)

It's Hot!

Today Ashton and I were looking thru his scrapbook . . . all 6 completed pages . . . and I couldn't stop looking at this picture of him. It totally captures his "look".



This photo was taken in my parent's backyard in July of 2006 when he was 3.5 years old

Got Change?

Yesterday I took my sweaty kids to Sonic for a nice refreshing slush. Between the hours of 2-4pm they are 1/2 price. So I ordered 3 slushes and 4 waters for a grand total of $1.59! I was able to scrape that up from my ashtray and away we went.

Fun Saturday Drive

Today we were asked to drive down to Scout Camp and pick up all the gear. (One of the perks of driving a truck!) We got up bright and early and headed towards Eastern Kentucky (1.5 hours away). The scenery was beautiful. Here are a few pictures from the event! And yes, Matt is wearing a tye-dyed shirt. Don't ask!

Father's Day Surprise!

Today my wonderful neighbor brought over something she made for my kids to give Matt for Father's Day. She is the best!!! Thank you Kristin!!! Check it out. You can get the instructions here.

Happy Birthday Great Grandpa Clayburn

Today is Matt's Grandpa Clayburn's Birthday. He turned 80 something! While living in Utah we had the opportunity of visiting he and grandma quite often. Each time we visited their home Grandpa would take the boys out on the riding lawnmower. They had so much fun. We miss you Grandpa and hope you had a super day!!! We love you!!

Grandpa holding Matthew (23 months) and cousin Dean

Grandma holding April (Matt's sister - 5 months)

Grandpa and Ethan - 2005 (SLC, UT)

Grandpa and Ryan - 2005

Grandpa and Ashton - 2005

Ashton with Grandpa - 2005

Air, at last!

Yes, we have a working air conditioner. Ahhhhhhhhh! Need I say more?

Kids Eat Free!

My mom called me today with this news. At Denny's kids (10 and under) eat free on Tuesday nights from 4-10pm and some locations on Saturday nights too. You can get 2 kids meals free with the purchase of 1 adult regular priced meal. Go check it out!

Click HERE for more information.

Full of Hot Air!

Full of Hot Air! That would be the definition of my house. Still no air conditioning. Hopefully today is the day that the a/c company and our home building company will figure out who is at fault and get it fixed. It is supposed to be close to 90 degrees by Thursday. Crossing my fingers we have air by then!!

Hard at Work!

Today we took the kids over to the local Lowes Home Improvement store where they had the Kids Club activity. They made a golf themed project. The boys received aprons and goggles to keep as well as their handmade project. They did a great job and had a super time. We will for sure do this again. Best part - it is all free! The store here has the Kids Club on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays at 10am.

A Long, Long Time Ago . . .

As I sat and watched a few moments of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight it made me think about a former NHL player I used to know.

While living in Minnesota during most of the 1980's we were lucky enough to live on the same street as Gilles Meloche, the starting goaltender for the Minnesota North Stars. We had a pretty close neighborhood that included many "block" parties. The Meloche family was always there. Gilles and his wife (I can't remember her name, darn it!) had 2 kids. A boy named Eric and a girl named Annie. Eric was 5 years younger than me and quite annoying. There were no kids in the neighborhood his age, so he tried to hang out with us (unsuccessfully).

As I got older, I became the babysitter for Eric and Annie. I absolutely loved it because all they wanted to do was watch the North Star games on TV. I was a huge hockey fan at the time, so I was thrilled with this set up.

I vividly remember Gilles picking me up in their yellow corvette. He had a very thick french canadian accent which was difficult for me to understand. His wife was even harder to understand. They were very down to earth people. It wasn't until I was much older that I realized how rare it was to be friends with a sports celebrity.

Every once in a while I have wondered what happened to this family. I know that his wife passed away of cancer many years ago. After Gilles retired he became the goalie coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Eric played a little bit in the NHL. How cool is that? I have babysat a NHL player? Woozers!

Anyway, the Pittsburgh Penguins just won the Stanley Cup and Gilles Meloche is their current Goalie Coach. Congratulations!

Here is some information about Gilles Meloche that I snagged from someone's blog. Enjoy!




Gilles Meloche
Gilles MelocheRetired player. Currently the Goaltending Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins.Fan letter sent: April 18, 2007. Autographs received: September 24, 2007.I once wrote to Gilles Meloche back in the 1990s, and he signed my cards back then. Well, some things don't change. He signed my cards this time too, and just like before, he signed them in ballpoint pen. Oh well.Meloche is a player I always admired. He was a good player that spent his career on dog teams--the California Seals, who in turn became the Cleveland Barons. And when the Barons merged with the North Stars in 1978, he became Minnesota's top goalie. Despite playing for three different teams in that 14 year span, he was never traded...which I think says a lot about his value to those teams. He would eventually wind down his career in Pittsburgh, but he still played a lot of games--104 contests in his final three seasons. And while his Goals-Against Average always floated around 3.33-4.10, remember that he played a lot of games with lousy teams. It makes you wonder what his career would have been like if he played with Montreal or Philadelphia or any other contending team. If he was on a better team, he may very well have won a Stanley Cup, or at least some personal awards....maybe even a spot in the Hall of Fame. Who knows? But 17 years in the NHL is an amazing feat itself.

Fun Idea - Magic Thinking Jar

I stole this idea from my cousin's blog. I am going to start doing this fun idea!

http://inchmark.squarespace.com/inchmark/2008/9/9/magical-thinking.html

Don't Forget - This Saturday Morning

The Lowes store of Georgetown provides the Build a Workshop program for all families. Every 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month at 10:00am in the cabinet department. For more information call Lowes at 502-570-2060 (I think most Lowes stores around the country provide this service)

Free Lunch Menu

Just another reminder about the free lunches here in Scott County. It is for any child 19 years or younger. The cost for adults is $4/each. The schools participating are Garth Elementary, Southern Elementary and Georgetown Middle School. Lunch is served from 11am-1pm. We have gone each day this week to Garth Elementary and have had a very good experience. Come join in the fun!


Week 1 - June 8 - 12th
Monday - Corn Dog
Tuesday - Hamburger
Wednesday - Cheese Pizza
Thursday - Chicken Nuggets
Friday - Turkey Sub

Week 2 - June 15-19th
Monday - Chicken Patty on Bun
Tuesday - Pepperoni Pizza
Wednesday - Ham & Cheese Sandwich
Thursday - Steak Nuggets w/Roll
Friday - Cheeseburger

A Big Thank You!

I wanted to report on the success of the Box Top for Education rally that you all have been supporting the kids in . . . .

EASTERN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Ranks 12 out of 164 schools
This year's earnings: $1,662
State percentile: 92
National percentile: 92
Last year's earnings: $594

The school made almost 3 times more this past school year than the year before. Thanks to all of you that helped Ethan and Ashton help in reaching the school's goal

Sweatin' in Kentucky

Well many of you know we have been without air conditioning so far this year. Matt likes to see if we can make it to the 4th of July before we turn it on. We saved about $50 the month of May by not having it turned on.

This past Monday (2 days ago) Matt stayed home from work. While at home he realized it is really hot here during the day. He said something about the forecast not looking good so we should just turn on the a/c and bite the bullet. So Monday evening we flipped the dreaded switch.

Like every other time we've turned on the air conditioner for the first time of the season in this house (and heat for that matter) it has FAILED TO WORK. It didn't even work the first day we moved into this BRAND NEW HOUSE. Needless to say I am a LITTLE BIT upset.

So I sit here sweatin' in Kentucky, hoping the a/c repairman gets here quick!

Wanna go out?

Looking for something to do this weekend but don't want to spend a lot of money?

Friday June 5, 2009 you can take your family down to Jacobson Park for Free Friday Flicks. Activities such as face painting, pony rides, petting zoo and other entertainment start at 7:00pm. Movie starts at dark. There is a concession stand available or bring your own snacks. This week's movie is “The Tale of Despereaux.”

Saturday June, 6 2009 Kentucky Horse Park is holding it's annual Family fun Fest. Children 12 and under are free with paid adult admission which is $15. There will be activities for both kids and adults.

For more info:

Free Friday Flicks
Kentucky Horse Park

This information came from http://www.bluegrassmoms.com/

The Kindergarten Graduate!

Today was Ashton's last day of Kindergarten. The children put on a short program, they gave out a few awards and then they all received their diplomas. We are so proud of Ashton. He had a super year!

Ashton with teacher aide, Ms. Bryant

Ashton with teacher, Ms. Pratt

Ashton (front row, looking at camera)

Tonight Only! - June 3rd

I had 2 great friends tell me about this special and I verified it to be true on the Sonic website. Tonight between 8-midnight you can go to Sonic and get a FREE 10oz Root Beer Float. Enjoy!

We Went . . . and Ryan Scored!

We ended up going to the Legends game last night since we had to return library books to the library close to Applebee's Park. We got in for $5 total (Brinley was FREE), parking was $3 and the kids ate for FREE. Matt got 2 foul balls (one for Ashton, one for Ethan) and Ryan schmoozed his way into getting 3 balls given to him by the ball players. It was a very fun and super inexpensive evening out with the kids!

Tonight in Lexington

Go watch the Lexington Legends play Augusta tonight.

This is a great deal for any family. When we go to the ballpark on Monday nights we always buy the bleacher seats for $1 and then we end up sitting in the lawn seats right behind the Legends Bullpen. The parking is $3. It ends up being a super cheap family event!

June 1 vs. Augusta - 7:05 PM


Every Monday Kids Eat FREE. Bring the kids, they get to eat FREE! All kids 12 and under will receive a voucher for a free hotdog, chips and drink. All Kids 12 & Under Presented by Members Heritage

Redbox Free Monday Code

Redbox used to give a free movie code each Monday. They have revised it and now it is only on the 1st Monday of the month.

Today is the 1st Monday of the Month. The code is . . . . FM63H7