Senior's Night Pre-view

OK... I will readily admit! I am jealous! HOW FUN IS THIS?!! They had a senior's night event that was so elaborate! I have never seen anything like it... it was based on "A Magic Carpet Ride" (Aladdin) In the afternoon before graduation they allowed the family of the graduates to come and pre-view the surprises that awaited them... they completely transformed the school!

The Entrance...

and then a second entrance to blow-up jumping houses, bean bag gathering spots, Wii games, and SO MUCH MORE!

The "Cave of Wonders"

Can you believe it??

Then you entered the "Market place" where you could get a massage, a manicure, a pedicure, snacks & treats, a temporary tatoo, and more games, as well as make your own music video with your friends!

There was a "gambling" hall where you could play all the games you can at a casino...but the winnings were tickets to any number of prizes including gaming stations, electronics, small appliances and even A NEW (used) CAR that was donated by a local dealership!

Ticket booth

Gaming tables

A few of the prizes...

They a full dinner and breakfast. The kids were "locked-in" until morning and could play and dance and have a great time ALL NIGHT LONG!

More of the prizes! It looked like a lot of fun! Kayelani and her boyfriend said that it was "ok". Typical teenage response. I say KUDDOS to those who pulled this off for those seniors! What a job that must have been!!

They had a wall of all the kids that signed up with scrapbook pages their parents made as a surprise for them. It was very sweet!

(Now I know this post is not about my family... but this is for the McOmber's *wink*)

The food... oh the food!!

Now... I will readily admit... one of my favorite things about spending time with the McOmber's (Aunt Becky & Uncle Kevin) is the food. She incorporates my Grandma's recipes with her own recipes... and well... it is AWESOME!! She made my most favorite for breakfast... her homemade bisquits and gravy (OH! SOOO good!) Kevin made everyone custom omelets from fresh eggs from their chickens (now you don't have to wonder where we get it from huh? LOL) - to die for! And he created a recipe for Z-alsa (Zuchinni salsa) that they canned last summer to go on top... I was SO full!! They also had fresh picked grapefruit off their tree that was so sweet you didn't even need sugar! We ate like kings in Tucson... and their fridge is always bursting at the seams! It was so wonderful! I claimed dish duty, as I felt it was the only way I could re-pay such feasting... *GRIN*

Breakfast table: Kayelani, with my Ma behind her and Jess chatting her ear off...

Aunt Becky & Kevin's new Step Mom Laree.

Kevin's dad, Kevin (walking behind them), my Grandpa & (Step)Grandma Margean

My Dad and my Ma

Grandpa & Margean again... we were all enjoying breakfast getting ready for the graduation later that day.... and it was hard to walk away from the food and the good company!

Kevin coming in from checkin on the kidlets. They all got to eat outside in the nice cool weather on their covered patio. We spent many of the evenings out there playing games and laughing until all hours of the night! It was lovely!

Arrival!! Tucson, Arizona

HUGS & KISSES!!!

My sweet Aunt Becky and her family had planned that the last time Grandpa (almost 90) visited Tucson it would be his last trip down, it just took so much out of him to make the journey himself. It tickles me to no end that we were able to bring him again! Becky knew, and kept it a secret from her family. The look on my sweet cousins faces was priceless! There were tears and lots of laughs.

We came down for my oldest cousin's High School Graduation. Kayelani was REALLY surprised... she knew Jess and I and the kids were coming, but knew nothing of my parents and of Grandpa and Grandma!

I was so caught up in the events happening I forgot to take many pictures! Kayelani and Cameron fell right back into their norm.... They have had the sweetest bond ever since Cam was a baby. Kayelani is "his"... though he did give her "permission" to have her boyfriend Daniel, because well, as he says, "It's just her way of life" (Bwahahahaha)

Once we got there and all the salutations were over, I gathered the things that could not stay in the car. As I searched through the snack box that was next to Caleb I realized a couple of things...
1. the tinfoil ball Caleb had in his hand made sense now
2. he incessant chatter and wiggles made even MORE sense now!
The Mega Giant Hershey's Chocolate bar was gone. That little stink had quietly eaten the entire thing from Sedona to Phoenix! BWAHAHAHA! No wonder he was a little jittery! ;)
The dust devils were a sign of a storm front that settled over Tucson. The ENTIRE time were there it was no hotter than 85 and mostly cloud covered. This was our little miracle! Between the heat and how it effects my heart, and the reaction of my heart meds to my being in the sun so that I blister with sunburn in a matter of a few minutes, this was TRULY a gift from God. I still get a lump in my throat when I think of it. Each time someone would comment on how "it is NEVER like this in Tucson this time of year!" my heart would feel overcome with gratitude. I know why. It was a gift to my little family for taking that leap of faith and making this trip with all the generations when it seemed impossible to do! I will be forever thankful!!

Dust Devils

We left Sedona and headed out to the desert...

The kids were chattery and excited to see the cousins (Well obviously except Cody! Bwahaha!)

Caleb was ESPECIALLY chattery and wiggly. We could not figure him out! We stopped in Phoenix so he could go potty. He had a tin foil ball in his hand. I didn't think much of it...

The thermometer on our car read anywhere from 102-110 as we passed through Phoenix. I was mentally bracing for a heap of heart troubles... and Jess was *very* quiet and nervous about it.

Between Phoenix and Tucson there were MULTIPLE Dust Devils.

We had a mini weather lesson... the kids loved it!

Who knew it was a sign of "the winds of change" and a little miracle all our own...

Following the Grandparents... 56 Miles to go....

Sedona, Arizona

When we left Flagstaff, we took the canyon between there and Sedona. It is one of the prettiest canyons I have ever been in... and I live in UTAH!

Cam & Emma wanted picutes of the rocks, so my Dad stopped so they could take some.

JUST GORGEOUS!! The fire red rocks agaist the lush green makes it SUCH a paradise in my book!

This is my Grandpa and Grandma. Grandpa has limited mobility, so he rarely got out of the car, but it was just fun to be having an adventure with him!

Ma found some cool rocks to share with Caleb. She and my Dad have never been to Sedona and they could not agree more that it was WELL worth the side trip! We could have stayed all day...

We shopped in a few of their quaint little stores along main street, but we were quick about it, as Grandpa was sitting in a hot car being bored. Hard to enjoy yourself knowing he was likely miserable that's for sure! We will have to come back soon!

The kids found a lizzard....

and a butterfly!

I wanted a group picture of my kids with the fire rocks behind them like last time we were in Sedona over 5 years ago... but all I had the chance to take was this one of Caleb posing next to "da scawee indian". Oh well... next time... ;)

Flagstaff

Caught! Mid -jump! The little pickle!

We stayed the night in Flagstaff in one of the nicer motels I have been in. It was spacious and very clean!

The boys tooks the hide-a-bed in the livingroom...

Jess and I got our own huge Master bedroom with the softest bed ever!

Emma wanted the chair (so she could watch some TV no doubt! LOL)

We enjoyed the free breafast the next morning with YUMMY malted waffles! Then we hit the road for one of my favorite places on earth! Sedona!! :)

Our House to Kanab...

On our trip to Tucson we drove to Flagstaff the first night. We stopped for dinner in Kanab. The enjoyed the old west feel...

Grandma Annie paid for their fortune from this old Cowboy... they were mezmerized! LOL

Thanks Grandma!

Caleb wanted to drive this! :)

"Crash" and his little brother! LOL! More to come...

Emma in "Hope of America" Concert

Even though Emmalee is a homeschool girl now, her school was so kind and allowed her to still participate in the Hope of America Concert. It is a concert broadcast for the Troops over seas. All the 5th graders that want to gather in a certain color shirt and perform Patriotic songs and a really neat program for them! It was AWESOME!! Some of her cousins were in this program with their schools even though we live on oposite ends of the valley!

Together in their colored shirts they create a HUGE American flag!

Emmalee is on the left end of the bottom row of red shirts, bottom row of red! *grin* Can ya see her?? *grin*

They had cultural dancing and singing. It was amazingly well put together for how many schools/kids were involved!

Emma sang her songs from her CD for weeks prior so she would know all the songs!

Jess' family all came to support her! Caleb and McKenly loved the cotton candy! LOL

This is group of Grandma's that dance. (We aren't sure, but we think Jess' biological father's mom was in it -she is in a dance group like this.) There was one lady that was over 80 doing the spilts!! It was a hoot!

For the last song they turned off all the lights and the kids all had flashlights and sang a beautiful song about being a light to others. It was an wonderful evening!

I took more photos with my other camera of her in her shirt and with her friends etc, but it had a card error and I lost them all.... :( So sorry sweet pea! ((HUGS))