Going Private

Dear Friends.

I have decided to make my blog private (in about a week), so if you would like to be invited to view my blog, please send me your email address and I will invite you. It's not that my blog is so special or anything, I just would feel better knowing that only people I know are looking at it. I LOVE blogging and I hope that you'll keep wanting to visit my blog so that I can visit YOURS. Thanks so much!!!!

Cleaning the closet and finding treasures.

Ok. I'm cleaning out my craft closet because ever since I moved into this house 2 years ago, I've just stuffed things in it and have never organized it. I'm finding some fun things. Like a box that has some pictures of Hans when he was little and a bunch of pictures of our cute little kids. And... since it is close to the 4th of July, I thought it was appropriate to post this cute little essay I found that Anneke wrote when she was almost 6.

"I like America because it's just a special place. We have a pretty flag with pretty colors. I want to always live in America."

Such deep thoughts about our country, huh? I'm glad that she's still living in America.


And then I found a story written by Ammon and I'm so mad that I don't know when it was written. It's written in his own handwriting and looks like maybe 2nd grade. He even uses quotes so it's impressive.

The duck and the mess

My Duck Has a Big beak! it is Big for a Duck. "my Big beak," said The Duck. it is Big. Man. I must finD a way to make a Big mess. my oh my my oh my my my my my.
I must find a Sharpener. I must.! "ok it is ok my my it is ok. I can't" said the Duck. then said all of the Ducks "please" said all of the Ducks. To find this is all of the Ducks. I must find a mess. Said the Bigest Duck oh yes wait wait No said the littlest Duck no no said chiken with The chiken posks (pox) I will make a Big fase oh oh oh my my oh my my oh.

from Ammon,
To GranDma and GranDpa Bayles.

All I can say to that is HUH? So funny. But it's written so neatly. Oh my oh my.

Ok. Back to cleaning out the closet.

The Oakwood Synchronized Swim Team

For the teachers' talent show at the end of the year, the 3rd grade teachers did a synchronized swim routine. Okay. WE thought it was hilarious, but you know how that goes. The ones doing it always have the most fun. Our students seemed to get a kick out of it though. The practicing for it and making the shorts one evening at Ilene's was great. Gosh I love my school sisters.

Yup.

This is why I love living in beautiful Franklin City in beautiful
Franklin County in beautiful Cache Valley.

My Girls (Minus Cyndie and Natalie)

Good-bye Old Chief :(

When you have a pet for 19 years, it's hard to not have him around anymore. Our fun little cockatiel, Chief, died on Thursday, June 4th, just after I got home from a class. I'm glad I was here to say good-bye to him as he took his last breaths. When I got home he was swaying in the corner of his cage, but he rallied enough to tell me good-bye by climbing up on his perch, whistling for me, ringing his little bell, and then putting his head through his rings and shake them around a little bit. Then he fell off the perch and died. I haven't cried so hard in a long time. I have really missed him. When the family was here for Amy's baby shower that Saturday, Ammon dug a hole and we buried him in the back yard. We all said something that we loved about him and would miss about him and then because things could have gotten pretty heavy, we all chirped or whistled one last time for him. A little while later, Makenna was outside trying to tape some paper on the ground over the grave. Tape doesn't work so well on dirt, so Andrea went out and helped her find some rocks to hold it down. Makenna has always been tender towards Chief, so she thought he needed some kind of a headstone. Cute little girl. It says, "Dear Chief, from Makenna. You will always be by me. I shure love you. You always looked forward to be nice."

Thanks for all the memories, Chief.

How much fun can I have???

It seems like the last week was just one continual round of fun. A great baby shower for Amy, Paige and Makenna and Andrea spending the night, Ammon and Natalie coming the next morning to get them, a visit with Aaron and Cyndie's family, a fun hour and 1/2 in the car with Andrea and Amy while we waited for them to clean up a wreck off the freeway, and then a 2-day road trip with Amy to Mesa, a visit with my brother, Paul's family, seeing Sam, flying home on Wed. evening, then spending a day with Anneke's family before coming home. The week before that I spent in a math class which wasn't too bad because my friends, Chelsie and Sunnie were also there, so they made it fun. I'm so lucky.