My Poor Husband!

This is how David's morning started... he heard his alarm and thought he was running late. Got ready for work, took the trash cans out, (what a good man) and started driving to work. First thought "the traffic is sure light today". Then he came upon a closed ramp due to roadwork. The road construction man in him thought, "they are sure working late this morning". He had to take several different freeways to get to work because of the closure. He happened to look at his clock and it was 3:45. WHAT? Looks at his cell phone - 3:45. Looks at his watch - 3:45. He got up an HOUR EARLY for work! He decided he was too far away from home, so he just went to work and slept in his truck for an hour.

To explain a little, he sets his alarm for 3am every morning. He snoozes until 4:07!!! It's one of the only things that made me crazy in the first few years of marriage, but I sleep right through it most of the time now.

I think this means he is officially exhausted! Babe, you need a day off to lay on a pool float and nap! Unfortunately, in our hectic life, that won't happen for a long time, if ever!! He is the busiest person I know, but he keeps a great attitude (most of the time) and just works, works, works. What a trooper!

David on a better day.

Triathlon 2009

Saturday was the annual varsity triathlon at Fiesta Island. It is one of my favorite events of the year. Troy & Jason do it almost every year, but this was Eric's first year to do it. David encouraged the young men from the ward to enter. He even challenged the girls. Only Briana & Kyrie took the challenge from yw to do a relay. Becky was generous enough to offer to do the bike portion. THANKS!!! I thought about doing the biking, but if you refer back to my previous bike post, you'll see why I hesitated a bit. Also, I've been having terrible asthma attacks since the pioneer trek. What a baby!!

To get the boys to all show up at 5:30 am Saturday, David decided to do a video game party and sleepover. Thank goodness they were all quiet by 10:30!! Getting up at 4:30 was hard enough.

It was super cold at Fiesta Island, with a breeze the whole time. The water was definitely warmer than the air. The first heat was for the 13 & up scouts. The second heat was for the few younger than 13, girls and older dudes. Troy & Jason were in the first heat. Eric was in the 2nd, about a 5 minute delay. Ryan and Don let Troy & Jason use their speed bikes, and they used their other bikes. That was so nice of them to do that so the boys had a good chance at competing.

Troy came in about 6th overall, and Jason maybe 8th or so. They each placed 2nd in their age brackets. Eric didn't place, but he finished!! After T&J crossed the finish line, Eric rode his bike in and still had the run to do. He finished toward the end, but he did it! The boys were all so supportive of each other and encouraged everyone along. That's one of my favorite things about the triathlon. Nobody brags about winning (at least not that day) and the kids that straggle at the end still have everyone cheering for them. If they're really having a tough time, some of the guys that have finished go back and run with them to help them along.

My other favorite thing is seeing old friends there. Kids that the boys grew up with raced, and we all got to see people we haven't seen for years. After it's all over, everyone from the stake goes to breakfast. Thanks, Pres. Snodgrass! It's such a fun day and I can't wait until next year.

Below is a slideshow of the pictures. Thanks to Briana and Jerry for taking so many!! Did I mention we have a great group of youth????

Triathlon Slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Birthday, Andrea!!

Today is Andrea's birthday. I think it's her 29th again, but I lost count. As I think of how many years I've known her, it's almost all of those 29 years...probably about 25. We met when she found the man of her dreams. There were lots of fun times back in the day. Jacuzzis, movies, and driving around on New Year's Eve are just a few of the hysterical memories that come to my mind.

Andrea's a great wife, mother, sister and daughter, and aunt. Family is really important to her. She's pretty funny, loves to shop, eat, lay out, and is really easy going. What more could a sister-in-law ask for? All who know her are better off for it. Happy Birthday, Andrea! I hope you have a terrific day.

Pioneer Trek

Ma & Pa Prescott (can you tell how cold it is?)

By the last day the leaders & the youth were pretty tired - here they are relaxing & waiting for all the families to return from the trek.

This shows a "pioneer family" trying to make a fire to stay warm.

We even had pioneer games - as you can see Zak is stick fighting & Nate is giving his thumbs up.

This is a "pioneer family" enjoying a yummy lunch of bagels & cream cheese and beef jerky. Ummm good.

Loading up the handcarts to get started on the first day.

Things these pioneer kids did to amuse themselves... made a guitar & microphone out of tree bark.

Some of the leaders who made sure that the "pioneer families" were well fed.

A picture with me & my boys (or at least the three that were old enough to participate).

Sorry it's taken me a week to get this done - I know some of you have been waiting patiently & I thank you. The pioneer trek turned out great, with the change in weather (rain & extremely cold) it felt more realistic... (Rather than our usual perfect weather). I think everyone had a good time in the end. We definately could not have done it without the help of so many people - especially all the adults that volunteered to be the Ma's & Pa's. Thanks to the adults & youth who came with great attitudes & made it a sucessful event!!

Happy Birthday!!!

This is Kathryn & Wyatt - sorry it's the only picture I had handy....

Today is Kathryn's birthday!! We are all sending birthday wishes her way & hoping she has a fantastic day.... Kathryn is Kevin's wife & is expecting their 2nd baby! - next month to be exact. (So she probably isn't doing the birthday dance this year)... A post will go up as soon as the newest Prescott baby is born. Having little ones around again sure makes holidays that much more fun. Plus the older nephews just love having a little cousin - it's cute to see them interact with their young cousin(s).

Anyway, Kathryn is like a sister & I have enjoyed getting to know her better... At times she may get sick of us Prescott girls, but hey there aren't many of us - so we have to stick together!!! I know in the beginning it must have been hard to feel comfortable around us, I have had a hard time accepting new blood into the family. But I am over that & glad to have you apart of the crew. It's almost like we've known you forever & I know that we all love you very much. I hope that this new year bring much happiness to you & your little family!!!!

My New Project

My computer has been dying for a long time. It's been freezing up and has to be unplugged several times a day. Last night David & I went shopping and finally found this computer. It's an HP A6755Y. It has 6 gigs of RAM and a 600 gig hard drive. I'm so excited! I was up until midnight getting it going, and trying one last attempt to get the laptop to take my work program. If I can get that program working on the laptop, it will save me about $500. I'm such a tightwad, and would rather buy something fun with that money. Hey, $500 would buy a lot of metal wall art! Just kidding, David! (That's a whole other story)

One problem, I only have one monitor, so I'll have to swap that out until I get all my stuff on the new computer. I got all my itunes on the new computer from my memory stick, but don't know how to get all my e-mail contacts from my old computer. OOPS! Yes, I did itunes first because that's the MOST IMPORTANT thing, besides my work to get on the new computer. 99 cents a hit adds up, plus all those albums I downloaded.
Feel free to e-mail me. I'll be sitting here...

Our Easter

Our tradition is to go to my mom's house on Easter Sunday, or the day before. The boys asked for a difficult hunt this year. The Easter Bunny hid the eggs so hard that they couldn't find the last few for a long time. Of course, Troy & Jason found all the easier ones first, so Eric ended up with the ones hidden really well. It turned out that the very last egg wasn't even hidden very hard. My mom has the perfect yard for a good hunt because there are so many places to hide the eggs. The boys were saying it would be fun to hide eggs for us, but by the time they found all 51 of their eggs, we were done! It was a really nice day and good visiting with my mom. It's a little lonely without my dad there. Last week was the 4th anniversary of his death. It's interesting that he died around Easter time. I was thinking about the atonement and how grateful I am for the knowledge that we have that we will see each other again. Knowing that he's not suffering anymore makes it a little bit easier, but there's definitely a void without him there. I'm sure he was there in spirit and glad that we're still keeping a fun tradition. The boys may be getting older, but they still enjoy their hunt at Grandma & Papa's.

I still can't believe.....

One of the many "hair do's"

Middle school

Family picture (around 2000, but I can't remember for sure)

Zak making us laugh again - goofing on the drums while visiting family in Utah...



I'm hoping they get their "weird" hair do's out of their systems before they get married!



My handsome boy - graduation picture

Playing in his band with his brothers is one of his favorite things to do.

...that 19 years ago today my first son, Zak was born. This post is dedicated to him, so bear with me.... Seriously, where did the last 19 years go? It seems just like yesterday that dad & I were deciding on names or worried that you'd come too early. As it is you did insist on coming 3 & half weeks early. But luckily you were just fine, incredibly small, but perfect in every other way. I will never forget the times before you could walk that dad had you on a skateboard & the skateboard ramp that you had as your "playground". I worried that you didn't have grass to play on but you could have cared less. You lived & breathed for skateboarding, even at the ripe old age of 2. You are your father's son, through & through.

You are my first born & because of that you hold a special place in my heart (don't get a big head I love you the same as your brothers, but there is something to be said about the first born, I just can't explain it). As a child I watched you grow & learn. Videos were a big part of your childhood, you loved watching Hook, The Sandlot, Barney, & Dennis the Menis (just to name a few) & you always cracked us up because sometime during the movie you would sneak off to your room to change into an outfit to match one of the characters in the movie. I was always amazed by those outfits & how well you did matching every detail even at a young age. You've continue to make us laugh over the years. You have a great sense of humor & have always been creative & as your grew so did your creativity.

You even thought of creative ways to make money. In middle school you sold candy bars to classmates & you often conned your brothers into a "lawn mowing" business. It amazed us that you were able to save money for things you wanted, even a digital camera. There are so many great memories that I can't even remember them all. I'm thankful that you have become a better big brother - I know it is a job that you acquired without any choice and a responsibility that you haven't always loved, but I know that you love your brothers & would do anything for them - just as I know you would me or dad.

If I had to do the 19 years all over again I would in a heart beat. You know that old saying "Hind sight is fore sight"? Well never before in my life do I understand what that means than I do now. There are so many things I would do differently if I had only known then what I know now. But in spite of all my failures as a mother you've seem to have turned out great. Thank goodness for dad, I think he made up for the things I lack & vise versa...

I know that turning 19 is bitter sweet for all of us & I've heard you say several times lately that you wished you could be 17 forever - I'm sure because turning 19 means that you are growing up & with this birthday comes many responsibilities & changes. But let me tell you this; you may no longer be a small boy or even a younger teenager - but this is a beginning to a whole new chapter in your life. An exciting new chapter that will take you through many more changes than the last 19 years... Just know that we are here for you always. We love you & are so proud of the young man you have become & we look forward to the man you are becoming! Happy birthday Zak!!

I hope they call me on a mission!

Okay okay, well not just yet for me & Jamey or for Zak... but my nephew Jase (my brother Eric's oldest son) just got his mission call!!! He is going to Houston Texas - can't get any more foreign than that!! :o) Jase will be the first grandson on the Langston side of the family to serve a mission. We are so proud of him and for the example he is setting for my kids. Zak is busy working on his mission papers & was hoping they would be in the MTC together but it doesn't look that way. Jase will be reporting on June 3rd - which also happens to be Eric's birthday. Can't think of a better birthday present than that!! Zak will be going later in the summer so that he can see his grandma & grandpa Prescott before he goes. This is just the beginning of our family serving in the mission field... it was exciting when my brothers served years & years ago, as it is now. Congratulations Jase! We are so proud of you!!!

Summer Vacation

Yesterday David was telling me how he applied for two weeks vacation in July. The girls at work said, "Oh, that's so nice, you're taking two weeks off for your anniversary." Nope. He's taking one week to stay home with the kids while I'm at girls' camp, and the next week he's taking off for High Adventure Camp.

A couple weeks ago I was looking at a travel magazine that came and dreaming of all the nice places to visit. I said that it would be wonderful to go somewhere on vacation. David's reply was that he didn't know WHAT I was talking about. Next week we are vacationing at La Posta Ranch doing the pioneer trek, and in July I'll have 2 weeks vacation. One week camping in the desert in the summer and the next with everybody gone to their various camps, so I get to be home all alone. What more of a vacation could I want? Well, I got an e-mail from my friend in the Bahamas today. That's one vacation I wouldn't mind taking. Since I have no pictures to post of my vacation, I'll post Scott & Ronda's pictures from this week. Hey, I could photoshop mine & David's pictures into it. Then I could just pretend. Don't be jealous of my big vacation plans...

Thanks Cesar Chavez!

Yesterday was Cesar Chavez day & because of that I was fortunate enough to have the day off from work. Normally that is a pretty fantastic thing by itself but on this day of the year it is even better. Why you might ask? What could be better than a paid day off from work? Well what makes this better than most holidays is that my kids DON'T get this day off from school! Don't get me wrong, I love to spend time with my whole family but I treasure my time alone with my man!! And I was going to take FULL advantage of this day off...

So Jamey & I decided to do something that we haven't done for years & we headed for Old Town. Now Old Town has changed over the years but it still has it's old world charm & plenty of Mexican Restaurants (in fact it seemed like every other place was one). It was fun too to remember all the different field trips we had taken there (some when we were kids & many with our own kids). It was a beautiful day with blue sky although the breeze was still a little chilly. Thank goodness it was warm in the sun. We even found a gallery of a local artist (who actually ran the store). His paintings almost looked like photographs they were so detailed. I especially loved the vibrant colors he used & every landscape was from some place local so everything was familiar - of course we had to get one! We stopped in front of a souvenir shop that had colorful tiles on the front & an old hand cart to do some "self" portraits with Jamey's cell phone - needless to say those didn't turn out so great, but as soon as I figure out how to get them off his phone & in the computer I will add them to this post. After checking out several shops & the different gardens we stopped for lunch... how can you resist the Mexican food when the smell is luring you in with every footstep? It was a fantastic way to spend some quality alone time with my favorite person in the world!!

For many of you, you may wonder who is Cesar Chavez? I think California may be the only state in the US that celebrates this day - but I could be wrong. I know when we first started getting it off I had no idea who he was... then my Hispanic co-worker was more than happy to fill me in. You see Cesar Chavez was a Mexican American migrant worker who fought for better working conditions for farm workers. His tireless leadership focused national attention on these laborers' terrible working conditions, which eventually led to improvements. All I know is that I have seen these people at work & I think they are some of the hardest working people there are. I hope they got the day off too!!!