The Kids...

Here they are! This was our last week alone together. Becky returns next week. We survived 10 weeks without her! They were so funny today... I had BIG news to tell them that Miss Becky is getting married. Luckily, it was just us girls today so we were able to be completely girly and squeel and be all giddy. They are all still fighting over who's going to be the flower girl.

In most of the pics, they are working on Becky's "Welcome Back" poster. In the others, they are
reading a scroll that I made for them. It was part
of our lesson. I thought it was cute how they all

crowded around to see what was going on. Luckily my camera was close so I snapped a shot without them knowing. One incredibly funny conversation followed Mallie telling me all about her new earrings from Claires.

Mallie: Miss Kim, do you know what Claire's is?
Me: Yep.

Mallie: I wish we had a (another store I can't exactly remember the name of). Do you know what that is?

Me: Nope. (None of the other kids knew either.)

Aubrey: I do know what Victoria's Secret is!
10 weeks later and they still leave me speechless. :0)

Loooooong Day...

Yesterday was a LONG day. We were awoken at 5:30 in the am, not something I am accustomed to, by my dear Uncle Earl. He was coming to the house to hunt with Coach Shawn, Mason and Justin and he just had to call. So, we got up, got ready, and left to drive ALL the way to Pigeon Forge, TN. WHAT A DRIVE! We had to go the Apple Barn for a Wedding Reception dinner for Cynthia's daugher, Mary. She finally got married and we had to go celebrate. Here are a couple of pics from the day. Then, we drove ALL the way back last night. 12 hours on the road. We're BEAT! :0)

Fred

Remember this cute face? This is Fred that I found back in the spring when she was just a teeny, tiny kitten. She ran across the road in front of us and I couldn't bear the thought of leaving her to fend for herself. Sister said there's no way I'd catch her. I stopped the car, got out and hollered, and this precious thing came running at me and jumped into my arms. It was like something out of a movie. That was all it took. I took that baby home with me - actually I took her to Dad's barn. He fussed and complained but he's had about 3 black and white cats, all named Fred, so I knew he'd eventually warm up to her. And he did. He can't do without his Fred. She is a monster too. She's eaten countless birds and squirrels. There wouldn't be a single one left in Nauvoo if she had wings. She's about 3 times the size of my Ko-Ko now. Her belly nearly drags the ground. She's so funny. This is her discovering tv for the first time. She couldn't take her eyes off it. :0)

The Bop It..

Today, the Tittles discovered the Bop It. Holy Cow.. that was funny. None of them can hear. Combine that with the ability to think fast, it just wasn't in the cards for them to be very good at that game. The amount of brain power they were attempting to generate today was astonishing. Good times. :0)

Let the Feasting Begin...

Here we are, at the back of the line, about to begin lunch. The other pic is only a small portion of the fam, sitting around the table. It used to look a lot bigger...

From the little bald man going around, we have Uncle Dennis, Aunt Brenda, Leah, Daniel, Dad-o, Aunt Minnie, Mackenzie and Scott. :0)

Getting Ready...

Now this is some serious Thanksgiving Day cooking... here we are at Cafe Radine's... aka... Grandma's House. This is all of the deliciousness. YUM!! :0)

GOOD MORNING!

Sometimes all you need to start the day is that
perfect cup of coffee. Today was that day. This is what I found on my desk when I walked in the office this morning. My dear friend (and the Director of Restaurants) Jim, whom I have taken to calling Jim Bob, had a fresh cup of delishness waiting on me. Now it's going to sound gross unless you've ever had it but trust me, It is GOOD! You start with a cup of black coffee... a little cream is good too... and then you add 1 packet of hot chocolate in with it. SO GOOD. That's what Jim Bob had made for me. And it will get you going. I was flying around the Hotel for a good 3 hours. Sometimes all it takes is a random act of kindness or an awesome cup of coffee to get your day going...

Another quick, funny story. Chef always calls me on his way in. It normally starts with:

Me: Good Morning!!

Chef: Good Morning!!

Me: How's it going?

Chef: It's going GREAT!! It's a beautiful day, the birds are singing, the sun is shining... and we go on and on making up ridiculous stuff to make our lives sound more fun than they really are. And I ask him what I missed on the TODAY show after I left.

This morning, I told him it was great and to guess what I'd gotten this morning. He guessed coffee. SAY WHAT?! I was convinced he'd already called Jim. But he hadn't and he was equally as surprised he'd guessed the answer. Then he said, "Congratulations on being an adult." (It is important to note here that every morning we go to the restaurant and every morning I get water while he gets his first of many cups of coffee. I haven't been a fan of coffee since Mrs. Finley used to make it in High School. Another story for a different day.) I told him not to worry though, I'd stuck my bubble gum up under the lid so I could save it for later. No need to sign me up for the old folks home yet. It was a delicious cup of coffee though. :0)