Matt loves to make movies. He will spend hours a day working on the scenery and working with the acors (Michael, Ashley, and Jessica)
Michael in a war scene
Michael dying. He kept dying over and over. Matt would direct him to fall to the left, the next shot would be to the right, then the back, twisting, ect.
Love,
Monika

Jordan's Hippie Party

This has been a great weekend. It's the first weekend in months where I actually got to relax and not have to do anything--except try and figure out why the pool was turning green. I got to paint a lot and cooked three barbecues and even spent some time sitting on the front porch watching birds. It was great.

We did have Jordan's birthday party yesterday so there was some work involved in getting that ready--mostly by Lezlee. It was hippie party. The girls made tie-dyed shirts, love beads and flowers for their hair, all while listening to 70's music.

Here is Jordan with her friend Courtney.


And with Savanah.


Lacie and Jenise.


Being silly.


Holden modeling the latest flower in the hair fashions.


Kimberly in her 70's hippie hat.


Brianna wearing her love bead necklace.

Tie dying shirts in pig's blood.


Just kidding about the pig's blood. It's goat. Here's her cake. I worked really hard to make it look like tie-dye.

Flower child Nadia.


Jordan and Taylor.

Caroline Koonz, who mom makes the world's best brownies!!

Hi Nate!

Hi Nathan. Do you still like Godzilla?!!! Because I still do. Have you heard of one of Godzilla enemies Gigan? Because I have. MAN why am I'm asking you this? Because you know Gigan. Have you also heard of Mecha King Khidora? And I got a 12 inch Godzilla toy! And I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LOVE
CHANDLER SISKO HAYS BOLTON CHANMAN CHANCE CHANCELOR & CHANDLER BEANER MR. WEINER

Missing Nicole's Birthday....

I Learned to Ride My Bike!!!!

Uncle Troy thought it couldn't be done...but Chandler has a way of proving people wrong. Today he learned to ride his brand new Red Sox bike. Chandler took this opportunity to practice his modeling skills and model his new helmet and bike for you. Look out America's Next Top Model, here he comes...

Thanks! AND a Free Fashion Show!

Jordan would like to tell EVERYONE,

Thanks! for all the nice birthday wishes!

She's pretty sure you are all just dying to see her new birthday outfits...so here's a free fashion show!!!



Wasn't That fun? I know, it totally was...we should do this again sometime....

Happy Birthday Jordon!!!!!
I hope you are having a great birthday. What was your favorite gift or thing you did? Do you feel a year older?

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to Jordan
Happy Birthday to you

Love,
Aunt Monika

Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday to You!
Happy Birthday Our Dearest Jordan!!!!!
Happy Birthday to You!

Love - Tori, Chase, Chandler and Your Favorite Aunt!

Holden's New Truck

As you many know, Holden loves his car--a beautiful 1972 green Buick Electra. But that car hasn't been the most economical ride. This month I've had to pay to get the radiator replaced (I had it re-cored last year), all the belts and hoses replaced and yesterday found out that the rear brake drums have to be replaced and it has a cracked head gasket--for the second time!

So Holden and I have had many conversations about how the car just doesn't make sense. He's only going to be able to drive it a few more months before he goes off to college and then on his mission. Those well reasoned arguments are usually followed by a pouting face and vow to own his baby until he dies.

So tonight faced with another huge mechanic bill I showed up with his new wheels. A beat up old Dodge Dakota that I got for a great deal off my buddy since it had caught fire a few months ago. He said he'd rather walk than be seen driving it until I pointed out that it would soon be 115 degrees. He pointed out that it doesn't have A/C. I pointed out that anything is better than nothing. He pointed out not this anything.

Finally I couldn't help but smile. I hadn't sold his car and bought this one. April Fools.

I spent the day in Patagonia--a little town on the Mexico border--looking at a school that is having some construction issues. I'd never been down that way before. Don't think I'll be in a hurry to get back there.

Today we opened Jordan's birthday presents. Here birthday isn't until tomorrow but we've got a lot going on tomorrow and she was too excited to wait.



And she wanted to make sure I thank grandma and grandpa for their gift. She always likes money!

Leave her a comment wishing her a happy birthday.

What is Grandpa Doing

Grandchildren Please tell us what you think grandpa is doing?

1) Is he doing an Egyptian dance?

2) Does he have fire ants in his pants?

3)Does he have a bad case of gas.

4) Pretending to be a coon dog?

5) Just being weird.

Post a picture of you doing something weird.

Love Grandma and Grandpa

I'm moving as fast as a turtle these days, if it is a very slow turtle. I overdid it on Sat. and I have been down since then. I do the two step up and down the stairs(two feet on each stairs). I am doing better, which is a good sign. Usually I don't know how bad I have hurt myself until day 3 or 4. I am hoping that I will be back where I was by the end of the week.
Matt is back from Anheim. He is in the Jazz band and Synphonic band. Both bands competed. Both bands did great. He also got to go to Disneyland on Saturday.
Jessica is getting very good at knitting, last night she started knitting a potholder and it was done this morning. I was very impressed, and very happy to get a new potholder, but she took it from me. She is displaying it at a school openhouse. She is in the knitting club and they are putting a display together.
Ashley is doing much better, still on crutches, but not in a lot of pain. Michael climbed up the same tree Ashley did, and fell on his back as the branch he was on fell. So for a few days they can't climb the tree. I think it is the same branch Ashley had trouble with.
It is time to pick up Jessica from school, so I better go. Have a great day.
Monika

Lezlee Muses about Spring

I was interested in Vicki's post yesterday about spring, particularly the "blue flag" flowers.  You know what's really interesting about flags?  They grow almost everywhere in the world.  Some are planted on purpose but many of them are wild.  They are an incredibly hardy flower and really, when you look at them closely, very beautiful.  These are some of the examples I found on flickr.  

It reminds me of my favorite scripture, which is not about an iris but a lilly:  (Luke 12:27-28) Consider the lilies how they grow; they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he provide for you, if ye are not of little faith?"

Spring in Alabama

This weekend we went to Bessemer Alabama and visited some old plantation houses. Spring has came to Alabama and Wayne took this picture of a purple flag. Many people don't think much of flags they seem to be too common, but flags hold special meaning to Wayne and I. Naomi Geraldine Swift Hays, Wayne's mother loved flags. They were one of few flowers that grow in the alkali soil in Magna. They came up early in the spring and was a sign that winter was over and summer was not far away.

When Kip was a young boy he want to do something special for my mother. So one Saturday after chores he took his little red wagon up to the canal bank and filled it with flags. He made many trips and planted his gifts of love in front of the fence in the front yard. Later many of them were moved to the back yard, but I can't see a purple flag without remembering my brothers gift .

Bessemer Alabama is South of Moulton and Spring is well on its way there

I am not sure who is hiding on the blossoms.

Here is a picture of me doing my missionary work

Love Mom

The Holden Brag...part I

Recently Holden has been very busy and we expect that to continue well into next month. He has had speech and debate tournaments almost every weekend lately - yesterday was National Qualifiers which I judged at - 2 weeks ago it was the State Tournament and Kirk and I both judged there and took Brennan & Jordan with us and made a day of it. It's actually really nice to see what these kids are doing at the tournaments. As a parent of a child in Speech or Debate I don't think you can really 'get' what all that hard work is about unless you've competed yourself or you've been to a tournament and seen what really happens.

Even though I think Holden enjoyed his time during high school on Football, Tennis, Dive, Swim, and Yearbook, I think Speech & Debate has been the highlight of his high school activities.

We were so proud of him because he took 3rd place in Poetry in the state tournament. With LOTS of tough competition, it was really great to see all his hard work pay off.

This is him with a few of his speech friends and the speech adviser Mr. Gold, taken at the state tournament. It was taken on Kirk's Iphone so it's not the best photo , but you get the idea.

A few weeks ago I went to the school and missed another great opportunity to take photos of Holden in action at a school wide assembly where he and 3 of his friends were the MC's - they had the whole school laughing and clapping and it was pretty awesome. High school would have seemed so much more fun if I could have had my whole school laughing at my jokes. I was pretty proud to be his mom that day!

Last month they were in a talent show and wrote some original poetry which they performed - it was in the slam poetry style. It was really, really great and they took 2nd place in the competition at their school. I think it was the first time some of the kids at their school were able to see just how cool poetry could be. One weekend earlier in the year Holden and some of his friends asked if they could go to Flagstaff on the weekend to a slam poetry thing. We gave them permission to go overnight. It was nice knowing I could trust him to go somewhere overnight with friends and totally trust him - and also nice to know that the reason they wanted to go out of town was for POETRY! In some small way it makes me feel like Kirk and I have done something right in raising him these past 18 years.


This week he was in the Prom Fashion show. Prom Fashion Show is this kind of tongue - in -cheek fashion show where the prom theme is revealed for the first time. There is a try-out to be part of it and the most basic qualification is that you have to be funny. Holden played the part of a nerd who goes with a gorgeous girl (in the beginning he is typing on an old computer an the theme to "Weird Science" is playing - then a gorgeous girl comes out of a box as though he's created her on his computer) - in the end he takes off his glasses and voila it turns out he's pretty good looking too. I did actually manage to get photos of that - although the lighting was tough and I had to be pretty far from the stage without my telephoto.


Part of the point of the fashion show though is to model for a local dress shop and tuxedo shop to help drum up business for them for prom. He and and Danielle look nice in their matching red. He's known Danielle since elementary school - they were matched up by the prom fashion show committee for the fashion show and are not going to actual prom together - he's asked Noelle to go to prom with him, so she is coming down from Flagstaff for that.

And below here he is with Austin Wheat. Both Holden and Austin were in the show. Austin and Holden are both going to BYU Idaho this fall and I think they're pretty excited about it. They've been friends since 3rd grade! There's lots of good things happening in Holden's life right now and we're very proud.

Look for another braggy entry later when he competes in Mr. Shadow later this month (his schools version of a silly pseudo - beauty pageant competition for the senior boys), Seminary graduation and REAL graduation next month!