Feeling Like a Princess

Being a Princess has it's perks.

First, there was the Homecoming Dance with Jon.

Then there was the Sadie Hawkins Dance with Richard.

Next up, the Sweethearts Dance with Calvin.

Now it is Prom time. A couple weeks ago a young man named Kaleb dressed up like a knight and had Richard (see photo above) play a fanfare on the trombone while Kaleb announced, "Here ye, Here ye. Will you go to Prom with me?" Of course, she said yes! (She just found out the theme for Prom is "A Knight for a Princess" ... Kaleb had come up with his idea to ask her before the theme was announced.)

So, yesterday we spent about 3 hours shopping for a prom dress. OUCH!!

I didn't think to take a picture of the first dress she tried on, but here are her other dress selections.

She looked so beautiful in all of the dresses. As she tried them on, she kept saying, "I feel like a Princess!" Which is your favorite? Which one do you think L chose?

J1 decided to try on a couple dresses as well, just for fun. She also looked beautiful!

Don thought I should have tried on a dress or two as well ... maybe next time.

Daddy, these are megetables!

Okay, I admit it. I'm wrapped totally around those cute sticky fingers.

Christmas Through Her Eyes ...

Halloween

We had a GREAT Halloween weekend this year. It all started with our ward Chili Dinner and Trunk or Treat on Friday. On Saturday, Eagle Mountain City sponsored a "Trick or Treat Village" at the park, so most of the kids stocked up on some candy there.

Sunday was a day of rest before the mad dash for candy on Monday.

Halloween was crazy! Mondays are "Early Out Day" which means the kids all get out of school about an hour earlier than normal. So, after all the school/class parties were over and L and J1 were home on the bus at 1:45, I picked up the rest of the kids and we headed to inContact for Trick or Treating at Don's office. From there, we headed down to Provo to Trick or Treat at Great Grandma's house ... and the kids went around her neighborhood a bit. Finally, we returned home in time to hand out the last of our candy to the kids in our neighborhood ... and the boys headed out trick or treating again in our neighborhood!!

This is how we all felt at the end of the evening ...

"Yummy-licious"

I love how Lil Miss doesn't just eat food, she experiences it!!

First Date Masquerade

L went on her first date to the Homecoming Masquerade Dance at Westlake High School on September 24.

We did a French twist and put curlers in her hair the night before to get her ready for the big dance.

Her hair turned out beautiful and she wore my dress from my senior prom.

I left to go to SLC for the General Relief Society Meeting while Don, J1 and the boys served dinner to L and her date and three other couples prior to being their chauffeur to the dance.

Where were you ...

I remember very clearly where I was the day terror shook the world. My good friend Catherine Giambattista had asked me to babysit her daughter while she went to the doctor. I had just turned on the TV to find something for the kids to watch and I was distracted by a news update about a plane that had crashed into one of the twin towers in NYC. As I watched the news update, all cameras glued to the burning building, I saw another plane enter the frame and crash into the other tower. Horrified, I ran to my computer and sent an IM to Don at work. "Two planes have crashed into the World Trade Center towers!!"

I couldn't believe what I had seen! It was incredible. But it didn't end there. Soon there were reports of other planes that had lost contact with control towers. Then a plane smashed into the Pentagon. And another into a field in Pennsylvania. My hands shook. My heart pounded. I hugged my children close, prayed and kept watching the news as the events of the day unfolded.

Don was a volunteer firefighter at the time. He volunteered with many others in his department to travel to NYC to help with the rescue/recovery efforts. I was scared to let him go, but proud of him for volunteering. None of the guys from his department ended up going.

It was strange to look up into the sky and NOT see any planes for several days after 9/11. The world seemed strangely quiet. The candles on front porches at night and the flags flying everywhere united friends and neighbors together.

Today, 10 years later, we sang "America The Beautiful" as our closing song in Sacrament Meeting. As we were singing, my eyes filled with tears just as they did on the Sunday following that fateful day when we stood in our sacrament meeting and sang the same song. I thought of those who lost their lives on 9/11 as well as the many soldiers who serve our country and those who have given their lives trying to restore some security to this crazy world. Saying "Thank You" doesn't seem to be enough, yet I lack to words to properly express my gratitude to those brave men and women who have done so much to protect my freedom. I will never forget.