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My mother was born on September 2nd so this year (as pointed out by Robin) her birthday is 90210. She loves celebrating birthdays. Growing up my twin sister and I always had the biggest birthday parties. We always were in separate classes, (I think the teachers were afraid that we would cheat, probably rightly so) my mom would have us invite the entire two classes. We would have every theme imaginable in the 80's and 90's. We had a Clue birthday party, Ghost Busters, Freaky Friday, backwards party (where everyone wore their close backwards), a bunch of St. Patrick's Day parties, they were always a ton a fun. So of course my siblings and I wanted to make a huge party for her. For over a year we had kept her surprise cruise a secret, a year, that was rough! She new she was going to Florida with my Dad when they stepped on the plane, she didn't know that we were going to meet her 2 days later and that we all would be going on a western Caribbean cruise. This is a video of her being surprised :)






It was a great week! I love my family so much, they are all people I genuinely love, and I know I would be friends with them even if we weren't family :) Thanks Mom for giving us a reason to celebrate!

First day of school and I am not there!

Benjamin and I missed the first day and first 6 days of school, what awesome parents we are. We surprised my my mother for her 60th birthday with a cruise with her children and our spouses (more on that in another post). My Dad was in on the surprise how he kept it a secret from her shows his talent for sneekary. We had this cruise scheduled a year in advance, when we didn't know if we would be in Benson, TUSD or another district, so we had to make a stab in the dark as to what week to cruise. My siblings who knew their schedules chose the week and we rolled with it. I must say a tear was shed over missing Holman's first day of kindergarten.

Lucky for Benjamin and I, and our kids, Grandma Babs was available. I couldn't ask for a better person to watch the kids. We even left little Anna, but knew she was in VERY capable hands. We are fortunate to live very close to Benjamin's parents, we don't even have to get on a main street to get there, they are right in the neighborhood. Our kids really are fortunate to truly know their Grandparents. So if we must ditch the kids for 10 days Grandma's house is the place to do it. Heck she knows their elementary school because a goodly amount of her kids went there. We couldn't have gone on this once and a life time trip without her service, what can I say she is a saint! I need to mention Grandpa Ronnie, Bekah Mae and Danny also helped with our crew, we sure appreciate them!! These are the pics they took for us on their first day.







Holman Jackson Howe 5 years old
1st day of kindergarten














Olivia Jane Howe 7 years old
1st day of 2nd grade







Isabella Jules Howe 9 years old
1st day of 4th grade
















Parkin Joshua Howe 3 years old
almost first day of preschool :)









Thanks again Barbara and Ron we really appreciate you. I am in constant awe that you raised 10 children, 10 first days of kindergarten, 10 kids to potty train, 10 kids to help graduate, 10 kids to.......

Do other families have poop stories?

I heard my little one cooing in her bedroom and went to go get her, I love picking her up first thing in the morning. I open her door and instantly I am accosted by the most foul smell imaginable. I am surprised that she is even conscious in that stench. The culprit... a blown out diaper. Once that door was opened the house was flooded with its putrid aroma. The kids ran to see what had disturbed their nostrils. I took AJ into the bathroom to give her a bath and when I came out I went to her room and this is what was posted on her door:



















My seven year old wrote " Danger do not enter without breathing equipment baby let out a poop bomb." That says it all.

Is there a bottom to this pit?!!

Disclaimer: This is the rantings of an upset pushed around consumer, please note that this is not her typical outlook on life, but rather a glimpse into her breakdown over how this messed up economy has influenced this otherwise cheerful person.


Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! I am so incredibly irritated at Flagstar Bank and our Insurance company, I could scream. The lovely Flagstar bank charged us 2500 dollars back in April for home owners insurance on our property in Benson. This is the same bank that stopped our funding for our house because the market crashed and the built in equity crashed as well so it became a "risk" that they didn't want to take. So to add salt to our wounds they charged us home owners insurance for a house that doesn't exist. Meanwhile our insurance company sent the appropriate documents stating that it was vacant land and that our home owners insurance for our Tucson home covered out vacant land in Benson, but this insurance company sent those documents to our mortgage company not Flagstar bank. The madness!!!! In the meantime I have gotten at least four phone calls a day from the collection department from Flagstar asking why I haven't made my payments. I make my payments two weeks early, but I refuse to pay extra for insurance for a house that was never built!!! I have been switched to four different departments in Flagstar trying to rectify the situation but the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing. Meanwhile the phone still rings, I see the name Flagstar on the caller ID and my blood starts to boil and I want to cry and scream and throw a massive three year old fit screaming Why Why Why!! The madness, thee incompetence!!! Between our incompetent insurance company that sends the document to the wrong location and the labyrinth of departments of Flagstar bank I see no end in sight......I might be changing my phone number and moving to, oh wait I am not going to tell, because they will find me and demand money for services not rendered.... Will this Giant mistake called trying to build a self sustaining farm ever end?............

It aint legal, but its cute!

No kissing was involved, man they look cute. This is a wedding of my son Holman to his cousin Bridgett Holman, the name alone lets you know that it could never happen :) Bella took the photos, Parkin was best man and Olivia was the maid of honor. Parkin looks like he is not ready to give up his Bachelor buddy. Holman loves getting married he has another cousin (Kate) on the other side of the family that he is married to. They haven't had a ceramony, but they love to help each other and say hun, and sweetie a lot. I will have to keep an eye on this Romeo!

Kokopelii Kids PreSchool

Please check out my Kokopelli Kids Preschool website, it is going to be so much fun!! Space is limited so pass the word to friends and family to reserve your child's spot!



www.kokopellikids.blogspot.com

Thanks little Adee

Dear Adee,

All you needed was your own room!!! Who knew that was all that it took for you to sleep soundly during the night. If only I had known I would have put your two brothers and two sisters in the same room and would have given you your own! It has been three weeks since moving back and I have enjoyed a good nights rest every night. Lucky for you our new (old) house has 4 bedrooms and everybody shares but you. You continue to be an absolute joy, no wonder your middle name is Joyce, you make us all want to rejoice! You are such a bright little girl, rolling over early and crawling early, all that practice pays off :) Your hair is quite fun, short in the back with long bangs in the front. Your uncle Aaron has offered to cut it for you, but I want to see how it will unfold. You have two little bottom teeth that make you look so adorable when you smile, I can't help but smile when I pick you up. Your siblings and daddy love you so very much too.

Thanks again little one for letting your mama sleep.

Much Love,
Your mother.