The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday.  Since we weren’t shopping and everyone else was, we thought this would be a great day to have a yard sale.  Also, when we lived in our other house downtown, we noticed our neighbors who had a yard sale on this day had a great turnout.

Our sale went great!  It’s surprising how much stuff we have that we never look at.  We bought DVD’s thinking that we’d watch them, but over a year later, they just sit in the shelf collecting dust.  Doreen would love to know how many people came wanting cheap comics!

While we worked hard in the cold for two days, Elizabeth watched TV and had snacks and played in our leaf pile in the front yard.  One time she was playing with some blue painters tape and made herself a beard.  Then she went to Paul and said that she needed to shave, just like daddy.

What about Cameron?  He worked an 18+ hour shift on Black Friday and slept on the Saturday.  He woke up while we were eating lunch (after we had cleared up) and asked, “weren’t you guys going to have a yard sale?”

We went to Las Vegas this week to visit Paul’s family from the UK.  Here is what we came home to:

Here are a few pictures from Cameron’s birthday party, which just happened to be on Elizabeth’s birthday, August 29th.

Cameron has turned 18 on the 27th.  Elizabeth is 2 today.  My niece, Mindy, turned sweet 16 on the 24th.

We decided to have a joint birthday party at Aunt Tammy’s house tonight.  We bbq-ed hamburgers & hot dogs and had plenty of other food to go around.  Tonight also, unfortunately, is the night that Paul & Elizabeth decided to get sick.  Paul caught Cameron’s flu and the princess had a bladder infection.

Everyone seemed to have a great time.  Elizabeth just loved to play with the balloons.

Sorry.  We didn’t take any pictures.

Every Thursday morning, Elizabeth and I go to the  local splash pad in downtown St. George and play in the river.   Other days, we go to the park or just work in the garden.

I try to get Elizabeth out every morning because she then takes a long nap, and also it’s just too hot to go out in the afternoon.  We’d rather not have her cooped up in the house all day long.

In the afternoons, I try to do some other activity to keep her away from vegging in front of the TV.  This is when I run my errands like grocery shopping or going to the post.  It’s been just over a month and so far, we’ve been successful.

Paul has been working full time now that I’m home.  Don’t worry everyone — we’re doing okay financially.  We haven’t even had to touch our savings at all!

Starting Monday, I’ll be volunteering at an “assisted living” (aka: old folks home or OAP).  To keep my sanity, I need to have some time out of the house.

Cameron & Elizabeth are getting quite cozy lately.  She’s constantly wondering where he is.  She wants to talk to him and know what he’s doing at all times.  She’s the first to greet him after he comes home from work.  Well, besides Buster, of course.

Jonathan made a surprise visit today.  We all met at David & Tammy’s new house for pizza.  We were able to have all the grandchildren gather for this rare photo opportunity.  Poor Cameron towers over all his cousins.

Left to Right:  Stephanie holding Justin (I think), Jessica, Cameron holding Elizabeth, Mindy holding Adam, Naomi, Tiffany (folding arms).   In the front is Emily, Sage, Dalton, David, Ryan, and Jason.

Funny new words:  “cool”  “wow”  ”ummmm…. no”   “choo-choo”     also, everything we say nowadays seems to be repeated.  Elizabeth is trying really hard to talk lately.  She now knows more words than sign language, but we still use the signs quite a bit. 

We’re struggling with sleepless nights.  She’s still waking up occassionally during the night because she’s starving to death.   What I mean is, not every night, but at least a few nights during the week…  she needs to have milk and a peanut butter sandwich.  Then she’s been waking up anywhere between 6 and 7am.  *yawn*  We’re ready for a nice lay in when nanny comes to visit.

Everyone is asking for an update on Cameron.  Since graduation, I have hardly seen the boy.   He’s home long enough to dump the dirty laundry, shower and then he’s gone again — sometimes for a few days at a time.

My little baby boy graduated Dixie High School today.  Doesn’t he look handsome in his cap & gown?  Mom & Dad drove down for the 8am progam, as did Eric, Cynthia & Emily [pictured below].  After the ceremony, he had a few hours of leisure before setting off to Southern California for his Senior Class Trip.

All the crankiness has paid off with another new tooth. We didn’t notice this tooth until it was nearly full in, though. Elizabeth is still teething and is a “miserable git” during the process. I’m not sure which tooth is next as when I put my finger in to check, she bites me REALLY hard.

Elizabeth’s new word is “gogo”. This girl loves to ride in the car and go shopping and just ‘go’ anywhere. Sometimes she gets into the stroller by herself and waits.

I almost forgot to mention what happened during my latest trip to Target.   The manager thought Cameron was my younger brother!!!  YES!!  Paul thinks they shouldn’t employ people are nearsighted.

A haircut for my 17 year old and one for my 17 month old. It was harder to get a picture of Cameron than Elizabeth! We only cut about an inch off the bottom of Elizabeth’s hair. It took both Paul & I to hold her down, which is why we don’t have any good ones of her at the hairdressers.