The Wilcox Family

Ringing in the New Year the same old way, in bed at 10. The kids quietly downstairs whispering good wishes to each other. Ha! In my dreams! Happy New Year to all! We undecorated today. Always sad to put it all away. Nice to have the house back in order. The cat is sad to see the tree go away. She liked sitting under it. Ann was especially helpful today. She totally rocked the Wii tennis world. Emily and Mary did all of my errands for me. Thanks! Chris cleaned the visitors bathroom. Mike carried boxes up and down the stairs.

We arrived home safely, and I think we are all glad to be home, especially Kitty. Ruff is happy, but dogs don't hold grudges, and we are his masters and he loves us! Jana Graham Photography did the family photo and I can hardly wait to see them! She did a Senior Session for Emily and pics of the kids, just the girls, each kid individually, the parents and the whole family. It was COLD, but it was fun! So glad the new year is here. Things to look forward to in 2010: Emily graduates from College; Mary graduates from High School! Family Reunion in June with the Wilcoxes. Emily and Mary are pushing for a trip to Hawaii, I think we'll just send them! Who knows what else is in store, but it should all be wonderful. We'll wait and see what life throws at us. Ann looked cute today with her hair straightened! We all decided that getting gussied up takes us way too much time!

First, on Sunday, we went to visit my cousin Daryn. He recently acquired a quilt that our Great Grandmother, grandmothers and great aunts had embroidered and quilted and I wanted to see it. Now I know from whence my talent comes! Then we went to breakfast. It was fun to see him. Then we went to church. A good sacrament meeting at the Anaheim 4th ward. Then we went to the Disneyland Christmas Parade and saw the taking down the flag ceremony and a few bands play before the parade! Then we watched a couple of movies in the room. On Monday we knew it would be our last day in the park so we planned accordingly. We made a list of must do's and rides to repeat, and then started bright and early at 9 a.m. Let me see if I can remember everything. Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, Jedi Training Academy, Space Mountain, shopping, eating, Sleeping Beauty Castle, what else? Oh, in California Adventure we did Soaring over California, Californ...

Oh my goodness, yesterday we started off running and didn't stop until quite late! We got to the park at 9:00 a.m. in Tomorrowland and spent the morning in Disneyland. We did so many things I don't know if I can list them all. Space Mountain, Star Tours, The Buzz Lightyear ride, The Matterhorn, and more. Then we had lunch at the Rain Forest Cafe. Nice to sit for an hour. Then we went to California Adventureland where Mike, Chris, Emily and I rode THE TOWER OF TERROR. We got on because Chris survived it yesterday, so we thought it would be super easy. WRONG. Holy cow! I didn't think I was going to be able to walk off the ride I was shaking so hard! :0) It was fun. We rode the Micky Mouse Ferris Wheel in a swinging gondola, which we renamed the Mickey Mouse Wheel of Terror! :0) We did the Toy Story ride. We did the tortilla factory tour and the sourdough bread tour, I can't even remember what all we did. The lines are long. There are millions of people, o...

We got out of bed at 6 a.m. Thanks, Chris. Santa was good to us this year. We opened presents. I made a really good quiche recipe that had a hash brown crust. Got the recipe out of the newspaper in Caldwell, Idaho. Then we packed, in between hunts on the new Big Game Hunter for Wii, and headed out the door at 10 a.m. for the airport. Brought the kids to sunny California! Spent the afternoon at Disneyland. We did lovely rides like the Teacups and Dumbo and Pinnochio, which broke down and we had to walk out. We all rode the Thunder Mountain! It is really nice to be all grown up, we buddied up, Mary was my buddy, and we were all able to ride the rides together. No one had to sit out with the short kid, or the stroller! Chris and Mike did the Hollywood Tower of Terror. I think I'm gonna try it today! I will be wearing my contacts today because yesterday while Mary's hands were in the air on Thunder Mountain she bumped into me and knocked my glasses askew and I had to...

Christopher made this bookcase for Michael for Christmas! We've kept it a secret for days and days. We had a lot of help from Jack Loveland, a man in our ward with power tools. Chris glued and screwed it together and stained it. Special thanks to Gordon for helping us think through the plans and make only one trip to the Home Depot! Yay for Chris and a little shout out to the mother!

Emily dug out her flute and Mary grabbed her violin and they played Christmas carols. It was beautiful. Mary is quite accomplished with that violin. She can sit down at the piano and play beautifully, and it leaves the rest of us wondering. How does she do that so easily?

I am now officially ready for Christmas. It was important to get it done so I can go to Idaho this weekend and not fret about things left undone. I am off to Idaho to Ellen's wedding. Emily is driving up from Salt Lake and we will drive through the frigid cold together in her little Toyota. I hope she lets me run the heater! :0) I am flying to Boise. Instead of taking eleven hours, it will only take five! Yay! Kids are doing well. Mike is doing well. I am doing well. Mary is applying to Universities all over the US and Emily will be applying for jobs soon. Two graduates in one year, oh my. Just a note, spread the word, our Christmas cards aren't going out until the New Year because we are having a family picture taken on December 30. Yay! I do feel bad about not sending out cards, but I do enjoy sending a picture every year. I'm glad we are still hearing from friends and family far away.

Mary played with her teacher, Laura Dalbey, at a retirment center on Sunday afternoon. Here's an attempt at uploading video. Incidentally, this video was shot with Mary's cool new phone she got for her 18th birthday.

It is supposed to be COLD tomorrow, and Chris's team has a game. He can't play because he broke his thumb at Wednesday's practice. He is now sporting a green cast with his thumb extended. A permanent thumbs up sign! Do I want to go support the team in the freezing cold. No, but I probably will! In the afternoon I'm going to be scrapbooking. I spent the day today printing out pictures from 2009. My goodness, there are WAY more than I thought there would be. I'm sure I won't get it done in a whole afternoon! Ann drives tomorrow morning and Mary takes the SAT. Good luck to both!

Chris competed in forms and free fighting. He didn't medal in forms, but he did get a SILVER MEDAL in free fighting. Ok, he won the first round because the other kid didn't have a groin cup, but he fought the gold medal winner and did really well and was able to place some good kicks and had some really great blocks. Yay Chris! Of course, I forgot the camera, but Kyle Wassmer had his and he's going to give us pictures. PS I highly recommend "The Cody" hotel. It was quite nice and quite reasonably priced. The free breakfast was delish.

I love football and I love watching Chris play. They won last night under the lights, I think it was 42-0. At the end, they let the losing team have the ball repeatedly at the 20 to give them some experience, I presume, and possibly some hope. Because my life is so busy, I never remember to take the camera to get some photos to post. Next game, maybe. I took Mary to the airport so she could fly to Salt Lake City to visit the U and Emily. She's spending today at the U Honors program visiting campus. I hope she likes it. I'm sure she and Emily will have a blast. They get to go to Conference tomorrow afternoon! Chris, Ann, Mike and I are headed to. . .CODY, WYOMING, for a Tae Kwon Do tournament. Yay. Chris will be free fighting, competing in form, and also helping to run the tournament. By that I mean he's a gopher in a red belt! I wonder if I'll take the camera to Cody? I am going to an all day crop next Saturday. I haven't printed or put pictures in an al...

I just created a website where you can view Mary's Senior Pictures!!! Take a look. She's a beautiful girl. http://marysseniorpics.shutterfly.com

We went to Laurel, Montana for the 4th of July parade. We, of course, forgot sunscreen, but happened to sit across the street from the Graham's and the Yates' families and they had sunscreen. Thanks! Mary missed a spot on her arm and forgot to do her neck. Poor dear. After the parade we went home and lounged about. We went back to Laurel for the fireworks which were really great and lasted over an hour. Though we did leave about ten minutes before they were over which was a big traffic bonus! Mike was hiking the Tahoe Rim Trail with his brothers and Ann was hanging out in Reno with her grandparents.

I think this is a really cute picture of Emily and Christopher. They are in the Buckley's back yard. They have such a unique bond. Maybe because they shared a room when Chris was a baby and Emily was 10. Oh boy! There's nothing like chronological order, is there? Here are some photos of May. Christopher had a recital at which he performed beautifully! We went to Idaho for Memorial Day. We got to spend a lot of time with Grandma and Grandpa. We went into the desert and shot the .22's. Everyone got to shoot and it was a lot of fun! We also got to go to Porter and Kelsey Buckley's open house to celebrate their March marriage.

Mary really wanted to make Ann a cake shaped like a tennis ball. Since they were both sick on June 3, we had to put it off. I think that Mary did a great job with the cake and Ann finally got to blow out a candle!

Today we visit Dr. Lewallen for the last time, for follow-up on the broken arm of January 3, 2009. Yay!

Okay, so she had to wear a mask to open her presents, and she wasn't allowed to blow out candles. We didn't even bother to do a special dinner--we had beef soup. When she's better. . .we'll really celebrate!

Gotta get a May Post in! May was fun. I went to SLC to get Emily from the U. We went to Idaho to see Grandma and Grandpa Garcia and to meet Porter's new bride, Kelsey. Plus we got to have dinner at Betsy's house. Always an honor! In spite of the long drive, both ways, it was a fun trip. Mary and Ann finished up Senior High Tennis and Mary lettered. Woot! Chris and Mary both had end of the year recitals. Chris on the Piano and Mary on the violin. I wish I was capable of posting video. Alas, I am not. [insert sad face here.] I'm glad all of my little chickadees are back in the nest for a moment!

We ended up in Great Falls because Mike had to teach an ATLS class there for two days. We went to the Lewis and Clark Discovery Center and the CM Russell Museum. Both were absolutely fantastic. In fact, I think Montana might have the best museums in the nation! These are the kids dressed in period Lewis and Clark costumes. They had a great time while Mike and I read every plaque in the joint! I think Great Falls would be a nice place to visit in the summer. The river is right there and there seems to be a lot of outdoor activities. We saw a guy kayaking in the freezing cold river while it was snowing and the wind chill was -12! We did see the movie, "Coraline" while we were there. We enjoyed it. Though the weather was bitterly cold, we did have a great time. I always enjoy spending time with my family. They are soooo funny, and fun! We sent a postcard to Emily everyday from every museum that we attended. We had a good time picking out the postcards and stickin...

The second day in Helena, we went to Deer Lodge to see the old State Penitentary. It was really cold and we froze, but we enjoyed the tour. Along with the Old State Pen, there is a car museum that has over 150 automobiles from the beginning to recent cars. Very cool. Then we went back to Helena and rode the merry-go-round, I wonder why there aren't any pictures of that? We visited a great discovery center, then we went to the movie. I think we saw "Paul Blart, Mall Cop." Top Left: Mike building with blocks; Ann's finished building; Chris flying a simulator. Middle: Me, using brain waves to move an object; Chris and Ann downtown Helena. Bottom left: Chris and Ann at Deer Lodge; Mike Building; Me and Ann using our brains; Mike building; Ann building. Weird, no pictures of Mary on this day. Hmmm.

We had Spring Break the very first week of March which lends itself to great skiing, but not great touring if you decide to tour Montana. It was cold and the wind was brisk and we froze from the car to the museum/hotel/restaurant, but we did manage to have a good time. Our first stop was Bozeman where we visited the Museum of the Rockies. A great museum indeed, but we didn't take any pictures. We stayed at the C'Mon Inn in Bozeman which is quite nice. It was our second time staying there. We intended to go to Lewis and Clark Caverns but contrary to popular belief, the caverns are only open May through October. Probably because it is warmer in the cavern than it is outside! So, we moved on to Helena. These pictures are of Helena. I'll do a second posting for the other photos because I can't figure out how to add more to this post. Beginning at the photo top left, that's us in the Legislative chamber. Chris is at the podium. Then a dinosaur figure in the ...

I'm trying to improve the smokey eyes look. I'm trying to do the straightner ringlets. On the cool side. I took these pictures in the mirror and didn't get the camera in the photo.

A-!

Mary and Ann participated in the Junior Frostbite this weekend. They didn't win, but they got some great experience and had some fun. Here are some photos, I couldn't use the flash, and we all know how steady my hand is.

I recently had to scan some photos into the computer. This is Mike. He's just so adorable!

And, I managed to collect 8 pounds of dog poop. We are considering not feeding the dog. BWA HA HA HA HA! Got the ice off the driveway. Tomorrow's predicted high: 36. Sad Face.

Finally, a beautiful, warm day, with hardly a breeze. On the way to school this morning, Chris slipped on the ice that is on our North facing driveway. He landed on his RIGHT arm. I took him to the doc and we had an xray and he didn't break his arm, but he did see the physical therapist, and got some exercises to do to help him straighten and bend his arm fully. I'm off to clean up dog poop. I put salt on the ice a few hours ago, maybe I can push it into the sun and it will melt and leave a thin layer of ice that will be even more dangerous than a thick layer! I love warm sunshine!

Me and Chris Bornes Me and Tove (before hair and makeup) No, no one in the family is getting married! My friend, Chris Bornes, invited me to be a Mother-of-the-Bride model in the KULR8 Wedding Preview. It was my third year. I wasn't as scared this year and, as Chris says, "You're just a hanger, no one is looking at you, they're looking at the clothes." It makes me feel so much better. I had a fun time.

  Chris managed to turn 10, open his presents, blow out his candles and eat cake with a broken right arm! Good for you, Chris!

At the beginning of winter it would be a good idea, when shoveling snow, to throw the snow as far as possible from the edge of the driveway. As it snows and snows and snows, the pile on the side of the driveway gets higher and higher. It is now midwinter and I am tossing snow way over the pile to get it out of the way. This will be a lesson I hope I remember next winter.

 

  I am just getting to print my photos. I love my new photo printer. How nice to crop and fix and then print. Yay!

Christopher and Ann went sledding yesterday. They got one run in. At the end of that run, wham, right into a fence. Christopher broke his arm. He suffered a subklkclklkjdfular fracture. It sounds kind of like radio static when the doctor says it. The break is right above his elbow. They had to do surgery and pin it. He and I spent the night in the hospital. He's doing quite well. We got to the ER by 5:00 p.m. and he was out of surgery and in his room on the pediatric unit by 10:00 p.m. it was nice to be taken care of so quickly and so kindly.

It was quite an exciting time last night as we settled in to watch Utah and Alabama play in the Sugar Bowl. We had Melissa and Remington Townsend (BYU) over with their kids to have tacos for dinner and then watch the game. They have a new baby, Claire, and she got passed around the room among me and my girls, as much as the football did on the screen. Remington did a good job of cheering for the U, after all they are a Mountain West team. We had a great time. Go Utes!