Metal Mouth...

 I thought she looked fine!  But the orthodontist thought differently.  Well, hopefully he will enjoy his all-inclusive trip to wherever we have paid for him to go with all the metal that went into this mouth!

 She now has an expander on the top and I'm not sure what the contraption on the bottom is called.

Just like magic, it is in and will stay there for an entire year while we turn the key 10 times each month to make this large mouth even bigger??? 

She smiled through the entire ordeal and now her face is transforming with each turn.  She sounds like Darth Vador everytime she attempts to suck food out of her expander and rarely eats bread, it gets way stuck!  One great thing...she had no choice but to stop biting her fingernails, now she has the most beautiful nails we had no idea were even there!  When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!

Visit from Mom and Dad

 We had the fabulous opportunity of having mom and dad visit with us for 2 whole weeks!  They took care of Dallin and Carley while Taylor and Laurie went to Girls Camp, they watched Laurie melt-down as she prepped for mega youth conference, they went to Cedar Point and rode roller coasters they never imagined even existed, and they went to the islands of Lake Erie among other things.  It was a great time (for us at least)!

 They look like Cedar Point naturals! 

 I never thought in a million years we would get mom or dad on this monster.  This is Millennium Force.  It lasts 2 minutes, goes 93 miles per hour, the first drop is 300 feet at an 80 degree angle!  And they did it!  I did badger them quite a bit, and did give them opportunity to bail, but they didn't.  I'm so proud of you!  And secretly, I think you are proud of yourselves too! 

 He paid me to do this!

 On the fairy bound for the Lake Erie Islands.  We rode a golf cart around the island of Put in Bay.  We enjoyed the history and scenery and food of this quaint little island.

 I think they enjoyed this day way more than the day at Cedar Point, but it is a memory never to be forgotten!  You never know what to expect when you come for a visit with the Busch's.

It was a great opportunity to practice driving in a golf cart for Taylor.  She even got a parallel parking lesson from her dad.
We enjoyed your visit mom and dad!
Love you!

YC 2012

It was amazing!  Taylor and I just returned from the best Youth Conference experience ever.  10 Stakes from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Virginia, and Kentucky.  Over 800 youth attended and over 1,000 were there counting all the adults.  It was major work, but oh so rewarding!

Taylor had the awesome experience of having dinner with Elaine Dalton and the other Youth Committee members for this youth conference.

Sister Dalton even stayed in the dorms with us!  Here she is pictured with Taylor's YC family.  We had the entire campus of Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.

These were Taylor's roommates.  One was from Cleveland Stake, the other 2 from Pittsburgh Stake.  She was a little nervous going into this experience without knowing any of her roommates, but I kept telling her it was preparing her for BYU.

This was Taylor's YC family, with the boys included this time.  She made some great friends that she will probably see again in college.  It was a fabulous time.

Summer Days...

 Looks like the girls are pretty proficient in getting buckled into their bumper cars...but

 their father is another story altogether!!!!

 This is the most fabulous roller coaster in the world!  It is my favorite.  Brent, I think you could handle this one, it is worth a try!

 Of course, we have to treat ourselves while at Cedar Point and see how much of a mess we can make.  I spilled red on Tim's leg, it actually stained his leg!  Can you imagine what it does to your insides?  But oh so good!

And of course the Dragster...Carley screams for 17 seconds straight, what an awesome ride!
Come visit so we can take you too!

We Love Cedar Point...

We splurrged and purchased season passes to Cedar Point this year.  Why not???  We had to drag Carley, and I mean literally drag her, on her first big roller coaster.  I did feel bad about doing it, but now we are all glad for that drag!  She loves every one of them and has even mastered the Dragster without 17 seconds of non-stop screaming!  We are in line for the Millenium here, it is my favorite!  This is the only one I can keep my hands up the entire time!

Lunch break.  The kids want to make of goal of going every week this summer.  We will see how that goes!

Dolls...

 We had a fun mother-daughter outing a few weeks ago to an American Girl Doll Tea Party.  All the girls brought their dolls and we enjoyed a fashion show debuting all the American Girl Doll clothes and of course we had the opportunity to see all the dolls that are for sale and their many, many accessories.

 I LOVE the fact that they still play with dolls.  Girls after my own heart!  They also turn Carley's room into one giant Barbie house with different rooms and elaborate set-ups.  That sounds pretty familiar doesn't it mom?  And when I ask them to pick it up, they say, "But we spent hours setting this gorgeous house up, how can you expect us to clean it up?  We will play with it again tomorrow!"

 This whole thing was Sister Rieger's idea.  I think she would love an American Girl Doll of her own.

 The tea-party size meal.  Very fun!

 Kit had a special hair-do and outfit for the occasion.

I think the dolls really enjoyed themselves!  I know we did too. 

Sweet Sixteen...YIKES!!!

 On May 19th, 1996, this wonderful spirit entered mortality for Tim and I to love and care for and raise in the gospel, that she may work out her life here and return to her Heavenly Father.  That was 16 years ago.  There have been bumps and potholes that Tim and I have bumped over and fallen into, and I am sure there are many more to come, but I am so very proud of this beautiful young woman as she turned 16 a few weeks ago.  We have spoken of goals lately and shed tears together.  We are usually friends except when she doesn't get her way and I get moody and obnoxious!

 These are her fabulous friends whom I dearly love too!  They came for  Taylor's surprise party and celebration.

 Of course we had the normal open presents, have cake and ice cream time.  And she really wanted a car for her 16th birthday, which she knew wasn't going to happen, but her dad came up with another really awesome surprise to compensate for the absence of a car.

 At 8:00pm sharp, we heard a honk in the driveway....who could that be?  Tim the limo driver whisked these girls away to the life of luxury for the evening.  He took them Putt-Putting and then to Cold Stone for a treat and then cruising for a few hours while they enjoyed their non-alcoholic beverages on ice!  Now, that is a 16th birthday to remember. 

Happy Birthday my beautiful daughter!  Remember the goals you have set and never let life divert you from them!  Stick to what you know and have been taught and you will be just fine!  Call Uncle Brent often because he is one person who can always set you straight!!!!!  Love you!