Homecoming Weekend

 Well, she finally turned 16 and went to her first Homecoming.  What an event it was!  She was chosen by her classmates to be on Homecoming Court, what an honor.

 Finding the dress was another story...painful with many tears involved because there was nothing modest at all!  We bought this dress and added all the pink/black to lengthen and cover as much as we could without making it looked altered.  My plan for a sleeve just didn't turn out as expected, but I am so grateful for a mom who insisted I learn how to sew, boy did that skill come in handy!

 Tim's truck was the Junior Homecoming float, decked-out with the tropical theme of course. 

 Followed by the Junior Homecoming court.  She was thrilled to be riding in a Mustang (the very car of her dreams).

 Sorry, we stink at photography from far away, but this is the Junior Homecoming Court introductions.  Dallin is somewhere in the band behind her playing his saxophone.

 And finally the night of homecoming arrived.  Brennan took her with a group of 5 other couples. 

 The anticipation and fun before the dance was more fun than the actual event, but I'm sure she will want to do it again next year.  Hopefully I can convince her to go with her dad or with Dallin as her date. 

My girls!

Late Night Photo Shoot

It's a Thursday night, 3 of the 4 have just returned from duck hunting, 2 of the 4 still have homework, the garbage needs to be taken to the curb, but it's only 9:30, so let's procrastinate a little longer.  Love these moments!

The Changing Season...

How can you tell when Fall arrives?  You can always tell at our home, these 3 are constantly in hunting mode.

Fall is the only time that my Zinnia's actually look healthy, just before the bitter nights turn them brown.

Soccer season winds down.  These 2 seem to blossom more each season.  Carley realized she was a pretty talented player with extraordinary moves.

Dallin was in demand and played for 2 teams.  The high school soccer coach is looking forward to his Freshman year.

Time to whack everything out of the flower beds.

Baseball champions smile for their winning season.  This crew went all the way this year!

Sunglasses are put safely away and summer vacations for treasured memories.

And we wait for these beautiful ocassions to come again next year.

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!