Momma turned the big 60, and we had a family dinner to celebrate. We also collected memories from all of our siblings and had my mom guess who had come up with that memory. It was a lot of fun and I think we all agree on a few things about Mom... she is extremely resourceful, handy, a great cook (You want her on your team if the world collapses) and a wonderful example to all of us. We love you Mom! No Ford family party is complete without a QT cup.
One of the scariest things as a parent is when your child gets hurt. After a great experience participating in Grayson's blessing we were enjoying some good old fashioned Payson weather at a family get together. Gus was swinging on a swing set placed precariously next to a low retaining wall. He decided to swing on his belly and suddenly we hear a loud thud. The swing seat came unhooked from the chain and Gus flew head first into the wall. After being unconscious, a Priesthood blessing, tossing his cookies, and an ambulance ride for a hospital visit we were given instructions for taking care of a concussion. Apparently a brain injury is just like any other and requires plenty of rest and time. It's crazy how hard it is to eliminate any mental stimulation for a five year old to give his injury time to heal! No TV, music, games, crowds, or playing in general. Thank goodness for Grandpa and Grandma Bowles who pulled out all the stops and hooked Gus up with some low stimulation toys and coloring activities to keep all of our sanity in check.
After the first month of school down, we decided to take a relaxing vacation to the Bowles' cabin in Heber. It was beautiful and just what we needed. We did a cool drive that took us to several points of interest, like hieroglyphs and an old Indian ruin. Gus also got to choose his own outfittery and settled on a full camouflage ensemble....priceless. Good times for sure.
Several months ago we purchased a Steelcase Tanker desk. This thing definitely lives up to its name! It's big, heavy, made out of steel, and exactly what we were looking for! The table top had a vinyl surface, but was in disrepair. We decided to roll up the old sleeves and try our hand at refinishing the bad boy. After removing the vinyl sheet I had the joy of stripping the old dry adhesive from the desk. My hands were completely dry from all the rubbing alcohol I had to use to clean it properly, but made a nice clean surface to paint. After considering the process of painting it we finally decided to skip the paint and powder coat the thing. The powder coating is definitely worth it and I'm glad we put in the work. The only problem is that the surface is so reflective that our mouse didn't work properly...lesson learned.
The first day of the rest of his life... I swear dropping this kid off at school was far harder for me than it was for him. Gus is in Mrs.Kristin Thiel's kindergarten class at Houston Elementary in Gilbert. We are so excited for all that he will learn. I may have worn glasses the whole day, it was rough. He came home a happy boy though!
The haboob or habreast as Cicily likes to call it, this year was something else! We were minding our own business when we suddenly saw a giant wall of dust heading our way. We did what any sane person would do and set out to find the best possible view of this thing. When it finally reached us it felt like we were teleported to Mars. Everything was covered in a heavy layer of dust for the next couple of weeks.
