Just One More Time

Well you guys - today is the very last day of voting for the Pepsi Grant that we applied for to support our new company - The ACTD (Adolescent Center for Talent Development).  We have had to fight for a spot in the top 10 all month (the ideas in the top 10 at midnight tonight win the grant)!  We are at number 9 right now.  24 hours ago we slipped to number 11.  So, here is my plea --  please vote for us one more day.  Help us hold our number 9 spot for 17 more hours.  We can do it with your support!  I know it's possible.  Thanks so much for the love.

Click here to vote:

ACTD

instructions:  1)SIGN IN:  look for the "sign in" button on the bottom left of the page
                     2)  vote (or search for actd in the search bar if you need to) and then vote

EASY PEASY!

Thanks again,

Michelle

Awards!

I am so proud of my kids!  They are good students and hard workers. 

Marissa recieved a special honor that was presented to her in the school assembly.  She was one of three students in the whole school to recieve an "Excellence in Math" award.  For those of you that remember her hatred for math at the beginning of the year (and the havoc it created in our home), you realize what a big deal this is.  She has come a looooooong way this year in math, and may even consider it nearly her favorite subject now.  : )  We are SO proud!

And Aaron received the "Best Musician" award.  No surprise there.  He was suppose to play "Mission Impossible" in the school talent show on the last day of school, but ended up with strep throat and had to miss it.  Strep throat again, you say?  YEP.  That would be FOUR freaking times since February for Aaron and strep throat this year.  He's going to see an ear, throat, and nose (whatever they're called) specialist in June ... aaaaand he may need his tonsils taken out.  Bless his heart.  He was so sad to miss that performance.  I'll be recording him playing it for us all soon. 

He also received the Presidential Fitness award.  We are so proud of him for that!!  I only earned that once when I was in school.  It was dang hard to earn.  Marissa was in shock that it was signed by Obama ... she just couldn't even get her jaw off the ground.  :D!  Pretty cool, Aar-Bear!

And my Kryssie-roo.  She has graduated from Pre-school (more pics to come)!  She has come SOOOO far this past year, and we are very proud of her.  She earned the "Excellence in Writing" award.  She makes the cutest letters and we have hope that we might have at least one child with good handwriting!  Good job, Krystal!

Summer is here!  Summer is here!  Hip-Hip Hooray!  Summer is here!!!

Don'tcha Know?

The other day ...

Aaron rode his bike to school.  He then ran 3 miles (to contribute to his 100 that he wanted to complete this year at school).  Then he rode his bike home from school.  After a quick snack and some chores, he headed out to skate the trail with some friends.  He's only been riding his skateboard for a month or so, so this was quite the feat.  When he came home just in time to leave to my mom's for dinner, he plopped in the car and said,

"Ahhhhhh - I'm so grateful for cars!  If I had to walk to grandma's house right now, there is NO way I would make it.  Seriously, Mom - cars are amazing.  Whoever invented cars is a genius!  I wonder who DID invent cars??"

Krystal piped up immediately (with her sassy, know-it-all voice):

"DU-uh.  Je-sus!"

Aaron's response:

"oh yeah."

:)  Of course.  Don'tcha know?

Minute to Win It

We are huge fans of the new game show on NBC called "Minute To Win It". I will be very surprised if all of you out there haven't seen it. AwesomeLAND! haha. Anyway - M is putting together a Minute to Win It party for the Millers/Jensons/Jacksons, and we are so excited. We've been practicing. Just look at our awesomeness! :D

Stacking 3 golf balls in under a minute: 

Aaron rocked the house in under a minute on his first try for this one:

Uuuuuhhhhh ... so we gave the 5 year old a little more than a minute:
(ya gotta just love that continual giggle!)

So fun.  We can't wait for the party!

We will never get used to it ...

... the hospital visits, that is.

It's really a love/hate relationship.  #1 - The hospital can make my baby better, but the IV and tests, poking and prodding are the torture chamber. #2 - The hospital staff are absolutely amazing.  SO. NICE.  They shower Krystal with blankets, gifts, special paintings on her door - it's really like a child's dream - the attention she's given.  But, the reality is that she doesn't feel good.  She's really, really sick.  So, there is no excitement for all the wonderful-ness.  #3 - They have a cool playroom, and when she's feeling up to it - she really has fun there.  But, her play is limited because she's attached to an enormous pole with a tube in her arm.  #4 - She gets better and her winning smile returns ... a little more every hour, but she still just wants to go home ... 

...home sweet home.  I made Marissa and Aaron stay home from school today so we could just be together. They made oatmeal playdough, are playing video games, and just enjoying each other.

Tyler, Melynda, and I were talking around Krystal's hospital bed (her eyes were closed, so we thought she was asleep) ... and just talking about the "what if's" and "how in the world's" and "what the h****'s" involved with Krystal getting so sick.  And I said, "the hospital just ...."  and Krystal piped right in with a "... it sucks!"  :)  Now, while I don't usually condone that kind of language (despite my own bad habits) - we all had to just chuckle and cry all at once, because really - she just couldn't have summed it up better.

And another thing we'll never get used to (time goes by SOOOO quickly), but enjoy IMMENSELY ----> birthdays!  Here's the rest of Krystal birthday pictures: 

Birthday party at the Millers:

Excitement flowing over, ya think?

Krystal loves these guys!  Marie, Krystal, Anaka

(I love Krystal's flared nostril smile.  Makes me laugh so hard!)

(April birthdays at the Jensons:  Anaka, Ty, Grandma Jenson, Kryssie!)

ACTD in May

So - here's to a new month in the Pepsi Grant Competition!  We are starting off in the TOP TEN .... and to top it off ... we are at NUMBER 4!!!  For those of you that have just kept right on voting through this new month ... thank you thank you thank you!  Keep it up - or start fresh. We've got to stay in the top 10 until May 30th.  Vote every day by clicking on the ACTD icon on the left top of our blog (you can actually vote a 2nd time on facebook by searching for the Pepsi app - so, if your cool ... unlike me who does not have a facebook page ... vote there as well!)  We're trying to get more support throughout the community and we've made some "voting friends" that are also competing for the grants and hopefully that will help too.  Maybe I'll even get to some more normal posts this month.  :)  Love you ALL!!