He's Back!! Dinner at Lucilles

Our family's favorite restaurant is Lucille's...whenever there's a family celebration, we go there and order up yummy southern style BBQ delights like tri-tip, smoked chicken, meaty ribs, grilled corn on the cob, cheesy grits, and creamy sweet potatoes. It's a family tradition! I just wish the Bar hadn't kept MY Kevin away!

Dad and Kevin

Mark and Shana...only one week left!

Shana, Mark, and my oldest brother Steve

Me, Stacie, and Kevin (back in normal clothes...looking mighty pale, for him at least)

Steve can never sit still! He was bouncing all over the restaurant waiting for the food to come!

With his little boy, Cody

Like Father like Son!! Cody rather enjoyed all the BBQ, and most of all the pickles!
However, he did NOT like being wiped off with the warm towels by grandma!

He's Back!! The Airport

So, my brother Kevin arrived home on 7-24-09 (at the time my husband Kevin was still in Dallas studying for and taking the Bar)....we went to the airport, picked him up, took tons of pictures, and then spent the day hanging out together. It is so fun to have him around again!

Fresh off the plane!

Always hug your mom first!

Then hug your dad!

Last, but definitely not least, hug the girl who waited 2 years for you!

On the way home, Kevin got a little surprise. Steve, Tracy, and baby Cody were able to not only get on the same flight from Atlanta, but were able to get seats in the same row.

New Buckeye fans!!

Cody-man!

Cody loves his uncle Kevin (both of them!)!

Officially home!

He's Back!! Making Signs

In my family, it gets a little complicated when Kevin and I come home. You see, my little brother's name is also Kevin and my dad's middle name is Kevin...and then when we have big family get togethers, I even have a cousin named Kevin. Well, for the past two years while my little brother has been serving his mission, things have been a lot less confusing...but all that has changed! Kevin, the missionary, is home!

Elder Chapman served faithfully in the Ohio Columbus mission and as good siblings, we wanted to make sure that he got a big homecoming...including signs at the airport. So, we made signs and all wackiness ensued!

Stacie, Mitch, and Shana

Mark and Shana (one week before the wedding)

In the garage...

Making signs!

Mmmm...Yogurtland

Apparently California is enjoying a craze that beats all crazes...self serve frozen yogurt. On every corner, in every shopping center you can now load up on various flavors of frozen yogurt and toppings and pay by the ounce.

The shop owners are sneaky and make sure to give you a HUGE bowl (16 oz) that you will inevitably fill up with flavors such as Madagascar Vanilla, Strawberry Banana, Dutch Chocolate, Coconut, Cheesecake, etc. At $0.30 an ounce (or more, depending on the establishment), you can get a respectable size desert without breaking the bank or the belly (supposedly 8 oz = approx 100 calories).

But, then again, because I have NO self control, every time I go, I get sucked into the management's trap of filling up my enormous bowl and have to pay for every bit of it. As my sister Stacie works at one such establishment aptly named Yogurtland, I am FORCED to eat low calorie frozen goodness almost constantly...life is really rough living at home in California!

Left to Right:

Stacie (my sister), Mitch (her boyfriend), Shana (my then soon to be sister in law), Mark (my older brother), and Jeanette (my mom)

Mark blending into the wall

Stacie and Plumbing

Kevin and I are celebrating the end of the Bar (which goes from July 28-30) with a nice long visit with family, starting with the month of August at my parent's house in California and then September in Cedar City. It is the perfect remedy to months of studying for the Bar and 3 years of Law School.

We are going to have a blast! First on the agenda, we have my little brother, Kevin, coming home from his mission this Friday. Then the next week, my brother Mark is getting married, followed by a cousin's homecoming in Tucson, a trip planned to see my grandmother in Northern California, our week long trip to Aruba (parent's timeshares ROCK!), and then of course time spent at Kevin's cabin up Cedar canyon, visiting the new little Miss Larson (Kevin's sister is having a baby girl in a few weeks!), and trips everywhere in between.

Unfortunately, the Bar does not finish in time for Kevin to join me in California for my brother's homecoming, so I am driving ahead tomorrow. Thankfully, my little sister, Stacie, was kind enough to fly out so she could help me drive back - you're the best, Stacie!

And of course, we had to take Stacie out to our patch of dirt...they've started plumbing!

Kevin thinking, "Only ONE WEEK LEFT until the Bar and then I'm FREE!"

Stick Man Theatre

If you love Twilight (or even if you just tolerate Twilight because your wife loves it) check out this site. They take each of the Twilight series and break it down into scenes of stick figure cartoons and its pretty funny. Check out how they've drawn Edward's hair - classic!

Almost Homeowners!

I know, I know...we told everyone we wouldn't be buying a house for at least a year...for heaven's sakes we even signed a year lease at our apartment! We told everyone we wanted to settle in, save some money, learn the area, and not rush in to anything. Well, just six weeks after moving to "Big D," we signed papers to start construction on a home. Yeah, we know the meaning of patience!

Actually, we were going along quite happily in our cute little apartment until interest rates jumped a point. To say the least, we freaked...what if interest rates jumped to 7, 8, or even 20% like in the Carter years? By golly we were NOT going to miss out on the historically low interest rates, and quite frankly, the $8,000 tax credit for buying a house before Nov 30th isn't a bad incentive either...so we started looking.

It all happened very quickly, to tell you the truth. We drove around looking at houses, we called a realtor, and bada bing bada boom we signed our life away!

We have officially broken ground and will be closing on the house in November. As we had to lie, cheat, and steal to get the money for a down payment, we will not be outfitting our 3500 square foot home with anything but the furniture we have in our one bedroom apartment...at least for the next year or so (I know you've heard that one before, but this time we're serious!).

On our lot before it was grated.

The lot is a little more than a third of an acre cut into a pie shape on a cul-de-sac with a green belt, little lakes, and a walking path behind it. The green belt area means that we will most likely never have anything built behind us - a definite bonus! While the lot is smaller than we had originally looked for, the pie shape keeps most of our property in the backyard instead of wasting it in the front, ensuring PLENTY of space for grass, entertaining, and a pool one day (Kevin's dream!).

This week they have been soaking the lot to get ready to start on the foundation.

Kevin looking into the future and seeing that he will indeed pass the Bar!