It's been a pregnancy since I last wrote....

Got you on the title, huh?
Yes, it is August 24th. Eight whole entire months have passed since I posted a single thing. So much for intentions. I never was very good at those anyway. Thanks to all who have bothered me for months and months to update my blog. I appreciated the guilt.
So, what have I been doing for the past eight months? Since pictures tell a thousand words, let us begin with December...where we left off.
This could take a while...hold on to your seat.

First, the main players:
D'artagnan or Papa Joe or J, the man in my life


Athos


Porthos

Aramis

Why these names? Because they are "All for one and one for all..."

and Lady Pink Parasol or Sugar Princess


Now, the last 8 months in review:
The four gamboozees stood in a line, waiting for the magic to happen.

Christmas presents were wrapped and unwrapped.



I made a mint marscapone pie.


I went to a party at the Queen Bee's house. She took a photo of me.


Some supermodels showed up. (Marilyn Monroe, Fred Astaire, Queen Bee)

I went to a party at the Mati Hara's house...

...and made this.

Which got me thinking about the New Year...and artisan bread.


Aramis wanted Rudolph back

and I wanted more bread.

After all, it was my 39th birthday.


Athos celebrated with having big hair

and a dance concert.

I made more bread


and started to think about Shakespeare costumes from items at the D.I. Notice the jacket's arms are now the legs!

Porthos turned eight!!!!!!!

Aramis' hair grew and grew.

We went bowling for a party.

My lovely son got baptized. I gave a talk about the Holy Ghost. Nothing even bad happened! No TV's landing on people's heads or near drownings. (that happened at Son #1's baptism).

Athos played Joseph Smith in a play.

Porthos played that he was Joseph Smith.

March arrived in all her glory and with it - a daughter's fifth birthday!



Unfortunately, D'artagan's sister passed away in April. We flew to CA and spent time with his family.
These are his fine brothers. Linda will be sorely missed. She was a bright spot in a weary world.

If this had to happen in any time of year, it was good to happen at Easter time. We thought of the atonement and resurrection during that difficult weekend. I am so grateful for the knowledge that we will see Linda again and that through our Savior, we have the promise of eternal life.
There was joy too in children finding Easter Eggs.


Aramis desperately running to find eggs.

My stepmom, Betsy Ross, with an impish grin.

a strapping young man with broad shoulders and a winsome smile invaded the party...oh, and he is my little brother..what shall we call him? How about...Don Quixote?

April caught me playing with curtain shams and such to create Lord Athos, Duke of Deseret Industries. I taught a class on how to make costumes from thin air and using a lot of duct tape at Athos' school. My favorite thing on this costume is taking a pair of black socks and cutting off the feet. Then I took thin, yellow ribbon and tied bells on both sides of the sock legs. Then I just pulled those up over the pants to make leggings. Too cool.

Athos turned 10. We entered the world of double digits. There was much mourning from me and rejoicing from him.

It was time to cut Aramis' hair for the first time. "His browny locks did hang in crooked curls."

Relaxing at the salon.



Sugar Princess' lovely locks were cut for the first time in her life. It was a little rough going for me. She got seven inches cut off.

Smooth and straight!!

We went to Idaho Falls for a day and met with this cute girl named Emily and her wonderful family.

We got caught in a crowd at a park that just happened to be full of people who used to live in Germany during the same time we did.

They children built their house upon a rock. Oh, dear. You can't see the rock they were on! But you can see the "Y" which would make their father very proud and my family develop a twitch.

Aramis likes to dress up in Princess dresses. I normally would not want to share this fact with anyone outside the home, but he looks so dang cute that I can't help myself.

He'll be real proud to have this displayed on his wedding day.

D'Artagnan and the Sugar Princess sharing a moment.

Mother's Day and the Sugar Princess preschool sang us a song and presented a flower.

We're almost to JUNE!!!!!!!! More to come!!!!!!!!
In June, I took an ELOCUTION course from this woman. Boy, could she talk.

I sewed some more Elizabethan costumes. The wedding dress took hours and hours, mostly because I couldn't use duct tape on this one. I think it came out quite lovely.


I got to play Lady in Waiting to a visiting Queen Elizabeth. She handed out the prizes for the Queen Elizabeth Creative Writing Contest, which I created and D'Artagnan sponsored...sigh...if he only knew. Unfortunately, not as many students entered in the younger grades so both my sons won first place in their respective age groups. Hey, its not like I made the rules or anything! Nepotism seems to be alive and well at this school.

Lady Pink Parasol lost her umbrella.

Getting ready for swimsuit season.

You wouldn't believe what I went through to get this picture. My kids and J. were all on board Thomas and I had to wait in a stupid line..minute after minute...just one shot with Thomas....that's all we needed. Let's just say I got on board about 15 seconds before Thomas pulled out of the station...ll for posterity.

















HYRUM! OH, HYRUM!!!!!!!! You are now knighted Sir H.


The Weber cabin is the most lovely place on earth to me. These photos took place in late June.

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A DAY IN THE SPRINKLERS TO BEAT THE HEAT!




I went on a Segullah retreat with lovely women who look like this::::::