Elder Simpson (Udall)

Here is Elder Udall as a Simpson...and suprisingly, i didn't have to make any adjustments. All I did was upload the photo and this is how it turned out! Enjoy!

Simpsonize ME

How would you look as a member of Springfield? This was fun to do during Curtis' nap!

Video Attempt, but no such Luck

I tried to post the video of my sisters and I performing our rendition of "Africa", but I just cannot figure it out. So to satisfy the need to hear this song (or at least hear it in you head) here are the lyrics that we made up to "Africa by Toto".

We feel the love around here tonight.
We’ll each take turns engaging in a final conversation.
He’s leaving on a 10:30 flight
Headed for the MTC to learn about salvation.
After months of learning Portuguese,
Hoping to find some long forgotten words or ancient melodies
They send him off as if to say, Hurry Boy they’re waiting there for you.

CHORUS:
It’s gonna take a lot to keep the mission rules
Don’t drink the water, you’ll get runny poos.
Baptize a town down in Africa
Gonna take some faith to do the things he knows are true.

Living the missionary life
Rising early, praying, reading, serving, loving, teaching.
We know that he will do what’s right
As sure as Kilimanjaro rises above the Serangetti
He’ll seek to change what’s deep inside, helping those around him find the truth.

CHORUS

(Instrumental break)

Hurry boy, they’re waiting there for you

It’s gonna take a lot to bring you home to us
We will be missing you so very much
Sing with the natives down in Africa
May find a black girl down in Africa
Stain a lot of white shirts down in Africa
Wear through some shoes down in Africa
Be the tallest white guy down in Africa
When he comes home, we’re sure to find he’ll be a better man.

First Hair Cut

Shaggy boy! He really needed this one...it was hard to let go at first because he had the beginnings of curls in the back of his head, but it was OUT OF CONTROL. I couldn't maintain the beast any longer. So here are some before and after shots! Who would have thought that he would be so blond? Enjoy!

Cute Boy

Sorry it's sideways, but i just thought this was too cute to wait to figure it out! I'll put up more pictures of these moments later.

Busy but Fun

This week, I have been working with 3rd - 6th graders, and 7th-8th graders on their volleyball skills. It has been so much fun, but stressful. My cousin Sarah has been watching Curtis for me. He loves Sarah! There are few people he will reach for, and she is one of them.
Volleyball camp is wearing me down. My shoulder is not what it used to be and i really need to get it back into hitting shape. I'll be hitting the weight room for the next couple of weeks before we start pre-season training...those two weeks will kill me, but I am so looking forward to it! I plan on working out with the girls and helping them train for the season (you know, showing them how it's done)!
We still have another full week of camp next week with the high school kids, but they (hopefully) wont be as clingy as these younger girls. So Much FUN!

Take me out to the Ball Game

Last night (Saturday the 14th) My dad's company had a party and bought tickets to the Diamondbacks game for all its employees and family members. The entire family (including the Kids) was there. They also fed us dinner. We had decent seats behind left feild about 30 seats from the wall, but we couldn't see the jumbotron. We were too far under the overhang/balcony. We were losing until we left at aobut the 6th inning. Then the D'backs pulled it through. It was so much fun! Thanks Grandpa!

Such a big helper!!

So, my mom has kind of been stressed out with Chris leaving on his mission, me moving in, etc. Plus my mom is one of the busiest ladies I know...she didn't get home last night until 8:30. Anyway, I thought since i am living here now for a while, I would help out around the house. Project 1) Painting the Kitchen...we did this about 3 weeks ago and it looks fabulous. Thanks Leah for the idea.

Project 2) CLEAN the kitchen floors... I mopped a couple of days ago, and it really helped, but i thought it wasn't clean enough. Last night I went to Wal-Mart and bought some cleaning suplies to really get a deap clean in the grout. It makes such a difference!

I don't know what the next project is, but i'm sure i'll figure something out...Maybe i'll paint the family room!

Before the Deep Clean...

And After!!!

"my new favorite toy"

A couple of days ago we were at "Autie Leah's" house and Curtis found this Push-along toy. HE LOVES IT!! Almost too much...I have to hide if from him because he wants to walk with it all the time. But there is one thing about Curtis that you have to understand...He has this competitive nature (who knows where is got that from) where he wants to do everything right the first time! So ever time he runs into a wall, or hits a couch, or gets snagged in the carpet, y'all better watch out cause somethin' fierce is comin' your way! He's only 10 months old and I'm not ready for him to walk yet! Don't you just love his chiken legs?

Rub-a-dub-dub!

Curtis loves his baths! This is in Grandma's old kitchen sink in the laundry room (the perfect tub for babies). Every time i try to get him out of the bath, he cries. He can sit there and play for an hour. Unless he's bathing with his cousins, then he sits in the corner and watches them play. What a cutie!

One thing about Curtis' hair, the majority of the growth is on the top. He has a comb-over that is so sweet! Just like an old man.

So Long, Farewell

Well, we sent Chris to the MTC yesterday. All of the family was there at the airport to send him on his way. A few tears were shed, but there was this calm assurance in my heart. I felt peace knowing that he was doing the Lords will. Good Luck Elder Udall, we will be praying for you!

What's up with THAT? sorry no pictures

You know what happens, when life happens? You fall behind on your blog…or at least I do. It’s been about 2 months since I posted and I don’t even know where to begin with an update, so forgive me if this post seems a little long winded.
At the end of May, we began negotiations to purchase an acre of land in Thatcher, because as many of you know, Clifton got accepted in the nursing program at EAC so we get to move back HOME!!! With the way the market is down there, we have found out that it is cheaper to pay a mortgage than rent. Thus began our search for a place to live. My mom found several pieces of land that seemed to be a great deal and so we put an offer down and the owners accepted! Now what do we do with the land? We found a company in Chandler that builds manufactured homes and sells them at factory prices. This has several perks because we got to choose our own layout, size, additional options, colors, etc. We found a model that we liked and it just happened to be on sale (about $11,000 off the original price)!!! I just got back from the factory last Friday, and it is in process and we have set a tentative date of delivery in the beginning of September!!! Until then, my wonderful parents have offered to let us live in their house until ours is finished. After all, Chris is leaving on his mission in a week, so there will be an empty house!
Chris got his mission call to the Mozambique, Maputo Mission in AFRICA. He will be speaking Portuguese and he reports to the MTC on July 11th. We are all anxiously waiting to get rid of our little brother and send him to a foreign country!!! Just kidding Chris…We love you!
Things have been a little crazy the last couple of months…we have had family parties, family reunions, trips to the hospital, trips to Arizona, the joys of moving, the joys of buying a home, several milestones (like sleeping through the night!), and some bumps and bruises, but we’ll make it through okay!
Last Wednesday (June 27th) I was visiting my family in Mesa, and also ordering my home. Curtis was playing well with his cousins for about 5 minutes…he was supporting himself on a cruiser/walk along toy with wheels. One of his bigger cousins wanted that toy so she just walked away with it. Curtis fell down bonking his head on the ceramic tile. He screamed for a second, and then I picked him up. The next thing I knew, he was dead weight. I looked at his face and his eyes had rolled in the back of his head and he had no response to his name or any other noise. Lucky for me my brother-in-law Doug was there with me to reach for the phone to dial 911. However, before he could dial the numbers, Curtis came to. I was shaking so bad that I could barely stand. Never in my life have I experienced such terror. To feel your own child in your arms, go limp as if he had no life…I get sick just describing it. After regaining some composure, I called every medical person I knew, to ask what I should do. They said take him to the emergency room…so I did…at 9 pm. Everything checked out fine with Curtis…he plays normal, acts normal, and now we know that passing out is common. However, because it was related to a head injury, you can never be to cautious.
Speaking of Curtis, HE IS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!!! We had a family reunion in Flagstaff a couple weeks ago, and Curtis woke up and wanted to play in the middle of the night. After that weekend of hardly any sleep, I decided that was enough. It’s been two weeks and he is sleeping like a BABY! And so am I!
Curtis wants to walk so badly. He has just started cruising and standing tall from a squatting position. I have no doubt that he has the strength, but his balance could use a little more work. Give it another week or two and I’ll be chasing him around!
Clifton and I are doing just fine. Currently, we have moved all of our belongings to Thatcher, and are living separately. Mostly because his job is too good to leave Grants, and my job begins in a week in Thatcher. It will take some getting used to, but I think that we will survive a month and a half!
We are just looking forward to our new home and a fresh start in Thatcher. We feel so blessed that Clifton got into the nursing program (by the way, he just took a medical calculations test and got 95 out of 100). We have many things to look forward to here in the near future and we just could not be happier!