A new favorite place to play...

... at the window. She is so cute!

Summer haircut....

We took off ALLOT!!! Ben said he wanted a haircut like Nicks!

Yummy.....

....stuffed peppers!!!

Ann Maas (via cell phone).....

Not quite baby proof yet......

...we thought with the gate over the stairs and the hitch so close she wouldn't notice the small hole. But she did and wasn't to happy when I had her scoot out. :)

Ann Maas (via cell phone)....

New email address

Maasfamilyfromutah@gmail.com is our new email. I just get too much junk at our anonymaas.family address. Please update our contact info.

Thanks!

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

July 4

A story about my great grandmother....

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Vonda Skousen" <vskousen@gmail.com>
Date: Jul 3, 2011 11:33 PM
Subject: July 4
To: "Freeman Jim & Marilyn" <freemanmachine@frontiernet.net>, "Andersen Joe & LuDean" <joeandersen38@gmail.com>, "Wright Craig & Tommie Sue" <craigwright@cascaderefining.com>, "Johnson Myrna & Duane" <myduane2@hotmail.com>

May I share an true experience that a few of you may remember.  For the rest - it shows the power of music, and how our past influences the present.

Grandma Marva had been in the hospital for some time, then was released to come home for the remainder of her life.  She had not spoken for a couple of weeks. It was my turn to be  with her.  Tommie Sue would be down in 9 days for her turn.  I think Marilyn had just finished her turn.    Because she was bedridden, we decided to celebrate the 4th there at the farm.  Everyone in the valley who could make it came out and we had dinner by Grandma Marva's trailer outside, raised the flag outside and did some patriotic things.   We decided to  close with singing around Grandma Marva's bed with the children and all.

 When we started to sing "My Country Tis of Thee"  she started also.  We finished the 1st verse and might have stopped, but she went on to the 2nd verse.  Then the third verse and the 4th verse, saying every word.   The rest of us were struggling with words and could hardly sing for the tears.  Pretty amazing!!

Remember She had taught school for 9 years before she got married, but it is still very amazing.  I had difficulties singing today just thinking about her and July 4th, 1979.  She died on July 17, 1979.  As far as I know, she never spoke again.

Thanks for letting me share with you.
Love, VAS

Coach....

Jeff on his recent trip to Baltimore did some souvenir shooing for the family. He told me that he was.looking for something for me and remembered how much I like bags. He entered a shop but was quite suprized how expensive the bags were...not to mention the fact that the the saleswomen seemed quite snobby. He looked around and quickly determined that things were just too expensive so he left and found something else. When he told me this story he then asked me if I had ever heard of "Coach Bags"?  Ha ha um...I think I have.  :)

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

She is crawling...

..today she finally put everything together! Time to baby proof everything!

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

Elise's new favorite toy!

Just what big brothers are great for.

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

Beautiful foggy lake.

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

Up and out of the way!

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

Bad pic....but there is now a matching skirt.

Favorite so far....

This one is made with denim to how with her jeans. I love it!

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

Growing up....

....so fast.

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

I knew she was tired....

...she had been up several times last night, then she woke up again at 5:30 and would not go back to sleep...so I got her dressed and let her play.5 minutes later I found her like this :)

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

Check out the tee...

...Elise finally has one solid tooth...ani think.she is.working on the second bottom one now. But this is just based on her crankiness and tendency to wake up three times a night.lately.  :)

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

Much needed activity....

All week I have been desperatly looking forward to ourp wards RS activity. It was on floral design basics... and while I just taught this class to the YW in our Lafayette ward I was really excited to need the Bloomington ladies...not to mention leave the kids and the one bedroom apartment and relax. I will be the first to admit I am social. For some reason me not visiting with friends...or even having friends here has been almost physically painful. To go and do.anything requires a 20-25 minute drive each way...that means I typically have to pack a picnic lunch..diaperbag and work around Elise's naps....its a lot of work to do anything.. even the pool can be crazy when its just me and 3-9 feet of water.  BTW I really am not trying to complain here.just explaining how things are. It is beautiful and we luuuve the.lake.and pool. ( please ignore all extra "."'s )

Since my dad left on day 3 of our internship I really hvent had many people to interact with I did meet a mom with kids my age at a park but they literally are from the.other side of town. There is an older family here as well and I like them allot. Their.youngest daunted.(12) is here for chemo...so thy are.quite.busy too.

Ok.back to tonight....so I really have been looking forward to.tonights.activity. I got dinner done and on the.table.by.the time.Jeff.got.home...got myself dressed...and started my evening out. It took me.20. Min to.get.to.theme.church and the.lot was.empty. I waited for a while wondering if I had the.wrong tim. Then I called around to the few ladies. Who had their numbers in the ward bullitin but no one was home. Finally I found a husband who told.me that the activity had been cancelled...so I drove home. This would be the first time I have ever feared up over a cancelled.church activity...I so needed the night.out.

Jeff was super when I got home. We did scriptures and prayers and then he let me pretend I was the only one home. I have been wanting to make Elise one ummer bonnets and now they are done.

For those that read this...esp those in Lafayette know that I mid you. I miss volleyball(and I am working as often as I can to get my arm back!)... I miss tuesday sewing...and friday playdates...I miss girls dinner..and bookgroup...and random girls nights at my house.

I know the Lord made me a social person for a reason....I really love people and I really love my family but so far this internship move has been way harder than any other big.move we have ever done.

Last apology this is all conning via my cell phone...and so there are spelling errors and typos but I am too tired now to go back and fix all of them.  :)  goodnight.

Ann Maas (via cell phone)

Summer school time.

...the.kids.look.forward to this time each day. I don't.mind it either....but I often wonder how teachers do this with ten times as many kids!

Ann Maas (via cell phone)