Newport Beach California!

So there are now 21 Tipton cousins.

22 if you count Emily's husband, Steven.

We do.

We count him.

With that large number it's very difficult to get everyone on the same page for a photo.

It's kind of like the Duggars.

But not, 'cause 7 different mothers gave birth to these kids.

Just so you know.

Football was big this year.

Here Adam, Scott, Quinn and Malloy (kind of)

are playing.

My kids enjoyed the younger cousins.

Here is Violet, the youngest cousin, at 8 months of age.

Although it's nearly impossible to get a real family picture,

I think we got one.

Andrew and his army men.

They do well in sand.

Some of the cousins playing at the water's edge.

Paddle ball is big in our family too.

I can actually play this one.

See what I'm talking about?

Emily and Steven.

She's pregnant.

Go figure.

Check out Max in the air.

What an action shot!

Truman surfing.

Juliette handing out rings to the girls.

Quinn got one too.

It was his power ring.

Quinn in the water.

They always have so much fun.

I was at girls' camp, really.

At the beginning of June I went to girls camp for 4 days.

I forgot my camera.

These few pictures are the only proof I have of attending lovely

Camp LoMia!

Being the ever motion sick gal that I am, I always find a reason to drive.

This year was because I had too many supplies for the Nurse's office.

Some fellow campers came too rather than riding the buses for various reasons.

That's it.

The only picture of me at my favirite

Camp LoMia.

However, please, don't ever let me be the camp nurse again!!!!

On the last night Rick camp up with the Bishop for Bishop's night.

Rick's his Second Counselor now, so he's over YM & YW.

That's how I got my camera, connections.

However, their trip proved trying.

Bishop's 14 year old car (hasn't made a car payment in 10 years)

broke down outside of Payson.

They were the only ones who hadn't showen up for the program so

I went back to my quarters to call Rick.

(Cell phones are not allowed . . .distracting, you know.)

I said, "Where are you?'

"Where are we?  We're in a tow truck about 15 miles outside of Payson.

Can you come and get us?"

I did.

After all, Bishop had three huge boxes of the freshest doughnuts

in the trunk.

It would be a sin to let those go to waste!

Mint Chocolate Chip!

The other day Rick called me from work with a tax question.

My mom was over at the time,

visiting from her Summer home up the street.

I was also baby-sitting my newest niece,

Violet.

I suppose I sounded a little strained,

though I didn't feel it,

because when Rick got home, he brought me my most favorite,

truly favorite

ice cream of all time . . .

Mint Chocolate Chip

from

Baskin Robbins.

Truly the best.

I ate it all by myself too!

If I was stressed, I'm not anymore.

Quinn is turning 9!!

This time of year is so busy with the end of school,

girl's camp,

EFY,

Quinn's birthday and California!

Since we're going to be driving on Quinn's brithday to our vaction spot,

we gave Quinn a swim birthday party a week early.

Emily came with Steven.

(Not pictured)

Lots of fun friends came!

We ate snow cones, pizza and cake and ice cream.

Quinn even got an I-pod for his birthday.

(It's a hand-me-down from Truman since he's got a newer one.)

Quinn said, "Thanks for the I-pod, even though it's not the one I wanted."

True greatefulness.

Quinn asked for a Lego cake and well.....this cake could be on

http://www.cakewrecks.com/

no doubt.

Even so, the boys still thought it was cool.

There was also a pinata involved.

Quinn had requested a Lego one.

Somehow the communication failed and Rick made a monster with a butt.

This is Rick's mom, Janet, a.k.a. Mimi.

She got some of the pinata loot too.

Don't worry, my mom, Patty, a.k.a. Bama,

got down in the grass to get her pinata loot too.

I guess you're never too old.

Running with Quinn and Ted.

Running was hard today.  Not that it's very easy but today I felt every painful step.  I had to force a smile on my face and tell myself it was good for me.  Could it be that my guests, Quinn and Ted, made it any more difficult? 

Quinn was asking me questions along the way like,

"Do you need water?"  or making statements like,

"Dad is a lot faster than you.  I usually have to catch up to him on my scooter."

Maybe it was the fact that I had Ted on a leash.  He hates being confined to a leash.  He kept trying to pull me along. 

However, it was fun, having some guests.  Just not as productive.  With each question/statement Quinn would say, I'd have to turn down my I-pod and say, "What?"  He'd repeat and I'd answer.  Then the music would go up again and Quinn would have another thought.  And so the cycle went.

Another thought, Cole is coming home today.  He learned a life lesson for a week and a half.  Turns out he's not the door-to-door type salesman.  Ah, like I didn't see that one coming!

The Graduate

The Graduate

R. Cole Tipton

5/26/2010

Last night was Cole's graduation.

It was heald at the

ASU Wells Fargo Arena.

There's a bunch of kids in his class.

Lots, I tell you!

(Disregard the picture of Emily.  She has a way of getting herself in all of my pictures.)

Grandpa Bruce ended up there with Uncle Lloyd.

You can see Grandpa Bruce was underwhelmed.

Uncle Lloyd dressed up for the occassion:

A one-piece jump suit goes with evey event!

This is the best picture of Cole in his graduation outfit.

He disrobed as soon as he was out of the building.

He didn't shave 'cause he wanted to look like some form of cool.

Mimi and Papa Tipton made it just in time by way of Texas/Show Low

to the reading of the names.

A super tall graduate.

No, wait,

it's just Truman giving Quinn a piggyback ride.

By the way, where did that phrase come from?

Someone's gotta know.

Quinn trying on the goods for his turn in 9 years.

Rick went around snapping pictures at the party.

Unfortunately the camera was on the wrong setting.

Thus the blurry pictures.

Squint your eyes, they'll look better.

More blurr, sorry.

This is just to illustrate how delicious the food from

Tum Nak Thai was!

We loved it.

Last Wednesday I placed an order for 30 people.

Once done with the ordering, the lady on the phone said,

"Okay, come in 15 minutes to get your order."

"No, no.  It's for next Wednesday," I said.

"Oh, okay.  We'll have it ready for you."

They did.

And so it ends.

(This picture has noting to do with the post.)

So school is coming to a close this week.  Cole graduates from high school on Wednesday.  We're having a Thai food graduation party for him that night.  Then on Friday he leaves for Philidelphia to sell security systems in New Jersey and make a B-gillion dollars for his mission!  Don't worry, we forbade him to go and guess what, he didn't listen to us.  Why would he?  He knows everything.

Truman will be a freshman at the high school just as Cole leaves.  He'll be in football strength camp all summer along with football camp up in the pines for a week in July.  He's also going to E.F.Y. in June, just before our annual Newport Beach, California trip. 

Quinn will be going to the fourth grade.  Ah, my baby is getting big.

This week I was told I'm a racist.  A lady told me the look I gave her after she asked me a question was purely because she, "was brown."  My look was confusion at her question.  Unfortunately, I have one of those faces that shows what I'm thinking.  Even though I was not thinking, "Man that girl is brown!"  Gotta love Camp Kick Off and the people that come with it.  Gotta love, even the librarians who are making copies of your medical release forms who ask questions that you make feel really brown.  . . . . go figure.

I love summer.