Weekend in Ashland

Last weekend we went down to Ashland for a day and a half because my nephew, Canyon, was being baptized. We were surprised to find that my mom wasn't there because she was off on a girls vacation to San Diego with my Grandma and she didn't know when she'd be coming back...sometime the next week possibly.

When we walked in the house, it was obvious my mom wasn't around. How could I tell?

1. It looked like Dallas' closet had sneezed it's contents all over the room, which is the room we stay in when we visit since it has a king size bed. I had to pile clothes into the closet to make room for the play yard and to be able to keep track of our belongings.

2. The kitchen was pretty messy, as well as several other rooms.

But the biggest telltale sign was that

3. My dad was watching Pirates of the Caribbean 2 in the living room with Weston (which would never happen if my mom was home since she has a vendetta against modern movies), and Weston was cuddling up pretty cozy with his girlfriend. I had to play the mother role and give him the stink eye about his questionable canoodling, and when he didn't get the hint, I had to be the mean one and tell him to knock it off. Someone had to say it since my dad couldn't see him from around the corner.

I was shocked that my dad stayed awake for the movie because I don't think I've seen him stay up past 7 pm in ages (since he gets up between 2 and 4 am depending on the day). In fact, I rarely get a chance to see him when we visit because of his sleep/work schedule. The movie was still going on at 11 pm! Way to go, Dad!

Update on the homefront:
My dad got a rascal-type scooter a month or so ago, but he hasn't been able to use it yet because A. There isn't a ramp in front of the house yet, B. None of the cars accommodate his scooter with a carrier or something and C. The rooms are so cluttered with plants, bistros and furniture that sometimes even walking is a navigational miracle, let alone riding a scooter. At this point it's impossible to use it, so Dad is getting around with his push-chair walker thingy.

Dad's hand is healing nicely from when he about took off three of his fingers with the electric chainsaw.

Shira and Sophia moved out into their own apartment in Ashland, which devastated Talea since Sophie's her closest friend. Tilly's used to running into Grammie's house and reuniting with her cousin.

Nothing else seems to have changed.

About the baptism:
Canyon's baptism was a double baptism since he and Ashlin Hassell were baptized one after the other (their birthdays are just days apart). There was a nice luncheon following church and then the program. Talea is having a serious problem with volume control on her voice, so I ended up having to take her out. If I get separated from Hyrum in a store and he has Talea, I can always find them quickly because Hyrum can't help himself from teasing Talea, and Talea, with no volume control, screams out her reactions to the teasing. It's actually kind of embarrassing, even though it IS helpful in pinpointing their location. Hyatt's really quiet, so his volume is never an issue, but it's looking like Kiersa will follow in her sister's footsteps.