JunkMonkie N Magnus

Class of 2012~ Stephanie

Stephanie is my cousin, but she calls me Auntie Jen. The story on why this is so is way to long to repeat – but I love being called Auntie Jen by this girl. Steph will be graduating High School on Friday – and we are so very proud of her. 

I remember the day Steph was born (like it was yesterday!!), and she and I have been close buddies for 19 years. She means the world to me and I love the woman she has become.

Steph is a super driven young woman. She excels in athletics and academics. She won her division state gymnastic title a few years ago and took 2^nd in her high schools division pole vault event and first place in the 4x400 relay at state this year!

She’s also a pretty awesome cheer leader – and is so much fun to watch (she’s rubbing off a bit on Lilly!).

Steph will be traveling a bit further south this fall than I wanted to, choosing U of A over ASU – but that’s alright with me. It means I get to visit a part of Arizona I haven’t really paid attention to yet! She’s going to be in the honors college and I know she’ll knock that out of the park!

Lilly and Steph are now developing the type of “sister” relationship that Steph and I have. If you were to ask Lilly who her favorite (anything) is – she would say Steph.  I hope these two continue to strengthen their bond over the years. Lilly needs someone to look up to and considers Steph her “big” sister.

 

Steph and I have a super secret “hand sign” that we’ve perfected over the years. I taught Steph our secret when she was a year old and we’ve used it since. Wherever she is (usually performing of some sort) she’ll look for me in the crowd and I’ll “flash” the sign. It lets her know that I’m rooting for her, all is well and she’ll do great whatever the outcome. Well, I won’t be at her graduation – not because I don’t want to but because it’s going to be complete chaos (no tickets, open door for everyone) AND I’ve also signed up to be the paparatzzi at Project Graduation and I’ll need a nap first….. but I know in her mind I’ll pop in for a quick “flash hand sign” and she’ll know I’m there with her in spirit!!

Great job Steph! You should be so proud of yourself! You have nothing but opportunity in front of you – and with your determination – YOU WILL CONCOUR THE WORLD!!!!!

 

Class of 2012~ Lilly

On September 15, 2007 my life became immensely perfect, with the birth of my most precious baby girl, Lilly Rose.

And now, 4 ½ years later we are celebrating another huge milestone in her life – and are so proud of her!

Lilly graduated from her preschool with the most amazing group of kiddos we’ve had the opportunity to know. Lilly has made so many great friends and I hope these relationships can continue once each child goes off on their own path to Kindergarten. Lilly is so excited to be going to Kindergarten next year –  she asks to drive by the building every day. I hope her love of learning and experiencing new things continues for her entire life. She is truly an amazing human being and brings smiles to so many people!

Lilly – My wish for you is to fully embrace all life’s opportunities and challenges. I can’t say I hope you love every minute of your growing up – because frankly – that is completely unrealistic. But I hope that the MAJORITY of your life experiences are amazing and you truly enjoy as many steps of your journey as you possibly can.  Your daddy and I love you to infinity and beyond and will be with you, supporting you every step of the way!

Be creative, be inquisitive, be joyful, be kind, be a true friend, be honest, be happy – most of all – BE YOU!

Love ya Lilly Buggy Boo!

 

Class of 2012~ Alyssa

Three of the coolest girls I know are enjoying a very special time in their lives right now. It’s really neat that these three amazing girls are all GRADUATING this month from their respective grade!

I have a bit to say about each of them over the next few days.

 

My niece, Alyssa, is a great kid. She is graduating from 8^th grade and moving into high school next year. I am amazed at how cool and laid back she is. She’s smart, funny and very athletic! She plays tuba in her school band (which I think is very cool!). She is also on the high school crew team (If you don't konw what that is....she rows a boat.. don't fret, I didn't really know what it was either till she explained it to me)! Yes - as an eight grader, Alyssa is playing high school sports!

I think of Alyssa as the “world traveler” of the family. This kid has taken been on an airplane more than many of our family members combined! She is such a joy to be around – we have the greatest time when we she comes to visit!

The first time I met Alyssa I was fully in love with this child. I didn’t get to see her until she was 3 years old, as her family used to serve in the Army and had moved to Germany shortly after she was born. She was the spitting image of Boo (from Monsters Inc) and had the best disposition of any child I had ever met.

(This pic was taken in 2008 at her dad/my brother's wedding)

A few summers, Alyssa came to Arizona and Oregon to spend time with Justin and I and we loved it. We’ve been all over the Oregon Coast (with Steph and Mikey Joe), San Diego/Sea World and all over Arizona. She was with us when I was 8 months pregnant with Lilly – and we had such a special time together.

(This pic was taken with the kiddos in Oregon at the Sea Lion caves in 2004 - wow - look how small they were!)

This pic was taken in San Diego 2005. Alyssa's favorite song was "Move It" from Madagascar and we heard it the 6 hours to San Diego AND the 6 hours back! :-)

I am so proud of Alyssa and the fine young woman she has become in her early teen years. I look forward to seeing how she blossoms as a teenager and through her 20s!

Love ya Lyssa!!! xoxoxo

 

Ballerinas and Birthday Bulls

We had such a busy weekend! 2 preschool birthday parties with Lilly's buddies, Lilly's Dance Recital and Grandpa Howdy's Birthday! And this upcoming week is going to be just as busy..... graduation!!!!

Lilly participates in Twinkle Toes at her preschool. All the girls worked very very hard to put together a dance to Disney's Tangled. How appropriate!  

Lilly patiently let me curl every inch of her hair - she looked like Shirley Temple! After a liberal dose of hairspray and glitter spray - our princess was ready for her big day!

 

 

 

Lilly shined like a star! The entire performance was magical and all the girls did a fantastic job! I teared up every time she took the stage, I was SO proud of her! Lilly really enjoys dancing - and we'll encourage that for as long as she is interested!

We also celebrated Grandpa Howdy's birthday. Lilly wanted "steak" and what better place to go than Ruster's Rooste! The food was good and the company was great! 

Happy Birthday Grandpa Howdy!!!

 

 

Pink-errific!

Lilly, Grandma Rose and I went to the Broadway Palms last week to see the "Off Broadway" rendition of Pinkalicious! 

We had a great time! Lilly was very familiar with the Pinkalicious story told in this play, as we read it just about every week! 

Lilly dressed up super special in one of her "many" pink dresses, hair glitter, make-up and jewlery! She looked super-pink-cooper cute!

Chemistry Lab in the Kitchen

Justin is going back to school to get his degree in Engineering and is currently taking online classes. One of the classes he's taking now is a Chemistry class, with a lab. 

Needless to say, Lilly wants to be in the middle of the beaker/pipette action - and "assist" her daddy with his chemistry experiments! 

She didn't quite understand the cosuming M&Ms while doing science experiments doesn't really work out. 

This is Lilly's response to me asking her, "Lilly! What is in your mouth?" (Notice the drink cup is now included in the mess of the chemistry lab?)

While her help didn't turn into a disaster, we make sure now that she and I are out of the house while he's working on his classes!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the awesome, amazing, beautiful mom's in our lives. Today is a day to reflect on all the great things that we love about being moms!

My favorite thing about being a mommy is my daugther, Lilly. She is the joy of my life - she is the most amazing kid!

 

My two favorites

The start of summer is here!

It's been warming up in the Valley of the Sun and Lilly has wasted no time checking the pool to see if it's warm enough to swim in. Her parents still think it's a bit to cold for their taste, but she's all ready for it!

Our summer goal this year is for her to learn how to snorkle. This cheap snorkel gear is going to soon be replaced by quality gear that we can use in the pool, nearby lakes and ultimately, the ocean!

 

Girls Date

We had a little "girls" date this past Saturday. Lilly dressed in her favorite "gown" (anything black and pink made the inital cut) and prepped her Rapunzel doll for the big day.

 

Lilly took her Great Grandma Arizona and myself to go to Disney on Ice in Phoenix. 

We all had the greatest time!

Our seats were amazing! 

While my wallet is lighter, our memories are richer with this great experience of a little girl, her great grandmother and their chaperone!

Fun at the park

Who can't get out and enjoy the AMAZING spring weather we have here in Arizona! It's been so great!

But, for anyone who's lived in Arizona at least 12 months understands that the brilliant spring weather soon gives away to incredible (sometimes almost unbearable) summer heat (thus, why most everyone has a POOL!)

We spent an amazing day at the park, near my parents house. Lilly enjoyed playing on all the equipment and my dad and I enjoyed watching a dog agility club put their dogs through their workouts!