Congratulations Master Daddy!

Aaron graduated in May with his Masters Degree in Mathematics from UNLV. He was one of only three graduates to obtain this hard-earned degree! We are so proud of him. Sometimes I feel really dumb when I talk to Aaron because he is such a brainiac. He was honored at a graduation dinner for receiving a financial award. Aaron and I attended the dinner together and it was nice to have that time alone to reflect on how blessed we have been since we came to Las Vegas three years ago. At that point, graduation seemed so far off. Demarie and Preslyn cheered loudly as Daddy walked across the stage. He didn't hear us very well since we were at the very top of the stadium. We had plently of room, however, since Preslyn cleared out the seats in front of us with her crying as she tried to take a nap in the noisy stadium. Congrats Daddy! We love you! Now I guess I can't force him to refer to me as 'Master Marlaina.'

Growing Tomatoes on The Moon...

I've been meaning to post a picture of my garden for a while now. When we decided to move to Vegas, I was pretty bummed because I didn't think I would be able to have a garden. The house we bought had a broken above-ground pool in the corner that was really beat up. We decided to take it out two years ago--just to find a thick layer of sand underneath. It has been such a dirty mess, especially with the Vegas wind. We have been trying to decide how to landscape it ever since (that is nice wife talk for "Aaron procrastinated and ignored my constant pleadings until my dad accidentally broke a sprinkler pipe and he HAD to do it"). We have some friends in the ward that have a beautiful garden and grow a variety of produce year-round. Inspired by our friends, Aaron built a retaining wall and we filled it with garden soil. We leveled the dirt and installed sprinklers and sod. Late February, I planted 10 tomato plants, melon, cucumber, onions, yellow squash, zuchinni, and jalepenos. While Utah was getting snow in April, my tomato plants were basking in the Las Vegas sun! Now my tomato plants are almost as tall as our brick wall and loaded with tomatoes! A guy at Star Nursery told me that growing a garden in Vegas is like growing a garden on the moon. If that's true, I think the moon would have a green tint to it. I pick squash and zuchinni almost daily and this week we have started to enjoy juicy garden tomatoes!

Apprentice (Me) vs. Master (Dad): I enjoyed working in our garden with my Dad when I was little. I would watch him bend over the plants and try to imitate every move he made. I remember one time I noticed he was sticking his tongue out as he concetrated on pulling out the weeds so I started sticking my tongue out. After a while, he looked over and said in a perplexed tone, "Why are you sticking your tongue out? Put it back in your mouth!" I didn't tell him that he had his tongue out too! Twenty years later, I'm having a tomato growing contest with my Dad. I'll have to take pictures of his plants and our viewers can post their vote for who deserves the prestigious title of The Las Vegas Master Gardener!

May--A Celebration of Marlaina!

Today we celebrated Marlaina's 31st birthday (even though it's officially May 5). Thought I'd attach some pics from her childhood (she might kill me for this!). This one's from May 1978 (1 year). The other is from October 1981 (4.4 years). I get such a kick out of baby pics, I think everybody should do this to their spouse!! (We'll be looking for upcoming baby pics on your blogs!)

G'ma and G'pa Moon came over for a little birthday dinner, cake, and ice cream. We had some steaks (Marlaina's such a carnivore if you didn't know!!), G'ma's salad, corn, and grapes (since I'm sure you're wondering what we eat for dinners ha ha).

In the video below, Demarie snuck in to blow out the candles before Marlaina could. She almost caught her hair on fire!

Marlaina's got such a talent for cakes that mine somehow looked even worse than it really was!! It was edible though, luckily the ice cream made it taste better too.

Marlaina's such a wonderful wife. I've made some stupid decisions in my life, but luckily that one was the best one I've ever made! She's a talented pianist. She's just like my own Mom growing up, where I would practice and practice a piece and then she'll come in and sightread the stupid thing better than what I could after practicing it! I couldn't ask for a better Mom, now Demarie even Mommies me. What an incredible craft lady too (is there a word for this?)! She also is a great example of continuing education as well (like Blake said, I couldn't call her 'Master Marlaina' the rest of my life!). Best of all, she lets me be a gym rat whenever possible!!! We love you Marlaina!!

Notice in the picture that Marlaina's not touching Preslyn's bum--that's because she just pooped on my pants! (Are these stinky kids worth it??!!)

p.s. this post definitely counts for Mother's Day too! Why didn't anyone tell me formatting this is a pain in the rear...

p.p.s. On Tuesday our Ward BB team went 15-0 to win the stake BB championship! (Yes, I'll take winning in any form nowadays, whether I'm playing Demarie or a bunch of us old & aging, out-of-shape guys!)

Secret Made Up Language

Just wanted to say thanks for the congrats comments from everyone. What a relief to be done! Somehow being the teacher is so much funner than being the student!! Marlaina and I got such a kick out of Katie's comment about the "secret made up language," that I thought I'd attach a test from last year. I know how everyone LOVES studying mathematics in their spare time (ha ha ha), so due to popular demand (I wish), here's a little about what the math geek does (you can click to see bigger). This is one (part b) of four pages to the proof. Pop-quiz next week!!

April--A Month of Birthdays and Celebrations!! Aaron is finally done!!!

Aaron defended his paper this week and completed all the requirements to get his Master's degree!!!! We are so proud of him! He has worked so hard on his paper, making revisions after revisions after revisions! Even Demarie said, "I hope Daddy finishes his paper pretty soon!" He looked so handsome for his presentation! It has been fun to watch Aaron grow in his profession. He is a wonderful teacher and has chosen to take the more difficult rode in getting his masters degree in mathematics in order to challenge himself and reach his goals. He has made a difference in the lives of his students and has high expectations for them--even though no one else has ever expected much out of them. He has sacrificed so much for our family! One of the things that I love about Aaron is that he is so driven and he never gives up. He is constantly striving to become better--in all aspects of his life. I can't believe this day is finally here! Thank you, Aaron!! For your hard work and dedication to our family. We love you!!! I can't wait to see you walk across the stage at graduation!!!

April--A Month of Birthdays and Celebrations!! 4-years old, Princess Demarie!!

Demarie turned 4 years old!!! Grandma and Mommy took her to the park on her birthday and we had so much fun playing on the slides and swings and running through the grass. Grandma and Mommy even rolled down a grassy hill!! Demarie wanted pizza for her birthday dinner and then we had a princess party for her on Friday--complete with a special princess guest and a Sleeping Beauty Birthday Cake!!! Happy birthday Demarie!! We think you are pretty special!!

April--A Month of Birthdays and Celebrations!! Preslyn 6-month Birthday!!

Preslyn had her 6-month birthday!!! She just learned to sit by herself and loves to play peek-a-boo with her blanket in the morning. She gives the sweetest kisses and laughs at her big sister. She is such a good baby and has added so much to our home. Happy 6-month birthday!! We love you!!!