Culberson Independence

Here's a post of what the Culberson's did for the 4th of July:

Well, our Independence Day celebrations are usually low key. In fact, we spent the morning taking naps, getting our food from the co-op, and NOT running (which made for a lazy and blah day, but that's not the point). Clint went to the Gilbert Tea Party (Republican rally) and came home with lots of pamphlets and patriotic gusto. After our naps we headed to Grandma's house for dinner and swimming. Paca was home from his 1 month hunting safari in Africa, so we were excited to see him and hear some of his stories. We were all too pooped by the time the fireworks started (which happens every year), but we still had a good day singing along to "Take your hat off".


Brailyn in all her patriotic glory


One of the Fam


Swimming with Daddy

Keeping up with the Klan

WOW- apparently our blog needs some MAJOR LOVIN!!!
Ok Malia since you won't do it I will haha.
Alright well lets see in the last few months A LOT has happened......
April-
I have surgery. Larissa and Ben still in school. Mom and Dad doing their duties taking care of me in Park City. Park City has some MAJOR leaking problems. SO now Mom and Dad get to deal with that.
May- I come home from school. Woo hoo, I love being home in the heat! 5 weeks in a immobilizer. NO FUN. Larissa is done with her Sophmore year! Getting way too old. Driving around in her cute little car. Ben comes home for a little before heading off to training in San Diego. Clint is working hard at his new job, managing the corporate landscaping company. Malia and Brailyn keep doing their thing! Dad gets ready for Africa. Mom trying to hold us all together!
June- Dad leaves for Africa, A WHOLE MONTH!! Ben comes home again for a few days. OPENS HIS MISSION CALL!!! He will be serving in the Fresno, California Spanish speaking mission for the next 2 years :). We are so proud of him! We celebrate only for a little because he leaves again for adventure camp in Wyoming! FUN!! I get my sling off! Thank goodness! And start Physical Therapy. NOT FUN. Larissa is busy socializing and playing tennis. Mom is yet again stretching herself thin!
Well now we are in July!
Ben is coming home on the 17th to get everything ready before he heasds out. He is leaving us on the 25th :( So we only get 8 days with him! Geez!! We are used to it though, he is always off busy being our Navy man! His farewell is on the 18th and so a lot of family is coming down for that. Connie and Dave will be making an appearance! We are excited for that! For those of you who don't know, they don't make it down to AZ much.Well actually EVER. They always make us come to Utah. So now its their turn!!!! Getting BEn all prepped and ready is going to be a tough one. But we will pull through. I still am having a hard time realizing that my brother is going to be leaving me for 2 whole years! It's mind boggling.
Well I have been busy with Physical Therapy, summer school and doing my new nannying job which I love! I always have to stay busy! Larissa still keeps us on our toes, always happy and smiling. She is great. Clint turns the big 30 this month! He feels quite old, but he is still the 16 year old crazy guy we all remember :). Brailyn is getting old too, I can't believe my little niece is growing up! She is doing fantastic with her swimming lessons, and every day she is getting smarter I swear. Malia is definitely a super mom. She is studying hard so she can become a personal trainer! We are all SO PROUD of her! And we can't wait for her to finish so she can train all of us woo hoo! She is amazing. I wish I could be as dedicated as her.
How could I forget Dad. Well he came back from Africa one skinny man! 16 pounds lighter to be exact! Ahah we all were so shocked when we saw him! He looks great and feels great too. Way to starve Dad! Just kidding haha. But he came back not only skinnier but with some amazing stories. I told him he needs to write all this down for the grandkids. He seriously is like a superhero! Our Dad is definitely one of a kind. That is why we think he is AWESOME! And of course we love him!!!!
For the future of our summer we plan to stay busy! I don't head back to school till the end of August so we have a long time to maybe squeeze a family vaca in *WINK WINK MOM CORONA DEL MAR* Yes beach please! We all LOVE the beach!! I think we are all in desperate need of some Vaca time. It would do us some good to get some relaxation in. So hopefully Mom will get the hint :)
Ok well thats enough for now! I promise we will do better on updating everyone on our lives. WE love you alll!!
love,
AmBer
and the rest of the Klan

A Family Face Lift

Ok sorry Malia it has been awhile since I have added to this. But I thought that maybe we should let everyone know that Mom has decided to change a few things in the house (which have been long overdue needed). I have been informed, even though I live in another state, that our sweet mom has gotten a little design happy. The media room is now a Sage green.

 Correct me if I am wrong. The laundry room will lose its button theme and will be replaced with a new surprise! Also finally our creaky, falling apart, bar stools will be replaced. This will be a nice edition so now my friends won't think they are breaking our furniture! (It happened often). And apparently my bathroom is getting a little dolled up as well. Thanks mom :)

As for everyone else. Our little tennis star La-La is tearing it up on the courts. Keeping the Price's Proud. Ben is studying hard in school (sorry I know I need to call you!). Malia, Clint and Baby are finally moved out! I am sure they were more happy to be gone than Mom was to lose them. Huzzah! Now the house is pretty much empty. The mother hen has lost majority of the nest. Only the little runt is left :). Love you Larissa. As for me (Amber) I am staying busy with softball, and school. No social life for me! I know depressing. But I am never in Provo on the weekends. Always with my team. Woo hoo! Fun for me. I am sure my Dad is loving that the only men in my life right now consist of my 50+ Married coaches. Well I need to stop procrastinating this paper I am writing. Love you all.

Amber

The Culberson's Christmas Contribution

Since my sister is finally participating in the family blog that I started LONG ago, here's some of the fun things the Culbersons did for Christmas. We're in the process of moving out, so the cruise stuff will come soon.

Since we're heading out for our cruise (yay!) the week before Christmas, we're trying to get all of our Christmas traditions done this week. So last night we saw the Christmas lights on Cherry Street (a whole street that has really cool lights on every house. My favorite this year- the Santa airport). On Sunday, since Brailyn was still sick and we stayed home from church, we made a gingerbread house. My mom got the kit from Costco, really cool, and we spent almost 2 1/2 hours putting it together! Brailyn did a GREAT job putting in the sidewalk and the fence around the house. By the time it was the green frosting's turn, my hands were cramping, so we just did the wreath and called it a day. I still think it turned out wonderfully! I tell ya, I don't know how those cake decorators do it- frosting is HARD! And I consider myself pretty artistic...I guess not!


In the Beginning...


The Proud Architect


The finished product!