A BELATED BIRTHDAY/MOTHER'S DAY GIFT & POST

I just realized that I never posted about this wonderful and beautiful belated Birthday/Mother's Day present that Daniel sent me. (Sorry Daniel!)

This is an Opihi shell and they are native of Hawaii. They start out covered in moss reef and build up. But as Daniel filed and sanded it, it became beautiful and shiny. Each Opihi shell is different, you can never make the same one twice.

Daniel wrote a note to send with it and it said; "I made it, so it was yours from the start just like I was your from the beginning of the plan of salvation.

Isn't it all just so beautiful! I cried and I still get tears in my eyes when I look at it. It means the world to me!

ZOO TIME

We decided to take advantage of the last of the good weather and go to the Zoo to see the new baby elephant. Little did we know that there were several other babies to see also.

The baby elephant was so cute. They had her and her mother in the back giving the mother a snack and a shower of water so we had to wait a few minutes. We took our seats near the fence so we would have a good view of the baby elephant when she came out. Soon we could see the shadow of the mother elephant making her way out to the yard and before the mother elephant could even get outside the baby elephant came running out ahead just like a toddler. She ran around playing with one of the balls and then sitting on some plastic thing and squishing it and then hitting the toys along the fence line. She was so adorable.

We also saw a baby monkey. The mother is black and white but the baby is just all white. It is the cutest fur. It was all curly like those really soft curly stuffed animals you see.

We also saw a baby giraffe. We all commented how small it was but then we looked over at the measurements on the wall and realized that even though it seemed small it was still 7 feet tall!
There were baby snow leopards which were hiding and some baby tigers pups which were up too high to get a picture of.


We had a wonderful time at the zoo and seeing all the animals. If you get a chance you have got to go see that cute baby elephant and all the other adorable babies that are there. It is so worth it.

FALL CONFERENCE -- BY THE FIRE

We had another great trip to the cabin this past weekend. It was such a beautiful drive with all the fall colors at their peak and the snow capping the mountain tops.

We went fishing Friday and Carter and Easton both caught big fish. Carter's was 21 inches and Easton's was 22 inches. They were both so excited about their fishes. Of course they had a little help in reeling them in especially since Easton broke his wrist Thursday morning when he was jumping on the couch and fell off.

My brother Todd and his cute wife Christine joined us on Friday night. We taught them how to play Settler's Of Catan because you can't go out to the cabin and not play a game of Settler's.

We enjoyed listening to all the wonderful sessions of Conference, eating, and going for walks. The walks were never long because it was icy cold, but it was so beautiful. Christine found a wonderful walking stick, it had a branch poking out the front so if you got to close or if you weren't walking fast enough it would prod you along!

One of Carter and Easton's favorite things to do was to take the dogs for walks. Griffin got so he would just look at me with the saddest eyes pleading for my help so he wouldn't have to go on one more walk with them. It was so cute to see them pulling these dogs everywhere.

As always we hated for it to end. But with the little bit of snow that we saw and that fell on Sunday, it made us excited for the snowmobiling season. We are ready to tune up the snowmobiles and get the winter gear out. This might be the last time we can drive into the cabin for the year! Where has this year gone?

CRASHING THE BOY'S DAY OUT

Last Saturday I was suppose to go to out Super Saturday while Scott took Brad, Carter and Easton out fishing for the day. As Saturday came I got up and saw what a beautiful day is was outside and I just couldn't think of being in that dreary cultural hall on such a perfectly, wonderful sunny day. So I decided to skip the Super Saturday and crash the boy outing.

I am so glad I did. I didn't regret one moment of not being out on the lake and being with some of the men in my life that I love so much.


We had a short time to fish because we wanted to get back for the BYU game at 5:00 but is was worth it. We were just about to give up on the fishing and go home when Scott reeled in a big one. Brad called it the General Sherman of fish.

The drive through the canyon was breathtaking as the leaves are changing already. Wow, where did this year go?! I'm ready to break the sweaters out!

SISTER DAY

For the last few weeks my sisters and I have been getting together every Wednesday and crafting. It has been so fun to just be with them and share something that we love doing together. My mother and Suzanne join us when they can, but mostly it has just been Mary Jo, Jenny and I. The best part of it is when my parents get through working at the temple at around 11:15 they take us all to lunch. Then we go back and craft some more.

We just finished up our first project and I am taking them to the quilter's in a few days. I think they turned out so cute. We even did one for my mom and Suzi even though they couldn't join us every week. Aren't we the best?! I look forward to every Wednesday!

MY FIRST QUILT

I am so happy! I am feeling a little better from the mono and so I feel like crafting again. Just yesterday I finished my first quilt and I love it! I have a Quilt Guild that I am in and we are having a quilt show this Friday and I am so pleased that I will have one quilt to put in the show.

I picked an easy one to start with so I wouldn't get too discouraged. I loved this panel and this fabric line and the quilt did go together very fast. I loved how the quilter quilted it for me too, she did spider webs for the design.

Now the confidence is up, the adrenaline is pumping and I am anxious and ready to get to the next one!

(Just for you Daniel, I made sure I was in the picture. I realized it has been a long time since you have seen a picture of me because I am always taking the pictures and because I hate pictures of myself. So just for you there I am!)

IT'S OFFICIAL -- I AM OLD!!

It's official now, I am old because I am an empty nester! Jason moved out last week to an apartment in Orem. This came as somewhat of a surprise to us. I figured out one day how much it meant to him to be out on his own and so I told him to go ahead and do it if it meant that much to him. Within two days he had arranged everything and we were moving him out.

The house seems so empty and lonely. I remember the days when the two boys were young and Christine was a teenager and I would dream of this time but it all came way too fast! I long to hear all their voices together in the house again. This was the first time in 24 years that I didn't put a child in public school and I didn't do any school shopping. I guess I will have to enjoy all these things from a distance with my grandchildren.

I am happy however that all three of my children are happy and progressing forward in their lives. A mother couldn't ask anything more than that. Daniel is doing well serving the Lord and the people of Hawaii. Jason is attending UVU and working full time and is preparing to send in his mission papers next month. Christine is amazing and continues to be a wonderful wife and mother.

I guess it's time to reinvent me!

I'M GOING TO BE A GRANDMA AGAIN!

I am so excited. Christine is expecting a baby in March. We are so excited to have another little one around. I love being a grandma and can't get enough of the two wonderful grandchildren I have now. Adding a third will just make it even more wonderful!

DISNEYLAND -- JULY 2009

We had a great time at Disneyland last week. It was too crowded and very hot, but I can't help but have fun with Christine and my two cute grandsons!

Carter is finally tall enough to go on the big rides now. He went on Big Thunder and Splash Mountain for the very first time. He also was able to go on Soaring Over California and when he got off he exclaimed "that was AWESOME"!

Easton went on the Matterhorn for the first time. I don't think he liked it that much. He was happy to stick with the Haunted Mansion (which is his favorite) and Pirates. He also LOVES Monster's Inc.. Carter's favorite ride is Pirates.

We always enjoy having breakfast with the characters. It is the best way to meet the characters up close without waiting in lines and waiting in the heat! Easton loves Minnie. He wasn't too sure how to react to Captain Hook, he got a little concerned.

One morning we went to Newport Beach at Balboa Pier. Carter loved the water and laughed and giggled the whole time he was in it. He would go out on the sand and lay down on his stomach and ride with the wave in. A few times he got pulled under and he would come up gasping and giggle and then head out for more. Easton was content to stay close to shore. One time Carter laid down in the sand and pulled the sand up around his face. When he got up he looked like he had sideburns and a goatee. It is one of my favorite things to see kids playing in the surf. I love being at the ocean!

We had such a great time visiting with the Sorenson's on our way out of town. They are always so gracious and kind. We love catching up with what the family is doing and getting luscious grape fruits just picked off the tree when they are in season. They are so sweet you don't even need to put sugar on them! They also give us lemons that are so huge that one of them would be equivalent to two that you buy in the store.

It's always with mixed emotions that I come home.

SUMMER CABIN TIME

We had the best time going out to our cabin last week. We left on Thursday and didn't come home until Monday and it still wasn't long enough!

We had our adopted son Cole come out for the last time before he left on his mission to Paraguay. We have always had Cole come out with us and he is so much like our family. I was blessing the food and had prayed for Daniel, Jason (who had gone home) and Brad when Carter chimed in "and Cole". Without Daniel and now Cole the cabin will seem even more empty.



Scott inherited a fishing boat and he finally got it going this year. We took it out on the lake and did some fishing. Carter was the first one to catch a fish and he was so excited! When Scott reeled it in the boat and it started to flop around Carter couldn't get to the back of the boat fast enough. Then he and Easton got more curious about it and got to the point where they were intrigued by the whole thing. Carter's was a Carp and so we just discarded it which made him a little sad. He wanted to take it home and keep it in his fish bowl.

The next day Christine joined us and she barely had her line in the water when she caught a 16" Rainbow Trout. She was really excited and has decided that she kind of likes to fish. I caught the next one and then Scott. Christine's was the biggest of the three that we caught.

We have an unwelcome visitor in the cabin area this year, its a brown bear. We had heard that one had been sited close to the cabin area and so we were already taking some precautions but one day the kids and the dogs where out playing and the neighbor from two cabins down came walking up. He told us that we might want to keep a closer eye on the kids and dogs because they just had a bear in their driveway. He said it was a small one, probably about two years old and just weened from it's mother. He said it was pretty scared and would probably high tail it out of that area, but we were a little rattled to say the least.

As always we eat until we are sick, watch movies, play games, and just enjoy talking and being together. Best of all Jason doesn't get cell phone service and so we see his face the whole time! We love going to the cabin and are looking forward to going again real soon!

A SPECIAL GIFT

My father is not one to sit around, he always needs to be doing something to keep him happy. Even with his leukemia he will still get up and find something to do. Fever, aching, no energy, it doesn't matter he will find something that needs to be done. One of the things my father does to keep busy is some woodworking. This is something my father has picked up over the past few years. He has always been good with his hands and can do anything he sets his mind to. This has been something that has brought him a great deal of joy.

He has made several wood pieces for himself and my mother. I saw the beautiful work he was doing and I asked him to build me a cedar chest several years ago. I have always wanted a cedar chest and have never had one. Over the years I watched as he would put other people's request in front of mine. I actually had given up on the idea that it was going to be made which was alright since I was watching his health decline. I was disappointed but I wasn't angry.

Then I got word that he was making my cedar chest when he asked Scott for some money to help cover the costs. I was so excited and couldn't wait to see it. One day I finally got to see what he had created. It was so beautiful! With each process it just continued to get more and more beautiful. Then it was done and I got to bring it home. I was cleaning out some things and I came upon my Grandmother's baby bonnet. I sat and looked at it and thought, I wish I had somewhere safe to put this. Then it dawned on me that I finally had something for my keepsakes. I wrapped the bonnet in tissue paper and placed it safely in my beautiful new cedar chest.



There will never be enough words or the right words to describe how precious this cedar chest is to me. It was made with lots of love and sacrifice. I will treasure it forever. Thank you Dad!

HE DID IT

Last Thursday evening Jason graduated from High School. This is the last of my children to graduate from High School. Cumulative I have seen my kids through 36 years of school and I hope to see Daniel and Jason through college.

It was a stressful time getting Jason through to the end. He tends to put things off until the last minute and so we were sweating things out there at the end, but he did everything he needed to do and was able to enjoy that evening.

Earlier that day he went golfing with his new golf clubs (which are his graduation gift) with some of his friends. Then he came home and got ready and we went to California Pizza Kitchen with Zach Pierson and his family, Cameron's family and Parker's family. We had a great dinner and then headed to the Marriot Center for the graduation ceremony.

It was so cute, while we were taking pictures Christine and Jason wanted to pose as if Daniel was there. This is the two of them acting as if Daniel is in the middle with them. (We miss you Daniel!)

We are so proud of Jason. His plans are to work at Best Buy where he just got a promotion to full time. We are so excited because with the promotion comes tuition reimbursement and other benefits. Jason will attend UVU this fall and turn in his mission papers in October. We are also very proud of Jason graduating from Seminary!

I guess I better find another nickname for Jason. I've always called him Baby and then when he got to old I changed it to Abies so that he wouldn't be embarrassed at the name. He is definitely no longer a baby! Congratulations Jason