Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Tending Jack, Addie, and Charlie


With Their Mommy, Little Linds Come to "Curious George" (Some of our Grandkids' Name for St. George) to Visit Grandma and Grandpa  


Because THIS was forecast for sunny, 
maybe snows-a-skiff-once-a-year St. George,

Poor little palm trees!


Mindy drove here with Jack, Addie and Charlie 
on Monday, December 2,
to spend three days with us.
She was going to come on Wednesday, 
but wisely came early to avoid treacherous roads. 
She left Friday morning to pick up Jeff 
at the Las Vegas airport, then they stayed 
a couple of nights 
to celebrate Jeff's birthday,
and we took care of the kids.
He is still working at Linc Energy in Huston 
until the end of the year.

Grandma and Grandpa maxed out their energy levels 
keeping up with these cute little guys!
Theirs and my iPad were lifesavers.
Roger and I still marvel at this new, savvy/techie generation!




They had taken a bazilion pics on my iPad like this . . .



I saved a few 'cause they're kinda like works of art!


Addie's imagination is boundless!
She makes up games and sings and sings,
making up words to countless songs.
Jack thinks Addie's going to be a famous singer.
While I was getting ready in my bathroom 
one morning, she was in there with me, 
wanting to put on my make-up, etc. etc.,
so I looked around 
and came up with this brilliant idea.

"Addie, would you dust off Grandma's soap bars for me?"
I handed her a dry paper towel, and she went to work.
An hour or so later, I found this.


I asked her about it, and she said,
"TuTu is taking a nap."

Thursday night was my Chamber of Commerce Christmas Party.
We had a delicious buffet/potluck dinner at Sun River.
We exchanged White Elephant gifts 
and met other Chamber volunteers.


I enjoy volunteering there, 
because I meet such interesting tourists 
from all over the world.
Chamber volunteers who attended the Christmas party

Grandpa and I read countless stories to the kids.
Charlie is so adorable and has the nicest, laid-back disposition.



"Shhh!  The children are sleeping!"




Shhh!


It took extreme will power . . .

Sorry about the glittery bib - only one I have

. . . not to kiss this little guy's face off!



Friday night was our Branch Christmas Party.
We are so tickled that Bob and Mary Brady 
are back from their mission to Singapore.
It's just not quite the same party without them!



We couldn't find a babysitter
(we didn't try very hard),
so we took the three kids with us to the all-adult party.
There were actually a couple other Grandmas and Grandpas 
who had grandkids with them.
We fed them at home
(we knew they wouldn't have chicken nuggets at the party),
and left right after we ate.



But we didn't leave 
before we got to hear Nedje Doujan, 
this fabulous soprano, sing.
When our branch member, Bob Routsong, 
told about how he met her
when they were swimming at the Summit Athletic Club,
I remembered that my sister, Kay, had also met her there. 
They struck up a friendship, 
and Kay had her come help her Keynotes
"be less white" on some spirituals they were singing.
She is a professional singer from Virginia.

I saw her as we were herding the grandkids out, 
and told her I was Kay's sister.
"Kay Hinton? Oh YES!  How is she?
I'd love to see her!"


On Saturday, it snowed and snowed and snowed!
The kids had brought their swimming suits, 
planning to swim in our indoor pool.
Who knew they would build a snowman instead?
Roger built a beauty with Jack and Addie 
while Charlie and I watched through our glass front door.
Our cute neighbor, Lilian, took these pics 
on her way by to the mailbox.





Then I got Roger's camera and snapped a few.



Addie LOVES pink!
So, I found a blue hat for Mr. Snowman for Jack .  . . 


. . . and a pink one for Miss Adelaide!









Charlie didn't want to miss the fun!



We didn't think it would ever stop snowing!
Coming from Ogden, we know snow,
but for sunny St. George, this was unbelievable!
It was over six inches and it was not melting!
Next morning, the sun was shining, but it was c-c-c-cold!
Record-breaking, in fact.  
It has gotten into single digits - for days!
St. George owns one snow plough (out at the airport),
and no one has a snow shovel.
Church was cancelled on Sunday!
What?
 Choir-Go-Round in our stake 
will have to happen another year!

Our front yard

Out our back balcony

7th green of Sunbrook


Looking over the golf course to Snow Canyon


Snow Canyon and Pine Mountain


Home sweet snowy home

We turned on the fireplace,
had our own little Sunday School with the kids,
listened to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas broadcast,
and had a cozy Sabbath.
Mindy dropped Jeff off at the LV Airport Sunday evening,
then returned to her little kiddies.

All in all, it was a fitting beginning to
the Christmas month,
and we count our blessings
for whatever God sends our way.





Friday, December 6, 2013

So Thankful

A few days before we traveled north for Thanksgiving, 
we met my sister, Kay, and her husband, Ken, 
for dinner at the Mongolian Barbecue Restaurant.
I am so thankful for this wonderful and talented sister 
and her kind husband, and grateful to have them in my life. 


We stayed one night with Mindy 
in her lovely new home in Highland.
We are so thankful for our five wonderful kids 
and their spouses, and we love to visit them!
We got to sleep in Addie's new Sleeping Beauty bed.


We attended Ray Haslam's funeral in Logan at noon on Monday.
Ray, who is Susie's husband, Craig's, dad, 
was a wonderful man - 
generous, talented, spiritual and so very kind.
We are so thankful to have known him.

We saw Sadie play her third basketball game in the same day.
She made the varsity and plays on the j v, 
and they had some kind of a tournament to start the season.
She's an amazing little hustler and fun to watch.
We are so thankful for all 24 darling grandkids!


We joined Jodie's family, all the Nilson's,
for pizza and the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Eve.
We are so thankful that each of our five kids 
married such great spouses 
with wonderful families.
Though we can't pick our relatives, 
we actually enjoy the company 
of the Nilsons, the Gilberts, the Youngs, 
the Smiths and the Linds.
 They are our friends.
We also met up with the Nilsons  
on Thanksgiving night to see, "Frozen."

How lucky are we to get to share Thanksgiving 
with Roger's 88 year-old mom, Lois!
Anyone who knows her 
knows how truly amazing, loving and giving she is.
And anyone who knows us knows how 
so very thankful we are for her!

Bren, Heidi's (Gordie and Janae's daughter) son
and his wife, brought their two-day-old daughter
to introduce Lois to her great-great-grand-daughter.
Grandma is always a top priority
on all of her posterity's list.


And it should go without saying 
that I am so thankful for this guy!


Thanksgiving Feast at Grandma's house is always so delicious
and brings back so many happy memories of Thanksgivings past.

I am so thankful for all of our family members - 
Stratfords and Gabrielsens and all of their posterity.
The brilliant Plan of Family
is the system that God has figured out
where we can take care of each other 
so that we can return to his extended Heavenly Family.
And His extended family is every one of us.
I feel so loved!

Grandma had only 24 this year for the sit-down dinner,
but by the time other kids, grandkids and great grandkids
came for turkey sandwiches and pie that night,
we lost count!




Before we had eaten our last bite of dinner, 
Todd, Shellie's husband, 
had his arms in the sink,
washing dishes, with his son, Carson's, help,
and he didn't finish until over an hour later!


It was then time for catching up, watching games and hangin' out.




Todd and Shellie have only one grand baby, Hadley.
But she is soon to be a big sister.
And she will get a new cousin.
We got the good news on Thanksgiving 
of two more little ones on the way.


We miss Shaylee in Dixie - 
she is still deep in study in her medical program at Weber.



This pic of Glynn
kind of sums up our wonderful Thanksgiving weekend - 
tummies got full and contentment reigned.


And now, on to Christmas . . . !