8 years ago

I was going through some old photo folders and saw all these great shots from June 2005 and thought I'd better share them.  I sure love you guys!  Let this inspire you to get back on schedule for your week!!!  Richy and Kari, you're next week!  Enjoy!

Baby Jonas got to join us at a Real game, it was very exciting!

Little Ethan celebrated his 6th birthday!  Woa, dude, you are growing up fast.... I can't believe you were 6 eight years ago!!!

Baby Skye had joined the family.

These are all shots from Ethan's birthday party at Mom and Dad's.  Looks like we had lots of fun!

And, right before we left town, baby Lucy was born!!!  Sorry I don't have any pictures besides these hospital, brand-new ones.  But isn't it amazing how quickly time has flown by?!?

Skye again, she doesn't look happy that Jonas is about to try to eat her...

And Sean thought Jonas was big... whatever.

Happy Birthday Kim!!! (12 days late)

Warning! This is a sad story, filled with remorse and shame.
 One day, a girl named...let's call her "Heatherina" to protect her identity, woke up, looked on her calendar and exclaimed, "It's my beautiful sister..."Kimina's" birthday today! Now, even though they weren't blood sisters, they were as good as because they had a long and glorious history together and loved each other like family. "I will call her after (whatever morning duties there were to be done) and I will not forget even though I have a long and well documented history of remembering-then forgetting-then remembering the next day because for some inexplicable reason today will be different!" thought Heatherina. Alas, Heatherina's brain refused to cooperate with the new resolution and sure enough, the next day the realization and horror of her mistake hit her like a brick wall. Unfortunately, due to her daughter Skyelalala's birthday celebrations, family BBQ, vacation planning/packing/going, just general plain CRAZINESS, a call was not made the second nor third day neither. Heatherina vowed to put things right during her family vacay but for various and somewhat lame reasons she was not able to. Shame and remorse niggled at her constantly....I told you this was a sad story. Finally, she came home, and spent a day looking through bags full of photos in an effort to find one of just the two of them for the family blog. NADA! WTH!!!(what the heck! (this is a FAMILY blog people, clean it up!)) Heatherina felt like the universe was conspiring against her. Then her husband, "Seanalanadingdong" sent her the above photo and somehow Heatherina figured out how to get it posted on the blog. Memories of Heatherina's recent vacay to Kentucky and her visit with her sister Kimina made her happy and she hoped Kimina would forgive her of her faulty memory. Heatherina loved visiting with Kimina and her family was was ever grateful for her hospitality and yummy food. Heatherina also can't wait to see her soon and hopes she had a wonderful birthday (12 days ago)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                                                                               The End

I said that I would try and post some pictures of Tracy's wedding so here goes.

                                                                The happy couple. 
                                                             

                                                                        Their families

Colton, Arelia his wife & their youngest + Ryan + Tony's wife

Lori's parents, sister & Me

Tracy & me

Tracy's oldest two grandaughters.

                                                        
                                             
                                                         Tracy, Idonna & Rod, dad & I

Lori and her dad coming into the wedding.

The couple saying there vows.

The happy couple right after they were wed.

This was the view during the wedding.  It was breath taking.

Dad & Rod

Couple exchanging rings.

                                                         
Hope you all like the pictures.  I love you all tons.  Mom

Eat your heart out Dave...

For anyone interested... we had a total blast on our trip.  Honestly, one of the highlights for me was driving through Buffalo in the rain to find this...

... I was just giddy thinking of Dave's response.  Pretty awesome.

In other news:

• We are all very excited to get together next month!  In case the memo hasn't been passed along to anyone, July 13 is a big day with Lucy's baptism and doing Zack's temple work being done.  
• Family pictures still haven't been scheduled, but Mom's going to work on trying to nail something down.
• We are going to have a birthday party for Eliza on July 17, in the evening, probably at Scott and Jane's.  You're all invited.
• I'd like to have a race and game day with everyone (kids and grown ups!) while we are there and Dalton specifically requested that we play flag football again.  Any other requests?  Let's make a fun plan!
• The blogging has ceased dramatically as of late... I was so enjoying seeing everyone's posts for the month or two we stayed somewhat on schedule, let's try to get back on board!

Love y'all!  Can't wait to see you!

I just wanted to tell each of you how wonderful you are and how lucky I am to be your wife, mom or grandma.  The Lord has blessed me with an outstanding husband and father to my children and an even better grandpa to my grandchildren.  I love you with all of my heart.  I am so thankful  that we chose to be sealed for eternity.  I am looking forward to our being able to be together 24 - 7 in the near future.  Dennis I love you and want you to be eternally happy.  I want with all my heart for you to grow in the gospel.  You are a wonderful son and I am proud to be your mother.  You are so smart and kind.  I love how willing you are to help with all of the family.  Thank you.  Sean & Heather I love you both more than words can express.  I am so thankful for the two of you and the way that you are raising you beautiful family.  You are an example to me.  The two of you make one.  That is what this life is all about.  Dave and Adrienne I love you both more than words can express too.   I can't tell you how happy I am that you are together.  I am happy that you have had this time to live away from here.  To strengthen you marriage and family.  You both have grown so much.  I miss you and your sweet family, but I know that your move was a good one for the whole family.  Can't wait to see you soon.  I personally hope that Lucy is baptised up there.  I am selfish because I like the one on one that dad and I get when we travel up for a special occassion.  Richy & Kari I love the two of you more than words can express too.  You are both a wonderful example of selflessness.  You are teaching you children how to be good people.  I feel the love that you have for each other, your children and the rest of the family.  Ethan & Kim you will never know how my I love the two of you.  I am so grateful for the way you are raising your sweet family.  I love that you allow us to share in the life of your family through the blog, and visits.  Thank you for being such a great example to me.  I will post again after Tracy's wedding and that time I will add some pictures.  Once again I want to say thank you to my wonderful husband for loving me, thank you to my wonderful children (that includes Heather, Adrienne, Kari and Ethan) and my wonderful grandchildren.  I love you all more than you will ever know.  I have been truly blessed in this life.  Mom

Checking In From Washington

My lovely bride informed me that it was my turn to post something.  I told her that was great because I had a wonderful spiritual experience I wanted to share anyway.  But then she told me that y’all would be upset if I didn’t include pictures.  So we went to the temple today and snapped a few. 

About quarter to six yester-evening while Adrienne was out on the town with Lu, one of our neighbors asked me, “Is tonight at our building or in Benton City?”  My response was a simple, “What’s tonight?”  But before they had a chance to castigate their corrupt contact I remembered it was Stake Conference this weekend, and they must have been talking about the Adult Session.  I did some digging and informed them the meeting was at 7:00 about 25 minutes away in Benton City.  They invited us to ride with them, but since A was not yet home, and I had no inclination as to when she would be I declined. 

I tossed around the idea of hurrying to get ready to go once I knew if my wife would arrive in time.  “Or maybe I should just throw in the towel, and not worry about it.”  In the past my approach to Stake Conference was, “Woo-hoo, it’s a day off!”  But I’ve been trying to make daily effort to become better at making good decisions, and get closer to the Lord.  But still, “I legitimately forgot about it, we don’t have a babysitter, and even if we make it, we’ll most likely be 30 minutes late.”  I had enough good reasons to not go, and feel perfectly fine about it. 

That’s when my mind played a dirty trick on me, and thoughts that I didn’t really invite seemed to pry open the window of my conscience.  “How many scripture stories talk about people sacrificing, and traveling sometimes great distances to listen to God’s divinely inspired message?  We are lucky enough to live in a time and place where we don’t have to look far to find and feast on our Father’s words, and more importantly feel our Father’s voice.  These leaders are called of God, and even if I can’t understand the words that are coming out of their mouths, if I go with the desire to feel, like Alma taught, and the faith to act, His message for me will be received, and He will be well pleased, and I will be happy.  That will help me to be better at being a person, which will help me be a better husband, and dad, and better at everything I do.” 

I was touched.  My testimony of the gospel grew.  My testimony of church callings was strengthened.  I will always do whatever I can to be sure to attend my meetings.  It is easy to forget the things the Lord taught me this weekend.  All it takes is missing church a couple times here and there.  Rationalizing for something that might seem to be completely valid will only cover my eyes, and hide from me the most necessary things to this life, constant nourishment by the Spirit of God.  Jesus is our Savior, and He wants so badly to do everything He can for us.  We simply have to let Him, by opening our hearts to Him, by not shutting Him out.  I testify that He lives, that He loves, and that we can share everything with Him.