Great Day at the Lake

Before the summer ends our family wanted to play. So my brother and his wife brought their boat to town and provided us with an afternoon of fun. Having adult children makes it difficult to get all of our schedules coordinated. The stars aligned on Thursday afternoon. We found a sandy cove at East Canyon to park our supplies and relax in the sand. Tommy wasn't too excited about the whole thing. The boat and water scared him to death. He didn't want any of us to leave his sight. We slowly got him climatized by skipping rocks and building sand castles. He finally relented and began to play. We also found out that bees love soda as much as humans do. Unfortunately I got my first bee sting since I was a little girl. I forgot how badly they hurt even hours after. I will remember that next time one someone gets stung. We had a great time and made some fun memories. We were all sore the next day but it was well worth it. Thanks Rich and Tam for a great day.

Last Week With Tommy

This was the last week before I have to go back to work. It has been so much fun to spend time with my family. I can hardly wait until I can stay home even more. I have so enjoyed watching my grandson this summer. We have had some good times. This week he spent several days with me because his mom had appointments, work, and was sleep deprived. We had a great week. We went to Wheeler Farm which was so hot we almost melted. He loved all the animals and made all the approprate animal sounds. Uncle Zach went with us as well. I also had a pass to Jungle Jim that I bought for him. So I took him thinking he would have a great time. Boy was I wrong. He hated every minute of it. He cried and clung to me like I was torturing him. I had him ride 4 or 5 of the rides. I rode the merry go round with him so he could hold on to me. Then we called it quits after about 30 minutes. I must be the meanest grandma around. We will try again next summer.

Loving the Animals

Hangin with Uncle Zig

Please take me home!

Can't you see I am NOT happy.

If I pretend to smile will you take me home?

Girl's Retreat in Midway

We had our annual "Girl's Retreat" this past weekend. We went back to Midway for a great get away. We stayed near Zermatt and the Homestead in a VRBO condo. We enjoyed some delicious gelato from the Zermatt bakery. This year my sister talked us into running/walking a 5K. So we all participated in the "Run Like a Girl" 5K. It was a great time. Unfortunately it started at 7:00a.m. so we had to wake Tommy up really early to go with us. He was not happy about the early hour. My niece Josie took 8th overall and finished first in her age group. Too bad she wasn't really trying or she could have made the top 3. My mother also medaled in her age division. Way to go mom! We ate, played cards, had manicures, made jewelry, laughed, shopped, designed shirts for our run, and watched the Olympics. It was a great weekend with the girls.

  Melissa, Mary, Mary Ann

Meghan and Madison

Annie and Tommy

Part of the Group

Lisa and her Girls

August 5, 2012

Today was Gary's mother's 88th birthday. We moved her up to Salt Lake in April to be closer to us so we could help out more. She lives just a few miles from us. We have been able to be more involved in her care. She had a wonderful party this afternoon. All 6 of her living children were here to celebrate with her. She was really touched and loved having all of them there. She told them how much she appreciated all of them and their love and support. I snapped a few photos of the event.

It was also Annie and Steve's 4th anniversary today. I can't believe it has been that long since they were married. It has been a great 4 years. I have really seen both of them grow together over that time. They bought their own house, Steve got a great job working on motorcycles, Tommy was born, and continues to be an exceptional nurse. We are so blessed to have them live close by. On another note Gary was asked to serve in our ward's bishopric. He will do a great job and learn much from the other men. Today was a fairly busy day for our family. It was great to have so much family around and spend some time with those we don't see very often. We are in for a fun week with Tommy. His mommy is going to girl's camp with her ward this week so he gets to stay with us while daddy works. It is going to be a great week. I will post pictures of our adventures next Sunday.

July 2012

This summer has been very full. In June we took the family to Yellowstone for the first time. It was beautiful with all the trees, rivers, lakes, and wildlife. We took some super pictures and spent many hours in the car. We stayed in a cabin in Island Park just outside of Yellowstone. The last morning we woke up to snow. Crazy weather. The final day was forever long. If felt like we drove thousands of miles. But it was the last day in the park and we hit Jackson Hole on the way home as well. We were glad to finally make it back to our own house. The kids have been on several hikes this summer. They have hiked Grandeur Peak, Subway, and Mount Olympus. Way to go guys. McKay spent a week in St. George for a basketball camp. He seemed to enjoy himself and got to know some of the other players as well. He also spent a week at EFY with Josie, Kate, and Andy. They went to Weber State this year. They seemed to have a great time. They have met some new friends and hope to stay in touch with them. I was called as Stake Camp Director and spent a week up at girl's camp. It was a fun time. Joy in the Journey was the theme. There were many spiritual moments mixed in with good food and fun. The favorite was the "Faith Walk" followed by crafts and skits. The girls were most delightful this year and made it a lot of fun. We moved Gary's mother up to Salt Lake in April. She lives close by us so we visit with her ofthen. It is good to be able to help out with her care. When I go back to school I won't be able to help as much but will still try to visit several times a week. Tommy is now 18 months old and very cute. He has a great personality and loves to come visit. I am lucky enough to spend a lot of time with him and have a wonderful relationship with him. He still struggles to say Nana but we are still working on it. I will post a few of his 18 month pictures.

Madison graduated from the University of Utah in May. She is now a registered Pharmacist. She is working at McKay Dee Hospital for a year and then she will see what life brings her after that.

Here are the boys at Subway.