The Proud Mom and Dad

I visited P- and C- Sunday. They were doing very well. I got to hold the little lad while he slept on and on. But when he finally woke up, he was really hungry.

So Cute!

She's Nine, and She's Good at It!

This nine year old has been pretty ill. She has had a high fever off and on for about a week. We've been to the doctor twice and we have got some different medicines. She has been a trooper though. She finally said today, "Mommy, why am I tired all the time?" Our thoughts and prayers have been with her. We hope she will be feeling better soon.

It's been hard for her because she hasn't been able to hold the new baby. She has been so excited for his arrival, but she has had to be satisfied with looking at pictures of him.

When she is not ill, she likes to spend time drawing.

My Sister Jamie

I have a sister named Jamie. She has hazel green eyes and pretty light brown hair. She teaches singing lessons and piano.
She is so much fun because we have sleepovers at her apartment. We play Frisbee and soccer. She lived in an apartment that had a pool and we went swimming. She sleeps over at my house on Christmas.
Jamie and I watch extreme Home Makeover. We have a lot of fun together. Jamie and I love to play a game called Slap Jack. Jamie and I go to her husbands work and try out the beds at My Comfort. When Jamie and I go to Disneyland, we ride together on the rides. Jamie drives me to school on the first day.
Jamie and I love to go to plays, especially plays she is in. Jamie acted in a play called “Something’s Afoot” I am going to be in a play where she directs the music. Jamie comes to my dance recitals. It makes me feel good when she does.
I really love my sister Jamie. I hope we can still have a lot of fun together.

Our Christmas Package has Arrived

Little E-was born yesterday at 9:44 am. He was 7lbs 130z and 19 inches long. He is healthy, strong and active. When we were visiting him, he was busy and rooting around, sucking on his hand and lively for a long time. Mom and Dad said he had been like this for hours. When they put him to warm up on his mothers chest, he fell asleep immediately. He knew who his mother was and where it was comfortable. It was so sweet to see him so quiet and peaceful.

His mom and dad said today that he is eating and letting them know what he likes and doesn't like. That sounds like everything is as it should be. I am so happy! I didn't know the joy I would feel at this new little ones arrival.

Deck the Halls

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. K- was a big help with the decorating this year. L- was gone a lot and G- is still on the injured list. So it was K- and I for most of our decorating.


G- helped put the tree together and get it ready to be decorated. He is getting around quite a bit better now than he was and his leg is not swelling up as big as a sausage. So we think he is going to survive the surgery. Now, if he can get through the next procedures he is going to have done this Friday, I think everything will be fine in the end.


K- took this picture of me. I think she is a pretty good photographer.

K- really enjoyed putting the village up with her dad. I think it is her favorite of all the decorations. She got to choose where the buildings would be put and arrange the little figures. Last year, I let her go ahead and play with the figures. She has logged many happy hours playing with it. I'm glad she can have such a fun time with such a cool toy.

Now, we are waiting for the final touch to make our Christmas the most special Christmas yet. We are waiting for our first grandbaby to come a long. It should be anyday now.

All I want for Christmas is my first grandbaby, my first grandbaby, gee my first grandbaby. Gee, if I could only have my first grandbaby, then I could wish you Merry Christmas!

My Latest Pictures

So I thought you might like to see the latest pictures of me. Weight Watchers has done a lot for me and it has really helped my self esteem.


I know I kind of let things go a little this last Thanksgiving, but I think I look pretty good. I know the camera adds 10 lbs so just imagine me 10 lbs lighter while I try to imagine I didn’t really eat that 5th piece of pumpkin pie. But do you think this skirt makes my butt look big?

The one thing it seems to me is I don’t think they are making the sizes the same way they used to. It seems like they are a size smaller. Or maybe my clothes have been shrinking in the laundry. But I know Weight Watchers really works. We have meetings with recipes and ideas for eating a lot of food I mean making a lot of healthy food. And I think it is really paying off don’t you? I’m just really glad I took the time… for me, you know, because well, Christmas is coming up and now that I have done the work with Weight Watchers, and you are imagining me 10lbs lighter, I feel like I have a little 10 -15 lb buffer that I can play with during the holiday season. So here’s a delicious “Season’s” Greetings to all! And may you always remember; it's not the clothes that make the woman, its the woman that makes the clothes!

The Big Game

These two goodlooking guys came together for the Bitter Battle.

Our Turkey Trot

We always like to take a trot Thanksgiving morning. We had a great time at the city park. G- could not join us because of his recent surgery for his foot. We know he will be up trotting circles around all of us soon.
I've been to the park before when the ducks are so full of bread, they could care less if you were there. But these ducks swam towards us in great hopes of being fed. It was pretty unusual to see hundreds of ducks swimming right for us, anxiously awaiting that tasty tidbit. Too bad we had nothing for them... But these ducks were determined to get something from us. One was snapping at a leaf L- held out for it and one snapped at my keys. When I am sad and lonely, thinking that no one loves or appreciates me, I will think back and remember this special day. It was nice to be noticed by a duck!

It's Baby Time! Can He Come Out and Play?

We were so excited for little E- to come out and play with us, we had to celebrate his upcoming arrival to our planet. Grandma made this beautiful quilt for the baby. Thank you to the many people who have given him gifts already. I know he is well loved. Thank you C- for the stroller. What a generous gift for mom, dad and baby.

Advice to a New Mother

This is the time I should really say something clever, but I’m just too sleepy. So all I have to say is when you are filling your child’s bottle with Extra Strength Children’s Liquid Tylenol With Codeine make sure you do not fill it over the 8 oz mark. Other wise it may make your baby too sleepy and you could get a full nights sleep. No really, don’t do that! That would be wrong. It is not in the plan for new mothers to get a full nights sleep. Soo, on those nights when you are reminiscing on what a full night of sleep felt like, just make sure that you drink the baby bottle of Extra Strength Children’s Liquid Tylenol With Codeine. No really, don’t do that! That would be wrong. Even if it doesn’t seem so wrong at the time. The only thing you can really know to be right, is what my mother always told me when I asked her for advice. She would wisely say that she couldn’t remember what she did when we were young, her usual advice was, “Just love them.” And that is the only advice I can give you because with love you can’t go wrong.

J's-Senior Recital

J- looked so beautiful the night of her Senior recital. To quote N, "She looks like a Greek goddess." And N- was right! She looked like a Greek goddess and she sounded like an opera singer as she sang in German, Italian and French.

This picture was after the recital and some of the decorations were down. But greenery was on top of six columns making kind of a semi circle around the piano. There was also greenery in between the columns and J's- vocal instructor brought a fountain that was off to the side of the piano. When J was singing softly you could hear the water sprinkling. It really added to the whole experience.

N- joined J-in a duet towards the end of the recital. The duet was from Annie Get Your Gun. It was funny when N-was singing how he wanted a small wedding and how J-should promise to obey and J- made a disagreeing face. Then she sang how she wanted a big wedding and how they should promise to love but not obey. Everyone laughed.

What a great night it was. I am so proud of J- and I love her so much. I am so happy that she has found such a loving and supportive husband. We love him as well and are glad he is part of the family now.

Happy Birthday K-!

What a fun birthday party we had! I think this age is such a fun age. The girls could do most everything themselves. I just planned the activities. I did tell a ghost story with candles lit. The story was sooo lame. No one was scared and they just sat looked, smiled and giggled at me. When I got to the end of the story I ran around the room making spooky sounds like a ghost and I think they thought I was a little crazy, but that's the way I like it.

Halloween Day

We had Pirate Day at school. G- told Pirate stories and played music for the children. K- came in and helped. It was great to have them there with my class.

G-and I went out trick or treating in our Pirate costumes.

Happy Halloween!

80's

L-and K-were 80's girls for Halloween.

My Girl, L-!

L's-19th birthday. This cake was awesome, one of the best ever, in my opinion. We made a sprite cake with whip cream frosting. Then as you can see we put all kinds of fruit on it. So yummy! My girl is my sweet L-. She is so fun to be around. She is happy, helpful and my friend. She has such great ideas, I really depend on her for good counsel and possibly a differing opinion or at least another way to look at things. I'm so glad she decided to come around 19 years ago.

Be Still

When you stand at the river and watch as it crashes over the rocks edge down the falls to the bottom over 100 feet below. The mist rising over the whole of it, so thick you can see a rainbow in the sunlight. You realize your smallness in the world. Can you stop the water from flowing?
Be still, and know that I am God.

When you stand below the Rocky Mountains and watch the smoke billowing brown and gray, so close, you can see the flames of the fire. The helicopters and planes flying over look like toys with a backdrop of devastation taking up a whole mountainside. Can you stop the wind from blowing?
Then the rain comes. And your child asks, “Did Jesus stop that fire?”
Be still, and know that I am God.


When you sit in the Lord’s temple waiting for your child to be sealed to her eternal companion. You remember the lifetime you have lived with her already and wonder where the time has gone. Wasn’t she just a little girl telling you about her “magic eyes” after a night of childhood dreams? Now, she is a woman kneeling at the altar, ready to fulfill her dreams and step into her new life. Can you stop a child from growing?
Be still, and know that I am God.

When you sit around the campfire with the Young Women and leaders listening to the others talk about their experiences. They bare testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. The spirit is so strong, there is no denying the feelings of joy that can come from knowing the truth. Even the young girls who are just new, can feel it. Eyes are swelling and tears are flowing as the girls try to keep the spirit with them a little longer.
Can you stop a Young Woman from knowing?
Be still, and know that I am God.

J- has her senior recital this Thursday. This is the picture she used for her poster(L-did the excellent camera work). She will be performing for 1 hour in front of her peers and professors. She will perform in several languages. She'll do 1 song with N-her husband and her High School Cast will perform a song from the Les Mis musical of which she is the music director. She is working so hard at so many things. It will be a great relief to have this completed. Good Luck J- we love you!

Tall Trees and Whales Tails

It was fun when I went to California and Oregon on vacation. First, we went to the Red Wood National Park. There were huge trees taller than the school. My mom bought me a pencil made out of the tree bark.
Next we went to Oregon. My uncle and my dad went to look for starfish and they found lot's of seashells, starfish and rocks. My cousin and I played mermaids on the beach. We found a huge rock and played a game.
Then, we walked through huge tunnels the size of an elephant. When we got out of the tunnels, on the other side of the highway, we walked to a beach.
One day, we went to see a light house. We saw whales in the water. We sawtheir talis and we saw them blow water out of their blow holes.
We bought lots of post cards to make a post card collection. The post cards had sunsets, pretty water and waterfalls on them. It was sad when I had to leave, but I know that I will see my cousins soon.

If You Give a Middle Aged Mom a Membership to Weight Watchers

If you give a middle aged mom a membership to Weight Watchers, it's going to cost a lot of money. First she will sit around the house complaining about how hungry she is and that she doesn’t know what to eat because she doesn’t know how many points everything is.
If she complains about how hungry she is, she will want to eat some healthy food. She will have to eat a lot of healthy food because it takes a lot to keep her full and it's going to cost a lot of money.
If she eats a lot of healthy food, she will start to feel better. If she starts to feel better then she will probably want to start exercising and it's going to cost a lot of money.
If she starts to exercise, she will want to get some stretchy pants so she can feel comfortable while she is exercising and it's going to cost a lot of money.
If she gets some stretchy pants, she will need to go shopping for other cute clothes while she is at the store because she is going to need them as she is trimming down and it's going to cost a lot of money.
If she gets some other cute clothes, she will need to get some cute shoes to match her cute outfit and it's going to cost a lot of money.
If she has a cute outfit she will need to get her hair cut and colored so she will look as young as she feels and it's going to cost a lot of money.
If she has her hair cut and colored she will need to get her nails done to make the final touch to her transformation and it's going to cost a lot of money.
If she gets her nails done, she will have a whole new look and her husband will need to take her out on the town and it's going to cost a lot of money.
But she's worth it!