Cameron's first train ride!

So many fun things to see out the window!

The middle must be eaten first!

Enjoying Oreo, after the middle is gone.

Cameron loves trains, especially the one Daddy rides on. Since Kateylyn had a dance performance in Salt Lake at the Jazz game, Cameron and I went to the rehearsal and then took the "Front Runner" back home. Man was it ever fun! Nothing like the look on a little boys face riding on his first train. We saw so many fun things out the window, big trucks, other trains, even horses. Having a snack when you are sitting on the top level at a table seat is a must. Mom provided and yummy snack pack that needed to be finished. The pictures in now proof that every kid will open a Oreo and eat the middle first, even without milk. Thanks for the adventure Cam, Grandma will never forget it!

Fun times with Katelyn and Cameron

Spending time with my grandchildren is precious time for me. They keep me busy with all the fun adventures we can come up with. Aunt Jill gave Katelyn a fun new game for Christmas called "Hullabaloo" and it is so fun to play. The best part is when I get too tired I can just run the game. You have to follow the recorded instructions. You move to different game pieces on the floor and freeze when directed so see if you win. They look so cute when the "freeze" Even Cam can play this game.





On one of the recent visits we went to a fun family place in Kaysville called "Boondocks". Wow did I over estimate how many great things were there to catch the eye of a two year old. We went to play mini bowling. Katelyn loved it, Cameron was over it after about three balls. Katelyn was happy to take his turn and after a short time we were ready to move on. We checked out all the fun games ( when your feet won't reach the pedals it is really fun to just pretend like you are driving. That won't last forever.) We had a blast but Grandma came home very tired! Next time we will go during a more quiet time of day.

Cameron is 2 years old!

Blowing out the candles is the fun part, but not a easy as it looks!

Nicole always does a great job on the cake. They sure look better than any I ever did!

We helped purchase a new swing set for Cam's birthday. He and Katelyn loved it! The first day Cam would not try anything but the swing. By the second day, in effort to show off for Grandpa Alan, he tried the slide and loved that too. I am sure soon he will conquer the whole thing and Mom will find him one day sitting on top of the bars.

I never met a kid that did not like water and Cameron and Katelyn are no different. Grandpa George has a hose with ready water anytime, as long as you can squeeze the handle. And Cam can! Grandpa got his car, driveway and tomatoes a good watering! You have to be quick or you to could be watered.

Katelyn decided to get on it and they had fun filling up a toy wheel barrow and then dumping it.

Playing outside with the kids is a favorite activity of mine. Can't resist a picture of my cute kidos sitting on top of a play house. Don't you just love those smiles?

When it is 90 degrees outside the best treat is a Popsicle. On this day Katelyn managed to devour two, Cam loved his but could only do one.

We found another park!

I hope this is not too many park pictures, but I thought they were so cute. When we found this park we were actually a little lost. We were going to another park the kids liked but somehow I got lost so we found this one instead. We had the whole place to ourselves for a bit and then these little kids came, At first I think Cameron thought they were invading our park but quickly found it fun to play and watch the others. Aren't they just so cute!!

May 2nd 2009, time to work in the yard and celebrate Grandpa Merls birthday!

Glade and I took a quick trip to Utah to see the Grand kids and celebrate Grandpa Merl's 90th birthday. He looks great for 90 and still lives on his own and manages just fine. We took the grand kids with us so Marty and Nicole could do some major yard work. It was pretty rainy but we enjoyed having lunch with Grandpa and sharing his birthday cake.
Nothing kids seem to like better than playing in the dirt. Nicole was trying to clean out some of her flower beds and the kids thought they would help out. I say encourage that, they will soon enough figure out it is work and not play!

My Mom has a swing on her deck and the kids love to swing on it. It is a main attraction, especially when it is a little to cool and wet to play on the grass. I have a swing on my patio, but it doesn't get frequented by the kids nearly as often. I will take swinging with them any time, any place.

At the park with Cameron and Katelyn

These pictures are from about two months ago. It was a nice early spring day and we just could not resist going to Barnes park in Kaysville. The kids loved the ducks but since it was a spur of the moment trip we did not have bread for the ducks. They did not seem to mind, the playground was so fun and Cameron loved being able to just run and explore. I wish I could do this once a week. Time with them is so precious!

Snowy days and good times in Utah

The snow was just too much resist! We took two days to play out in the snow, the first the snow was not good for making snowmen but the next day it snowed a lot and made for great snowballs, it was our first time to show Katelyn how to roll the snow to make a good snowman, and we are all proud of our efforts, even Cameron helped!



Katelyn loves to hang out with me while I get my hair and makeup done. She thought it would be fun to try a little on her. Don't you think she did a great job. Just about ten years to practice and she should be good to go. Not bad for four years old!




Needless to say these little kids have our heart completely! Cameron is talking so much and is very good at his actions to get you to understand what he wants. Of course he has the word NO! down really well. We spent the weekend ( Grandma always takes a few extra days) playing, laughing and marveling at how smart they are. Thanks for the great weekend. We just can't get enough and we miss them every day we are part. We love you all!

Time with my Family is as good as it ever gets!

It seems that the only things I blog about are the great times I have with my family, and to me that is about as good as it ever gets or could be! We had Thanksgiving and Christmas here at home in Colorado, that rarely happens! Even Tyler flew in a surprised us. Marty and Nicole braved the long drive twice in a month and it was not always a fun adventure but it was so nice to be together. Thanks to all my Children who gave up so much for this family time. We had a blast.

Katelyn turns 4 years old!

It does not seem possible that our little girl could be 4 years old. Our lives have not been the same since she was born. She is so sweet and a true blessing to our family.
This past weekend we got to celebrate with her family and friends. A special princess party was planned and her Mom did a beautiful job! The decorations were so cute and her cake, hand made by Mom was no less than professional looking. I have never seen so many different kinds of princess dolls and toys. The kids at her party all dressed as princesses or knights and they were all so cute. They made crowns and shields with fun decorations, played pin the kiss on the frog, searched for the kings lost gold coins, and a bean bag toss into a castle. One of the highlights was the slaying of the dragon, even though he was hard to break, with a little help from Dad, all the candy fell out to the delight of all. At the end of the day Katelyn had to try on all the dress up costumes we gave her and then she just kept adding to it. When that happens you get a princess dress, jewelry, new snow boots and a warm up jacket, a look only a true princess can pull off.

Cameron could not be left out of the special day. He looked for gold coins in his dragon costume and even made his own shield. Of course the best part was all the goodies!

Thanks for letting us be part of your special day. You are more than a princess to us. We love you! Happy Birthday Katelyn

I have been tagged!

Seven random facts about me

1. I love being a Grandma, it is the best!

2. I love Dr. Pepper, although I am not addicted I enjoy some of the nectar of the Gods every day.

3. After 32 years of cooking, I really enjoy eating out or anywhere someone else does the cooking.

4. I like all the blinds closed when it is dark and I have to have them open first thing in the morning.

5. I love the new daytime show "The Doctors" don't know why it is so interesting to me.

6. I could live without winter, had enough snow to last a lifetime. Only time it is needed is at Christmas or if I get a day to play with my Grandchildren and build snowmen together.

7. I need sunshine!


Seven random memories

1. Spending Marty's first Christmas in Iowa. Glade had to work so we spent the day at a friends house in our Branch and had dinner with them. Glade came home and we opened presents at about 6:00 pm, that never happened again!

2. Watching Jill graduate from SUU. One of my proudest moments.

3. Living through two son's missions and the absolute joy of seeing them arrive home at the airport and those precious first hugs! A very proud and happy day for a mom.

4. Seeing Kateylyn for the first time and holding her at the Tulsa Airport, been my best buddy ever since.

6. Watching Cameron come into the world and holding him when he was only minutes old. So amazing.

7. A far away memory of our wedding day. We were so young and we didn't know it, we were just in love and had no idea what was ahead, and thankful to have a partner to live through it all with me.

Seven things to look forward to

1. Being a Grandma over and over again and learning what it is like to be the "in town"Grandma.

2. One more wedding someday, and meeting a new daughter in law and adding her to the family.

3. Watching my daughter become a Mom.

4.Paying our house off.

5. Okay, me getting a new job.

6. More fun travels with family and friends. Hoping one day to see Italy.

7. Having selective memory, remembering all the good, forgetting all the bad.

Happy Birthday Jill

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JILL!

On October 13, 1981 my life was blessed with a beautiful baby girl! She has blessed my life every day since. We have been a team, and best friends all her life. she is turning 27 this year and I thought I would list the 27 things I love about her!

1. Her Smile, it just makes you happy.

2. Her sense of humor, she really comes up with some funny things to say.

3. Her honesty. She will always tell you the truth.

4. Her great taste in decorating, her house is adorable.

5. Her love of teaching. She has a teaching degree of which I am most proud. She uses that talent to substitute teach, and she has great reputation for being one of the best!

6. Her choice in a husband. She brought George into our lives and he is one of our own now. Our family is forever blessed . So many things we could not do without him.

7. Watching Jill and George be happy together. They are best friends, and I love to watch them love each other. They are great examples to me.

8. Her ability to make a decision and stick with it! She always trusts herself, rarely second guesses herself. This made planning a wedding a wonderful experience.

9. Her love a reading. She always has a book she is reading and she inspires me to try to read more, a daunting task.

10. She is great cook. I wasn't sure when she left home if she would eat, but out of necessity she has become a wonderful cook. I love to eat anything she cooks!

11. Her love for the same kind of shows and movies as me. I miss watching "Gilmore Girls" with her and singing the opening song together. Thanks George for putting up with that, you never bolted from the room when we sang, you are a strong Man.

12. Her Creativity. We have had a lot of fun trying to create things. They eventually turn out, even though we have to go back to the store at least twice for supplies. I love to do projects with her.

13. She is not a chocoholic. I really admire that in her. As a child she really didn't get into chocolate and I never pushed her to, I wish I could be more like that!

14. She loves Dr. Pepper too!

15. She is organized. Heaven knows she has tried to help me be better organized, some of it has rubbed off, although not enough.

16. She loves a Broadway play. One of my favorite memories is going to see Les Mes with her in New York. We both love that play so much we went to see it again in Colorado.

17. She is a good listener. I can bounce most anything off of her and she always helps me make sense of things.

18. Her dedication to her church callings. Even as a young women, she always did her part and more, and did it very well. This makes those who work with her love her for her hard work and dependability. She is an excellent Young Women secretary.

19. She is a great housekeeper! I have never seen her house dirty. She take such pride in her home and it is always clean.

20. She loves to eat out. She is always fun to go to lunch with, and we try to do it often. We don't really care where we go, it is just fun to us.

21. Her love to travel. She loves to see new places. She loves to really see a place when she is there . She went to Italy and France with George and one day I would love to go to Italy with them.

22. She loves living in Colorado and for that I am grateful. Having her five minutes away makes my life rich and full.

23. Her love for children. She is wonderful with them. It is a big part of who she is and one day she will make the best Mother ever!

24. She appreciates her blessings. She recognizes the things she is blessed with and lives to receive all the blessings she should have.

25. Her love for animals. She has had many interesting pets over the years, like a fog when she lived in the dorms at school. And Jack her very large dog who dug holes in the back yard and everyday she would fill them in so her Dad would not get mad. And now Milo.

26. Her testimony of the Gospel. Her dedication to reading the scriptures and following the Prophet. There is much to be admired there.

27 AND FINALLY, BECAUSE SHE IS JILL! MY ONLY DAUGHTER, MY BEST FRIEND AND A PERSON I WOULD MOST LIKE TO BE LIKE. HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I LOVE YOU

baking with Grandma

When I was a kid growing up, my Mom used to make us clean and do baking every Saturday. This was not an activity I loved at all. I could not stand to make cookies, I just did not have a patience for it at all. Come to think of it, I didn't have a lot of patience for lots of the things I had to do as a child. We would make cakes and cookies to store in the freezer, so we would have them for the coming week. No store bought goodies for us! I think I volunteered for the cakes most of the time because I really hated dropping the cookies on the baking sheet, it just took to much time. My Mothers love for baking must have rubbed off on me and I spent many hours making the same treats for my kids, but it was still work. Now that I am a Grandma, one a my very favorite activities is baking with Katelyn, and now Cameron. I made an apron for Katelyn and we have been sharing this fun activity since she was old enough to stand on a stool and help. Now little Cameron wants in on the act. He is not really into the measuring and spinning the bowl like Katelyn, but he none the less loves squeezing up on the stool and being part of the whole thing. I guess his official duty at this point is the taster. He loves the whip cream and the frosting. He can't say a lot of words but you definitely know when he needs a reload on the frosting. Cooking with Katelyn is just a joy. She loves to count the cups of sugar and flour and dump all the ingredients in the bowl (she does an excellent job too). The best part is when she shows Daddy the cake we made and loves the big smile on his face. Daddy loves his cake!

I am not sure how to describe what happens to you when you become a grandparent, some kind of transformation happens. The things you were just to busy to enjoy, now bring you so much joy. I love to watch them play, grow and change. I love to watch my children be parents, and see them do so much better job than I ever did. Whatever it is, you just cant beat having them all on your lap. As Grandpa Glade said, "it just doesn't get any better than this" and I have to agree.