FAMILY REUNION

Today it was Garn's family reunion. It was fun and we had all but 1 grandchild there but some of the parents couldn't make it. Good food and great friendships! Marin and JR and baby Collin were able to stay after the funeral of JR's dad. Our Aunt Lillis was the oldest at 83 yrs old and Collin was the youngest at 5 weeks. Mandy had traveled the greatest distance from Texas.
Garn did a triathalon in Vernal this morning but made it back for the last hour.
The one of just our family is next month. I'm excited for Cherry Hill! We'll also get to see some of Sandie's family and JR's mom, Jeannine, and his sister Whitney and brother Archie too. I just love that family!

GREAT DAY AT RAGING WATERS

We had Misty and Mandy and their kids and Austin and Devan and we went on everything over and over. Got a killer deal on the tickets ($6 instead of $20) so that was even better! When I get my pictures downloaded I'll post.

THANK YOU MISTY

We had a great time at the splash park with you and the boys. Mandy's kids loved spending time with their cousins and it was good to have Marin and baby Collin join us. Thank you also for the ice cream! Loved all the flavors and it was a fun idea for a pack mtg!

I am amazed at all you accomplish in a day! You are an inspiration to us all, even dealing with a sick dog!
It was so fun to have all my girls to go to lunch with. It's rare that we can all be together anymore with Mandy in Texas and Marin in Seattle. Thank goodness for summer when we can all meet up again.

Well, off to Raging Waters today! Should be fun!

OQUIRRH MTN. TEMPLE

Misty and Dan are going to be hosts for the Temple open house! They will be in the Celestial Room! That is sooo cool! She and I do initiatory work one Wed a month so it will be neat doing it in this new temple close to her house.

THANK YOU, MANDY

For all the wonderful meals you have been preparing! Sat night she made a bar b que pulled chicken meal in the crock pot and then made a huge lasagna from scratch. For Father's Day she made roast, potatoes, corn on the cob, rolls, and I cut up watermelon, honey dew melon, and cantelope and we had grapes and Chocolate cake and ice cream. We had Jeanine, (JR's mother), Whitney, Archie, Marin and JR over. They had been at the hospital keeping a vigil over James, JR's dad, and had not eaten a good meal for days. Mike and Marcie and Austin and Devan came over later for desert. They had been at the Motorcycle Race in Monticello for the week-end and had taken Carden with them and had just returned. He loved it!

Also I would like to thank her for staying at the hospital throughout Sun night with me to watch Collin while Marin and JR stayed by his dad's bedside. This has been a most unusual visit for her but we've had some choice experiences. It's hard to describe how hard it is when your children are far away and how complete you feel when they return. I remember how hard it was when Misty lived in Idaho and then Calif. I felt so relieved when they moved back to Utah, just to have Mandy and then Marin move away! It's true what they say, Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder.

IT'S A SAD DAY

This morning at 3:45 JR's (Marin's husband) father passed away at the IMC hospital in Murray. Marin and JR and his sister and brother and Mom and Aunt were with him. Mandy, my daughter, visiting from Texas, and I were in the waiting room with Marin's baby Collin. We had been there since 11:30 the night before. At midnight the Dr. pulled his breathing tube but he hung on til 3:45. Our love and prayers go out to the family. They are truly special people.

LETTERBOXING ANYONE?

Yesterday, Mandy and her 4 kids and Misty and her 4 boys and Austin and Devan and I went down the Jordan River Trail to go letterboxing at Winchester Park. McKy, Austin and Devan rode their bikes and the rest of us walked with Ali in the stroller. The kids had fun playing at the park. The water was HIGH! We found the place where the letterbox should have been but it was gone. That sometimes happens but we had a good time following the clues anyway. Then we walked back home and the 3 older boys rode on to Gardner Village while we loaded the other kids up in 2 cars and headed there. I gave each child a $1.00 limit to spend at the candy store and they were so cute trying to decide how best to spend their money. Mandy, Misty and I then bought fudge. If you buy 1 lb. then you get a quarter lb. free! Of course we always go for that deal! We had all eaten lunch beforehand so the kids played the rest of the afternoon and we had dinner that night with all 12 of us. It was so fun! We just ate anything that was in the house! We ended up with one pizza, chicken nuggets, leftover pork chops, lots of fruit and chips and strawberry lemonade. We played games and all the grkids just played outside together. It's sooo nice when it's GOOD weather!

This morning Mike and Marcie and the twins picked up Carden (age 5) to take him with them to Monticello to the motorcycle races for the week-end. He was super excited! Mandy, not so much. She was happy to see him have a great time with his favorite uncle but just worries because he's so young. He went a few years ago with them and had a great time too so maybe this'll be a tradition!

FUN DAYS!

It was finally sunny yesterday so Mandy and her 4 kids and Austin and Devan and I all went to Willow Pond Park and the twins took Carden and Haylie fishing while Sadie and Ali played with friends and Mandy and I worked on a surprise father's day gift for her husband Jon. The weather was great and the kids caught about 30 bluegill which they released, thank goodness.
Today we hope to go to the library, and shop for jeans for Carden so he can go to the Motorcycle Race in Monticello this week-end with Mike and Marcie and the boys. We also want to walk and/bike to Gardner Village today but that doesn't look too promising with the overcast clouds threatening.
Tomorrow, weather permitting, since it has been raining every day, we plan to go letterboxing. All the kids love to read the clues to find the hidden letterboxes! These new letterboxes are all hidden around the Jordan River Parkway this time. We've already found all the ones at Wheeler Farm and Murray Park and all around the Murray area. Should be fun!
Oh yeah, Mandy and I went to the Park Center Gym and Mandy bravely took the spin class that Garn and his triathalon buddies do which is a killer. I said I'd work out in the gym downstairs and check on Mandy half way through. Well, I got on a leg machine with too much weight but thought I'd power thru and it about killed me! Mandy's feet weren't in the stirrups right for the whole class and she didn't have padded biking pants on that the others did so she was miserable and feels like she has ridden a horse for days! So much for overdoing it! I haven't worked out for a month so I'm really out of shape! Gotta be more consistent!

MANDY, JON AND THE KIDS ARE HERE!

They arrived Fri evening at 6:30. Ali seems so grown up at 3 yrs old and talks non stop! Fun!

I'm home

Collin and Marin getting ready to enter Pike's Place.

All of us at the Falls

Pike's Place with Marin and Misty

The Falls

Those 3 weeks went by so fast! I've got to get back to eating normally! The day we arrived (Sun May 17) we went out to Thai Kitchen for JR's birthday and then when Misty came (Thurs June 4) we went back to Thai Kitchen for her birthday. The next day we got lunch at Terryaki Grill, then Sat we went to the famous Pike's Market Place for shopping in Seattle. That evening we ate at the Cheesecake factory. Sun we had steaks and asparagus with cream sauce and Misty's terrific homemade rolls and cinnemon rolls. Mon. we ate homemade biscuits and gravy and chocolate and caramel brownies with ice cream. And those were just the dinners! Misty made omeletes for breakfast one day and Marin and I almost lived at Safeway buying food and candy! I actually enjoyed every minute of it but now it's back to reality. I did very little exercising and I'm totally out of shape!

Marin's a trooper, though. When Collin was just a week and a half old we walked along the shore of Washington Lake. It was a little over 3/4 of a mile! She felt it the next day. Then we walked all over Pike's Market Place on Sat and she went to all 3 hrs of church on Sun and on Mon we went to Snoqualmie Falls. We had lunch there and it was beautiful!

More pictures with collin

Misty with Collin
Collin with me

Collin and Mommy Marin

With Grpa Woodall

Changing table I bought that Jeanine refinished

My new Grandson...COLLIN!

Collin in his new crib that GrMa Woodall bought at a garage sale and she and GrMa McDonnel refinished.












Jr and Collin hanging out at home

Grma with Collin in the dining room facing the deck out back

HAPPY 36TH MISTY!

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT MISTY

You support everyone in the family

You remember everyone's birthdays

You teach your sons the gospel

You usually beat me in board games ( but not always, that's what I love!)

You are fun to be with

You can play basketball well

You give of yourself to your family and others

You support your husband in all his endeavors

You make sure your boys are exposed to music and sports

You will travel long distances to be with family

You make sure you exercise regularly

You encourage your sons to try new things

You support your boys in all their school activities and homework

You make sure your house is always clean

You took on a puppy to raise!

You teach your boys to work by working with them

You show gratitude

You fulfill whatever you're called to do

You love to shop with me

You love to eat out with me

You love camping with the motor home

You keep a beautiful home

You're a Great Daughter, Happy Birthday my firstborn girl! I love you!

BEAUTIFUL SEATTLE!

I'm having a wonderful time with my new grandson Collin. I have tons of pictures but haven't downloaded them yet. He weighed 6' 11" and is 20" long. He had spontaneous pneumo-thorax, where air gets trapped between the lung and chest wall, so he couldn't inflate his right lung to get air when he was born so he spent the first 2 days in NICU. Marin hemmoraghed because of 4 lacerations inside but both are doing well and are home. It was scarey seeing Collin so blue but he is pink now and even rolls over! Both the OB and Pediatrician say it is rare and he can't be left unattended at any time. He holds his head up too! I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself! This is the first baby I've ever seen that is that strong from birth. You can't lay him on his stomach because he pulls up on his arms and knees and just rolls! He's a cutie! When I get home and download all my pictures then you'll see how cute. He looks like JR all the way. (Maybe he has Marin's athleticism and some of her dark hair but the hair will probably change!)

Seattle is warm and beautiful with all the trees and it feels like you're in the mountains at girl's camp. Every morning I read out on their big deck and just listen to the birds and look at all the pine trees. It's a tough life but someone's got to live it! I do what I can.....