OUR TIME WITH HAYLIE

Mon at 4:30 am Haylie and Garn and I bid a teary good-bye to Mandy and Jon and the other 3 kids. It is so sad to say good-bye to them. I'm glad I'll have a week to spend with them in Aug when I fly Haylie home.

We all went back to bed and got up about 4 hrs. later. Haylie said she was used to reaching out in bed and touching someone since they all slept together in the same room but when she awoke later that morning and reached out, there was no one there. She said it felt different for her..... We got up and stripped the beds and did laundry from Cherry Hill and all the motorhome bedding and rugs and towels. I had 7 loads! Then we vacumned the house (upstairs and down) and the motorhome and washed windows and walls. We moved the recumbant bike from the back deck ( after scrubbing it down) and put it in the extra bedroom. Haylie was a trooper and worked right along beside me all day! When it came time to go to bed she got on her pjs, brushed her teeth, washed up, read her book, said her prayers and hopped into bed, ( this time alone) and went right to sleep!

The next morning she got up, made her bed, bathed, got dressed, and waited for me to get her breakfast. She probably would have gotten her own breakfast but I insisted on doing it. She is so compliant that Garn was wondering what the difference was. Well......duh 1 child compared to 4 in a cramped space makes a WORLD of difference! Plus the fact that Haylie is getting some one on one I think would make any child happy. But I really believe Haylie wants to please us and is eager to show her pleasant personality. Whatever reason, she is polite and a joy to have around!

Today she accompanied me to my racquetball games and cheered me on and then hit the ball around awhile. She's pretty good! Next week I'm giving her a racquet and ball of her own to play with. Tonight we're watching Wipe-out, one of our favorite shows. In less than 2 weeks we'll fly to Seattle to visit Marin and JR and Collin and spend a few days before heading back to Texas. What a whirlwind summer this has been and I've loved every minute of it. She can't stop talking about Marin and Collin and is so excited to see where they live! Of course, I can hardly wait myself! This Fri we're having a bar b que at Misty's for my birthday. She and Dan are the BEST cooks around and we always have a great time with them. Sat. we're going to Raging Waters with them and Austin and Devan. Sun I speak in Sac Mtg ( I'm not too excited about that at all) All in all it's a good life.

A few weeks with Haylie...

Mandy and Jon and the other kids went home Mon at 4:30 AM! Haylie is staying here til Aug. 3rd and then we fly to Seattle to see Marin for a week and then to Dallas and I'll fly home on Aug. 14th having a week to spare before school begins! It's been a crazy summer starting with my 3 week trip to Seattle in May for Collin's birth and then Mandy's family coming in June and then Park City and Cherry Hill and more traveling! I gave a lesson in RS in July and I talk in Sac Mtg this Sun and another lesson in RS on Aug 2nd, then off to Seattle. Gotta love it!

More on Haylie later. She's been a great helper and so fun to be with...

Our favorite past time...eating

Marcus, Merrick, Haylie and Carden

The family enjoying the lazy river

More Cherry Hill...

On the lazy river with Mike and Carden and Marin, Collin, and JR

Get ready to be tipped!

Devan, Sadie, Mason and Austin

Collin in his new swim outfit

Marin and Collin in the motorhome

Cherry Hill!

Marcus, Grama, and Mike all have birthdays in July! Misty made the cake! Cool, huh?

Mike has a way of making everyone laugh!

Uncle Mike with his newest nephew Collin

LATEST SUMMER PICS

A WINDY DAY AT THE OQUIRRH MTN. TEMPLE

Jon, Sadie, Mandy,Haylie, Carden, and Ali Decker

BACK FROM CHERRY HILL ....

Had 2 great days of fun and sun and water! Tonight the fam gets together again for a family shower for Collin and then Mandy and Jon and 3 of the 4 kids leave at 4am tomorrow to go back to Texas. I'll keep Haylie for a few weeks longer and we'll head up to Seattle to see Marin again and then on to Texas on Aug. 8th and I'll arrive back in Utah on the 14th, 10 days before school starts! Marin and JR and Collin fly home tomorrow too.

This summer has flown by like I feared it would but we've been able to do lots of fun things and create lots of memories. Pictures to follow when I get a minute....