Another fun filled Mother’s Day weekend in Park City

First of all I want to say that we greatly missed Maren and Jamie.  There were just too many conflicts for these two girls to join us this year. 

Annie arranged for the condo at Bear Hollow.  We left home about 4:00 p.m. and checked in at the condo and then headed to Midway to visit with Lila Mae and Susan.  We had dinner reservations at Tarhamara for 6:00 p.m.  Our visit with Lila Mae and Susan was short but fun.  Lila had made Swiss cookies and had a loaf of home made bread so we scored big time.  We also raided her movie shelves and borrowed Quigley Down Under with Tom Selleck. 

We had a delicious Mexican dinner, stopped at the bakery and then headed back to Park City.  We changed into our bathing suits and all of us sat in the hot tub for about an hour talking and laughing.  Then we changed and settled in to watch the movie.

We got up around 8:30, visited for a bit, checked out, went for breakfast and then the outlet stores.  We shopped until about 2:15 and then headed back down the canyon to home.  It was an incredibly fun trip and a tradition that I hope we will carry on for years to come.

This picture of Lyndsy was taken just for you Tucker!  We know down deep in your heart how much you really love BYU!

Grayson’s baptism. What a wonderful day.

We arrived at the church at 3:00 p.m. for Grayson’s baptism.  The people in our family who attended were:  Neal and I.  All the Gertsons, Boston and Brock, Lyndsy and River.  On Mindy’s side of the family was her dad and Karen, her Mom and Linda and her brother Rick.  There were many other people there for Grayson but I didn’t know them all and hope that Mindy will record all who attended and who stood in the ordination circle.  The first counselor in the bishopric made the comment to Grayson that now that he was baptized that he should try and be good the rest of his life.  Grayson looked right at him and smiled and said, “I’ll try my best.”  That is all we would ask for any of us to just do our best.  Mindy share her testimony with all of us.  It was a very spiritual moment when she challenged her mom to listen to the gospel.

After the baptism, we all went over to Mindys for refreshments and to visit.  Jeff was really sick and as soon as the baptism was over he went home and to bed so we didn’t get to visit with him.

A busy Saturday

Taylor had a dance recital in St. George and so Maren called and asked if I could tend Boston and Brock on Saturday while Greg was at work.  I ran out to Maren’s and picked up the two boys about 9 a.m.  I actually got lost coming out of Maren and Greg’s neighborhood.  Don’t ask me what street I got on but it took me nearly 1/2 hour to get back on the right road!  Seriously, children, you are going to have to watch me closely when I get old.

When I finally got home, Emmi was up and so we decided to take the boys to Wheeler Farm.  Here are some fun pictures of us enjoying the farm.

We ended back at the house to have a bit of lunch and then got ready to go to Grayson’s baptism.  Boston wanted a peanut butter and jam sandwich and then had a bowl of cereal.  Brock just wanted cereal.

A visit from the Gertsons and Neal hires Emmi!

Every year Neal loves to plant all his many planters that he has out on the patio.  I have to admit they are beautiful when they get growing a blooming, but I’m just not into planting.  So, last year he asked Emmi if she would stay over and help him plant and she willing accepted.  This year Spring came as usual and the pots needed to have new plants in them.  Again, Neal got Emmi to come and stay over night and help him. 

Lynda Ann was having a serious problem with her left eye and so she went to the doctors, Neal and Jeff G. went golfing and I took Emmi and we ran some errands and picked up some food for dinner.

When Neal got home he and Emmi went out on the patio to begin the planting and Lynda Ann, Jeff, Mallory, Abby and I played a game and then the Gertsons headed home, leaving Emmi to stay and finish with Pa and to dust and clean his office.

Oh my gosh!  Look how tall these grandchildren of mine are getting!  Am I really a midget or just a very small grandma?

Notice the big sun that Neal bought in Mexico along with another pot.  I also had to take a picture of Andrew in his coon skin hat!  Apparently he is doing a report on Daniel Boon.

Derek’s counted cross stitch statistics

Neal figured that if I did 6 complete cross stitches in 1 minute and worked 2 hours a day I could finish this project in 2 1/2 months and it would total about 200 hours.  Now you figure what the standard hourly rate is for working and you will see how much this thing will actually be worth when I finish it! 

I just finished a wonderful book by Stephanie Nielson

There are countless paragraphs of inspiration as I read this book.  But two paragraphs stood out for me.  The first was this thought (and I’m quoting from Stephanie):  A memory came back to her about being in a beautiful place, away from her body. She spent time with her grandmother and she says; “I was asked to choose.  I could stay there if I wanted, and be released from my physical body, or I could go back to earth.” (and what follows made me think about my sister, Annette who was taken from us so early in her life and about Judy, who was also taken at an early age).  Stephanie says, “In either case, I had work to do, and it could be accomplished in heaven or on Earth.  I thought about watching my girls get married and my boys go on missions, and I realized I could experience it from afar.” 

What a wonderful thing for all of us to think about and have a testimony of.  How blessed we are as members of the Church of Jesus Christ to know for a surety that all our loved ones are very close and they do experience and help us from the other side of the veil.  I remember clearly experiencing Judy’s presence when Tucker went through the temple and we were in the Celestial Room when Maren was married and we had just finished dressing her in the brides room.

Secondly, I believe as she does that God knows us each personally and that He understands our heart.  We all have challenges in this life but no matter the challenges we can rise above them if we believe that our Heavenly Father knows and loves us and we believe in the atonement.

Update on my sewing project for Derek

This is not the easiest counted cross I’ve done, nor can I say it is the hardest.  But, it falls somewhere toward one of the more challenging ones I’ve done.  Keep in mind, this is just the center of the project.  The trees branches out to the right and to the left.