More Fresno

The girls have a board that they practice spinning on.  They are good at it and try to see who can spin the most times around without falling off.  Neal decided he wanted to give it a try (he was cautioned not to do it).  After two tries of never making it around even one time, this is how he ended up.  Tucker caught the whole thing on tape.  Here is the ending picture.  No, he didn't hurt himself.  No worries there.  Just a very dramatic fall.  A picture that I still bust up laughing every time I look at it.  Tucker's timing with his phone was perfect!!

Tucker decided he wanted to make some bread so he got out the recipe and I watched as he put the ingredients together.  Wished I could have been there to taste the end result.

This is a picture he sent me of the bread after he braided it and put it in the pans.  He needs a little help on the braiding but it actually looks pretty good.  The funny thing is that he didn't know it had to raise in the pans before putting them in the oven.  He text me that they were in the oven and I asked him if he had let them raise in the pans.  He had not!  He said they were only in the oven for about 4 minutes so he took them out quick to raise.  I never got a picture of the finished product but hope they turned out delicious!

We went to eat at a fun hamburger place as we were heading to the airport.

Goodbyes were said in the parking lot and Jamie and the girls headed back home and Tucker took Neal and I on to the airport were, of course, I cried as I gave my son a hug goodbye.  We had a safe trip back home.

I would add here that the company that Tucker worked for folded and he was let go.  So now he is looking for another job.  He had a good interview today and was told that he would be called to do a face to face interview in December.  The company has narrowed the candidates down to five and he is one of the five.

Fresno continued

Tucker, Jamie, Neal and I dropped the girls off at dancing and the four of us went to Bella Rose Bakery and Café for lunch.  It was a delicious lunch and nice to spend some time with just Tucker and Jamie.  We also saw some signs that Jamie made and she and Jordyn Lyn went late at night and stapled them on to the bill board.  She said she had tried to contact the city to get permission and got nowhere so she took matters into her own hands and made the sign and put it up.

I have more to post but I'm tired and I'm going to bed.  I shall finish it tomorrow afternoon.  I will say that we had a fabulous time and enjoyed every single moment of the time we spent with them.  Love this family!

Our trip continued

We spent an evening doing face trading.  Oh my gosh, we laughed until we couldn't breathe!!  Here are some of the face swap pictures.  I still laugh when I see them.  I think you will be able to tell whose faces were swapped with who:

I'm laughing so hard right now that I can hardly see to type!
Here is a normal picture of Jamie and I.

 We went to the Sun Maid Factory and bought some candy and a trinket or two.  We had fun wandering around the store.

We went to Walmart to look at lamps and Neal ended up buying this container.  We also bought some candy.

A Trip to Fresno

We left Saturday evening about 8:00 and flew to Fresno where we were picked up by Tucker and the girls.  We went to their home and settled in.  We were given a tour of the house.  Peyton was so excited to show us her bedroom that she generously gave up for Neal and I.  When she took us into her room this is what we saw.

 Sunday morning we all slept in and decided to have some family time at the house rather than go the church.  It was an incredibly relaxing day and one that we all enjoyed.

It was a fun and relaxing day of visiting, playing games, catching up and just hanging out.  Jamie  fixed us a delicious spaghetti dinner with garlic bread and a green salad.

We had such a fun time and I took pictures of this and that.  For example, I laughed at Tucker and Jamie's garage.  when we drove up to the house Neal commented that they had a three car garage and they had three cars.  Well we went in the garage and this is what we saw.

No cars will fit in here.
More pictures:

To be cont . . . . .

Shopping with Neal

Shopping with Neal is always an adventure and the other night was no exception!  I had to run out to Hobby Lobby and Neal tagged along and when he got in the store he was amazed at how big it was and wanted to see EVERYTHING!  By the time I got him to the check stand, we had been in there for about an hour.  All I needed was a box of popsicle sticks and we came out with a lot more than that.  We ended up getting more garland for the Christmas tree along with some more big bulbs.  As we were checking out Neal say this Mother Goose and started giggling and said that it reminded him of me!  My goodness.  He said he just had to buy it.  I told him it was $30.00 and he said he didn't care, just had to have it because it just made him fell happy when he looked at it.  Then when we got up to the check out counter he notice the large Fall doll mixed in with all their Fall items and everything was marked down 80%.  He fell in love with the doll and quickly brought it over to buy.  Well, we got the giggles and I'm sure the clerk thought we were both drunk but it was just way to funny.  So, we came home with more than just a box of popsicle sticks but a lot of fun memories of our evening together shopping at Hobby Lobby.

This is a picture of Neal trying to get the Christmas bulbs down from the shelf.  We actually dropped on and busted the tops off them.

 Picture of me and the 'look alike' goose!

 Annie laughed at this picture.  She said it looked like Neal was ready to wring the goose's neck!

Mallorys package

Lynda Ann finished Mallory's quilt and has boxed it up along with all of Mallory's bedding and other things she needs to have when she arrives in Tennessee.  Annie said it was a big box and rather expensive to mail but she was excited to have everything done and on its way so it would be at the Mission Home when Mallory arrives.

Another project

Poor Lynda Ann.  She always gets caught up in my projects!  Good thing she mostly enjoys doing them and that she loves me enough to keep on doing them!  This is our next project for my little people at the retirement center.  We are making these for my handouts for the month of December.  There is a darling poem that goes with it but I don't happen to have it with me.  I'll have to post it later.

The manger scene is made out of popsicle sticks, Mary and Joseph out of wooden clothes pins.  Pretty clever!  I'm excited to get together with Annie and make them.  Thanks Lynda Ann for always being right at my side helping me whenever I call on your talents!!!

Hayley's birthday

Cute Hayley had a birthday and that celebration kind of got sidetracked just a bit because it was the very day that Mallory left for the MTC.  Lila and Susan had asked me to meet them in Provo for lunch so I called Hayley to see if she wanted to tag along.  We had a fun, fun day shopping and lunching.  We ate at Sizzlers and shopped in too many stores to list.  We ended up at the Missionary Mall where Hayley found a dress, a sweater and two cute tops.  Emmi took a picture of her in her new dress on Sunday.  Cute dress and very cute girl!  Andrew is looking pretty handsome himself.

Update

Mallory is still in the MTC and leaves for Tennessee on November 22nd.  This is just a little part of her last letter:

"President Russell M. Nelson was here!!!!!!!!!!!  He spoke at the devotional Tuesday night!!!!  I was freaking out when they told us who was going to be speaking!  My favorite thing that he said was if you only have one convert on your mission, I hope it will be yourself.  It reminded me of when Elder Holland said that everything in the conversion process must happen to you before it can happen to them.  We have to be converted to this gospel before we ask others to convert.  If you are your only convert at the end of you mission, you did not fail.  It is so important that we as missionaries have a testimony of the things we are teaching or we can't teach them."

Mallory said, "I know the Prophet Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that he restored the true gospel to the earth.  I know he translated the Book of Mormon and that it is the most correct of any book.  He gave everything for the Lord and His church.  I can give 18 months!"

What a beautiful testimony.  What a beautiful woman!

 Mallory said they did a session at the Provo Temple and she ran into a little grandma that reminded her of me. :-)

 I LOVE this picture!

You can see the "happy" written all over her!

The MTC

Here are a few comments from Mallory about the MTC and how she is doing:

"I am loving the MTC.  We have class for 3 hours at a time twice a day.  I LOVE class!  My companion is Sister Haylee Rummier.  She is from California.  I LOVE her!!  We already taught our first investigator.  Her name was Kathy.  People always ask what the MTC is like but there is no way to explain it.  You would just have to be here.  I am making myself journal every night so I don't forget this MTC experience.  The MTC Presidents wife, Sister Martino spoke about the Book of Mormon.  She talked about how if you write down the questions you have, no matter how simple or insignificant you think it is, and then start reading the Book of Mormon then you will get your answers.  But you have to be sincere.  If you don't really care about the answer then you won't get an answer.  Sunday night devotional ,Brother Ryan Eggett, the MTC choir director spoke.  We sang some of the hymns and having all the missionaries singing at the same time is so powerful.  One of the songs we sang was Hope Of Israel.  I shall always remember the missionaries singing it with so much power.  I am having so much fun and I am learning lots.  I am learning how to best teach investigators.  The biggest thing is that I shouldn't worry about how I did teaching but how the investigator understood and if they felt the spirit.  It is not about the missionary.  I can't wait to get to Tennessee and find my own investigators!  It's crazy that I have een here for almost a week!  The days go by so fast!  I love you all so much!"

What an incredible letter from Mallory.  You can tell that she is in love with the gospel and being a missionary.

God's Creation

I was sitting in my bedroom the other night and happened to glance up at our moon shaped window and there centered in the window was the full moon.  I couldn't resist grabbing my phone and taking a picture.  Every year about this time, the harvest or beaver moon comes up in just the right spot to shine right through that little window.  I'm sure the builders had no idea what they were creating for the owners to enjoy.  There are so many things about this earth that are amazing and the beauty that it brings to our senses is incredible.  I'm so thankful for the beauties of the seasons.

A quilt for Mallory

Lynda Ann cut out squares of white material and had them at a table at Mallory's open house.  She asked that people take a minute and write a message or draw a picture or do something on a square.  Her plan was to put them all together into a quilt and give it to Mallory to use on her mission.  Annie sent me this picture

She still had four more squares coming from Susan, Lila and Mary and a couple other people so this isn't the finished product, just the almost.  She called me last night and said the she had everything sewn together and was putting the quilt on the frames last night.  I offered to go out and help her tie but she said it was just a twin size and could easily get it done.  I'm so excited to see it finished.  How fun for Mallory and what an incredible remembrance of those who came to her farewell and open house.  

Christmas is comiing!

I pride myself in being a little bit ahead of the Christmas rush of buying and wrapping presents.  With a family as big as ours I do have to start thinking early, buying early and wrapping early.  Because Mallory was leaving on her mission before Thanksgiving and Christmas I wanted to have the house decorated just for her to celebrate both holidays before she left.  I did have all these presents wrapped but decided that it was a little too much to already have presents under the tree, so held off hauling them all downstairs to the tree.  All of these presents are stacked in the spare bedroom and will be arranged under the tree the day after Thanksgiving.  Which is when the tree usually gets decorated.

Neal's Bird of Paradise

It is amazing but after all these years this plant of Neal's has produced blossoms for the past two years.  Last year it produced one blossom and this year it produced two.  it is amazing and very uncommon to have the conditions just right for these delicate plants to actually bloom.  This is a picture of the second bloom that just showed itself the other day.  You go to the islands and they are common and in bloom all the time but here, it is a rarity and we shall enjoy it for as long as we can.