Pictures Are Fun

I don't think this post needs many words - I'll let the picture speak for itself!!

Reasons to Celebrate!

We often have many reasons to celebrate - weddings, baptisms, births, etc. But every day can bring an opportunity to acknowledge the goodness in someone, accomplishments achieved, love shared, goals reached - and I'm not talking about just big, huge events or magnificent acts of courage - sometimes we overlook the simplest of blessings. Here are a few people that cross my mind today that I wish to celebrate:

• My mother-in-law is relatively healthy for her age (going on 81) and active. She's a master gardener and shares the fruits of her labors. I always come home from her house with a beautiful bouquet!

• My sister-in-law, Cathi, seems to be able to handle whatever is thrown her way without so much as a ruffling of her feathers! Her "go with the flow" attitude is something to be admired! She's taking care of her mother, who is basically house-bound, 24/7 and is still willing to help others who need care.

• Adam and Jillie are graduating from high school today. It hardly seems possible that those two are old enough to do that (could they have gone through an accelerated program and are really only 12??)! Adam is a fine young man with a lot of talent. Jille is a sweet young lady with equal talent (and from what I understand, a great golf game!). It will be exciting to hear about their college adventures - I'm sure they'll see much success!!

• Caitlin is turning 9 years old on Friday. She is so sweet (I can't say that too much because it's so true!) and soooo smart. She made the Principle's List at school two sememsters in a row!! Go Caitie!!

• Kailee had her dance recital last night and did a great job! She sure got a ton of flowers from her admirers!! She's going to be in junior high this year and is becoming quite the beautiful young lady!

So, these are the people I've thought about today. Hope you find someone to celebrate today in your life!!

Happy Birthday Bremen!!

Today is Bremen's 5th birthday. He's not here with us to celebrate, but he had a fabulous party in Slovakia (just look at his pictures!). So, to honor Bremen's birthday, here are some tidbits about Bremen:

B - is for all BOY. He has so much fun being a boy - pretending, playing games, digging in dirt, running around and getting all sweaty - you know, BOY stuff!

R - is for REALLY good at just about everything. I don't know how many times I've heard him say "I'm really good at ________,"

E - for ENERGY. Man, does he have a lot of energy. If we could bottle it up, we'd make money!

M - is for MILLION dollar smile! His megawatt smile just makes you melt!!

E - is for EXCITING. Just being around Bremen is exciting - he looks at things with fresh eyes and can make you see things from a different perspective.

N - is for NEVER A DULL MOMENT. He'll keep you busy playing, doing crafts, telling stories, etc. Even watching movies or TV with Bremen is fun - he has such great facial expressions and a great laugh!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BREMEN!!!

It's a Wonderful Life - Part 3

The final installment of our "Wonderful Life" trip. We headed up to Idaho after Patrick's graduation to visit with Logan and Lexi for a while (yeah, Jon and Jamie, too.) Logan, of course, rode with Grammie and Papa. So, while we sat in the back seat and had fun, Papa chauffered us to Idaho!

The weather was great - mostly sunny, but a tad windy (I hate wind). Logan and I had fun planting seeds to watch them grow (he did have to buy a couple of "already done" flowers, as well), painting rocks, taking walks, going to the library (we love going to libraries) and playing Star Wars Leggos (video and real Leggos). Playing video games with Logan is humbling - I can't tell you how many times he grabbed my controller and made me drop out while he charged on! It was also nice to see Logan playing with neighborhood kids - I love that he has friends to play with. And there are a LOT of kids in his neighborhood!

While all this was going on, Miss Lexi was getting mightly spoiled by her Papa. She was fun to watch - she loves to interact with you, but she can really entertain herself (and us) when she wants. She would run around the kitchen island screaming - she thought that was great fun! Logan has a toy from when he was little (Papa and Grammie got it for him) that is a bit like an arcade driving game - it has the steering wheel, a little "video" screen to see racing action, pedals, horn, etc. Lexi loved sitting there and pretending to drive. Watching her walk around "talking" on the phone was hilarious. She'd talk and then hand it to you for you to talk. She is a charmer!!

Jamie and I even got to have a movie date while the guys stayed home with the kids. I did have a bummer few days when what I think was the flu hit me. I'll spare you the awful details, but it was not fun!!

Dave did make himself rather useful and built a gate for the fence on their side yard. He loves working on projects and this one kept him busy for several days.

It was great fun and I hated coming home - I miss them all terribly. Logan's call right before we left Utah made me want to just head back to Idaho rather than coming back to Arizona. He asked if we were in Arizona yet and I told him, no, we were still in Utah. He said, "I just need you to come back to Idaho for a minute." Oh, if it were that easy, I'd be one happy Grammie!

It's a Wonderful LIfe - Part 2

The very next day after moving Patrick and Heather into their new house, Patrick graduated from Utah Valley University (OK - it's technically Utah Valley State College, but they are a duly accredited university effective July 1st and that's what his diploma will say - UVU!). The preparation for his graduation celebration was hectic and fun. We (mostly they) get the house set up just in time for the Ray family to come - we love spending time with Heather's parents and her brother's family. Then around midnight, the Idaho bunch arrives. Yes, folks, you heard it right. The very first night in their new house they entertain family for dinner and have 6 extra people spending the night with them! What a great time we had!

Graduation day came and we all were very excited. As the whole bunch of us were sitting there and the graduates started marching in, I was so overwhelmed. It was actually happening - the little guy who thought high school was mostly a social experiment was graduating from college. I was so happy for him, for Heather and all she had done to get him to that point, and for the Ray family who encouraged him every step of the way. It was all I could do to keep myself in check and not soak everyone with tears of joy! During the ceremony, Patrick was acknowledged as the recipient of the Student of Excellence Award, which is given to only one student in the College of Technology and Computing. Dave and I are so proud of Patrick. Way to go kid!!

This was a day that will live forever in my memory. Yup, it IS a wonderful life!!

It's a Wonderful Life - Part 1

We've been gone for a whole month and I have to say it really doesn't feel like we were gone that long. So much has happened that it would take me FOREVER to post it all here and now, so I'll do it in installments!

Our first wonderful event was helping Patrick and Heather move into their first new home. It was so exciting to be there with them and we do appreciate their willingness to let us be a part of this milestone in their lives! The house is so nice and they worked very hard in getting it set up and ready for visitors in no time. So, enjoy this part of our trip. Stay tuned for more to come!!

(P.S. - Sorry, Sheri, but it REALLY has been wonderful. If something not so wonderful happens, I'll post that, too! Of course, the life of a grandparent is drastically different than the life of a parent of small children!)