Summer Wrap Up

 Now that Autumn has officially begun, I guess I had better document some of highlights! I have been busy and lazy both! Sleep has been a difficult thing for me. I need to be better at turning off that light and not reading into late hours, but I also need to figure out how to stop waking up so early, no matter how little sleep I've had! If you have the answer, let me know!

My summer began in a very beautiful way. In May Dee and I both had powerful impressions that we should go to our Bishop and let him know that we were willing to work in the temple. With the opening of the Payson Utah temple later in the summer, the Mt. Timpanogos Temple lost over 1,000 ordinance workers! Many workers at the Provo Temple are now in the Payson Temple district, so Many of our workers up here on the north end were put into the Provo Temple district as the boundaries were all redrawn. The call went out at our church meetings and Dee really began to think about it. I had actually been thinking about it for several months. As usual, the Lord was preparing me ahead of time, because it takes me some time to work my way into a change of routine. We received an invitation to come to the temple and meet with President Funk on a gorgeous day in May and by the time we had left we had been called and set apart as Ordinance Workers, and had received a tour of the worker's area in the basement. We left feeling overwhelmed, humble, and excited! Here we are on our way home that afternoon, so happy!

I began on July 8th, the second day the temple had been open after being closed for the entire month of June. They closed for deep cleaning and also I believe, to have time to get more workers called. Can you imagine being faced with the loss of nearly 1300 workers? We still have not replaced them all, but week after week more new sisters and brothers join our shift. It's a wonderful thing to see our ranks grow! We chose to serve on the Wednesday first shift because Dee has Wednesday mornings free from morning swim team practice. So, the only day he has to sleep in a little, he is now up earlier that usual to serve the Lord. It makes him very happy! He comes home when our shift is over, eats a quick lunch and goes down to Provo for work. I try to be productive, but usually end up taking a nap because 3:50 is an early wake-up call folks!

I will write more later about my experiences in this sacred work. It has been a spiritual time of learning and blessings!

In May Brittany took a much needed trip to Toronto to visit her sister Sarah. Here they are at the top of the CN Tower.

Sarah took Britt to see Casa Loma, a massive castle of a house built by Sir Henry Pellat beginning in 1911. It was quite a tour!

She had a wonderful time and it was hard to come home and leave Sarah there!

I miss seeing my beauties together!

In June Brittany helped host an event with Provo City, The Freedom Festival's Stars & Stripes Beach Blast. It was held at our outdoor shopping mall The Shops at Riverwoods. We saw an amazing sand castle, enjoyed great live music, and had fun with a massive beach ball drop! Dee's parents joined us later on and enjoyed seeing Brittany at work. She is really good at what she does!

Before Granni & Papa arrived we escaped the heat with some amazing Marley's burgers. I love going into Marley's because they have a little replica of Mesa's famous "Diving Lady" sign. Takes me back to fun times as a little girl pressing my face to the car window so I could see her coming up on East Main St.

My kids were captive by their lunch. I grabbed some photos while I could!

 Here is the sand castle which reminded me of the castle in The Little Mermaid movie. Look at that view of Mt. Timpanogos!

Always in love!

Left Shark was even there!

You could have your photo taken with this beautiful bald eagle which I caught this group of veterans doing. Awesome!

 Here's Dee awaiting the beach ball drop.

 Here is what he was looking at!

Wouldn't you know? My phone battery died just as the drop occurred! I got the very first part and missed the fun beach ball fight afterward! Blogger won't let me upload that little clip though. (sigh)

We came home with five beach balls and happily took four of them down the street to a family that Dee and Richard Home Teach, and I am the Mom's visiting teacher. They have four little girls and loved the surprise as they were proclaiming how bored they were!

We celebrated Richard's 20th birthday with cake and family at home. Before that, however, his sisters took him to the Provo Beaches Resort (at the Shops at Riverwoods) and they enjoyed an afternoon of good old arcade fun!

Cousin Emily is amused at his antics!

Papa and Granni were there. It's so fun to have them with us now! We have always been on our own here in Utah.

The girls showered Richard with their tickets and he brought home some fun prizes, just like the old days when they were all so small!

I love my son so very much! He has faced some difficult challenges in his life and is now really coming into his own. He exhibits so much confidence and is always so helpful and kind. We are working on a check list of ways to prepare himself to serve a mission someday soon!

In June Aunt "BB" flew on a big airplane to visit Lucas in Minnesota. They had they best time making "Possicles" and playing together. Lucas was so sad when she had to leave. I was sad by proxy for him and her both!

Brittany bought some fun Popsicle molds for Lucas and they made all kinds of fruity good treats.

Diana and Lucas took Aunt BB on a nature walk and showed her where the fishies and froggies live in the Mississippi River.

Lucas had fun making silly faces for Britt's camera..."Look at me BB!"

 They also took Lucas to his first movie where he had his own seat.

 I adore this picture of Brittany and Lucas watching the River Days parade in Saulk Rapids, Minnesota. All American fun!

The Fourth of July was low-key. We decided not to do a fireworks show but stayed home and lit our own. We had a backyard barbecue and invited Michael, Sarah, Nathan, and Emily Faria over. Nathan was not so sure about the noise and watched the first part of the show from across the street!

Uncle Dee gave him a juice bar and he enjoyed the sprinkler, however! Isn't he adorable? (those dry spots in the grass have been my nemesis all summer!)

 He also loved the Shasta daisies smelling them and saying ,"Mmmm!"

All of the Fireworks and everyone else appear on videos and, well, Blogger is being dumb.

I finish up July and August next time I write! See you Then!

February~the Frozen Month of Love & Other Stuff

Every February 1st the world anxiously awaits the appearance the next morning of old Punxutawney Phil the Ground Hog, or Agua Fria Freddie the Gila Monster, or Radar the Weather Dog depending on which part of the country you live in. Here in our house though, we sort of forget about the predictors of spring and focus on the Master of the house. He was born on 2/1 which is kind of a cool birthday! He was out of town this year on a recruiting trip on his birthday so we celebrated on 2/2.
  It would have been fun to give him a tutu...get it?








We sent him this photo as a teaser and made him wait until the afternoon of the 2nd, after he had arrived at the airport, after church was over, and after Brittany had a chance to join us. He was such a baby! He wanted to open his big present so badly!

 

My husband loves hot cocoa. He wants to marry hot cocoa he loves it so much! He had a "Cocoa Motion" cocoa maker that sadly broke this fall. He was so sad. We went deluxe this time!

 Here he is checking out the spout and scheming the making of his first batch!

 Valentine's Day was............

 Lucas sent us a darling valentine with his thumbprints. It said "Thumb-body loves you!
 



 As usual Roxie was eager to eat-- umm,  help with the decorations.

 Don't give me that "sorry" face young lady!

 Dee and I ate a yummy lunch a Zupa's and I even pulled off making sugar cookies.
 OK, it was really late when they were done but I did it!

 

 We had a little heat wave in February! It was awesome! Notice, no coat?I am stopped at a red light here, I promise!

Does Roxie lok a bit blurry here? It's because she was! She had her annual dental  cleaning and was coming out of general anesthesia. She was very loopy and could hardly hold herself up! Notice her cute little hospital collar? Yeah, she wanted that thing off ASAP!

 Lucas asks his Mommy quite often if he can Skype with us. He climbs up into the chair and pats the computer. On this morning he showed me his amazing yogurt eating skills. What you don't see is his Momma's face moments later when he tried to feed her!

For the second year in a row I have been blessed to be able to travel with Dee and the BYU Swim & Dive Team to Los Angeles for the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championships. Last year I wrote about my train journey and my four day visit to Diana and her family here.

This year I stayed in LA with Dee and My grandson came to me!

 Here he is opening our little gift for him, Megablox guys to add to his collection, and enjoying them while we waited for our dinner.

Later at the hotel he wanted to try on Pa's swim goggles.             

 

 The next morning I sat outside and read my book while I waited for Nick, Diana, & Lucas to arrive from their hotel. Did I say I was outside...in flipflops?!! Yeah, yeah, I now all of you people in AZ and St. George are not impressed, but I was giddy with happiness!

 Soon enough my kids arrived and we went on jolly adventures with the boy. He loves fireplaces, calling them "hhh-ot". There were two "Hots" in the hotel so he was busy going back and forth between them!

                 Outside "Hot".                                                                                 Inside "Hot".

We waited for the team to return from prelims around noon, then we spent the day together until Dee had to go back to the pool in the late afternoon for finals. Nick and Diana had a proposition for me. They had been given gift cards to have dinner at the Blue Bayou restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland. Since they hold resident passes they can go in at any time but didn't want to have their restless, squirmy son along. I don't blame them! It's kind of romantic in there! So...

I got to babysit my grandson! We had dinner together in the hotel room and played with anything and everything he could find! It was a busy, busy time. Did I mention that this kid has no hips? His pants are always coming down!

He had to try on the goggles again.

 Next he helped Gramma crochet while we watched some cartoons.

It was getting to be Sleepy Time but the boy would not slow down, so we put on our shoes, and our pants of course, and took a walk.We explored every nook and cranny, every spotlight and flower,

 

 

 Then we came back inside, got into our jammies, and settled in to watch some awesome Olympic bobsledding!

 

 Pretty soon Pa came "home" from the night's swims and the boys watched some Dumbo together. Lucas is really into elephants right now.

If you have stuck through all of these photos until the end you are to be congratulated, or revived! I took a lot of pictures. I love this little boy SO MUCH!
 Next time I post I'll share all about the conference meet with you! We had some great swims!