A Day At Grandma's House

Today was a special treat for me.  Today I got to have 3 of my 7 darling grandchildren here.  Holly needed to do homework and Angelica had a meeting.  That meant that I got to spend some extra time with Elizabeth, Robert and Vaughn.

Vaughn arrived first.  We had breakfast together.  I finished my eggs and he had Apple Jacks (a definite favorite of his!)  We laughed and sang songs while he ate.  We sang "I Love You and You Love Me....", "Once There Was A Snowman", "Ten Little Indians" and "Popcorn Popping".  He joined in with various words and lots of hand motions to the songs. I have always enjoyed singing to the grandchildren while I am sitting with them as they eat.

After breakfast Vaughn and I went downstairs to play with balls and the bowling tetherball.  He wanted me to count before he would knock the pins down.  So cute!

Elizabeth and Robert soon arrived and we played and played and played downstairs.  We played a LOT of games of Hide N Seek.  Elizabeth was a really good hider.  Little Robert would get Vaughn to hide with him and then they would both squeal with laughter as soon as I would start looking.  They would then start looking for Elizabeth.  Little Vaughn would walk around with his hands up (questioning where could she be).  As soon as we would find her, they would scream and run back to the family room.  And Elizabeth could hardly keep her giggles contained while we were trying to find her! So much fun!

We played with various toys, then headed back upstairs just as Angelica came to pick up Vaughn.  It was so sad to have him go.

Elizabeth and Robert ate lunch, then washed their hands, put on aprons, and we set to work making cupcakes.  They helped break the eggs, put in the water and oil, and mix it.  They both licked the beaters and the bowl, then went downstairs to watch a movie while the cupcakes were cooking and cooling.

 

We had to take a quick trip to Ace Hardware to pick up Paint Thinner for Grandpa.  While we were there we got to have our own bags of FREE POPCORN!  Hurray for free popcorn!

By the time we got home, the cupcakes were cool enough to frost and decorate.  I spread the frosting and Elizabeth decorated them with sprinkles of all colors.  They then enjoyed eating one.

They were ready for Holly to come, so we cleaned up, and enjoyed reading some books and playing phone games while we waited.

All in all.....it was a wonderful time with these sweet children.  I am so blessed.  

Putting It Out There

As I have read my daughter-in-laws' blogs, I have been so impressed with how open and honest they are with what is happening in their lives.  I have always struggled with others knowing my weaknesses and feeling like they are judging me......I guess my self-esteem is not the greatest.  I try to be positive and happy as much as possible, but sometimes....life just gets to me.  Right now is one of those times.

Bob and I just returned from a trip to Colorado.  We loved visiting with Dave, Deborah, Colton and our new little Graham.  It was such a joy to be with them.  We had such a wonderful time being in their home and spending time with our sweet grandsons.  We played, hiked, swam, read, sang and cuddled. It broke my heart to leave them.  I cried off and on for the next 10 hours or so.   I looked at the pictures and videos we took of them and then at the pictures that included me.  I was disgusted.  I know that my grandchildren love me unconditionally NOW.  But....will they be embarrassed by a fat grandma as they get older?  I laid awake until almost 4 a.m. thinking about all of it.  I have struggled with my weight my entire life.  It is so difficult for me to lose weight.  I want to be healthy.  I am missing so many organs that my poor body is just working itself to death to keep me alive!  I haven't exercised since Thanksgiving.  I have sat at a desk and computer for hours and hours each day for the last year.  I was only eating one meal a day.  Obviously those things are not the best for me.  I don't like to go out in public.  I don't like the way I look and feel. 

So.  Today I got up and walked.  I had yogurt and grape nuts for breakfast.  I went to the grocery store and bought lots of fruits and vegetables.  I want to be healthy.  It is so difficult to always have to do this by myself.  I don't really have anyone to talk to about all this......who truly understands how difficult this is for me.  My husband is skinny.  My daughter-in-laws are skinny (it just blows my mind that they can have amazing bodies so soon after giving birth).  My sons are skinny.....and if they do put on a little weight, it comes off quickly and easily.  My in-laws are skinny.  My friends are skinny. I always feel like the fat one in the group (and with good reason when I look at the pictures).  My family has been kind and have not said negative things to me - to my face.....and I am grateful for that.  I already know.  I just want to "put it out there" that I am working on it.  I will have days that don't go so well.  I will have days that are great.  I have pictures of my grandchildren in front of me to remind me that I don't want to embarrass them later.  Right now they are my greatest motivation.  I already know I want to be healthy and have energy, but to enjoy them and do things with them as they get older is really really important to me.

Okay.  So now I've said it.  I've blogged it.  It is out there for others to see.  I've cried.  I'm embarrassed.  I am overwhelmed with trying to figure out how to eat healthy, exercise, work, and do everything else I am supposed to do.......and do it all alone.  But I love my little ones so much, that I will do what it takes to have a better quality of life.  This will be hard.  Harder than any of you know.  But I will do my best.

Wonderful Weekend

Saturday, Bob and I decided to drive to Midway for dinner.  The colors were GORGEOUS!!!  I was so busy enjoying the scenery, I forgot to take pictures!  I did get one that showed some of the maples turning red.








We headed to the Homestead to see about eating at Fanny's Grill.  When we pulled into the parking lot we noticed a LOT of St. Bernard dogs.  Apparently they were having a big St. Bernard Show/Competition starting Sunday.  They were beautiful!  I don't think I've ever seen a St. Bernard up close.  The guy who was blow drying the dog was doing it for a good two hours on the same dog!  The gentle giant next to me is Walter.  He was very sweet.


 

Fanny's Grill was closed so we ate at Simon's Restaurant (still at Homestead).  We enjoyed the fireplace while we waited to be seated at our table.  The food was good, however the service was a little slow.  We LOVED the Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding for dessert.  It was sooooooo good!






When we left the Homestead we headed back over the top and went to Pleasant Grove to go to the movies.  We saw The Avengers and really enjoyed it!  We got out of the movie at 11:55 p.m. and headed home to bed!

Sunday, Bob took his mom up the canyon to enjoy the colors.  We then attended the 12:00 noon session of the Brigham City Temple Dedication.  It was wonderful!  I, once again, got choked up while doing the Hosanna Shout.  I couldn't help but think of all the times it has been done in the past.  I wondered if the people here in America had done it when the Savior showed himself on this continent......and would I be doing it again at the Savior's Second Coming.  It was a sweet experience.  It made me really want to be a better Latter-day Saint.

After dinner Bob and I drove to Salt Lake City to visit his old Mission President, L.Brent Goates.  It was a sweet reunion for the two of them.  President Goates is the son-in-law of President Harold B. Lee and is now 90 years old.  He had a large portrait of President Lee hanging in his home.  We spent close to two hours visiting with him.  He told us that when Bob told him about me, he thought of President & Sister Lee.  They had met on their mission and had a sweet relationship.  He said he felt it could be the same with us, which was why he gave permission for Bob to write to me.  He was happy to see the result.

 

When we left President Goate's home, we drove to Farmington to visit Bill, Valeria and their family.  Chiara's birthday was on Saturday and we had a card for her.  We enjoyed seeing their home and visiting with the family. 

All in all.....it was a wonderful weekend!

 

Ouray, Colorado

This past weekend Bob and I went to Ouray, Colorado.  Bob has been wanting to go there for about 15 - 20 years now.  He has planned trips several times, but we have never made it.  This time we actually went. 
We left on Friday morning and had a leisurely drive there....passing through Price and Green River.  The changing colors as we drove in were so beautiful!  We drove straight to our hotel, unloaded the car and then drove to Main Street.  We grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant where we could sit outside.  The food was marginal and our waitress was pretty but wouldn't smile at all.
 

After lunch we walked up and down the street and enjoyed going in some of the shops.  We also spent time driving around and checking out some of the other lodging facilities for the future.  We stopped by the Ouray Information Center and got lots of literature.  The girl there told us several things we could do during our stay and suggested a few places we could go in our Sequoia.  Ouray is famous for its off-road trails.....in fact, the place was overrun with every kind of jeep you can imagine!  We didn't want to do anything too drastic, but definitely wanted to see some of the country around there. 

Dinner was at The Outlaw Restaurant.  Bob decided that the ribs were the best he can remember!  Oh....and did I mention that our waitress was the same one we had from the restaurant down the street at lunchtime?  Same pretty girl.....same blank personality.  It was really kind of sad.  We decided either she was having a REALLY hard day... or she has had some bad things happen in her life to make her so unhappy.  The food was delicious and we ended the meal with a creme brulee.  Yummy!

Saturday we got up, put some gas in the truck, washed the windshield and off we went!  We drove to the next little town, Ridgway (no "e"), to get some munchies for the drive at the local grocery store.  Bob chose a chocolate chip muffin and I chose a cinnamon roll.  We also got some chips and toffee peanuts, as well as bananas.  Off we went!  After a bit, I pulled out Bob's muffin and discovered that my cinnamon roll was not there.  Bummer.  Bob wanted to turn around, but I didn't think it was worth it.

We started following the little map that the information place had given us for this drive.  We soon discovered that it was NOT well marked!  We spent the next 8 hours enjoying absolutely breathtaking country!  The aspens were changing colors.  We couldn't have hit it at a better time!
 
We drove on Last Dollar Road (a pretty good dirt road) until it came to a fork.  We were debating where to go because the little signs were just the opposite of what the map said.  Just then a truck was making it way towards us on the dirt road.  We flagged them down and asked for directions.  They were elk hunters from Georgia who were taking a day off to go to Montrose to shop.  We decided to go the way they had come.  The road got quite narrow and Bob was concerned that the branches on each side of the road would scratch the car, but he maneuvered quite well!  We went through some deep mud puddles that we weren't sure we would get out of.  We crossed water puddles, saw deer, and couldn't believe the size of the aspens up there!  They were some of the largest we have ever seen! 
 
The views were spectacular!  And the ranches up there were unbelievable!
We saw so many old wooden structures.  It was fun to imagine who might have lived in them and when and why!
 
We made our way to Telluride and couldn't believe how many cars were there!  They were having a Blues 'n Brews Festival going on so the streets were super crowded.  We drove to the end of town where we could see a waterfall cascading down the hill.  When we drove as far as we could go (without having a high clearance 4WD) we turned around and headed back.
 

We again looked at our map to see where we were supposed to go next.  We stopped at several outlooks and a lake before continuing on.


 
We finally decided we had gone too far and turned around.  Then we decided we had gone too far back the other way we had come and asked a man at one of the outlooks if he knew where the town of Ophir was.  He showed us his map which was no help at all.  We finally decided it must be where we saw a little sign that said "Post Office" with an arrow (no town name, street name, anything!)  We drove a ways and finally came to the little town of Ophir.  FYI most of the driving on this day was on dirt roads, except when we left Telluride to go to Ophir and then Silverton to Ouray.  Ophir probably had 20 houses....all really run down.  We were headed to Ophir Pass which was a part of the loop that the information girl suggested we do.  We started up the pass on a pretty bumpy rocky definitely 4WD road.  We pulled over to let a couple of jeeps go ahead of us.  As we came out of the forest we saw a mountain of rocks.  I mean the entire mountain was rock that was coming down!  And we were supposed to go across that!?!  I have a slight fear of heights AND drop offs.  Both of these were on MY side of the truck.  I was leaning so far over that I was practically in Bob's lap!  I thought I was going to throw up because I couldn't see the edge of the road on my side.....just the drop off.  At one point earlier on we watched as a truck came towards us, trying to pass the jeeps we had let go ahead of us.  That was scary.....then he got to us!  Luckily we were in a pretty good spot.  But then, it was our turn to go across the rocky area.  I was literally getting sick and trying NOT to look out my window or ANY window!  We got about half way across and Bob finally suggested that I get out and walk while he drove the rest of the way.  He pulled over to the inside as much as he could and I got out.  He continued on and I huffed and puffed the rest of the way.  It was not easy walking on those rocks, but at least I wasn't at the edge!  I couldn't believe how hard it was to breathe!  It wasn't until later that I found out it was about 13,000 feet elevation!  I was so happy to get to the top of that pass!  Bob said he was really glad I had gotten out and walked because it got even worse the higher he got.  I'm sure I heard him screaming like a little girl but he says no!  That was quite the experience!  I told him that I was glad we had done it because I will NEVER do it again!  And....having asthma for the next several hours didn't help either!
 

After the Ophir Pass we headed to Silverton.  I was a bit disappointed.  I thought it would be bigger than it was.  The history was fun to read though.  We walked around on Blair Street......that was where all the brothels and saloons had been.  We used the restroom there.....another unique experience.



We weren't quite ready for dinner so we headed back down the mountain to Ouray.  Again....the views and colors were just spectacular!  We stopped a lot to take pictures and just enjoy the views.

Back in Ouray, we debated where to eat.  After lots of deliberating, we ended up at The Outlaw again.  After all, those were the best ribs Bob had ever eaten!  We had to wait to be seated so we walked and shopped a bit.  Once we were seated, who was our waitress but the very same girl!  This time she gave us a weak smile.  Bob told me that he had given her a nice tip the night before because he felt bad for her.  She treated us well and didn't charge us the usual $7 split plate charge.  We passed on dessert and went to one of the little ice cream shops for a sundae.  The WORST sundae EVER!!!!!  We took about two bites and then threw it away.  Bummer.  The lady had puts scoops and scoops of peanuts on it.....way more than we wanted and then they tasted rancid!  Super gross.  Oh well.  We were happy to just go back to our hotel and relax and watch a movie.

Sunday we couldn't find a church ANYWHERE!  So we headed to Ridgway for breakfast at Kate's Cafe.  We had a nice breakfast and then decided to take small back roads to Moab.  That was a fun drive!  It was fun to see new country and just drive slow.  We ate lunch at Moab and then headed home.  As we drove past Arches National Park we decided to turn around and go back.  We enjoyed driving through Arches and seeing the rock formations. 
 
At one point we decided to go where most people don't....onto a dirt road that would eventually take us back to the freeway.  About ten miles on the road we came to a part that was only good for a super high clearance 4WD.  We had to turn around and go back.  Again....Bummer!  At one point on the drive I thought we were going to roll when Bob was driving fast on the washboard road and a turn came up out of nowhere!  We were both yelling (well....maybe screaming) and breathing really hard when we got through that still alive!  Then we laughed so hard!  It took us a while to get back to the regular road, but we sure had fun!

We finally got home around 9:00 p.m. to find that Grandma and Bosco were doing fine!  

We are ready for another road trip soon!  The sooner the better!  Any suggestions?!?  

John's Graduation

John's graduation from BYU was an exciting time!  I have to admit that the graduation ceremony was the best I had ever attended!  Colton and Vaughn were very patient while we waited for the ceremony to start.

And then.....the big moment!

After the ceremony we went outside for pictures.  Such a sweet family!

Add in Mom & Dad.....

and his big brother, Dave.....

.....then their darling boys!

And...of course they both had to put their boys up into the tree.

And then we met up with the grandparents for lunch at China Wok restaurant in Highland.

The finale was when Colton decided to help Great Grandpa with his walker and blew kisses to everyone.

 

Fun Fun Day!  Congrats John!

Remembering Easter

Wow.....I can't believe it has been 3 months since I last posted on the blog!  There is so much to catch up on!  However....my memory being what it is....I think I will just pick a few things and go from there.

 So, let's start with EASTER!  We had such a fun time!  Bobby, Holly and the kids came up and spent a few days with us.  On Saturday, Elizabeth helped me make an Easter Bunny Cake (actually two) and then Bobby decided to help out with some extra decorations.  He put Cowboys and Indians around the cake shooting the giant bunny.  He definitely had too much fun!

Dave and John and their families joined us for the festivities and spent the night.....I am sure it was so they would not miss out on any of the fun stuff that was happening around the clock including...but not limited to... coloring Easter Eggs, playing with blocks, playing the piano, hanging with Mom & Dad (grandma & grandpa)!

  Sunday we woke up to find that the Easter Bunny had been to the house and knew right where the kids were sleeping.  He jumped all over the place with his colored string hiding their baskets.  They were so cute trying to avoid the string but wanting to get to their baskets!

 Colton had a most interesting basket, as you can see.  His daddy thought it would be fun to collect things from around our house to put in since they had come up last minute and didn't have one for him.  Note the sword, ping pong paddle, magnifying glass, etc. 

 I am not sure Vaughn really knew what it was all about, but he was NOT going to miss out!

 Elizabeth had a cute bunny basket!

 Robert was thoroughly enjoying every item in his basket!

 After dinner, the kids got ready to go out for the big Easter Egg hunt. 

There were about 300 eggs hidden out front.  Some had candy.  Some had fruit snacks.  Some had a message inside that read "Go Find Grandma and Grandpa For a Special Treat".  They wouldn't know what that was until after all the eggs were opened. 

Once the eggs were collected, we all went to the backyard to see what the "Special Treat" was.  There were two large baskets full of wrapped presents with each of their names on them.  They got to trade in their eggs for the presents.  Everybody had fun unwrapping them to see what was there!

It was a perfect Easter holiday!  The ONLY thing that could have made it better would have been to have our darling little Clara and her mommy and daddy here with us.  Maybe next year!