California Trip

July 2009


We had a lot of fun just visiting Gary's parents and going to the beach. Lizzy Day came with us and kept us entertained. We did catch her talking on the phone to her soon-to-be hubby, but she wasn't too distracted, which was nice.



I loved the picture of Ty and Scotty in the wave. They have more fun playing in the sand now than they did when they were little! It's much more elaborate.
Evie taught Rach how to boogie board. She got a little braver and got pretty good at it.

We have a tradition of having a bonfire on the beach. Karen makes an awesome potato/hamburger/sausage casserole and we cook corn-on-the-cob in ocean water (with husks on). Then we make S'mores. It's a lot of fun!!!

Happy Birthday, Josh!!!

April 26, 2009

Look at the little Josh! He looks so young. These were taken shortly after his return from his mission (except the wedding pictures).

Look at him now! We've got a 3 generation! I love the wind-blown picture as it reminds me of a picture Dean has of my dad. Doesn't he look like a happy father?

I hope you had a great birthday, Josh! I can't believe you're 28 years old! How did that happen? I sure love you and consider myself lucky that I was chosen to be your mom! I love you, Cheeky!

Salt Lake City Marathon and 5K

April 18, 2009
Last Saturday, Jake ran the 5K in Salt Lake City. While they were there, they ran into Dean and Kiana. She ran it as well.

Also that day, I ran the marathon with Ellen and our friend Patty. This was Patty's first, so we did it together. Even though she had a lot of pain in her knee, she was able to finish!!! Manda, Ty and Rach joined us for the finish.

We appreciated those who came to support us and cheer us on. Ellen's family included Larry, Kira and Jeremy, Whit and Aubrey. Mom was there with Gary and the kids. Tami and Brandon came as well since Tami had been planning to run. It was nice to see everyone.

Dinosaur Museum

Gary took Ty and Rach, Chandler and Kenadi to the Dinosaur Museum at Thanksgiving Point. There is so much to do there that they always have a great time.The area with the sand and water was their favorite spot! It shows them how sand and water (the elements) have covered the dinosaurs up over time. Plastic dinosaurs and trees are used to show how they can get buried.

There are puppets, dinosaur toys, puzzles, computer games and books to help with learning more about dinosaurs for little kids.

The top pictures show the dinosaur they built and the bottom pictures show the area where they uncover dinosaur bones in the sand. It's a great place to take kids of all ages. I even learn things each time I go!

Chandler's 5th Birthday

April 15, 2009

Happy Birthday, Chandler!

Chan had his 5th birthday. I have so many pictures that it took me a whole week to choose what to post. I have great memories of being there when he was born. It was hard for Stacie to leave him under the lights for his jaundice.

He had plenty of people to hold and spoil him. Manda babysat him for Stacie. He had his blessing on the same day that Shaun had his mission "Farewell."

I have loved the times they came on vacation with us. I love the way he used to smile at the camera. He looked like he was in pain, but it was so cute that we had him do it all the time.

He has been present through the years for Easter Egg Hunts, 4th of July races, and many other events.

He has grown so fast and it's hard to believe that he'll be going to Kindergarten next fall. (Notice the picture of Rhyder grabbing Chan's hair. Very typical.

We sure love you, Chan, and hope you felt very special on your birthday. We're very proud of you for the good brother you are to Rhyder and helper you are to your parents. Happy Birthday!!!

St. George Trip

April 6, 7, and 8th
Since Ty and Rach were off track, we decided to go get some real sun with Lisa and Isa and Stacie, Chan and Rhyder. Kimberlee decided that having a baby so recently was a good reason, but we were bummed that she couldn't come this year since we had so much fun last year. Next year I hope to have all of them.

We stopped at Krispy Kreme Donuts on the way. Look how those kids sport their bakery hats. Ty gave Chan an early birthday present so they're sporting them as well. They have matching Boba Fett shirts. The Budget Inn in St. George was awesome for kids. They had both an indoor and outdoor play area as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools! They had so much fun! They even had free wireless Internet to boot!

On the way back from lunch, we discovered this water park for little kids. It was perfect for entertaining this group! Isabelle even had a good time.

We loved having enough sun to actually hang out by the pool for hours. I got a good sunburn, but everyone else was smart enough to wear sunscreen. Isn't it too early in the season to sunburn...? Oh well, I loved every minute of it!

It was such fun this year that I can hardly wait for next year! It'll even be more fun with Isabelle being that much older, and to have Stacie and Rhyder with us instead of napping! It was much needed rest for them!

More Birthdays!

April 7th and 15th, 2009
April is a busy birthday month! Bobby's birthday was on the 7th, and Des celebrates hers tomorrow. I don't have many pictures of you guys, so this is the best I could do, but watch out for next year! Happy Birthday!

April 6, 2009

We want to wish David a Happy Birthday.

Happy 8th Birthday, Aubrey!

I want to wish Aubrey a very happy birthday! I hope you had a great day. Eight years old! This is a significant birthday for you. Happy Birthday! (Note the cute picture of Aubrey (niece) and Rachael (aunt).

March 28th

We had our annual Easter Egg Hunt. It is one of the highlights of the year for me. We love to watch the kids excitedly run around trying to collect the eggs and candy. We had to wait for the snow to melt to hide the eggs and candy. There was still snow on part of the ground when the kids were looking for the eggs, but the sun was out and it wasn't freezing. Sometimes, it's just as fun to watch the parents get upset if their kids find a candy and stop to open it instead of getting as much as they can first. How dare they have fun their way :-) I'll have to admit that I used to do that as well...

Another Ski Day

March 29, 2009

Gary and Tyler were able to have a ski/snowboarding trip with Gary's family. Grandpa Dodds went and visited with people in the lodge while Gary, Ty, Karen, Greg, Paige, Colby, and Brady had fun in the snow. They had a wonderful time.

Gary got some footage of Tyler in the act. No wipe-outs on this one! I'm impressed that Gary can ski and take this video at the same time.

This is what Rachael and I do when the guys are gone. I was working on my computer when she showed up with our treat. She did a great job of dipping these strawberries, and boy were they yummy!

Rachael's Field Trip

March 17, 2009I went to the Clark Planetarium with Rachael's class for a field trip. She got to choose which students she wanted in her group. Of course she chose her friends, so I had to take this opportunity to take pictures.

Afterward, we walked over to Gateway to sit by the cool fountain and eat lunch. We decided to take some action shots of them doing what they do.

It's nice to be with your best friends all day.

Happy Birthday Brandi

March 6, 2009

I wanted to wish Brandi a very Happy Birthday! I hope your day was full of fun and surprises!

Family Time

I have these cute pictures of my sweet family. I just had to post them.

Soldier's Funeral

March 4, 2009

I went to the funeral for Michael Alleman today. He left behind a wife and two young boys.

There was an amazing display of support and patriotism from the community. Standing amongst the flags that lined the procession route were kids from his school with their hands over their hearts. There were also a line of National Guard soldiers in their fatigues, saluting, and firemen and scouts holding flags. An organization called the Patriot Guard was there with their Harleys dressed in their Harley attire, holding flags that lined the sidewalk and to the entrance of the church. They accompanied his body from the airport to the funeral home, and from there to the church. At the graveside service, he received full military honors.

I am amazed at the strength by his family. They have a lot of faith and hope. He was serving in Iraq, and died while on a special mission against some Al Quida creeps. He was 31 years old.

I am thankful for these soldiers who are willing to sacrifice their time and their lives for freedom's sake. Since Shaun joined the military, I think this death affected me more than I expected. Though worried, I am very proud of him and Lisa for their courage and commitment.

Examples

There are many examples in our lives that can affect us forever. I want to mention some that I think deserves some attention.

My sister, Ellen, took on a project a few years ago that was more than she probably planned. A few years ago, she moved her EX-mother-in-law here to Utah from California. She had always kept in touch with her and knew that she needed help. Much of this was done at Ellen and Larry's expense. (What husband is supportive of this kind of treatment of an Ex-anything?)

As the months passed, Loretta had many accidents and required a lot of medical treatment. Ellen and Kira faithfully did her grocery shopping and ran her around for her errands. This lady was demanding and sometimes not very grateful. Ellen really did all this with a willing attitude clear up until and through the funeral.

"It puts me in mind" of another situation where I watched unfold before my eyes when my mother took such good care of my dad. This kind of service is not understood by most - unless they've had to do it themselves. I watch my mom laugh at my dad's jokes (even when she was the brunt) and she kept him physically clean and looking professional. I marveled at this kind of treatment, because we all knew it wasn't necessarily earned. I saw the epitome of Tender Loving Kindness.

As I observed these kind acts, and was privileged to be at Dad's bedside as he lay dying - watching my mother lie down next to him and snuggle, commenting that she could stay just like that forever - I knew that my parents loved each other. This has been a great comfort to me thru the years.

It is this type of behavior that make us all want to try a little harder and do a little better. I'm grateful to have been a witness to these great examples.

Happy Birthday Mike!

February 26, 2009

I just wanted to wish Michael a happy 19th birthday. My, how you've changed over the years and how time flies. Hope you had a great day!

She's here!!!

February 20, 2009

MY 5th grandchild is finally here!!! (Our 10th). We are so glad she and her mom are doing so well. No pics yet, but will come soon! Can you believe she had the nerve to come while I was out of the country? I tried to convince Kim she could pant until I got home, but 2 days was just too long:) She was born at 6:12 pm. She weighs 8 lbs 3 oz and is 20 inches long. She has lots of dark hair like her sister. Her name is Halle Paige Adams.

Congrats, Josh and Kim (and Chloee)!

Leaving Australia

February 22, 2009

Leaving Australia was sad. We didn't want to go home to the cold, dreary weather. Leaving Gary there was even harder. We did come home with an extra suitcase to bring home souvenirs and chocolate.

Glenworth Valley

February 21, 2009
Saturday we drove to Glenworth Valley to go horseback riding. This was probably our favorite activity. We took a two hour ride into the country. Gary rode a Clydesdale that was one of the bullies of the group. Rach rode Peter who was another bully. Ty was on Oscar. He was pretty mild mannered and I rode Brody, who was spunky and didn't want to mind me. It was really fun, but when we got back, a huge outback thunderstorm rolled in and we barely missed it, but it was an awesome sight! We loved seeing parrots on the bird feeder and the 200 horses on the land. At a creek on the ride, we saw a Water Dragon just out in the wild. It was weird! Oh yes, I did see a Kookaburra!

One More Beach Day

February 20, 2009 We had to take advantage of the sun once more and go back to the beach. We had a lot of fun making sand "castles" and seeing which ones would still stand when the water came. The kids were talking about the foolish man building his house upon the sand. I was pleased to see that they remembered some of their past experiences as they named each "castle." BTW, the Colosseum made it the longest, with Timpanogos coming in next.

Afterwards, we went back to Manly Beach to get some more fish and chips. Mmmm, they were good! Ty and Rach fed leftover fries to the seagulls.



It was so weird to look up into the trees and see these parrot-type birds. Rach happened to be doing a report on the macaw, while on this trip, and learned that these birds have a mate for life. We always saw them in pairs.