Happy Birthday Baby Girl!

ALWAYS No. 15! -

Aunt Nappy - (the favorite!)

Yes, she's about a foot taller than me! (and even taller now)

Can you believe our baby girl is 19 today?! Wow-wee how time flies! It seems like she was just a wee-one climbing on top of everything (like motor homes!), hoop shoots, raising her steers for the fair and High School sports teams.

She just finished her first year of college and is back home for the summer looking for a job. (send any suggestions her way!) It's nice to have her back home although I'm sure she'd rather be living somewhere else! We tend to like to know where she is and when she'll be home! (Rules of home life still exist - even at 19!)

Sports has always been a major part of Jessica's life and we sure enjoyed watching her play from the time she was very little. She played little league baseball with the boys because girls teams were boring!

Have a Happy Birthday - We love you lots.

Moving Day!

Grams bewildered look - (She had this quite often!)
Contemplating what to do next?!

Wahoo - one room empty! Elaine's happy about it!
Ellen taking a rest.
Gramps about to lose his britches! (Not sure what they're discussing -

probably the record player!)

Today was the day we started moving Grams and Gramps Nicholas out of their house! Wow, what a job. We just got home from loading more stuff and it doesn't look like we made much of a dent in their house! They have collected a lot of things over the years. (You can acquire alot in 94 years!) My advice to whoever reads this - start "de-junking" your houses NOW!

We got their bed, dressers, clothes, bathroom essentials, etc. moved so they can now call Nancy's house "Home". (Thanks Nancy!).

They have been very blessed to have stayed in their own home for all these years. Gramps is 94 and Grams is 89. We will miss having them close by - not being able to stop on our way home from work - but they are not too far away.

Here's some pictures from the big day (aren't you glad you're on a mission Anne and Roy!!!).

Happy 51st!

Happy Birthday Mark! Yes, he's 51 years old! He's such a great husband, dad, grandpa, uncle, brother, son, friend, teacher, fix-it guy, snake getter, boot fixer, scriptorian, cowboy, etc. The list could go on and on. He's such a great guy and I love him alot.

He has worked at La Z Boy for the past 28 years. They are closing so his last days are counting down. He's looking forward to expanding his own boot repair business that he's done for a few years now. He's such a hard worker so I'm sure he will be successful. (A few prayers couldn't hurt!)

Below is what the kids gave us for our birthdays, Mother's and Father's Day. I love the picture of the Savior (his cousin is the artist) and Mark wrote the poem next to it. "Riding for the Brand". I'll have to post it so you can all read it. (See Shara's or Katie's blog) Thanks kids - we love them!

Fantastic Fireside

This week was our ward conference. We had a leadership meeting on Thursday with the Stake leaders, a temple session Saturday morning (I went by myself while Mark went to a Nicholas reunion), Church meetings today (which the stake YW taught our lessons) and a fireside tonight.
The fireside was sparce in numbers but very worthwhile. Brother and Sister Reese (which he happens to be Tawnya's very favorite seminary teacher ever!) were the speakers. They were wonderful speakers. Very dynamic. She spoke about Unity in the family and wards. They've raised 9 children (I'd say they have some experience in that area!). He talked about a study done at BYU. There are 4 things we can do that will not only bless our immediate families but also our grandchilren.
1. - Pray together
2. - Study together
3. - Fast for a common purpose together
4. -This is a biggie - ATTEND CHURCH WHEN YOU'RE ON VACATION! (Hard to do when you're traveling sometimes - so we'll try to do better!)

Melissa (our niece) played a piano solo - "Onward Christian Soldiers" that was gorgeous. She's an awesome pianist.

Anne and Roy skyped me this morning! It's always so fun to talk to them and hear about what they're doing and what's happening on their mission. Read their blog to see some great pictures!

Fifty, Nifty, United States.....

Yeah! I finally have a "quarter keeper". (Not sure of the correct term). Tawnya and Landon (and Reese) gave it to me for my birthday - thank you very much. I've been saving them since they started in 1999 in my Mickey Mouse cup. There are only 4 states left to go.
We went to see our Utah Valley kids this weekend since it was General Conference. We had a great time playing with the grandkids and enjoying General Conference. We hadn't seen them for a long time! Thanks for the good time! When we got home Shara skyped us so we got to see our little Abby too! (What a wonderful invention!)

LUCAS' SURPRISE VISIT

Nappy surprised us and brought Lucas home with her for the weekend. We've had a great time. Here's a few of the things we've accomplished so far:
I had a great time playing with my cousins C.J. and Logan. We went to McDonalds and played on the toys and had Happy Meals. It was so much fun. I was very tired and fell asleep on the way home.
Practicing my "Sunbeam" Song for church tomorrow.

I love to have a bath at Grams now. I didn't like the old tub with doors on it. (It doesn't hurt to have toys in there too!
Playing basketball with the cup. He loves to brush his teeth while watching himself in the mirror.

Thanks Lucas for coming to stay with us. We've had great time and we love having you come. Grampa loves your helping hands when he feeds the animals and works on boots! Bring your little brother and other 2 cousins next time too! We'll have a great time!

HAPPY "KEASTER"

None of my grandbabies got to come home for Easter so I found some!
ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY:
Don't put all of your eggs in one basket.
Walk softly and carry a big carrot.
Everyone needs a friend who is all ears.
There's no such thing as too much candy.
All work and no play can make you a basket case.
A cute little tail attracts alot of attention.
Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day.
Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits.
Some body parts should be floppy.
Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans.
Good things come in small sugarcoated packages.
The grass is always greener in someone else's basket.
An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare.
To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell.
The best things in life are still sweet and gooey!