So thankful all his dreams did not come true!

McKay and McKenna and baby Grant have officially moved to Tigard, Oregon
His 7 year BYU experience is over.
TODAY he began his job as an actuary in downtown Portland! 

This made Den and I think back to the year 2000.
Listen to what McKay's dreams were back in high school
(not exactly the answer they expected from the "Student of Promise"!)

One happy Daddy coming home to his family after 1st day on the job.

I love this clip of McKay juggling 3 years ago.
(I just didn't want him making a profession of it.)

Can't get enough of the music either.
(McKay is the one in the solid white shirt and frayed jeans...
I think the same pair he wore all through high school.)



I use to watch this video and cry
because I couldn't go to Provo to see him.
But guess what?
Weep no more Grandma Honey...We get to go to Portland in 2 1/2 weeks!!!
And it's not just McKay....
We have 2 more we get to love now~~~ McKenna and Grant!

Have you ever tried to photo a 1 year old?

I have to be quick on the draw....and apparently I'm not fast enough.

Sometimes I can just see the way her little mind is working by looking at that cute little mouth of hers.

And sometimes she has a generous moment right before I am to click.

Violet's just doing what she's been taught.

Okay, I think she's had enough.

The world outside must look so exciting to a small child.

Uh oh where did it go?

Nope, too busy to sit by the fireplace for a pose.

"Okay, I'm done with that."

Maybe next time.

Thank you sweet little Violet, for all your efforts.

His little menu

One day many years ago I woke up to find this on my fridge:

Not sure how old Tyler was when he wrote this, 

but I suspect it was long before he entered that Spelling Bee in 4th grade.

I must have been complaining about what to make for dinner one day. 

I must have told him I needed suggestions, or maybe I didn't.

Tyler was helpful like that.

I followed it every night for that entire week.

It was a great week back in 1992 or whatever year that was.
I don't know about you, but deciding what to fix is the hardest part of cooking.

Actually I thought his little menu was lost forever...and then I found it just last night!

I've saved so many of my sons' school awards, report cards, soccer pictures. 

But this little menu looks like gold to me now. 

It brings me back to a time when my little boy was just trying to help his tired Mom. 

"Enjoy the little things, 

for one day you may look back and realize 

they were the big things."

~~Robert Brault

 
So does menu planning come easy for you?
Or do you run into the same problem I do 
of not wanting to eat what you had planned for that day? 

Couldn't resist sharing Tyler's treasures.

A funeral with a twist

 My mom would often talk through the years about her best friend growing up, 

Betty Abbott. They were pretty much inseparable from grade school through college.

 1951

So Dennis I attended a funeral yesterday and who should we get to see.....

Betty with her husband Marvin.

So naturally when I got home I looked up Betty in my Mom's scrapbooks and found this picture....

on Betty's wedding day with Mom being her Maid of Honor in 1949 !

 In 1961 my parents, along with the first 4 of their 8 children,
coincidentally moved 2 houses down from Betty's husband's relatives....Faye and Ernie Wild.

The funeral yesterday was for Faye Wild....who lived to be 97!

 She was always Mrs. Wild to me, and she has always been old.

What I remember most about her was the sugar cookies shaped like pumpkins
that she would personally hand out every Halloween.
It was one sugar cookie per Trick or Treater.
wrapped gently in a waxed sandwich bag.
Her cookies were the very best part of my childhood Halloween memory. 

Finally one year when I was about 10, I asked Mrs.Wild for her recipe and she typed it up for me. 

I use to make them for my siblings, friends, teachers, my sons and now my grandchildren.

Go here for Mrs.Wild's Sugar Cookie recipe.

Some highlights from Mrs. Wild's service yesterday:

1. She was one of 13 children!

2. Her son Walter said she was THE REAL DEAL MOM.
Empathetic, patient, willing to listen.

3. A great listener, not offering advice. If you were to go on and on talking about foolish things,
she would just listen and keep her mouth shut.
 (This sounds very much like my own Mom.)

4. She was a big walker. She would walk everywhere. (she lived to be 97)

5. She believed in the golden rule.And she lived it.
She made it look easy, like a great athlete makes his sport look easy.

6. She spent her life serving others.
And like her son said, "That was A LOT of hard work."

7. Her children have very fond memories of dinner around the kitchen table.

8. She had a deep inner peace. She knew who she was.
She was grounded and solid.

9. The last 2 years of her life she lived with her grandson and his wife.
He said every night after their 2 year old would go into Great Grandma's room
 to say goodnight, their son would come out with chocolate on his face.

10. Her grandson, who kept his composure throughout his talk until the very end
when he said, "I have great respect for her generation."

Did you notice the little flower girl in the 1949 wedding photo above? That was little Christy Wild. 

She is the daughter of Mrs. Wild, and she spoke at her Mom's service yesterday. 

Little Christy is now 70.

Mrs. Wild died exactly 5 years after my Mom, also on April 15th.

Maybe you all ready know this

but it was news to me.
I just discovered this on Saturday...

This expands to fit my drawer!

 The standard kind of silver ware trays have never worked for me:

Our utensils would be spilling out of the one above.

So about 20 years ago, I got this idea from a friend and I've used it ever since:

Not the best, but workable for me.

But with this new expandable one, 

everything stays better in its place (because of the rubber backing)

and it looks so much better.

But you probably already have one yourself. ...Or do you?

I'm thinking it would make a nice wedding gift.

Only $19.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond

Now I just need to come to the realization that even if all my grandbabies 

were here at the same time, I would not need all of these.

But they are too cute to get rid of. 

What's a Grandma Honey to do.

Nurse Tracie

Who is that sitting between Amy and the twins?

Nurse Tracie!

She was the angel nurse who helped Amy 3 years ago when she gave birth to the twins.

Yesterday we all got to have lunch together!

Why do we love Nurse Tracie so much?

*Before the babies were born Nurse Tracie came in and put 2 bracelets on both Amy and Logan.
I kiddingly said I wanted a bracelet too.
So Tracie, made me one up that said, "Grandma Honey" on it!! 

*She was behind talking the Dr into allowing Logan to deliver Jonas.

*She was behind letting Austin stay with us throughout Amy's labor.

*And this is my most favorite part:

Suddenly when Amy went from a 6 to a 10 and was ready to push, Karen (Amy's Mom) and I were handed ONE set of paper scrubs. So they are flying her out the door on a gurney and Karen tells ME to put the scrubs on. I told her that she needed to put them on. She INSISTED I wear them saying, "I don't want you to miss out on this!" But how about HER??? SHE is Amy's MOM!! She helped me get the clothes on, tying my mask and and then helping get my shoes covered and telling me to hurry up and get out the door. So as I am walking out finally, Nurse Tracie came and handed Karen her own scrubs! (I found out later that Nurse Tracie went out and asked Amy's Dr if both Grandmas could be present for the birth!!.)  

I will never ever forget, that Karen was willing to sacrifice herself being there, so I could! 

And I will never forget Nurse Tracie going to bat for us, so Karen and I could both be present.

Good thing Tracie was sent to us from heaven. 

And I do believe she was because we prayed A LOT for months before the twins were born. 

Besides, Amy would have been lost with just me and Austin. 

At first Jonas and Téa were shy and nervous meeting Nurse Tracie. 

Then Amy tried to explain to them that Tracie is a nurse like Daddy,
and she was the one who helped get them both out of her belly. 

They listened and seemed to understand somewhat. And then they finally would look at Tracie!

There is something almost magical being with someone who was such a big part of 

one of the most important days of our lives. 

Nurse Tracie recently shaved her head in support of breast cancer awareness. 

A few days ago she did a walk for March of Dimes. 

If my Mom were still alive she would say, 

"There is a special place in heaven for someone like her." 

and my Grandma would call her, "a good humanitarian."

Thank you so much Tracie for all you are to us. 

It was such a pleasure being with you yesterday. 

We will always have a place in our hearts just for you.

Three is the number of the day.

 The twins turned 3, and then five days later their Dad turned 33 .

 So what could we do, but celebrate together...

In not just one pizza parlor, but TWO.....or maybe it should have been 3.

I didn't ask, but I guess they liked the pizza better at Me N Eds 

(or Mister Eds as Den calls it)

And the games better at Chuckie Cheese.

Is it just me, or do you think these two look alike?

One family member can make a nice picture a bit, uh, creepy.

Karen (Amy's Mom), Kylie and Austin

And some family members just like to have a crazy good time.

One family member does not like to open her gifts until she is sure the rest of the fam is watching.

Two family members can't get enough of each other.

And unbeknownst to one of them, the other surprised him with an overnight trip 

to Bass Lake right after the party!

Just the two of them!

I think I know which birthday gift this boy liked best of all!

I am anxiously awaiting tomorrow.

We are having lunch with a special guest....

The best job in the world

I wish I could show this video to my Mom!

The answers to my Tagging questions

 I was tagged by Stephanie from The Mount Laundry News.
(she's an excellent writer, btw)

First, the rules, which I am apparently required to follow:

•   you must post the rules
•   answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post
•   create eleven new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged
•   let them know you tagged them
•   No tag-backs

 Now here are my answers to her questions:

1.  What do you wish people understood about you?
That I mean well, but it doesn't always come out that way.

2.  If you could go back in time and have a do-over for your life (all or just part), would you?
Yes, I would like to do over the period of time after my sons returned from their missions. I didn't know how to be a Mom to adult sons. Teenagers were a piece of cake compared to adult sons. (And they were all great...the problem was me.) I had to grow into it. I love my Mom role to them now. And I love that they are all married.
(On second thought...I don't want to do over that period of time. 4xs was enough for me. I would like to do over their childhoods though...those years were the best time ever.)

3.  Which superhero is the most crush-worthy?  Why? Or am I the only one who swoons just a bit over guys wearing capes? 
Maybe it's just you :)  Definitely not me. My heroes are never wearing capes. 

4.  What’s the square footage of your dream house? (Let’s assume you can afford it, plus hire a housekeeper, gardener, etc. if necessary).  I really want to ask about your favorite architectural style, but that’s probably too nerdy.
When my sons were all here growing up I would have this reoccurring dream that we lived in this huge home with multiple rooms. In the dream, I was always discovering new rooms and it was so exciting to me. I think I must have been feeling claustrophobic at the time. Now, the size of this home is just perfect for Den and I, and our visiting grandchildren. 

5.  Approximately how many pairs of shoes do you own?
 Not sure. But I only wear 3 pairs. They are the only ones that don't hurt my feet these days.

6.  What’s the one name you really wish you could have used for a child, but never had the chance (anybody remember how me and Mr. Man were going to name our first son “Daniel?”) or your spouse hated it (that would be “Lauren” for me and “Jessminda Tatiana” for my husband).
 Well it's a good thing I didn't have girls because all those names I had chosen, most of them I don't like anymore. (I do like the one my husband wanted for a girl: Leah...although I didn't like it back then when he wanted it) But now....and I always have favorite names and always will.....Ledger for a boy (I found this one on a blog and I'm in love with it) and Grace for a girl. Not that I will ever name anyone again.

7.  Which Disney Princess do you most identify with?  Why, or do you eschew all things Disney? Do you ever use the word “eschew?”
 I can't keep the princesses straight. Probably why I had all boys. I've never used the word eschew. But I like Disney, for the most part.

8.  If forced to get a tattoo (or another one, if you are already thus decorated,) what would it be and where? 
No one is ever forcing me to put graffiti on my body.

9.  ROAD TRIP! Okay, what popped into your head as a destination? Can I go with you? I love road trips.
Portland, Oregon. Because that is where one of my sons and his family are moving to in less than 2 weeks. So we will wait about 2 more weeks before descending upon them. And sure Steph you can come. Or better yet, come see us next time you are in Calif. 

10.  Do you buy your own birthday/Christmas presents?
 Uh, yes. I don't need to, but yes, I have done this. Through the first 2 weeks of April if I really want something I have been known to rationalize that it's my birthday. Christmas, no. Because that one doesn't belong to me.

11.  Buy a tent and go camping, or stay in a nice hotel at night and hike a nearby national park during the day?  This is a totally selfish question because Mr. Man and I are trying to figure that out.
No tent, no hiking, but yes to the hotel. Preferably with a kitchen.


Now, here are my 11 questions. It may be against the rules to say it like this, but if you have a blog, consider yourself tagged. I'd love for you to answer these on your blog, if you want to.and I won't be offended if you don't
But I have to say, this is kind of fun!

Here they are:
1. What do you wish you would have known earlier in your life?

2. What is the hardest thing you have ever done so far?

3. What is one health tip you try to live?

4. What are you currently reading?

5. What do you generally have for breakfast each morning?

6.  What is one thing you have learned from your Dad?

7. What was the happiest age of your life so far?

8. Name a favorite song on the radio now in 2012?

9.  Three words that describes your Mom.

10. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

11. What project are you currently working on?

Her mother's grave

Last Sunday we took Hailey to see her Mom's new grave marker. 

She asked that I not put her actual grave on my blog so of course I won't.

The day was so special and I want her to remember it when she is older 

and I'm hoping these pictures will help. 

Chickie bought some tulips and just as we were walking out the door, 

Hailey saw me carrying them and asked if she could hold them in the car.

 Of course!

Once we arrived at the cemetery, Hailey could not get out of the car fast enough.
She walked with such determination and focus.

We could barely keep up with her.

She wasn't even sure which way to go, but she did not want to slow down. 

She just pressed forward ahead.

She was on a mission to feel close to her Mom.

She had the flowers, she had the glitter. 

She was anxious to make her Mom's grave pretty.

After placing the tulips gently beside her Mom's grave, she sprinkled glitter all over it.

She stared at it for a few moments, then she took off with Elora....

walking side by side all over the cemetery.

The girls would stop a little and notice other graves and even 

found some Moms who also had to leave their young children. 

But for the most part, they kept walking and talking in very quiet reverent tones.

If you look really close you can see the two girls walking between those 2 middle trees.

It was not giggly girlie talk as they had been doing since they arrived together on Friday.

Side by side, trying to figure out life and death together.

They walked and talked nearly an hour like this.

As sweet of an Easter as it was, it was also hard. 

I know Hailey misses her Mom terribly and it breaks our hearts that we can't fix this for her.