Sorry for the l o n g  vacation from the family blog.  I felt so bad each Sunday when I didn't get it done, but June has been overwhelming, and I am so happy that we are heading into July, and one of my very favorite holidays . . . 

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! Always one of my favorite days! This is the month when peaches are the best and my mom always made peach cobbler. My dad was the fireworks director and was the only one allowed to light them.  

When we were stationed at Yokota we took the family to Tokyo Disneyland on the 4th.  It was a regular school day for the Japanese student so the park was fairly empty, which translated means, no long lines 😁

 Since no one is smiling in this photo, I would guess that I'm the only one who wanted to go on, "It's a Small World".

 My other favorite memory was visiting Kim and Chris when they lived in Centerville, VA and we went to the National Mall and watched fireworks over the Washington Monument.

 

 I love Washington D.C., even with all of the craziness now, it is so full of history, I would love a return trip.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO OUR VERY

1ST GRANDCHILD!

 

Spencer taught us all about being a grandparent! 

We will always remember the curly fry covered in ketchup that he was swinging around in the Tucson food court, and swiped it across the BEhind of an old man who was wearing white pants 😀 or the saying, "I can't like it" (which we say often).  Spencer is so kind and thoughtful, and we love it when he calls to chat.  I think I still owe you lunch, Spencer!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THIS BEAUTIFUL

BABY TURNED BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN!

Samantha has made us smile from day 1.  It has been so fun to watch her grown in confidence and become a fabulous adult.  One of my favorite memories and one we talk about often, is the day she came over and labeled all of my jewelry with blue masking tape, making sure she would inherit it all. 😂

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, YESTERDAY 

    to ANGELLA, AND CHRIS

 

So thankful for Angella and all that she has taught me about faith, perserverance, and optimism.  

And I have always loved Chris' sense of humor, the fun adventures we can laugh about, and his humility. 

Our family is blessed every day by both of you - your devotion to your families, and the love and kindness your share with everyone you meet. ❤

WHILE I WAS ON VACATION . . . 😁  

I think everyone stayed pretty busy -

Last Friday we got to go to the Temple with Paul.  It was so amazing to be there with him, and it was special to have Kim and Max there also.  He is going to be one, amazing, missionary!

He actually started his summer going to FSY in Ft. Collins, and not too many days after that he took a road trip to the Tetons with some friends.  He had a great time and took some amazing photos.  I've just added Yellowstone to the places-I've-never-been-but-want-to-visit list.  

   

He an his friend also met a couple of cute girls at FSY. (thankfully, they (Paul and his friend) are headed off on missions in the next few weeks!)

Eilis and Emma are busy with work and friends.  Emma will be moving to Fountain with some friends in July, until she can find a place of her own. 

Hollie is busy rolling around town in her "yellow bug", and mixing up the best ice cream ever at Dairy Queen.  She was at the mall the other day and stopped by for a quick visit before heading home.  

 This is my funny "Hollie story" that she said I could share -   She was telling us that she had missed some days of work the previous week, and when I asked why, she said she had a concussion.   So then, of course, my next question was how did she get a concussion, and then she said her hair got caught in the blender at work and it yanked her head back hard before they could get it stopped.  Ok, maybe that's not such a funny story, but I'm sorry, it did make me chuckle just a little. 😳  We are planning a lunch date for next week ~

Kate has been busy with her art show, girls camp, and keeping up with Jonathan and Sayre.  She went to Chicago for a couple of days to help Kim with a wedding shower for Max and Amelia, and their Chicago friends. Kate took some photos (which she will also be doing for the wedding). 

 

She was in charge of a craft project for Girl's Camp that went really well. What a trooper (unlike her mom), she stayed for the week, and fixed a cozy bed for herself in the back of her car.

Lily also went to Girls Camp this summer - another camper in the family - and she had fun, but said the food wasn't that good😋

And this is what I really think about camping 👇

Josh and Ben headed West to Utah for Cameron's wedding.

 Josh said they had a fun time and got to see lots of family.  

And thanks for sending this updated photo of Grandma and Grandpa's home, and Great Grandpa  -

I have so many fun memories of time spent in these homes ~

Adam's pride and joy this month was finally acquiring Helma's Explorer.  He and Chris towed over to our house, and Adam and Jake worked on it several days, and they finally got it started!

I don't know who was the happiest- Adam or Jake

While Kate was gone this month, Jonathan had Sayre and some adventures of their own.  

 Jonathan said they went troll hunting.  That's a new one for me, but anything with those two is always fun -

Sayre has also been busy with soccer practice and games. 

 AND, I think Sayre loves ice cream like I love ice cream - It must be in our DNA 😁

 

Adam, Cory, and Jake took a trip to Utah to help Samantha get settled in her new apartment, and shortly after they got home, Cory flew to Florida for a conference for school. I love that she is so dedicated to helping her young students.

 Tomorrow their family is off for a family reunion in Missouri, Lake of the Ozarks.  It will be their last family get-together before Paul leaves on his mission.

LAST LITTLE TID-BITS FROM JUNE ~

Jake is truly his Dad's shadow - He soaks up everything Adam does - 

 Whether it's working on a car or mountain biking  - He can tell you every tool to use, what needs to be done, and how to do it! I love his confidence and enthusiasm.  😂❤

Kim and Chris have been in Mallorca, Spain this week, to celebrate their anniversary and Chris' birthday.  

Safe Travels!

AND A HUGE THANK-YOU PAUL AND KIM FOR HELPING ME GET THROUGH THE LAST WEEK OF CLASS!!!  I couldn't have made it without you ❤❤

Kim made the cookies, recorded the video, added the music, and Paul did all of the editing required for the assignment, whew ...  If you are wondering what i did - I was the director, of course😂

DO YOU IMAGINE THERE IS A DAY OF THE WEEK WHEN WE DON'T THINK OF EACH ONE OF YOU?  

  

 That's what Grandparents do the best!!! We think of you, worry about you, pray for you, and look forward to your visits, text messages, and phone calls.   Just so you know . . . 😊  

 

ALSO, if you are having a hard time finding your smile this week, just watch this - It is one of my favorites -

LOVE YOU!   ❤

  I hope that everyone has had a wonderful Sunday!  Ours was so, so nice, starting with a short morning nap 😁, and then we met Adam and Cory at the Lexington building as Paul was ordained an elder.  Such a special experience for everyone - he is so amazing.

I can't believe that I have missed two Sundays without posting to the Blog. Two weeks ago, we were in Chicago for Blythe's graduation, and last week we went to Adam and Cory's for dinner. By the time we got home, I was tired and couldn't bring myself to do anything but crawl into bed. 

 🎓 CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2026!

        

                                                                                                     

These kids just seem to keep moving up and moving on. One thing is for sure - along the way, they will be doing great things!  So proud of Blythe, Paul, and Hollie ~

We were able to have lunch with Hollie and family at Texas. Roadhouse

 

Paul was a graduation speaker and did such a good job. If anyone happened to be sleeping, they weren't after Paul got done 😊

ALSO STRIKING OUT ON HER OWN . . . 

 Samantha made the big decision and made a move to Utah.  Adam drove over with her, and they stayed with Zach while Sammi was apartment hunting.  She found a place and got moved in last weekend.  Yay, Sammi!!! I hope you love Provo as much as I did ❤. 

She's looking for a job, and planning to go to into UVU 's dental hygiene program once she's feeling more settled.  (love the bangs, Sammi

KATE, JONATHAN, AND SAYRE are enjoying the beginning of their Iowa Summer.  Kate and Sayre went to Jonathan's concert last night - and evening outside with hot dogs, snow cones, and music -What could be better???

OUR CHICAGO ADVENTURE - We had a fun time during our short stay in Chicago. I actually got to spend a lot of time outside just relaxing (when I wasn't trying to post Facebook ads 👎 

It was so fun to see Spencer and Grant. Spencer slipped away before I got to say goodbye, but Chris sent me this photo the other day, when they met downtown for lunch.

 Oh, and Blythe - She gave me an in-depth makeup lesson along with best brands advice - talk about a professional marketer!  She really would be the best lawyer - she could make a jury believe anything 😳

Kim is on her last week of school, and just completed this t-shirt quilt for her principal - 

 I haven't been brave enough to tackle one of those, but she did a great job.

WAY TO GO, KIM!

MAX AND AMELIA  are counting down the hours until their

BIG day!  Last week they went with Amelia's brothers and sister to Arches National Park,  

Last week they went with Amelia's brothers and sister to Arches National Park

I HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!  THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL OF THE PHOTOS YOU SENT - KEEP THEM COMING!

Today, when I was leaving church, I saw this poster on one of the bulletin boards - 

  I love Elder Kearon and that he reminds us that we should all be joyful, for we have so many blessings!

If you are not feeling joy in your life - maybe ponder on the reason, and then ask Heavenly Father to help you find joy.  

  YOU ALL ARE MY GREATEST JOY!

        LOVE YOU! ❤

 HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO SOME OF MY VERY FAVORITE "MOMS"!

 I have watched you over the years - laughing with your children, laughing at your children, crying over their mistakes, praying for them, sacrificing for them, teaching them, playing with them, and especially loving them. You have all been such a wonderful example to me and have blessed our family with your strengths, perseverance, and faith.  Thank you so much for 13 beautiful grandchildren!!

WE LOVE YOU ❤

From BEN - We got to see Ben tonight, and he has sure grown taller. Angella shared his Mother's Day Project with me.  I always love these, especially from 2nd graders.😂

This has been another busy week for us.  I am still helping out at Liberty three times a week.  Our seniors graduate on Tuesday, and the last day for the other students is May 21st.  It has come so quickly, but I don't think anyone is complaining.

I am back in school this week, and hoping I can manage two classes - Social Innovation, and Digital Media.  I was really busy yesterday trying to complete all of the assignments for the Digital Media class.  It would be much easier if I knew more about digital media and marketing, but hopefully I'll learn.

Adam and Cory came over yesterday morning, and Adam helped Dad put the new toilet in the downstairs bathroom. The flooring guys came on Friday and put in the new floor.  It looks so nice - just need to get everything put back in place, and we should be done.  

They stopped at Sam's Club on the way home, and Adam called Dad to say they had a really nice outdoor furniture set on display. He sent some photos of it, and Dad thought it was a good idea, so he bought it, and Cory picked it up with their trailer. When they were done with the soccer games, they brought the kids, and everyone chipped in and put it together for us.  

Thank you, Adam, Cory, Paul, Lily, and Jake!!!❤

While they were here, JAKE found some time to make an obstacle course where he could tempt fate on his rollerblades. He got creative and used some of the packing materials from the table and chairs. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO PAUL!

PAUL will be celebrating his 18th birthday on Tuesday!  He is an amazing young man and can always make me smile.  He has a summer filled with a family trip to the Lake of the Ozarks and some camping trips with friends.  We love you so much, Paul!!!❤

SAYRE is still in charge on the soccer field!  Yesterday, he scored a goal and had 2 assists.

Way to go, Sayre!

MAX and AMELIA

  Max and Amelia had a great time visiting friends from his mission last week, including a date to Disneyland.  I love this picture because I can clearly remember when he was little and we took all of the kids to Santa's Workshop for Grammie Camp.  We talked him into going on the small roller coaster (I mean really small), and he just looked up and told me, "This is going to be the worst mistake of my life."  

I guess love conquers all fear! ❤

Thank you, KATE, for the Sunday Selfie!

                                                                                               Thank you, KEVIN, for the beautiful flowers

Thank you to everyone of you, who called, texted, or stopped by the house over the last two days. 

I love you all so much; there aren't enough words to express it ❤ 

Have a safe and happy week !