Teddy Bear Picnic

My mom threw a teddy bear picnic this summer, complete with a small teddy bear for everyone. The kids loved it. They loved their cute sack lunches and they especially enjoyed going on a scavenger hunt to find the bear just for them. On each bear was a kid's name and a future activity or prize. It was very cute.

All the cousins and their bears.

Eating lunch picnic-style.

Playing with the bears after the picnic.

What I've Been Up To

Sorry for the long absence. Here's what I've been up to.

My oldest granddaughter got married in April. The first to get hitched.

May showers brought one beautiful day for my grandson and his bride.

My son-in-law (the one on the left - the guy on the right is his friend) got the diploma cover and walked with the U of U medical school graduation in May. The actual Physician Assistant (PA) graduation will be in August.

Attended Rainier's adorable kindergarten graduation (will post a picture as soon as I figure out how).

Talia graduated from 6th grade with honors and received the Hope of America Award (here she is with her teacher).

Went out to Spokane to see my grandson graduate from high school and join the world of adults (will post a picture as soon as I figure out how).

Baby Pierce had surgery at Primary Children's and it went really well, plus look at that cute hospital gown.

Plus, you can check out my oldest grandson on the Mormon Bachelorette. Hopefully he doesn't look this scared on his date.

Oldest to Youngest

My mom has 23 grandkids and here are the two bookends.

My mom's oldest grandson holding the youngest grandson - aren't they cute.

This picture was taken the day of my mom's Halloween lunch. She threw a great party, but I forgot to take any more pictures than this one. Thanks for the party mom.

Put On Your Dancin' Shoes

My mom and I have spent the last three weekends together taking road trips up to the Salt Lake City area to spend time with my Aunt Jackie and my cousins. The first weekend we went out for my cousin Chrisi's bridal shower. The next weekend was her wedding. And the next weekend was my cousin Mindy's baby shower.

We had a fun time visiting with all my cousins and my aunt. There was fabulous food and good company at each of the events, but the most fun was the dancing at the wedding, or should I say that I had the most fun watching my mom and her sister cutting a rug.

My cousin Chrisi and her new husband, Ryan, showing everyone how it's done (pretty impressive dancing in such a big dress).

My Aunt Jackie and cousin Jay cuttin' loose.

My cousin Jay taking my mom for a spin.

Aunt Jackie's still got it!

The beginnings of the Conga line with Mindy and her prego belly in the lead - we all joined in.

The kids loved dancing in the bubbles.

My mom showing off her mad Tigerette skills.

Chrisi and Mindy, congratulations and thanks for inviting us to all the festivities.

For She's a Jolly Good Lady

My mom and I are coworkers. We have been for over 10 years now. We work on a little program in the school district called the Mentor Program. We have matched thousands of mentors from BYU to students in the school district. My mom is retiring. Last year she didn't work very much because of all that cancer crap she was dealing with. This year she realized she is not the same. She cannot work like a mad woman. She is getting older and cancer took it's toll. I will step up and try to cover her duties next year along with my friend Cora. Cover is a good word because replacement is not possible. I am not my mother. My mother is loved and endeared by all who know her and she knows a lot of people. I mean a lot. She is outgoing and personable. She is the heart of this operation and she will be missed. The Service and Learning Center at BYU honored my mother with an award for being an outstanding citizen in the community. That sounds about right. My mother serves and serves and serves. On a side note, the Service and Learning Center has logged over 173,000 hours of service this year. Wouldn't it be nice if all universities logged those hours instead of perhaps logging those hours for partying? What a difference it could make. The Service and Learning Center had a nice luncheon where they honored a handful of individuals including my mom. It was nice to see her recognized for all of her hard work. It also made me realize I have big shoes to fill. I have small feet.
(Stolen from my sister Amy's blog)

St. Valentine

We had a fun Valentines breakfast with tons of the grandkids. It was a lot of fun with french toast with strawberries and whipped topping, bacon, chocolate milk, giant heart cookies, etc. Later that day I took the older grandkids to see a play for their Valentine Day's treat and I'll be taking the younger ones to see A Mouse Eating a Cookie play.

Giving

On Monday my daughter found out and started talking to people about the babies in Haiti who needed formula.

By Thursday morning, this is what her car looked like.

It's amazing what people can do in three days.

Thanks to all of you who donated.

It will be appreciated much more than any of us will ever know.