Ricky began the week sick sick sick. He said he hadn't felt that bad for a long time. After spending several days in bed, he felt well enough to return to week and was well enough to enjoy Brooklyn's birthday celebration on Thursday and Friday. For months she has been planning this special celebration of turning 10 years old. That is one decade old and she was thrilled. She wanted to have a sleep over at the Great Wolf Lodge and invited her best friend to come and Dick and I were on the invite list too. Her California Grandparents also were able to come and what a great time we all had together. There is an indoor water park at the GWL and on a chilly January day, it was just the right kind of celebrating that we needed. Addison and Harper got to bunk in with Dick and I and we loved it. Sky and Kara came for the water park on Thursday night but didn't spend the night. Sky returned via the orange line train the next morning as Kara had to be at school. It was such a fun time. Lots of good memories made. There is a lazy river and I went down it not knowing there were lots of chances to get squirted with water. I was so hoping to keep my hair dry and Brooklyn said to me when I was complaining a bit, "Grammy, what did you expect, this is a WATER park. " She was right and I got over it and enjoyed my self. Thanks for inviting us Brooklyn! Becky is sure a fun party planner. We all enjoyed her yummy cinnamon rolls she made for breakfast. YUMMY!
When I hadn't heard from the "Breakfast Club" on Monday morning, I called them. Little did I know they were having their third monday in a row out of school. It was not a snow day like the first one was. It was not Martin Luther King's Birthday, it was a Teacher Work Day and when I called they were all snuggled up in Tatia's bed enjoying a little extra time together. I loved it. The Granges had a visit from Uncle Ben this week. They got to show him the sights of Charlottesville and then enjoyed being spoiled by him for a yummy dinner and dessert! The week picked up steam as it went along and Tatia was preparing for two baby showers on Saturday. She loves to give home made gifts and made two of her darling diaper wipe cases and then was in the mood to make a doll for the new little baby girl that was coming. Doll making is a gene she got from her Gram who loved making dolls. This one turned out especially cute and I have a feeling was a little tough to give away. She did promise Miss Penny that she might want to make her one for her birthday later this spring. What fun!
Like Ricky, Charlie has been feeling under the weather too. He had a business trip on Thursday-Saturday where he had to fly to Seattle for a training class. I was glad he felt well enough to go and that he is feeling better. Seattle is a fun place for a trip and he was happy he had an open evening to go visit a buddy of his who had recently moved to Seattle. Good Times! Keelie had an extra fun Activity Day meeting with her Primary Class this week. I was so happy when Charlie forwarded me a photo of the cookie baking night. I am guessing that they made scripture cookies like we did last week,. I love to pretend that my girls, Brooklyn and Keelie are in my Activity Day group. It's fun doing the same kind of things with my Primary girls.
Our LA Thiots
Our Traveling Pierce returned home to a very HAPPY Adelaide, Stacy and Jackson this weekend. He is quickly becoming quite the world traveler and is doing really well at getting to where he needs to go and finding his way back home again. Stacy and the kids miss him but are happy for his adventures and job. The ad agency just picked up the Diet Coke account, so I am sure their are great things coming down the road for Diet Coke! We had a quick face time call while we were at Sky's home from the LA Thiots from Disney Land. They picked up Pierce at the airport and headed to the happiest place on earth for the afternoon! What fun!!!!!!
Our Down Town Thiots
It was extra fun getting to spend time this week with Kara and Skyler. They made everything more fun when they are there. We loved meeting them for dinner on Saturday night with Dick's cousin Heather who was in town on business from Macon Georgia. Her dad, Pat Shafer is Dick's first cousin. He died just a few months before Dick's mother passed away. She and her sister Winslow and her brother Brett are three amazing people who we love a lot. She enjoyed getting to see Sky and Kara's fun home and she too loved the view of down town from their place. Thanks for your hospitality Sky and Kara. We missed having Ricky's family join us but they had other plans they couldn't change.
This has been a very fast week, that means each day was filled with things that made the time seem to fly faster than usual. I loved thinking of Brooklyn this week and making her birthday gift. She has loved her easy bake oven she got for Christmas two years ago, but it has worn out. I thought with turning ten and all that it might be fun to make her a Baking Kit. We called it Brooklyn's Bakery and Tatia and Pammy helped me make darling vinyl lettering to go on the box, on her mixer and on her apron too. Tatia and Pammy are a great team even 1200 miles apart. Tatia designs, and Pammy cuts and I press them on. She was happy with the results. I remember my mom doing some similar for me when I turned 10 and I still have the hand mixer today. That is a 50 year old mixer and it still goes like crazy. Brooklyn was hoping to make muffins for Breakfast on Sunday. I can't wait to hear how they turned out. YUMMY!
Saturday at 11:00 was the funeral service for our dear friend Mary Taylor or Mama Taylor as everyone called her. Five of her Eleven Children spoke the other six helped with the music, and the prayers at he service and at the graveside as well. At the cemetery, they carried on a Taylor Family tradition of counting off. !, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11. Emily shared that when they went somewhere together, they would have to count off to be sure nobody was left behind. It was extra tender as number two had passed away last October. When they started the count, his oldest son, named after him, spoke right up "Number 2" What a Marvelous Mother Mary Taylor is. She taught and trained her family well. She must be so proud of each one of them as she watched them yesterday. I was so amazed how happy they were that their parents were back together again and that their Mother wasn't so lonesome for he sweet husband any more.
Saturday was also the Family Discovery Day for our Stake. What a lot of people and a lot of time went into planning and carrying off such a fun day to help our community learn more about discovering their family History. Our Activity Day girls had made Gingerbread men out of felt and made flags from all over the world to have them hold and then I hooked them up together in a bunting and we strung them up in the room where we got to play games with the children who came to help them know more about their families. Dick was a big help in hanging them up and they looked good.
It's been so fun to have Cousin Heather here with us. We picked her up at her hotel yesterday afternoon and we had some time before dinner. We gave her a choice of going to the Dallas World Aquarium or to the Sixth Floor Museum which explains all about the Kennedy assasination 51 years ago. She said she's been to lots of aquariums but had never been to the Sixth Floor Museum. It's a very well done presentation and it was nice to be there. Thanks for coming Heather and for planning to spend some time with us. We loved it and we LOVE YOU!
