It's Already the End of November?!!!

Yikes! It is November 29th today! 
We had a wonderful time over the last couple of weeks since I last blogged. We had a great time at the Cattle Convention and an even better time in Jackson if only for two days.  We ended up meeting Lori, Brad and family and the Tribes in the afternoon at Bubba's for a late lunch/early dinner and then took Todd shopping that afternoon for his 13th birthday. I can't tell you what a thrill it was to have all the kids come running when they saw us and especially for Todd to come unprompted to take my arm to help Grandpa help me  across the street, up the stairs and into Bubba's. And that's the way it was the whole time we were together. He was always there to help me in and out of the truck (if Grandpa didn't beat him!), take our belongings up and down the condo stairs and to help me on the slick steps. What a wonderful young man he is and how we love him! We told him he could go look for anything he wanted for this special birthday and we were surprised that he chose to go to Jack Dennis and look for some additional camping equipment for his scout outings. He ended up purchasing a fancy water bladder with pockets to hold other necessities on day hikes and a pretty high-tech compass. Pretty great choices for a 13-yr-old boy, I would say. Thank you, Todd, and we love you so much! We spent Wednesday evening visiting with Brad and Lori at our condo and then joining the whole group at Brad and Lori's condo. It was so fun to discuss the gospel and the handbook with them. Brad was recently ordained and set apart as Bishop of their ward in Rupert. We know he will do a great job because he is not afraid to take the sometimes very painful steps necessary to depart from generation-old traditions which are not in keeping with church policy. He has that beautiful combination of a great love for the members of the ward and a great love for doing things the Lord's way realizing that there are tremendous blessings that result from strict obedience. He is a good man and Lori will be a tremendous support to him.
We packed up Friday morning to come home (in a big snowstorm) and were so grateful we had decided to bring the truck. It took us a long time to get home but we made it safely thanks to my husband's driving skills. But he freely admits he detests driving on bad roads and in nasty conditions and will avoid it at every cost! We are not as young as we used to be and are certainly more cautious!

Anyway, we unpacked and headed to Brigham City to see Mom Rose in her new "home". We were surprised and VERY HAPPY to see how well she is doing and the progress she has made in just the last few days. She is capable of walking even without a walker, but she is supposed to use it! Just ask Grandpa! She recognized us and seems to be regaining at least some of her memory. The hallucinations and paranoia are gone, truly gone! We know that she was having panic attacks because she was unable to breath properly and the medicine prescribed to her for those attacks was causing her mental anguish. I just shudder to think what she has been through but am ever more grateful for those caregivers who realized she had a problem and got to the bottom of it. We have our dear Mom Rose back. Yes, she still has a form of dementia and gets very confused, but she is pleasant and happy most of the time and realizes that she is getting good care. Our hope is that if it is Heavenly Father's will that she can again return to Park Valley, her home. But that certainly remains to be seen.

I love this picture!

After a good long visit with Mom and Dad and some of the rest of the family, we headed to Tremonton for Natalie's reception. It was great to see the Jex family again! They will always be dear friends! Natalie looks so happy! It was a dicey drive home as far as Malad and then not too bad from there.
Saturday was Kate's ballet! What a beautiful little ballerina she is! The Hansel and Gretel ballet was so professional...amazing sets and gorgeous costumes! Kate was a town's girl and a ghost this year. I'll post the pictures I was able to get. We love this little girl so much...Katie Bug with her beautiful red hair and sweet, caring personality...Katie with her love for stuffed animals and dolls, Polly Pockets and Littlest Pet Shop...a little "red-bird"  with a twinkle in her eye and a smile that melts our hearts...a beauty with a talent and definite love for ballet!

Isn't she lovely?

Please Remember Us When You're Famous, Kate!

Saturday afternoon, May 7th, we attended an awards ceremony for the PBS Kids Writing/Illustrating Contest for Idaho.  Our little 9-yr-old Kate won 2nd for the 3rd Grade Division. The rules were simply that she had to write a book and illustrate it. I believe her book was about a snail. It was so darling  and she read it so well that I was more captivated watching her than paying attention to the words and pictures. The amazing thing to Greg and me was that she told her Mom she wanted to illustrate it by turning it into a pop-up picture book. NO ONE ELSE that I know of attempted such a thing. Thank goodness for the internet.  She watched the tutorial on-line and then went to work. We just loved it and love these pictures of her very PROUD moment! What a wonderful young woman she is becoming. We are so proud of her! Perhaps she'll grow up to write or illustrate children's books! Love you, Katie Bug!

Oct General Conference with Kate and Morgan

 Morgan's favorite piece of art in the Conference Center--

a bronze statue of the First Vision with the Father's arm

around the Son. So beautiful and moving. It is
located on the balcony level just as you enter the
 J section foyer. Morgan learned about it when
her family toured the Conference Center previously
and she couldn't wait to show it to us. This is how I envision
the Son being introduced by the Father. The photo does
not do it justice.  You have to look behind
the statue to get the full impact of this beautiful piece of
artwork.

A sister missionary took this picture of the three of us
               in front of the statue of Christ.               

 

           Just a breathtaking view from the 10th floor

 of the Joseph Smith Building. Such a great opportunity

to speak to our precious granddaughters of the joy of

      being sealed for time and eternity in the temple.

 The reflection of the Salt Lake Temple in the reflecting pool

is so beautiful! The light was just right to catch this shot.

Outside the Conference Center waiting to get into the 

Saturday morning session. We were there at 8:00 am

and you can't get in until 8:30. These little dolls turned

heads wherever we walked. So many people stopped

to talk to them and ask them if they were sisters. I think

they liked that!

             Our little jewels outside the  Conference Center

           Kate and Morgan in the Hall of the Prophets

      Yikes! Looking from the Balcony all the way down!

     The escalators are a definite favorite!

 Watching Conference from their own little bed in their 

                   own little room in the suite!

              Coloring mosaics at the Art Museum!

             Listening to Jericho Road at Deseret Book

  A picture at the Joseph Smith statue is a

                              must!

         Joseph Smith Building Mezzanine

 The flowers were still gorgeous. These were 

on the plaza and the girls loved them (and

            each other as you can see!)

 There is something about those "behind" shots!

 Getting acquainted with the sister missionaries!

 How Grandpa loves his girls (and vice versa!)

 Cutout view of the Salt Lake Temple which is
         located in the South Visitor's Center.

 

       They LOVED the revolving doors at the JSMB

 

             On the balcony in the Conference Center!  Oh, so 

             many people!

 Yes, we really were at General Conference! What a thrill!
And what wonderful girls Kate and Morgan are! They enjoyed listening
and taking notes...and especially loved watching the Prophet
walk in and signal everyone to sit down. You can hear a pin
drop when he walks in. How we love President Monson. He
certainly is the prophet for our time! I enjoyed his messages
so much as well as all of those who spoke. I am looking forward
to listening to all the talks again via the internet before the Ensign
comes out. It will be interesting to see if the impressions I wrote
in my notes are what I hear upon listening again.  My own over-all
impressions this time in a nutshell were:  FAMILY and FAITH! I
loved every minute of Conference; I loved being with my eternal
sweetheart and with these two precious little granddaughters
who are exceptional in all ways for their ages! They are being
raised in amazing homes with very dedicated and loving parents
who teach them the Gospel of Jesus Christ on an hourly basis through
example and word! Thank you for allowing us this time with these two
precious little girls.

It's Great to be 8!

Pictures of Kate on General Conference Weekend

Isn't she a doll?

A beautiful girl in a beautiful dress in front of a beautiful painting!

Riding Trax - a favorite!

"Open the Gates of the Temple!"

A picture of the Salt Lake Temple from this vantage point is a tradition now!

She loves the story of John Rowe Moyle who carved "Holiness to the Lord
The House of the Lord" (etc.)
on the temple at GREAT sacrifice so she took a close-up picture of it.

We had a great visit with three of the sister missionaries on temple square!
They challenged HER to go on a mission!

The Easter bunny brought her a little replica of himself. She loved teasing Grandpa with her little furry "Niblet"!

Little "Katie Bug" as we have always called her is our newest little 8-year-old grandchild and with that milestone birthday comes the opportunity to attend General Conference with Grandma and Grandpa. We thank Lori and Brad for sharing her with us for the weekend. She was an angel and we had a most wonderful time with her. She was completely enthralled and in awe of the Conference Center and wanted to see it all before Conference started. We, of course, did not have time to tour all of it, but thanks to Grandpa saving seats, we saw quite a bit. You will see pictures of her at several of her favorite spots. We looked at all of the Arnold Frieberg Book of Mormon paintings on display there and without hesitation, Kate could tell me the story behind each one. It was impressive to say the least. For the sessions themselves we were blessed to have seats on the Plaza (first) level and only about 12 rows from the front and in the section left of the pulpit. She was thrilled to be so close and enjoyed counting the organ pipes as well as seeing President Monson and the 12 Apostles that near to us. She seemed to enjoy conference which was aided by the Conference packet her mom had prepared for her from lds.org.
Grandpa, Kate and I also spent some time in the brand new flagship Deseret Book directly south of Temple Square before he headed to the Priesthood Session. I think she may have a little claustrophia like her Grandpa because a little of that went a long way! It is an amazing store, however! But it was VERY crowded as you can imagine! During Priesthood Meeting, Kate and I spent time in the Joseph Smith Building even enjoying some yummy Chocolate Cinnamon Cake at the Garden Room. The Joseph Smith Statue, looking out at the temple from the 10th floor, and looking at the gorgeous chandelier from the mezzanine were some of her favorites there.
Adventures on the Plaza and Temple Square included the reflecting pool, enjoying the gorgeous spring flowers, the fountain south of the Church Office Building, visiting with three of the sister missionaries, and spending lots of time in the North Visitors Center where we visited the Christus statue, watched the Testaments movie, and enjoyed all the dioramas and interactive scripture story displays. She was a bundle of energy and just a delight.
Oh, another thing Kate thoroughly enjoyed during the weekend was eating two meals at Sizzler! We found out this little girl absolutely LOVES watermelon and chicken wings...but especially watermelon! She could have made a meal on just that!
Greg and I are so blessed to have this opportunity to attend Conference in Salt Lake and to take our little grandkids with us. We will enjoy this privilege as long as it is available to us and take as many of our little ones as we can.

Things we love about Kate in no particular order:

• beautiful red hair and a constant reminder to us of her mom as a little girl
  
• contagious smile and sweet attitude
  
• boundless energy
• love of good food - especially watermelon!
  
• love of stuffed animals
• love of the scriptures
• love of her parents
• love of her brothers
• her willingness to forgo one session of conference so we could go out and visit my brother, Craig.
• her complete honesty
• her sense of humor
• She'll still hold my hand
  
• her good attitude about a not so wonderful hotel room!
• She loves Grandma and Grandpa and lets us know it!

Love you tons, Kate! Thanks for spending special time with Grandma and Grandpa on Easter Sunday!