Christmas Day

This picture isn't necessarily about Christmas, just it was taken sometime on Christmas Day. They both have such cute - and contagious - smiles!

24 Hour Bug

I had a visitor over the weekend ... an unwanted, uninvited visitor. Fortunately the sickening little thing stayed for a brief visit instead of lingering on and on. It made for a miserable weekend, I'm so glad the bug departed. (Hope it isn't headed your direction!)

Baylee's Moves

Baylee shows some of her moves when listening to music. Kelly was taking a break from the kitchen while her Thanksgiving Day turkey was roasting in the oven. :-)

Two Pretty Smiles

TJei just adores her best friend, Tio Quentin.

Felicia and Quentin

TJei and Mia

This picture is so cute. I just love it!

Davis and Grandma

I was able to get a bit of Davis time while in the valley for his blessing the next day. He is growing like a little weed and there are so many changes between visits. This picture was on Uncle John's birthday. :-)

Pictures on Picture Day

These are a couple pictures I snapped of the girls while they were waiting to have their pictures taken! :-)

Funerals

Two of my favorite people have passed away in recent days. :(


C. Leonard Isaacson passed away November 28th. He was the first bishop of 3rd Ward way back when it was first created and he later became Stake Patriarch for St. Johns Stake. Bishop Isaacson was always a loving, soft-spoken, caring man. On a recent occasion when I'd stopped to visit his wife and she wasn't home, we stood at the door and he reminisced about my family and my neighbors "on the hill there." From his home, our little cluster of homes are on the hill facing his modest home. Bishop Isaacson asked about my kids ... each of them by their birth order and he also asked about "the Indian boy you had living with you." He didn't remember Philip's name but he did remember him and each of my kids ... pretty amazing since Bishop Isaacson has had Alzheimer's for the last few years and has struggled to recall names of his own family even.

Bishop Isaacson gave Patriarchal Blessings to each of my kids and to me, too. I love him dearly, like a trusted, respected elderly family member. He will be missed.


Sister Lorna Scarbrough passed away today. She too is a beloved soul. She had a sweet personality and a genuine love for the children in our ward. I can still envision her walking the kids up the sidewalk to our house back in the days before I attended church and became a member. Sister Scrabrough took them under her wing as though they were her own.

I tried to visit her while I was in Snowflake last week but wasn't able to reach her family to make arrangements for the visit - I didn't know where they lived, had to reach them first. :(

I love this picture of her ... Nanette Whiting and I were out riding and visiting. I recalled that day was Lorna's birthday and we went to the flower shop. Nanette purchased a long-stem rose and we took it over to Sister Scarbrough. When she came to the door, we sang Happy Birthday to her! (Yes, I know I can't sing ... it was still fun and she loved us being crazy just for her!)

My prayers will be with the two families. I'll miss both of these lovely people.

Grandma's Jester

Mia having fun playing with a jester cap.

Temple Lights

On Black Friday we toured the Christmas light display at the Mesa Temple instead of doing the mad dash of holiday shopping.



Quentin and Felicia had driven to QC from Safford and arrived just in time to go with us to the light display. Felicia had gone to Safford and together with Quentin they spent Thanksgiving at her grandparents in Pima, Arizona with Felicia's family.




Jodie, TJei and Mia enjoyed the outing, too. :-)


My long-time good friend, Glenda, and her daughter, son in-law and granddaughter joined us for the tour. It was great to spend the evening with Glenda and some of her family. ---Can you believe it? I didn't get a single picture of Glenda!--- Nicole is due now (six days off from that evening) to have a baby girl. I've no idea how she managed walking and standing all that time! What a trooper. :-)


Devina is such a cutie and she was having fun taking pictures on her grandma's cell phone. :-)

Thank you for spending the evening (and night) with us Glenda and thank you too for the hot chocolate and donuts after the Christmas light tour! I love you bunches and enjoy spending time with you. :-)

What a Turkey

Kelly did herself proud ... wasn't that a pretty bird? This was Kelly's first time cooking a turkey and she raised the bar for all of us! Her bird was not only picture perfect. it was scrumptious, too. Kelly deployed a little seasoning secret that I'd never seen or heard of before and it must have done the trick, that turkey was juicy and tasty. Yum. Along with typical veggies stuffing the belly cavity (onions, carrots, celery, seasonings) she packed a lemon in there. Uh-huh, a lemon. That was a new one to me. Whether it was the lemon or the basting ... it worked. That was one tasty bird.

John and Kelly ... thank you so much for inviting me and Jodie and the girls to have Thanksgiving dinner with your famiy. A special thanks to Kelly ... your passion for food is evident in the care and time you give to making meal time so delightful for your family and friends. Love you gal! I love both of you ... and Baylee, too!

Thank you!

Long Board

This picture should have been with the others back at Thanksgiving time. Quentin was so sweet to spend time with the little ones while they tried the long board and skate board. Devina (Glenda's granddaughter) was on the long board and she managed to do it pretty quickly. Glenda even considered getting her one for Christmas. :-) TJei gave the skateboard a try and Uncle Quentin ran along with her holding her steady and avoiding a fall. Mia had fun just running and playing.

Grandma and Davis

Davis is such a cute little guy!

$2.02

Imagine my surprise when pulling into Circle K last evening and seeing the gas prices posted there. Nope, I wasn't going for a fill-up but it was still good to see the price back down to some semblance of reasonable rates. Hope it lasts a long, long time.

Happy Anniversary

You're both so sweet and it has been wonderful watching the two of you build your life together. I love you bunches ... enjoy your special day.

Double Shooting

After returning to town from an evening off and about with my hubby it was distressing to learn there had been a double shooting, two deaths, in our little town this evening. One of the shooting victims is someone I've known nearly all his life - Vince Romero, son of Leroy and Liz Romero. What a shock!

UPDATE: This is far more than a shock, words just cannot describe. These two men were shot and killed by Vince's son ... his young son. Very young. Vince's 8 year old son was responsible for these shooting deaths.

Happy Birthday Kelly!

You're an amazing young woman, Kelly. We are so very blessed and fortunate to have you in our family and part of our lives. You are such a hard worker ... you give yourself fully to the task at hand whether that be yard work, teaching girls through activity and example, baking a "just right" birthday cake, parenting, supporting, singing, pitching a tent ;-) or just being the sweet spirit you are on a regular basis. It is so fun watching you when you get into that hyper-competitive mode - bring it on baby! You are intense and focused and just love good, clean competition and that makes you so much more lovable.

It is such a joy to watch you with Baylee ... you are always teaching, always guiding, always celebrating her accomplishments and relishing in the joys of motherhood. I am so glad you are Baylee's mom, so glad you are John's wife. So glad you are our daughter-inlaw, our daughter. We love you Kelly and wish you the very best on this day and always. Enjoy your special day.

Happy Birthday Denise!

The years seem to fly by much quicker these days, don't they? ;-) Neece, you're a special lady and I love you dearly. I am so glad my brother had the good sense to realize what a jewel you are. You've brought a tenderness to him, softened him in the sweetest ways. I am glad you two have each other and glad you are part of our family. We have been blessed by your presence and also by your sweet daughters. Wishing you happiness on your special day. Happy birthday!

Unexpected Visit

Davis (and his mommy & daddy) came to SJ for an unplanned visit and they joined us at the park for a cookout and cake to celebrate Mia's first birthday. Jacob and Maria drove up with her younger sister Karen to pick up a vehicle. It was a sweet surprise and Davis wasn't too pleased to go back into his carseat and leave the park ... even though he had soaked Grandma during his visit. The boy has good output, I can attest.

Autumn Antics

Little Emma and Joseph are two youngsters who were playing at the park while we were there for burgers and birthday cake. Their brother Coulson was there along with mom, Natalie, and he came over to get in a picture, too.

Birthday Cake

Mia had fun digging into her birthday cake. After a couple minutes just looking at the cake, Jodie helped Mia taste it and get a start. She was all over that cake after realizing it was okay to dig in.

Paper Craft

I've enjoyed learning how to do a few paper craft projects and making personalized, creative items for friends and family. This stand-up card was made for a friend who will go for surgery tomorrow to eradicate breast cancer. She'll have a long road with the follow-up radiation therapy.

Recently I made a flip album for my Sassy Sister and also one with some first pictures of little Davis. Another flip album I made was used as a get well card of sorts for Glenda W. There was plenty of room for everyone to sign the card when passed around at RS and for the ladies in YW and Primary. It was a lot of fun to work on these little projects and I'm sure the recipients have enjoyed receiving them.

First Cold of Season

Yuck, yuck, yuck! I've caught a cold and I am miserable! Maybe it's a mutant version of a cold, I don't have a cough at all. Come to think of it, it may be allergies. Still yuck. I have sneezed a bunch but the worse part is the itchy eyes and nasty runny nose. Yuck.

Happy Birthday Mia!

Mia is such a sweet little girl. She loves the people close to her and she entertains us on a regular basis. Mia is still learning to NOT pull her older sister's hair but hopefully she'll realize soon she can't grab it and drag it close to play with. This picture of Mia is quite fitting for her first birthday - outstretched hands saying, "Here I am!"

I love you Mia. Happy, happy birthday sugar.

Happy Birthday Felicia!

LOL Can you believe it? Felicia deleted pictures on my camera (she'll hear about that forever!) and left this little jewel on there! :-)

Happy Birthday! You're a sweetheart, Felicia, and I am so glad to have gotten to know you. I hope you have a lovely day today and lots of fun ... call your mom and family. Love you gal. :-)

Check Him Out!

This little guy had a smile right from the start. :-) Davis was born right on schedule ... hehehe I pegged it right on Jacob's little poll. :-)


He is just adorable and Maria was doing wonderfully albeit a bit tired by the time I finally arrived. She was far too quick on the delivery for me and surprised a few at the hospital, too!


Isn't he just the sweetest thing? Looking around; checking out new sights and sounds.


Thank you Jacob and Maria for giving us a beautiful little grandson. :-)

Quite a Month

Wow, what a month. It has been hectic and crazy and many friends and family have experienced medical difficulties and challenges. Off the top of my head, these are the things that have come up in recent weeks:

*Erma W, a longtime friend, had a stroke. She hasn't returned home yet but is hopeful to come home after completing extensive therapy.
*Ethel S, a friend and neighbor, underwent surgery to biopsy a lump in her breast. Lab results confirmed the tumor is malignant. She will have another surgery to remove more tissue then begin radiation therapy.
*I went through my own little test of waiting for lab results. A biopsy was done from tissue on my breast. After two agonizingly long weeks we learned there was no malignancy.
*Lorna S, a long time friend, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Due to other health issues, Lorna is not a candidate for available treatment options. About two weeks after the diagnosis, Lorna also had a stroke.
*Peter C, a neighbor, was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer and has started chemo therapy. His little family is so amazingly strong and hopeful.
*Jessica Broderson, a severly disabled young woman, passed away. Her funeral was yesterday (Friday).
*Harbon Heap, former bishop of 3rd ward, passed away. His daughter Diane is a longtime friend. His funeral will be today (Saturday).
*Clinton Greer, a young man John's age who grew up here in SJ and father of three, died in Utah. His funeral will be Monday here in SJ. His grandmother Verla is a good friend.
*Glenda W was hospitalized in Phoenix for about ten days. Intestinal fluids were leaking into her abdomen and causing extreme pain from the toxicity.
*Ed W Has been hospitalized in Phoenix for about 10 days. He was in hospital in Show Low and transported to valley. He has experienced a series of strokes.
*Maria's grandad has had medical emergencies causing him to be hospitalized much of this month. After a couple stressing attempts to get care for him in this area, the family decided to take him to Phoenix area and he has gotten good care there.
*Of course, Maria giving birth to little Davis made this month quite special. :-)
*My brother and his son-inlaw were in a terrible auto accident in Ohio. Two young boys died in the accident. My brother has a crushed vertebrae and we are so grateful he wasn't more seriously injured and that Julius wasn't injured.
*Felicia is relocating to QC and will be traveling yto Idaho to visit family for a couple weeks.
*Jim C had a heart attack and then a couple strokes. I'm not sure what the circumstances were on the heart attack - when and where - but I know he is alone now with the death earlier this year of his wife, Loretta. His boys have all left from this area so a neighbor is feeding and watching over his animals and ranch.
*Mike E went in to have knee surgery and didn't realize the water to his cooler was still on and dripping. Water seeped in through the roof and saturated insulation and materials on the ceiling. The ceiling of his living room collapsed and made quite a mess throughout his small home. Being alone and laid up from the surgery he was unable to take care of things on his own.
*My sister-inlaw Sheilla is still recuperating from the quadruple bypass surgery she had at the end of September. My brother and his family have hada couple scares and some difficult days.

That's it - just the incidents I can recall from the top of my head without going back through notes or checking calendars. That's a lot folks! It's been one heck of a month. Gotta go wish Felicia a happy birthday :-) before heading out for a funeral this morning.
:-(

Serious Accident

I don't know much on his condition yet, but did learn my brother Clyde was in a serious automobile accident this morning. In the first picture, I believe that is his truck at the front right but can't be certain with the damage to the vehicle. Sadly, the second picture shows an overturned vehicle. Two children riding in that vehicle have died and a third is in serious condition.
Blade Article
ABC 13 News

Happy Birthday Clyde

Oh my gosh, I can't believe how old you are getting!

You're a pretty good, alright guy for a younger brother. Over the years it has been so much fun watching you interact with all those girls who surround you. And surrounded you are ... Denise, three oops, four daughters, a granddaughter, now Zena and the two girls ... the only saving grace is having Demitrius as a side-kick. That little guy balances things out pretty well for those nine gals! :)

I love you, Clyde. I miss you, too. On those rare occasions we get in a phone conversation I enjoy your playful manner of communicating and hedging any direct response. You're a master at being elusive!

Happy, happy birthday to 'ya. Oh, okay, yes, it can be a bit louder and bolder, Happy, happy birthday to 'ya. Can you hear/see it now?

Love you, bro.

Hardworkers

Weeds had seriously overtaken the yards at our house in QC and the kids came to the rescue. Quentin and Felicia were in the valley visiting with his brothers and the two of them, along with Jacob and sister-in-law Kelly spent the morning on Saturday cleaning up the yards. Thank you, thank you, thank you! All of you - Maria, too (she babysat Baylee while Kelly worked at the house). With recent rains the weeds were as tall as the fence in some areas. They filled two large trash bins and still had that huge pile of weeds in the middle of the yard. We really do appreciate that you went over and did that for us. :-)

Happy Birthday Quentin!

The other day I was looking for pictures of Quentin and Jacob as little kids (didn't find what I was looking for -sniffle- ) and came across this treasure. I just knew Quentin would appreciate a flash back to this little dress-up scene. He's so cute ... even when trying to hitch a ride in the living room wearing a Rainbow Brite mock-up!

I love you Quentin. You mean the world to me. You are such an awesome young man and you have enough patience for four men. TJei has been missing her BFF so much today - she woke up wanting to make you a cake and wanting balloons to give you a party.

I hope your day is wonderful and wishing I could be there to spend some time with you on your special day. I love you, sugar. xoxo

One and Only Chance

Conference was amazing. I especially enjoyed President Monson's talk Sunday morning. Perhaps it is mostly due to events going on around me that one quote in particular has stayed with me.

"This is our one and only chance at mortal life, here and now. The longer we live the greater is our realization that it is brief - opportunities come, then they're gone. I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn during this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not."

Tonight Mike and I took our dog Spot to the vet. He has gotten sick and wasted away to being just a shell of the strong and energetic animal he had been. He couldn't hold up his own weight to get into the kennel for the trip. There really isn't anything Dr. Pew can do, I think he was just giving Mike an out to put Spot down tomorrow, when I wasn't there. He knew my heart was breaking. Somehow I'm sure he wasn't realizing the comparison I was seeing and feeling in my mind's eye the people close to me who have endured such horrible wasting of their physical body before death comforted and embraced them.

We have watched Spot getting worse and worse as we've tried to nourish and care for him. In what seems the blink of an eye, he has gone from being a muscular creature who could stand on back legs and look you in the eye to just a carcass, a living breathing skeleton. I'm an emotional sap and my love is intense, I hurt when those close to me hurt, even my pets.

Hopefully, caring for others and about others is one of the important aspects of the equation, what is important and what is not. I do care, I care about my dog and I care about the people who are on both sides of difficult situations. I care about the family members that are so far away. I care about those who try so hard to make things better for others. I care about the young family who's father is facing a most difficult diagnosis and determined to be strong for his young children and loving wife. I care about the empty nest mom who worries about being alone and the mom who wonders where her family will live next month. I care about those who are doing well and those who are struggling.

This is our one and only chance ...

Power Outage and Power Pix

Our power went out today and when Navapache Electric's recorded message indicated it would be 1-1/2 to 2 hours before the power was restored, Mike and I decided to take a long awaited ride up to the mountains to enjoy the fall scenery - changing leaves. We did enjoy colorful displays, more yellow than red and orange at this time, and were also treated to some amazing wildlife scenes. I was able to get many pictures of deer, two are below. I wasn't quick enough to get a picture of the huge bull elk standing in the middle of the road as we rounded a curve or the enormous heard of elk grazing in a meadow along the road after we got back on the highway.




It was great to spend that time up on the mountain - the scenery is beautiful and the company was special, too. Mike and I reminisced about earlier travels along some of those routes and TJei made things interesting for both of us. TJei and I gathered a couple colorful leaves for the "Autumn Book" we are putting together, too.

It was a great afternoon. Power was restored when we returned home. :-)

Caveman Commercials

Okay, so it may just be me - else they surely wouldn't keep doing them - but for the life of me, I cannot figure out the logic or hidden meaning of the Caveman commercial (Geico). What on earth is up with them and how is a caveman relevant to insurance ... by any stretch of the imagination?

These things have been around in one form or another for years now. Wouldn't you say they've run their course?

Changing so Quickly

Each of the girls are changing so quickly. I love spending time with our little granddaughters and seeing the changes in them. Although we visit often, it just seems like there are huge changes between visits.


TJei is a sassy sort of lass. She is confident and daring and she loves to sing and dance - if necessary, even without music! She has a huge vocabulary and is able to express herself well. TJei loves dressing up, especially as a princess. She loves purses and make-up. Grandma lets her put just a dab of blush on her cheeks sometimes and TJei feels so special and so grown-up when she does. TJei has a full repertoire of imaginary friends that she entertains herself and others with!


Mia is growing leaps and bounds! She is walking already!!! She was close to walking when we took her home last time, she would crawl around then as she got near me she would stand and do a couple of those falling run steps to reach Grandma. It was so cute! A couple weeks later, she was at a full walk and she does wonderfully now as she travels and explores her world. She still has only those two lower teeth but that doesn't stop her from chowing down! Like her older sister, Mia loves little purses and it is the cutest thing ever to see her wandering around carrying a little purse in front of her. :-)


Baylee changes so much between visits! Her gorgeous little smile is constant but she is getting so much taller and more expressive in her communications. She knows where all the fruits and snacks are stored in her home and although she can't reach any of them, she knows how to get your attention and point to what she wants. It is so cute! She is starting to build a vocabulary of words and she gives those run into your arms hugs when greeting you. I just love it! Baylee loves music - whether it is her version on toys or the real stuff on music channels - and she loves to dance. She has some smooth moves!