McKenzie's baptism in May, 2012

Our little McKenzie was baptised on her birthday!  We are so proud of her.  She is a wonderful little girl.  Congratulations McKenzie.  We love you.

Mission Call to Nigeria

It has been an extremely long time since I have blogged.  Can I tell you how much the page has changed?  It has changed so much!  I am not sure I can add pictures, post, etc...  But, I am giving it a try anyway. 

Much has happened in Tim life and mine.  To make a really long story short, Tim and I felt impressed to go on a mission.  To many it seems like a crazy thing to do, but after much prayer, fasting and discussion it became a definite thing to do.  We submitted our papers and waited for 4 1/2 long weeks to get a mission call.  We have been called to go to Lagos, Nigeria.  It is an unbelievable experience just in the preparation work.  It has been fun to work with Tim getting ready.

Trip to Fredericksburg, Virginia

Sunday, February, 5, 2012 was Allie's blessing day. Tim and I were so glad to have been able to be in Virginia with Brooke and Andy for this wonderful day. Allie slept all the way through church after she was blessed. Her other grandmother held her during S.M meeting and Sunday School. I got to hold her during Relief Society. We came home for dinner and pictures. Danika fell asleep in the car on the way home. It took a minute to wake up.

Danika, Andy, Allie and Brooke. I must say Allie is a good baby. She coos and smiles all the time. I don't think I heard her cry once. Sisters. Aren't they cute?

Allie was blessed in the same dress Brooke was blessed in. I think that was just yesterday. Okay, not really. It just seems so.

On Friday, February 3, 2012 Tim and I went to visit Mount Vernon. This is where President George Washington lived. It was such a beautiful day. We wore our coats but never felt chilled. I have a greater feeling of respect after visiting the home and surrounding grounds. We were there for several hours and enjoyed every moment.

The front of Mount Vernon.

The back of Mount Vernon facing the Potomoc river.

This is the burial spot of George and Martha Washington. Very reverent.

When we entered the gift shop and restaurant building to get a bite to eat we found this painting of Washington at Valley Forge. As we looked closer we realized it is the origional painting. It's on loan to Mount Vernon.

Touring old town Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Danika loves her grandpa.

...And my beautiful Allie!

Christmas Program

I am really a slacker. I didn't take very many pictures during the holiday season. But, I did get a couple of pictures of Lana at her school program. The children sang a ton of holiday songs. They did a wonderful job. Of course the cutest child was my little Lana!

The Nutcracker

Brielle, Kailie, and McKenzie performed in "The Nutcracker" in Salt Lake City for their dance company. During the performance I was taking pictures when the girls were on stage. An usher came and firmly told me that no pictures could be taken during the performance. It was a rule of the theater. OOPS!

Isaak loves his mom! Such a cute little boy.

Welcome baby Allie

November 6, 2011 I boarded the plane to fly to see Brooke, Andy and Danika. They were awaiting the birth of their new baby. We thought she would be born on Thursday or Friday. If she was born on Friday her birthdate would be 11-11-11. Pretty cool! But, the baby had other plans for her family. She decided to make her appearance on her due date of Tuesday, November 8, 2011. The name they chose for their baby is Allie Dianne. She weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. This is little Allie. She is beautiful. She is wonderful. Each baby born is a miracle. Allie is no different. I am amazed at each birth of the feelings of gratitude, love, peace, awe and happiness for these little ones.

During the birth Danika and I spent time walking around the hospital grounds. We weren't planning on being at the hospital durig the birthing process. But, while at a doctors appointment Brooke was sent to the hospital for testing to see if she was in labor. She was! Brooke checked in at 3:00 p.m. Allie was born at 6:06 p.m. The day after the birth we took Danika back to the hospital for more bonding time for the sisters.

Danika spet much time wandering around the hospital grounds. I had my camera with me and took hundreds of pictures of Danika doing many things. At one time she picked up a twig and carried it aroun...for hours! She also found a leaf. I found it later. I think she had put it in her pocket. I was getting ready to take another picture and someone came up to us and asked if we wuld like him to take our picture together. Very nice!

The night before I came home we went to Chuck-E-Cheese. We took a few family pictures of the newly expanded family.

Grandkids Party at Chuck-E-Cheese

Tim suggested we take the grandkids to Chuck-E-Cheese before Brooke and Andy move away. The kids love any excuse to get together. We all loved the evening. I just thought I had better blog again and this was a great evening to blog about.

McKenzie and Hayden ate together. The rule was, the kids had to eat a piece of pizza before they got to take tokens and go play.

While waiting for some of the cousins we tried entertaining the rest by taking a few pictures. Luckily the pizza came out of the oven just as the rest got there.

We turned our backs on Danika for just a second and she decided to pour herself a drink of chocolate milk...using the lid as her cup. She spilled just a little.

When I asked Tai and Mike to pose this is what I got. Pretty cute!

Brooke and Danika. Just look at that yummy pizza!

Tim and Kailie. I guess the pizza was very tasty!

Kailie and Lana. What cuties!

Kate, Danika, and Hayden showing off their driving skills. Watch ou

Hayden kind of cheated. You can't tell, but, he is standing on the game to get himself closer to the basket.

The cousins played together so well. Sometimes with one cousin and then sometimes with another. It was so cute.

Cute Kenzie. She posed in front of a camera...a lot.

Hayden flew up so high! He had to pedal as fast as he could to get the contraption to fly high.

Mike and Tim had to try their had at basketball. I don't know who won. I think they were both winners just for being together.

Danika found herself a new pet.

Brielle won a ton of tickets doing "Whack-A-Mole".

Kate and Isaak were way into their racing abilities. Their concentration level was intense. Don't you think so?

Kate got so excited when she discovered how fun the clock ride was.

The men had fun at the party, too. I loved seeing them relax and enjoy the fun.

One final picture before we went to the counter to buy our prizes earned from our tickets. Guess what we bought. Cotton candy!

Back row left to right. Hayden, Lana, Kailie, Rylee, McKenzie
Front row left to right. Isaak, Danika, Brielle and Kate.

Thanks everyone for the party!