The Gardners 4th party

Mark and Shelly throw the best 4th of July party!

Followed by fantastic fireworks at the Country Club...

Happy Fourth!

I love the 4th of July-

Lazy day, BBQ at Gardner's, fireworks at the country club.

Perfect!

P.S. my favorite fireworks are the white twinkly ones!

Lovin' the classics!

Wills is loving the old Disney movies now!

His favorites:

Shrek

Finding Nemo

Toy Story

His dad's favorite: Robin Hood

His Mom's favorite: Beauty and the Beast

His Nana's favorite: Little Mermaid

Halle's habit

Halle really is a lady of leisure.  She can't eat unless she is leaned back with one foot up on her tray.  Even in restaurants, she loves just kickin' back and putting her feet up.  After awhile, she'll pull her foot down, shift and then up goes the other foot!  What a coconut!

Family Traditions

When I was a child, the 4th of July meant decorating our bikes and riding in the local East Mill Creek parade.  Back then there were lots of "Big Wheels" and "Schwinn" bikes with banana seats. Wagons and folks dressed like pioneers as well as floats and bands and scout troops that proudly carried old glory down Evergreen Street.

When our kids were younger, we did the same thing- decorated their bikes and let them ride the parade with cowboy hats and pioneer bonnets. We pulled wagons full of babies and threw Salt Water taffy to onlookers as we marched down the hill.

Now, we have grand kids that have just participated in their 1st parade and they loved it as much as their parents and grandparents did.  Holly cow! Some traditions really have staying power.

I did not see any big wheels- more motorized jeeps and barbie cars. A few floats, but not as many.  But tons of families, candy and smiling faces.  Those things have not changed.

And feelings of pride in our country and gratitude for our freedom. That has not changed and I pray it never does.  I love my country and am proud to celebrate the red, white and blue!

Gone to a better place-

Sammy has gone to a better place!

No, he hasn't died, but he has been adopted by a very nice woman named Kathy who was looking for a companion for her Toy poodle named Fancy.  Kathy loves dogs, has a doggie door and doesn't mind barking.  She asked Sammy if he'd like to sleep on her bed- seriously!  He is going to LOVE it there.  She has a groomer that can keep him all trimmed up and neat and she said he is going to get lots and lots of attention. What a great place for Sammy to spend his golden years.

I am LOVING not having any dogs at the house.  I have finally found some peace in my life and I needed it desperately. Here is a short list of things I absolutely DO NOT miss!

Endless Whining-

Made me swear, ("Shut the hell up!")

Barking-

I've been tempted to file a police complaint on us!

Scratching on the doors-

 That's going to cost a fortune to fix

Pee on the carpet-

 Clean up crew scheduled for next week.

Throw up in the house-

Sick!

Begging for food-

So,so annoying.

Calls from strangers that have the dogs-

 Why don't people mind their own business?

The smell of animals in the house-

Icky!

Empty water and food bowls needing to be filled-

 Oh, am I in charge of that?

Dogs laying on clean clothes-

UGH!

Poop in the yard-

Love it.

Dog breath!

Guilt for leaving dogs locked up all the time-

(I am human)

Garbage cans up front-

unsightly

Locked gates-

 so inconvenient

Dog hair everywhere-

Gross

Torn up lawn-

 More costly repairs

Whoops! Did I say short list?  Can't help it. It is so nice to have the animals out of my life!

Sammy: May you live a long and happy life in your new home.  Thanks for the memories!

When siblings become friends

Taylor & Kenzie took Abbie and Jake to a Real game they had a great time together which, lets be honest, is what mothers of young children only dream about! I am so happy we are beyond the fighting years and have moved to a place where all the kids are friends and they look after each other. Yea for friends that are family!

 

If there's one thing Nathan is...

It's a fantastic dad-

 Happy Father's day!

Babysitting Koda-

Mark and Abbie took Koda up to Enisgn Peak tonight. 

 Koda was in HEAVEN! It was a beautiful evening!

Take a look at what they came upon!

UKKKKK!

Pain in the @%*&

It's almost 1:00 in the morning and we just got a call from a nice citizen who has Koda.  We cannot keep that blankety blank dog in the yard!  Nathan has to go retreive him every day! UGGGGG!

No wonder he was put up for adoption! 

We're new members of the club

Just finished season one! We're fans!

The scale has been tipped!

 

Taylor and Kenzie are having a baby girl!

  William is going to love dealing with a little sister that wants to play with his legos! No worries, his dad has had plenty of experience dealing with two younger sisters.

In the meantime, Kenzie is going to have fun shopping for pink!

29 years and holding...

     At 7:45 a.m., 29 years ago, Nathan and I were married by Neil A. Maxwell in the Salt Lake Temple. It was a beautiful summer morning and we were surrounded by family and friends.  We had a wedding breakfast at the University of Utah where our siblings sang a song and all in attendance wrote some advice on a plain recipie card.  That evening, we had a reception in the cultural hall of a ward building.  It was fairly common at the time.  There were doves and a temple background.  And we had snowballs for desert (Vanilla ice-cream with coconut and hot fudge). We stayed at the Little America our first night and then went to Park City for a couple of days... and thus began our jouney as husband and wife.
     So obviously, there is too much to really cover- my two readers would bore quickly. So here's a quick list of my highlights:

1. Welcoming 5 kids to our little tribe.  Each a blessing beyond words.
2. Purchasing a home and remodeling it. It was so super fun.
3. Owning a boat and spending endless hours with our family in the warm sun. Some of our very best memories were formed floating!
4. Lots of date nights.
5. Watching movies together.
6. Traveling together, all time favorite: France.  Also, fall leaf trips back East with Dallis and Carolyn and New York at Christmas time.
7. Learning to Scuba together.
8. Buying art together.
9. Watching our family grow.
10. Becoming grandparents together.

Next year will be the big 30. 
 I hope for many more happy things to add to my list!

And since I'm sharing good news...

Whitney & Dustin are cookin' up another cutie!  A 4th little bit!

The makings of magic!

Officially engaged to be married!

Congratulations Abbie and Mark!

We have relatives in Salem...

Curtis has moved to Salem, Oregon to pursue professional opportunities.  I'll keep you posted...

Like Mother, like daughter... hopefully!

My mom is awesome.  She is so in tune with her family and never misses a chance to gather the troops together to celebrate a special occasion (and believe me, we use the term "special" very loosely!). Last week she gathered us all together to say good- bye to Curtis.  She made a delicious dinner that was to die for. She is so talented- an accomplished quilter, cook, and party organizer are among her most notable accomplishments.  But it is her gift of connecting with her family that I admire most. Recognizing and appreciating each of us for who we are and what we are trying to become.

  I want to be like her when I grow up!

Plus- look how cute she is.  And I love how Will says her name: "Ninnie"