Struthers Go Blogging Not Jogging

ANOTHER CATCHUP BLOG.....

2011-12-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't blogged forever so here are some pictures to enjoy with some comments to explain activities we have been involved in. Most activities involve around church and grandkids. We love both!!

Breanna's first Halloween and also first tooth. She has the two bottom teeth in all the way now.

Breanna's first Christmas...she was not afraid of Santa and this one never did smile!!

These four kids are the love of our lives!

These are very few of the over 800 creches at our annual Creche Festival this year. Beautiful collections!

This is from the Fundraiser for the National Guard & their families. Left to right: Landon, Gabe, Kiera Klapper, Linda Watkins Bennett, Scott & I

These pictures are from the Ward Birthday Dinner/Talent Show. What a great night!!

These are friends of Valerie's who took them to have Breakfast with Santa. The mom with Valerie is Shawn & her son is Shane (below). The sweet little dress was also purchased by Shawn. Sweet family.

SUPER SATURDAY WORKOUT!!

2011-09-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was a great day. Our Relief Society (a group of ladies in the church) signed up for craft things to make for gifts or personal use. There were several things to sign up for and I was intrigued by a Family Yahtzee game. I am so glad that I didn't sign up for more than the one class because it literally took me the whole time even through lunch PLUS I worked on it on Sunday and Monday. Finally Monday afternoon I finished the project!! It turned out nice but it was much more than I bargained for!! I took pictures of the classes since I had lots of time in between letting my project dry.

This is the final project!!! Time to play!!

These were pixs of each of the kids duplicated five times.

These were side #6 - our sweet grandchildren!!

Each of the six sides had to be mod-podged twice with drying in between.

This was the scrapbook paper to be the background for each picture. Each one had to be cut, trimmed and mod-podged on one side at a time TWICE, allowing to dry in between.

Okay, it all started out with the bare wooden blocks. I chose to use white for the color. Two coats, drying time in between was at least an hour. I did this at home the night before.

This smart lady made a "Baby Yahtzee Family" game with all baby pictures of the whole family. She didn't paint her blocks which saved some time and also didn't put a background on her pictures which saved time and stress. I think she also didn't decorate her box to put the game in. She made two games!!! I couldn't imagine making two with the mess I made with ONE!!

This was a journal that was another class I didn't have time to work on but these ladies were actually relaxing and enjoying themselves......

This was a quilt that was set up for ladies to help tie. It was beautiful but I barely had time to take the picture of it.

This lady was so relaxed, she had time to take a short nap!!! Must be nice. Maybe she could have come over and helped me with my project since she seemed to have extra time!!! :)

CATCHUP BLOG......

2011-09-08T21:49:00.000-07:00

I am having trouble taking the time to blog or do much of anything. I don't want this to be a downer of a post but depression can be life altering. Enjoy some random photos of the past few weeks.

These of Isaiah & Elli May might be duplicates but we only have Ashley's phone pictures of them recently since they are living somewhere else. They seem to be happy and well taken of these days.

This was last Sunday at the Patio Party III at Violet's place. She flew Eric out again to be our "celebrity chef". It was great to see him again.

Valerie and I LOVE to take pictures of Breanna sleeping. She is so beautiful sleeping OR awake and we just marvel at her all the time.

Ashley and Valerie were able to go to the Patio Party III. It was Ashley's first one. He had never seen Siam's baby (Austyn) in person. No, that's not her, that's his favorite niece Breanna!!

She loves her grandpa!!

Eric working construction in his spare time . This particular day it was 113 degrees in Palm Springs!!

GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS.......WHICH IS WHICH?

2011-08-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

After keeping Isaiah and Elli May since July 16th, we felt we could no longer afford financially and physically to care for them as they should be cared for. With Elli May, since she was already in the system, it was easy to get her in a foster home. With Isaiah, it was up to Robin to voluntarily place him in foster care or keep him with her in her truck. We were very grateful that she chose to have him placed in a foster home. So on Monday the 15th after school, they both were taken to the same foster home. We haven't seen them since but we know that they are fine and we will be able to visit with them soon. Ashley is at peace with the decision. He is still living at the Torres Shelter and comes to stay here for weekends. We are still kept busy at home with Valerie and Breanna. Also Lucy has visited a few days a week. I don't think our home will ever be empty of grandchildren. Good news? Bad news? You tell me.

Scott, Valerie, Breanna and I were able to go to the Willows Car Show this past weekend and had a nice time together.

Another happening this past week was the placement of another family member. My Ford Taurus was not able to pass smog, transmission going out, we needed the money, so we placed it at Pick & Pull. It served us well.

Good news? Bad news.....which is it?

IT'S BEEN A LLLLOOOOONNNG THREE WEEKS PLUS SOME!!!

2011-08-09T16:59:00.000-07:00

On July 16th, our grandkid's mom called to tell us she was homeless. At that time we took Isaiah and Elli May into our homes and it has been a very trying three weeks! We love them dearly and we are heartbroken that we are too old and used up to take on two more angels into our home. Their mother has not seen them now over a week and has not contacted us to let us know what is going on. I tell this story not to get your pity but because I want to "journal" our love for our grandchildren. The stress level, the financial strain and physical and mental drain has been very difficult. Ashley has helped when he can but he works full time and does community service so many hours a week. These are just a few pictures we have taken since they have been there. We have spent many hours at the different parks and many hours inside when the weather has been too hot to go anywhere.

They sleep where they want when daddy's not here!!

They are beautiful when they sleep and wonderfully behaved.

When daddy spends the night, they love to pile in living room.

What blog is complete without pictures of Breanna!! Notice anything new on her ears??? No, grandpa and grandma are not happy campers about it but what can we do?????

Grandpa finally got her to sleep and she is also perfect when she sleeps!!

CHICO 5TH WARD'S PIONEER DAY CELEBRATION!!!!!

2011-07-26T23:33:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful time with family, friends, great food, great stories. I am so happy to be in the best ward in the world!!!!

The Elders playing Uno with some cute kids!! Isaiah & Joseph with Bronson looking on.

BIRTHDAY SURPRISE FOR SCOTTY!!

2011-07-09T21:19:00.000-07:00

My sister surprised my husband and flew Eric from Palm Springs. He was at the bbq helping with the cooking for near 20!!! friends and family. We got pictures at the bbq but not one of Eric since he was either in the house cooking or washing dishes. I didn't even notice it until I got home that night. But then he came to Chico Thursday until he left today. He fixed a birthday dinner for Nils on Friday and we took some rushed pictures of our family since we hadn't been together like that for 2 years!! Enjoy.....

RANDOM PICTURES PICKED FROM MANY

2011-06-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

We are still alive and kicking and loving our time with our grandchildren. All is well, we are tired and busy.

Grandpa chillin' with Breanna, Breanna chillin' with her doggie paci.....

Breanna conked out on the kids' bed in the livingroom....

Lucy with Cosette in the park......

Picnic area at Bidwell Park....

Beautiful trees in Bidwell Park....

Shasta Dam......

Mount Shasta through the trees....

RAINY DAY WITH FOUR GRANDKIDS!!!!

2011-06-07T00:37:00.000-07:00

Oh what a mess we had on Saturday when we had all four grandkids for the whole day!! Wow!! It was raining out, couldn't go to the park and the house seemed to get smaller by the second. On top of everything, Scott's brother Shannon decided to come up for a visit!! We had no money for McDonald's so we loaded up two cars and took the whole lot of them to the Mall to work out some energy. Oh my goodness what a disaster. This picture tells a story. We were waiting for Valerie to come back, we had walked the entire mall and Isaiah was sooooo mad because we wouldn't let him spend his 3rd of 4th dollar on this stupid claw-for-a-stuffed animal game. He would not give up, he kept begging and begging and we were firm. So that is why he has this sour look on his face. The baby was screaming bloody murder because she decided just as we were ready to leave without Valerie that she was starving so Scott had ran to the bathroom to get some warm water to make her a bottle. I fixed the bottle and while Scott was feeding her, I sat the older kids down in front of a candy store and took some pictures. So cute. Lucy is just a little ham when it comes to pictures. She either made a funny face or turned to look in the store!!

Did I tell you how much we LOVE these little clowns?????

ASHLEY'S GRADUATION FROM THE WELL

2011-06-03T00:24:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this video with those who don't check Facebook. Ashley has spent the past year and a half at The Well here in Chico. It is a rehab for drugs and alcohol. He has been persecuted for being a Mormon the entire time. He has not let his testimony waiver, in some ways it has probably made him stronger and more patient. We are very proud of him. At the graduation ceremony that was held in a local community church, there was a gospel band that played music and then they allowed each of the three graduates to say a little something before they were given their certificate. Ashley surprised the congregation by saying that he had a hymn that said the feelings in his heart. Then he pulled the paper out of his pocket and thinking he was just going to read the words, I started the video. Then he started singing ACAPELLA and blew everyone away. It ended in a standing ovation. I threw the camera down to stand when he finished and looked to see Scott bawling. It was a very emotional and spiritual moment. I want to share it with you. I am struggling to download the video, hope you get it. (To see this video of Ashley's song, please go to my facebook page)

FUN WITH THE COUSINS......

2011-05-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

Breanna loves her cousins and I think they love her too. This is Isaiah, 9 years, Breanna is 4 months now.

This is Elli May who just turned 8.

And this is sweet Austyn who just turned 1 year old. She was sharing her jump chair with her favorite cousin.

A VERY SPECIAL WEEKEND.....

2011-05-14T23:31:00.000-07:00

This picture is very significant and special to me for a couple of reasons. One, it is the first time in a year and a half since Ashley has been able to spend the night with his children. Ashley just graduated from "The Well", an adult drug/alcohol rehab here in Chico. He has not been able to leave overnight or visit for more than 2-4 hours on weekends for the entire time. There were a couple of holidays that he was allowed a few extra hours but was under very strict house rules the entire time he was in the program. We are so proud of his accomplishment and pray for his continued sobriety. He has endured many trials well in this program.

LUCY TURNED 3 TODAY!!!

2011-04-27T22:25:00.000-07:00

We had a nice little party for Lucy's birthday today in Bidwell Park. She loved the cake daddy picked out (way to go daddy!!) Her special friends came to share her day with her.

40 YEARS!!!!

2011-04-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend Scott and I celebrated 40 years of marriage. We haven't always had a bed of roses in our marriage but we have been through many refining fires that have strengthened our marriage. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect companion to spend the eternities with than Scott. I love him so much. He is not perfect but he is perfect for me!! Thank you for 40 years Scott and I look forward to many many more!!

MY SISTER LINDA.....

2011-04-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

I would like to pay tribute to my oldest sister Linda who was laid to rest today. She was loved by all who had the opportunity to meet her. She had a very rough life and suffered many trials, physical and mental. When she finally met and eventually married Dan Roberts, her life was finally peaceful and happy. He stood by her through thick and thin and loved her so much. I know she is out of pain and at peace at this time and that is what helps me get through the sadness. We are so fortunate to know Heavenly Father's plan of happiness that brings us home to Him. May Heavenly Father keep a watchful eye on her husband Dan.

8 WEEK ROLLOVER!!!!

2011-03-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, let me try this again......I know it's early but she does it every time we put her flat on her stomach. It is so sweet. I tried to get a longer video but it wouldn't upload. She is such a sweet baby!!!

2011-03-07T10:32:00.000-08:00

Auntie "B" giving Little "B" her bath.

So after weeks in the hospital, the doctors finally discovered that Scott's gall bladder was bad. When they went in to have it removed last week, he had scar tissue from his last surgery (tumor on the kidney) and the gall bladder had adhered to that so it was obvious then why he had been in so much pain for so long. We are thankful they found the problem and he is now home and recovering. Just a few more pictures to share!!!

ALL THE GRANDKIDS IN ONE ROOM

2011-02-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

It may not sound like much work getting just four grandkids together but it has been so very long since we have had them all together due to various obstacles. Elli May hadn't seen Lucy in a very long time and she had never even met her newest cousin Breanna so we called her foster "grandma" and we all traipsed over to Elli May's house and had a very nice visit. Scott was not feeling well but he held the kids long enough for me to snap these photos. I just love these kids but I especially love my precious husband, Scott. He means the world to me!!

VALERIE'S BABY SHOWER!!

2011-02-17T17:57:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful baby shower given by a sweet lady in the church. It was fun and relaxing. I wanted to share some pictures of the event. The hostess was a professional caterer so we were treated to a chocolate fountain with strawberries, brownies, cookies and HOMEMADE marshmallows to dip. She also had made some delicious apricot meatballs and wonderful Parmesan/artichoke dip. Very nice. Breanna certainly scored that night!!

What a Whirlwind of a Life!!!

2011-02-05T18:54:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. We have been so busy since mid January! Scott was having stomach pains and trying to deal with that and then he got a very bad head cold which first sent him to the emergency room. He got help with that and went home with different medicine. Then it was back to the ER for his stomach pain and they ran all kinds of tests which didn't show anything too bad so pain killers and back home again. By the morning of the 16th, he was in tears from the pain and he hadn't slept for three days straight!! He was following me around, didn't want to be in the room alone and I was at a loss as to what to do for him. I called ER and they said to bring him back in. At that time he saw the third doctor in two days and he went over the tests and discovered that the sonogram showed a mass in his stomach. The technician at the hospital had discovered it. It seems that when the sonogram is taken during non-office hours, the scan is read by some other country, city or state. Learn something new every day!! Anyway, he was finally admitted into the hospital and he finally was given some pain medicine by IV which relieved the pain and he was able to sleep. For the next week, he was in the hospital where they had him checked out by the GI doctor, the cancer doctor and the hospital doctor who ordered tests of every sort. They could not find out what the pain was caused by. IN THE MEANTIME....Valerie was overdue, she went into her Wednesday appointment and the doctor told her that he was going to have her go into the hospital the next day at 8 am and they were going to insert something inside so her cervix would "ripen". She was nervous but just wanted this all over with. I got up early the next day so that I could get off work early and get to the hospital before anything happened. I got up at 6 and started cleaning around 7 at my client's house. About 10 Valerie called and said that she was starting to dilate and I should come. I tried not to panic but she wanted me there so I left work early leaving quite a bit to still do. I will cut out the next 12 hours of friends and relatives coming and going and not much at all happening. Finally at about midnight, I had found a family lounge and got a pillow case and tried to lay on the uncomfortable couch because I couldn't see straight I was so tired. I got a call shortly from Valerie saying that she was at 8 cm and they wanted her to start pushing so I immediately got there. Okay now I'm going to leave out all the pushing and screaming and hitting that went on until 3 am. She ended up with a c-section so I went in all suited up and very uncomfortable and when they got to the baby, I heard someone say something about a vacuum and all of a sudden the doctor was telling the anesthesiologist to put her under and I was wisked out of the room. I found out later that the baby's head had turned and wedged her way under the pelvic bone so they had quite a time getting her out. That was the 21st and on Monday the 24th, Scott, Valerie and Breanna all came home at the same time!! I was so glad to have them all home and not having to go back and forth to the hospital and up and down the halls to different rooms. After they got home, I got a nasty cold which knocked me for a loop. I know it's just because I got ran down and didn't rest enough. So then everyone was taking care of me. Scott is still in pain, still dealing with the urologist and his regular doctor. He sees one on the 9th and we are keeping our fingers crossed that this will be the answer. Meanwhile we have a beautiful new granddaughter and a very sweet daughter who is proving to be a great mom. I have lots of pictures to share. She will be blessed at church tomorrow and we are hoping that Scott will feel better for just long enough to get through the meeting! Please keep us in your prayers.

BREANNA RUTH

2011-01-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

Lucy loves her new cousin!

Ready to go home from the hospital.

So precious!!

We are enjoying our newest granddaughter.

SHE'S HERE!!!!!!!

2011-01-21T17:58:00.001-08:00

A bit out of order....this is after being at the hospital since 8 am Thurs until 3 am Friday. At this point she was dialated to 8 cm and had been pushing off and on for three hours.

And this one is when she was dialated to 4 cm and she could still smile!!!

Daddy pushed his IV pole down to maternity and got permission to see his precious granddaughter

Grandma love

Breanna Ruth Struthers, born at 4:11 am January 21st at 8 lbs. even and 20 1/2 "

RANDOM PICTURES OF FAMILY FUN

2011-01-11T12:17:00.001-08:00

This is what Breanna wears to bed. Doesn't Valerie look cute in it???

Breanna colored Val's hair while she was here for the weekend.

This was totally unstaged. Valerie and her friend Breanna were just wrapping up this doll and putting her into the car seat while they were talking on her bed. When I saw this, I just HAD to have a picture of it. Two 20/23 year olds playing with a doll!!

Lucy playing with headbands that she won't ever wear!!

Lucy loves her grandpa!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

2010-12-31T14:42:00.000-08:00

Us minus Eric. Isaiah took the photo for us!! Great day, relaxing and everyone helped so much.

This was actually his birthday gift which ended up being more like his Christmas since it was so expensive! Whatever happened to cheap Legos you were able to buy???

Lucy loved riding this little choo choo train at a Christmas display in Chico.

Austyn is a bouncing baby and this little bouncer was pretty slick. It played music too and she loves it.

Supposed to be a gingerbread house. I didn't like this activity at all. What a mess!

This little outfit is a snowman and it was so precious on her.

Lucy couldn't open her gifts without her little tongue helping out.

What a wonderful Christmas and beyond we had. We had Isaiah, Ashley, Nils, Jon and Valerie on Christmas day. Then on Sunday after church we drove to Lakehead to a cabin that my niece had rented for a few days and visited with my sister and her family, Siam, Joe and Austyn. What a sweet little baby Austyn is!!! We had such a nice and relaxing visit and stayed for some spaghetti before heading back to Chico. Then on Monday Lucy came home from Sacramento at her mom's and we were able to have her and Nils come over to open her gifts. One of the nicest things that happened was on Christmas eve. I called Elli May's foster mom and asked where I could drop our gifts for her off. She was so excited and invited us over to her house to see Elli May, meet her family who were visting for Christmas and drop off the gifts. What a wonderful visit we had with them. Her house was full of people but she treated us as family, introducing us to everyone. We were so happy to see Elli May, it had been October since we had seen her. She looked great. We are so blessed to have such precious grandchildren and we are thankful for our kids who have struggled this year but came out all the stronger for it. We are thankful for our Savior's birth and the knowledge we have of the Plan of Happiness. We look forward to a wonderful new year and many more blessings and opportunities to serve others. These are some random photos from our long weekend of visits.

CRECHE FESTIVAL ANOTHER SUCCESS!!!!

2010-12-06T22:56:00.000-08:00

We are so blessed to have this in our community each year, sponsored by the church. Thank you to all who were involved with the planning and participation!! I wish I could have had the patience to download more of the pictures I took. The blogs would only take two at a time and was just too slow for this time of night.

TRIBUTE TO DIAMOND

2010-11-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Diamond who passed away today. She lived with us for around 15 years and we will miss her very much. We believe that she was able to see her brother Shadow today. Pets are a very important part of family and we are very happy to have had our precious Diamond for the short time we did. Love you Diamond, see you some day!

THERE IS BEAUTY ALL AROUND

2010-11-18T00:27:00.000-08:00

What a beautiful county we live in, what a beautiful time of year. I love it!!

20TH ANNIVERSARY OF CHICO 5TH WARD!!!!

2010-11-13T19:44:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful night we had. We truly have the best ward in the whole world. I didn't really take pictures of the people there but I got the pictures of the cakes and the live flowers on the tables. Very nice and our Bishops that have served talked and it was great. Thanks to everyone who made it a success!! This is our current Bishop Bradley. A very hard working dedicated man who loves the Lord.

VALERIE'S PICTURES

2010-11-03T23:21:00.000-07:00

I promise I am not trying to advertise this but my dear innocent daughter came home with these professional photos.....I can't put them on facebook so here they are for the ones I love and the ones who understand my dilemma.

ELLI MAY'S HALLOWEEN PARTY!!!!

2010-10-29T18:15:00.001-07:00

After months of not seeing our sweet Elli May, we were able to visit her at a Halloween Party for foster kids and their parents. She was cuter than cute and so grown up. It was great to hug her again. Her foster mom fixes her hair so cute every day and she has no problems like we always did.

BUSY WEEKEND WITH ISAIAH AND LUCY

2010-10-25T00:39:00.000-07:00

With the rain all weekend, we were pretty much stuck in the house except for a little reprieve at McDonald's on Saturday with Lucy and Isaiah. With Scott being sick, it was not a fun weekend AT ALL!! The house is a disaster area and we are exhausted. I told Scott if he was sick on Sunday, I was not taking Lucy to church and he would have to take care of her. So Isaiah, Valerie and I picked Ashley and his friend up for church and this is what we found when we got home. So precious......

NUTSHELL FINAL CHAPTER!!

2010-10-17T16:50:00.000-07:00

So these three posts are backwards but that's the way things are going lately anyway.....Anyway this one has been probably the hardest to bear. We haven't told too many people yet but Valerie is expecting a baby. Although this should be a joyous time in our lives, it is not. We love our daughter very much and we plan on letting her stay here in the home if she wants to but it is really a tough blow at this time. She his 20 years old but mentality wise she is probably 12ish. She looks normal but her judgments are way off and she does not make good decisions (can you guess this is an understatement??) Anyway, this has been another trial we are trying to figure out what the blessing is because I know there's one there! Thank you for your patience, your prayers and forgiveness for our privacy at this time.

NUTSHELL PART 2

2010-10-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the other crisis is that our other granddaughter, Ashley's 7 year old has been taken out of the home and is in a foster home for the time being. It has been such a rough ride with this one. We've already been to court twice, maybe three times and also placement meetings and caregiving meetings, and who knows what else!!! The long and short of it is that she is happy, Ashley is getting to visit with her twice a week. We can go to one of those visits and see her also if we want. She is being well cared for and loved, still going to school, doing well.

The day before she was taken from the home, Scott and I had gone to the temple and I put both her and her brother's names on the prayers roll of the temple. For those of you who don't know this procedure, it's kinda like "lighting a candle" for someone. Everyone who comes into the temple says a prayer for those on the prayer roll. Anyway, the next day we heard that she was taken and at first I was so upset and then I realize that Heavenly Father knew what he was doing and this was a protection for her. The next day, her brother had a seizure at school and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance. This too was a blessing because it put him in the spotlight for the authorities. We are now being able to have him every Saturday night until Sunday so he can go to church with us. Ashley gets to visit with him every other Saturday (the ones he doesn't work) and every Sunday when he goes to church with us. That has been an answer to prayers too.

MY LIFE IN A NUTSHELL....

2010-10-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Hey there. I will try and catch up with happenings in our home. Scott has been in and out of the hospital with urinary problems they are guessing. He is still not feeling well but at least he's home and it's much easier to keep an eye on him. Nils' daughter, Lucy, who lives in Sacramento has been living in Chico since early September due to the fact that her mom is homeless and not in a good way. Nils has really stepped up to the plate and taken over care of Lucy. He works full time however so we pick her up from preschool at 12:30 Monday through Friday and keep her until Nils calls to let us know he is home and we take her home. It has really taken a toll on Scott and I even though we just love her to death and she is so happy and fun to be around. We are just not well and able to take care of a 2 year old!! Nils takes her Friday night and all weekend and then he bikes her to school every morning and that has been our routine for weeks now. Last weekend her mommy couldn't stand it any longer to be away so she "got some money together????" and came to Chico for the weekend. She stayed at a Motel and asked Nils if she could keep her until Sunday. I'm glad Nils had to make the decision because I don't know if I would have trusted her. She kept in touch with us throughout the weekend and hated to leave on Sunday afternoon. Lucy is such an angel. She usually doesn't make it home before she falls asleep. She needs her nap so bad, it's like clockwork. The other day she wouldn't take a nap and I was so tired I laid down on my bed and just started to rest. When Valerie came home, this is what she found and took a picture for me. This was on the floor at the foot of my bed where I was. She had been there reading books. Tell me she's not an angel!!!!

JUST AN APOLOGY!!!

2010-09-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Just a quick post to apologize for not posting for so long. My life has been turned upside down in the past few months. Scott's health is better, he is retired. He still has stomach cramps but we think that he now has IBS. (Just look it up, I don't like it because it's so vague). I am still working and we are dealing with some life-changing issues. Just remember us in your prayers and know that we love you all and I will try to post before September ends. I don't want to become like Becky and Kaylee and post every few months or so....lol Please be patient with this grandma.

WILLOWS CAR SHOW & LUCY IN THE SKY!!!

2010-08-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

She is such a special spirit!!! We love her soooo much!!

We had Lucy for a few days this week and loved every minute of it and on Saturday

Scott went to the car show with his brother Sherwood. He took some great pictures. These are only a few. The rest are of princess Lucy!!

MEXICAN FIESTA WITH BABY AUSTYN AS MAIN DISH!!

2010-08-14T19:57:00.001-07:00

Oh my gosh, the bbq didn't even get uncovered this month!! My sister had such great food. Homemade guacamole, chips, rice dish, enchilada casserole, tortillas, cheese sauce, beans, and much much more!!! We were stuffed and then she brought out the freshly baked peach cobbler with the ice cream. Good grief!!! It was wonderful. Did I mention what a great cook my sister is? But the main attraction was this precious doll Valerie and I are holding in the pictures. She really grew and changed this past month and it was great to see her again.

WE LOVE OUR GRANDKIDS

2010-08-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

It has been many weeks since we have seen our sweet grandkids, Elli May & Isaiah and we were able to have them both this Saturday night and Sunday. We sure do love them and have missed them so much.

PIONEER DAY CELEBRATION CHICO 5TH WARD

2010-07-27T21:28:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful bbq tonight with the perfect ward family. We are so grateful for those who have gone on before us and forged our way. Thank you to all who made this event a success!!

LUCY VISITS AGAIN~~

2010-07-24T17:46:00.001-07:00

Lucy was able to stay with us/Nils from Tuesday until Sunday this past week and we enjoyed her sweet little spirit. What a talker she is becoming. We were thoroughly exhausted but had a blast with her. Oh, if ya notice the marks on her arms??? She LOVES those little tattoos and her mother puts them all over her. Yeah, you think that's bad? You should see her mom!!! We love her anyway.

SAY GOODBYE TO YOUR LAWN!!!!

2010-07-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

When I went out to leave for work this morning, this is what I saw directly in front of our house!!! I was sick. We actually have finally gotten our front lawn looking halfway decent. Not a good start to my day!!

ANOTHER WONDERFUL BBQ @ VIOLET'S

2010-07-13T23:06:00.000-07:00

Scott enjoying Austyn & talking Donald Duck to her!

This is Jan, Diane & Violet (ruining the picture with no shades!)

My sweet sister Linda who is in the convalescent hospital and not able to attend. She wasn't happy that I took her picture when her hair wasn't done (she had just had a shower!)

Austyn Marie gorgeous as ever~~

Is that the prettiest spinach salad you have ever seen? Thank you!!

Chicken & pork shiskibobs before bbqing

Most of the crowd.

BBQ Traditions at Masis's

2010-06-20T23:58:00.000-07:00

This is Siam's husband Joe, father of that angel baby girl. Violet's nursing friends are on either side of him....Diane & Jan.

We had a great bbq at my sister's house near Sacramento. It was the first time Valerie got to see her cousin's baby girl. Wonderful food and great weather and family/friends.

Scott's brothers Shannon & Sherwood were also able to come.

My niece Siam & her baby Austyn Marie

Valerie was wonderful with her...

My sister Violet....loves her first grandchild!!!

2010-06-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is inside Eric's place where he manages a sober living place for rich kids!! LOL

This is the outside of the house.

This is all of us at a fancy Italian Restaurant that was VERY expensive. I found the bill after we got home. Scott knew it that night and didn't say a word....and that was WITHOUT any alcohol......PS is an expensive place to live.

2010-06-11T19:10:00.000-07:00

This was a Bentley dealership we had to stop by this time for Scott to drool over the cars....

This car was there too....they are amazingly expensive!!

Scott liked this one!!! Eric was ready to go!

PS I LOVE YOU!!!!

2010-06-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is his precious girlfriend Irma. She is such a sweet girl, we just love her. And man can she make the homemade tamales!!!

VALERIE FINALLY GRADUATED!!!! SHE DID IT!!!!

2010-05-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

It finally stopped raining 1/2 hour before the graduation!!

Valerie's gang of friends.

A proud mom and dad.

Valerie & her BFF Jacob

Ashley, Jacob & Darren (in back)

Nils & Valerie

Valerie's aide, teacher & friend.

What Gives Mom's Grey Hairs!!!!

2010-05-19T21:31:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I'm posting this because I am so sick about it. For those of you that know the struggles our family has had with our children, you can appreciate what we were faced with the other day. Don't ask me why, whatever you say we already said. A friend paid for it, so she said. She doesn't have an income but she has a new tattoo!!! It is sad this world we live in with the influences all around us. We love our family dearly but some of their choices are so wrong.

2010-05-02T18:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for a long time due to many excuses! We have been enjoying our grandchildren so much through all the turmoil in our lives and I wanted to share these photos.

A'int She Sweet???

2010-03-30T23:08:00.001-07:00

We loved having Lucy visit for a few days.

Uncle Jon slam dunked her!!!

Nils bought her this new dress for an early birthday/Easter.

Arizona Visit with Aunt Jessie & Cemeteries with Don

2010-03-12T20:42:00.000-08:00

Read this inscription. This is my great-great grandmother's headstone. She was the first to join the church in our family. Her story is a wonderful one. I can't wait to meet her and thank her!!

This is the Gila Valley temple almost ready for open house next month.

My dad's mom and dad. My sister was named

after her.

We were treated to lunch by Don, Aunt Jessie's son. Aunt Jessie is my mother's baby sister and anyone who has ever seen my mom can see her in Aunt Jessie's face. Isn't she precious???

Don lives about two hours south of the Safford Cemetery and he comes and hoes and rakes the plots at least two times a year and brings flowers to replace the old ones. He is really into family history and is the consultant in his ward. Such a wonderful man!!

I was so pleased to finally see mom & dad's headstone in person. We changed the flowers in front of it.

Palm Springs Visit with Eric

2010-03-12T20:32:00.001-08:00

We were so excited to finally meet Eric's girlfriend Irma that I had talked to many times on the phone and met on the phone but not in person. She also works at the casino where Eric works and she is soooo sweet and they make a very cute couple. Of course we had to have pictures of cacti on our trip since Jon loves them.

This one was in front of Eric's condo.

Our Vacation to Yosemite & Arizona

2010-03-12T20:04:00.000-08:00

We had to get chains before we could even get into Yosemite even though it was sunny with clouds.

It poured down rain and even snowed hard there so the pictures were mostly inside! I'm sure it's a beautiful park but hard to see when the top of the mountains are foggy from the cold and rain.

Scott & I were able to get away for the first vacation in a very long time without kids.

Our weekend with Isaiah & Lucy......

2010-02-21T00:07:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness last weekend was a good one for Isaiah and Lucy to visit. This weekend was lousy but Elli May and her daddy were able to ride bikes for a short time at least!! No pictures of that. This was a cute video of Papa playing ball with Lucy and Isaiah. Not a lot of exercise involved except for Lucy who was up and down in her chair.

Great weekend with Nils, Lucy, Isaiah & Ashley. We got to go to the park and enjoy the sunshine! Lucy loved this slide. She would climb up the stairs and sit down and then back down the slide. She was so sweet!

2010-02-07T17:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been a year since I blogged about our ward cake auction/fundraiser/dinner for the youth in our ward. At the end of a delicious dinner, we are invited to paricipate in a cake auction. The youth that made the cake brings it up and it also includes a service hours to go with it from that youth. The bidding gets started and you'd be surprised how high you would pay for a simple bundt cake that included a complete lasagna dinner!!! It was a successful night for all!!

Lucy's Extended Stay

2010-01-15T00:52:00.000-08:00

(Enjoying a slurpee with g'pa!)

Lucy's mom, Michelle, who lives in Sacramento had to go to Washington for her job and she asked us to watch Lucy for her. We ended up having to pick her up Sunday night and taking her back Friday night. It sounded like such a good idea and we had so much fun but that was a week ago and I am just now posting about it. Does that tell you how much it took out of us??? Geez. I got a cold two days after she left and didn't even make it to church on Sunday and cancelled one of my jobs on this Monday. We love that little angel but she is as busy as can be and the weather was cold and wet outside so we couldn't walk or let her play at the park. Great week, nice to send her home to mommy!!

I had a whole lot of videos I took but this was my favorite. I hope it downloads okay. She had more fun watching them play back than she did making them. She sat for a long time on my lap at the computer looking at all the pictures of her and her daddy. She especially liked the videos because they seemed real life to her! So cute.

The Well Experience

2010-01-02T16:13:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, our son Ashley is at The Well which is a rehab here in town. It is a year long program and he is doing well and working in the restaurant as a waiter. The Well provides a work experience for all the men in the program. They also have a car repair shop and a lube shop and also lots of handyman odd jobs for the community. The kids have both visited now when they have their weekends at our house. He loves the kids as much as we do!!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-26T17:43:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with the grandkids. Are they not the sweetest little kids you've ever seen??? We love them to pieces!

Creche Festival 2009

2009-12-08T10:16:00.001-08:00

I wasn't able to attend the creche festival this year but Ashley went and took a lot of good pictures. Thank you Ashley!! Enjoy, I couldn't put all 50 some pictures on but I put as many as I could!

EARLY THANKSGIVING - LOTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR!!!

2009-11-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful early Thanksgiving!! One by one our kids started arriving until all five were here. Scott wasn't feeling all that good so I just took them to the park and took some pictures of them. Who knows when we'll all be together again! It was so very nice. Eric was our chef and he did it all from prepping to clean up! We went bowling one night (the kids) Scott and I enjoyed watching them compete. Great kids!
There is a picture here of Jon in his Navy-issued sunglasses. Scott wasn't feeling well so no family portraits but great kid pictures. We all had a nice visit. Eric came in on the 18th and everyone was gone Sunday. A fast weekend indeed!

WARNING!!!!! GROSS ALERT

2009-11-14T11:50:00.000-08:00

Ashley was gone this morning to clean the church. I got up after feeding Elli May and Scott. I went to take a shower and saw this handprint on my towel. I asked Elli May what it was and she had no answer. I sat down to go potty before I changed the towel smelling poop all the time (and not MINE!!!)

Then I glanced in the garbage next to the toilet and saw this! I was so grossed out I couldn't believe my eyes!!! Kinda like the kid that opened the door and caught Jenni (in the process) LOL!!!

I know this is gross but don't you think this is not normal or am I the only one? When Ashley finally got home, he said it's normal for her.

Last Chemo Treatment

2009-11-07T09:36:00.001-08:00

So Scott had to go to the hospital because he had blood clots in his legs. They put him on blood thinners and kept him off of his leg for awhile. He went in on a Wednesday and the following Tuesday was his day for treatment so he had it in the hospital and after he finished, he was able to shower and go home! I was so glad to have him back home. He is still recovering from his last chemo and his leg is still pretty sore and swollen. It takes a lot of time to adjust the blood thinner medicine so he has to go in 3 times a week to have it tested. Just another hurdle on this journey called life.

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-11-01T13:32:00.000-08:00

Thank you Diane for the sweet pictures of the grandchildren to share! They got to go to Trunk or Treat and got gobs of candy, as you can see.

Halloween in the Hospital!!!

2009-10-30T20:09:00.000-07:00

Valerie carved this pumpkin at school for Scott. What a sweet daughter we have!!!

Not a good picture but you get the idea~

Love that couple~~

AM I FIRST DIANE??? DID I WIN DIANE????

2009-10-26T23:58:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to update my blog but haven't had a chance. And then tonight our electricity went off for over two hours and I thought we were all going to have a heart attack from the strain and stress of it all!! I just have some random pictures of my precious little grandkids that we had over lately. We love you Isaiah and Elli May!!!

This was cute at McDonald's Isaiah decided he was going to climb around the chairs with his eyes closed. He only fell once and I didn't get a picture of it!!This was so precious of Elli May and her sweet smile that she has. Her big brown eyes just light up the sky!!!

Stake Roadshow

2009-10-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

For some reason, the pictures would not all download. So sorry. There are more on my Facebook page kleanmomblogspot.com
It was a fun night and all the wards did great!

Daytimers Visit Scotland!!

2009-10-15T13:56:00.000-07:00

Harvey in full attire tells about history of clothing.

Margie(hair), Elenore, Desi & Cindie

Della & Lola listen intently. Table decorations were very authentic!

Janis explains Logan bear.

Very beautiful decorations.

Betty tries to take charge.

Della & Cheryl.

Ain't he handsome???

And the video of her singing.......awwwwwwwww

2009-10-11T01:20:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the poor quality of the picture and Michelle's "driver/roommate" stepping into the picture and the flashing of Michelle's camera and her sneeze during the song!! I just fall in love with this angel all over again every time she comes. I was feeling so lousey this weekend and during the time she was here, I forgot all my troubles.

A Fun Weekend w/ Grandkids

2009-10-11T01:05:00.001-07:00

Isaiah spent the night this Friday and Lucy and Michelle came to visit on Saturday so we had fun with all. Nils had his first 48 hour visit with us for an added treat!

Does she want to kiss or bite him?

Yep! She bit him.

She likes to pick her nose these day. Ewwww!

She was begging for g'pa's slurpee!!

Is she not the cutest little thing you've seen?

She wanted to pick both of these up at the same time soooo badly~ I'm glad Isaiah got in the picture by mistake.

Happy Birthday Jon!!

2009-10-02T15:01:00.000-07:00

We won't be seeing Jon on his birthday this year but we know he is safe and doing the best thing. I am working with a program to enhance photos. I like this, I hope it turns out on here. Anyway, I want to tell you about our son Jon. He has been such a joy to us his whole life!! We assumed he was going to be our last, our 4th boy and we were excited. He came 3 1/2 weeks early but was very strong and determined. He was very shy when he was younger (did I say very shy---that's an understatement!) He was painfully shy all through his growing up years. We can honestly say, we hardly had a bit of problem with him except when his sister came along and she got old enough for him to tease. He LOVES to tease like his dad, in fact he really reminds me a lot of his dad and that's why we love him so much!! He has a wonderful sense of humor, is very kind hearted, loved to tease Grandma Houck which she loved. Before Grandpa Houck passed away, Jon would grab onto his pants leg to get him to move faster and Grandpa used to just laugh. He was a baby when Grandpa passed away. When Jon was in school, he was so good about doing his work on his own. I got to where I couldn't ask him because he would get upset like I didn't trust him. He has proved to be so independent and trustworthy and we can't think of a better job for him than an Aircraft Mechanic for the US Navy! We are proud of you and love you Jon and hope you have a wonderful year!

LUCY & ISAIAH'S WEEKEND - I'M TIRED OF BEING SICK!!!

2009-09-28T12:18:00.001-07:00

Scott took Lucy & Isaiah to the park on Saturday and then I went and picked up Julie (Nils' girlfriend) and Nils and brought them to park to visit with Scott, Isaiah & Lucy. Nils had fun with Lucy until it just got too hot and then we all went home. Valerie took some good pictures for me.

Lucy loved the big twirly slide with daddy.

Isaiah loves to climb!!

Lucy loved the sand.

This is Ashley not pushing Isaiah!

This is Isaiah climbing again!

Lucy really loved this little seahorse.

We bought these little shoes so she could go to the park without getting her feet hot.

I fixed her hair once but it didn't stay very long! You can see her reaching for it already!!

Isaiah was trying to play a game on the computer but Lucy wanted to sit on his lap. He was so patient with her!

Souper Saturday!

2009-09-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

This was the project I signed up for....It was a technique of putting pictures on canvas. It turned out great!

This was some pictures that Lula had taken.

This was Terry's picture with her mom. Good one, huh?

Another class was taught by Kathy making homemade rolls. The building smelled so wonderful!

Another class where they made a banner that said "Believe" (I think)

This is Janis looking at Sue's book she made from home. Janis was waiting for her class to start.

Katie and Christina working with the pictures on canvas.

I actually did okay this time with my pictures. I'm anxious to show them off and give as gifts.

Look Out!!! She Has Her Permit!!

2009-09-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

Valerie has her permit now so she wants to drive constantly. Today after we went to the Souper Saturday at the church, we didn't even go home, we drove to get a drink and headed on a very long drive towards Quincy.

There were lots of beauty all around us and lots of winding roads to "practice" on.

Is this not the sweetest, beautiful girl you have seen in your life?

The Sweetest Sisters in the World!

2009-09-18T20:35:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken at our Daytimers yesterday. This wasn't everyone that was there....one sister didn't want her picture taken (Barbara!) and one was busy with another project (Thelma). Lula and I taught the sisters how to make knit caps on a loom. They were all so sweet to work with and we really had a great time. Then we had our potluck luncheon and that was great too!

WE HOP TO I-HOP!!!

2009-09-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Nils visited for an overnighter so we took everyone to breakfast at I-Hop. It was nice to be waited on and be together with no stress at the house. After breakfast, we dropped the three kids off at the show.

Elli May's Weekend Fun at Caper Acres

2009-09-05T16:17:00.000-07:00

Great weekend with Elli May!! I'll let the pictures & video speak for themselves.

Halfway Through!!!!

2009-09-01T16:58:00.000-07:00

Today we are officially half way through Scott's chemo treatments. We are so happy to have that milestone under our belts! These are pictures of the "Healing Garden" at the cancer center with a waterfall and banners made by children with inspirational words painted on them. Another long day but Scott is wonderful about it, great attitude.

The Pictures From Lucy's Weekend.....

2009-08-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

Prepare for Photo Overloads!!!

2009-08-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had our grandson Isaiah over but we also had our granddaughter Lucy for the weekend. We hadn't seen her for a few months so it was soooo nice having her come and stay with us. She is now walking and talking her own language and we are really enjoying seeing all her new "tricks". I have taken videos and pictures galore. I'll have to edit them and decide which ones to use! Isaiah really enjoyed Lucy too, he is soooo good with her. We were so happy that she remembered us and is so at home here.

Elli May's new haircut

2009-08-23T23:20:00.000-07:00

Before & After.....

Great Weekend w/ Kids & Grandkids

2009-08-23T22:13:00.000-07:00

Jon surprised us by coming Thursday night for a long weekend off, Valerie came back from San Mateo Saturday and we had a whirlwind weekend. We even had Elli May spend the night with us! After she played at the park Saturday morning, Ashley and I took her to get a haircut which she badly needed. I'll have pictures if I can figure out how to get them off of Valerie's new phone!! We went to eat after we we took Elli May home. Then we went and watched the kids bowl for a couple of hours. We had fun. Then we went to get a drink and rented a $1 DVD and watched it together. Great time, great kids.

Mushrooms and Fun!!

2009-08-20T13:39:00.000-07:00

We had a nice time at Daytimers this morning. Vicky demonstrated different recipes of smoothies. They were sooo yummy!! We had a small group but good food and good friends and great visiting.

Scott looked out the back window and saw these mushrooms and wanted me to see them. I told him to take a picture and show me. He is going stir crazy these days!!

Scott's 2nd Round of Chemo!

2009-08-11T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today Scott had his 2nd round of chemo and things went better than the first time even though he did get a headache so they had to slow it down a little and give him Benadryl. We at least got out before the office closed!! He is doing great!

She's Back!!!

2009-08-11T21:07:00.000-07:00

Valerie came back to Chico to stay last night. She showed up on the Greyhound and we are praying that things work out for her. We love her, we want the best for her.

Scott Hits Another Milestone!

2009-08-07T16:35:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, Scott reached another milestone. He was taking a shower before he went to the barber. He called me during the shower and said his hair was falling out. I downplayed it, told him he was just pulling at it too hard but when he got out and had hair in his hand, I could see in his face, he was trying not to be upset. We celebrated the milestone after his barber haircut....I took him to breakfast. Doesn't he look handsome????

Jon Finishes Schooling!

2009-08-02T22:51:00.000-07:00

I know I'm getting as bad as Diane but I'm so happy to have my camera back and so proud of our boys! These certificates are what he earned in his training.

Gone Again!! Alone Again.....

2009-08-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

Nils playing drums at the rehab where he lives.

Jon saying goodbye to his kitty Shadow.

We enjoyed visiting with Nils and Jon this weekend. Jon surprised us and came on Friday night and just left a few minutes ago. Nils had his first 24 hour pass so he spent the night on Friday night. The "boys" watched a silly movie with their dad (mom passed). It was nice having them here. Gotta love 'em!

More Dam Pictures!

2009-08-01T12:28:00.000-07:00

This first picture was a baby osprey nesting on the way to the dam.

The Growing Up Houses of the Houcks!

2009-08-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is the elementary school we went to. The first school mom cooked at.

This first house we had to do a double take! It was the last one we lived in before Violet & I left to get married. They totally redid it and it looks pretty darn good now!!

Of course, we didn't take a picture of one house because it was just a vacant lot on a corner!!!

Our Old Stompin' Grounds!!

2009-08-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

Scott's favorite place to eat!!!

Shasta Dam!!

Hey! I got my camera back last night. These are from where Scott & I met and lived after we got married.

First Day of Chemo......

2009-07-21T20:29:00.001-07:00

Hi there, I still haven't gotten my camera back from my sister in Sacramento so no pictures yet but just wait, I will make up for it.

Cancer Treatment Center "Healing Garden"

Today was a very long day. We showed up at the "fusion center" for Scott's first treatment of chemo at 8:30 am. What an experience!! Started out with blood work and the first of many many vitals taken throughout the day. After the IV was put in, he received bag after bag of juice. At one point he had a reaction (rash and itching on the back of his neck and head) so they had to give more Benadryl and stop the flow for awhile. I left around 1 to get him something to eat and brought it back to him. I started thinking of all the things that needed to be done at home so I left for awhile and cleaned kitchen and started wash and then rushed back to the treatment center (pictures to follow!) to find Scott still getting more juiced. I sat and visited, the place was pretty packed in there but we had our own personal nurse and were treated very well. I left again around 4:30 and finished wash, tried to nap (no luck!) and went back around 6:15 thinking he would be sitting and waiting for me by then but nooooooo. We were there until after 7:30. Eleven hours......they said next time would be quicker......I hope so. Twenty-four hours and he goes back for a shot and then twenty-one days and we're back again for another treatment. Life is great~~~~

Jon's Truck Gets Boo Boo!!

2009-07-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Jon finally sent me a picture of his owie on his truck. He had it parked and someone must have hit it and taken off. He was quite upset but glad that it didn't ruin the paint. It's a little scratched on the chrome but the rest was on the rubber bumper part.

The PET scan

2009-07-07T13:57:00.000-07:00

Scott had his first PET scan test today and it went okay. We'll probably hear the results when he meets with Dr. Howard tomorrow for his bone marrow test in the hospital. I asked to take pictures of the machine. I also got the pretty picture on the ceiling you can look at while the test is going.

Bye Jon & Dustin!!

2009-07-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

It was great to have Jon and his friend Dustin come to visit over the long weekend of the 4th. They left on Monday.

Chico Outlaws Baseball!!!

2009-07-04T20:01:00.001-07:00

We had fun at the baseball game. We parked and walked quite a ways, sat in the hot sun until it went behind the bleachers finally! After every inning, they had an activity of some sort to entertain. Lots of dancing, singing, cheering and fun. Then after the game THAT THEY WON, we saw the fireworks. Great birthday present for Scott. He got a new hat and shirt with the Outlaw logo on it and his birthday was announced over the loud speaker. He was pleased. So today we are recuperating from the sun and walking and sitting and walking.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCOTT & SHANNON!!!

2009-07-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today is a special day for two of the "Struthers" boys. They were both born the same day, a year apart. I am so happy to have met them and I am glad to have an eternal companion with Scott. I love him more each year and he's truly the best thing that ever happened to me. We have been through many trials with our five children and somehow it has made our marriage that much stronger. Scott is not your normal husband. He is a real help mate in our marriage and has spent many many hours doing dishes, laundry, grocery shopping and still finding time to be a wonderful father and husband. I love you Scott!!!

Shannon is a great artist and gave an oil painting of an old photograph to Scott for his birthday. Scott was the fifth boy, fifth child of nine children his mom had. Shannon is the one with the hat in the painting, Scott is the one on his brother's lap.

For Scott's birthday I got tickets for the Chico Outlaw Game with fireworks afterwards. I also got him a Outlaw t-shirt and hat. If Jon wants to go with him and is available, I'll let him go. Otherwise he and I will go. More pictures to follow, I'm sure!!

THE UN-DRESSING AFTER SURGERY.....

2009-06-26T17:23:00.000-07:00

You KNOW I am known for gross pictures!!! The itching was driving Scott crazy so off came the dressing. Tomorrow he may even feel like a shower????

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

2009-06-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

This is my dad with some of my kids. He has been gone now for 20 years and I still miss him. He was a very hard worker for our family. He always had a job and also knew how to bake quite well too. He helped a lot in the kitchen when he could. I love you daddy!! I always will.

This other man is my husband Scott, the best father I have ever known!! He is the father of our five children and GRANDfather to three. I try to take good care of him like my mother always told me to. I pampered him on his special day and made chesse/meat enchiladas for his Father's Day. The youth at church today gave all the fathers Big Hunks. Cute.

RS Enrichment Meeting - Family Traditions

2009-06-20T00:41:00.000-07:00

Connie, Jennifer, Sue, Melody, Liz, sharing traditions.

Julie, Sherry Rachel(?) and Chris sharing special memories of their traditions.

Our Enrichment Leader Kathy, one side of the group.....

Other side of the group and more traditions displayed.

Marge made her own version of whatever theme cake her family wanted for their birthday.

This was mine with a heart-shaped potato cake for all my side of the family started by my dad's mom. The slime hand in the back is a tradition of gift swap started in the 80's between Scott and my sister. It's a long story! The painting was one of many done by sweet Della in our ward (many of you know her talent!)

This sister took spontaneous day trips with her family to neat places all within about two hours from home. Nice memories were made.

One sister had a tradition of making very elaborate Christmas stockings for each member of her family.

We had a wonderful Enrichment Night focusing on Family Traditions. Weeks ago we were all asked to submit traditions that we have/had in our families to make a booklet for all of us. The Young Women were also invited. We had sharing tables and a wonderful presentation by Holly & Chris talking about their favorite "day trips" and other traditions. After the sharing, we were all treated to Cindie's reunion game involving hardboiled eggs and a race track similar to a pinewood derby track except it met in the middle. Did you know when two hardboiled eggs collide only one will crack? I didn't! Here are some pictures I was able to get from the evening.

Pictures from our sailor visiting Sequoia

2009-06-15T00:52:00.000-07:00

Jon took a trip with his new buddy to Sequoia and sent us some pictures he took with his cell phone. Had to share!!