Not yet ready for AARP

Once again I have been a blog slacker. There have been some things going on in my life, and I’m sure most will be boring, but that’s my life.

I did discover today I’m not as old as I thought. Karen and I took mom to her esophageal scope (EDG) today and everything was sort of OK, she was some irritation in her stomach, but no real reason for the constant vomiting, (Yuck). But afterwards we got her home and I made her lunch and then a salmon loaf that she wanted for dinner that night., (Yuck again). But anyway I went to open the can with , what I thought was the can opener, it’s called Lids Off. Well it’s not a can opener, it only takes lids off of jars. So needless to say I about broke the thing trying to then get the can out of it. I finally called the manufacture and he said “this happens all the time”, but only to idiots. He explained to me what to do, but it would take two people, well I was only one person, so after about 15mins of really working hard, my exercise for the day, it finally came off.

Then I found the real can-opener, another hand free gadget and got the top off the can, but the dang thing wouldn’t stop running , the lid was off and stuck in it, and it just kept going around and around and around. I made the whole casserole and it’s was still running. I finally went out to the garage and found some pliers to flatten the top so I could get the stupid lid off.

So I’m not quit read for the senior citizen gadgets yet, but when I am I will be ready.

A few past family events. Matts B-Day dinner and cake. Jessica’s graduation. Mothers day dinner at Paul’s with mom and a very nice dinner. Memorial Weekend, Kim and I went on Friday and did all the family greaves, Sunday we had a great time at the cabin with the Hardcastle family (see Melanie’s pictures), then Monday we all went as a family to see Indiana Jones., and Bar B-Q. It was a lot of fun and as always I am grateful for my family and love being with my kids, and just hanging out together.

Night out

Last night Kim and I were invited to a nice young couples for dinner. We had a little drive, but we arrived right on time. The house smelled great with dinner cooking in the oven. The lasagna was served warm with garlic bread and a fresh salad. We had strawberry shortcake for dessert and everything tasted great.

The host cleaned up and we then played a fun game of charades (it had an actual name and game parts but I can’t remember the game name). But it was fun to be silly, laugh and use our imaginations.

All in all it was a great night out and we were blessed by the company we shared.
It is so nice to be with other adults and eat, play and enjoy just being together, and it’s even nicer when they are your own children. Thanks Justin and Melanie for a very relaxing evening.

On many a Mothers Days I would find something to feel guilt about. I would attend sacrament meeting and all these wonderful things were being said I would soon feel inadequate, not just as a mom but a wife and daughter too. Well I am who I am and I try to do the best I can. So no more guilt. You’d think I was see a therapist or something. I can’t remember everything I have ever given, I can’t recall the special things that have been said or the sayings on the cards, but I can remember the things that make me the happiest and most of those things don’t even happen on Mothers Day.

I am most grateful to be a mom and a wife, and I will be sappy for a moment, but I have a great family who go out of their way to make me feel special. Thank you!!!!
The kids got their pictures taken professionally by Annie and I love them all, these are only a few, and Kim got me a soon to be grandma and grandpa rocking chair.

Even though I had to work this year it was a great day and I Love the family I have been blessed with. Happy Mothers Day to ME.

Happy Birthday Matt!

Happy Birthday Matt. Matthew Don was born on May 3rd 1988. But we knew he was to come to our family 25 1/2 months before. When I was pregnant with Gordon the Dr. recommended that I not have any more kids, I had some problems that would only get worse and there really wasn’t anything to prevent them. So we had given it some thought, but nothing permanent had been decided. That night after having Gordon I had a dream that was as real as real. There was a little boy who asked if he could come to our family and of course I said Yes. When Kim came back in the morning I was crying and he asked “what’s going on” and was worried something had happened to the baby. I told him about the dream and that we had one more little boy who needed to come to our family, he hugged me and reassured me that it would be OK and we or I

could do this, but with his usual humor he said we just won’t start trying today.

I am not sure if there really is a bad time to have a birthday, maybe Christmas day, but Matts B-Day has often found it self stuck in-between so many other things. We’ve had collage graduations, over-sea trips, family funerals, births of cousins, this year we have Jessica’s graduation, moving Mel and Justin and Max’s party all at the same time. But Matt has always been a trooper and we’ve done the best we can.

Matt has always loved the outdoors and needed to be everywhere his brother was. He loved it so much he was always “running away”, but that was usually because he was mad at me. He would pack some little bag and be gone. Most times I’d just watch him walk down the street, but a few times he would be gone for awhile. Once I found him asleep in the back of the van, another he climbed out his bedroom window and was laughing & sitting on top of the tool shed outside. He was very creative and constantly trying out experiments. This meant he was mixing anything and everything together just to see what it looked like.

He also was great at getting lost, on purpose or by just wondering away. He climbed anything and into everything and so looking for him could be very involved. Once it included closing down Harmon’s and calling the police, only to find him out of the store through the parking lot and at the corner restaurant, he was about 2, and mom was at work.(Yes dad lost him)

He and his friend Tom Barfuss were baptized in the river/stream at the Hardcastle Cabin. This was a really special event. Bishop Kline and both our families were there to see these two sweet little boys and their dads brave the very cold, rocky and fast moving stream. I hope neither of them ever forgets that special experience.

He loved to be read too and to read. He loved Charlie just a bit too much, and the two of them had a very rough relationship. He actually would play with the gerbils and name them.

He has had lots of stitches and emergency Dr. visits. His first was on his cheek when he was hit by a swing glider at just a yr. old. With more to follow. His lip, head, stomach pains late in the night,(in the ER we found out he was hungry), knees that suddenly wouldn’t support his little body,(sudden allergy to Ceclor), eating a crayon, burning his foot, falling off a car, bug and mosquito bites that swelled to the size of a baseball, and many ear infections and tubes. And later a head concussion, with a snowboarding story much to long to tell here. Not to mention his very complecated post wisdom teeth experience. He did outgrow getting hurt even though he has always liked dangerous activities.

He likes to rock climb, snow board, repelling, & back packing. He plays the guitar and sings and has been in a few rock bands. He likes to write both stories and songs.

In Kindergarten Matt completely memorized the poem/song of “There was an Old Lady who swallowed a Fly”. He performed it for the whole school and then again that night for the parent’s night. He did such a great job and we were all so pride of him. He has continued to do things that have made us proud. In 12th grade he interviewed for and got a wood working apprentice all on his own. And even though after a while the job changed and they wouldn’t work with a collage schedule he went on to find one that would. He has always been a very hard and dedicated worker, never lazy or calling in sick. He did great at his first year of college and looks forward to more years.

It’s really hard to summarize someone’s life in a few lines and pictures, but Matt is loved and appreciated. He gives me hugs and says “I love you” daily, and even with our personal struggles due to our different or maybe too much the same personalities, know that you are loved and many wishes of a happy birthday.