April 2023!

Here's an update on the blur we called April!! How does it go so fast??? Seriously!

The month definitely started on a high...

Hahahahahahaha! Get it? On a high?

We had a bunch of family come down for Corinne's baby shower and we had a blast!

Thanks to all who came, it was such a special time!

We had some great playtime, too, with the cutest kids ever.

So dang cute!!

We are so much closer to Corinne having her baby and we couldn't be more excited!

Another big event...

Agnes turned 17...really can't wrap my head around that one. Seriously. Ok, I'm just not going to think about it.

We had a surprise visit from our good friends Pam and Phil. They wanted to go to the Mesa temple so they came down for a couple days. 

Friends for 42 years...so blessed.

Yet another very, VERY special event...Tori got married!! 

It was a very happy day.

Father/daughter dance...so happy.

Dessert table/wall...sooooooo happy.

I really wanted one of those donuts but none of us wanted to be the first one to take one off the perfectly decorated wall...I totally missed out.

There was this totally cute couple there.

We got some serious family time.

Seriously fun, that is.

We hope y'all had a wonderful month! Here is a thought for you...

"We live in a most vibrant era in the history of the world. I wake up every morning eager for the adventures of the day. And I hope you feel that same exuberance for the gift of life. Though our world is filled with serious challenges, I am optimistic about the future and feel confident about the fundamental goodness of humankind. I encourage each of us to go forward with faith in Jesus Christ, knowing that He is in charge" (Russell M. Nelson).

There are good things ahead! We love you!

Let's dance!

March 2023!

I keep trying to tell myself that it's April already but it's not working, my brain is still in March. This year is going so fast and the months are a blur. But the blur we called March was a great one! We had 2 trips to Utah!! This is getting to be a habit! But it was so worth it because we had a baptism and a mission reunion and they were both AWESOME!

This super amazing grandson of ours got baptized! It was a great day!

Seriously GREAT!! We love these boys so much!

And we definitely loved the family time.

Oh, and the baby time...yeah, it's pretty great.

Oh, and did I mention the snow time??

Yeah, there was a lot of it...

Always helping...he is just the best.

Ok, Utah people, close your eyes for a sec...LOVED the late winter, it was so fun!

Our mission reunion was FANTASTIC! Don't worry, I won't post all of the hundreds of photos I took on here, but I will show you a few...like 90 or so...

We had a huge group at the Mt. Timpanogas temple that afternoon, pretty much the whole session was us.

Look at these smiles!

So many special relationships.

So much goofiness!

Senior missionaries are the best! You should try it!

Seriously, goofy! Yeah, we're the seniors.

The reunion took me right back to our Tennessee days where the roads look like this...

...and our front door looked like this. I wonder what happened to him?

The very next weekend we had another missionary-filled few days. Sister Chambers drove down and spent conference weekend with us and a few more joined for a bit...

No snow here!

Saturday afternoon session.

Saturday night games.

After they left on Sunday, Sister Brown came over for dinner. She is moving to Seattle and I am so sad for me!

After THAT, Sister Perkins and her family came by for a visit while they were vacationing in AZ.

It was a wild and crazy and wonderful week! We are so grateful for the month we had with family and friends. We hope your Easter was wonderful. One of our dear missionaries who is still serving in Tennessee recently reminded me of what Easter is all about. She wrote about a friend of hers who was "thrown from her motorcycle at 75 mph and broke her neck. She was pronounced dead at the scene and during that time, she saw her father that had passed years prior. He told her that it wasn't her time yet, that there was something more for her to do on the earth. She needed to find her purpose. Her heart started beating again. She lived. She was never suppose to wake up or walk or eat or even speak again. And yet she does all of them. She is a living and breathing miracle. Regardless of her pains and struggles, she is one of the happiest people I know. Not only has she overcome heartache, she has found JOY. As she's come to find Christ, with tears in her eyes, she's exclaimed, 'I've found it. I've found my purpose.' He is our purpose. He is the bringer of all joy."

Happy Easter everyone! 

I will end with this...

We have the coolest grandkids ever...just saying.

February 2023!

February was short but eventful even though we didn't go anywhere! Let's get started...

The month started out SUPER FUN with Ashley, Jason, Emma and James coming to visit for a few days.

Park time!

Walk time!

Outside in the sunshine time!

Eat time!

LOTS of play time!

Here's our dress-up photo!

Next, it was our turn to go to Prescott to celebrate Emma's and James's birthdays. Emma turned 4 and James turned 1...HOLY COW!!!

What a beautiful 4 year old with her Paw Patrol cake!

New toys are the best!

Later that week we met some of our Nashville missionaries for an evening at the temple. 

Huge smiles all around!

Other activities for February included celebrating Cori's birthday, a Campo Verde High School Orchestra Valentine's dinner, our traditional Valentine's dinner with our friends, Eric and Cassie, from our Mesa ward, a mini golf date with my hubby, a temple laundry assignment (I LOVE those!), lots of Young Women's activities, lots of temple shifts, a dinner with our friends, Dale and Sandra, from our Mesa ward, dinner for the missionaries, Elders Quorum visits, soccer games (Scott goes to watch kids of a family he ministers to), and....ok, I'll stop now.

For your viewing pleasure, I came across this photo recently from a trip to Hawaii...

I really just wanted to show off my hat.

This month's quote comes from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

"In the gospel of Jesus Christ, you have help from both sides of the veil, and you must never forget that. When disappointment and discouragement strike - and they will - you remember and never forget that if our eyes could be opened we would see horses and chariots of fire as far as the eye can see riding at reckless speed to come to our protection. They will always be there, these armies of heaven, in defense of Abraham's seed."

I feel the truth of that more and more everyday.

We are doing well and looking forward to what March brings...

January 2023!

 It's 2023 people...just in case you haven't realized it yet, I'm just putting it out there...

We had an amazing, fun, and tiring January! Here are just a couple highlights...

This was one of the amazing, fun and tiring parts...

It was amazing because we did not wreck! It was fun because, well, it's SNOW! It was tiring because stress makes me tired. 

We went up to Utah to visit family this month. We met our newest grandson, Otto! But I won't get crazy with the photos like some grandmas do. Well, just a few...

Look at that face! I think adorable is a great description.

Mom and Dad were so accommodating and let him take several naps in my arms! I think bliss is a great description.

Happiest grandpa ever!

Life is just that good!

We got to spend some time with Mom, Marlowe, Jan and Margie...

Mom and Marlowe are in the middle of moving into a new house and they still have smiles on their faces!

Then it was up to Lehi...

Brace yourself for snow pictures!

Like snow angels...yes, it's an angel! Sort of.

Like a beautiful snowy view!

Like playing in snow with grandkids!!!

Like having my foot dug out of the snow! Thank you Grandpa and Wesley!

Like the best snowman ever!

Weird, I only got snow pictures in Lehi.

We had a couple free hours on Friday so we headed down to Provo to round up some of our Nashville missionaries...

And we did!

Such a happy moment!

Lunch on the Wilk floor because of NO empty tables in the ENTIRE building! Seriously, NONE!

Friday night was up in Bountiful for a siblings/mom game night!

Have I mentioned that family is the best?

And a little bit crazy?

What a happy trip! 

Speaking of missionaries, Sister Warner was in town last weekend! She and some other Nashville sister missionaries joined us for dinner...

Another happy moment!

Ok one more! That face!!!

And now it's February! We are staying busy with family and callings and broken microwaves. We had our first temple shift last Saturday and it was the best! I think I can officially say that Saturday is our favorite day! February has already started out with a bang but you'll have to stay tuned!!

Favorite quotes this month...

"It's not about doing life perfectly--it's about finding joy while doing our best to live the covenants we have made with the Lord" (Sister Craven, April 2022).

"Heavenly Father's prescribed path leads to the best eternal outcomes" (Elder Renlund, April 2022).

"There is nothing in your life that is broken that is beyond the curative, redeeming and enabling power of Jesus Christ" (Sister Wright, April 2022).

We love you!