Fun with Jason's Family

Jarom & Rochelle we were lucky to spend quite a bit of time with them as we went to Yellowstone with their family and then they were with Jason’s family for a few days and we did something with them every day or night that they were here. I am so glad we got to spend so much time with them. They are such great examples to me and my family. We were able to do a lot of fun things together as a family like go to Dinner at the Myan the kids love it and it was a lot of fun. Tanner added a Diver to the list of things that he wants to be now. We had a Cook Out at the fire pit at Jason’s parents and the kids loved roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. We had pizza one night and watched a show. We left Brylee with Grandma Shirley and took Tanner with Jarom’s family to Lagoon, it was a blast from 11 am to 10pm. Hampton lost his glasses on Wicked and Tanners favorite ride was hanging upside down in the Rock-O-Plane or whatever it is called. I had such a good time watching Tanner ride the rides and it was worth just going to see the smile on his face as he had such a blast. We had a cook out at Marci’s one night and the kids had fun getting in the pool and started a water fight and Jason was involved too!! He is a kid at heart and I love it. We had a cook out at our house and I used our grill for the first time and everyone was very pleased, what a relief. I love doing for others it makes me feel so good inside that I am making someone else happy. I made chicken on the grill, potato salad, a green salad, cut up fruit, & Fresh Salsa. I also made rice krispie treats & banana bread for desert. Jason went golfing with Jarom and his Dad that afternoon & we had the final party at our house and said our goodbyes to Jaroms family until we visit them in a couple of years after we save up some money. Thanks to our neighbors for the fireworks, we did try but when the illegal ones someone brought to our house tipped over we didn’t dare do any more. You had to be there, quite a memory Jason trying to stomp on it and it going all over around instead of up in the air. We should have listened to Shirley when she kept saying she was nervous about it. We love spending time with family it is so much fun. It will be nice to get back into a daily routine instead of these late nights. I don’t know how I did it in college, studying, playing, staying up late every night then waking up early for school and work. I need a week to sleep and recover after our busy month, but we loved it.

July with My Family

We spent the beginning of July with my brother & his family in town & Crew was here visiting while his parents were out of town with friends on a trip. All the Grandkids were together so my parents were in Grandparent Heaven. We started on July 3rd when Matt & Jenny came in town and had something every night even if it were just dinner or having one of the kids sleep over. We took the kids to the Zoo & the gateway one day and we also went to the park that has water shooting out. We had our extended family picnic at Aunt Darlas house on the 4th that started with the parade, fun in the park, & hanging out. We had the biggest one in years as Aunt Carolyn’s family was in town, we missed Uncle Richard and his family. My moms side has always been close and I cherish the times and relationships we have together. It was a big fun family get together and of course the slide down the hill was out and a water fight broke out, and of course the big finale was the fireworks with the perfect view. We had so many pictures for july I ventured to figure out how to do a slide show. Love Family!!!

BEAR LAKE

Me and the kids

(Bry loved her cups in the sand & water)

We love camping and especially love Bear Lake. Jason had a long weekend, so we have to take advantage of those so we thought we would go camping. Hopefully the post office will go to M-F delivery then we would have all our Saturdays together. Oh well. We like to stay on the East side at Rainbow Cove it is quite and not too busy , and most of the beach is to ourselves. We usually go with my aunt and uncle, Darla & Curt, they are like second parents to us. Also my cousin and her family, Leslie, Dewain, Connor, Payton, & Bodie go and Tanner loves hanging out with his cousins. Bodie and Brylee are close in age so they have fun together too, not quite sure how to play together yet, but they are buddies. Tanner said a few days before we were going, “Mom, is Grandpa Curt bringing the boat.” He loves to go on the boat and Kayaks‘. Tanner and his cousins stayed in their own tent this year together all alone, they thought they were pretty cool. It was a lot more comfortable for us as well, because then Brylee could just have her bed all to herself on the bunk. Other then getting sunburned, and Tanner and I were sick the day we came home it was a fun get away and we are excited for August when we will go again. My favorite time is during Conference weekend in the Fall, we usually don’t swim because it is pretty cold, but it is the most relaxing time to go and listen to conference on the beach.

The Girls out on a joy ride looking for fish. Jason & the Yellow Calypso he even tried rolling it!!

Some of my best memories are of family camping trips to Bear Lake. The stories about the Bear Lake monster and no bottom has been found to the lake, gosh we were scared half to death. The time we had a girls tent and boys tent for all the cousins and the storm was so bad it blew a hole right in the side of our tent we all ended up in the tent with the boys. I love that Tanner loves uncle Curts boat, because I would go every chance I got to ride when I was younger. Jokes and Storries around the campfire. Grandma Shurtleff in her big sun hat sitting in her chair with her feet in the sand in the shade. Long walks down to the beach, hoping you didn't forget anything to have to walk back up to camp. Vollyball games, horse shoes, riding bikes, & eve-ive-over. Sleeping in Uncle Chucks boat and in the middle of the night ending up sleeping on the beach because it was so windy we got sea sick, then early in the morning going back to the boat so noone knew (we had to get back into our swimsuits and carry our bags over our head because of the shallow water and hike through the water). Snoring contest when uncle Eddie came & Eric sleep walking so he had to sleep in his parents tent. Chex Mix, dutch oven dinners, spagetti-o sandwich in the sandwichmakers over the fire (I know it sounds nasty, but I loved them back then I don't know why), apple turnovers, smores, & Darlas candybar bag. Skunks & bats, sand sculptures, Erics holes and trenches, being buried in the sand & colored sunscreen we thought we looked so cool. Laying out on the beach in our bikini's with our trashy magazines-now its reading a book or Family Fun Magazine tweezen' our brows under the shade tent. Last year we had a scooter races, not the kids, the adults did, yeah we looked silly. Oh the days when we didn't have to worry it was our parents worrying about everything we had it so easy back then. Love those fun memories.

For the Love of the Game

The Team

T-Ball is over five weeks of two nights a weeks along with everything else going on went for busy weeks. It was a lot of fun though and Tanner loved it!! He was pretty ticked when we went to the first game and they don't have catcher in T-Ball. Maybe in a couple of years when he is coach pitch then he can be catcher. Brylee had fun watching her brother and a few times of course had to try to run and play with him too.

Look at that cute kid ready to catch!!





Check out that arm!! Don't say he like a girl!!


Thats our Brylee!! NICE HIT!!!

May Memories

My family for memorial day we have a picnic at my aunts house in Huntsville. It was inside this year as it rained some of the time, but we were together and that is what Grandma would want us to do she looks down at these parties and is smiling because her family is still close!! I love the view in the front yard as this time of year you can see the snow cap mountains and Pineview from looking out their front window. I had to take a few pictures of course I wasn’t planning on it, so I didn’t have any makeup on or anything, but oh well, I think I have a cute family anyway, and you look at the kids anyway huh!!! I also always go to Grandma & Grandpa Shurtleff graves as well as I have such great memories of them and I want my kids to know them through me. As we were driving to the picnic at my Aunts I said my favorite thing about Grandma Shurtleff was, then Tanner piped up and said “Apple Pie!” I thought that was so funny because Grandma died three months before Tanner was born, and he remembered me telling him that one time when he was helping me make apple pies. I love to make Rolls & Apple Pie because of Grandma, she always had a pan of soup or chili or something to eat when you stopped by, and if she didn’t have anything ready she would find something for you. She was the most Christ-like, Humble, Loving, Patient person; she had True Charity all the attributes that go with it, that was my Grandma & she was & is my Hero!! I know all my cousins would agree that she made them feel like they were her favorite!! Grandpa my fondest memories were him taking us for walks and we would walk to the Deaf & Blind School down the street and play on the toys, or sometimes we would go further to the other park just off Monroe & 21st street. My favorite was the merry-go-round, and he would spin us so fast and we would just laugh and laugh. I found a picture from a long time ago, it was just before Jason and I got married and they took us all to the Timbermine for helping them move when they sold the house on Quincy and moved in with my parents. What a great time it was for me to live with them for the few months I did before I got married. A special spirit was in the home and I loved the extra time with them before they passed away. Grandma even had me invite Jason over for dinner quite a few times, but I remember one time, she made homemade rolls and a pork loin roast and she was so cute to make it so special for us. I think that is why I love to cook is because she did. I have to carry on the apple pie tradition too!!! I do love to cook and I am disappointed when something doesn’t turn out, because when you make something people like, they are happy and you are happy, and happy is good. So I know not to make the cheesecake I did for the family party today as it didn’t turn out, maybe it didn’t because I don’t like cheesecake, I was trying something new as I know Jason loves cheesecake. Oh well, lesson learned.

With the Rays they have a Memorial day tradition of eating dinner then going to the graves the Sunday before. I have enjoyed this tradition as I love to hear the stories about the favorite stories of Shirley and Ivan’s Parents and Grandparents, and etc. Shirley was telling us a memory about her mom as she died when she was quite young and her dad died when she was only I think 18 an elevator crushed him at work. Her mom used to talk down to the store from their house and her mom would treat them to a cherry pie and then they would walk back home. She never told her mom that she didn’t like those cherry pies as she didn’t want to hurt her feelings. That tells you a little about my mother-in-law, she is a very humble sweet women. I love spending time with Jasons family and am so thankful that I have inlaws that I get along with and are such great Grandparents for my children. This year we had to take three cars and follow each other from each cemetary as just not enough room to cram in two cars now, it was fun. Tanner loved riding with Grandma & Grandpa in the Truck and being the big helper to put the flower by the grave. This year we talked a lot about Jason’s cousin, Darwin who was killed in a motorcycle accident just a week and a half ago. He leaves four children and a wife behind and two are still on missions, one had his homecoming last Sunday and came home the eve of his father accident. It makes you think if you were to die would they have anything good to say about me. You have to live life every day as if it were your last, because you have no idea when it will be your last. I don’t think I am even close to ready, I have to repent daily for being so impatient. I think I will be working on patients until my dying day.

I know I am picture happy, but this is where I see memories is in my pictures. I take my camera usually on special days and holidays and sometimes I try to get myself in a few as well. With it being May and Mothers day, I always like to take pictures of me and my kids and my Mom and Mother-in-law, Ivan snuck one of Shirley sticking her tongue out, so I had to post that one and she kept saying I am not making a funny face. On Mothers day we went to my parents for dinner and my father-in-law ended up having the flu, so we took mothers day pictures this last Sunday instead. We were having fun with it, so I wanted to post a few. Also below is one of the ones we took of me and the kids on Mothers Day and the one with my Mom on Mothers day too. Don't be mad I posted this mom!! She just loves her picture taken!!!

I hope they call me on a mission to Scotland!

Jason lost a cousin in a motorcycle accident, so last week was a crazy busy week with a Missionary Homecoming of his cousins son, the viewing & funeral, plus Tanners T-ball started too. It was a very busy and emotional week. Tanner saw his second cousin in his kilt that went on a mission to Scotland and asked on the way home, “Mom, where do you get one of those outfits?” I told him “Tanner he went on his mission to Scotland and he brought it home, that is one of the things they wear in Scotland, it is called a kilt.” He thought for a minute then said. “Mom, I am going to go to Scotland on my mission!” I thought it was so cute, my response was “Well Tanner, we go where the Lord wants us to go and it might not be Scotland.” He said with no hesitation, “Well we will tell Him I want to go to Scotland then!”

Jason’s Dad and two of his second cousins and his cousins husband all went to Scotland on missions, so at the funeral they all wore their kilts, it was very neat. Ivan also played the bagpipes, is was pretty neat. Jason’s parents told us that they had a little kid kilt and so all week that is all Tanner would talk about is when are we going to Grandma & Grandpas. He kept forgetting what it was called and He would say “Mom what is it called?” I would say what because it would just be out of the blue he would say this to me. “The skirt at Grandpas?” I would say “OH-the Kilt!” So Sunday we had to take pictures of him and Grandpa dressed up in the Kilts. Tanner now wants to play the bagpipes too!!