Grant’s Family
Grant is still working on his home based internet business selling “preparedness” items. He is presently a Primary Chorister and has survived his second Sacrament Meeting Program with his calling.
Myra is a home school mom, taxi driver, Knights of Freedom advisor and Nursery Leader….and did I say taxi driver?
The children keep them hopping. Tanner (18) just finished his first semester (on a scholarship) at BYU and lives in one of my basement rental rooms. It is great to have him so close. Jared (16) is taking classes at UVU (Utah Valley University in Orem) and will have his Associate Degree by the time he graduates from high school! Both Tanner and Jared are fantastic pianists (and play the good classical music that Nana loves so much!) David (12), Ryan (9) and Amanda (4) keep mom super involved with all the things that wonderful children bring to family living!
Jared, Grant, Myra and Tanner, Ryan, Amanda and David
Grant and Mark try their skills at outdoor cooking.
Myra and Amanda
Grant’s three youngest during out first campout with the tent trailer.
Father and eldest son, Tanner
Shauna’s Family
Shauna and her family are still living in Mesa, Arizona. She continues as a beautician but hopes to retire SOON. I’m betting that will never happen because her clients (including her mom) will not be able to get along without her!
Casey is a financial planner so he says Shauna still needs to keep working!!! (Financial Planning??!!!….yep!)
Christian is a senior this year and is busy playing on the the Varsity basketball team. He is also an excellent baseball player. Carli is in junior high and has become a beautiful young lady. She enjoys soccer and basketball! Shauna and Casey are their best fans and are kept busy going to all their games. The kids are both excellent students and a joy to have around.
The family in New York
On top of the Empire State Building.
A very unfamiliar landmark! (Just kidding)
Shauna, during my visit to Arizona for Thanksgiving
Lori’s Family
Lori is still in Reno with her family. She recently began a second career as a teacher and is in her second year of teaching first grade.
Tim has gone through quite a year of recovery from a brain tumor that was diagnosed in Aug 2008. He has had radiation, chemo therapy and 4 surgeries so hasn’t had the most exciting year ever. He continues to improve and appreciates all the prayers of friends and family!
The two younger boys are growing like weeds. Jake (10) is in fourth grade and Austin (7) is in second grade. They love anything to do with the outdoors! Danielle (27) and Chad (21) are both working in Reno and doing well. For more on her family you can go to her blog: www.thefamilywoodman.blogspot.com
Tim was too busy fishing for a family portrait so we had to “catch” him with his back to the camera!
There is no better fishing than the Provo River….just ask my brothers who travel from Iowa and Idaho at least twice a year to try their luck.
Lori and Nana would rather visit and take pictures than fish!
Lori with her boys while waiting for the 4th of July fireworks display, which we watched from the field just below the Provo Temple.
Mark’s Family
Mark works for Arizona Public Service as a Computer Analyst. I tease him about the fact that he commutes from their home in Chandler, Arizona (which we jokingly call North Tucson) to North Phoenix (which is almost South Flagstaff). He leaves about 4:30 a.m. so he can finish and be home with his family for the rest of the afternoon and evening. What a guy!
Gwen is a very busy and wonderful mother! She is also a professional photographer and has her own photography business. Click on this link to see some of the photos she has taken of the grandchildren. They are on Lori’s blog and you will find there an additional link to her blog: Gwen's Photos
Madeline (9) and Ethan (7) are busy with school and the usual childhood projects. Maddie is great at crafts and creating and Ethan helps “Papa” solve all his computer problems (…even though Papa is very good at the computer)! Caden (1 1/2) is Nana’s adorable baby who always has a smile and a hug. (The picture is very typical of his nature!)
Sledding on the hill below Nana’s house.
I told you he was cute!
Julie’s Family
Julie and her family recently moved to Utah from Wheeling, West Virginia. I am thrilled to have them back in the West and especially excited to have them living with me!
Julie is also a fantastic mother and super busy. Every evening I arrive home from work to a delicious cooked meal, laundry that’s folded and placed in my room and all sorts of other wonderful amenities! What a deal!
Eric has been accepted into the MBA program at BYU next fall. I have kept him busy, since their move here on Labor Day, with “Honey-do” projects you wouldn’t believe! He is a wonder handyman to have around the house!
He has also recently become extremely busy opening a pizza place just south of campus to keep him involved during the interim.
We are all excited about the fact that girl #3 is due in April. This will make 20 grand children (13 boys and 7 girls) Wow!….think how much spoiling I can do with a new baby in my home!…..and I confess, it’s fun to spoil the others also!
Their kids are fantastic. Jeremy (11), Abigail (9) and Joshua (7) are all able to walk one block down the hill to attend Wasatch Elementary. Nathan (4) and Elizabeth (almost 2) stay at home and help mom tear up the house so they can clean it every evening to get dessert!
Eric, Julie, “Lizzy”, Jeremy, Nathan, Josh and Abby
Below are pictures of our annual attempt at a Nativity skit with seven “angelic” grand children. (Two of which are Lori’s) If you could see the video you would find that there was a “little” bedlam involved also ….but it was great!
Joseph and the shepherd (bottom left) are Lori’s boys. The rest are Julie’s five.
Elizabeth was our “special angel”
this year!
I told you they were angelic!
At this point I want to delight you with a Christmas bonus. Julie and I had to substitute in the nursery two weeks before Christmas and we decided to have a nursery nativity skit with the little ones. The results were adorable. Julie’s Elizabeth was the angel and she decided to make good use of the tissue box that we added at the last minute because we forgot to take a gift for the king……ENJOY!
Blaine
Blaine is still living, working and doing humanitarian projects in Asia. He is presently living on the border of Thailand and Burma in Mae Sot, Thailand.
The last time we counted, he had been in 36 countries since his LDS mission to Madagascar! I’m often heard repeating the fact that he is definitely “out of control”…. but he seems to love every minute of it and we are proud of the things he is accomplishing!
I am extremely grateful for gmail chat sessions that allow me to catch up on him. The greatest barrier is catching him when we are BOTH awake (since there is a 14 hour time difference).
During my last chat with him, he promised to send some more current pictures and a little write-up of what he is doing in his own words. “Better hurry Blaine!”
The following pictures are of years long past:
I think this is a mountain somewhere in the Himalaya’s
In a sandstorm in the Nevada desert.
At a meeting with the Dalai Lama (Blaine is on the far right & the Dalai Lama is in the red robe with yellow scarf)
A very pale face among some novice monks!
Blaine in Bhutan
Also Bhutan
This is the official end of my Christmas/New Year’s card that updates you on the family.
Have a wonderful year and keep checking back for new pictures and events (IF AND WHEN I FIGURE THIS BLOGGING OUT! Arghhhhhhh)…I’ll try to add to my numerous resolutions a promise to add more as the months roll by (and officially notify you when that is done)
If you are not totally bored by now, there’s more pictures below AND a link at the bottom for “older posts”.
Love ‘ya
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