Merry Christmas 2010

WOW! Another year has rolled around and it's hard to believe that it is time to try to figure out how to add to my blog.........yep..........it looks like the Christmas season is going to be the only time you'll hear from me via my blog! I'm still faithfully keeping up my scrapbooking, but a blog seems to be the best way to send greetings and LOTS of pictures.

Lori, (bless her heart) put some festive background on and helped me with the frustrating issues of blogging, so I am going to make a second attempt. The first attempt was a couple of weeks BEFORE Christmas..........but now this will officially be a Happy New Year's blog.

As I read through my Christmas blog of last year, there really isn't much that has changed. The grandkids are getting bigger and my wrinkles are getting deeper, but I've never lacked for words when it comes to bragging about my kids, so here goes!

All of the children are pretty much doing the same things in the same places (with exception of Blaine), so if you are curious or have forgotten, just read last year's Christmas greeting (below this year's) and you are caught up!

I think I will try a new format and share the events of each month in the year 2010.

JANUARY......Was uneventful as far as pictures go.

Julie and Eric had their grand opening for "Slab Pizza" here in Provo. Eric needed something to keep him busy for a year, in anticipation of entering the MBA program at BYU in the fall. I must admit, I didn't have much faith in the pizza venture because pizza establishments are a "dime a dozen" in Provo. As it turns out, their pizza was a smash hit and the place is doing so well that they opted to continue with the business and put the schooling on hold! You can see pictures and check out all their delicious choices by logging into provo pizza . A "slab" is 1/4 of a 20 inch pizza. (I haven't been able to eat a whole slab yet!) My favorite is the Cordon Bleu and it's to die for!

Other January activities (in addition to full time work at the MTC) included BYU basketball games, temple attendance, a weekly BYU/CES religion class taught by Richard Holzapfel, typing Patriarchal Blessings (my favorite church calling!)........AND adding a bathroom and second bedroom to my comfy little basement retreat. (Julie, Eric and the 6 children are upstairs)......(We didn't actually build a new bedroom and bath, we merely put a wall across the hall in the rental area of the basement and seized the back portion of the existing area). Eric was the "man of the year" and did all the hard/technical stuff. He's stuck with keeping two women content with all their "honey-do" projects! Poor guy

FEBRUARY

A trip to Reno was the highlight of February. It was a quick trip but for a wonderful cause since Tim and Lori's youngest, Austin, was being baptized. The day I arrived I was able to watch Lori teach in her first grade classroom. She was an absolutely AMAZING teacher and I'm not a bit biased!

Next, I was introduced to Austin's gerbil, "Butterscotch"....

......and Jake's............ gerbil, "Oreo"!

The baptism was a wonderful experience and well worth the quick trip to Reno!
Tim is slowly mending from his brain tumor, three surgeries and never-ending severe headaches. He is a great help at home with the children and the upkeep of the house. The past three years have been challenging, to say the least. Lori continues to be a trouper as wife and mother, 1st grade teacher and working with a recently added internet/home jewelry business where she sells her creations. You might want to check it out by clicking on the following link:

Tim's brother Charlie, and family, were in attendance along with Tim's oldest son, Chad.


On February 10th, my grandson, Tanner, (Grant & Myra's oldest) opened his mission call. It looks like he will be spending the next two years in the Honduras, Tegucigalpa mission!
"It looks like an exciting place to me!"




Grant's family continues to stay extremely involved and busy! Jared is a senior at Pleasant Grove High and will soon graduate, having earned his Associate Degree from Utah Valley University. Tanner is 7 months into his mission already and enjoying it immensely. Ryan, Amanda and David are being home schooled by Myra and are doing wonderful things and growing like weeds. Grant continues to work from home with his internet "Preparedness" business. Be sure to click on this link to see all the wonderful things he has to offer: www.grant@getpreparedstuff.com

On February 13th, Julie and Eric's middle daughter, Elizabeth (Lizzy) celebrated her second birthday.


MARCH

This month brought another flight to Arizona to attend another baptism. Mark and Gwen's son, Ethan, was the lucky one this time!

Ethan has a big sister, Madeline (Maddie) and a little brother, Caden. Gwen is a busy mother and is a wonderful professional photographer on the side. You can see some of her work by clicking on this link: http://www.gwendolyngracephotography.com/

Mark continues to enjoy his work in the computer division of Arizona Public Service Power Company.

APRIL

Hannah Jean Beutler,was born April 29, 2010. She is absolutely adorable, and if spoiled, I take full responsibility! She belongs to Julie and Eric so I've been able to be closer to this grandbaby than any of the others, since they are still living with me in my home.

Daddy looks like the one who just gave birth!

Lizzy was pretty excited about her new baby sister! (and so was Nana!)

MAY

Tanner entered the MTC in May and it was wonderful to be working there so I could see him during the two months he studied the Spanish language. This is a picture of the two of us taken in front of the map in the clinic where I work.

We had a high school graduate in May. Christian Alexander Mahan (Shauna and Casey's) gave Nana a great excuse to fly to Arizona again.

Little sister, Carli, helps make this a fantastic "twosome"!

Christian is present attending Arizona State University in Tempe. Mom likes it because he is close to home, although living on campus.

Shauna is still a busy mother and beautician and Casey is President and Manager of Stone Crest Wealth Management, Inc. The business just moved into a brand new building in Chandler, Arizona. http://www.stonecrestwealth.com/

The second memorable thing about May was that Blaine flew into Arizona from Thailand to spend several months in the good old U.S.A.!!!!! We had a wonderful reunion with some of the family in Arizona and then the two of us returned to Utah where I reveled in having Blaine at home for 5 whole months!

During that time he worked for Open Air Cinema in Lindon, Utah. While with them, he helped organize a humanitarian division for that company and will continue to be employed by them.

O.K. here comes my last link, just in case you are curious! http://www.openaircinema.org/

What did the pioneers do without computers???

One of my projects this year was to put labels on a large world map showing all the places Blaine has been since his mission. To date I count 32 different countries and he has been to many of those on several occasions.

Each strip is a specific trip (some lasting several weeks or months.) To name a few: Many trips to India (his "favorite" place)....Others to Uganda, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Turkey, Italy, Spain, Germany, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tibet,.....and his mission experience was in Madagascar, La Reunion, and Maritius!

.....and then we have a long list of strips to Thailand and many other trips to Burma, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea.......etc. etc. etc! He is definitely my "gypsy/vagabond"!

His main projects during 2010 have been work in Mae Sot, Thailand with the Burmese refugees and in Luan Prabang, Laos where he helped with a film festival. He plans to make Loas his "base" for a while, but left January 2nd for a four month stay in Vietnam.

Briefly, the large Open Air Cinema inflatable screens and projector equipment that Blaine has in Asia enables him to reach thousands of people, in one screening, to educate them on AIDS prevention, hygiene, anti-terrorism, and other similar causes, and beleive me, he finds new causes on a regular basis!

JUNE

Summer brings wonderful trips to the canyons with picnics and all sorts of fun.

Amanda (Grant and Myra's) love watermelon, as do we all!

Grant, Blaine and Julie

JULY

The 4th of July in Provo is always exciting and we usually get visits from some of the out of state kids. This year it was Mark and Gwen's family.

The 4th fell on a Sunday this year and so we celebrated by giving little baby, Hannah, a name and a blessing at church.

Eric, Elizabeth, Joshua, Julie, Hannah, Jeremy, Abby and Nathan

The field just below the Provo Temple is the perfect place to watch the fireworks. Thousands bring their blankets and chairs, and Grant and Myra brought homemade ice cream.





The spectacular sunset would have been adequate without the fireworks!

While Mark's family was still here we had to spend a day at Seven Peaks!


Two year old Caden was a regular little fish

Gwen and Caden relaxing in the sun.

Hannah likes to relax also!

Caden is at it again!


Another spectacular experience was a hike to Stuart Falls in Provo Canyon.

Julie's Abby and Mark's Maddie............"Cousin Twins"

The end of July brought an eighth birthday for Joshua (Julie and Eric's) I just had to put this picture in because it is Josh's true smile....and, besides, what kid asks for pickles for his birthday?!

The best part of being eight is you are old enough to be baptized!

AUGUST

Lori and Austin visited for 3 short days, but we found time to go to Seven Peaks again and there was plenty of "cuddling" time with Hannah

Josh and Jeremy (Julie's)......Ryan (Grant's) and Austin (Lori's)

It doesn't get much better than this!......Lizzy and Hannah zonked on Nana's lap.

August brought more swimming and Hannah loves the water!

Amanda had a swimming party for her fifth birthday.....and she was a baby just a minute ago. Is she a doll or what?

Grant with two of his boys, Ryan and David

SEPTEMBER

Nathan finally gets to go to school

Another birthday, and this is a tenth for Abby.

OCTOBER

Trick or treating and pumpkins always go with October! Bet you can't guess who Lizzy was. Instead of Snow White she calls herself "Hi Ho" as in "it's home from work you go!"

Blaine with our adorable little lady bug.

Happy Halloween!

'Nope, she doesn't have red hair.........that's Julie's hanging down over the baby.

'Just this last week she has learned to pull herself to a sitting position and is crawling (well, sort of Olympic swimming) across the floor at high speed.

Nana tried her hand at crocheting a hat. She'd look cute in anything!