Catch Up!

The Dude loves his Grandpa.  I loving watching how patient my

father is with him.  This snake was the topic of their 

conversation the other day.  The Dude kept telling Grandpa

that it was made of "mint" and Grandpa kept telling him it

was plastic.  Guess who won?

Sunday we took pictures after church and I got this great one of my sister 

Gretchen with her little boy Dylan.

And this one of MomE and my sister Erika.

I love it.

And of course with us sisters.

I really love them and am grateful 

we have

developed a sisterhood.

Check out the Dude?  He was a menace!

I love that Miss Boo was posing in all the pictures I took of them.

And the Dude...well, he was just laid back.

We tried to get cousin Dylan in the pictures, but he couldn't hold

still for anything and ended up in the light everytime.

This is the first trip that I have been able to spend so much time just visiting

with my family.  We have had fun laughing and sharing.

We are off to Mesa tomorrow to visit with friends.  Back on Thursday

evening and then off to Nyoka's again for a week.

Mr. Finn assures me he is doing fine and is surviving.  His 

daughter misses him terribly.  We will be glad to see him

when we return from our adventure.

Thanks for being such a trooper.

And down she goes...again

I'm tired!

The kids have been sick since

we got here to RV.

Maybe it's the water?!?

I feel for Miss Boo.  

She has had the worst of it.

Maybe tomorrow they will

be back to playing with 

all the fun toys at

Grandma and Grandpa's house.

They just lay around.

Sad...

Yard Sale

I believe a careful choice of words is important in advertising.

If you want a big crowd for a sale, you need to put it 

out there in words that people love to see.

YARD SALE

Don't tell me your heart doesn't skip a beat when you see those 

words on a poster board on the corner?

What is waiting for you?

What do you need?

What do you want?

These questions are answered when you 

stop at a Yard Sale. 

I am always looking for some bargain that will

make me feel like I have gotten away with 

something...because I know its true value.

(wallpaper sold 3 rolls for $1.00)

This time, the yard sale was for the benefit of my parents.  The

business closed after 30 some odd years.  It's all I remember

my Dad doing after his mechanic days.  I spent many 

hours visiting the worksites where his installers 

were laying carpeting so I could visit my Dad.

Well, not exactly, more like to watch his cute installers

lay carpeting.  But it was a great excuse to be 

there and they couldn't make me leave

because, well, you know who the 

boss was!!!

I am proud of my Dad for who he is.  He worked hard all

my life and we had a good life growing up.

We didn't go without and even though we

weren't spoiled, we had what we needed

to survive and I knew where that came from

I have great memories of Wally's Carpets.  I worked there in high school.

I was given the responsibility of manning the store after school until

it closed.  I was proud of the fact that he taught me to figure out 

how much carpet was needed and to measure and cut it for

the customer.  It was a lot of responsibility or at least 

I felt it was.  But I am glad I had the opportunity

to be part of his business and memories.

I love you Dad!

I love a Parade

This trip has been so much fun.  The kids are big into parades. 

Actually, Miss Boo is into parades and brings anyone

along she can to be in it.

How else can you be the Parade Master if you

don't have participants?

Unfortunately for her brother, he is always selected to

be second chair in the parade.

But, I really don't think he minds on little bit.

Notice Grandma in the background.

Has anyone ever been more entertained?

We are loving this leg of our trip and because

of a nasty little flu bug, we are extending our

time in RV for another week.

I couldn't be happier.  I love spending 

time with my parents and watching

them play with the children.

The children adore them.

Girls...Girls...Girls

Miss Boo loves these girls, who happen to be her nieces.

I spent the good part of an hour helping her understand the 

connection to these beautiful little girls.

She was so excited to KNOW that she is an Aunt.

It was the first thing she told Grandma when she got here.

What a revelation for a 6 year old.

Meet Westin

This is my latest grandchild.

Isn't he sweet?

Busy...Busy

I always try to bring something special to the 

Grandkids when I visit.

This time I wanted something homemade

from Nana.

I also made one for Miss Boo for her room.  (below)
I did one for the Dude too a while back.
His is the blue stripe with the orange background.

And some for a few special other girls.

Thanks Laurie for all your help getting them ready to go 

because I would be going empty handed without

your set of hands and energy.

She was also instrumental in the artwork.  I have

much to learn about photo shop.

That is my next project...to learn the 

ins and outs of that program.

Another Road Trip

The children and I are headed out tomorrow morning for a trip to 

Arizona.  We are stopping in Colorado to see Nyoka and 

the family for a couple of days and a lot longer 

on the back end of the trip.  

It will be nice to spend some time with the folks relaxing

and helping them out.  The kids are so excited

to be with Grandma and Grandpa.

That is all they talk about.

To Everyone!

I will post as I go and will have

some photos by then...

I hope!

I went to the temple last weekend and will post

those as well from another state.

I love being a Mommy/Mom/Mother/Younameit

I love the gifts the children bring me from school.

It was a very special day from the moment the Dude woke up and

asked me if it was "Happy Mothers Day".

To the very proud Miss Boo of her letter, card and coupons.

How could a Mom ask for more. 

I love my kids.

Lewis and Clark were here...

And there...and here...and yes, over there.  The one thing we know for 

sure is that they wandered aimlessly across this 

country and there are signs everywhere.

Even Here!

The Dude is in his pajama period

Those two front teeth are going to fall out soon.

It was a nice idea for a walk on a Monday night.

Thanks Mr. Finn for taking us out.

Happy MomE Day!

When I was going through my divorce almost ten years ago, I traveled up to the mountains to talk to my Dad.  I didn't know how to tell him that I wanted

to leave my marriage.  I didn't know what he would say.  Would I be 

letting him down?  It took me a long time to begin speaking the words

that would form into the dilemma I was now in.  I cried a lot and he listened

and waited patiently until I composed myself.

And then he offered two bits of wisdom to me.
One is relevant to this Mother's day.

He said: 

"Enid is a special woman that I love with all my heart.  

She brings me peace and loves me.  

She helps me to be better than 

I am and loves me when I am not.

She is a GOOD woman."

As he was talking about her he was choked up with emotion

and I realized that this is what I wanted in my life.

She is so kind and loving.  I know first hand

what it feels like to be loved by her and

am grateful that I can call her MomE.

Warning Label

I have a genetic defect that prevents me from reading

the warning labels on things.  I never read a form

before I start filling it out either.

I just don't pre-read anything!

This time I should have.

That is my little girl's hair wrapped around 

her new Zhu Zhu Pets wheel.

She has two bald spots.

As she said...

"You should have read that to me first Mom!"