Christmas Eve

This brief moment was Christmas at it's best for me. Bret and Nicole were in charge of Christmas Eve this year. The food was scrumptious, every one's mood was high in anticipation of the Big Man's arrival, but dearest of all was the moment Bret knelt around the baby Jesus and spoke with the kids about his love for the Savior and the true meaning of Christmas. Then we all gathered around as his offered a Christmas family prayer. Blessing in detail each family, Chicago to Athem, Grandma to Jeff, all of our personal needs.  Thank you Bret and Nic. You carried Christmas in our door.

Lets get together

Kim, Jamie, Nicole, and Kelly, lets go in our minds to Kelly's today for lunch. She has a bike for each one of us and we  could ride around her little lakes. There are hundreds of geese everywhere. They are honking and flying in big Vs. The leaves are golden the air is cool and moist. You would never believe you are in Chicago. Nicole you could bring chocolate eclairs, Kim you could make your yummy cashew salad, Jamie your chocolate turtles, oops two chocolates, Kelly your chicken basil sandwiches, I'll bring fresh rasberries and peaches.  We could put a big blanket out and lay and talk for 3 hours and you could feel little Mac kick and roll, and then everyone will have to hurry back to your busy lives. I love the women in our family! You are strong, you have light, you are wise, you are loved by so many. Thank you for being the kind of mothers this world needs! I love-a-love-a you. This will be our October trip. I will think of something grand for November.

Kim

Happy Birthday Sweet Kim!!!  My computer just worked! I love these two people!!!  Kim I love your gorgeous hair, soft brown skin, bright eyes and happy smile. I love that you like to be with Jason all alone. Like riding the Sun Dance Ski Lift on the night of a full moon for you Birthday. So romantic! I love how you go on trips alone and motor cycle rides through the leaves. I love how you mother your tribe every school morning, and help everyone to leave with their homework ready. I love that you took time to go to the Relief Society meeting with me on your Birthday. . . one of my favorite things of the year. I love your Halloween Decorations and Jayne's decorated room. I love that you share your life with me. Guess I just plain love you.

Matt

Heaven

Tomorrow is the Day!

Tomorrow at 4:30 in the morning (If you can believe that one) Tom will be heading to Monticello with seven of his horses to sell. We are still trying to figure out how to sell all these fancy horses he loves. I have good vibs on this one.

The 4th

Jenny you are beautiful!

 Is it possible that Jenny is this grown up?  Jenny I love how you just roll with us, and you don't even roll you eyes.  Never change.

I will nominate this as the best picture of the 4th.  I am thinking of sending it in to the Daily Herald. It shows true family love, a sister helping to hide her sister"s butt.  We missed Emilee this year and there was a big hole. We missed Kelly and her troup. We missed Matt and we have for a long time. But I think in spirit we were all there. Somehow all our hearts should meet right here in this gutter each 4th of July.

Faces to Love

These are the browon faces of summer that I love! Happy 4th of July to all our family!

July Joy

Brown happy faces that celebrate the 4th

Still Summer

 Jamie is here and is actually helping learn how to blog again. I am practicing as you can tell.

 These are some of my very favorite people in the world playing in the pond or the the Meshing Tree.

I love Summer! I love all my Grand Kids!

Matt

June Happenings 

Wahala Shines

 Happy Summer Days

Our Girl's Trip

Here are my beautiful girls all fancied up. I am so proud of them. They teach me so much! Jamie has has worked magic with their hair and makeup. I always smile inside as they all make themselves gorgeous for each other. It is some how foreign to me. I grew up throwing on a T shirt and heading out. I have always felt if I could live on a beach with a bathing suit, a skirt and a sweatshirt. That would be all I would need. Guess I better throw in my Gs somewhere. But I love to learn how to be girlish, and dress up for our men. They need a pretty wife to be proud of. I have so much to learn from these girls. I treasure the fact that they love each other. They go to great lenghts to come together alone one time each year. That is not an easy task. Husbands and kids struggle. But somehow it happens, for now anyway. A miracle takes place, in some hotel room, or at an airport, in warm weather or cold, sisters and a watching Mom meet. In an instant matching chromosomes re unit and there is love.

This is a perfect picture because Tom has his eyes open and you can really see his true self, happy, crazy, and so glad to be with his girls. That was an extra bonus this year. We spent time together. I love my arm around Nicole. She feels like mine. Sometimes I think we are the most alike. I love the library, looking for good healthy food bargains, and walking the dog. Thank you Nicole for caring for Sam. I love Nicole's hair and she patiently tried to teach me how to do mine similar. We laughed as her nice thick hair stayed perfect and my feathers feathered. I think I have grown to appreciate feathers. Nicole you always inspire me, thank you!

Although this is a terrible picture it says it all for me. Notice the camera turned on, sitting on the table. Waiting to record somehow for posterity that we love each other. This is a picture I would grab in a fire. It records a spiritual union. Dad and I have returned to this same table two more times because we want to remember forever a rare night spent there with our girls. The fish tacos were to die for, the night was warm, the music lively and fun. But it was the coming together of hearts that were sad, or hurt, or lonely. We cried and talked. But mostly we just cared about each other. Didn't really matter the problem because we all have them and we will have many more, but we cared about each other. We wanted to help fix each other. In the same way that we had just helped each other back at the hotel room. Hear let me do you makeup, or wear my shoes, "you look fabulous". We cried and laughed, and really wanted these rare moments not to end. I must journal these thoughts because we know I am going to have a tendency to forget. When I am older and walking in Margie's shoes I hope one of you will get my big black journals and make me read to remember. They have become for me like the little brown box the littlest angel kept under his bed. Life is fragile and precious! We must hold on tight. We must always remember happy memories are made by appointment. So lets never ever not schedule them in. Now if I can only find my appointment book.

Arizona

Matt brought me his computer do-da this weekend, so I am blogging! Jamie is so good to us! She fixes fabulous meals, invites us to all the boys doings, and tonight we spent a wonderful Friday night with the whole family having buffalo wings and walking a great outdoor mall. She has more energy than a train. She is nothing short of magic how she runs a salon, several social groups, the scouts, exercises up the Ying Yang and keeps smiling. But most of all she loves her boys and her man. She cheers them all on saying "Run harder, you are the best, you can do anything!" She makes me want to get in there and run faster too. She was so tender and kind to Margie as you can see from this picture. One Sunday Mom was beside herself not being able to figure out why she was in Arizona and not her home. Jamie just took her over. She painted her fingernails, and massaged her hands and asked questions and listened carefully. It meant so much to Margie. She tells me about it all the time. Another time she rubbed her feet with lotion and listen to her stories from her journal. Mom loved the little boys. Her favorite time was pushing Grady around in a grocery cart in Wallmart while the boys were picking out their Christmas surprises. They had the best talk. Jaces loves everything in Wallmart. She always wanted to save valuables for the boys, like straws from Wendy's, mild sauce from Taco Bell, and little hotel soaps. They made her smile. I wish I could wisk her back and forth. I miss her.

Dad and I have the biggest smiles on because it is so fabulous to live a jump away from the Heaps. I get to read with Jace's class and watch him grin. Even met LuLu his hon. Grady's personality is just like the picture. He is so adorable. Dax saved me the Frosty coupon he earned from jogging 40 laps at school. The last lap was a squeaker with the encouragement of his Mom. We are going on a date to Wendy's. This is an amazing window of time to eat up the Heaps. Hope we aren't smothering them. Dad says I am Margie and need to relax. But I am learning there is nothing like family. There in lies our greatest joys. I love you all. Thank you Matt for fixing Dad up with every movie imaginable, and Jamie a giant thank you for getting Dad walking. We love the Heaps. Can't wait for next week when I get to spend time with my favorite people. Ya Ba Da Ba Do!