From a Threesome to a Fifteen and a Halfsome!

Fifteen years ago three fifteen year old girls became best friends. We've been close ever since. Over the past fifteen years we've multiplied: we've gotten married and now have three kids each, with a bun in my oven. We try to get together for play dates, lunches, birthdays, and occasionally with the whole crew. Monday night for FHE we loaded everyone up and caravaned to Robie Creek for a BBQ, catching up, and for the kids to get some energy out. I had the thought on the way there, the three of us used to fit in a single cab pick up truck with bucket seats, we'd take turns hovering between them. Now it takes three full sized vehicles to go anywhere together...

I'm so grateful for these two friends, I hope that each of my kids find friends like them. Here's to fifteen more years of friendship!

Celebrating 80 Years!

This amazing lady, my Grandma Jones, celebrates her 80th birthday today! This last weekend we had a family gathering to honor her and her 80 years. She has taught me so much; patience, kindness, endurance, service, hard work (she can work circles around me), reading, how to crochet, she has been a huge part of my craft/home making skills, canning, cooking, I think I get my love of projects from her. Ella is named after her, I just love and admire her so much.
She had requested new carpet for her front and back steps for her birthday, I volunteered Jake to install it for her, Grant volunteered to help Jake. It was so much fun watching them work together, I love my two boys.

My Mom, Jake, Grant and my cousin Debbie's husband Dan working hard at removing the old carpet from the back steps.

A few of the grandkids playing cards in the living room, more of us used to fit in that space, funny how things seem to shrink as we get older.

This is Jake and Grant in front of Jake's apartment at Rick's College, he has some fun memories from his years at Rick's and wanted a photo of him and Grant.

Bug Week at Grandma's

These pictures are posted backwards, but you'll get the idea. Three weeks ago my Mom called and asked if she could have all three of our kids for a week. I didn't have to think twice, of course she could have my kids for a week! They were excited too. The girls had gone to "Grandma Camp" a few years ago while I went on a trip with the youth in our ward and were thrilled to go back. The theme for the week was "Bugs". Each day spotlighted a different bug, the activities, snacks, meals, entertainment, and gifts all went with the days theme. I think my favorite concept was Hungry Catepillar Day on Wednesday where they went to bed as cacoons and emerged as Butterflies for Butterfly Day on Thursday. My Mom had every moment scheduled and detailed with an itinerary 15 pages long. We arrived on Friday for the skit and dinner around the fire before heading to Island Park for the weekend. The picture above is of Ella and Paislee bowing and curtseying at the end of the program.
This is Grant marching to the tune of "The Ants Go Marching One By One", he really got into it.

Paislee singing a solo with Ella playing backup on the triangle and Grant and Tripp on the drums.

Paislee opened the program with a few words out of this bug book.

Ella in one of the willow trees at my Mom's, my Mom planted those trees when I was a baby. Kind of fun seeing my children climb them 30 years later.

Grant and I roasting his hot dog for dinner. He wasn't too sure about the heat of the fire but he loved cooking his own food. We have pictures that my Mom took of the weeks activities that I'll have to post later, they're on Jake's computer.