MERRY CHRISTMAS

May you all have the love and peace that is shown and shared this time of year, every day next year. We Love you all very much!!

Love,
Scott, Jeri and our GOOD friend SANTA

Jamie is HIGH Flyin'

Today (Dec 13) is Jamie's 30th birthday. Scott wanted to do something special for her and he really wanted to surprise her. So for several weeks he had her mark the day for time with him but wouldn't tell her nor Dave - where we were taking her. We picked Dave, Jamie and Jayden up at 10:00... in the middle of a snow storm... and drove to Ogden. We walked into "IFly" but I'm not sure Jamie still knew what we were doing. Then as the lady was giving Scott the paperwork she asked who was flying... Dave and I are pointing at Jamie and then Scott announces "those two" and points to Jamie and I. NO WAY! I burst into a panic, shaking my head.. and Jamie laughs thinking its funny as I was teasing her for a week about a big surprise and I was as surprised. I guess Scott didn't want Jamie to have to do it alone.... or he liked the look of shear panic! Jamie and I took the 15 minute class and then we FLEW.

This is us with our "flight suits"... notice how nice our hair looks!

We're getting ready to go into the WIND tunnel... wind is putting it nicely. I am sticking my tongue out at Scott.. not too happy at that moment. Jamie, as always, is laughing and having a good time.

We will give it a "go"...

Jamie was the first one in. "Look dad, no help!"

We had THREE - one minute turns each. By the 3rd minute Jamie was flying by herself.

My turn... I'm smiling and my cheeks are juggling from all that "wind"....

By my third time I was flying by myself as well.

We're DONE! We had a great time. It was a BLAST ... we'll be back! By the way... do you notice our hair??

Happy Birthday to Jamie. She is such a fun and lovely person. I feel lucky to have her in my life!

"I'll be Home for Christmas....

if only in my dreams". This year two of my four kids won't be home for Christmas. So for their benefit I am sharing the look of Christmas at our house.

No... it's NOT the Griswald's.... but we do light up the block!



This is one of our new additions this year. A baby MOOSE. Of course it had to be a moose and not a deer.



We moved the furniture around and then put the tree downstairs. We changed our colors to red and white but only for Christmas never for football season.


We added a festive look to our kitchen...


We will miss Rusty and Rick for Christmas and will keep them in our hearts and in our prayers for a safe and joyous holiday. We are grateful to have our other kids and grandkids close and are excited to share the fun of this season with them. In fact... a little elf told me that SANTA will be visiting our house soon to see if the grandkids have been naughty or nice!! Stay tune for fun and pictures with the jolly ole' fat man!

Thanksgiving~

Thanksgiving has come and gone ... again. I remember when my kids were younger and we would have T dinner at grandma Griffin's house - she would have 5 kernels of corn on each of our plates. Before we could start passing around the turkey and trimmings we had to mention 5 things that we were grateful for. Oh.. my kids HATED doing that. But looking back - that was such a good lesson to teach them. We have so many things to be thankful for that we take for granted.

My five things that I'm thankful for today besides the obvious (we could never say the obvious when we did this) which are my family, which I love them all so very very much and the gospel are:

1. My job... even though its been a tough one - in this economy I am grateful for a solid job.
2. My home - the fact that I could qualify by myself as a single woman felt like a huge accomplishment which I've been so grateful for.
3. A country where I have freedom to voice my opinion... even if people disagree. It's ok
4. That the price of gas has gone down ... need I say more?
5. That we will have water at the cabin this winter .. (you must come visit so you can appreciate this!)

Anyway... here's a pic (sorry Steve) of our dinner gathering at my house this year. We were missing Rick and Amanda, Rusty and Collette, Jamie and David and their family but we had Daniel and Cat, Randy, Annie and kids, Jenni, Lynn and kids, Sheryl, Steve and Becca and my mom. So we had a full house and a great time.

a MAX-athon

Yes, its true. Scott and I held our own little MAXAthon with the Mino man. Randy, Annie and Hank took off for sunny Disneyland last Wednesday leaving Max in our loving care. Jenni watched him for a few hours while I finished up at work but other than that.. he spent the entire time with us. I have to admit I was a tad nervous when Annie asked... I mean REALLY.. what do I do with a 1 yr old for 24 hrs a day for 4 days? I haven't been in baby mode since... well, since RICK. But we had a great time. What a sweetheart he is! Holding and hugging him are the absolute best! Here are some pics of our adventures... (and yes, I'm sure he had more fun with us then in a stroller at Disneyland!)


Thank goodness for child locks. Need I say more?



Max became Scott's walking buddy. They took several trips together around the neighborhood and even a quick jaunt over to Liberty Land. Who could ask for more fun!


We went and visited Grandma Reid at the Seville with Jenni and Scott. I'm not quite sure what he's thinking here....


Of course, Max's favorite past time is eating... and banging things. Hence the high chair AND the measuring cups...


Max doesn't walk around with a cup in his hand. Instead he grunts for you to go to the fridge and get his milk, takes a small sip, then grunts for you to return it to its proper spot on the shelf in the fridge. We spent a lot of time by my fridge this past weekend.


Friday, after Max's nap, he and I decided to go and rake the leaves. This is a picture of Max walking in my backyard before we started raking.



This is one of the piles he enjoyed on our "break".


We enjoyed having Max stay with us and I think he did FINALLY adjust to life at our home. I do know why young people have the babies though... I was EXHAUSTED every night once he got to bed. But ohhh I So Love you MINO!!

You SUNK my Battleship!

Sundays are always a great day when the kids come to visit. Last Sunday was no exception. Our numbers are fewer but the fun still remains! Randy decided to teach Hank, Dyson and Colby how to play Battleship since Hank got the paper version of the game in his Happy meal... or Wendy meal... or.. well, you get the point.


I'm not sure who won.... it looks like maybe Randy did. Jenni wanted me to add that this Sunday would have been my dad's 92 birthday. My dad loved games and always gave himself a "grandpa Reid" game for Christmas... Battleship being one of them. It was a fun evening with memories and good times shared..... wish I'd had more chocolate chip cookies on hand!!

Randy

A couple of weeks ago I told Randy that he and I needed to "bond" as he is my only son still living around here. He thought a BYU football game would be the ultimate bonding time for us. So Saturday October 25th - high noon - was the day and the time. I was pretty excited as rumor had it that Randy ALWAYS gets yelled at while cheering at the games. So my expectations were high. Randy pulled into my driveway and insisted on driving. After anxious moments driving to the game we did fine the perfect parking spot. We got to the stadium just in time to run into Annie's grandpa Carl and grandma JoAnn. We visited with them for a few minutes then found our seats. The day was a PERFECT football day. Warm but not too hot. The game was great - one of those back and forth games. Right when we left to go get some lunch (that Randy bought) we missed the BIG play of the day - a blocked punt! Dang I hate when that happens!! In the end, we were all standing and screaming as BYU saved their win in the last play of the game. We didn't get yelled at or kicked out and Randy was great fun to go to the game with. I hope we can hang out together again soon!!

Hee Haw!

Scott and I had a brilliant idea to take the grandkids to a corn maze for our next Grandparent Adventure Day. Things didn't work out quite like we originally had planned. Too many conflicts but we did end up with Dyson, Colby and Hank. We had a great time doing lots of "fun" Octobery things. After this excitement we added an Arctic Circle SQUARE pumpkin kids meal with flashlight. What kid wouldn't have had a great time!! Being a grandparent is THE best!!


The boys caught a lot of air playing in the hay jump.


Me and the Kids hiding in the corn stalks. Can you find us?


Scott's new best friend "George"....... could this be his new craving or mountain man buddy?


We found our way out of the maze without too many missed turns. Each boy took a turn leading through all the twists and turns and broken corn stalks. Scott would run ahead and scare us as we came around corners but the boys got smart and started scaring him. Hank was the most excited about his map. When it was his turn to lead, he kept asking me to point on his map where we were. Thankfully we found the exit and safety.

Hank rode this pony around the field. He wanted me to walk by him but "not so close".


This was the first thing the boys wanted to do. Slide down this 30 1/2 ft haystack slide. It won as the favorite attraction hands down!


Hank rode this pedal tractor around the pumpkin patch.


Dyson and Colby are getting their pedal cars ready to ride around the pumpkin patch.


This is BOO Junction.... a "spook" house... kindof. Dyson laughed, Colby ran through it and Hank wanted to do it again.

Next year we'll try to get Taylon and Jayden to join us as well as Max.... great fun!!

Aust

This is Austin... in this picture he's giving a "doll" to his brother several Christmases ago. Ok I know there are better pictures of him but I think I gave them all to his dad. Anyway, Austin is 20 and, in his words "dying". He has a deadly form of bone cancer. Austin became a part of our family on the day his dad and I were married. He wasn't very happy about that.. he was quite sullen with his head in his hands on that day. But he grew to love us and we him. Rick and him became "brothers". Jenni, Randy, Rusty and their families all loved him too. When I have questioned why that marriage took place - it all comes down to one person ... Austin. He needed us and we needed him. Austin is still a kid... a big kid but still a kid and kids shouldn't be sick. I want him to grow old and have a family and be a dad. Hang tight Austin.. We love you!!

Crazy Little Thing Called....

Love...... one word which holds different meaning for everyone that hears or says it. I "love" my car, I "love" my job, I "love" my house, kids, dog, school, husband..... There are so many values attached to that one simple word. I hope as a society we haven't devalued what LOVE really is. What does LOVE mean to you??

Jenni: ha ha

Annie: Randy (just a guess - no response)

Collette: Rusty+family+friends

Amanda: Her watching hours of MADDEN and him watching Martha Stewart Living

Nicki: Someone is thinking about me and I have someone to think about

Lynn: hee hee

Randy: Annie (another guess)

Rusty: The intersection of lust and friendship

Rick: Love is a battlefield...it is a flame.. it burns you when its hot (ok Pat)

Daniel: Love consists merely in uncorking the imagination and bottling the common sense (hmm)

In all seriousness (like some of you) Love is an emotion that we all feel but sometimes don't know how to truly express it. Love can make you giddy and silly. Love can be a physical pain. Love is the greatest emotion that we can share with others.

HEY.. I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Lehi has 2 / Portland has 2

As I've posted earlier... change is tough and I'm not that good at it. Last weekend Rick left his safe, secure home in Lehi for the wilds (and weird) of Portland. Looking back to when I left home at 19 and headed for the "peaceful" life in California, I could not - at that time - understand what my mom was experiencing. Great adventures were in store for me.. an exciting new and challenging life! But now, as 2 of my kids have moved further away then meeting for lunch or Sunday dinner, I understand. Thankfully Rick and Rusty are only a phone call away or a 2 hour flight or a 13 hour drive.

On Saturday we had a great party... all were there with good food, exciting competitions, fun games and pictures (refer to Jenni's and Annie's blogs). And yes, Randy still makes faces at picture time.

Rusty and Collette flew in to help with the driving to Portland. Earlier on Friday it was discovered that Rick and Amanda had more "stuff" then previously thought. So Scott loaded up his truck and we drove up to Portland in a caravan starting at 4:00 am Sunday morning. We stayed for Labor Day enjoying a BBQ and a search for drift wood.

Scott and I then drove back Tuesday morning with a new/old claw bath tub in our truck. (story for another time)

As I have said earlier, I will miss seeing and chatting with Rick daily. I'll miss him being close, as I do Rusty. But I'm so excited for him and his new experiences - his engagement, school and a new job.

My kids (including in-laws and soon to be's) are the best and I love them all so much. My grandkids are in the status of perfect. I couldn't have a better family!

Family and 26.2

We spent the past weekend in Rexburg, Idaho. Why you ask?? Scott's dad and step mom planned a family reunion. Scott's dad has 12 kids (8 sons 4 daughters) and they wanted to get everyone together. Almost everyone was there plus a lot of little kids too. It was great fun. This is a picture of Scott, his dad and five of his brothers.
After all the food and fun and festivities on Thursday and Friday, we got up at 4:00 am on Saturday for Scott's Mesa Falls marathon run. If you know anything about marathon's you know that they are 26.2 miles. I dropped him off to catch the bus at 5:00 and then at 9:00 I went out looking for him. It was great fun as I could "leap frog" ahead of him a mile or two... cheer for him, hand him a banana or water and then jump back in the car and get ahead of him a few miles later. What added to the succssful run for him was the fact that most of his family did the same thing. He and Cary ran together and the family was there cheering them on for the last 10 miles of the race. A couple of the kids jumped out of the cars and ran along with them... not for very far though. Anyway, I was so proud and happy for Scott. He finished and had a good time doing it. I believe this makes his 5th marathon and he'll be doing one in Logan next month too. This is a picture of all the "cheerleaders" and the marathon runners. (Notice the matching shirts some of us are wearing)...
Last but not least we drove up to the Mesa Falls (where the marathon all begin) to see the beautiful scenery. It was very lovely as was the weekend. I enjoyed getting to know Scott's family better. We had a wonderful time and hope to do it again soon.

"I'm Scared"

My mom called the other night at 1:00 am. She was weak and having a hard time breathing. She didn't feel "right". She wondered if this was it. My mom told me "I'm scared". Those two words struck so much emotion into my heart. My mom is 86. I don't believe she is scared of dying. She's strong in her beliefs of a life after death and of seeing her husband again. I believe she's scared of the process of dying - the how and when. Her being scared came as a shock to me. Moms aren't scared of anything! Moms will take on anyone that has wronged their child. Moms stand up for what they believe is right. Moms will even call your landlord for you! They have no fear. So I was emotional - cried some heavy duty tears - when she told me she was scared. Guess what? Moms are human too. They share our same emotions of happiness, sadness and fear. I made a discovery about myself today. I've said for years that I don't want to be "there" when she passes on. I was there with my dad and didn't want to do it again. But today I discovered that I do want to be with her when the time comes. I want to be holding her hand, telling her she's beautiful and that I love her so she won't be scared.

A "mini" Scott

Everyone in our family knows that Scott has a lot of
"interesting" hobbies. He likes dead animal skins hanging AND laying around in his cabin. He enjoys making "real" Indian drums out of hallowed out trees and deer skin (or something like that). He's made a warbonnet (as opposed to headdress), an Indian Lodge (not tepee) and a mountain man CAPOTE - not coat.

His newest hobby is carving. He has made some wonderful things.. that I'll put on later but the coolest thing is that COLBY just LOVES this stuff. He's had Scott make him mocassins to wear, he made his own medicine bag, he wants a dream catcher and now... he got Scott to carve him a walking stick with his favorite baseball team logo...a BlueJay. Colby is Scott's mini me....

Ode to Changes

Changes... I've never been a great fan of it. In the last 10 years I had more changes in my life then the first 40. I've had some marvelous changes.... I watched 2 of my kids get married, Scott and I got married and 4 grandsons have joined my family. I've moved 3 times and have had 3 new jobs. Some changes were more difficult to adjust to. I lost my dad - life has never been quite the same - and lost touch with friends and others in my life. Some of these changes have required a lot of soul searching and prayer to find a positive outcome. Soon another change will be taking place. Rick is moving to Portland. Now everyone will say "great" and I agree but it is an end to an "era" of my family. No more kids (not that he's a kid) in my home daily. Right now it's a little emotional for me to think of not seeing him every day. Rick and I have been "here" for each other through a lot of changes in both of our lives. I have a lot of fun memories with him - Forever in Blue Jeans, football in the living room, walking for grapes, great talks at the table, Sports Central, Dr. Pepper and a lot more. It's true, I will miss him but this is SUCH an exciting and wonderful change!! I think its a little difficult when the youngest leaves home... sigh... how funny to think that I will be going through the empty nest syndrome now.

Ahhh the Lazy Days...

Ahhhh the lazy hazy days of summer! Scott and I went and spent 5 days with Rusty and Collette in Portland. We had a MARRRRRRRRRVELOUS time. Lots and lots of good food, great company and wonderful fireworks! The highlight of the trip for Scott was Mt. Hood when Rusty told him that the lodge was used in the movie "The Shining".

Here we are pictured together at The Rose Garden. Beautiful....beautiful roses... this one was one of my favorites.

Whose Kids are These?

Everyone's posts seem to have pictures of their kids with a lot of bragging. We've shared a picture of Scott with his daughter and several pictures of our some of our grandchildren but no picture of my kids. So here it is! This is a fun little picture taken in remembrance of a photo shoot of Rick in younger years. Don't I have great looking kids??!! I'm so proud of each of them.. they do such fun and cute things~

But on a serious note... my kids are great. They are all close to each other and are a lot of fun to be around. I consider myself fortunate to have 3 of the 4 live so close to me. I love the energy and fun they add to my life. I just plain love their guts!!

DONE!!

Scott finished the banister last night. He's giving us his "go team" cheer. He only needed a little help from Rick, Amanda and I to juggle all the baulisters when we installed them. Doesn't it look great!!!! So much nicer than THE WALL.

Here is the finished look.... Lovely, don't you think?!!!