Sleep Over Party at Grandma's

Ev and the kids and I found something to do over spring break on a rainy day--we went to see "Tangled" at the dollar theater and then ate lunch at McDonald's. Had so much fun I decided to take Carter and Kylie home with me for a sleepover! (Click on photos to enlarge)





The kids love picking fruit off of our very "prolific" kumquat tree. Then Carter and Kylie helped Grandma pick up branches and sweep while she trimmed a bush. Of course, the best part was playing witches with the brooms after they finished sweeping.



Because Brent needed donuts for Seminary, we had a very yummy breakfast albeit not very healthy! We went to Walmart for a few things and wound up with a cool looking shirt for Carter that came with Silly Bands, no less and a trendy little outfit for Kylie... (although Kylie had a pretty hot looking style at the house playing with brother.)





After lunch it was park time to feed the ducks and do some all out playing. Carter did his "boy" thing at the park and found a stick and Kylie found her Mommy the perfect gift....an orange. (Unfortunately, brother decided to smash the orange so the gift was short-lived. No worries though...our understanding neighbor had some nice flowers that Kylie picked to replace the orange for Mommy.)





They actually got a double dose of play today at two different parks because we had to wait for a repair to be made on Brent's bass clarinet. There was a boy Carter's age and a girl about Kylie's age at the second park which was fun.





There were peanut butter cookies made, a movie watched, dominoes played, legos built, stories read (don't ask them about the "invisible enemy"...more about that later!), lots of pancakes, bacon, eggs, waffles and spaghetti, Mario Cart and bowling on the Wii and even a pillow fight! Does it get any better than that???!!






It was a great time for all! McKell, you're next!

My favorite song from General Conference

Happy Birthday? Happy Easter?

Since we will be going on a trip to London, England shortly we decided to celebrate some April birthdays and Easter early. We always enjoy family parties and today we got to play with Karen's granddaughter, baby Rachelle and enjoyed an egg hunt with our Hanson grandkids. Lots of fun!

Happy Birthday to you!!!!! That's 77 and 17 this month.

Grandma Karen and baby Rachelle! So cute.

On your mark, get set, GO!!!

                                                                       Mommy, look!!

Checking out the loot!

Sorry Dixie...no chocolate (or anything else) for you!

Your getting warmer Carter...

So Meggie, what's in your mouth???

Introducing Jared....

This post is to introduce our newest little grandchild, Jared Ardis Dorff, born March 25th. He is our 6th grandchild; we have 3 granddaughters and 3 grandsons...now does it get any better than that? We are so thrilled; so grateful! He was a healthy 9 pounds, 21 1/2 inches long. Mark and Christy are so pleased to welcome another little boy to their home. I have to share this picture because I think it is so sweet. Momma and her boys...

Christy, you look great! (Have to brag a bit about Christy. She does home births with no anesthesia...I am  impressed!) I hope to be able to meet Jared in person soon! I think he needs a little cuddling from Grandma Dorff and Parker needs to show Grandma his trains. Speaking of Parker, I was thinking after talking to him on Skype today, that he is the "brother of Jared." Pretty cool...:)

Do you ever look back at your life and wonder why certain things happened?

 I have thought about that question regarding the purposes behind our "Florida adventure." There are probably a number of purposes but one thing stands out in my mind. Experiencing the aftermath of three major hurricanes really opened my eyes to the importance of preparing for disasters. I find myself chuckling a little as I write this because long before we ever moved to Florida, I had a preparedness calling in a ward in California that I worked very hard at and I know I helped many ward members get better prepared. But it was different back then and maybe I can best explain it this way...Back then I had a "testimony" of the importance of being prepared but after Florida I was "converted!" I can't explain how stressful and topsy-turvy life becomes when nothing is normal. Things we take for granted everyday like clean water and plenty of it, electricity--light, having the Internet, news of what's going on, no heat/ air conditioning, no working cell phones, no refrigeration, cooking challenges, buying gasoline (if there is any), grocery shopping ( well...that is if there is water, ice, batteries or canned foods left and the store has backup power to run a register and if you have cash), banks with downed ATM's, post office closures, inability to access roads, massive clean up needs EVERYWHERE, inability to get medical care except in the most dire of circumstances....and we weren't dealing with the really hard things like people who had lost their lives. It isn't easy to deal with natural disasters and the getting back to some semblance of normal takes time, sometimes a very long time as it will be in Japan. But maybe my words and the pictures we've seen from Japan recently will help to move you to action and get better prepared. I put together a family First Aid Kit this week. I would like to recommend a First Aid book that is really worth the money. I bought it at the local Boy Scout Shop. It is the best first aid book I have ever owned (and I've had a few). It is well laid out, concise, current and has pictures which I find useful.

I hope this post will encourage you to get better prepared but if it leaves you feeling just overwhelmed and unsure where to start, then start with buying a gallon of water every week until you get a gallon of water per person per day for two weeks. Or, fill that 55 gallon water barrel. That's how to start! If you want a list of what's in my snazzy first aid kit, let me know and I'll send you the list. By the way, the 32 inch duffle bag (and they have smaller ones for less) my kit is in cost me $14 at Walmart, has wheels and zips up flat...way cool for super cheap!

What's new?

Yesterday Ken, Brent & I visited Nathan & Ev and family. It so happened that their city was sponsoring an International Festival. It was a  family oriented event so we had a great time watching our grandkids make tissue paper flowers, gather candy from a busted pinata, play with ballon swords, try their hand at boche ball, jump their little hearts out in a "princess castle jump house" and a basketball jump house and play with friends they know from their school and ward.

We also celebrated Kylie's 4th birthday. It was a fun day! Ev and I were also talking about blogs. She mentioned how nice it is when her cousins (we were talking specifically about Nicole's blog) update their blogs because you feel like you are keeping in touch and seeing their kids grow though in reality, you don't get to see them very often. I agree. I love seeing family blogs and seeing what people are up to. So, we hope that more family take a few minutes, maybe Sunday afternoon to do a post. We love you and love to hear about you!

Another thing I've been doing lately is working again on genealogy. Dad's cousin Bev has sent me information and pictures on herself and her descendants that none of you has seen before. I plan to distribute that information to my siblings at a later date. I also have some temple work that could be done by Luymes family members. If you are interested in that kind of thing, let me know.

Happily, John and his family have got out of Japan and are in Salt Lake indefinitely. We are grateful for their safe arrival but continue to pray and remember those in Japan who are suffering from the great disasters there. I know I have a renewed commitment on preparedness and I hope others do too.

Just 6 days to Christy's due date....we are so anticipating baby grandson's arrival. Christy, we are thinking about you and hope everything goes well.

HAVE AN INCREDIBLE WEEK!

I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

It was a great weekend! Got to listen to some great talks; a 9 year old girl talked about what she was doing to be a missionary, a teenager talked about how by being more exact in her obedience to the "little things" in her life like prayer and reading her scriptures has helped her to be able to get herself up and to Seminary after months of missing it. Listened to a young adult convert share how when he reached " bottom" he found himself remembering his LDS friends from high school and their invitations to come to church with them which prompted him to go to church on his own. Felt the Spirit deeply when a brother shared thoughts on overcoming trials; specifically his current trial of being unemployed for 10 1/2 months. Thoughtfully considered counsel on reducing debt, strengthening our families, keeping a journal, worshipping in the temple and planning as couples to serve a mission. Reminded that in spite of the turmoil worldwide, God lives and has a plan for us. Gosh, I'm glad I was there and feel gratitude once again to be a member of "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints."

What? You have grandchildren???

Yesterday I brought some food for dinner to a young family whose mother is recovering from surgery. They have 3 children; a kindergartener, a 3 year old and a nursery age child. The children are in our Primary and were very excited to see me in "their" home so I was talking with them and admiring their favorite toys. The father asked me how old my son was. They are new in our ward so I told him that Brent is our youngest child and is 16 but that I also had children turning 30, 28 and 26 this year and that we were expecting our 6th grandchild next month. His jaw dropped in utter disbelief. It made my day! I remember that my mother tried to console me when I was expecting Brent at 38 years old by telling me that people would think that I am much younger than I am because I would have such a young child. She was right about that! What a great little perk the year that I officially join the rank of "senior citizens...."

Fly like an Eagle

So, Mom's....I thought I'd do a post on preparing for an Eagle Court of Honor. If you have an LDS, 8 year old son, I just want to warn you. You've just signed on for a minimum of 6 years (though it might be up to 9 years of scouting) till it is even within the realm of possibility of your son getting their Eagle. Frankly, sometimes it feels like you've signed up for life. So the day B passes his Eagle Board of Review, I celebrate thinking its finally done, finally over, last son! But no! No one told me about how many letters I would have to send to politicians and celebrities asking for recognition certificates, or the extra badges I would still need to sew on, the photos I need to arrange for, the newspaper releases, the invitation list, the program, the thank you gifts, refreshments and decorations not to mention the scrapbook and table display. Well, let's just say, it's a good thing I love B!

So, I'll be celebrating for real on May 14th when it's all really over but I confess that I'll miss the medieval duels with cardboard shields and foil mace, the Egyptian pyramids made from sugar cubes; races at the Pinewood Derby, building "the project" and the dirtiest, and most stinky smelling clothes from boy's camp! Thanks son's.... for some great memories!

Beautiful Day at the Arboretum!

First things first.....

HAPPY 30TH NATHAN!!! HOPE YOU HAD A GREAT TIME TODAY!

Nathan was out of town for the weekend so Evaly, Brent and I took the grandkids to the arboretum for a "pizza picnic." We had a nice time exploring nature and just being together!

Even Baby Meg had a terrific time....

30th anniversary in Kauai

Beach Baby of Kauai

Memories of Kauai 2009

Memories, memories of a wonderful vacation with Mark, Christy and Parker....I have a lot of photos but here is a small sampling with promise of more to come.

Luau night! Parker was awestruck by this hula dancer and literally starred at her throughout her entire dance. Some of our favorite memories of Parker---sleeping on a makeshift bed...two airplane trays!...crawling into a kitchen cabinet that he couldn't get out of and other unusual places...using Mark's cell phone and yes, he actually calls people and "reading" in his carseat. Click on these pictures to see them bigger.

Best part of Easter is the grandchildren....

Much to her mother's dismay, McKell has lost all of her front teeth and right before Easter pictures, wouldn't you know!


This photo definitely captures the essence of our spirited, high energy, Carter boy! Like the bunny on his cheek?

Just plain sweet....but don't let that cute little face fool you! She is 2 after all!

Daddy helps the kids...or is he helping himself to some candy??? Sly, Nathan!

Oh, my gosh, totally want to squeeze this little one! Thanks Mark and Christy!

HAPPY EASTER ALL!

Fun little hike with Brent

Brent and I took a hike over spring break in Carbon Canyon. It was a beautiful day! You can see here some fire damage from the fires of last year. Fortunately, the area in this photo sustained minimal damage but the homes just over the hill, suffered a lot of fire damage. It is always intriguing to me (and even spiritually symbolic) how in spite of a devastating fire, spring and new life still emerges with promise of a brighter future.







I have to laugh at this picture. We live somewhat "downstream" from this dam. I have always wondered about the possibility that perhaps in an earthquake we would suffer a secondary trauma of flooding...but if you look carefully to my left you will see that there is absolutely no water behind the dam! I felt somewhat relieved about the flooding danger...perhaps need to be more concerned about the drought!





All that beautiful yellow is actually a very invasive weed that has taken over since the fires. In fact, the youth of our Stake are considering a service project in connection with youth conference to hack down the stuff! The weed has completely overtaken the nature trail.

End of a fun hike with a great son!

Look alikes???

We just picked up some photos and I have to post two of them. In both of these pictures Parker looks so much like his Grandpa. The picture of Parker with Mark looks especially like Grandpa did as a baby! Love those chubby baby thighs and cheeks Parker boy!

Sportin' new teeth!

Mark and Christy totally surprised us when they called last week to see what we had going on for the weekend. They came to visit for a few days and what a treat for us! Ken came home Wednesday and hours later Mark and family arrived. There is nothing quite like waking up to your happy-go-lucky little grandson in cuddley striped p.j.'s with a big grin sporting brand new teeth! (Well, Cannon is a pretty cute morning greeter as well!) Parker is 10 months now and is just a darling. Such a happy boy and a little charmer for sure! We had such fun shopping, (right Christy?) talking, visiting with Ev and family and visiting Grandpa at the beach. Ev took some nice pictures some of which I include here and I've also included some cute ones that Brent took too. Thanks for coming Mark and Christy and Parker and Cannon. We love you and had great fun being with you!

It is so cute to see the interaction between Parker and Cannon. Cannon is very sweet to Parker but is clearly very jealous of attention given to the baby. Any time Parker is being held the dog jumps on your lap as well. I'm glad Parker is so unafraid of dogs; even being licked on the lips doesn't faze him in the least.

Enjoying a beautiful day on the San Clemente pier. Thanks for the pics, Brent!

This post is for you...Cami!

Cami, I bought these really cute red heels today and I knew you would be surprised and happy since you enjoy "expressive" shoes...best part for me is that they aren't just cute...they were also $7.50.

Evaly shared something she learned at her Enrichment meeting last night and I have thought about it all day. I'm so glad she shared it. The message was about emotional health and the thought was (sorry, this is what I learned from what she said rather than what she actually said) that if something is a sort of a trigger and always seems to upset us we should act proactively and avoid it, if possible, much in the same way one would do if they had a food allergy. For an example, Ev and I have talked before how the news can be so depressing and/or frightening. If someone is adversely affected by that, one can choose to safeguard their emotional health and turn it off. I love that comparasion to a food allergy because you can't expect other people to care for you and your allergies; you take steps to care for yourself because you don't want to suffer with a reaction. I want to think about that some more. I think I can reduce some of the stress I sometimes get to feeling by evaluating my triggers. Thanks Ev!

Goal.....finally accomplished!

Have you ever wanted to accomplish something that you knew would be really challenging? Well, I had something I really wanted to do. I've wanted to read the Old Testament in it's entirety. I've read portions of it with the Sunday School reading schedule but I've never read the entire book. Well, guess what? After 4 years of reading it...(it took a long time because sometimes I read very little of it because the prophet or a Stake President had asked us to read the Book of Mormon in a set period of time) but I persisted and finally, today, I finished. I am so excited about that. I can't believe this day finally came! Maybe I can do hard things....