Ellie comes for a visit!

Elizabeth and Laura came into town for a very quick, short weekend, but we were so glad that we got to see them. Grandpa and Grandma Ellsworth came down from Globe and we got some cute pictures. Ellie was all smiles, as usual. She warms right up to everyone. We took her over to Great Granddad and Grandma's house, too. Everyone loved seeing her and thought she was beautiful. All said they thought she looked alot like "daddy". She took a long nap (unfortunately for us!), but was very happy again when she woke up. Grandpa got out the Lightening McQueen push car and she loved that. It made lots of noise and she enjoyed sitting on it. She tried beeping the horn (with the help of Grandpa) and laughed the whole time. We had lunch and Laura and I made a quick run to AJ's to get some chocolate mouse for dessert. It was too short of a visit, but looking forward when they will be here again for about 6 weeks the end of December.

Sweet Elizabeth

Gary and I were able to travel to Rochester for a few days to see Marc, Laura and Elizabeth. She has gotten so big! She is the best little, happy girl. She had her first cold while we were there, but you would not have known it. She smiled the entire time! Gary and I were able to "babysit" the night we got there because both Marc and Laura had to work. We were concerned because she was sick and didn't know us very well. You never would have known it. She warmed right up to us and was such a sweetheart. She loves having her picture taken and I did take many! Grandpa bought her a Halloween sucker that she loved! It was funny to watch her eat it. She was so "lady like". It was so good to see all of them.

Halloween Party!

During Fall break, Rachel, Amy, Kate and Ryan were able to come over for a sleep-over. While they were here, we did lots of Halloween activities. We ate spider sandwiches and mummy pizzas, hid eyeballs and played "pin the stem on the pumpkin". We made centipedes, ghost hands and spider cookies. We read Halloween books, worked on Halloween activity pages and watched Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin. There was not a spare moment and we had a great time. At least, I did!

Kasey's Baby Shower!

I was not going to be able to go back to West Virginia for Kasey's baby shower, so I took McKinley's presents with me and we had our own personal baby shower while I was in Cleveland. We spent an evening opening presents and Matthew modeled them for us. I had made some blankets and bought some cute clothes. Gary had purchased some darling little shoes.

When I was pregnant with Matthew, I had purchased a cute little white dress for the blessing if he was going to be a girl. Well, surprise! Back in those days, we didn't know what we were going to have beforehand, so I just kept the dress all of these years. It is simple, but very beautiful. It is hand stitched and embroidered. It looks antique, but not just because it is old! I knew that Matthew and Kasey had been looking at antique shops for a dress, but didn't purchase one because it didn't have any special meaning to them. I always felt that I wanted to give the dress to Matthew if he ever had a little girl. They were so surprised and just loved it!! I didn't want them to feel obligated to use it, but they couldn't have been more thrilled. Matthew had no idea that I had the dress, let alone kept it all of these years. I can't wait to see McKinley in it! She will be precious.

Visiting Matthew and Kasey

After Carson's baptism, I drove up to Cleveland with Matthew and Kasey and stayed for several days. Matthew had some time off, so they invited me to come and have some fun.

Our week was filled with lots of activities. We walked the Metro Parks several times, took rides and day trips, picked blackberries and raspberries and Matthew made some frozen custard with our berries. One day while Matthew and Kasey were working, I rented a car and drove to Kirtland and the John Johnson farm in Hiram. I picked up some tomatoes and corn at a road side farm. When I toured the temple, I was the only there, so that made it extra special. Of course, I took lots of pictures.

Everyday, we did something exciting. When Kasey had a day off, we wrote down to a little town that was an Amish village. We saw many buggies and horses. All of the stores had Amish people in them. We went to really neat Country Store and bought some goodies. We also stopped by a huge farm. We saw some Amish riding in vans and pick-ups instead of their buggies. We didn't think they were supposed to do that. Matthew commented that they must be "Jack-Amish"!

There was never a dull moment or any lack of activities or good food and hospitality. Thanks for showing me a great time, Matt and Kasey!

Carson's Baptism

Carson was baptized on August 27th by his father. It was a simple, very beautiful baptism and we were so glad that we could be there. Uncle Matthew and Aunt Kasey came down, along with Jen's mom and Heather's children. Carson looked like an angel and we were so proud of him. He is such a sensitive, caring boy and we could tell that he was feeling something very special that day. I was able to give the talk on "Baptism" and Jen's mom talked on the "Holy Ghost". Afterwards, Jen fixed a huge spread for all that attended. We were so grateful to be a part of Carson's very special day. That is what makes it all worth while for "Grandparents"!

Putting on a Show!!

Uncle Matthew and Aunt Kasey saw this lion Halloween costume and couldn't resist. They bought it for Cameron. We put it on him to try it out and then we all sat around for half an hour and watched as Cameron put on a show and entertained us! It was hilarious. The costume fit perfectly and he looked adorable. It has cute lion feet for shoes and a long tail with a red ribbon on it - like the lion from "Wizard of Oz". We laughed and laughed until our sides ached. The more we laughed, the more he showed off!!

Apple Picking!

Gary and I flew back to Pittsburgh for a few days. It was the beginning of apple season, so we took the boys to our favorite farm to pick some. Last year, we went to Simmon's Farm later in the season to pick pumpkins and have a hay ride, but it was too early and the only thing they had available now were apples. We were the only ones there, so it made it extra nice. A ladder was available to us, so we took advantage! Even Cameron tried to get up on it. Each boy has his own bag and filled it to the brim. They let us borrow a wagon because we had to walk a ways, so Connor and Cameron climbed in and Carson pulled! What a good older brother! Since it was the beginning of the season, we got the best pickins' and there were bites taken out of several of them (Connor and Cameron!). We purchased some fresh peaches and a few tomatoes and of course got treats and a drink afterwards(thanks, Grandpa)! We had a great time!

Elizabeth is in Town! (Marc & Laura, too)

Marc, Laura and Elizabeth were able to come into town for a visit. It was very short, but we enjoyed every minute of it. Elizabeth is getting so big and changing so much! We loved holding her and playing with her. Erik, Emily and their family came over and they took turns playing with her. The girls loved it. Elizabeth is such a good baby and she doesn't mind at all playing with her cousins. We were so glad that we had that time with all of them, even though it wasn't long!

Performing at Granddad's Care Center

Rachel, Amy and Kate joined a performing group during the summer that sang Broadway tunes. When the ladies in charge of the group heard that the girls had performed for Granddad, they wanted the whole group to come. A date was arranged and they came and sang for about 1/2 hour. It was great. There were about 30 kids. All the songs they did were familiar old Broadway tunes, so the residence really enjoyed hearing them. The girls had several solos and did a wonderful job. We were so proud of them!

Back up to the Cabin with Gary

I had just gotten home from the cabin with my friends, when I turned right away and drove back up with Gary. It had been almost a year since he had been able to go. We ended up staying about 10 days!! That was a record. We kept thinking about all of the reasons we needed to come back and then just decided to stay one more day . . . about 5 times. We could have stayed longer if there hadn't been so many commitments back home. The temple had its' closure for 2 weeks, so that allowed us to be gone that long.

We didn't take many projects or work up there, so we had lots of time to work around the cabin and complete some long overdue projects there. Every day, we took at least one ride up the mountain. We would see tons of elk, so we keep going back up. There had been recent fires up by Greer, so we figured that is why the animals had moved down from the mountains and were very active. One day, we made a huge loop around Springerville and Eager to view the fire damage.

We also had rain storms - our favorite. Our friends, the Powell's, came up over a weekend and we enjoyed their company. We took Joni up to view the animals and gave her a tour of that part of the state! In return, she made us homemade ice cream! Nice trade-off! We really hated to come home. We could have stayed much longer.

Kevin's in Town!

We had a very rare occasion! Kevin flew into town!! He was here over the July 4th weekend and was just able to spend 3 days, but we enjoyed seeing him. Nobody was happier though, than the boys because they hadn't seen each other for about 3 weeks.

Kevin was anxious to see the Arizona sun, so we got out the water slide, again. Everyone got into the action. Kevin sunbathed and scorched his white belly really bad. It is now bright red!

Grandpa and Grandma Ellsworth from Globe came down to visit and they brought some burros from the Burger House. We all played in the water, sunbathed, ate and enjoyed each others' company. Even Grandpa got into the action with the double-barrel water guns!

Fun at the Lake!

We went out to the lake today and rented a boat. It turned out to be the warmest day of the year (113 degrees), so it was nice and toasty! We rented a pontoon so that Cameron could run around and we would also have some shade. The boys loved driving the boat with Grandpa and Jen and I enjoyed basking in the sun! We took lots of water and food, so everyone was happy. We stopped the boat for a while and ate our lunch. After we drove the boat back in, we drove to Tortilla Flats and got some delicious ice cream and then watched "Night at the Museum" all the way home. The movie finished as we drove onto our street. Perfect timing, perfect day, perfect boys!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Dad has his 83rd birthday this week. I asked him what he would like and he said he would like to be able to get out of the care center for a while. It is quite difficult to check him out of the center, wheel him out and get him into a car and then, we really can't get do anything. There is a restaurant right in front of the care center, so I thought it might be nice to make reservations and then just wheel him over there for a little celebration. He was all for it! I made arrangements and the restaurant crew were very accommodating. We decorated with colorful table-toppers and balloons. We ordered from the menu and then celebrated with a cake and sugar-free chocolate cupcakes. Erik, Emily and family, Chad, Carrie and family, Chris, Dana, Paige, Gary, mom and I were able to join in the festivities. Dad really enjoyed the cards that everyone had sent to him. He also got several "happy birthday" phone calls while we were there. The care center had attached balloons to his wheelchair, so he drove in style! Hope you had a good birthday, dad!

Happy Father's Day

Today for Father's Day, Gary and I took lunch down to the care center to eat with Granddad. He has a big round table in his room, so we set it nicely and wheeled him over so that we could eat together. Afterwards, we ate a chocolate cream pie that I had made. That is his favorite. It was sugar free and fat free - except for the cream! I even let him eat two slices. I thought he should live it up on Father's Day! Afterwards, he opened up the cards that he had received. We visited for a while and then let him go back to bed to rest. We hope that you had a nice Father's Day, dad!

Let Me Entertain You!

Rachel, Amy and Kate put together a musical program and performed for Granddad at the care center for lunch. They worked very hard on it and did a fabulous job! They entertained the lunch crew for 30 minutes with a variety of numbers.

Rachel played the piano, violin and sang. Amy played the piano, sang with her sisters and also sang a solo. Kate played the piano by herself and then Emily played a duet with her. She also sang with the other girls. They performed with great confidence and didn't seem nervous at all!

We tried to prepared them for the "crowd" that they would be performing for and they didn't let anything rattle them! Granddad really enjoyed it and was so proud of his great-grandchildren.

I took care of Ryan while he played Kate's DS and ate snacks. He told me I couldn't play with him because it was too hard for me! He was probably right!

Afterwards, I rewarded the girls (and Ryan) with a trip to 31 Flavors for a treat of their choice. We had a great time and I was so proud of the girls. It was a good experience for all!