Showtime at 2008 Holiday Parade & Festival

Jenn's School Choir at 2008 Festival of Trees

Sake's Alive, Tyson's 5!

Wow! Can you believe it? Tyson, our first grandchild is 5 years old today. As you can tell by this picture he has a great sense of humor. He is a lovable boy who is a big help to his parents and a good big brother to Ryder and Kyler.

Tyson loves dinosaurs and knows enough about them that he corrects us when we pronounce their names wrong. He also is a friend to ants. When his Mom sees them on the floor he insists on feeding them instead of letting her get rid of them.

Tyson likes to play "Spy" with his Aunt Jenni. When Tyson comes for a visit they put "Spy" hats on their heads and creep around the house trying not to be detected by the rest of us. They usually create a special hideout in one of our closets that they stock with blankets, flashlights, and treats. This makes Ryder sad because he wants to be part of the fun, too. But Tyson and Jenn decided just last Sunday that Ryder could be included in their activity and made him a "Junior Spy." That made Ryder very happy.

You're definitely growing up Tyson! Happy Birthday!

Ryder, a too cute two-year-old!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday, dear Ryder,
'Cuz today you are two!

Ryder, our "Big-Blue-Eyed" grandson. He melts your heart with his expressive eyes and smile. Ryder idolizes his older brother, Tyson and wants to do everything that he does. He is growing up to be a big help to his parents and brothers, too. We love you Ryder!

Happy Birthday Jaime!

Jaime celebrates her birthday today and it is wonderful to have a daughter like her. She is in her second year of marriage to a marvelous companion, Nate DeFries. They live in San Francisco where Nate works for KPMG and Jaime works in marketing for Williams & Sonoma.

We keep in touch nearly daily with cell phones. It is great when they are able to come visit us, or when we make a visit to the Bay area. We look forward to spending some time with them during the upcoming holidays.

Jaime leads a busy life between work and teaching seminary for the high school students in her stake. She has always been an achiever, from playing T-ball with the boys in elementary school, to practicing hard to make varsity in volleyball, to studying hard in school and going to college on a scholarship, and to the excellence she tries to bring to everything. We love you, Jaime.

Fun with Activity Day Girls

Mom and Jenn dressed up for an Activity Day Girls party today. Jenn goes into Young Women's in about five months.

Isaac's Big Day!

Isaac, grandson #3, is one-year-old today! Happy Birthday, little bug. It's hard to believe that he was born a year ago and just one day after his Great-grandpa Mark passed away. Isaac was a few days late and probably wanted to wait around to see his Great-grandpa before coming to this earth.

Isaac's name is special too. Before his birth, Jessica and Bryce couldn't decide on a name. Great-grandma Chloe and I had a part in finalizing the choice. With Dad's passing I was in Utah helping with Mom (Great-grandma Chloe). With her dementia it's hard to have a conversation with her and she doesn't respond to too many things. I was feeding her lunch on Saturday, Oct. 20th, 2007 and telling her about her new great-grandson who was born the night before. I told her that Jess and Bryce weren't sure what to name him. I started rattling off the choices. When I mentioned the name, "Isaac", Mom's eyes lit up and she said, "That's a good name." I got so excited that I called Bryce immediately. Wouldn't you know that was the name they were leaning towards! I told them that that had to be his name since it was the only one Mom responded to excitedly. It still gives me goosebumps when I think about the experience.