I give up! I guess I am the only one who wants a newsletter this month. I have no submissions, other than the one I am doing. I will send it out as I have it prepared and you can all e-mail your responses. Then I can add them, or not, depending on what you all do. However, there is only a week left of July and the deadlines have come and gone and the reminders have been ignored. Some of you think we should do this every other month, but that would just mean that I would have to nag you every other month instead of every month as I now do. Then you would want to do this once every two months and then, not at all. I want to do this; I think it is a way to keep the family close since we are all so spread out. We love each other and it is nice to know what each person is doing. Some families have no idea where their cousins are or how they are. They would not know if a family member died. I do not want that to happen to our family. I want the cousins to be friends even in their old age. My grandmother (Smith) was still in contact with her cousins and siblings when she died. Grandpa Pitts was a great one for keeping in touch. We should take a note from them and do the same.
Since June, I have had the great privilege of taking care of a couple of moms, new babies and families. Julie, as you all know, went term with little Christene. Little Mary loves her baby sister and is not overly mothering but is happy to be helpful. Christene is a good baby, most of the time, and Julie is often able to get more than two hours sleep at a stretch. Julie had the great honor (?) of having both a mother-in-law and a mother move into her threebedroom home to stay for a couple of weeks. Then, oddly enough, both of us left to take care of daughters who were living in (or near) Colorado Springs and both of whom had babies.
Kirsten went into labor the first day of her move to her first house. After working all day, we went out to eat. She was sitting at the table and said she must be having Braxton Hicks contractions. I felt her tummy and told her they were real. Later that night she went to the hospital and gave birth to little Ryan during the early morning hours. Do not worry about his cleft lip. It will be repaired when he is approximately three-months old or is the right body weight. He will not have mental disability problems and his teeth and pallet are not involved so it will be an easier repair and he will be normal and will look great. (I already think he does look great! He is a handsome little fellow and has a sweet personality.) We got Kirsten completely moved, unpacked, all the boxes thrown away, and everything (except pictures) put away. She finally got her dryer installed the day I left so she had to do the laundry by herself. Her house is now livable and the family is enjoying it. I got to go the Air Force Academy in Colorado for the fireworks on the Fourth. It was fun. You have to have a card to get in so Jared’s and Kirsten’s friend took us in. Some of you did the parade in Provo (along with Grandpa) and the fireworks in Nephi.
Braden has been to visit and will be back for a few more days. He is a lot of fun. He has grown into a great guy and is helpful and thoughtful. It is nice to see him developing the traits that will make him a good missionary. AnnMarie took him to Seven Peaks and he lost the hair on one side of his leg because he brushed against the side of the tubing slot. It is quite funny looking because he has hairy legs and now has a bald spot on one.
Todd has been here and we have had a fun camping trip where many of you were able to come and spend a couple of days at our canyon. Except for a couple of bites here and there, everyone had a great time. Todd is now back in Ohio working and his family, this week, are on a camping trip with the Gordons. It is Amy and her mother’s birthday week so they are having fun celebrating. They spent time with our family before I got here and compensated by coming back and spending a couple of days and nights with us here at our home after Todd was gone.
We all joined together (Braden, Shawn and family, Todd and family, AnnMarie and family, Dad and I, and Jim’s brother in Utah and his family, two of his sisters and his Mom, Dad and Grandma Jones) for Christene’s blessing. We had a big meal at Julie’s house afterward. It was good weather and we put up those outdoor tent-like gazebos and ate outside. It was great fun. We also had an indoor barbeque at
AnnMarie’s house while Todd was here.
It was much too hot outside. Braden and Siovhan were there. Siovhan says her class is over and now she is just working all the time—up to 11 hours a day. Dad and Jim took on a project while I was with Kirsten. They tore out the rock wall, rebuilt it and started putting in the sprinkler system Todd got in a couple ofdays work and Jim hired his summer helper to also work on the project. It has been three weeks and is “just nearly” done but not done. They would pick the hottest time of the year to do the work. We have had 100-plus temperatures forndays.
We spent the first time in our new trailer while Todd was here and (except for Dad who was trying to kill himself with work) found it to be an excellent purchase. We hope we can all enjoy it at our family camp on Labor Day weekend. That is also the time of Bree’s and Jason’s birthday (Sept. 5) so they can
use a little party.
Julie is in Idaho this week. She and Jim and girls went to help Dad Jones with a concrete-laying project and will be gone for several days.
AnnMarie has been working for Jared Eldridge and has put in a long threedays. She actually did two courts the same day and at the same time. It required a lot of running back and forth. Jared is on vacation and AnnMarie and Brandon get to go on an Idaho/Utah based vacation next week.
The Ute Stampede has come and gone. I have mixed feelings about it. I like the rodeo but I get a little tired of always being the newspaper rep. Heath and Rebecca did do the photos on Thursday night and Braden, Todd, Michael, Tyler, Emily, LHT, Grandpa Gordon and I got to go to the rodeo as regular folk. A bunch of us, including AnnMarie and kids, Julie and kids, and Amy J., and kids, Todd and kids and Grandpa Gordon went to the horse parade. Then Julie and girls, Braden and I went to the Mammoth Parade.
Uncle Charles and Aunt Merle Edwards came for the rodeo. Dad walked past them on Thursday night and then came and got me. We had a short and noisy visit (they weren’t noisy, the rodeo was) and then they came to the house for a visit on Friday morning. It was so good to see them. They miss Grandpa Pitts also. They stayed up the canyon in their trailer. Uncle Charles is volunteering as a dentist for those who need help but can’t afford it.
I have not seen my sweet little Erin and my good little boy Donovin since the week of Donovin’s birthday. They stayed with us then for a few days that week. I miss getting to see them as often as I once did. Grandma Barbara says that they are healthy and well and are happy. “We are doing OK, and the little kids are doing great,” she said. “Let me know exactly what is happening for the camping trip over Labor Day. That is Bree’s birthday also, so we are trying to decide how we want to make the trip. So, how many days, how much for the camp spot and the exact dates? I am going to try to rent a camper for the trip. Myrna, please email me with the family plans.”
Shawn and Dane have been on scout camp. Now, this week, they are going to family camp where Shawn earned his Woodbadge last year. They wanted to go to Kirsten’s for Ryan’s blessing on Aug.
5 but will not get home in time. Todd and his family and Dad and I will be going. Todd and Michael have also been on a scout camp. Brigitta spent a week with Kim’s birth mother and her half-brother in California. It was a new experience for her. Eric and Amy did have a visit, with family, to Colorado to Amy’s Great-Grandmother’s home. The rest of the time they have been putting in long hours at work and the kids have, while I was gone, been at a sitters. Now that Alyssa is 12-years old, she can baby-sit her family but Jason is not year old enough to do that. I think, however, that they were all glad to see me. Kimberly, Melanie, AnnMarie and Kirsten all had the good-fortune to spend time at girl’s camp. I remember those days when that was my summer fun. Most of the guys spent time with Scouts and Scout camp one way or the other. Shawn and Todd as scoutmasters.
I made a bunch of baby blankets and delivered most of them. Hey, I think if I keep practicing I may actually get good at it, or not. I am still working on a couple. I am hoping that all of you Utah kids will be at Auntie Helen’s family reunion “Christmas in July.” David and Bree said they were planning on coming. Jim and Julie were planning to be there but now they will be helping in Idaho so they will not make it. I wish there were some way, other than having someone die, to get us all together at one time. That is why I like the newsletter—it makes us all take a moment to let others know what we are doing and that we still remember each other.
When your parents die, the only people who know where you are coming from are your siblings. Try to stay close!
Mona is having their fireworks on July 22 to celebrate Pioneer Day. We hope to see those. They actually have better fireworks there than the Air Force. It isno wonder that folks come from miles around just to see them. Nephi fireworks fans, don’t tell Nephi city fathers, but the Mona ones are better. They even broadcast via loudspeaker, the music designed by Jason Gibson. Season five of the new pageant in Nephi, the Mormon Handcart Pageant, will be held July 26 through 29 at the county fairgrounds. This is the 150th year since the handcarts ran into trouble in Wyoming. That occurred in 1856 when the Martin and Willie Handcart companies were hit hard by winter storms.
Following that is the county fair. Keeps us all busy, I suppose, and maybe it might work to bring enough revenue into Nephi that our property taxes can be lower. (I am still giggling over that one.) All this activity does keep AnnMarie busy, she sees all the unsavory people who come to town.
Dad and I love each and every one of you. We love our sweet grandchildren and think that each one of them is a gift from Heaven. We also love you.
Mom and Dad
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