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Monday, June 19, 2006

The Old Folks At Home

Well, this is the summer for babies! Dad and I are so thankful for the new additions coming to our family. We are also thankful for the ones who are already here. We enjoy our children and grandchildren. I may even get my new job right someday. I have decided that much of what the doctors had me do for all of you must have been the wrong thing. The new up-to-date doctors have all sorts of new ideas. For example, I used lots of sunlight to lower Billirubin (except for a couple who still needed the lights). Now they have decided that the sun really doesn’t work quickly enough. So I have revised my saying: “Now that grandma knows everything, nobody listens.” It now goes: “Now that grandma thinks she knows everything, nobody dares listen because she is
wrong.”

As you can see from her photos, Christene is a doll! We are glad she is healthy and growing. At her two-week check she had grown an inch and gained one pound.

Kirsten is still waiting, as of this writing.

What fun! I just remember that Eric went a full two weeks over due date and the doctors wouldn’t start me because he was transverse (sideways). They turned him just before delivery. At nine plus pounds, he was stuck. It has been a joke between Dad and me for years that, whenever we had a new baby, he would leave us at the hospital and go buy a new car. He has changed his tune. With the new grandchildren, he made a step up in the buying chain. He got a new trailer. It is a 29-foot long bunkhouse style. That means that, in addition to a bedroom, like our current trailer, it has a couch-bed, a table-bed, a bunk bed and a lower bed, beneath the bunk. He did this, he said, so that he will have room for his family (kids and grandkids, one family at a time, to go on a vacation with him). He used to tell me, when we had a new baby, that we now needed a bigger car. I guess this time, we needed a bigger trailer. I went with him trailer-looking but I left the dickering up to him. So now you know, Dad celebrates by buying things. Poor Rachel, she only got Grandpa to buy a new ride-on mower when she was born. We are paying for the beast (trailer) on the good old credit union payment plan. Dad tells me that it will not take the rest of my life (depending on how long I live) to pay for the new family addition.

Dad has good news to share. He got his hearing-aids (not for Father’s Day but just because). You can barely see them. There is a little thin line on the ear side and a tiny little aid on the back of theear. His ears fit closely to his head so they are barely noticeable. They are wonderful! I can actually talk to him in a normal voice and he can hear. It is so good!!!!! He is learning to adjust them. One adjustment filters out the background noise and he is learning where that works the best. The specialist who fit him said that the sooner you get help the better the hearing. Much of the hearing takes place in the brain and, if you have been without certain sounds, like “s” for a while, the harder it is for the brain to interpret that sound. So the sooner you get help the better the brain is able to decipher the sound.

I am still Myrna. Good and bad. Except, that I think I am becoming senile. When I need to be put in the rest home, remember that you all promised to take turns coming to read me children’s books. You can just read he same story over and over because I will not remember the beginning by the time you get to the end.

My Dad's Hands


Bedtime came, we were settling down,
 I was holding one of my lads.
 As I grasped him so tight, I saw a strange sight:
 My hands... they looked like my dad's!

I remember them well, those old gnarled hooks,
 there was always a cracked nail or two.
 And thanks to a hammer that strayed from its mark,
 his thumb was a beautiful blue!

My dad's hands.
They were rough, I remember, incredibly tough,
 as strong as a carpenter's vice.
 But holding a scared little boy at night,
 they seemed to me awfully nice!

The sight of those hands - how impressive it was
 in the eyes of his little boy.
 Other dads' hands were cleaner, it seemed
 (the effects of their office employ).

I gave little thought in my formative years
 of the reason for Dad's raspy mitts:
 The love in the toil, the dirt and the oil,
 rusty plumbing that gave those hands fits!

Father and son.
Thinking back, misty-eyed, and thinking ahead,
 when one day my time is done.
 The torch of love in my own wrinkled hands
 will pass on to the hands of my son.

I don't mind the bruises, the scars here and there
 or the hammer that just seemed to slip.
 I want most of all when my son takes my hand,
 to feel that love lies in the grip.

By David Kettler ~

The Runnin’ Utes

May, May, May.

What a month. Dane ended his baseball season early. He broke 2 fingers while up to bat. He still made it to 1st base ran to 2nd before someone else got out. He's now sporting a wonderful blue cast with red stripes.

Brigitta ended her 8th grade year. She officially starts high school at the end of the summer. I don't know that any of us are ready for that.

Dane had his Nifty-50 United States class program and Toren has his First Grade Opera. Both did an excellent job. They will finish up 5th and 1st grade at the end of June.

Sorina tells us, "just 1 minute, I'll be right back" quite often. I told her that she doesn't know what 1-minute means. Shawn says that he does. It's exactly 24 minutes. That's how long mom would take it the grocery store when she'd leave you all in the car “for just one minute.”

I know this is short, but we've missed all the deadlines and I've been at Girl's Camp or we've been taking care of sick or injured kids.

Poor Shawn he did his own meals today. He didn’t have such a great Father’s Day. Sorina has been sick-low grade fever, but needing to be held and fed by someone. He made this pudding cake and it was great, so was his chicken and his potatoes, he made them a bit different, so he’ll have to forward those recipes onto you as well. The chicken was the best he’s ever done. Sorina in her sick state ate quite a bit (as long as we put in her mouth—and she even ate quite a bit of the cake, which she never eats, only the frosting). He could be making 4 dishes for our annual Ward Dutch Oven dinner, as I signed him up for 2 and he signed himself up for 2 more. We didn’t communicate very well.

Next month you can look forward to braces, sick kids, sliced thumbs, piano recitals, and Girl's Camp and Father's Day updates...

Boston Baked Boltons

The month of May was such a busy month for the Boltons!

Howard was home all month, waiting for the Department of Homeland Security to interview him for his new Resident card. It was like Christmas, with a trip to the mailbox as soon as the Mail Person had been. Finally on the 25th, the interview came and went without too much of a hitch. (Just a long trip into Boston during rush hour.) Howard's company is spinning off the Health Care division, so we are watching stock prices and news of a name change.

Melanie was busy getting the house ready for six people from several Latin American countries to come for dinner. The yard work was started, the front porch and back deck were painted, miner repairs in the house were made, cleaning and wall washing accomplished. Then the big night came and so did a huge rainstorm that meant the all the outside work went un-noticed. Oh well, it was a good jump into the summer. Melanie also participated in a Feed the Need 5k race and took 2nd place in her age group category. Now the trick question is: how many women over 40 were racing? Melanie was impressed though, it was her best 5k time ever.

Howard and Melanie are Pa and Ma for the Stake Youth Pioneer Trek, which is occurring June 29, 30, July 1. We have to take care of ten youth, make their breakfasts, help them to set up and take down camp, encourage them to push the handcarts, etc. We have to dress inperiod style costumes, which means I have to make a pioneer dress for myself and modify shirts for the men. It should be interesting. We have to farm out two of the children to families that aren't going. There are fourteen Pa's and Ma's, with the majority coming from our ward.

Siovhan has a new job. She is almost done with Spring Semester and is looking forward to having a few hours a week where she doesn't HAVE to do anything. She has a new Bishopric and is trying to do well with her new Relief Society calling.

Braden is looking forward to the end of school. He was selected the Senior Patrol leader of Troop 112. He took care of planning and coordinating two huge camping trips in April and May. Both of them happened in rainy weather. He is going to go to the BSA Leadership
Training camp, the first full week of July. He then is flying out to Utah on the 10th and will be there until the 26th. He is so looking forward to seeing everyone.

Ben is taking electric guitar lessons. He is enjoying them. He is busy with his scouting and hanging out with his friends. He won't be coming to Utah this year, as he decided to stay and go to Scout camp. He hasn't helped out at his friend's new house this month. In fact, since he threw up in their house last time he was there, they haven't had him come to help again. Poor Ben. He received his certificate for his SAT tests during a televised session of the School Board Meeting in May. That was fun!

Mikaela had an exciting beginning to the month of May. She jumped up into the freezer door while it was open, and ended up getting a few stitches at our local emergency room. She was not really happy about it, but she did okay. She was very nervous when we had to go back and get the stitches out the following week. She still has a nasty scab, and it has been over a month. The cut was really deep. She is excited to have the summer off of school. She is nervous about starting at a new Elementary School next year, but we know that she will do well.

That's all for now folks!

Siovhan has plans on picking Braden up at the airport. They are still making plans as to what he is going to do the first day or two. He has EFY the 17th-22nd. He wants to go to Auntie's party and to do some 24th of July stuff. He is aware that Todd and family with be in Spanish Fork and would like to spend some time with Mike and Tyler as well. Let us know what your schedule is.

MR BRADEN BOLTON
Date: 10 JUL 06 – MONDAY; Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES 4592; Departure: BOSTON, 6:00 AM;
Arrival: WASHINGTON REAGAN,7:33 AM; Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES,1321; Departure: WASHINGTON REAGAN, 8:22 AM; Arrival: SALT LAKE CITY,12:23 PM

Returns home Date: 26 JUL 06, WEDNESDAY; Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES,1730; Departure: SALT LAKE CITY, 1:08 PM; Arrival: CHICAGO OHARE, 5:14 PM; Date: 26 JUL 06 - WEDNESDAY Flight : AMERICAN AIRLINES, 818; Departure: CHICAGO OHARE, 9:13 PM; Arrival: BOSTON,12:30 AM, 27; JUL 06, THURSDAY

Melanie

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