Ohio Trauntveins

Well, we made it. Things are going well in Ohio.! It rains a lot and the sun shines from time to time. They finally have the sod around our house, so now we can get to working on the yard and getting that all cleaned up. You all know how much we like doing that.

The children are adjusting well to the new surroundings. Life is different, for sure. Without the church, it would not be the same story. We met a nice family in the ward, the Powells, and they have two children, one boy and one girl. We also met a family, the Argyles, and they have children the same age as ours as well, but more of them.

Michael went from Elementary School to middle school and that has been a large adjustment for him. He has a lot of homework and 10 periods throughout the day, if you count lunch as one of those. He starts

school at 7:45 and is home by 2:30. We have not found a piano teacher for him, just yet. We are going

to wait until the summer traveling is over and then we will do that. Michael is one campout away from

earning his first class badge and will have that by the time he turns 12. We are planning to do his ordination in Utah on Sunday, June 12th. Location and details TBA.

Tyler is doing well in his first grade class. He has some friends at school, but he does not have anyone to play with in the neighborhood, except girls and when you are seven, they might as well be carrying the plague, because you know you aren't going anywhere near them if you are a boy. Tyler has a fun experience on May 5th, he gets to go to Cornell School, a Pioneer school in Johnstown where he gets

to take his lunch in a metal pail, wear period type clothing and if he is unfortunate, he can even sit in the corner with the dunce cap on his head. We have been trying to explain to him that sitting in the corner

with the cap is not a good thing.

Emily is Emily. Everyone loves her and everyone gathers wherever she is. She and Tyler both get to ride the bus home from school. They think that is the neatest thing since the invention of macaroni and

cheese. Tyler rides a shuttle bus from his school, to Emily's school and then they both ride Emily's bus

home. It takes them about 45 minutes to go the onemile distance, but they love it and Amy doesn't have

to fight traffic to get there and back. When you come to Johnstown the first time and see the main street,

you will understand that one.

Amy is still unpacking boxes. We don't have any paintings, or pictures hung and are still looking for a

couple of pieces of furniture and a bedroom set for the master bedroom. So, some things are a slow go.

Amy's parents already had a trip planned to come to Rochester with Brent's parents and his cousin long

before they knew we were going to move out here. So, they kept those plans and this Sunday will be the

official first family visitors to our new abode. Amy is trying to get things pulled together for that one as

well as running the top-shape ship she has always run. She is a tough one to beat--no bias there.:)

Todd's work is going well. This past week, there was a restructure of management alignment and now

Todd has over 70% of the New Albany technical staff reporting to him (30+ employees by the end of June). This is a good thing for the family and the reason for the change in location for the next few years. Todd took advantage of his proximity to Mel over the weekend and took Michael with him to Milford for Ben's ordination. It was nice to be back at Mel's home again and to spend a little time with her and the family. For reference, the drive can be accomplished in 10 1/2 hours if you go quickly and 13 hours if you take your time.

We like the surroundings and we are making do with the new location. We miss Utah and our family and friends we had there. We love you and welcome you to our home anytime you want to come. We will be out in June for a few weeks and then back again in September for Tyler's baptism.

Love,

Todd, Amy, Michael, Tyler and Emily

78 Weeping Willow Run Rd.

Johnstown, OH 43031

(740) 967-0756

Mass Boltons

Here is what is going on in our family:

Mikaela is doing well in First Grade. Her teachers, Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Kilkenny, love Mikaela. She has really excelled in her reading and writing and not a day goes by when she hasn't read her Mom several stories and written some of her own. She is currently collecting princess stories. Her new favorites are: Do Princesses Wear Hiking Boots? and Falling for Rapunzel. Auntie Kirsten and Whitney recommended the Falling for Rapunzel and Mikaela bought the book (she loved it so much), took it to school to share with her friends and school teachers, then was surprised to find it selling at the Scholastic Book Fair! She also loves outdoor recess. There are two PE teachers that have taken it upon themselves to teach gymnastics during recess. Mikaela goes to school with her hair in piggy tails or pony tails now that the weather is nice, so that she can do exercises on the outdoor balance beam. She will be turning eight this fall and she is so excited to be in Achievement Night for girls. She all ready goes most Tuesday nights because of her Mom's calling and can't wait to go because it is her turn for Activity Nights. She can be found outside after school, shooting hoops and playing tennis against the garage doors. She loves to be with people and is sad that most of her friends can't play after school.

Benjamin is turning twelve on the 25th of April. He will be ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood on the 1st of May. Hopefully this will all occur in our new Stake Center/Ward Building. We are only a month behind occupying this new building. Ben has completed all his requirements to become a Tenderfoot and is almost done with the requirements for Second Class. He has earned his purple belt inKarate and loves to practice is boj forms. (This is a long stick that they do defense with.) He also loves to sparring. He and Braden can be found wearing their sparring gear and practicing their forms. Ben is currently in the sixth grade and he plays the saxophone. He doesn't like to practice the saxophone. He wants to start a lacrosse league in Milford and is currently looking to petition the town's selectmen to see if this would be possible. He is finding out the current costs of running a lacrosse league and is putting together the information for the town's selectmen.

Braden has just completed his time as a Town's Person, in the Disney version of Cinderella. He was a

little disappointed that he couldn't be the King, but the eighth grader they chose for King, has a lot of

humor and portrayed the King very well. It was a fun musical condensed from the movie version, just for

Junior High Schools. Braden has completed several merit badges. Two of which he really enjoyed doing: skiing and house painting. He helped his Scoutmaster paint his newly renovated basement and learned how to ski at Waterville Valley, New Hampshire, with his Dad and troop. He loved the way that skiing felt that day, but was surprised at how sore his thighs were for the two days following the ski trip. Braden is on the honor roll in all his subjects, and he likes to test the teachers on their knowledge of random subjects. He has also earned his purple belt in Karate and can be found practicing with Ben (at Ben's insistence). Braden will be going on a field trip to Washington, D.C., in May with the eighth grade. He will be gone for a week. He is also going to be doing EFY at BYU in July. He was hoping that he would be able to stay with Siovhan, but she has decided to come home for the summer. (There are apartments that families can rent for the summer, across from where Siovhan currently lives.)

Siovhan is currently finishing finals at BYU. She has learned a lot about herself and others while she has lived away from home. She has extended her twilight savings time to include some daylight hours (those are when she must be in class). Her parents are worried that she will never be in bed during normal sleeping hours--her current sleeping schedule is like Ben's was when he was eight months old: not much

sleep at night, more sleep during the day. She has a car that she doesn't want to part with, and it will be

parked for several months at Grandma's and Grandpa's house. It is like leaving her baby with someone else for a long time. She will be coming home at the end of April and staying in Massachusetts until August. Her parents have promised that they will leave her with her siblings while they take a long weekend away from them all, and she can feel more like an adult. She says that she doesn't need that kind of test, she is perfectly happy to have them stay with the kids all summer long. We can't wait to have her home again.

Melanie is still acting as Young Women President. The current crisis is trying to get all the stuff together for the Young Women/Young Men Annual Garage Sale. We usually make around $1700 for all the youth to use in the camp programs. That is a good size amount of money to put toward camp. Our Bishop loves it, because it helps families to clean out their houses and also to support the youth. There

are currently thirty young women on the rolls in the Franklin Ward. This is the largest amount of Young

Women in the Hingham Stake. Melanie enjoys being with the Young Women. She hates having to remind them of their commitment to uphold the Standards of the Church. She loves working with her counselors. When she is not busy with family or ward responsibilities, she can be found running the hills in her neighborhood, doing yard work or spending time with some of her visiting teaching women. She loves to read and has several favorite books that she has completed this year. She reads about a book a week.

Howard has been in the country for past three months, an unusual thing for him. He is so busy with his current project, that he hasn't had time to travel. He is in the process of hiring an employee to help him with all of his work load. He and his boss have narrowed down to who they want to hire, but there are visa issues that they need to work out. His new employee will be taking some of the traveling work load from Howard, which will free him up to work from Massachusetts on some of his other projects. This saddens him, as he loves to travel and enjoys the frequent flier miles, but he realizes that a man can only do so much and be in so many places at one time. He has started the Tyco Golf League again and has enjoyed two wonderful golf games. He says that he was so happy to start that he couldn't keep his ball on the greens last week. He was overshooting the,holes. This week he was getting them to the right places on the greens, but couldn't sink the putts (usually his area of expertise). It will all work out fine—he just needs more green time. He has a wonderful new bike. He is wanting to get out on it and ride. He currently rides around fourteen miles per trip, but when Melanie was trying to help him inflate his tires, she didn't realize that they required a special pump and gage, and she deflated the tires. He had to go out and buy a new pump and tire gage. He currently has them set to the required 126 pounds psi/tire. He doesn't let Melanie help him anymore. Some wives don't know when too much help isn't a good thing.

The OLD Folks

It is my personal opinion (Myrna) that wheel chairs could be reinvented to do a better job. Dad has been glad that we didn’t paint the living room before his surgery because there are now paint chips all over the place where the chair has hit the woodwork. (LHT: And the door jambs, walls, doors and furniture.) However, he was able to go to church in the chair on Sunday, May 1, so that was good. I finally figured out how to open and close the thing (after Dad showed me how) so that it is not so difficult on me. I have been secretly blessing (“Stupid chair!”) the thing ever since I brought it home. He could use crutches but he is really not very good at using them. One point of pride: Dad is the athlete and I am not. I can use crutches, he cannot. He says it is because I can dance (or once could). 

If Dad tells you that the doctor told him he could put 20 percent of his weight on his foot, don’t believe him. It was the technician who put the cast on his foot. The doctor said: “No weight bearing!” In fact, he gave him quite a lecture about it and how a bone graft heals. So keep praying that it heals well.

I carried the old computer upstairs for Dad. I would have taken the new one up but it is far more complicated to move and I wasn’t certain I could get it back together correctly. Dad has been faithfully

working on his memories of his mission so that he can get you all a copy. He spends almost as much

time at the computer as I normally do. (LHT: I do my scout work over the telephone.)

Dad has moved, temporarily, into the pink bedroom because it has more room for the wheel chair, crutches and is easier for him to get to the bathroom. He gets sponge baths but can have his hair washed in the kitchen sink. We could wrap his leg with plastic and let him take a shower now but . . .

With David’s long-distance technical help, Julie and I moved the “black-box” for the dish upstairs to the pink bedroom so that Dad would have some company, besides me. We are using the little television that Shawn and Kimberly gave us for Christmas. Eric brought his DVD player and lots of DVDs for Dad to watch. Kirsten sent a book and all of you have been calling and keeping him company. Our new neighbor to the south, Ron Creer, has been to see Dad and so has Russ Bender. Julie has treated me like a shut-in (as well as Dad) and has brought food and, for two weeks, took over the babysitting.

One week, Jim and Eric blessed the sacrament for Dad and the next week Russ and Harold Ealey did.

(LHT: This week I will be teaching my priesthood lesson at church.) All in all, things have gone very well. Thanks to all of you (and I do mean all).

I am taking a month off from the temple. I do feel quite good about it. I did go on Saturday and was in

the youth center. While there, I took care of some children who are grandchildren of one of our fellow

temple workers (Barneys). The mother of the children turned out to be an old neighbor, McMann, who lived next door for a while. The grandparents were the Higgens. When I first started at the temple, she was one of the women who really helped me.

We didn’t get the potatoes planted, so don’t plan on a harvest of those for this year. I have put in a few

things, between rainstorms, and so there will be a few vegetables to enjoy.

All of you get the paper, so you know what I have been doing besides taking care of LHT and teaching

Primary.

LHT: Your mom has taken me for a few rides. We went up the canyon and have been to Mona to look at the new subdivisions and around Nephi. After we went to the doctor’s last week, she took me into Payson’s Wal-Mart. She got a motorized cart for me to ride around in the store. She said she couldn’t keep up with me, as usual. (I walk too fast for her and now I drive the cart too fast for her.)

Dad should get a walking cast on May 25. At least, if the bone graft is healing well, he may. He goes to the doctor that day. That cast will be on for another month or so.

LHT joke of the month.

Why is it that men know so much about the world and how it works but know so little about women?

It’s because Adam was asleep when Eve was created.

The Runnin' Utes, Ist Post

Runnin’ Utes

Sorina is 2-years old and full of energy. She is talking a lot and seems to be eager to learn about everything. Kimberly can understand most things she says. She calls both of her brothers “Dane”—mom likes to call them Dane 1 and Dane 2,

but no one else thinks that’s funny. Sorina also loves to watch Dora the Explorer and Blues Clues.

Toren is 6 and most of the way through his Kindergarten year. Mom is all ready for 1st Grade, as he gets a little bored after school. His friends have afternoon kindergarten and he has morning. He’s done well this year in soccer and the t-ball season is just beginning. He enjoys doing Cub Scout activities with his Mom’s Den and his brother’s Den. He built

his own boat for the rain-gutter regatta this year, and was disappointed that he could not race with the cub scouts (he had to wait until they were done, and only got to go once, can you imagine the devastation?). He cannot wait to be a Scout. Toren likes school, and likes to be dropped off and picked up on time (ask Dad, who picked him up late once). Toren also

watches some educational shows with Sorina, and is learning his numbers in Spanish.

Dane is 10 and just finishing up 4th grade. This has been a great year in school for Dane. He loves to go to school, loves his teacher and loves to read and do his math. He is really good about doing his homework. We have to work on spelling, as that is not his favorite. He is also in soccer this year and just starting baseball. He is also doing piano, with his first recital coming up in June. !Dane started Webelos in January and he will have his Webelos Badge in May. He took 2nd place in his pack’s Rain Gutter Regatta this last week (he was undefeated in the runs, but one other boy (who had lost once), had the fastest time after Dane’s dad helped the boy fix his sail). Dane has also been helping his Grandpa Wilson

build a new deck this past week. Dane is happy taking things apart or putting things together. Anything mom brings home that needs to be assembled, Dane puts it together (and he even reads the directions----sometimes).

Brigitta is 13 and just finishing up 7th grade. Wow, what a year. I think Mom had a harder time than she did making the adjustment and I know Dad has not had sleep since last September as he’s had to keep up with her in Algebra this year. Summer will be a nice and needful break. Brigitta plays the trombone this year and she beginning to enjoy herself. For

their Spring Concert she talked her teacher into playing “Happy Birthday” for her mom (the concert was on mom’s birthday). Her teacher even made her mom stand up to be recognized while the band played. Brigitta also played soccer this year and her piano recital is also in June. Brigitta is enjoying her second year in Young Women, and playing sports

like basketball and futsal with her mutual friends (although she complains that her Dad didn’t teach her to play basketball – maybe Aunt Julie can help her there).

Kimberly: I dropped my work hours per week to 30 starting in April and still my house is not clean! (It’s hard to type, Shawn is making lame “Shawn Jokes”.) !!!! I am the Wolf Den Leader currently. I combine with the Bear leader and none of our boys are active in Church, but they are starting to come out for Scouts. Baby steps. I really don’t seem to have

anything to tell about. I work, watch kids, clean, go to Church and read and watch a few late movies when I get the chance. I spend a lot of time running kids here and there. I have finally made it to those years where you think you will never get out of the van. Shawn reminds me that Brigitta will be able to drive in 3 years. Come to think of it, maybe I don’t

mind running kids around so much. 

Shawn is currently the Scoutmaster. I think it is less busy than Bishopric, at least on Sundays. Now he can tell you what he’s been up to. Shawn: I just presented at a national user group conference on expanding the usage of a software tool, I am trying to get scouts motivated and moving towards getting their Eagle award, I coach Toren’s soccer team, I try to attend the other kids soccer and baseball games and practices when they do not conflict with mutual or coaching, I am relearning algebra (and Brigitta and I were the only ones in her class to get a finance-type algebra question right last week) and am looking forward to geometry next year, and I read a story to Toren and Sorina most nights. I seem to always be

busy, stressed, but I really enjoy learning and doing things with the family. In fact, one of the things I like most about being scoutmaster is that I hope I will have it down somewhat by the time Dane and Toren are in (hoping that I get to stay in the calling for a few more years at least) – as the General Young Men’s Presidency said, in scouting and Young Men

you spell tenure “T-E-N-Y-E-A-R”. I am looking forward to going to Woodbadge this summer, except that it is the week of July 4th, and I was really concerned about missing visits with my brothers and sisters on the 4th.

Family: We’ve had our first campout to Moab already this year with Kimberly’s Family. The weather was slightly warm. The kids had a blast in the campground pool, three hours at the pool, two days in a row. We got to so some hiking around

Arches. The kids love Sand Dune Arch. Shawn was able to hike to Dark Angel with the adults (Kimberly and Grandma Nonie stayed with the kids) and he really enjoyed himself : no kids, slow wife or Scouts. It’s been a good 15 years since that has happened. We are planning on attending Woodbadge with Shawn this year as a family. The family camp is at

Camp Bartlett and goes Monday through Saturday in July. Then, two weeks later Shawn takes his group up to Loll. Dane is 10 and is heading to San Francisco in later September to attend a Navy Ship Reunion with Grandpa Wilson’s friends the Ed and MaryAnne Tostanoski (we had our reception at their house in San !Francisco). Toren is going to Disneyland, again, this fall with Kalii for her 5th birthday (she went with him on his 5th birthday).

We love you all.

Shawn, Kimberly, Brigitta, Dane, Toren, Sorina (and

Sophie and Joshie the cats, and Lady Frankie the Dog

[she has blue eyes, like old “Blue Eyes”]).

Dane and Brigitta’s Piano Recital

Thursday, June 2, 2005 at 7pm

Layton Library at 155 Wasatch Dr

Less than 1 hour

Baseball Schedules

TOREN MON/WED

MAY 9 !!!!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD

MAY 11 !!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD

MAY 16 !!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD

MAY 18 !!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!VAEVIEW FIELD 2

MAY 23 !!!!!!!!!!!7PM !!!!ADAMS/W FIELD

MAY 25 !!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD

JUNE 6 !!!!!!!!!!!!6PM !!!!ADAMS/E FIELD

JUNE 8 !!!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!VAEVIEW/ FIELD 2

JUNE 13 !!!!!!!!!!7PM !!!!ADAMS/W FIELD

JUNE 15 !!!!!!!!!!7PM !!!!ADAMS/CTR FIELD !!!!!!

!

DANE MON/WED

!MAY 9 !!!!!!!!!!!!!6:15PM ELLISON FIELD 2

MAY 11 !!!!!!!!!!!6:15PM WENDALL

MAY 16 !!!!!!!!!!!6:15PM ELLLISON FIELD 1

MAY 18 !!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!STARKEY !!

MAY 23 !!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!ELLISON FIELD 2

MAY 25 !!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!WENDALL

JUNE 1 !!!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!ELLISON FIELD 1

JUNE 6 !!!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!STARKEY

JUNE 8 !!!!!!!!!!!!5PM !!!!ELLISON 2

"siovhan.lorelle"

How we love to hear from our beloved grandchildren even if is only in short notes like the following:

Grammy--
 
I am planning on dropping off my car next Monday. I will leave it full of gas and leave a key with you. My mom said that she talked to you and informed you that you might need to go and start it up every few weeks or so, so that the battery doesn't die completely.  I'm bringing Heather down with me so that she can drive me back up to Provo. I am going to be staying with her so that she can drive me to the Airport--as you will have kids and Grandpa is going to be laid up. 
 
I love you and I will talk to you soon.  I will also get the information for the "Trauntvein Times" in soon. 
 
Love,
Siovhan

clothes make the man. naked people have little or no influence in society.                                            --mark twain--

I haven't forgotten you!

In answer to your question, Barbara, I am still here.


I think having a husband who has had foot surgery and is bed-bound must be as close to having a new baby in the house as you can get. He is, of course, grown-up about it all but I still have to get up two or three times a night to give him meds and he has to have help to do most everything. We got him a wheelchair on Saturday and that has helped us both. He just had the surgery on Wednesday. He must be off of his foot for at least three weeks, meaning that he can not put any pressure on it at all, so that the bones will grow and heal. It is not much fun for him and I am tired.

I hope all is still going well. Tell Erin that I found her necklace under the edge of the basket of flowers in the blue bedroom when I was dusting. I will send it soon. (Depending on whether I ever get to the post office when it is open.) Tell the little ones that we love them very much.

Take care. 

Love, Myrna

Were you there, Charlie?

When I was small and would seem to be bragging and stretching the truth, my grandmother would say: “Were you there, Charlie?”

My grandmother was born in 1894 so a lot of the stories and quotes she used were from a time two generations before I showed up on the scene. She told me that the saying came from an old radio program but she didn’t ever say which one. She said that the star of the show would tell impossible stories and, when questioned, would say: “Were you there, Charlie?”

I decided to look up the old saying after I ran across a story using it. It was a news story discussing the closure of the GM  Janesville, Wisconsin, plant as written By Charlie LeDuff and Danny Wilcox Frazier. The teaser for the article included the words: “Were you there Charlie?" 

It turns out that the saying was the creation of radio comic, Jack Pearl. In the show, the Baron Munchausen, Pearl’s creation, was a braggart whose wild anecdotes, uttered with a Jewish/”Mittle European” accent testified to his unlikely acts. The Baron character was loosely based on the real Baron Münchhausen, a teller of tall tales.

Karl Friedrich Hieronymus, Freiherr von Münchhausen, who lived in the 1700s, was known as Baron Münchausen in English. He was a German nobleman born in Bodenwerder and became famous for his tall tales.

The real Baron served in the Russian military and was a soldier in two campaigns against the Ottoman Turks. When he returned home, Münchhausen, according to contemporary reports, told some outrageously farfetched stories about his adventures. For example, the Baron's astounding feats included riding cannonballs, traveling to the Moon, and escaping from a swamp by pulling himself up by his own hair. In some versions, he reportedly said he had pulled himself up by his own bootstraps.

Pearl’s Baron always addressed skepticism with a catchphrase that once was as familiar to Americans as "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" is today. Uttered as: “Vas you dere, Sharlie?” The phrase translated to: "Were you there, Charlie?"

When the straight man (originally Ben Bard, but later Cliff Hall), expressed doubt about the story being told, the Baron replied: "Vass you dere, Sharlie?" His coined catch phrase soon became part of the national vocabulary.

Jack Pearl (Jack Perlman) was born on October 29, 1894, in New York City, and died on December 25, 1982.

He began his carrer as a vaudeville performer. He was then a star of early radio. Pearl made an easy transition from vaudeville to broadcasting when he introduced his character Baron Munchausen on The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air in 1932.  

All this searching began because of some political quotes I read in a news report where the “The Speaker’s Quote Book” by Roy B. Zuck, includes the following quote on Page 115 under the heading, Creation: “Joe and Charlie were arguing about Genesis 1:1. Joe said he believed the record of creation just as it was written. Charlie was an unbeliever, and went to great lengths in giving his own theory of how the world began and then how life developed from a primordial cell through reptiles, monkeys, and up to man. When he was all through, Joe looked at him and said, “Were you there, Charlie?” It was a good question. “Of course I wasn’t there,” he replied. Joe said, “Well, God was. He was the only one there and I’ll take the word of the Eyewitness rather than the guesses of those who rely on their own imagination.”

The same quote is used (no author is attributed at either source) by M.R. De Hann, on the radio program, “Our Daily Bread” on the show aired on April 9, 2000.

I suppose I am passing the saying along to another generation just as are the news reporters of today. We are using a quote that originated back in the 1930s on a radio show that most have all but forgotten. The other day, one of my little granddaughters told quite a tall tale. I asked her: “Were you there, Charlie?”

Erin and Donovin Visit

To Barbara:


I hope the little ones had as much fun here with me as I had having them here. They are great fun. Donovin is learning to talk really well and everyday he says some other new and wonderful thing. Of course, we all think that Erin is the little princess. Uncle Jim, in fact, calls her, “Erin Lenora Princess Trauntvein.”

We had the Howard cousins stay overnight on Wednesday so they could have fun together. The little girls: Alyssa, Megan, and Erin even shared one queen-sized bed. They said they slept well and had fun. They boys also camped out but Donovin gave up and slept with me because he wanted to “hold me.” So we slept on a regular-sized bed and the other boys slept on a queen Leonard got a bed to himself, poor boy.

In addition, on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, the Eric Trauntvein kids were here during the day. Just the two youngest, Maddilyn and A.J. Until evening. Then the other two boys and their mom came and picked them up. But they had fun riding bikes, playing on the swings, playing dolls and cars and just having fun. 

Bree did look better--healthier. So, for that matter, did David.  


Bree also said she was worried that the daycare you and David picked out was not clean. You can tell me if you think that is true. David says he thinks it is clean. If it weren’t then it couldn’t be licensed. The facility is inspected.

Give the little ones hugs and kisses. I do love them so very much. They make my heart happy. I hope they will have good and happy lives. I also hope that David and Bree have happy lives. I know that being a daddy makes David happy. Being a parent has always made me happy. For that matter, being a grandparent has always made me happy. I just love young people.


I am still working on being what I hope is a good parent and what I hope is a good grandma. I hope someday that I really do get it.

It is back to you, Grandma.


Love, M