Being a Grandma

I love being a grandma, I loved Trace, Maddie, and Nixon before they were ever born. Heck before I even knew they were a boy or a girl. I love that little girl Jenny has in her right now. I love being a Mom and enjoy having my kids around me. I miss their cute little arms around me. Miss chubby little hands in my hand. Miss cute puckered up kisses. Miss baths, good night songs, little kid laughs and even some of the things I thought I'd be so glad I didn't have to deal with any more. My grand kids have filled in the missing feeling for me. This last summer Trace and Maddie came and stayed at our house a few times and I love the time I get to spend with them. I'm glad they want to stay and they're not afraid to be without their parents. I hope all my grand children (the ones I know and the ones still to come) know how happy I am that they are mine.

Dear Nixon,

     To my one year old Grandson. I love you Nixon. I loved you before I knew you. Grandma loves your cute hands, the way you use your fingers so cute. I love your beautiful eyes. I love your little language, I'm sure you have important things to tell us. I love that you learned to walk so early and that you know how to go down the steps without getting hurt. I love that you love outside, and your Mom and your Dad. I love that you know how to make Gizmo run and hide. You make me happy that you always have big smiles for your Grandma. I love that you smell good! (mamma makes sure you do) I love to walk with you. (I think you look like a little monkey when you hold my hand and head out down the sidewalk.) I love to see you run wild in my yard. I love all of you , head to toe, inside and out.
     Nixon you make me happy. I hope that life is good to you, but if it's not I hope you know your the boss of yourself, you can do anything you put your mind to. I hope you are always happy. I hope your always good. I hope you have good friends and you always take care of them. I hope your strong. Strong enough to choose what you know is right. Strong enough to stand up for the underdog. Strong enough to make everyone feel important. Strong enough so you don't have to get even or have your pay back. You have been blessed to have people all around you who love you. Great Grandparents,Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, and cousins. Your Mom and Dad are good and they want what is best for you.
     You make me happy! Thank you for just being you and part of our family. You are loved.
     Love, Grandma LaDawna        

Whats going on in my bedroom?

So the other day I decided my head board gets lost up against my wall because it's almost the same color, so I added some stripes. This has been fun for me. I think it made tons of difference. I bought lamps last weekend. Having lamps has been something I have always wanted. (I think since I was a little girl.)

Last spring I painted my room and painted all the trim white instead of the stained trim it had been. I added the birds just for fun. I love my birds hanging out on top of the doors. They make me happy! Eric said "I don't understand it, but I know you like it." What a good husband.

Once I added the stripes I had another dilemma "what am I going to put over my bed?" Right after we went to sleep, in fact I might have fallen asleep for just a minute, I remembered the old trim that I'd been keeping (for over six years now) and knew they would be perfect. I sat straight up in bed and said " I know what I'm putting up there." That woke Eric up and he couldn't understand what the heck I was saying.

Needless to say I love my room!

Miss Tesa Marie

It is still amazing to me, the birth of a child. Some one you think of, dream of, pray for, and try to feel in the months leading up to their birth. Then when the time is right there they are with their own look, their own personality, their own little self.

Well Tesa Grandma loves you! I think you are beautiful, I think you are a gift to me and grandpa as well as your mom, dad, brother and sister. I think you are soft and patient. I am just getting to know you so as time goes by I hope we spend lots of time laughing loud, playing hard, and even being still. I hope I listen to your dreams and help you become everything you might want to be. I hope you'll always know that grandma loves you and thinks you can be whatever you want to be.

Christmas!

Christmas was so much fun and a event that I looked forward to all December, Every one was coming home, (all except Matt and Jenny and their family). I love spending time with my kids, love the noise of the house, love the banter that goes on between them. Love the laughter. Love the "remember" stories. Love my kids. Love that cute grandson Nixon that I don't see enough of. I've been so homesick for all of them.



Nick, Erica and Nixon helped me with the Nativity. Eric got the barn ready so we could have our Christmas story in the barn. It was cold, but nice to take a few minutes and remember what Christmas is all about. We are so blessed.

A New Grandson!

First of all I'm trying to play catch up so even though this old news I wanted to write my feelings down about the whole thing. Baby Nixon Grandma loves you! I loved you from the moment I knew you where on your way. Before I knew you where a boy or a girl. Now you are here I can't get enough of you. The night you were being born I hardly slept. When momma called and told us you were here I couldn't wait to get you in my arms. It wasn't very long after you were born grandma was at the hospital to snug you in her arms and cover you with kisses. Nixon you are so beautiful, just perfect! I never had a baby with much hair so of course I love your hair and can hardly believe how much you have.





This is one of grandpas favorite ways to hold a baby. That's how he would hold your momma when she was little like you. Grandpa thinks your pretty great too.

I love you grandson, I'm so glad you are mine.

I Loved This Vacation!

So Eric booked us a cruise just two and a half weeks before we needed to be there! This was so much fun. We were lucky enough to have Jessica and Steven go with us. It was so nice and warm and we did so many fun things. Zip lines, Kayaking, and one of my bucket list things, swim with the dolphins!!!! I got to hold on to him and he took me for a swim around the pool. Soooo much fun! We woke up to beautiful sunrises and could set out on our little deck any time we wanted.

Steve and Jessica roomed right next door so we had fun seeing them too.

Look how warm. This was truly a wonderful trip. I dream that I'm still there, I've never done that before. I wish everyone in my family could have gone. It was fun that Steven could speak Spanish. I'm kinda all over the place with my thoughts. We ate too much. (so good though) The best thing is spending all that time with my sweetheart. Eric and I had such a good time.

Happy Birthday to You!

My Dear Erica,
I hope this day has been filled with happiness and joy. I'm so grateful to have you as a daughter. Thank you for being such a good kid and for all your helpfulness. It has been so nice to have you as my oldest girl. Time goes by so fast, it seems like just a while ago we were following you around cheering at games and events. How I've loved being your mother. You make your dad and I so proud with the choices you make and the life that you are living. I'm so very happy about a new grand baby. I can't wait for you and Nick to feel and love all the things that go along with a baby. I have such wonderful memories of starting my family. You kids mean the world to your dad and me. I love you and hope all your birthdays are happy ones! Thank you for being so grateful I think it is one of your best qualities. You'll be such a good mommy.

Tis The Season

Twas the night before Christmas...

The twice baked potatoes, bacon water chestnuts, PJ elf, puzzles, and stories. A surprise phone call from Erica lets the kids know they are going to have a new niece or nephew. We have lots of fun, even if it seem like were missing someone all night.

Christmas morning, 7:30? It's about time. Tara gets to go first because she never gets to. Every one opens presents one at a time. The house is quiet and orderly. We have a wonderful Christmas, lots of love, lots of gratitude, just not lots of kids.

I'm so grateful for the birth of Christ, so grateful for what that means to me in my life. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good life.

Turkey Triathlon

Swimming!

Biking!

Running!

In the past few months Jen and Jessica have been getting ready to do the Turkey Triathlon, Steven thought it sounded like fun so pretty soon he was talking Jeremy into racing with him. Jeremy is in pretty good shape since he just finished cross-country. I was a little nervous about the swimming, I'm not sure how much swimming Steve or Jeremy had done. The race is eight lengths of the pool, a five mile bike ride, and running a mile and a half. Eric and I had so much fun watching the race and thought everyone did so good. Steven was only passed by one person and that was Jeremy. As Jeremy passed he thought he heard his brother call him a punk! When every thing was over Jeremy won over all and Steven came in third for the men, forth over all. (a girl beat him) I'm just saying. Jen and Jessica had a super race, I'm pretty proud of all of them.

TRICK or TREAT!

It was so fun to have Matt, Jenny, Trace, and Maddie come visit us for Halloween. They sure made cute Jack O' Lanterns! Trace even pick out pumpkins for his family, notice he has the big one. Trace drew his face and his dad helped carve it out.

I'm glad I have Jeremy home still. He'll carve pumpkins with me. Maddie's pumpkin is cute and little just like her. She even shared a few smarties with her Jack O' Lantern. She was pretty scared of the pumpkin guts.

Look at the cute dragon and dinosaur that showed up just in time to go Trick or Treating. It was so much fun to have my kids and grand kids home for Halloween.

Our Fall Weekend

Saturday afternoon during Conference we drove up Cedar Mountain to see what we could see while listening to words of wisdom from our leaders. Steven and Jessica had come to spend the weekend with us, so it was nice to get away and spend time with them. Cedar Mountain has always been one of my most favorite places, but as you know the last few years has been hard on the old gal. We still found her beauty as we drove her back roads we felt like we was visiting an old friend. Of course she is an old friend, for years we took children to her sturdy log. There it was again our trusty log. Soon we had perched Jessica up on it for the first time.

Our family picture has dwindled to just the three of us, Eric, me, and Jeremy.

Sunday between sessions we ran to the reservoir to cook our lunch, tin foil dinners. As you can see Kenni and Latara came home late on Saturdays to be with us. We had such a good time just spending some time together.

Cross Country

I'm so pleased with Jeremy. He has been running Cross Country for a couple of years now. I thought it would be fun to post a few pictures of him. This is from his race yesterday in LaVerkin. Jeremy came in eighth. Jeremy had a great race even though it was hot, right around a hundred degrees. Good job Bear! It was so fun to have Grandma Darrington, Aunt Maridee, cousins, and sisters there to watch.

Happy Fall

This is for you Erica. I love the way Fall and Halloween feels.

I Want you to Know

It's Sunday and I feel like I've been so blessed to feel my Heavenly Fathers spirit with me today. I know he loves us. I know that his son Jesus Christ loves us and died for us. I know that through him and by him we can be forgiven of things in our lives. I also know and have felt his healing power in my own personal life. I've felt his arm of strength when I'm not sure what to do, how to feel, or scared and disappointed. Always I know of his love for me, LaDawna. He knows all that I am good and bad, and that he still cheers for me to come unto him. My life is full of joy and happiness. First the blessing of a great man that loves me. If it wasn't for any other reason than that I would know that I had a loving Heavenly Father. My love and joy is multiplied with every baby I was able to have. With every new daughter and son that married into our family. Endless joy has been given to me as I've watch both a grandson and a granddaughter come into this world. This is for you I want you to know that I know these things with everything that I am. I hope each of you know in your hearts and minds that you have been blessed with that same love and strength.
With all my love always,
Mom

I love being a Grandma!

Trace spent the weekend with me! we had so much fun. It might be because Latara didn't stick around (Trace likes me more if Latara isn't around) Grandpa and I went to Saddie and Levi's Talk like a pirate party and took Trace with us. Trace makes me laugh he is so much fun. Right before he went home he wanted pictures of everyone pulling faces, so here we are.

Our Summer Project

So Eric and I have always said some day were going to do something with the sleep room or screen room which ever name you knew it by. To me it was the catch all for everything that didn't need to be inside, rakes, shovels, sleds, outside chairs, lawn food and other miscellaneous items. Really it is the little screen room out back that Eric's Grandma Pickering slept in during the summer. I'd looked at some windows but other than that we didn't have a clue as to where to begin. So one night I asked Royd what we needed, This was the beginning of a quick summer project. Royd was all over that. He had the tools, the know how and for that matter some of the building supplies. It turned out so nice. Now we have another place to put our family when they come home.

BEFORE

AFTER

I think it is so cute, when you sleep out there you feel like your sleeping out side only no bugs! Eric and I take our Sunday afternoon naps out there.

Royd was so much help and such a good sport, Thanks Royd I love it.

This will be so much cheaper!

So as everyone knows my hair is soooo gray. I'm too young to just let it go, so I've been at the Mercy of my hair stylist. First of all, I want you to know how much I love the girl that colors my hair, and she has always did it for a big discount. I go gray pretty fast and I stay gray for a long time because of the money thing. Well this last week I colored my hair by myself. Natalie was going to help me, but I put it off until she was back to work so I was on my own. I was thrilled when I purchased my hair color because it was about a forth of the cost of what I'd had to pay to have it done. I'm thinking this is going to be a bargain. Well that was before I started. The first dilemma was I found myself with one glove on and one glove off, thus one hand was stained a soft brown color that didn't match the other hand. Then I discovered my t shirt was covered with the same before noted brown color. Also the bathroom rug has a nice set of same color drips running through the middle of it. I found my hair darker than I had expected, but the color was even. As I inspected the new image looking back at me from my mirror I noticed I had little splatters of brown now decorating my bathroom walls, mirror and shower curtain. This had turned into an adventure. I'm not sure I was the winner.

Just a drink of water!

I love summer. I love being outside. I love my garden. I just wanted to remember this simple pleasure of summer. The other day while I was out with my friends, the flowers. I was so thirsty I looked down at that hose with all that water spilling out and thought why not? I don't know why I even had to think about it, maybe it's because we grow up and we see things like the water has to run through that rubber hose. Or maybe we've gotten where we just drink water from a bottle. Maybe all the water in our house has been filtered. What ever the case, I put the hose up to my mouth and felt the cool clean water rush past my lips, I loved it. No kidding I had forgotten the simple joy of drinking out of a hose. I said to myself as I brushed the excess water from my face with the back of my hand, "I'm not ever going to forget how much I love to drink out of the hose!"

Oh what do you do in the Summer time?

Summer while not over with is showing signs of coming to an end. I love summer and have enjoyed this summer as much or more than other summers. I loved spending time on the mountain with family and friends. I spent a Saturday afternoon at Ely watching the boys race. Loved having the kids home for the 24th of July. Shared a few days with my mother and all my sisters visiting Mom's brother and sisters. Then this last week Trace spent the week with us and we went to Veyo pool everyday. "That was pretty fun" as Trace would say.

Even though there is a story in every adventure I'll just keep it short. I do want to remember, how much love I feel for my kids, how much I love being part of my sisters and mothers life, how nice it is to know your Uncles and Aunts, the joy and nervousness I feel when watching my kids race, and the sound of Trace laughter echoing off the water. I dont want to forget that I'm blessed, that all this and more brings joy and happiness to my life.