500 days of Summer!! (Well, not that many, but who's counting?)

Ashley and the Boy!!!


My baby!! At 3 1/2 months



So serious, and adorable too!!

Aunt Allie can get him to smile!!

Little Sam's blessing day!
August 5, 2010

Brad and Lexi's wedding day! (The day before little Sam was blessed)

Mark and his little man on his blessing day!

Ashley's birthday celebration. Four generations!!

Sam's and my getaway trip in June to Big Bear and L.A.

Us on Big Bear Lake

Heather and her new husband, Wade with Z!
(married June 4th)

Allie's graduation day from Dental Hygiene School May 12, 2010

Tanner got to visit Taylor in the MTC for an hour, since he came home

1 1/2 weeks after Taylor left.

A very Happy Day! Tanner came home from Russia, April 27th!

Taylor in Birmingham, England - w/ his mission pres. and wife (the Ogdens)

Taylor in the MTC - he entered April 22, 2010

The day Taylor was set apart as a missionary (April 14th)

Taylor at his "Open House" before leaving for England.

The Greatest "Gig" on Earth!!!

LITTLE SAM! SAMBINO! SAMMY! BUBBY OR BUDDY! THAT'S OUR GUY! HE'S HERE! AND WE ARE ALL SMITTEN, IN LOVE, WHOOPED, WRAPPED AROUND HIS TEENY TINY FINGER!!!

DOUBLE CHIN AND ALL!!

LOOKS LIKE THE LATEST DANCE MOVE!

WE FINALLY GOT HIM TO OPEN HIS EYES A BIT!

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PIC! GRANDPA SAM WITH LITTLE SAM.

OOHHHHH!! LOVE THOSE CHEEKS!!!

Ok. My blogs are starting to read like my journal! I start out "cracking a joke" about how I really blew my goal of "writing everyday, or every week or -fill in the blank". Then describe in detail the reason or excuse for my neglect! Then swear I'll never do it again, as long as I live (or until next time!!)

And THEN . . . I get going on what reeeeealllly inspired or motivated me to pick it up again. By now, my hand is cramped, I am droopy eyed, and floppy headed, and my shoulders are in vice grips of pain!! And thus the cycle has begun again and I only get about half way done, or only a small part of what I really wanted to share, before I lose all feeling in my body and forget half of what I really wanted to share anyway, and quit!!

So what was it I wanted to say???? My shoulders are screaming at me-- hold on-- let me do some shoulder shrugging exercises --ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Much better. For the moment.



Ok, onward and forward.



Well, since the last time I wrote, (was it last year?? Nah, only a month or two ago!!) I found out my next grandbaby is going to be another boy!!! Yippee!!!
That is thrilling!!
I can't wait to be Grandma (or Grammy, or nana, or popey or got any good ideas??) to little Sam, Pacer, Dexter, Ahijah?????? (I know, I know, Ash, Ahijah is not in the running!! Even if it IS a family name and a bible one at that!!!).
Do you know what that means for me to be a grandma? Well, let me tell you . . . see I have a daughter, Ashley. She is married to Mark, and they did the business and now Ash has a baby inside her and. . . . ok. My lame attempt at a bit of humor. (It's late! ).
No but really - besides the fact that it automatically dates me, what it means to me is that the buck has passed! We will have successfully moved on or up the progression chart of life! We have stood up against the wall with a yardstick, and the mark has been made, and in review have grown an inch or two in this thing we call life!
I know this happened when Miles was born last December. But without him here with us as a constant reminder, it's a lot easier to pretend that we have not moved into the next realm of parenthood. But with this little guy!! Well, bring it on, is all I have to say!
I have mixed emotions about it all. My kids are grown up. My baby leaves for his mission in a month and 4 days. My second youngest will be home from his mission a couple of weeks after that. And who knows how long he will be at home with us? But honestly, grown kids at home is really like having roommates who don't pay their share, more than children (I'm not knocking it, just stating facts!)
But a baby??!! A little person?!!!! Wonderful, beautiful, needy, adorable baby!! And one that I don't have to get up with in the middle of the night, breastfeed, or discipline (too much!)! How awesome is that??? They take out all the worst parts of parenthood for grandparents and add a dose of spoiling and waala!- Paradise!!!
Yes, I am excited to pass the buck of parenthood to the next generation!! I will enjoy this new place to be! And Ashley and Mark, and all my other kids down the road when you are parents - if you see me chuckling under my breath once in awhile- don't be offended. Or annoyed. Or hurt. Remember the old saying - "I'm laughing WITH you, not AT you"!!
Nah. Just kidding. I'm laughing AT you!!! It's my way of saying, "Been there, done that!" "There is justice in this world!", "You really DON"T know everything"!!!
Going deeper, I'm also saying, "Stay with it!", "I understand!", "this too will pass, and then we will laugh together!!", and "I am so happy and proud of you"!

LIFE!! Onward and upward we climb! (Doesn't it just make you want to break into the "the circle of life" song from Lion King?)
Acuna Matata!!!

What?!! It is what it is!!

Ok, so two months later, I guess it's time to update!!! But where to start?

I can't really say I neglected my blog because I was too busy!! Although at times, that would be true. (Christmas etc).

I don't know- call it burn out, laziness, brain fart, you decide- I just couldn't get into it! Don't think that I didn't READ everyone else's!! I wasn't burned out on that!! I just couldn't be a contributor to the cause!! But I'm back!! I don't know for how long, but just know, that for now, I'm here!!

So what to uplift, inspire, entertain you with?????

Ahhhhh, forget it--- I'm just going to do an update!!!

Since my last blog---things that have made me happy!!!

1- Christmas!!! -get togethers, presents, family, and more family. And talking to my Tan man on Christmas night!!!

2- trip to San Diego! - family, sister in law, Paula's basketball team games, lovely beach!! Great times

3- New Year's Eve- Sue Sue's awesome New Year's party and Walkers' too!! Whoop whoop!!!

4- The biggy news: Tay gets his mission call - Birmingham, ENGLAND!!!! Leaves April 16th!!

5- Another big news for our fam - Sam is made bishop!

6-not big news, but had to add something about me (it is ALL about me, right???): I'm called to be "building scheduler"!!!! (I know!! You're jealous!!! Oh the power!!) At least I get to still be Laurel advisor!! Or at least I'd better, or the bishop will be sleeping on the couch!!!

7- Realize that Tan will miss Tay by about a week and a half!! (Not so great!)

8-Celebrated Aaron's 2-4 birthday (as well as surviving taking the MCAT!)

9-Miss Heather gets engaged!!

10-read a few good books during this time frame!!! (ex. 'Mr. Darcy's Daughters', 'Left to tell: [something to do with Rwandan genocide]', 'Saboteur', 'Life of Pi', etc. -that's all I can remember)

That's about all for now. Taylor getting ready for his mission is what we talk about most. We are all very excited for him and he is ecstatic!!! I'm jealous, actually!!! I sure hope we will be able to go over to get him when he's done!!! Woohoo!!! That's my dream!

Well, that's all for now.

2010 looks to be a great one if going by the first month!!!!