Christmas 2010--It's All About Kids

Carson's surgery

Carson had brain surgery this past week. I don't want to go into all of the details. For those who are interested, you can check out Amy's blog. I wanted to talk about something else. Last year, Amy had the opportunity to "retire" from teaching with a sweet deal. I was pretty nervous because of the tight teaching market and felt it would be awfully hard for her to get a job when she was ready to go back to work. Amy and Todd prayed about it and decided that taking the "golden handshake" was the right decision. As it turned out, it was a great decision. Amy could not have been there for Carson if she had been working. With all of the appointments before and the healing time after, not to mention the stress involved, she never would have been able to keep her job. I KNOW that the Lord's hand was in this whole thing, preparing things, arranging things, long before we were even aware anything was wrong. I KNOW that the Lord knows us and loves us. He will be in our lives guiding us if we let him.

Black Friday

This is a relatively new tradition, brought into the family from the Mortensen clan, that I just absolutely love. Amy and Todd spend a good portion of Thanksgiving day pouring over all of the ads, and I mean ALL of them. Sometime after they get the kids to bed, the lists begin; what to get at which store. They even prioritize which store to go to first. The next morning starts early, like 4:00AM. This is where I usually join in. Todd stays home with the kids, and Amy and I are off to shop. We divide and conquer, Amy shopping first while I stand in line, and then we switch places. This works wonderfully well. It is so much fun and we usually get some really great bargins. Sometime, after we've gotten the "hot deals", we slow down a little and take time out for donuts or muffins and juice. Then it's back to the task at hand. But I must confess, the best part of all is unloading the car, piling up all of the bags, and showing off all of our loot.

Utah snow

I went to Provo this weekend to spend some time with Todd, Kathy, and the kids. It was such a fun weekend, especially because I got to make a snowman and had a snowball fight, all in the kids back yard. We woke up to snow Sunday morning, and after church, we went outside for some fun. And of course, after getting freezing cold, we came inside for some delicious hot chocolate. Kathy bought a hot cocoa maker on Saturday and it really got a workout. It was great. I think I'm going to add one of those machines to my Christmas list!

Happy Halloween

Dad

This has been a hard post for me. Dad passed away very quickly and expectantly this past week. My dad and I didn't always have the best of relationships. When my parents got divorced while I was in late high school, my mom took it very hard. She coped by making us choose which parent to love. And of course, I chose mom. The next years were almost dad-less. I saw him a few times, but nothing meaningful. It wasn't until after I was married and had my kids that my dad became a part of our lives. I think he would be the first to admit he was a much better grandpa than he ever was a dad. I'm extremely grateful that the last few years have been much better for dad and me. I was finally able to understand that even though dad didn't say or show much affection, he loved me. Our last words together, even we didn't know they would be our last, were "I love you."

Some things I want to remember about dad:
*He loved spending time with Todd and Amy--there were countless fishing trips where he would patiently bate the hooks and take the fish off.
*He supported his grand kids--He came to baby blessings, ballet performances, and graduations. This is especially wonderful because it meant long drives to either Provo or Westminster.
*School was important to him--He encouraged his kids and grand kids to finish their educations. He was especially proud of Todd for not giving up, but finishing his degree.
*He was very generous--The fights we would have over who was going to pick up the check.
I love you, dad. You are missed very much.

Sailing

For my birthday, Todd, Kathy, Todd, and Amy gave me a two hour sailing lesson. We finally made it this last Saturday. Todd, Amy, Ann, and I drove to Redondo Beach to have this great experience. It was AWESOME!!! It really was a lesson, with our "skipper" teaching us all about how a sailboat works, the names for all of the sails, and how to make the boat go where you want it to go. We all got to spend time at the rudder and let me tell you, it's not as easy as it looks. It was an absolutely wonderful birthday present combining two of my favorite things...sun and surf. Thanks kids for a great time.

Conference weekend

I love General Conference. I love listening to all of the general authories, especially the prophet. I love listening to the MTC and the great music. I love the idea of watching church in my pj's. And I love having Amy, Todd, and the kids here for the weekend. This October was no exception. The talks were wonderful and full of great ideas to help us improve our lives. And the activites between sessions were lots of fun. Carson entered a lego competition, so we spent some time building a great castle. And then there were the crafts Amy and I worked on. OH, what fun!

Catalina

Ann and I have been talking about going to Catalina for a very long time. We finally made it! The weather was perfect and we played tourist, doing all of the things Catalina is known for: the glass bottom boat, a bus tour around the island and to the airport, a walk on the beach, and dinner at a great restaurant. We even saw several bison. But no flying fish. It was a great day spent with my best friend.

Tayson's Baptism

I have a hard time believing he's already eight and old enough to be baptized. It seems like only yesterday that we were swaddling Tayson and bouncing on an exercise ball to get him quiet. And now he is dressed in white, ready to make important promises to our Heavenly Father. I couldn't be prouder of him. Tayson's baptism was one of the most spiritual experiences that I have had. The spirit was so strong. I'm grateful that I was able to be there and join in the great weekend.

Washington DC and Todd

Washington DC has always been a special city for me. I love the history that it represents and the patriotism I feel when I visit there. Because Todd has been working there for a while and I didn't get to see him on my Utah trip this summer, I felt a great "pull" to go visit both DC and him. Let me just say two words: awe--some. What a great adventure we had. Highlights for me were a semiprivate tour of the Capital, new stamps in my passport, Mary Poppins, my iPhone tutorial, the firefly walk, and great food. But the best thing of all was my one on one time with Todd. I loved having him all to myself. He has grown into a most amazing man, not my little boy any more, and I am so proud of him. I love you Todd. Thanks for the wonderful memories.

Exausted!!!

I love a good day at the beach...and that's exactly what we had on Saturday. It stared out to be overcast, but by 11:30, we had a beautiful blue sky, warm sunshine, and a slight breeze. Todd and Amy met some friends and I got to tag along. It was great because the kids had friends to play with, so I just got to relax. That evening, Mark and Kris brought Grandma down for a cookout. All I can say is DELICIOUS. You know it is a success when the kids are tuckered out on the way home. What do you think? I'd say it was very successful!

30th Anniversary

I love these women. They have been friends for almost 40 years. And they have been members of book group for 30 years. It all started as a Relief Society mini-class and has continued ever since. For our 25th anniversary, we traveled to England to visit the land of Austen, Shakespeare, Dickens and so many others. It was an amazing adventure. Our 30th anniversary celebration was much simpler, but just as meaningful. We had dinner at Fran's home, a discussion of the book for the month, Mr Pip, and then we chose our top 10, all time favorite books. It was amazing how many of us chose the same books. As I said before, I love these women. We have shared our lives through childbirth, teenage turmoil, death of loved ones, and now we are grandmas together. These women are some of my greatest blessings.

Provo pool

While I was in Provo, the weather was perfect, so we headed for the pool. Megan (the nanny) and I took all four for the afternoon. We spent lots of time splashing around, floating in the "lazy river", and playing in the splash pad. It was great to spend time and have fun with Tayson, Luke, Claire, and Sophie.

Boating

One of the things that I enjoy while visiting Todd, Kathy, and the kids during the summer is that we almost always manage to get to go boating on Utah Lake. Rod and Sue, Kathy's parents are always willing to indulge me with a trip on the water. This year, Amy and the kids got to go along for some swimming, tubing, and some great sun. What fun.

The girls didn't want to tube...they just enjoyed the water and the fast boat ride.



The boys, on the other hand, had a great time on the tubes.

"The Birthdays"

For as long as I can remember, we have always had a party in Twin Falls the weekend around July 26th. Grandma and Grandpa Busby's birthdays were then as well as my dads. After Grandpa died a few years ago, dad insisted on changing the name to a family reunion, but it still is "the birthdays" for most of us. This year, with dad's health issues, it was a bitter-sweet time. It was great to spend time with my family, but it was awfully hard to watch dad struggle so with his physical health. We did get some great pictures of dad with the four of us and also with his great-grandkids.

Frustrated Farmer

Today was a great day, for a farmer, that is. I have always enjoyed having a garden, even though some years it hasn't been too successful. This year has been pretty good. I started the day by watching the bees pollinate a couple of pumpkins. I'm excited to have some home grown pumpkins for Halloween. Next, I picked enough green beans for a batch for the canner. After that, my peach tree needed attention with several peaches ready to harvest.
By noon, I had 7 pints of green beans and 7 pints of peaches canned and ready to go on the shelves. Tomorrow, I plan on making jam and a pie from my boysenberry bushes. I love the feeling of accomplishment I get when I see my cupboard full of food that I grew. But I'm also very grateful that there is a Von's nearby and that my whole survival doesn't rely on my success as a farmer. It takes the stress out and makes this whole experience fun.

Happy Birthday America

We have celebrated the 4th of July many different ways: the ward pancake breakfast, the HB parade, a bar-b-que in the back yard, fireworks at the high school, or fireworks at the marine base. We even went to the Stadium of Fire at BYU one year. This year, the 4th was on Sunday, so most of the usual activities were out. Instead, we had dinner at Amy and Todds and then join in the neighborhood celebration of fireworks on the street. I must say, their neighbors really go all out and it turned out to be a pretty good show.

Wild Rivers

Carson wanted to go to Wild Rivers for his birthday this year. I think we probably went on the coldest day of the summer! Granted, it was early summer, but Burrrrr...it was freezing. We actually spent a lot of time warming up in the "hot tubs". The kids did have a fun time in the kid section going down the slides and playing in the pools.