Summer highlights

Dave and I have been blessed with 3 wonderful, new grandbabies this year. Aiden joined Ben and Stacy's family in December, Penelope came to Ben and Chelly in May and Chloe came to Matt and Mandy in July. That gives us 9 fantastic grandchildren. It can be a zoo when they are all here, especially if Grandpa start chasing them all around the house.






Yes, Dave and I got to go see the amazing Paul McCartney. One of the greatest highlights of the summer. These are highlights that don't include new family members! I was an amazing night and we were so thrilled to be able to see Sir Paul perform. It was an emotional moment when he first took the stage. To actually see the man behind so many songs that have been the soundtrack of my life was rather emotional.

Lindy even came with us as she is one of the biggest Beatles fans I know.

One year

Lindy told me I need to blog about my great bonus gift today.

As I was eating from the last of a box of Mike and Ike's today I found 3 almond M&M's. What a bonus!

There, Lindy, I did it.

On to a more serious note

It's hard to believe that one year ago yesterday Dave and I moved into our new home. We love the house and the neighbors. We also love our new ward and all the new friends we have been blessed to make. It wasn't easy and still isn't easy but we are grateful for the change.

It's amazing that we only moved a mile or two from our old house but in terms of seeing old ward members and old friends we might has well have moved to a different state. If I don't see them at the grocery store the only contact I have is through facebook. I'm not blaming anyone because I'm just as bad as everyone else. I guess it's the out of side out of mind thinking.

We weren't able to sell our old home so we are renting it which has it's good points and it's not so good points. I won't go into that here.

It's been a very eventful year in our family. In December Ben and Stacy had baby Aiden. He is adorable and is just starting to crawl around on his own. He has blond hair and the most beautiful blue eyes you have ever seen on a little boy. He is the only Brown boy that has blue eyes.

In May Chelly and Benny had little Penelope. She has red hair and the most wonderful smile! She smiles with her whole body and she looks like she just can't contain all that joy. She is such a doll and I can't wait to see her personality develop. Saturday evening I cut Chelly's hair and Penelope just sat on the couch with Grandpa just chillin'. I wish I had taken a picture. Adeline loves her to distraction.

In June Matt and Mandy had little Chloe Jo. She is so sweet and so fun to cuddle and is just starting to fill out. She has the darkest hair of all our grandbabies so far. Ethan loves being a big brother and loves his little sister.

It's wonderful to see our family grow and nothing brings me more joy than to see my family all together having fun. We certainly aren't perfect but we do love each other and that is the important thing.

I am grateful that families are forever!

I'll post pictures when I get my laptop back from the shop. sigh.... I miss my laptop....

It's about time!

Firs of all, don't faint Lindy, I'm actually writing in my blog. It's been nearly a year. It won't be much of an accomplishment if I manage to blog a little more frequently then once every 11 months or so. We will see how I do.

It's been an interesting and eventful year. Dave and I built a new home in Magna so we basically moved from Magna to Magna. We love living in Magna and the feeling of community we have here. I love the people and how humble and caring they are. I can not tell you the grief we have put up with from people who ask us if we "still" live in Magna. They make it sound like something we should have grown out of. Oh well, we love it and it is where the Lord wants us right now.

When were making the decision to move we have the choice of moving either to Lehi or to stay in Magna and as we prayed and considered our options the Lord made it very clear to us that we were to be in Magna. We are starting to get a glimpse of some of the reasons we were to move to this part of Magna.

One of those reasons is that my mom can build a house just down the street from us. She has had a few health issues the past 6 months that has made her realize that she wants to live closer to her daughters. She is going to build a home in our subdivision and it will ease her mind and make it much easier for me to help her out or for her to help me out when I need it. My mom is an amazing lady and she has been a wonderful example for me all my life. I'm grateful to have her as my mother and I'm so grateful I can help her when she needs it.

Dave and I didn't sell our home, we are leasing it to a couple who want to buy it. The first couple lived there for about 4 months then he lost his job and they had to move out. We have just found another couple who will rent it to buy it in a couple of years. It's always an interesting project meeting with people and showing them the house. I'm trying to figure out what the difference is between the people who come to see it to rent to own versus those who came to look at it when it was on the market. When it was on the market all we heard were negative things about the home, some of them were valid and some were really dumb, but when we had people come and look to rent to own everyone just loved the house and wished they could move in. I'm wondering if it is because those who can't buy right now are grateful for any place that will give them the feeling of home ownership and those that are buying are looking to tear down a property because it's not "just right". We have also learned a lot about how to find out if someone is going to be a good tenant or not. If we can't check or verify references we don't rent.

We will be putting all of this to good use as Dave and I are going to buy my mom's home in Lehi from her so she doesn't have to worry about putting it on the market. We will then lease it to someone who wants to buy it. It will help her to not have to deal with the hassle of selling and she should only have to move once. I'm grateful we are in a position to do this for her.

What has been really interesting is my sibling's reaction to this. I'm not quite sure why it seemed to stir such a hornet's nest but it certainly did. I don't know of some were worried that Mom couldn't make the decision or if I am taking advantage of her or what exactly but it was kind of rocky there for awhile. I think we are all learning how to deal with Mom now that she is getting older. We didn't get to learn that with Dad because he went so quickly. I think we are all dealing as best as we can. I love my brothers and sister and I know we all only want what is right for Mom and we have different ideas of what that is.

I find it very interesting the lessons we can manage to keep learning in this life.

We had a new grandson added to the family on Dec 16th. Ben and Stacy had a little boy, Aiden Benjamin. He is a doll. Chelly and Benny are due with another little girl in May and Matt and Mandy are having a little girl in June. Our family is growing and I love each one of them and am so grateful for them and all their support.

I will keep trying to learn what the Lord is teaching me, especially as I see His hand in my life. If we had stayed in our old house there wouldn't have been the opportunity to buy my mom's house for her or to have her build a single level home near buy. We had no idea that this was going to be a need as quickly as it has and I'm grateful for a wonderful husband who listens and supports.