Tommy boy turns one year old

Is there anything cuter than a one year old?  We got to celebrate Tommy's first birthday with him on 11/12/14.  He is the most adorable little guy and we had such a fun evening with his family, an aunt and an uncle, both sets of grandparents and even a great-grandmother.  It was such a fun evening celebrating this little guy.  He wasn't shy about diving in and destroying his first birthday cake.  He practically ate his whole cake by himself.  Good thing we had another cake for everyone else.  I love his perfectly shaped bald head with just a wisp of blond hair coming in.  He is a friendly little guy and will come to us and let us play with him.  I love you little Tommy!

My mother dear turns 88

My Mom celebrated her 88th birthday last Sunday.  She is amazing in so many ways.  She is doing well (considering her age) and is getting along pretty well.  Her memory is giving her some challenges as well as her hearing, but she is trying to make the most of being alone and finding things to do.  Many, many thanks to my sisters and nieces who live close by and keep an eye on her.  I appreciate them including her in their family activities. We had a fun party and everyone shared a memory they had of her and one of her qualities.  That made her feel so good.  She said it gave her enough fuel to keep going!  I love my Mom and appreciate ALL that she has done for me over my life. 

Mitt Romney at BYU

Mitt and Ann Romney came to campus yesterday.  He gave an incredible talk and I'm so glad I could attend with Andy and Chelsea.  Here are some excerpts and a link to the entire talk on BYU TV.  He is such a polished speaker who is articulate, funny, motivating, inspiring and a great example.  If only he were our current President.  I can't help but think about what might have been.  Americans who didn't vote for him missed an opportunity to have a truly great leader take the reins of this country that we love.  

What if?

What if this sign were posted outside our church doors?  

 What if the people inside the church really thought this way?

  What if we stopped thinking about/looking for/talking about the shortcomings of others and just worked on our own weaknesses, mistakes, sins and shortcomings?

  What if?

 Our Savior's GRACE is there for us all no matter how imperfect, flawed, stained, unbelieving, angry, or beaten-down we are.

  There is a place for everyone and all are welcome.

"I don't care if you smoke, drink, abuse substances, are unchaste, wear pants to church, hate relief society, don't sustain church leaders,  don't have a testimony, have a weak testimony, wear tank tops, don't know if you believe Joseph Smith was a prophet, have had an abortion, don't love your husband, don't like being a mother, think women should have the priesthood, are LGBT, don't know if you believe in God, don't relate to Jesus Christ, don't want to go to the temple, wonder about polygamy--you belong here.  You belong here.  We need you and you need us." 

Rupert in the fall

We had a lovely weekend visit to Rupert on October 24 and 25.  I always love to return to my hometown in the fall for a visit. My wonderful sister Janet and her good husband Dave are such welcoming hosts.  We had such a great time.  There is just something about seeing all the farmers working hard to get their crops in and passing truck loads of sugar beets and Idaho spuds driving down the roads.  The smell in the air is often of the local sugar factory processing the sugar beets.  I just love the sights, smells and most of all the family associations and the walks down memory lane I experience when I visit Rupert.
Rick dropped me off at a freeway exit in Burley to meet Janet and he, Andy and Chelsea continued on to Boise to watch the BYU - Boise State game.  Not a fun experience for them.  I had a way better time hanging out with Jan and her great family.  We went over to the home where her son Nick and his family live and borrowed a bike for a Snake River trail bike ride.  I loved it!  It was a perfect day and fall leaves and sights of the river where enchanting.  My new knee did wonderful on our almost hour ride and I enjoyed that experience a lot.  We next went to see Nick and Tina's new home.  Nick has done an amazing job building their next new home.  It should be ready to move in to at the first of the year.  We then went over and visited another nephew's wife Susie and saw their new home.  It's beautiful!  Decorated to the 9s and just so warm and inviting.  Their darling girls Marley and Macey were adorable.  We then met Mom and Taylor who had just arrived from Logan and my sister Carol and her husband Robert for Mexican food in Burley.  Nick and Tina joined us for dinner.  We went back to Jan and Dave's and turned on the TV to check the score of the game.  No bueno.  Rick, Andy and Chelsea arrived in Rupert in the wee hours of the morning after watching the game.
Saturday morning we headed to the annual fall craft fair at Minico and looked around and bought a few items.  I ran into two high school friends and enjoyed visiting with them.  Afterwards we drove to Oakley to see Carol and Robert's home and their ranch.  Robert smoked a roast beef and Carol prepared a lovely lunch.  We visited Robert's dairy Disneyland and saw what it takes to milk 3,000 cows every day.  I loved seeing Carol and Robert in their home.  I'm so happy for them.
Andy and Chelsea spent the day studying, but towards evening, they had a few hours to take the bike ride along the Snake river and to visit with Nick and Tina when we returned the bike.  Nick's boys beat Andy in tether ball, so he had to have a rematch until he could beat them.  They are such great kids.  Chelsea and Andy were a good sports and let me drive them around to show them some of the important places in Rupert that hold special memories for me.  Jan prepared a lovely meal of two different soups and rolls and we spend the evening visiting with Dustin and his girls and Nick and Tina again. The peanut butter Reece's cookies were a hit as well.  I loved visiting my sisters and their families and enjoy each one of them so much.  They have a wonderful thing going on in the Magic Valley.
Sunday morning we got up and headed to Cache Valley to attend my nephew's mission farewell.  Elder Cameron J. will make a fine missionary and will serve in the Chicago IL Spanish speaking mission.  He gave a heart-felt talk and shared his testimony and love of friends and family.  I'm very proud of what a good young man he has become. My sister Lee and husband Mike prepared a tasty lunch afterwards for family and friends and it was so fun to be there to support their family and meet their new grandson.

We stopped in Ogden on the way back so Chelsea could see her Grandma who was in town from Las Vegas visiting family.  It was a busy weekend and we enjoyed spending time with Andy and Chelsea and seeing so many of our relatives along the way.