Halloween

We had a very busy Halloween season. We took the kids to the corn maze and pumpkin patch, we had Halloween parties, school parties, trick or treating at the mall and around our neighborhood and John and I even went to a haunted house!

This year for Halloween Whitney chose to be a Monarch Butterfly and Caysen wanted to be Thomas The Train. The kids kept me busy. I went to Caysen's class to watch him learn how to Trick or' Treat, exchange candy and go on a "Bear Hunt". Caysen loves to go on a bear hunt. They listen to a story and do actions to what is being told in the story. It was fun to watch. We went to Whitney's school to watch the Halloween parade. It was fun to see all the different costumes. I helped out with Whitney's class Halloween party. We decorated the room spooky and had a smoke machine. Then we decorated cookies, played spooky BINGO, ghost bowling and had a coloring activity. When John got home from work we met my friend Kori at the mall and we let the kids trick or treat at the mall. They got a lot of candy but that didn't even make a dent compared to all the candy they were about to get. After the mall we went trick or treating around our neighborhood on our 4 wheeler. The kids loved it and so did I because I didn't have to walk. It was great because we could get around to the houses faster and all I had to do was sit and drive.

Autumn

I love this time of year! The weather is perfect. Being in St. George where you have a lot of heat in the summer this time of year feels great! Not only do I love the weather but I love living out in the fields where you can see all the farmland growing corn, hay and cattle feed. I love seeing the yellow butterflies flying around and I love taking pictures this time of year. It has become a tradition to go to the pumpkin patch and take family pictures then go to the corn maze at staheli farm. The kids look forward to this tradition. They love going to the farm to ride the tractor, go on the cow train, play on the playground, go to the pumpkin patch and get a bite to eat.

Update

We found Mr. Jingles! I was eating lunch at Five Guys when my cell phone rang. It was a man saying that he found Mr. Jingles and he was not in good shape. I asked if he was alive. He said yes, he is very much alive and biting everyone's toes! He said that his 11 year old daughter and her friend were playing at the park and they heard a kitten crying. The investigated and followed the cry. He was in the mud by the river. He was coughing aand did'nt look too good. She took him home and gave him 2 baths. One with flea and tick remover and one with shampoo. She got him all washed up and insisted on keeping him. She went and bought him toys and a litter box. He said he had to figure out a way to tell his daughter that Jingles has a home. I hesitated for a moment about just letting her keep him and just let Whitney think that he was never found but it broke my heart every time she cried for him. When Whitney got home from school I told her I had a surprise. She said where is it? I told her it was not here yet but that she was going to be sooooo happy! She asked if I found Jingles? I told her I did and she said lets go get him. The guy who called said he had to work but that he would drop him off later. Shortly after he brought Jingles back home. He said he told his daughter and she said the right thing to do was to give him back to the rightful owner. He said she proved the she can take care of a kitten and he is going to get her another one. I'm so glad that I made those flyers and posted them and Jingles was found in only 2 days! I reminded Whitney that God does answer prayers :)

Lost Kitty

Yesterday at about 4:30 Whitney and I crossed the street to go to our neighbors house and Jingles followed us over. We left him out on their front door step. I visited with my friend for about an hour and when I left her house I did not see Jingles. I figured he went back home but when I got home I did'nt see him anywhere. A storm was starting to come so I figured he would run home for shelter or go find shelter. At 8:00pm it was raining and he was still not home. Whitney was sad. I told her it was time for bed. She said she could not sleep because she was too sad. I told her we could say a prayer to help us find Jingles. She said that prayers don't always work. I reminded her that whe nThor was lost I said a prayer and we found him so we said a prayer together. At 9:00pm I went looking for Jingles out in the rain. I went up and down the street calling for him but I could not find him. I left the garage open a little for him in case he came home. This morning he was still no where to be found. I spent 2 hours today making flyers and posting them around the neighborhood. I think some one found him and thought he was a stray kitten and took him into their home. All we can do now is wait!

Camping at Lake Mead

Every year we go to the Tige' boat part party at Lake Mead for all the Tige' boat owners. This year we decided to spend the weekend and camp out. I invited Shaunna and her kids to come and John invited his friends Sam and Ty. Ty also brought some buddies of his. Of course Jingles our new kitten came too because I just got him right before we left and Whitney was so excited and wanted to bring him along. We got there Friday night and set up camp. The boys got up early Saturday morning so they could get in a good wake boarding session. They came and picked up us girls and the kids after breakfast and we spent the entire day on the lake. We took turns riding the tube and wake boarding at the same time so we could get some awesome pictures from the tube. I put on my water skies for the first time this year. The water was perfect and it made for the best water skiing ever! We set up a spot on the beach so the kids could play in the sand and water and we had lunch. After a long day on the water we went back to camp and made hot dogs for dinner and roasted marshmellows over the grill because fires were not allowed.

New Family Addition

Welcome to the family jingles! Whitney has been begging me for almost 2 years for a kitten. Not just a kitten but an orange one that looks like her "Amber kitty" (beanie baby). I went to petco today to get dog food before heading out of town to go camping at Lake Mead. They were having a pet adoption. I spotted a little orange kitten right off the bat. I made the mistake of stopping to not only look but hold this kitten. He immediately stared purring and nestled right up on my shoulder and in my hair. I was there for at least 2 hours debating weather or not to get the kitten. Needless to say I brought it home without John's permission or Whitney knowing. When she came home from school she was holding her "Amber" and said she took Amber to show and tell. I said, "don't you wish you had a real Amber"? Just as I finished my sentence Whitney saw the kitten sitting on the kitchen counter. She said "kitty! Is it mine? Hello kitty. He's so cute momma!" Then she showed her Amber to the kitten and said, "look here is a friend! Whats his name?" I told her he is her kitty and she can name him whatever she wants. She chose Jingles! We had plans to go camping that day and I did not want to leave the new kitten home alone with Thor so we took Jingles camping with us.

Goodbye Grandpa

I did'nt even have time to mourn the loss of my grandma before losing my grandpa a week later. Now I have to grieve for both of them. My poor mother, I can't even imagine the pain of losing both parents at the same time. Atleast they are together again right? This is the letter I wrote to my grandpa and read at his funeral.

Grandpa,
I can’t believe we are doing this all over again. Maybe it was because of your love for grandma and the need that you felt to take care of her or maybe it was because grandma was always so dependant on you and she needed you to be with her so she came and got you. The only thing that matters is that you are together again and you have reunited with your son Rory whom you loved so much and talked about all the time.
I remember the stories that you would tell me about Rory. After Whitney was born you hid a Lullaby CD under my pillow. You said it reminded you of Rory.
You were always sneaky, my fondest memory of you was when I was a little girl and every time you would come to visit you would sneak into my bedroom and move things around to be silly. You were also sneaky about slipping money into my hand. For some reason you felt you had to pay for my gas to come visit you.
You loved going for walks and you would look for treasures along the way. If you found any toys you would give them to me or Courtney. I also remember that you would keep the prizes from the cereal boxes and give them to us.
You loved working in the yard. Maybe that is where my mom gets it from. You always had a beautifully landscaped yard that was well manicured. You had a beautiful rock collection in your garden from all the rocks you collected from Quartzite. I remember the year that we went to Quartzite for Christmas and I helped you find rocks. Sometimes you made creations out of the rocks.
I will never forget the time that you were babysitting Courtney and I while my mom and dad were on vacation. I’m not sure where grandma was but I had to go to school and of course I had to have my hair done so I looked pretty. At the time I had bangs and my mom would curl them. I didn’t know how to use a curling iron so I asked you to curl my bangs. You of course did not know how to use a curling iron either but you attempted to do your best. Unfortunately, you burned my forehead and I went to school with silly looking hair.
I remember when I turned 16 and I just got my drivers license. I was driving you home from somewhere and my driving skills scared you because you said I was driving too fast. You reminded me of this moment several times throughout the years.
I would have to say one of my best most recent memories of you happened 3 years ago when you and grandma came to my house to visit for Whitney’s 4th birthday. After the party we went swimming. You didn’t have any swim trunks with you so you borrowed some of John’s high fashion board shorts. You looked so cute and “in-style” sporting around in those swim trunks and showing off your diving skills. I think you caught us all by surprise when you literally dove into the deep end at the age of 86 years old. I was even lucky enough to catch it on camera.
You came back to visit 4 months later for the blessing of my son. That was one of the moments that I will cherish forever. I was so blessed that you were able to take part in the circle to give my son a blessing. It meant the world to me to have you there!
I also have a lot of memories of your truck. Just little things like the rides we would go on to get ice cream or go ride on the big hills in the Avenues. Your homemade camper, watching the truck pull up in front of my parent’s house as I anticipated your arrival, the time you sold it and my mom fought to get it back, which she did. She gave it to John to use for work. We have your truck and camper stored at our shop. She told us we cannot get rid of your homemade camper until she dies because it will be too hard on her. She must have many great memories as well.
My mother loved her “daddy” so much! She always talked very highly about you. She adored you and loved your funny personality and sense of humor. She was definitely a “daddy’s girl”. I don’t think you could have asked for a better daughter. You made the right decision by giving her your power of attorney. She did everything in her power to give you the proper care you needed in your final days; Even though that proper care came with a price tag. It’s a good thing that you thought you were staying at a hotel that the phone company was paying for.
Unfortunately because of grandma’s behavior she was not able to live with you at Brighton Gardens. After a long 2 years you can finally be together again unless grandma gets kicked out of heaven for her behavior.
Even though grandma was difficult to live with you still stood by her side and took care of her. You have always been so caring and passionate towards others. You didn’t have a mean bone in your body.
You looked forward to grandma going on her trips so that you had some time alone without her nagging at you and you could actually go visit your brother and sister.
You had an amazing sense of humor and personality all the way up until the day you died. I remember the last time we came to visit you at Brighton gardens you were sitting in your wheelchair and you used your foot to grab Whitney’s foot and pulled her shoe off. This was a game you played with her. You were such a joy to be around.
I’m glad your two year battle with dementia has come to an end. It was so hard to see your confusion between me and Whitney. Every time you saw her you thought she was me and sometimes you would confuse me with my mom. It broke my heart every time I had to remind you who I was. I’m glad you are now at peace.
You were the best grandpa in the world! I will miss you dearly and will always remember the good times we had. I love you grandpa! Goodbye, until we meet again!

Love, Mindy

Goodbye Grandma

My grandma and grandpa were 8 years apart. Who would have thought she would go first. She was put into assisted living about a year ago. She enjoyed her first few months there then she began to go downhill quickly. She fell and broke her arm, she had urinary tract infections which caused other problems and infections and she had some dementia. She was on oxygen and in a wheelchair and stared at the walls until an aid came by and moved her somewhere else. Not a quality of life at all. Her suffering has come to an end. This is the letter I wrote my grandma and read at her funeral.

My dear loving grandmother,

My heart is full of so many different emotions, thoughts and memories of you. I don’t know what to say but I don’t want to say goodbye without saying something, without letting you know how much I love you. I can’t believe your life on this earth has come to an end. I feel it all happened too quickly but I don’t think I would ever have enough time to prepare myself for your loss. Instead, I must tell myself how blessed I was to share 31 years of my life with you. You were an important part of my childhood, you got to watch me grow into a young woman, see me get married and have children of my own and be in a small part of their lives.
I have so many memories of you through out the years. I have listed my memories in order from my childhood on up. I remember when I was 5 or 6 me and Courtney had a sleep-over at your house. You cooked dinner and I told you I didn’t feel like eating because my tummy hurt but you made me eat it anyway. That night Courtney and I slept in your bed. Courtney was rudely awakened by the sound of me throwing up in my sleep. You were mad that I threw up in your bed but you later called and apologized. After that you never let me sleep in your bed again and you made me sleep on the floor with a bucket next to me.
I always loved going to “grandma’s” house. I liked the shag red carpet, beads in the doorway, lava lamps, nick knacks from around the world, the gumball machine and of course the park across the street. I remember wanting to take my friends to my grandma’s house so they could see how cool it was. The highlight was finding pennies to put in the gumball machine; until I was about 8 then I learned how to unscrew the top off using the pennies. Then I could just take a handful of gumballs and pocket the pennies. You gave that gumball machine to Whitney for Christmas and now I have it in my home to look at every day and remind me of those memories. Now my 3 year old son knows how to steal the gumballs.
I also remember you would come over and want to see our new school clothes. You always wanted me to model them for you. It was like a fashion show because you wanted to see every outfit. I of course didn’t mind because I liked to model.
Another fond memory I have was the year that we spent Christmas with you and grandpa in Quartzsite Arizona. I think I was about 11 years old. You and grandpa spent a lot of time there in the winter. We had a nice quiet Christmas as a family then we went to church at a local church house and ate Christmas dinner at a truck stop. We went shopping at a flea market. I called out “grandma” and a man working there said to you “you don’t look old enough to be a grandma”. You were tickled pink! I remember how devastated you were when you sold your 5th wheel and had to start spending the winters at home. We all know how much you hated the cold. You kept your thermostat set at 90 degrees in the summertime!
You always wanted to make sure the family was together during the holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas won’t be the same without you. I remember every Christmas after Courtney and I opened our presents we would put our gifts in a pile so that when you came over you could see what we got. I remember that on Easter we would go to your house and show you our Easter dresses and what the Easter Bunny brought us. You of course would always pick a treat out of our baskets for yourself!
You always told me, “Stay your sweet self and don’t ever change”. I remember when I turned 11 or 12 you said that I was going to be a bratty teenager. I told you I was not a teenager yet. You said I was close enough; I was a “tween”. But you always reminded me to stay my sweet self and to never change. And you always told me how proud you were of me. I hope I can continue to make you proud as you watch over me from above.
I remember you and grandpa used to come stay at our house and babysit us when my mom and dad would go on vacation. One time while you guys where watching us you took me and Courtney and a few of our friends to Lagoon and spent the whole day with us. I remember your favorite ride was the scrambler. You had to tie a scarf around your head so your wig would not fly off.
When I reached my college years you, my mom and I took a road trip to St. George to help me register for college and find an apartment. Then we took a drive out to Kanab. You loved taking road trips and sightseeing. You always looked forward to it. I wish I had more memories of traveling with you. You had a love for traveling and seeing the world. I know you built many memories with my mother on your ventures around the world together. I wish I would have had the opportunity to travel with you to Africa or see the Panama Canal.
I remember how hard it was to tell you that I was moving to St. George. I was sad, upset and crying. Not only was I crying because I was sad but I also thought you were going to be mad at me for moving. I was sad to move away from my family and sad that you guys would not get to see my children grow. I made every effort to drive to Salt Lake to visit as much as possible. Every time I drove up you would worry yourself sick about me driving all that way. You could not figure out why my kids had to be in a car seat. You thought it was a hassle and a lot of work. But, I always looked forward to bringing my kids to come visit you because I loved to see the excitement on your face and how much joy they brought to you. I know you truly loved them with all your heart. I will never forget the times you held them in your arms and stared in their eyes, the times you fed them a bottle or kissed their entire bodies or the time you gave Whitney a bath. I will cherish those memories forever. And I can only wish that you could have been in their lives longer.
A few random memories of you are: You had an amazing love for animals especially cats. My mom would bring you to our house just so you could get your “furry loves” in. You loved See’s chocolates and circus peanuts, reading, watching your shows, listening to Rush Limbaugh and saying the word “gads”. I could never figure out why you always kissed our arms and legs. You hated noise and living by the park especially during the fun-o-rama . You were very outspoken and not afraid to voice your opinion or say it how it is. You were always paranoid about things that were out of your control and you always nagged me to wear moisturizer.
My last memory of you was when I went to the care center to visit you. We sat and ate lunch together, had a nice visit and did an art project. You sat and watched Whitney make her project. I reminded you that she was your Great Grand-daughter and you proudly said “oh, really? Well isn’t she a doll?” You were always the first to say that she had your good looks or your talents and that she was just like you. You were so proud of her and loved her so much. It broke my heart the day that you did not remember her. May you be her guardian angel and proudly watch over her from above.
Now you have graduated and moved on into the presence of our Savior. May you find peace and happiness in the arms of our Heavenly Father and have a joyous reunion with your mother, father, siblings and Rory. It is my testimony I bear to you, I know our family will be together again and live an eternal happiness. May you rest in peace til’ we meet again.



Whitney has such a sweet spirit. She wrote her great b-ma a letter and drew her a picture. The picture was of grandma in heaven with our 2 cats that have passed on and our family outside of heaven. After I read her letter and saw the picture it made me cry. Here is a picture of her picture and what she wrote.




The hardest part of all of this was seeing how upset and confused my grandpa was. Because he suffers with dementia he is forgetful. He kept asking why she died over and over again. He had to keep reliving that moment over and over in his mind. He was so upset and in tears all day. He aslo kept confusing me, my mom and Whitney. He would not let go of Whitney because he thought she was my mom. When he saw me look over the casket he asked if I was her daughter. My Uncle reminded him that I was the grand-daughter. I hated seeing my grandpa like this. it broke my heart.

We had a family prayer and had a chance to say our final goodbye. My grandpa stood up out of his wheelchair with the help of his aid and his son Randy. He leaned over the casket and tried to bend over to give her a kiss goodbye. He could not reach her so he kept trying. Finally his bishop helped by holding up my grandmother's head so my grandpa could give her his final kiss. There was not a dry eye in the room.

This was the last memory I have of my grandpa because 1 week later he died.

School

Whitney is now in 2ND grade and she hates school. She is having a hard time in math. I remember the days when she loved going to school and she hated going shopping with me. She said she would rather go to school than shop. She still hates to shop but now she hates school too. All she wants to do is play with her friends. Caysen just started pre-school. He is going to a program through the state. He was tested as being delayed in speech, cognitive and behavior. He is a handful and keeps me busy. He hates school too, at least he figured it out right away. It took Whitney 4 years to figure it out. I told her to enjoy 2ND grade because school will just keep getting harder and harder. She asked me what 3rd grade was like. I told her she will learn to write cursive. I think I scared her to death. She keeps asking me how to write EVERYTHING in cursive like it's a foreign language or something. She also said it's not fair that Caysen only has to go to school 2 days a week. I tried to explain to her that it WAS fair because it was the same for her when she was 3 and Caysen will have to go to school all day just like her when he turns 5.