Grandpa Woody's 90th Birthday!

Grandpa Woody and Grandma Colleen

I think everyone in the family agrees...

This is our favorite picture of our grandparents.

This picture was taken walking down the street in downtown Seattle, WA.

A street photographer took it and sold them the photo.

They look like movie stars to me!

The party was held at the Cole's clubhouse. Starting at the bottom right and going clockwise:

my mom and dad, Grandpa Woody and Aunt Maxine (his sister)

Grandpa Woody with his children: Don, Laurel and Jan and

finally Grandpa and Aunt Maxine with Gayle and Kent Brown, and the Larsens.

The kids had fun swimming in the pool!

The whole family!

Grandma and Grandpa's posterity.

The girl cousins: Savannah, Allie, McKenna and Avery

enjoying the theater room.

One of the neatest things about this celebration was my Great Aunt Maxine, surprising my grandpa (she's his only living sibling) and coming to Utah from the Portland area. A few of her children came as well. So it was one big party! I think my grandpa was exhausted afterward! Happy 90th Grandpa!

4th of JuLy!!

This year we hosted the 4th of July in our humble abode! It was a great day with lots of family around. We had my parents, Red's parents, Aunt Jan and Uncle Doug, Tim and Kylee and of course darling baby Beckett. Grandpa Woody was here and Scott and Kati also came with the kids and last but not least Auntie Katie Jr.! Red took the girls up to the Granite Parade first thing while we finished some of the food preps. Doug brought bocce (never played it??) and the kids had a ball playing that in the backyard. We had barbeque chicken salads (thanks Marilyn!) corn on the cob, fruit, chips and salsa cupcakes and of course homemade icecream. After gourging ourselves, we took all the kids over to the splash park for some wet fun! Then played some dominoes...chatted....listened to Doug tell off color jokes...watched fireworks! The End. It was a fun, family day!

Plum Jam!

I am so tired of Hello Kitty! I mean she's cute, but I've had enough! I was planning to spend today updating my blog and doing a few other projects on the computer. But, instead I ended up doing this...plum freezer jam! My Aunt Margaret gave me a bag of plums from her tree, so I embarked on this project. I ended up making 4 batches total. It's pretty yummy, I know our family will enjoy it. So for now...this will have to do. I'll be updating our blog in the next couple of weeks. Summer's coming to a close and the kids are back in school...time to get back into our routine!

KeLsiE and HeLLo KiTty!

We ran into Hello Kitty at the mall the other day...imagine that! Kelsie was thrilled so we snapped a picture! She sure does have a big head...the kitty that is! Don't you just love the Hello Kitty store? It's always the highlight of the trip...for my girls anyway!

The Dance Festival!

Come on baby...and do the twist!

Disco GiRL!

On Friday Red and I took Kelsie and my sis over to the school to watch the girls participate in the traditional dance festival! This is seriously my favorite event to attend for the whole school year! I laugh for about 3/4 of the time!! The fifth graders danced to 70's music...Saturday Night Fever, Donna Summers...you know disco stuff! Allie hates being the center of attention, (I don't understand why?!) but she made it through! McKenna and the other first graders did the twist! So cute and funny to see them shakin' there little booty's! My fav. is however the sixth graders who always dance to 80's music and it's just a trip down memory lane! I think MC Hammer made an appearance in the form of a sixth grader this year! I thought my sister and I would die laughing! Cute, cute! Elementary school entertainment at its best!

Youth Temple Celebration!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Now completed and doing tours!

May 30, 2009

Tanner was very fortunate to be able to participate in the Youth Temple Celebration. Our church put this HUGE production together to celebrate the two new temples that have recently been completed in our area. Red and I were able to attend the celebration which was held in the conference center and I have to say it was fantastic! After a few months of practices...late nights and long hours it ended up being a very special night. Thousands of youth participated in this production and it was so neat to see so many of them come together to celebrate their love for the gospel and the temple. The costumes were so elaborate and all of the numbers told a story. The production was mainly music and dancing. Tanner did the samba! When it was all over Tanner asked me if I cried during the production? (of course!) Then I asked Tanner if he cried?? And he coolly replied ...yeah a little. ;) Tanner was able to go in the tunnels that are underneath temple square, in between the Salt Lake Temple and the Conference Center. I think the part that touched him the most...was before the production began, when President Monson, our Prophet entered, apparently all of the youth started singing We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet. We weren't there yet, but I know it really touched Tanner. I'm so grateful for moments like this...when I know my children are being touched and changed for good while engaging in something wholesome and fun! What a blessing! I know Tanner will remember this night forever. We couldn't take pictures during the production, so I took a few after. President Monson went out on the stage after and shook hands with many of the youth. I love him! If you are interested in touring the new temple...anyone is allowed and it is free! You MUST have a ticket and can get them on LDS.org. Red and I are looking forward to taking our children through it and working there in July.

We have a teenager!!!

Tanner w/ friends Nick and Braxton dying their lacrosse heads with Rit dye! Three teenagers carrying boiling water in and out of my house in huge pots...Super fun!! ;)

Total goofballs!

Holy smokes! I have a 13 year old! Where does the time go?? It seems not too long ago he was a baby, a toddler, a little boy....... I really have mixed feelings about this on many levels! Tanner is a great kid and often my right hand man! But... I feel like this means I'm getting old and time goes by so fast it makes me realize...only five years and he'll be graduating from high school and off to college, mission or whatever! YIKES! I guess for the moment I'll focus on what a great kid he is and just say...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANNER!!! I think Tanner had a good birthday! We had our neighbors, the Ereksons over for dinner to help us celebrate! Do you like how his dad wrapped a few of his presents in princess paper? What a dork! What's even funnier is he claims he didn't notice! Tanner got a new lacrosse bag for his birthday...called the Warrior/Black Hole! He drilled the name of it into my head for weeks before his birthday so I would buy the correct bag when I went to the lacrosse store. Really it's a body bag and as big as he is...but it fits all of his lacrosse gear and if he ever makes us super mad we'll just put him in it and zip it up...maybe roll him down the stairs or something! JK Tanner also got a dock for his ipod, some new clothes and money!! I love you Tanman! :)

Girls Getaway!

A few weeks ago...I was able to take a short trip with my girlie friends! :) We went to my friend Amy's cottage (if it's a cottage...my house is a shack!) up Provo canyon. So fun! We ate out, did a little shopping, saw a movie, got pedicures, talked and talked some more! It was so nice to worry about...NOTHING...for a change! No one to feed/dress/clean except myself! We had a great time! I love these girls. We've been getting together for probably about twelve years now. It started out as a bunco group...that has now turned into a once a month dinner group. Some gals have moved away...but the majority are still here and we always have fun with lots of laughing. It's like one of them recently said... It's a lot cheaper than therapy!!! Thanks to Amy for hosting! And... thanks to Nancy and Michele for the cute matching flip flops...they brought them back from NY! Thanks to all the girls for the laughs!!! Love ya! :)

***By the way...I've added a couple of new recipes to the the blog so be sure and check it out on my blog roll! Pina colada cupcakes and lettuce wraps...yummy! :)

My Bakery

So yesterday I pretended to be a baker and made 4 loaves of ww bread and cupcakes for a little friend's birthday. I was trying to recreate a cupcake I had at the Sweet Tooth Fairy last week only a little different frosting. My mom says I shouldn't post the recipe because secretly she wants me to open a bakery of some kind and become a millionaire. Ha Ha Ha! :) I love you mom! Anyway the thought I'm having today is this:  Do my children, or the twenty other children that are at my home appreciate my homemadeness? Seriously...as I was serving their peanut butter and honey/ham and cheese sandwiches on my fresh bread I wondered. HMMM??? I think I know the answer! My cupcakes were awesome (I thought) and the frosting although it doesn't look so cute was my own little recipe. Did the children recognize it didn't come from a can?? Actually come to think of it a couple of them licked the frosting off and left the cupcake for dead! I'm thinking someday my kid's will appreciate the fact that I put my heart and soul into my cooking/baking...right?! (like when they're on a mission or in college) That's okay-- I love to do it either way. So...I'm going to start posting a few recipes on my sister-in-law Kate's recipe blog. (Thanks Kati- you're the best!) It says recipe blog (shocking, I know) and it's on my blog roll. I was planning to put recipes on my blog but decided to keep it more like a family journal...so watch for new recipes...coming soon!

...More KraZy KeLsIe

I don't really know what to say about this...except it's just Kelsie! She walked in the other night with this gettup that included our cute;) dog! She has on: her dad's hoodie, her hello kitty backpack (full of junk) a scarf, a purse and sunglasses! Then she has poor Daisie in the stroller w/ her Hannah Montana hoodie on (the dog) and her baby in the back! She is a NUT!  I love it! She was having so much fun playing quietly by herself!

I promise to get the dog groomed soon...just waiting for her to heal completely. Then I'll post a "cute" picture of her!