TEXAS FAMILY TIME...

Rod and I got to fly out to Texas for Ben's baptism, and to spend some time with Jaimi, Mike and the kids.

  

It was fun for Grandma to spend time pampering grandkids... starting with Sarah and brushing her hair before bedtime!

Angela was always smiling and Ben was a great cook!!

 






 Kristen loved snuggles with Grandpa!!

 

Grandpa still managed to take good care of Grandma's feet while we had fun with all the kids!

 On Friday we were off to the arcade and bowling...of course we had to ride the carousel!

And play some dinosaur video games...

AND we got lots of bowling in!!

 On Saturday, we got to go to Ben's baptism at the Garland 2nd Ward.  We loved being there and were so happy for Ben and this important step in his life!

Ben (8)

Kristen (7)

Sarah (5)

Angela (3)

 

 Off to Babe's Chicken Dinner House...recommended to us by a couple of men I sat next to on the plane to Texas.  It was a good recommendation!

 

 


 After meetings on Sunday, we took the kids for a walk at the apartment complex and let them play on the park equipment for a bit.  They loved it!

 

Monday was Memorial Day...so we went to Mike's sister and brother-in-law for a BBQ and swimming...and birthday celebrations, and graduation, too.  It was a nice get-together!

 
 

 

   

All too soon it was time for us to head back to St. George.  It was hard to say goodbye, knowing we might not see them again for quite awhile...

HUNT FAMILY DAY WEEKEND...!

The whole month of April is bittersweet...Amelia was born on the 14th (sweet!); Kristy was born on the 24th (sweet!); Kristen was born on April 27th (sweet!!); Denzel died on the 29th (difficult, tender feelings...still!); Sweet Kate was born on the 29th, one year after Denzel's death... (soooooo sweet!!)  And so our family tries to get together on the weekend of the 29th to celebrate and to remember, to love and build great memories!!  This year was especially memorable!!!

Lunch at Mo Bettah's!!  Great food, everyone having fun, even if a plate of food went flying off the table!!  (The guilty will remain nameless...with a big smile!)

 

 Then we were off to Thanksgiving Point and the Tulip Festival...in the rain and snow!!  But it was SO perfect for us...the kids could run and play to their hearts' content, parents were relaxed and not worried about big crowds, and we loved the BEAUTIFUL gardens and walkways of tulips!!

 There was even an accordion player at the entrance, and Kristy & Amelia did an impromptu dance since we were the only ones there!!  Too fun!

 
 The kids had a LOT of fun, too!!  They were great map readers and led us to all the sights!!

After the Tulip Festival, Rod and I made a pitstop on Harmons to get cookies and M&M's...even though Siri made it sound like a rap star was coming to the cemetery...Denzel would have been SO impressed...maybe!

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Five years ago on May 5th, Denzel was buried at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery 

near Camp Williams. It was a VERY difficult time...

Some people do not understand our family...but that's okay.  We love each other greatly; we have strong family bonds; we have a strong testimony of our Savior, His Atonement, and the great Plan of Happiness that assures us of being together eternally as a family.  So, we can cry and laugh, remember sad memories, and make great new ones, all the while knowing that Denzel is very aware of us and knows that we love him and remember him!

At the Cemetery, we were immediately aware of two things:  

A burial service was just getting underway, north of where Denzel was buried, and our hearts went out to the family and friends gathered there.

On Denzel's grave marker, the Freedom Riders had left a sweet remembrance along with our son's picture.  It really touched our hearts!

 Sadly, the weather was miserably cold, so we didn't get to hear Rod play some songs on his Native American flute, nor did we stay very long.  But, at least we were there, and made some new memories.

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Saturday morning we woke up to a great BIRTHDAY BREAKFAST for Kate who turned 4 years old!  In the afternoon we headed up to the Hoopes' home for a fun birthday party of swimming and dinner with Kate's favorite foods of biscuits (Brandon makes GREAT biscuits from scratch!), chicken legs, salad, 7 layer jello,  and birthday cake!!  Such a fun day for sweet Kate!!

  
Cayman LOVES his tootsie rolls...and the new "no teeth" look!!

Dezmond LOVED jumping off this giant slab of rock into the pool...long before anyone else did it!!  Impressive!!!  (It helped that the pool was heated to 95 degrees...in case you noticed the snow on the mountains in the background!!)  It was an incredible time!!!

Yep!!  It was a great weekend together!!!

Sweet Baby Mila Arrives

How is it possible that Amelia and Hans have had all three of their babies on a Wednesday?!?!  Amazing!  And that it has always fit right in with my schedule!  How thoughtful of these babies!  I had just finished teaching for the afternoon, and started to make dinner when Amelia called to give me a "heads-up" on her contractions "...pretty consistent but not very impressive...so just sit tight and we'll see...oh, and they're 3 minutes apart..."  I finished making dinner, but packed mine and left...for the library, with my crocheting.  I sat at the library for nearly 15 minutes before getting the phone call to head to the hospital...I called Nat and she met me there...we ate my dinner, then Mil called to come in.  I was so happy to be there as Mil's birth coach and to help her through another delivery!  What an honor!!