Mishmash

The past few weeks have been a good mix of some fun stuff. Now I know why my dear friend will publish "This week in pictures" posts every so often. Time has a way of sneaking off, and this past month has gone by pretty quick...so I guess instead of a week's worth of photos, I'll cover most of May instead. :)

Darius, Ben, Zach and I joined Clair's family for a swim party to celebrate Makenna's recent birthday. I had lots of fun making cute little fondant owls to top her cupcakes, and we got to watch Makenna jump off the diving board for the first time!

I made several cakes this month...this one was for my cousin, Anthony's, lovely wife for Mother's Day. They enjoyed Grandma's birthday cake so much that they had to have another, so Anthony got in touch with me and surprised his wife.

I love that Clair and I love the same baseball team! Most of the family was able to get together for a BBQ at Carrie & Bobby's place to celebrate Clair's birthday. We feasted on some good eats...Sanpete Turkey, homemade rolls, yummy salads, and pudding cake. There were some really happy tummies. :)

My lovely and extremely talented niece, Karissa, graduated from high school. I put together this cake as a nod to her talents as an artist. We joined her family for some lunch and cake and enjoyed a good visit with them.

This sweet little soul just turned 1! The boys and I drove up to James and Brooke's home in Idaho to celebrate Madison's birthday. I brought some pizza dough and sauce and we cooked up some pizza the night before, and enjoyed a little family BBQ the following day. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed a great party!



 

We've been wanting to get a dog, but it's just not in the cards for us right now. Lucky for us, we can get our puppy fix from Joy's sweet new friend, Ulli. The boys and I got to dog sit for him while Joy was at work. The boys love him (so long as he not chewing on them).

It's been a good month! I love my family, and it feels really good to live close to everyone again. There's a bunch of us, and there's always something going on, and I love that I'm not missing out on so much of it anymore. 





93 Years Young

This has to be one of the sweetest sights, and I believe it's why my Grandma Ruth is still with us. I think she wonders why she's still around and what's left for her to do in life, but holding one more great grandchild (a deliciously cute one at that) seems as good a reason as any for her to stick around.

Yesterday Grandma was surrounded by a good deal of her family and celebrated her 93rd birthday. She told me only a few days earlier that she thought she would be alone for her birthday....fat chance. Even I was surprised by how good a turnout there was. I think the last time I saw so many of my cousins was three years earlier at Grandma's 90th birthday party. As my dad mentioned to me later that night, it's always good for family to be able to come together for something other than a funeral.

Usually for Grandma's birthday, my parents would take her to lunch and plant flowers. Since they couldn't be with us, I thought it would be nice for us to do the same for Grandma. We had a little potluck lunch her house, and later several of us pitched in and filled the flowerbeds with what will hopefully be some beautiful flowers in a couple of weeks. Grandma's face lit up when she found out they were all planted.

Even though Grandma has a difficult time hearing anything in a group setting, I could see the happiness on her face as she was greeted by family and watched the celebration. These past few birthdays of hers have been especially sweet, and I'm grateful for each one. I know Grandma's time is running out, as she often likes to remind me, and her birthday is a great opportunity for her family to let her know how much she's loved in a big way.

My heart lifts each time I walk in the door and find Grandma there to greet me with the most loving and genuine smile, and it sinks whenever it's time to leave her. Life at her age is precious, and I'm reminded of that during each of our visits.

I love this woman so very much!