I Have survived another State playoff

I know from the title you are beginning to wonder what it means. Well for the last four years I have been at the high school subbing or I really should say baby-sitting teenagers for two days while most of the kids have gone to the playoffs. Those kids that do show up are those who are court ordered, parents who don't want them around, lovers who come so they can be together and do whatever they want, and those kids just looking for any reason to drive someone else crazy. Most of the teachers take it off because they hate dealing with the kids that hang around. Other years we have just put the kids in the old gym to let them play basketball and have begged them to call their parents to come and get them.

This year Larry Davis, our new principal decided that we needed to hold school, which meant take roll and hold class as much as possible. I don't think he can remember the good old days when he was a teacher during playoffs. Because of this we had more kids who had to be in school because they couldn't take another absence. Thank goodness I was in the classroom rather than in the gym. At least the kids could watch a movie and be rather calm. I'm back to subbing for Dean Nelson, he hurt his back a couple of weeks ago. Because of this it kept me away from the worst part, the gym. Yesterday was the longest day of my life. Not only did I watch the same movie over and over again, Open Season 2, I picked up a virus on Dean's computer, had a paper jam that took me way to long to fix, and had to deal with the same kids for over three hours, one even wanting a ride home to Elmo. One good thing about playoffs, Emery girls have made it to the championship game, which will be played tonight at 5:00. Paul and I have thought about running to Salt Lake but we have several trips to make in the next couple of weeks. So enough of my complaining.

Here are some more pictures of Alex and Josh. Josh loves his little brother and is being such a big help to his mom. Also our next grandson will be born on April 6th. So now I need to get my tickets purchased. I'm looking forward to spending some time with Bauer and spoiling Emmett as much as I possible can in three weeks. 

Ok I can't get the pictures to move so you will just have to look at them first. One day I  will get used to this new computer!

Alexander James Oveson

First off I know that each of you are hoping for at least one picture of the new addition to our family and I need to let you know just how bad of a Grandma I really am. The only pictures I have of Alex are on my phone and with the new computer I can't get them off the phone and onto the computer. I promise that I will post on Friday or Saturday with lots of pictures on Kassy's blog for all to see the beautiful little boy that has entered into our family.

Alex was born on Sunday February 8th at 5:30 in the morning. He was supposed to wait until the 16th according to the doctor but Alex has a mind of his own. Michael had called us the day before to come up because of a false alarm and we decided to stay the night which turned out to be a blessing. Michael had to take her to the hospital at 2:30 Sunday morning because her labor was becoming more intense. She wanted to deliver normally but around 4:30 both Mike and Kassy had a strong impression to have another c-section. This was a blessing because the cord was around Alex's neck. He only weighed 5 lbs even but he is 19" tall. He is so little but with the way he is eating, I'm sure he is going to be just fine. He doesn't have to much hair, it is very light and short. He has a dimple in his right cheek that we don't get to see much of. At times he looks like Josh but then other times he looks like his daddy. He is a very good baby and now that he is catching on to the nursing thing, he is doing a lot better. 

Kassy has been remarkable through this whole thing. She is recovering very well. As she puts it, she has too. She is still getting her blood built up because she lost a lot after the delivery. Michael has a few days off to help her recover. Plus after a two day break at home and also to pick up Grandpa so Josh will have his best buddy with him, we will be spending the weekend with them. 

We have truly been blessed this past week. Prayers have been answered and we are very excited to have this next addition to our family. Two more now to go. 

Lori this is for you

Since Lori just left me a message that I need to update my blog I decided to dedicate this to her. We have been friends from the time that we were small enough to not even know what being friends meant. In fact I supposed to be named Lori but then Lori came first and my mom couldn't use the name twice. I'm grateful that we can keep up with each other through the blogging world. 

This morning as I logged on to check my e-mail I received the best message from another great friend, Wendy. We only go back to our 8th grade year and even with all the moves that she has gone through we have remained close. Everyone needs a friend like Wendy. I thought I would pass this one so everyone could enjoy it instead of me saving it in my files.

As latter-day Saint women, we are practically obsessed with anxiously engaging ourselves in good causes. Maybe it's subliminal. Glancing through the hymnal last Sunday I noted that as sisters in Zion, we who are called to serve are all enlisted to go marching, marching forward because the world has need of willing men to all press on scattering sunshine. We may wonder if we have done any good in the world today because we have been given much and want to do what is right, keep the commandments, press forward with the Saints, choose the right, put our shoulders to the wheel going where He wants us to go, thinking to pray each morning. However, as the morning breaks high on the mountaintop, truth reflects upon our senses, and while we still believe that sweet is the work, we also realize that we have work enough to do ere the  sun goes down. And thus we ask Thee ere we part, where can we turn for peace?

It takes a minute to sink in but I love it. 

I have had a few days off from work this month so far and I have loved every minute of it. I don't know if I will feel the same way when my check comes but right now I'm trying hard not to think about that. I have been able to spend a lot of time at our new computer. Paul and I purchases a new Mac. We love it and we are still learning how to run it. I am having a big problem, I can't get PAF to work on it. The church hasn't written PAF to run on Macs yet. I contacted them, their advice was to purchase a pc emulation program which I did and now I need to figure out how to load windows on the mac. If anyone out there has any suggestions please let me know. I could keep the old computer just for family history but I would have to keep it in the family room so I can use the printer. Other than this problem I love this computer. I highly recommend one to anyone who is looking at a new computer. 

The greatest Christmas present ever!!!!

I know this is a little bit late but at least it was just last Saturday that it happened. This past Christmas the kids all decided to stay home for Christmas. The grandkids are getting old enough that they need to spend this special morning in their homes. So this was the first Christmas Eve that Paul and I have spent alone since that very first Christmas so many years ago. It was a different feeling but we filled it with dinner at Nicholas and Danielle's and putting out the candles in the cemeteries. We did drive into Dad's back yard and I should have gone into the house to check on things but I couldn't bring myself to enter into the empty house. I have  really missed my parents this year and it was a little difficult without them. Christmas day we traveled through the snow storm to be with the kids. Isn't this what Grandparents do? Les met us at Mike and Kassy's to spend the day with us. It was great even though he had a difficult time going back to Ogden in the snow and ice.

Saturday the kids came here, except Les, Cyrena, and Chris. We had fun playing with the four grandkids and they opened up the presents that Santa had brought to Grandpa and Grandma. They even opened up the presents from Mark and Tara. The first one was a gift that was really for them, a V-Tech. This will help them have something to play while their parents are busy on the Wii. As Kyler was opening up the present to Paul and I he was a little disappointed to find a bag from Wal-Mart. Tara was acting a little strange as if something was going to break. Out fell a card. I guess I was supposed to read the card first but all I seen was the ultra-sound picture on the back of the card. YES they are expecting!!! It still doesn't seem real. They found out a day after Thanksgiving. When they were here for Thanksgiving I thought that something was going on between them. At first I thought that they were uphappy with each other, the thought did go through my mind that they were pregnant but I knew that it hadn't been five years yet and that we would still have to wait. 

Heavenly Father has decided that they have waited long enough. We don't know when to expect this little bundle of joy because she was still on the pill. They need to go to a doctor still but I'm sure that it will happen sometime this summer. Needless to say we are very excited and to think that we will have three new members to this family is the greatest feeling ever.

Family Traditions are back

For several years we would take the kids to Salt Lake before Christmas to see the lights, go shopping and eat a good meal. We each have great memories of these times together; losing Mark at the Festival of Trees, getting pulled over in our new mini-van when we didn't have tail lights, standing on the platform waiting for the train to come and Cyrena doing a little dance to keep warm. These are just a few. The last couple of years we have let life get in our way and have let the tradition die. This year I decided that no matter what we were going to Salt Lake. I did worry about the big storm that was scheduled for Saturday but with faith and prayer we loaded up the Jeep and headed north. We were very grateful to have Danielle and the kids join us this year. Nicholas had to work. We met the other kids for dinner and to see the lights at Thanksgiving Point. We were able to drive through this beautiful display and the kids were excited. To see Christmas through the eyes of a child is a great gift. They loved being able to also see the reindeer. Josh was the first one to reach out to the animals and didn't want them to move away from him. Ashton wanted to get in the pen with them and kept trying to climb over the fence. It took Kyler a little while to warm up to them. In fact we had to leave the reindeer and then come back to them. But after that Kyler didn't want to leave. Lexie liked them but she was more interested in the gift shop. She seen a beautiful baby's dress and immediately went to that just to touch it.

Paul tried to get a picture with the reindeer and the kids but it was a little bit to dark. We did have a great time.



On Saturday coming home was a little bit interesting. I was glad that we had waited the storm out a little bit. Kassy kept me entertained by treating me to a movie "Twilight". Paul, Michael and Josh had great fun shopping. The way home was slow but we didn't have to many problems other than my Jeep being covered with salt and ice.

I hope and pray this tradition will continue on in the years to come. It is one of my favorites, other than our Christmas candles that I hope I will be able to post about in a couple of weeks.

A Great Weekend!!!

I just had to publish the fact that even though both Paul and I were only able to eat a small amount of Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, we had a great weekend. One filled with family and being together. We had the four boys and their families home on Thursday, plus my sister, Tami, Calvin and Mandy came to share the holiday with us. We had a house full but that only makes it better. I want to tell my beautiful daughters how much I appreciated them for all the help they gave me because without them dinner would have been impossible. We did miss having Dad there. I guess we have our first holiday behind us now. We have so many blessings in our lives. I have become more aware of them as each day in my journal I record one blessing. My family is one of those great blessings.

Early Friday morning we headed to Cottonwood canyon to get our traiditional Christmas tree. Josh was the only one of our grandsons to go with us but he really had fun. Grandpa took our new four-wheeler with us and he was able to go for a long ride. It was a beautiful day with very little snow. If the wind hadn't been blowing it would have almost been warm. Every year I keep thinking that I'm going to give in to the ways of the world and buy a fake tree and save us the hassle of looking all over for a tree and having the kids help us get it, but as I get the live tree in and decorated, which I did myself this year, it reminds me of being together with my family. I know the time is coming when I will have to bend but I hope it holds off for a few more years.

The kids all left shortly after our adventure which left Paul and I alone but that was alright. We need to spend time together with just each other. Plus it gave us time to recover and get over the stomach flu that has lasted forever. I'm looking for to this month of December being able to spend more time with family.

Grandma, come to my house

Last Saturday as I was talking to Michael for his birthday he told me that Josh wanted to talk to me. So after a few seconds of us trying to coax Josh into talking I hear, "Grandma, come to my house". It melted my heart. The last time we have seen Josh was at my Dad's funeral. I knew that we would be seeing them on Thanksgiving but I just couldn't get that sweet little request out of my mind. Plus during the week Kassy called and in the background I could hear his little voice again requesting us to come. So we put everything on hold, because nothing is more important to us than our children and grandchildren and headed to Riverton on Friday. Mark and Tara also joined us at Mike and Kassy's for dinner and a movie, "Kung Fu Panda". It is a great movie but I loved watching Josh run in circles and play with me on the floor more.

Saturday we decided to do things that Josh would love. I had intentions of taking him to a playground but it was a little cold outside. We instead to him to the mall. I know some of you are thinking that it was for me and maybe in a way it was but I knew that the South Towne mall had a merry-go-round and a few little car rides. This time I didn't make the same mistake as I did with Bauer last month and took Josh for two rides. Both times he chose to ride a horse. He loved the ride and I didn't get sick, well maybe a little bit. He had fun with Grandpa going up and down the elevator and just running. As we were going back to their home Josh was so afraid that we were leaving him. We should have left sooner so I could have gone to a party but again nothing is more important. So Josh and I played outside for an hour. He really doesn't like to slide but he does like to throw things and run and play. Even though his cheeks turned red and cold he still didn't want to go inside.

How grateful I am that we were able to visit with this little boy and spend the whole time with just him. He still didn't want us to leave when we did and I'm sure we are going to hear, "come to my house" more often now but I want Josh to know that he means the world to us. We love him and I loved playing with him.

One other great plus, we filled up my Jeep for $30.00. We found a Maverik that had gas at $1.85. I'm with Paul and would really like to know how come the price can change so much. Just last month we were paying almost double. As Paul has said, "Who has pocketed all the money". I'm just grateful that we know longer have to worry about going to Salt Lake and planning it more into our budget. It has been a great weekend. Two and a half more weeks at school until Thanksgiving break. I did find out that I may be subbing for Dean Nelson a little longer than I had planned. At least I'm learning a few French words, even though I don't say them right. But I always have Mark around to help me out.