Brother John

Kent's brother John died on Friday.  Two weeks ago he had a massive heart attack while out on his morning run.  Someone found him on the side of the road and called 911.  His family gathered and hoped for the best, but he never regained consciousness.  Last Monday it was determined that there was not enough brain activity to warrant the continuation of life support, and so everything was discontinued on Tuesday and he passed away in the early morning hours of Friday.

John was such a great man.  He was kind and funny and aware of others.  He was thoughtful and compassionate and we wish he and his family had lived closer.  Their family lives in Clovis, California, which isn't super far away, but is far enough away that we haven't seen them regularly.  We did have a wonderful visit with John and Anna Leesa just recently.  Two months ago, our niece Michelle was married in Salt Lake and they came up for the wedding.  The day was a bit hectic, but we were able to visit with them after the sealing and in the evening at the reception.  Kent and I sat with them and talked and laughed for a long time.  We had left the children at home with my mom, and so we were solely focused on our time together.  Looking back on that, I feel that it is a tender mercy granted to us by the Lord.

John's family set up a blog with updated of his condition during the time he was in the hospital.  As I read through some of the comments left by those who knew and loved John, I was so touched.  He was loved by so many.  On Monday when we got the word that John was not going to make it, Kent said, "John always did it right.  He was a terrific guy."

Unfortunately, we probably won't understand why John was taken at this time.  He and Anna Leesa have four married children and ten grandchildren, but they also have a daughter who is ten or eleven.  We have thought Brianne needs her dad more than Heavenly Father does, but He certainly knows more than we, and so we must accept the Lord's will in this as in all things.

John's funeral will be on Tuesday in California.  Kent and his dad are flying down tomorrow night.  John will be buried here in Provo, in the same cemetery as my dad, on Thursday, giving those of us in the family who can't make it to California a chance to celebrate this life.

John went with George to Turkey and Israel last year.

These are pictures of him from their trip.

Drawing Contest

Last week, on a morning when we were home alone together (is it possible to be "alone together"?), Blythe said to me, "Mom, let's have a drawing contest."  I asked what she wanted to do and she continued, "You get a paper and I get a paper and we both draw something.  You can draw whatever you want."

I thought that sounded great, so I got two pieces of paper and the crayons and we sat down at the table to draw.  Blythe threw something of a wrench into the works when she took out one blue crayon and said, "Here is your color."  Apparently I could draw anything I wanted that was blue.  I began to draw a bird.  I am not an artist, but it was looking acceptable in my mind.  I had a beak, head, and body when Blythe said, "Mom, what are you drawing?"

"A bluebird," I replied.

Blythe said, with serious conviction, "You can't draw birds."

"What!" I exclaimed.  "You said I could draw anything I want."

"Anything but birds."

What a pill.  I told her I was drawing a bird and there was nothing she could do about it.  Then she said, "Will you draw a bird for me?"  I outlined a mom and baby bird and she colored them in.  She also allowed me to use a green crayon so that my bird could be on the grass.

These aren't too bad.  

Blythe allowed herself the use of a red crayon, too. 

Yesterday, Blythe again suggested that we have a drawing contest.  Again, I got out two pieces of paper and the colored pencils this time.  Blythe said, "Mom, you can draw anything you want, except birds."  I was allowed two colors this time and we began drawing.

I had brown and red pencils and so I drew a tree.  When I was making the trunk, Blythe asked, "Mom, what are you drawing?"  When I said I was drawing a tree she reached in and got out a green pencil instead of the red.  She thought it was funny that I was making a red tree but I told it was fall in my picture.

Blythe asked me what I thought her picture was.  Initially I thought it was a boat on water, then a volcano, but she wouldn't tell me, so I was never exactly sure what she was drawing.  She told me in the end it was a volcano, but she might have just been saying that to appease me.

A fall tree.

A volcano spewing hot lava.

Maybe.

Self Portrait

This is a picture of Brandt.

He drew it himself.

In this picture, he is wearing a jet pack.

Can you see the control buttons by his hands?

(Brandt just pointed at them and made shooting sounds.)

And do you see the fire shooting out the bottom?

Brandt says, "I am headed directly for the school!"

The writing says, "The boy is up."

Storytelling Festival

Our across the street neighbor gave us tickets to the Timpanogos Storytelling Festival this year.  Before we had children, we went to the storytelling festival every year, but it has been years since we were last there.  We had two tickets and rather than try and find a babysitter, decided we would take the children, get two more tickets, and stay as long as the children could stand it.  It was the evening performance of funny stories, and as our children love us to tell them stories, we figured they would like it.

When we got to the festival, there was a very long line for tickets.  I sent Kent and Brandt in to get us someplace to sit with the two tickets we had.  Blythe and I waited in line.  We waited and waited.  After more than ten minutes, a woman came down the line saying that they were sold out and we were not going to get tickets.  We were separated.  Kent and Brandt were already in and Kent had forgotten his phone so I couldn't call to tell him what had happened.

I asked the woman taking tickets if I could go in and find my husband and she graciously allowed me to do so.  Kent had our blankets out and a space for all of us, and so we stayed, all of us.  I am going to send the festival an extra $20 and not feel a bit guilty that I sort of snuck (sneeked?) in.

Funnily, before everyone who was to perform was able to be on stage, it began to rain.  We scooped our tired children up and stepped over many people to make our exit before it really started to rain.  Happily, Brandt quite liked several of the stories, and Blythe mostly behaved herself.

Funny Children

Found these funny pictures of the children.

Brandt and Blythe are washing the extreme coaster at Grandma Sue's house.

They were playing with the hose with Crew, Griffin, and Ava.

They were spraying Christopher's car and I jokingly said, 

"Give them a bucket of sudsy water and put them to work."

Christopher did.

They washed the car and the truck. 

Ava, Brandt, Griffin, and Crew on the back of the freshly cleaned truck.

Swimming Lessons

I found the last of the swimming lesson pictures.  

I am really, really behind in the blogging.  

The pictures, however, are awfully cute, so I am posting them.

That's Brandt on the right.

Blythe's last class.  

She was initially very upset that she had a boy teacher.

Chris, however, was able to charm her enough that she was happy to swim for him.

Blythe is coming out of the slide with Chris and a classmate.

Brandt with his teacher Danielle.

Gavin (standing next to him) is in our ward.

Canoeing at Payson Lake

I love to go canoeing.  I love to go with people I like, to have the children out on the water, and to enjoy the beauty of our state.  So in early August, I rounded up a bunch of family and friends, rented four canoes from BYU, and we went canoeing at Payson Lake.

It was fun!  We were out on the water, we picnicked, we hiked around the lake, but we didn't really swim because of a parasite in the water.  We toppled a couple of dead aspen trees and talked and laughed together.

I was able to convince Kent to come with us this year, so joining our complete family were Grandma Sue, Mikayla and Kila (the dog), Makenna and Luke, Christopher and Tysen and their brood, Tysen's sister Lacey and three of her kids Mazie, Ellie, and Andrew.  Heidi came with Simon and Jack, Becky and Conner Phillips, McKenzie Drake and her children Gavin, Abbie, and Quentin, and Stacie, Michael, and Ellie Mason.  It was a lot of people, but we really had a great time.  In fact, I was having such a great time, I didn't take very many pictures.

Kent and Christopher toting a canoe.

How nice to have big strong men to lift heavy things.

Just 'cause they can.

Gavin, Simon, Connor, Jack, and Brandt

Mazie,

Blythe, Makenna,

Ellie, Abbie

I am piloting the canoe and taking the picture.

Lacey, Andrew, Griffin, and Christopher

The boys were so excited to be in the canoe, 

even if it wasn't in the water.

Getting ready.

All they need is a big person to shove them into the water

and off they'll go.

Kent with Crew, Gavin, Luke, and Brandt

Sue, Ellie, Brandt, Gavin, me

I think I could have spent the whole time on the water with little bodies in the canoe.

It was a hit!

McKenzie, Ellie, Abbie, Blythe, and Stacie

Becky, Heidi, me

Gavin and Brandt hauling an "alligator head."

Brandt said, "We found it in the ocean, the lake, and thought it was a log.  I said, 'Grab that alligator head!'

So we paddled over to it and Gavin helped me get out of the water.  Then we took it back to shore." 

Heidi and Brandt toppling a dead aspen.

Well, trying anyway.

This is me carrying Brandt up a little hill so we can try and topple a dead aspen.

Pushing . . . 

more pushing . . . 

Success!

 

Simon and Jack got in the mud.

They really got in the mud.

They were fighting.

I bet they were having a good time though.

And the requisite picture of the dead fish covered in flies.

Said the children, "Gross!"

A Family Camp Out

July 27th marked the one year anniversary of my dad's death.  While we certainly didn't "celebrate," we did gather as a family to remember.  Mom wanted us to have a camp out, so we met at her house, pitched tents in the backyard, and spent the evening, night, and morning together.  We played games, ate well, and tried to sleep.  Kent didn't feel well so he arrived at Mom's, lay on the couch, helped get the kids to sleep in the tent, then went home.  We didn't see him again.

Mikayla made up a treasure hunt for the kids, complete with treasure chest, we tossed water balloons between towels, we had fajitas for dinner, and we read stories.  When it got dark and was time for bed, we climbed into the tent with the kids.  Blythe was hot and tossed and turned and complained that she was uncomfortable.  Brandt leapt up every time he heard something which was about every 23 seconds.  Brandt needed the laying on of hands (I had to rub his back and hold him in place) to get to sleep, and Blythe needed me to sing, a lot.  When they finally fell asleep, Kent said, "We could go home.  We have nothing to prove to anyone."  

I agreed, we didn't have anything to prove.  However, at that point, there seemed little reason to wake the children and take them home.  So I slept with them in the tent.  Well, I spent the night with them in the tent.  I'm not sure that I actually slept all that much.  

It was great to be together, just as Dad would have liked.  

Mikayla with

Luke, Brandt, Griffin, Blythe, Blake, Andrew (Griffin's cousin), Lyla, Ava, and Makenna

Treasure found!

The map that took the children all around the cul-de-sac

 

Mikayla doled out "treasure" to everyone, 

cute candy bags and a toy.

All the grandkids, with Collin off to the side 

less Donovan

Blythe is eating her candy and Lyla is sitting in the water balloon bucket.

We had a beautiful sunset.

Preparing dinner

 

Our campsite