Hymas Family News

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2010-03-07T18:09:00.000-08:00

Thinking of you and having some pancakes in your honor! Love you!

2010-01-10T16:12:00.001-08:00

We will miss you Grandma!

2010-01-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

On our drive home from the funeral I pulled out my little camera to a fabulous video. I had forgotten that I had taken in on her birthday.

Remebering Dad

2009-12-12T09:41:00.000-08:00

We love you Dad, thanks for all you give us.

Mom and Dad - May 2007

2009-12-06T13:49:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-11-30T11:48:00.001-08:00

Our Hymas Family Thanksgiving was a great success on November 26, 2009. We had a smaller group than we hoped--only 23 of us--but we had a great time! Grandma was in good spirits and able to join us in her wheelchair. I think this is a really nice picture of her. Thanks to Randy for taking pictures since my camera never even made it out of my car!

We ate Thanksgiving dinner at Shawna & Larry's church house. It was so fun to be all together.

Brett & Staci stopped in to visit for a little while before making their way to Staci's grandparents' house.

The kids were all thankful for the church gym to play basketball and run around.

We know that things are hard for many of you right now. We missed you and hope and pray that things will get better so that next time you will be able to join us!

Thinking of Dad ...

2009-11-09T11:44:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking of Dad and missing his wonderful hugs!! What a wonderful spirit he brought to our family!

Grandpa and Braden on Braden's blessing day.

Mom and Dad at the big party at Dierke's Lake.

How to Listen - Mormon Channel

2009-10-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

How to Listen - Mormon Channel: "Mormon Channel is available as a live stream 24 hours a day at http://radio.lds.org."

Memories

2009-06-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Memories

I walk in my house,
Memories are fading,
My piano is gone,
How I laughed when kids played,
And Holidays came,
And Families played,
Where did it all go?
I walk in my house,
My pictures are gone and off the wall,
Memories that helped me remember the good times,
Memories that bloomed in my heart,
Memories that filled the pages of our stories,
Stories that made us laugh,
Stories that made us cry,
And stories that we don’t ever want to forget,
I walk in my house,
It’s empty,
Sadness I feel,
Missing the smell,
The holiday cheer,
Ups and downs of parenting,
When tears fell from my child’s eyes,
Wiping them saying “its ok mommy is here”.
At the end of the day,
Looking in his eyes with a kiss goodnight,
And love in our hearts,
And even though my house is empty,
My heart is still full of memories,
And blooms still.

By: Shelley Whitehead
05/04/09

Hike

2009-06-08T20:52:00.000-07:00

South Hills Hike with Matt, Shaye, Kody, Shelley, and kids

Visit with Grandma

2009-05-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

Dad (Kent), Mariana & M'Arlee made a 56 hour trip to Twin Falls, ID and back. With the intent to pick up some of the belongings from Grandma & Grandpa's house. Although it was a quick trip we got to see some of the family; Grandma, Shawna & Larry, Jenni & Josh for just a second, Cathy & Bill, Randy & Carolyn, Jamie & family & Shelley and family. It was most impressive how little M'Arlee was very concerned that Grandma was comfortable. She would help put her blanket on her while lying down or she would check on her to see if she was awake or asleep. But my favorite was when grandma was sitting up she would bring the little foot stool over for grandma to put her feet on; then take it away for her to sit on, then bring it back for grandma. Grandma seem to enjoy the little time we had together, enjoying the girls.

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-09T21:33:00.000-07:00

The Dunn family had a great picnic today in honor of Mother's Day. Grandma came with us and even Uncle Gordon and Faye came for a little while.

We all got really tired from spending time in the sun at Daybreak park.
Dad brought his little sailboat that he built himself and took it out on the lake. The kids were all really excited about that!

It was a really fun day!

Baby Blessing

2009-04-19T18:48:00.000-07:00

Our new addition, Elizabeth Mary Hymas,
was born February 27, 2009.
She was blessed on Easter.
It was a beautiful blessing.

Staci, Isaac, Brett, and Elizabeth Hymas

A Tribute to Grandpa

2008-12-15T09:07:00.001-08:00

Visit:
www.tishaandfamilynews.blogspot.com

More Photos of Dad

2008-12-14T16:11:00.000-08:00

Halloween morning with great grand kids

2008-12-14T10:47:00.000-08:00

Here is the last picture of Grandma and Grandpa at their home. Taken on Halloween before they left to Utah. we are going to miss his wonderful smiles and love that he has shown unto us. We love you grandma and grandpa.

A Tribute to Dad

2008-12-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

It was sixty-five years ago
The romance began
Between a dark-haired girl
And a starry-eyed man.

"The girl of my dreams"
He would later write,
And from that day on
She would be his delight.

In the temple they married,
As one they were sealed,
Don Robert and Roma,
And his dream became real.

It wasn't long after
He was called back to war.
He served his country proudly
For freedom and more.

He was one of two soldiers
That survived that day.
A tender mercy was granted
In that land far away.

Heavenly Father had a plan
Of which dad had a part -
Of raising a family
With Roma, his sweetheart.

They started out as only two,
But it wasn't long before
One, two, three, four, five, six
Little spirits to adore.

Time went on and now today
That loving family of eight
Has grown into a multitude
Of just around 78!

How to describe this gentle man
Know as husband, brother, and father,
Patriarch, dad, and don't forget
Grand and great-grandfather.

Devote husband to Roma,
Devoted father and friend,
Hard working, loving, and caring
Right to the very end.

A righteous Priesthood holder,
An example for all to see
Of serving ever faithfully,
Working t'ward eternity.

An example of quiet greatness,
Of gentle and kind reproach,
Of leading with quiet dignity,
A teacher, a leader, a coach.

We'll remember with fondness
these words when bedtime arrived.
Almost a nightly ritual -
"Breakfast is served at 5:00!"

And when you made a phone call
And asked, "How ya doin'?",
"Sick a bed," you would know
Was just what you'd be hearin'!

How he loved to tease
With a twinkle in his eye.
"Can't you ever be serious?"
Was sometimes mom's reply.

He got that from his father
As mom could tell you best!
And dad passed it down to his sons -
Which we sisters could attest!

Sunday mornings and reunions,
Special occasions and such,
We can't forget his pancakes
Made with that magic touch!

Popcorn and root beer,
Vacations and camping,
Working hard in the garden,
Bowling and fishing.

So many memories we will recall
As we think about this man
Who with a quiet dignity
Fulfilled Heavenly Father's plan.

The world may never see him
As a man of wealth or fame,
But his posterity will stand tall
As we proudly speak his name!

For the wealth of his example,
The devotion and faith you find,
All are loving treasures
Of the legacy he left behind.

We love you, Dad!

2008-11-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

What a treat to have mom and dad living down here in Salt Lake! We had some of the "locals" over the other night to help us make a Christmas tape for Zach, who is in the MTC presently and will be in the Philippines for Christmas. We sang Christmas carols, read the Christmas story together, and had pumpkin pie! Thanks to all who came, by the way! It's a huge adjustment in Mom and Dad's lives, but we hope they know how much we love them and enjoy them being here!

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign . . .

2008-11-23T09:32:00.001-08:00

This made me laugh! This was a leaf collection site near us, and you can see, if you focus in on the sign, people (including us) didn't follow directions very well!!! Happy Autumn!!

Anxious for the Holidays!

2008-11-17T16:23:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! This place has been kinda slow lately, but I'm glad people have been posting to keep it alive! We have had a very busy household since Grandma and Grandpa moved in. But we are very glad to have them here, and hope that have been able to find peace and comfort here. My kids think it's pretty cool to live with two sets of Grandparents, and to have another set only a few streets away, but they get confused at times wondering which Grandma and Grandpa we're talking about! I'm glad that they are able to have close relationships with almost all of thier grandparents!

Josh was offered a new position at Select Health, so we are happy for the raise that will accompany the new position and are continuting to stay too busy with our many jobs. I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving! We look forward to seeing anyone that will be in town for that- and we feel lucky that we get to see everyone who comes to visit Grandma and Grandpa!! So hopefully we'll get the chance to see all of you sometime in the near future. Anything new with anyone else? Hope you are all doing well!

Child of God

2008-11-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

I love this one!

Happy Halloween Everyone!!! Love The Meza's

2008-10-26T22:10:00.001-07:00

In case you're interested . . .

2008-10-20T12:30:00.000-07:00

This may not be the best place to do this, but since I'm not sure if I have everyone's email, I thought I would put it here. Don't know if you've heard about Pinching Your Pennies.com, but it's a site you can sign up with for free. I've been using them for quite some time with regards to groceries. They rate groceries at different stores and let you know if it is a Hot buy or not. I love having it come every week! Also, if you sign up for it, they send weekly deals from different stores, companies, etc. with alerts of sales and codes for extra savings. Just thought I'd share . . .

2008-10-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it 's been a long time since I've written, so I thought I'd take a minute and update. Of course, Zachary is now on his mission. What a fun and hectic time we had getting him ready and off. He is now in the mission home. We hope you all are reading his letters and his blog to see how things are going. Keep him in your prayers!

Braden is in ninth grade now and thoroughly enjoying it. Taking several honors classes but seems to be keeping up fine. He has some wonderful teachers - young, challenging, and fun! He has started with the high school marching band, so his weeks have been full of practices, competitions, and, of course, parties! I'm grateful he is getting in with a good, solid group of friends as he goes into high school next year. This weekend he does a competition in Orem, with weather forecast of 40 degrees, rain, and snow. Ed and I skipped the last one, so we promised him we'd be there to this one : ( . So . . . We'll all be enjoying the 40's, snow, and rain! Umbrellas, blankets, and hot chocolate! They've gotten 2nd and 4th in their first two competitions!

Jonathan is still enjoying his job at the Blind Center as a Tech II in helping with computers and other adaptive equipment there. He is involved with institute, young adult activities, and activities through state blind organizations.

I'm on the PTA Board at at the middle school and in charge of Red Ribbon Week. A little different than grade school that I was involved with - when you're talking close to 1,000 students. Hard to come up with something effective when there is little money to be spent! But we've got some good things going that hopefully will have some impact for the very important topic of drug prevention. I'm also helping with the yearbook, which I helped with last year also. Very fun, taking candid pictures throughout the year and setting up pages.

Ed just got done with a major project at work and is very relieved to have it done. It involved a lot of engineering type stuff, which he does not enjoy too much. He would much rather be the hands on guy!

I so enjoy hearing from all of you and knowing what is happening in your families. Take care and have a wonderful autumn!

BOO!!

2008-10-05T19:45:00.001-07:00

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FAMILY PICTURE

2008-09-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

WE TOOK THIS PICTURE UP IN ISLAND PARK THIS LAST WEEKEND. THE LEAVES WERE BEAUTIFUL ALL CHANGING COLORS. FALL IS SUCH A PRETTY TIME.

Thanks Zachary!

2008-09-22T13:20:00.001-07:00

We enjoyed the farewell so much! It is great to have a good example for my boys. After the farewell my 9-year-old was asking me all kinds of questions about missions and wondering where he will go and what it will be like. He said we needed a picture so we wouldn't forget what Zachary looks like while he's gone. It was great to see everyone. We're glad we could make it!

Hello Hello....

2008-09-08T13:33:00.000-07:00

I posted a bunch of pictures on my blog. www.joshandjennin.blogspot.com I thought of reposting them on here, but it would be easier just to have you check them out by clicking on the link. Hope everyone is well and happy and busy, and not just bored of the blog. :)

Robert and Lynnae blessed thier newest baby this past weekend. We had a great time having almost everyone together. We are looking forward to another get together in a couple weeks for Zach's farewell!

The Burrito Bunch(meza's)

2008-09-06T05:26:00.001-07:00

I guess since no one has posted anything for a while, I thought I'd take my turn(finally) and post pics of my little people.
This lovely little princess once told me she wanted to be a ballerina and a grocery shopper. Whatever this 5 year old does end up doing you can bet she'll be in charge!! She is always making lists and giving them to me and telling me to get started. She really keeps me on my toes. Currently(yesterday), she opened her very own "sticker shop" . Her dad and I and one of my piano students were her first customers. She laid out all her stickers(about 12) and made a sign that said "The Sticker Shop". This little lady loves playing with her brothers, drawing and painting, playing barbies, polly's, pets shops, and has currently learned to swim underwater. When told she was "such a good girl", she said "I know I am!"

This is a future scientist of America. He is 11 years old. He always has a question he's trying to find the answer to. He wants to be a chef someday and open a breakfast-only restaurant with his cousin. This crazy boy is currently reading the 'Warriors' series and loves reading his National Geographic kids magazine. He loves watching movies, especially with his Dad. He likes playing with his siblings, eating, cooking, playing video games, riding his bike, climbing trees, swimming, READing (alot), hanging out with his friends, and talking so fast that you can't understand a word he is saying.
This wacky little 8 yr. old(almost 9) is going to be a future herpetologist. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is the study of amphibians and reptiles. His main focus, he claims, will be frogs. He has already raised 2 frogs from the tadpoles stage and released them into the ponds near our home. This young man has collected over 10 stuffed/toy frogs and is currently into his 3rd book about frogs and toads. Doing puzzles, mazes, and the like are some things he enjoys doing. He also likes playing with his brother and sister on the trampoline, playing legos, climbing trees, swimming, riding his bike, and talking in a high pitch voice so loud that it can be heard for miles.

Thanks to all of you for all your posts and comments on this blog and your own blogs. I enjoy reading them all and check them frequently. What a great and simple way to keep in touch with family.

2008-08-24T19:49:00.002-07:00

Hi everyone! Now that school has started I thought it would be a good time to introduce you to all of my kids. I'm like Jenni though and I'm not going to give you their names. Sorry! This is Cutie(4) who really, really, really wants to go to school but for now he goes to Mom's Preschool at our kitchen table. Next year he'll be in kindergarten.

Here's Superstar(almost 8). He's in 2nd grade. A couple of months ago he had some blood drawn for a test and he was told he was as brave as a super hero. Ever since then he has adopted the identity of Superstar the super hero.

This is Silly Guy(9). He just started 4th grade. He really is a silly guy, always trying to trick someone. He always wants to be at the center of all the action(although he's very very shy!)

Here's Sonny Pie(15) who we are so glad to report has returned home to us after spending the summer at Camp Loll as a merit badge teacher. He's not sure he's glad to come home. He'd rather have us come live at Camp Loll with him. He's a sophomore this year which will keep him really busy with choir, band(percussion), swim team and drama, as well as all the not so fun stuff that he's required to do.

And last but certainly not least is Juice(17) who is a senior----can you believe it? Wasn't it only about a week ago that I was a senior? She is even more busy with orchestra, swim team, lots of clubs and friends. (She took this picture herself! I'm amazed.) She really keeps us on our toes as parents!

So there you have it. We're very proud of all of them and often wonder how we got here. We don't feel old enough to be where we are right now!

i hope no one is lost!

2008-08-23T17:21:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone. Seems like there's been a lul on the blog, so I'll fill it up.

There's really not a lot to report. We've just finished the first week of school-- John taking classes and me, TRYING to make faculty happy with late requests to update their online courses.

I'm actually quite proud of my last two projects, and wish I could show you the work I've done on them. Fitness for Life, and Foundations of Nutrition both got new text books this summer, so they also got a website make over. Not only did we revamp the content, but I've learned a new way to lay it out that makes it flow a little bit better (I hope) and a new way to put images in a background to make the interface a little more friendly, and energizing. They were HUGE projects... I got the Fitness for Life course done in about 3 weeks, but the Nutrition course didn't get done until the second day of school. My favorite motto at this time of year is..

"There are No Educational Emergencies"

Students will NOT die if their coursework is not available on the first day of class. There's plenty of time to make it up, or adjust things to be the way they need to be.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

John finished up his summer math class with a B+. He wanted his A sooooo badly, but I'd say that a B+ on a condensed summer course is nothing to turn our noses up on. He's taking 15 credits this semester, including General Chem, General Biology, Trigonometry, Intro to Writing, and labs for the two science courses. Our home as been a beehive of activity as he gets organized and settled into a homework routine. It is satisfying some of my "back to school" jealousy as I listen to him do his homework and help him get all of his school supplies in order.

I'm very proud of him and his dedication to his school work... only six more years!! :D

I hope all is well with everyone, and that you are just as busy as we are living and loving life! We are excited for all of the happenings coming up-- Zach's mission farewell, Peter's Baby blessing, etc. etc....

love to all!!

Becca and John

Visitor's Center at Salt Lake Temple

2008-08-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

This last Saturday, Kiara and I got to go to Salt Lake with a bunch of the girls in Eric's family - we get together usually once a year and do some shopping and whatever else sounds fun. Anyway, Saturday, we met at Temple Square and went to the visitor's center - Kiara has never been there and I haven't been there for many years. Anyway, for those of you who haven't been there for a few years, you need to go. They have a little video segment on the Proclamation to the Family and you move from room to room and each room is decorated to portrait that part of the video, starting from birth till death, it is soooo amazingly awesome. It only lasted about 20 minutes, so the video clips in each room are about 3-4 minutes long. I found it amazing that something so short can affect a person so deeply. You find yourself pretty much getting tears with every segment. I'm not usually a very emotional person (maybe the older we get the more we cry). But it was very touching and absolutely wonderful. I'm sure everybody out there has seen it, but if you haven't, you really must take a few minutes to go there and enjoy it. It definitely started our day out on the right foot!!

TWIN FALLS TEMPLE

2008-08-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

KARLI TOOK THIS PICTURE LAST SATURDAY AT THE TWIN FALLS TEMPLE WHEN WE ALL WENT TO THE OPEN HOUSE. WE HAD A VERY NICE TIME AND ENJOYABLE VISIT WITH AARON AND KARLI AND THEIR KIDS AND MOM AND DAD - WE ALSO GOT TO SEE GRANDMA AND GRANDPA HYMAS WHICH WAS ALSO NICE.

I REALIZED WHAT BAD PARENTS WE WERE WHEN TYSON SAW THE BAPTISMAL FONT AND SAID "COOL, THEY HAVE A HOT TUB!" AND I ASKED KIARA WAS THE 12 OXEN MEANT AND SHE SAID " THAT'S HOW OLD YOU HAVE TO BE TO GO DO BAPTISMS FOR THE DEAD." I GUESS WE NEED TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN A LITTLE BETTER!! OOPS!!

Idaho Visit

2008-08-03T19:25:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed a few days in Idaho this past week. It was so good seeing Mom and Dad. Mom is doing better each day, it seems. Her speech is coming and she gets along with daily living skills really well. Mom, Dad, Cathy, Bill, Richard, and I went through the temple open house. What a beautiful temple! It was Mom's first outing since the hopsital, and she really seemed to enjoy it. We went to dinner, as well, and she seemed to enjoy it, but she was really tired by the time we left. Richard was there on Wednesday, so that was fun talking with him for awhile.

I enjoyed being there to see the PT and ST, as well as the nurse and dietitian. Mom was describing our outfits with the ST, as well as reciting back four miscellaneous words given by the therapist. She did great! The therapist kept saying, this is hard stuff, I know, but if it was easy, you wouldn't need to be doing it! Mom was a real trooper.

Dad had mom ready to go see the assisted living center Thursday evening, but in the morning, when asked if she wanted to go see the center, said, after a couple of minutes of silence, "I want to stay right here in my own home." The longest statement I've heard her say! Dad and I were both so proud of her for letting her wants be known!

Dad/Grandpa does an amazing job with helping her! He is so good to her and is able to keep up with all the different meals, meds, appointments, etc. she is needing right now.

Too long, I know, but one more thing for you American Idol fans . . . Remember the guy with the white feathered hat and white cape, singing the song he created, "I am your brother, your best friend forever" etc. - well, Reed baptized him over in the Philippines! Cool, huh?

Enough already . . . hope to hear from more of the "older" generation soon . . . I've been hinting to Cathy and Richard . . .

2008-07-24T16:33:00.000-07:00

John and I took a trip to Arches National Park for his Birthday in March. Here's a few of my favorite pictures from the bunch. John is the wonderful photographer. I'm eager to have a new wallpaper on my computer monitor!!

We are planning a camping trip to go watch a meteor shower. If anyone wants to come, we picked the spot specifically so there could be motorbikes and 4-wheel activities during the day.. We'll be camping the 7,8 and 9th of August at a place called Skyline Drive... somewhere out in the desert. Let me know if you'd like to come!!

fireworks with the Dunn's

2008-07-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here's some fun pictures from July 4th at Grandma and Grandpa Dunn's house.
This was the day when we tried sooooo hard to go sailing and the wind just didn't cooperate. John and I were meeting Dad, Jenni, Josh and kids at Deer Creek Reservoir. When they got there, the water was too low to even launch the boat. We decided to try to go down Provo Canyon and rent a tube or two to ride down the river. I don't think I've EVER seen that canyon so full of people! After driving around and seeking tubes to rent that wouldn't break the bank, we cried "Uncle!" and went home for a barbeque and fireworks on the driveway.

In spite of all the mishaps of the day, we had a relaxing, enjoyable evening with each other.

The Hulse's

2008-07-24T09:31:00.000-07:00

Okay everybody here are the latest pictures of our family, or at least our kids, I don't have any recent family pictures but when we get one done I'll post it.

Morgan 6 years old

Jordyn 3 1/2 Years old

Kaden 4 months old

Hmmn.

2008-07-24T08:02:00.001-07:00

No new posts? I must have scared everyone off?

Us. :)

2008-07-18T07:21:00.000-07:00

Our Daughter-4.75 years

Tender Heart- 3 years

Baby Boy - 19 months

This is us in Lava Hot Springs in June of this year. :) Lame that's the best family photo we have right now, but better than nothing.

We were lucky enough to be able to make a trip to Twin Falls, last weekend. It was so good to see Grandma, and I'm SO glad to hear she is continuing to do better and better. Josh, John and Dad got some good yard work done, and we got to spend some time with almost everyone. Thanks to Cathy for letting us make thier house crazy for a few days, and to everyone for entertaining and visiting with us! We love you and wish we were able to come up and visit more often.

***This post was inspired by Uncle Randy, he said he wished we'd all post pics of the kids, with ages, and/or a family pic. :) ***

** I'm a paranoid person about putting our kids names out on the blog- any blog, so yeah, I'd be happy to send thier names in an email or something. But this scary world we live in has gotten to me, am I crazy? ***

Visiting Grandma

2008-07-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this from Grandma & Grandpa's house. We came up to visit and to go to the temple open house. We just came from the hospital. Grandma was glad to see us. She said, "Hello Jessyka, you're a beautiful young lady." Grandpa said that's the most she's said all at once. Then she asked Jessyka what she's doing this summer. I'm so glad we came. As we were leaving we could hear Grandma talking more to Grandpa also. We're so glad she's improving. Grandpa said that today they're talking about her coming home possibly on Tuesday. That would be wonderful!

AI

2008-07-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

Just had to share our fun experience last night. We are major fans (Ed, Jonathan, and I) of American Idol. The other two are fans but not gotta-watch-every-week kind of fans. We had the chance to go to the Top 10 Tour Concert. It was so fun! We had seats pretty close, with a really good view. Each person sang great songs, and, of course, David Archuletta, was great, and the crowd let him know they were happy to see him! Edward and I have been to some concerts in our time, but we both thought this definitely was the loudest we had heard in one. It was definitely a fun splurge!

Zachary is gone on a three-day camp - his last one with the Young Men group. Regarding mission prep, he has his acceptance letter in, passport on it's way, and he has his immunizations done. I think this mission is really happening!

Last Sunday Jonathan had an interview with the bishop to become an Elder, so that should be coming in the next while. He has expressed interest in going through the temple, so we will be working on that in the next while.

Next Monday Braden leaves for a week-long camp at Bear Lake. He is way excited and has been looking forward to this all summer. Edward will be joining him there for a few of the days. Braden just got done with a summer PE program that will free up one more period of the school day so he can take seminary and other electives he wants to participate in.

And . . . summer is going too fast!

Tired Girl

2008-07-13T07:22:00.001-07:00

This is our little ball of energy Jordyn. She spends almost everyday bouncing off the walls, and then she just crashes. This day she fell asleep using the laundry basket for a pillow. Just thought I would share. I really have loved catching up on what everyone's family is up to, I'll try to keep you updated on our family too.

Hiking Question

2008-07-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

Jenni, you mentioned Grandier Peak. Where is that at and how hard of a hike is it? Our family have not been hiking yet and need a nice hike - not like Becca was showing us, though! My guys have made that hike a time or two, but I'm just fine with seeing pictures, thank you very much!

SWIMMING LESSONS

2008-07-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a little summary on what the Badgers have been up to lately. Our kids have been taking swimming lessons the last 2 weeks and have had a great time and have learned a lot. We also just finished up baseball for the kids. Tyson played T-Ball and had a super season and Kiara's team won the championship this year. That's a first for her, she has dancing trophies, but never baseball trophies. They played some great ball on their last game and managed to beat a really tough team. They had lost to that team twice in the regular season. They all got first place trophies and also had a lot of fun.

As a family we have been to Derkies Lake, and Balance Rock (as dad mentioned) and we had the opportunity to have Mom and Dad come up to Island Park, Quake Lake, and Yellowstone with us for the 4th of July. We saw a parade in West Yellowstone, went to an IMAX show about Lois and Clark and of couse saw fireworks. We had a good time - we haven't spent a weekend with Mom and Dad for a long time - they live so close we usually just make a day trip or afternoon of it. Hopefully, we didn't tire them out too much!!

Anyway, hopefully the rest of the summer will not be quite as busy. School will be back in session before we know it.

I think I've taken enough of everyones time, so I will go now, but would love to hear a little about each and every one of my aunts/uncles/cousins/brother/sister......come on, just write a little bit - it kind of makes you feel connected a little. I haven't been very good at keeping in contact with anyone, so this blog thing kind of makes up for it. I also check this blog several times a day hoping maybe someone will add something. With as many of us that are involved, we should be able to read something almost everyday!!

2008-07-10T22:23:00.000-07:00

I'm with you Randy - I check quite often and it is so fun to see who has posted what. I'm not usually up at this hour (11:30 p.m.), but we just returned from Weber State in Ogden. The four of us (not Braden) went to a marching band competition of some of the best bands throughout the United States. Boy! Were they amazing! Zachary was in marching and regular band in high school and Jonathan was in band throughout his time, so we enjoy going to events like this one. We had a fun evening!

Our Fourth of July weekend was a busy and fun one. On Thursday afternoon we went to Twin and visited mom in the hopsital and was able to go to dinner with Dad and visit with him a little bit. I was glad we were able to incorporate that into the weekend. Then early Friday morning we drove on up to Driggs - got there just in time for the parade. It was an old-fashioned, small town parade, made all the more fun with several of Edward's family being in it. We then had fun visiting and seeing several of his family, and that evening going to fireworks and a movie that evening. The next day was a reunion with his mother's side of the family - some people he hadn't seen in 20 years or more - so it was nice to meet some of them and hear all about the "old times." We went to a fiddling contest in the morning, had lots of food, talking, and games. They play a game from their youth called CAT that at one of our reunions it might be fun to play.

I'm so glad mom is improving and is now over in rehab. I know it has been such a worry for Dad. Both of them are in our prayers and thoughts!

Well, it is now 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Finally, I'm getting this done!

I'll make a comment here - I like this blogging thing, but it's not like emailing and being able to talk back and forth quite as well -you can comment, but then you don't get comments back from the person you commented to . . . okay, so I'm old school . . . but does anybody else feel that way? :)

Busy times

2008-07-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

I really dislike seeing too many days go by without seeing something on this sight. Everyone is on the go and things are happening, we all tend to think "Oh no one will be interested in this", but you know that really isn't true. If everyone else is like me, they enjoy hearing even little thoughts and ideas. It is just the idea of feeling the connection with the ones we love. We don't get to see or communicate with most of you very often and this just lets the rest of us see a little bit of you and yours. I know I am rambling on here, but I just wanted everyone to know how much I enjoy the opportunity to touch just a little bit of your lives, and know how things fare at your house.

Life the last couple of weeks has been hectic, but most of it has been fun. We had visits from Lynda and Tony, Sarah and Eric and even Aaron dropped in and said hi on his way to Vale, OR.

We visited Dierke's Lake, Balanced rock, Island Park and Yellowstone Park. We swam, hiked and just had us a great time being together.

Mom, (Grandma) had a stroke and has had a struggle, but is putting up a fight and seems to be improving daily. Her speech is getting better and she is getting stonger. She eats good and they say she is sleeping good. She has a long way to go, but she has always had a lot of faith and I know if she is supposed to get better the Lord will help her and with all our prayers she will be able to do as the Lord wants. We love her so much.

"Wherever we may be, our Heavenly Father can hear and answer the prayer offered in faith."
Thomas S. Monson - Ensign, Feb. 2001, 6

News from the Western Front

2008-07-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!! I sure is fun to read about everyone's news here on the blog!

I read it faithfully everyday... okay sometimes I visit numerous times to see if someone has posted throughout the day. So, It's time for me to stop lurking and post.

John and I are documenting all the "Scary" things I do when we go out and about in Nature... This first video is at Zion's National Park when we were climbing Angel's Landing. We didn't make it all the way to the end. This was the end of the hike for me. But now I can psych myself up to doing the rest of the hike next time we go, right? This was way back last November-- so you can tell we need to get some updated pictures downloaded from his camera so I can post some more recent pics.

Love to all!! Come home soon Grandma!! We'll see you next weekend!!

xoxoxo Becca

Meza vacation in Idaho

2008-07-05T19:05:00.000-07:00

Our family took an 11 day vacation to Idaho(June22-July2). We stayed several nights with Tony's sister in Caldwell and several nights with Sarah and Mom and Dad. We had alot of fun visiting with family and the kids enjoyed playing with all their cousins. Brought back some memories for myself when I used to get together and play with my cousins. (Fun times!!) We wished we could visit everyone but time and GAS were also an issue. We miss you all and look forward to seeing you in the future. Don't forget Southwest Washington is a great place to visit. We also had time to stop and visit Grandpa and Grandma. I loved this pic and thought I'd share it with all of you.

In Case You Haven't Heard..

2008-06-30T12:55:00.001-07:00

We're pregnant! We're excited to give Isaac a little sibling. The baby is due March 7, 2009.

IT FINALLY CAME!!

2008-06-26T18:19:00.001-07:00

We have great news! Zach got his mission call - to the Philippines-Naga mission! He leaves October 1st. Although traditionally it's just immediate family opening the news, his friends have been inviting each other and their families over to join in the celebration - so that is what we did - several friends and their families, as well as a few on speaker phone gathered at 5:00 p.m. today and joined in the news! It was great having friends that have played such a huge part in his life here for this special time. He has taken Spanish for four years and loves languages, so he is excited that he gets to learn Tagalog - the official language there. I'm so excited for him, but I must admit, I keep thinking "Wow, the Philippines, that is so far away! But, that's the mom in me, I guess. Edward can't stop smiling! It brings back warm memories of his mission and the people he served with. We have already heard from a few people about them knowing people who went to the Philippines and how they loved the people and the land. An exciting time, to be sure! We wanted you to share in our happy day! :)

Oh the World of Blogging

2008-06-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

Hey, thanks for inviting us on this blog! Hopefully we can update with some good news soon.

Christian with a fork

2008-06-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

So this is Christian. He's almost 15. The fork is an important part of a picture of him because he can rarely be found without one. He's leaving us for the rest of the summer to work at Camp Loll, a scout camp near Yellowstone. As excited as he is and as happy as I am for him, I am going to miss him a lot! He is an awesome babysitter and general helper. He was supposed to leave a week ago, but there is too much snow up there to be able to get in!(do you believe it?!) Hopefully he'll get up there sometime this week.

What do you think?

2008-06-18T21:14:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, just a quick question. Should we make this a private blog so only those who are invited can read? or will that limit things too much? I just wanted to get everyone's opinion before I do any changes.

Thanks! I'm loving hearing from everyone. I sent invites to at least one member of everyone's family, so hopefully the families we haven't heard from will be popping up soon.

Love you all.

jjacd

Eric and Sarah

2008-06-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of us.....most of you have probably seen it on my blog, but in case you haven't here we are. Hopefully others of you will post pictures. It took me a while to figure it out - call me computer dumb!! But I finally got it!! It's a little different than my blog - easier actually. Anyway, this is us and I will post pictures of the kids later.

Good morning!

2008-06-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

Hey, if no one else wants those tickets, Sarah, we'll take them!

Sounds like some fun times in Salt Lake for lots of you - there is a lot to do here! In fact, we're planning to be tourists here for our mini-vacation. We're getting a hotel downtown (so it's more of a vacation for me) and just play for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. With the free trains downtown, we thought we would save on travelling gas and spend the money on things more enjoyable. Between the planetarium, climbing wall, hiking, church sites, and plays downtown, I think it will be a really fun vacation.

We are holding our breath for Zach's mission call . . . could be any day now!

The Family Blog

2008-06-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

I agree this is a great idea, and if I ever figure out how to put my thoughts in writing maybe I will be able to contribute. ( I hope we all can)

We really enjoyed the thoughts and photos of Claudia's funeral. We felt bad we were unable to attend. She was truly a special person and touched the hearts of so many. She always showed the good about every situation. She will be missed, but remembered.

Carolyn and I were in Salt Lake this weekend too. We went for a quick visit to Aaron and Karli. They have such a fun family. We went to a dance recital for Jael. (She is becoming quite the little dancer). That was friday evening. Saturday we went to Wheelers Farm. It is quite a place, old farm houses and barns, all kinds of old equipment and lots of animals. They have several ponds (the kids loved feeding the ducks) and lots of room to run or just sit and relax. It was a fun weekend. (as it always is when the grandkids are involved - and anyone else we happen to see.)

Oh, by the way, Congratulations Jonathan on a job well done. We wish we could have been there to enjoy your day, but we did think about you.

Thanks for all the news, and keep writing.

Randy

The Rest of The Story.....

2008-06-17T17:49:00.000-07:00

I love this family blogger idea - I hope everyone uses it and we can learn a lot more about each other!!

Anyway, since Kris wants "my story" I will tell it!! We actually had a great time at Lagoon - we got there around 10:30 (they open at 10:00) in the morning and since we had already got tickets at our hotel, we were able to walk right in without waiting in any lines and there wasn't a ton of people there yet, so the waits were pretty short - we played and ate and played and ate and got soaked on Rattlesnake Rapids and the Log Ride. Tyson was literally scared to death to go on all the rides, but we were mean and made him go anyway. We kind of made the mistake of starting out on the old rollercoaster, which is a bit rickety. We should have started out in Kiddie land and worked our way up to the scarier ones. But surprisingly enough his favorite was the Wild Mouse, which to me is one of the scarier ones. Anyway at appx 3:00ish the power went off, we lucked out and didn't get stuck on a ride when the power went off, we were all taking a bathroom break, so then we just relaxed in the shade for a while and had a snack, within about 1 hour or so some of the rides started running again so we went on a few more and within about a 1/2 hour later pretty much all the rides were up and running except for a few anyway, like Rattlesnake Rapids closed for the rest of the day. We had a great time and left about 7:30 and went and finished checking into our hotel and went to the Outback for dinner. There were a few rides we didn't get to go on mostly because by the time the power came back up the lines were quite long and there were a few that Tyson really didn't want to ride and we didn't push him, such as, the Rocket, and Wicked - I think they may have been a bit much for him since he is only 6 years old. But they gave everybody that was at Lagoon that day a good return deal. You can take your tickets from that day and go back again anytime between then and June 30 for free. So, if anyone is interesting in 4 tickets to go to Lagoon, let me know, and I will send them, (I'm guessing they will work for whoever) I don't see us going back up again within the next 2 weeks - we're lucky if we get up there 1 time/year!! Anyway, that is "my story" of our day at Lagoon. On Sunday we did a bunch of things too (I know it was Sunday, but with our own business now, we have to take our vacation when we can get it) Anyway, we went to the zoo, the Airplane Museum in Layton, which if you haven't been is totally awesome and it's a great free activity - Tyson absolutely loved it!! And we also went to the Dinosaur Park in Ogden, which if you have little kids and haven't been there that is also totally awesome - lots of fun activities for the kids. We had a good weekend.

Anyway, now that I have wrote a book here, I will stop and let someone else have a turn. It's fun to see what's going on in everyones lives!! Have a great day - I check everyones blogs often, so keep this going, it's fun!!

Sarah

Lagoon . . . Not!!

2008-06-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Because of Jenni's (Hi!) and Lynda's (Hi!) comments to my last posting, I have to tell "the rest of the story." We were on our way to Lagoon, everybody psyched to have a great day. We got there, the parking lot was totally full and they were filling up the overflow lot, and as we were pulling into our parking spot, I really felt like maybe we shouldn't go - my thinking being huge crowds, 90 degree weather, and getting there a lot later (1:30) than we usually do. After talking about it, we finally decided to not go. Instead we went to Cheesecake Factory and a movie. Later on the news we heard that one of the transformers blew, riders were stuck on rides, and that it was a few hours before they got everything up and running. I think we made the right decision on that one! We'll try another day! (We need Sarah's story now . . .)

Aunt Claudia, etc.

2008-06-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

I agree with everyone else, Aunt Claudia's funeral was so nice. A peaceful feeling, knowing a wonderful lady had finished her "turn on earth. I will remember her for her cheery disposition, her sincere concern with how I was doing, her ability to make you feel like you could tell her anything and she would help you in anyway she could, and her love of the gospel and family history, among other things. It was so good to see relatives I hadn't seen for quite awhile. Although it's kinda sad we do it only at funerals, it is a wonderful way to keep in touch and catch up on each others' lives. I've been involved in five LDS funerals in the recent past and, although sad, there is always a feeling of sweetness and joy in knowing that the person is enjoying a wonderful reunion on the other side. We're so blessed to have the knowledge of the Gospel! We travelled to Twin Falls a week ago to pick mom and dad up for the funeral and to do a little work around their house for them. They stayed at our house through Tuesday and it was extra special having them at Jonathan's homecoming from his mission (we were so proud that Jonathan was able to give a talk and play the piano so well!). We enjoyed having you, mom and dad, we should do it again sometime! Enough of my ramblings. We're off to clean the church, then off to Lagoon for a fun day!

Great Idea!!

2008-06-13T20:20:00.000-07:00

I'm experimenting here since I've never done this, but I love the idea! Hopefully it will catch on with everyone in the family.

This is not a Dunn blog!

2008-06-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

What a great idea Jenni! Thanks. Now to everyone else don't allow this to be just a Dunn blog! We Dunns talk to each other fairly regularly and we want to hear from the rest of you too! I wonder how you all are doing and I even promised my mom about a year ago that I would start some kind of newsletter(which I obviously did not do). A blog is a much better idea anyway.

So I look forward to hearing from you all soon!

They're home!

2008-06-12T18:38:00.000-07:00

Hi! It's Shawna! We just returned from getting Mom and Dad (Grandma & Grandpa) home to Twin Falls. They were glad to get home and hope to stay there for a little while, but I'll bet they'll be "hot to trot" if some exciting event is going on somewhere.

We attended Aunt Claudia's funeral and what a beautiful event it was. She so exemplified a person ready to leave this life and meet her maker. I hope I can meet death so sweetly when my turn comes along. Angela, Marcia, and Ron, we are with you and Dan (who was unable to attend). Please don't hesitate to call on us if you need any help! We love you! (Oops--maybe they aren't on this, but the thought is still there!)

Thanks, Jenni, for getting this fun thing started, and join in everyone! It'll be fun to chat about the weather, politics, religion, upcoming events, etc, etc, etc! While we were in Denver, we talked with Uncle Gordon, Barbara, and Brad about the blog they have and heard them talk about "stirring up the pot" to get some talk going! Sounded kinda fun! Of course, they have people in their family who have strong feelings about politics, etc. But as I think about it, I think we have a lot that way too! So everyone put in your 2 cents worth, or start a discussion! Makes for an interesting day! Love you all! Shawna

Aunt Claudia's Funeral

2008-06-12T14:49:00.001-07:00

Not that this is a fantastic first post, seeing as it's a funeral, but Dylan and I were able to attend Aunt Claudia's funeral. Karli was kind enough to watch my older two kids so I could go.(Thanks sooo much!) Anyway, what I heard of the funeral was really special. She was so kind and I will miss her. Here are a few pictures I took at the cemetary. I wish I would have gotten some more formal pics~ Hope you are all doing well!

Welcome to my crazy idea!

2008-06-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, this is Jenni~ As I'm guessing you already knew. Anyway I got the idea from my friend. All of thier cousins and aunts and uncles etc. are able to post what's going on in thier lives. I thought this would be a great idea so that Grandma and Grandpa can keep updated and we can all be in touch a little better. I know that I'm always wondering how everyone is doing, and thought this could be a fabulous way to share fun family news and pictures from events etc. So, I know I don't have everyone's email addresses, if you could send an email to me with other people who may want to contribute to this blog, I can add them so they have access to the blog.

I do want to mention that this is a fun idea, but we need people to actually make posts to keep it alive and not old news.

I love you all and hope we can make this blog work! If you need help figuring out how to post, let me know! I'd be happy to help you learn how to upload pics, video or whatever.

Jenni