Fathers Day a bit Early

After we got home from the Pow Wow we had a yummy dinner and Wes read to Violet. I have a hard time keeping surprises and wanted to give Wes his father's day present a day early. Even though he had guessed it he seemed pleased to get the Matrix Trilogy on Blu-Ray. Adelle also had a special present of Dad coupons.

The next day Wes still got little surprises like a special dinner! Happy Fathers Day!

The Heber Valley Pow Wow

Mid June we were given tickets from Wes' Aunt to go to the Heber Valley Pow Wow. We had never gone to a Pow Wow as a family so we decided to go on a new adventure. We were able to see several Native American dances. The first one we saw was done by the elders. We also got to see children dancing.

There was a lot of drumming, singing and excellent costumes.

We had a fun time shopping and the girls had a great time choosing their own little treasures.

Lydia chose some handmade, Native American earrings.

We found these bird eggs in the parking lot. The momma bird was fluttering all about.

Lydia bought this fox tail for me for my birthday. It is so soft, but now I'm not so sure what to do with it. Perhaps it will have to make it's way onto a costume some day. Cat tries to stay as far away as possible from it.

Adelle picked up a leather and fur purse which is also so soft. I bought Violet a wooden snake that can bend and curve.

Wes really enjoyed trying the fried bread with cinnamon and sugar. It was super yummy! We also got to enjoy the beauty of the Heber Valley!

The Library Summer Party

We love the library! The Salt Lake County library had a summer reading kick-off party in June and we decided to go. We started at the petting zoo. They had quite a few baby animals.

There were a lot of different booths. There were even some Jedi Knights and Storm Troopers walking about. Then the girls decided to make their very own masks.

Violet is starting to enjoy coloring, especially now that she is in nursery on Sunday.

Adelle was quite proud of her creation.

There were also several different performers. They had Irish dancers, jump rope groups, a yo-yo man. There were even big bounce house slides. The park that we were at has the biggest playground ever as well, so Adelle enjoyed running wild and free there. Lydia had to stop at this last booth from the Planetarium. She got to experience static electricity in a whole new way!

It was a fun little adventure. Who doesn't enjoy getting out of house for a while especially when the event is FREE!

Dinosaurs, Tigers and Little Girls at the Zoo!

I have totally been slacking when it comes to blogging. I really need to get back to doing it again. The pictures are piling up on my digital camera, and I am finding less to say about the pictures because it has been a few months since the events happened. I really must do better. I have few readers I know, but more importantly I print the blog off each year and it has become our little history.

Early June we headed off to the zoo for free. I will have to tell more about free stuff later. I won the tickets on Movin 100.7. You can't beat free and I was super excited to take the girls especially Violet since she had never been before. Wes wanted to come too. Erica and her fiance, Phil, joined us as well. Oh, by the way, Erica is engaged! I wish we would have gotten some pictures of them. We came in the back way which was a lot less crowded, found our way and headed out to see the animals.

We headed over the the Big Cat section. They don't have lions anymore, but they had plenty of other feline creatures, including these beautiful tigers.

The Zoo has a special even going on this year. Zoorasic Park! They have several animatronic dinosaurs throughout the park. They even had a dinosaur that spit water. Which was great on a hot day.

The dinosaurs moved slower than I thought they would, but they were fun to see. Violet thought the big T-Rex was pretty cool! Some of her favorite books right now are the "How does a Dinosaur" books.

Even the older girls seemed to like the dinosaurs.

We saw the smaller animals next. I think Violet probably liked those the best because she was able to get so close to them.

She especially loved this little guy. She was so excited to see him eating and kept signing carrot.

My favorite animals are the monkeys. It is probably because they are so similar to us in so many ways.

It was pretty funny when Violet would see an animal and then start making the noise that the animal makes.

Even though Lydia is now 12 she still seemed to enjoy seeing everything.

Adelle had a fun time.

Erica even let her take some pictures with her camera.

I loved seeing the baby elephant with its momma.

Part of the zoo is entirely under construction so there weren't any zebras or bears. We still had a great time. I had thought of buying a family pass earlier in the year, but I think the once will probably be enough for the summer. We do have some other free events we can do. We aren't doing a big vacation this year because it is hard to take Violet too far with the stage she is at right now. Besides after our TV went out and with money put into some backyard projects we probably shouldn't spend money on a big, grand vacation. I love family adventures and the zoo was great!

Fresh Flowers on Memorial Day

This year on Memorial Day I really wanted to go out and visit graves. It was a cold, rainy day, but Wes, Violet and I decided to brave the weather. Sometimes there is something deep inside me that pulls me to do certain things. It is hard to explain. I cut the last remaining tulips from my garden and some purple sage flowers. I visited my mother's and my grandmother's grave first. I can always count on my uncle Dave getting there before me. He always is out with flowers. These graves are right under a tree and I love the pretty marble. The teddy bear on my mother's grave makes me think of the very large bear collection she was accumulating. The tulips I left made me think of my mother and grandmother's dutch heritage.

Violet enjoyed walking around and looking at all the flowers. She got quite excited every time she would see a balloon. She is talking more and more every day.

We visited the grave of Wes' grandfather. It is the newest grave and I was glad to see that he already has a headstone. It is set in a special spot in the graveyard for Veterans.

I left one pink tulip on my grandfather's grave. My grandfather's funeral was the first one I ever attended. I was only five. I remember that he would always give the grandchildren dollar bills. They always smelled grandfatherly.

We then headed to another cemetery. My step sister Jen had many flowers, so I just tucked my small flowers in her vase. I love the lipstick kiss on her headstone.

Last I visited my dad. I made sure to post a flag and put flowers in his vase. I tried to clean off his beautiful headstone as much as I could. I always bring water and a roll of paper towels. Some days I miss him so much, but I know he is looking out for me. In fact, the other day I was watching a video of my father when Violet came up and said "Grandpa". I think only once before I mentioned who he was, so it is possible she remembered, but part of me wonders if perhaps she knows him somehow. She only saw him once when she was just a day old.

The cemetery is not for everyone, and honestly I think the dead want us to live our lives instead of mourning over them, but sometimes it is nice to talk a moment to be there.

God be With You Till We Meet Again

This post is long overdue, but I have been putting it off. On 3/3/11 we lost Wes' grandfather. He has had Parkinson's disease for years, but it was unexpected when he passed away. He just got sick and weak. He ended up in the hospital and never came home. We weren't able to make it up to the hospital in time, but we did make it shortly after he passed and had a chance to hug and give love to Wes' family.

Douglas Oates is an amazing man! I was grateful that we had a chance to visit with him and his wonderful, sweet wife in January. We had a chance to really talk and learn more about Grandpa Oates's life and his history. Little did we know it would be the last chance we would be seeing him. If there is anything I have learned in this life is you never know when your goodbye will be the last one.
He is very religious and always bore his testimony to his children and grandchildren. It was an annual tradition for him to take time at the Christmas party to make sure we knew what he believed.

I am so very grateful for his example and we will miss him. The funeral went well. Funny enough, at my very first Oates Christmas Party we had a talent show. I was convinced by Wes' family to sing. After it was all over Doug approached me and told me he wanted me to sing the Navy Hymn at his funeral. I was very surprised. I didn't know him very well yet and for anyone to ask me to sing at their funeral while they are still living is always unexpected. I assured him that he would be living for a long time to come.

At the hospital Wes' aunts reminded me of their father's request. I did learn the Navy Hymn and it was an honor to sing it at Doug's funeral. I am so glad I had a chance to know him. It will be great to see him on the other side.