Barry and Cathy

Forgot my cape

2009-11-30T18:27:00.000-08:00

It was dumb to trade the afore mentioned cape for painting clothes. I ended up needing it. While taping off Ben's 12 ft ceiling I fell from an 8 ft ladder. I ended up in the hospital (a lot of help I ended up being) I cracked two vertebrae and bruised a lung. I'm still recovering but doing quite well. It hurts to laugh, cough, and sneeze.
On a brighter note we had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The family really took good care of me and just had a wonderful time.

Hard is not good enough

2009-11-18T06:25:00.000-08:00

I was telling Jill the other day that when determining whether or not I should tackle a project, I tell myself that "hard" is not a good enough reason not to do it. Well, with this last project, I found myself repeating that over and over trying to convince myself.

Christina found two porch swings that needed some tender loving care; a little sanding, coat of paint, new awnings, new cushions, pillows, etc. Remember, hard is not a good enough reason not to do something, so I threw myself into it and as long as I'm covering the swings I might as well make covers for the patio chairs.

First, I needed fabric. In Phoenix, the sun can literally shred outdoor fabric within a season, so I knew I needed "Sunbrella" brand. One little problem, it was $18 a yard at the local fabric store and I needed 36 yards! So I found some on Ebay for $5 a yard (not my first choice in prints but for the savings it was worth it) and I was in business. I figured it should take me about a week. Well, as of week 4, I am just now getting finished. If I had it to do all over again, I might rethink my little "hard is not a good enough reason" mantra but on the other hand it's nice to have my patio so much more useable. Barry and I have spent a lot of time just relaxing on the swings already. The weather has been beautiful so for now my Sunbrella fabric is working out great, come summer is the real test.

Like all projects, one thing leads to another, so I painted the front door and front bench. Well it's time to change out of my superwoman cape and tights (should have scrapped the tights long ago....50 plus body in tights....not a pretty sight) and into my painting clothes. I'm off to St. George to rescue a son and daughter-in-law in distress (we are painting the whole interior of their new home this weekend.)

Dr Hulet

2009-10-05T21:14:00.000-07:00

Brett passed his dental boards first try!! We are so thrilled for him and Jen!! He has really worked hard to make this dream come true and we are so proud of him. Amazing, just amazing.

That's what happens when your wife makes your heart skip a beat

2009-09-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

So, I've spent most of the week in the hospital. My mom had surgery on her knee and Barry had to have a pacemaker put in his heart. It's nice not having to be the patient but there sure is a lot of energy expended worrying and waiting. I'm tired, relieved, and looking forward to getting Barry back home tomorrow.

sew what's new

2009-08-10T10:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick addition to my blog. I got a chance to see Nic and Christian. I had a really great time and it was so fun to see them. The added bonus was I got to spend some time there and back with Jill, Spence, and kiddos and Ben and Steph (and her very delightful parents). I've been so excited to show Nic how to use her new machine. She posted these pics of the things we made on her blog, so I just borrowed them. We had lots of fun and Christian was a good sport about being neglected.
I lugged my new machine along so I could dazzle her with the machine embroidery. Here's a pillow we embroidered and made.
She embroidered matching paislies on the pockets. It turned out so cute she couldn't give it away. embroidered matching paislies on the pockets. Turned out so cute she couldn't give it away as intended!

Some People Can Dish it Out....

2009-08-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I suck at blogging. Lots of stuff has happened since my last entry. So I won't even try to catch up. Besides, at this very moment I'm typing with one hand and I'm on drugs. So a picture is going to have to be worth a 1,000 words.

While washing dishes a plate snapped in half and cut my hand open. I grabbed a beach towel with a panda head on it and called my mom. She ran me to urgent care. When they unwrapped my hand from the towel, it looked like someone had shot the panda through the head.

The doc didn't want me ripping out any of his stitches, so he put me in a splint. A little over kill if you ask me, but hey, he prescribed no more washing dishes for 2 weeks. At least the splint matches my toenail polish and PJs.

I've been working this summer on trying to get the dining room and front room painted and draperies made. This is the dining room. You can't see the chair rail very good in the picture but it turned out great.

I've had a birthday since I last blogged. It was nice to have Christina, Josh, Jill, Spencer, Avery, Logan, mom and of course Barry there to help celebrate.

Ben and Steph came for a little over a week in July. That was FUN. I took advantage of their willingness to help out and rented scaffolding and painted the two story entry and family room. This is Steph, a construction guy wanna be, eating her lunch while sitting on top the scaffolding. Ben figured out the strange contortion so we could paint above the stairs. Man, I love that kid.

Steph, my little spider monkey. The girl has no fear. She just sat up there while Ben rolled her for place to place.

Barry snapped this picture of his lovely ETERNAL companion. We painted the wrought iron fence with spray paint and it was getting in every crevice of my well creviced body, so this was my solution. Ever had black spray paint on your nose hairs? So don't laugh.

My little Michigan arm of the family came for a visit in May. This is Joz. She's fearless. Avery is peeking around the corner. mmmwah, I could kiss their little faces off.

My little guy Brax getting ready to slide with Avery. These little peeps are as cute as their parents used to be.

Okay, I'm getting Carpel tunnel here. Who knows what grand adventures I'll meet up with when next I write.

Celebrate!!!

2009-05-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

Yea!!! such a happy day. Christina has loved Josh for SO long and it's wonderful to see them start a life together. They were married May 1st at the Seattle Wahington Temple. The day was gloriously SUNNY. Seattle can be intoxicating on sunny days and we were all feeling a great anticipation for this long awaited event. Chrisina had lots of support from family and friends. Here's a recap in pictures.

Chelsee Hunt (cousin) performed the magic. She has such a sweet and giving spirit.

Here is Christina ready to go get hitched

We had a luncheon first. Josh loved the idea of "Dave's BBQ" but they would only take reservations before 2pm so we ate before we went to the temple and that worked out great. It left lots of time for the photographer (an amazing guy who flew up from Phoenix) after the ceremony.

The happy couple!! just leaving the temple.

Beautiful couple

The Family.

We were quite the team pulling this all together. Everything worked out perfectly.

Christina's dear friend flew in all the way from Boston to help her celebrate. Shout out to

Christy Parry!

Josh's car says it all!! and I for one couldn't be happier for them.

Since we had so much of Barry's family there to support Christina, we decided to throw him a surprise birthday party. Greg pulled him out of the room to talk to him and we set it up in about 4 minutes, Crepe paper, balloons, cake and candles. We then brought him in, yelled surprise. Blew out candles, ate cake and told "Barry" stories until we were laughing so hard we had tears rolling down our faces!!

Brett had the brillant idea of getting him a WII as a group gift. Here is the "new little man" in my life.We then drove to Yakima and had a beautiful reception hosted by the Doddroes. It was amazing to see old friends again. So many people there that are so dear to us.

After the festivities and on our way back to Seattle to the airport, we took an opportunity to show some of our newest family members beautiful Washington State. Here are some pictures at Snoqualmie Falls

The Andersons

Brett, Jen, Brax and Joz

Barry at the Falls

We then flew home and started the preparations for the Open House here in Phoenix. We had a great time. Lots of good homemade vittles, and a great show of support from family and friends. ... I'm tired.

Another day at the 'ol grind

2009-04-05T08:06:00.000-07:00

Last month I was asked to teach a Stake class on how to make bread. No problem, really, I've made bread for years. How hard could it be. So I stood up in front of a packed classroom, turned on the charm, made a beautiful batch of dough and then declared with confidence "It's just that easy. I promise if you follow the demonstrated steps YOU TOO can have terrific results" One lady in the front raises her and and says"Uh mm, I'm confused, when do you put in the yeast?" Yikes, now that's embarrassing. I said "Ah, how about now" and I grabbed the container of yeast and sprinkled some on top the dough. So I admit to being a bit cocky at times and okay, so I get the part about God teaching us to be humble, but if I have to look like I don't know what I'm doing, Let it be a class about balancing the checkbook...not bread making. I'm FABULOUS in that area. (oops, I guess humility is going to take awhile still) As a result of attending the class some of the ladies from my ward asked for a private lesson, so they came over to my house and we donned aprons (as if I need an apron...darn, humble, remember humble)

We ground up some flour from my MONTANA WHEAT (love that stuff) Here we are in the kitchen. One of the sisters was given a Bosch Mixer 2 years ago and had never used it so she was excited to go home and get it out of the box.

Below is a picture of my buddy Vanessa. She has a magic ingredient. She puts so much LOVE into it, that who cares how it tastes!! Honestly, she is the greatest!!

This is Kristen, one of my most enthusiastic students. She was so excited to acquire this new skill and her enthusiasm was catching!!This is the other Kristen and Rachel. They were enjoying learning this new skill so they could show off to their husbands. They were a lot of fun to teach.

Though there was plenty of sweetness with the combination sisters, we still needed to add some to the bread because this time I remembered the yeast.

Luckily, for my reputation the bread turned out great. (As if there could have been any other result! ...I mean...um, I'm so glad my students did so well)
This is my friend Donna. It was sooo much fun to teach her because she came determined to not leave my house until she got it right. (little worried when she brought her sleeping bag with her! J/K) When she pulled out 4 beautiful loaves from the oven we both almost cried.
Afterwards, we sat outside and had lunch of different kinds of salads and of course, hot bread.

Twilight

2009-03-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

This cartoon made me laugh out loud. (Thanks Nicole) Honestly, I'm getting the impression that I need to make room for "Twilight" in my scripture bag.

Boys will be Boys

2009-03-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

When I was raising boys the wisdom of letting them play with toy guns was questioned. Certainly violence was at an all time high in our nation and perpetuating it by letting your little boys play with toy guns was discouraged. I struggled with what would be the most responsible approach, guns from a mother's point of view don't make sense but try telling that to a little boy!! I have a sister-in-law with all boys and I remember at the time her not allowing her boys to have toy guns. She tried to encourage the gentler side of their natures by giving them dolls. A few years ago we were sitting around a fire at a family reunion and one of my nephews confessed that he and his brothers took the dolls, lit them on fire and used them as bombs. The memory still makes me smile.

Anyway, while Jill was scanning all of my pictures (5000 approx, man ya gotta love that girl!!) as a Christmas gift for me she noticed I had a picture of all my guys at approximately the same age. Can't say if playing with toy guns created any violent tendencies, can say, shoot, I like the way my little cowpokes turned out!!!

BARRY

BRETT

BENJAMIN

Let's get Personal

2009-02-03T16:11:00.000-08:00

So...I have a friend (Becky, ya gotta love her) who hooked me up with a personal trainer who was taking on clients for the unheard of price of $20 a session. I jumped at the chance to get a kick start on losing fat from my last pregnancy(okay, so that was 27 years ago but don't miss my point). So I have been heaving and hoing, lifting and pushing up, pushing and pulling since OCTOBER and I've lost a grand total of 6 measly pounds. It's hard not to feel pathetic but today my trainer said he was noticing some definition to my arms. The "Relief Society jiggle" when I practice my "Homecoming Queen" wave is less noticeable in my upper arm and I have a small cut (weightlifter lingo for "it appears there might be a bit of muscle under there"). I've learned a lot. Here goes:
1 I am never going to be one of those people who gets on the scale and says "My I've lost 5 pounds over night. I wonder where it all went." Every pound has to be coaxed off with more than an ample supply of sweat and a little swearing.
2 As hard as it is NOT to eat the cookie, it is 10 times harder to get it off my butt once I do.
3 Costco samples have calories. @#&* (remember the swearing part)
4 My scale is not my friend. It's an evil device that plays mind games and produces irrational thought patterns (Oh good, I've lost 2 pounds after five weeks of running 4 miles a day, I'll reward myself by baking cookies)
5 Someone needs to write a new joke book for personal trainers ("no, I meant your other left foot". har har. You'd think you'd be careful what you said to a woman with 50lbs bar bells in each hand (okay 12lbs) Honestly I think one of these days when I roll my eyes they're going to end up in the back of my head somewhere.

Polar Express

2009-01-05T16:36:00.000-08:00

Here's some cute pictures of our trip on the Polar Express. Avery probably saw the movie more than a dozen times so she was quite excited about it. Brax would have liked it better if the fat man in the red suit wouldn't have been there. You should have seen him dive under the seat when Santa appeared. Oh well, at least he got a silver bell out of the deal

Brett and Jozalyn waiting to board the train

Grandma and Braxton and Avery on the Polar Express

Brett and Jozalyn looking out the train window

Avery looking out the window at the North Pole

Here comes Santa Claus

Santa giving Avery a bell

and Braxton...
and Logan...

There's no Place Like Home for the Holidays

2009-01-05T08:56:00.000-08:00

Barry and I have been anticipating this Christmas for a long time. All of our family was together, that being quite a fete since we are spread out across the country. Christmas is different with adult children. The privilege and excitement of being together supersedes the gift giving and I enjoyed watching the kids enjoy each other. We tried to scale down Christmas this year. Nobody seemed to notice. The gift part just seemed secondary. However, when I was handed a gift that turned out to be a DVD in which every one of my photo album's contents were scanned, over 5500 pictures, I couldn't stop the tears. The hours of sacrifice that were involved in the making of the gift still stuns me. Thanks Jill! What a thoughtful, selfless thing to do.

It's amazing how much the addition of new family members adds to the fun. I LOVE the people my kids chose to marry. Each in their own way has enriched our lives immensely, not to mention the GRAND KIDS! Man, I'm nuts about them. Now, as I return to the routine, there is a sweetness that lingers. The toy truck in the pantry (Braxton and Logan both spent as much of their free time in there as possible so it could belong to either of them), the fingerprints on the glass doors, the trash cans overflowing, are evidence of memories made and upon reflection, bring a smile to my face.

Josh and Christina

Brett and Jen

Spencer and Jill

Ben and Stephanie

Christian and NicoleBarry and CathyHere are some random pictures. For Christmas I made Logan and Jozalyn a "Sunday Book" that was loaded with pictures of them so them could be kept occupied during church. As you can see from the following pictures, Jozalyn was pretty taken with herself!!Avery received a camera from Santa and was quite engrossed in taking pictures. She was not easily distracted.

Brett decided to teach his kids to scowl, much to their mother's dismay. Actually, Joz got so she could scowl on demand. We all thought it was adorable, hope she breaks the habit before 1st grade, though.

Nicole has really missed her nieces and nephews. She loved them every chance she got.

Here's little Logan. Believe me, he is enjoying having teeth and all the joys that come with his favorite pastime...EATING.

They ain't heavy...they's my family

Here's some pictures of our day at the Ice Rink:

I really treasured this time together. What a joy these "littles" are to me.

Tagged and so FOURTH

2008-11-05T06:32:00.000-08:00

Nicole tagged me. 4th folder, 4th picture

This is a picture taken in April 2007. Barry was teaching Avery where her nose was. He's such a good grandpa. Yesterday, I watched Jill's kids so she could go to a Relief Society meeting. I took Avery and Logan to the park and Avery insisted I go down the slide with her. I tried to explain one of the main laws of physics, that being, that the said slide must be the width or greater of the butt sliding down it. Evidently, she wasn't convinced. She said, "come on Grandma, do it like grandpa does it". Tall order. So as not to be out done, I went down the double slide that has a ridge dividing the two slides. Let's just say, I have a permanent wedgie.

Imagination

2008-10-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since Halloween was much more than a bump in the road on the rush to Christmas, but this year I have two little 3 years olds in my family that have been caught up in the "Whatcha goin' to be?" and have been eagerly planning their escape from reality to the fantasy of being their favorite character. Braxton of course, chose BUZZ LIGHTYEAR, And Avery chose CINDERELLA, she said I should be Sleeping Beauty, but I told her, The best I could do was be the "Fairy Grandmother!"

Ahh, but if I could for just a day, transform myself into someone else who would it be? There's lots of things I'd like to be:

thinner

fitter

smarter

funnier

more spiritual

I'd like to be able to really belt out a song...

but someone else? nah. I read somewhere "to thine own self...be enough". I think for Halloween this year, I'll be a thinner, smarter, funnier, etc, version of me.

Princes don't grow on Trees

2008-09-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

I remember the first time I met Josh. I remember it because it was the first time I'd ever seen that look in Christina's eyes. It was a look of pure adoration. After he left, she confessed to me, "I really like him, mom". That was 6 years ago and "like" turned to "love" without much coaxing. She had never before, or has never since been able to give her heart to anyone else. So it didn't matter that it took 6 years, he owns her heart.
We were thrilled when she knocked on our bedroom door early one Sunday morning and sweetly told us that she and Josh were getting married. I have honestly never seen her look so happy.

Christina has always been this quiet, steady, dependable emotional rock for me. She instinctively senses what I need and has stood ready to give her love and support. As I laid in my hospital room after having back surgery, I was scared and hurting and drugged. I looked over to see who was at my bedside rubbing my hand. It was Christina. Softly stroking, with that sweet smile that conveyed absolute devotion. I woke several hours later and looked over to see my hand still in hers.

She has never demanded her slice of attention, preferring to take a backseat to some of her of her siblings that were more comfortable entertaining the crowd. I watched some old home movies the other day. I observed her standing in the background, watching some of the antics of her siblings. She was laughing but too shy too participate. I wanted to scoop up that little girl on the TV screen into my arms and tell her how much she means to me and what a priviledge it is to be her mom. I wanted to bring her into the middle of all the fun and say "Don't forget about her. Just because she's shy and quiet and won't compete for attention, don't forget to give her her some." The ironic thing is that when she does finally get a word in edge wise, she's freaking hilarious.

She has taught me so many things. Because of her I desire to be kinder because she has taught me the value of kindness. I want to love more deeply and show it with more devotion because she has touched me with her example. She has taught me to look for the quiet voices in the crowd and discover all that they have to offer.

I am so excited for her and Josh and their future together. They love to be together and enjoy and appreciate each other. Josh understands Christina, because he too is exemplary in his desire to be kind and serve those around him. He is not one who seeks attention but willingly gives to those who need him with no compuction and no expectation to get back anything in return. I feel like it is such a priviledge to have him as part of our lives. He truly is a noble man. Life just keeps getting better...I think there's someone I need to thank for that and believe me, I do, everyday, on my knees, I let Him know how blest I feel, because princes don't grow on trees and yet my daughters have each managed to find one.

Princess

2008-09-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Barry and I were invited to go to Disneyland this weekend with Christina and Josh. Since Barry's work is already 1/2 way to Jill's, we just met up at Jill's house in Goodyear and left from there. Well, Avery's eyes lit up when she heard the "D" word so we decided to bring her along. It's magical to see Disneyland through a child's perspective. She was actually greeting old friends when she saw Tigger and Pooh.

But the awe on her little face when she saw the "Princesses" brought tears to my eyes. It obviously meant so much to her. There was a place designated where kids could meet and greet the "Princesses".

She ran to each one with her arms out stretched. I couldn't believe how emotional I got. Her little face was just beaming. Afterwards, we came upon a parade and she watched mesmerized as each float went by. But when the float with Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" came by, Avery's face just lit up and she cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled,"Belle, it's me Avery!"

A Pirate's Life for Me

2008-07-29T14:18:00.000-07:00

I like to think of myself as having a very creative streak. I have found an outlet for that creativity by learning how to manipulate photos. Really, it's a one woman party, as I'm giggling away at some of my creations. Well, this year our family reunion had "Pirates of the Caribbean" as it's theme and each family was to design a flag. There was a collective groan from all my family members when they heard I was pulling out the "Photo shop". Having been victims in the past, they didn't quite trust my discretion. Well, I thought they turned out pretty funny, mateys! Our flag was entitled "Protecting the Family Jewels" with pictures of the guys surrounding a treasure chest, where I had put all the rest of our faces on coins. Barry

Okay, so not everybody thought their pictures were all that flattering. But I only had so much to work with.

Happy Birthday Ben-jo-man

2008-07-14T15:09:00.000-07:00

I'm glad I have an excuse to write a tribute to my youngest son. Today is his birthday. I have a picture of him when he was about 18 months old peeling an orange.

He was pretty determined to get at the flesh of that orange and he was not about to let something little like a bit of peel get in his way. I didn't know at the time how much of a foreshadowing that picture would be of his personality. Obstacles, have only been minor inconveniences to him. He approaches everything he does with a can do attitude. When he applied to get into the accounting program at BYU he didn't get accepted so he wrote them a letter. Still no postive results, so the next letter went to someone alittle higher up. The end result of the letters and phone calls was an admittance into the program. He graduated with a masters in accounting from BYU. He bought a CRAPPY old house and asked me where he should start with the renovations (my first thought was a MATCH!) I told him the windows, so the next thing I knew he was punching out windows. I asked him if he knew how to replace the old one with a new one? He said, "No but I'm sure I can figure it out." You should see that piece of crap house now! It's beautiful. Granite counter tops, new laundry room, porch, floors, stonework, windows, tile, light fixtures, etc.

I'm just so dang proud of that kid. He always sends me mother's day and birthday cards, which I appreciate, but he also sends them to my mom, which I think is extraordinary. He has a great capacity to feel and express gratitude and is one of the only guys I know to always send a Thank you card. I keep those cards because they mean a lot to me and they remind me of what an exceptional young man I have as a son.

We have developed quite a friendship as he has turned to me during the rough times the past few years. It's wonderful to see him so happy now. He has found someone who truly stands by his side and supports and loves him with her whole heart. She also gets his sense of humor so that's a BIG plus.

and when I think of him I just feel this tremendous feeling of love and pride and gratitude that the Lord would bless me with such an amazing man to be my son.

Finger Lickin' Good

2008-06-14T14:51:00.000-07:00

I had a birthday this week. I came home from church to my daughter's, Spencer and my mom cooking a sumputous meal (poached salmon, baked potaoes, strawberry mango salad, homemade french onion soup, (YUM thanks Spence) and German Chocolate Cake made from scratch YUMMMMIIEE!! Avery was so excited about having a birthday party she REALLY wanted to help. So she volunteered to help blow out the candles

and pass out the cake to everyone.
Of course, she had to taste each piece before she handed it over!

I've decided my house looks a little tired so I asked for some new light fixtures for my birthday. So far Barry and I have only gotten one of the three hung. We are waiting for Ben to come and tackle the harder ones. But it's still such a boost to get a change.

A Man For All Seasons

2008-06-03T12:23:00.000-07:00

I remember having a conversation with Ben awhile ago. Someone had told him that it was wise to date someone all four season's before you married them. Their rationale was that there is a lot that can change with each season; moods, interests, hobbies, etc. and it's best to know those things up front. Well, I'm way passed the need to find a marriage companion but I've have come to the point in my life where I can mark it by "Seasons" and I can see an analogy of finding someone for your life's partner that could endure all the season's of your life together.

Spring..the growing season, the newness of being together, of having young children, finding a path, starting traditions...

Summer...The kids all at home, the noise, the laughter, the heat of the moments, youthfulness...

Fall...the harvest, the lesson's bearing fruit, thankfulness, kid's departing on their chosen paths...

Winter...the newness of being together, of having young children in our lives again, of redefining ourselves.

I have found it to be true, you can find out a lot about someone with every season's change. I've learned that Barry would do anything for me or his kids. Barry has always been willing to make personal sacrifices ( sole exception being that little black Camero!!!) of time, money, energy so that we could have comfortable, joy filled lives. I've learned that he is a man with unparalleled integrity. I never doubt his sincerity or honesty. In the moments when no one else would know otherwise, I find him on his knees in prayer or reading the scriptures. I've learned that there is no greater joy that he receives in this life than being with his family. He is incredibly proud of each one of them. There is no man that has ever enjoyed his grand kids more than Barry. The look in those little people's eyes when they see their grandpa is a testament to his love for them. I've learned through this horrible illness my father has gone through, the capacity of Barry's devotion and love and his kindness, his incredible kindness. I love to just be together. I get flowers, just because. If he could, he would deny me nothing. How could I have known the measure of this man when I chose him all those years ago? The seasons of our lives have revealed truly a man for ALL season's and I couldn't be more grateful. Happy Father's Day, sweetheart.

Proud

2008-05-18T21:42:00.000-07:00

The whole family came to support Nicole and Christian and luckily the wedding landed right at the beginning of Brett's spring break from the University of Michigan. So we got to have them for 10 wonderful days!! One of my very favorite things to do is watch my kids parent. Brett is such an amazing dad. He makes fathering look SO fun. I just love to sit back and watch the commotion. He uses sound effects as a favorite parenting tool and he's easy to locate if his kids are anywhere near...just follow the screeching. He is passionate about his family and that's where he finds his joy.

The Brett Hulet's-Brett, Braxton,Jozalyn and Jen

He is lucky enough to have married someone who shares his passion for family. Jen is devoted to her brood and no detail of their care is overlooked. She enjoys being a mom and wife and her family thrives under her devotion to them. She is one of my favorite people to hang out with. And she also shares my passion for Last Chance. They went 3 times while they were here.

I snapped this picture early one morning when Brett had gotten up with Jozalyn and was trying to let Jen sleep in while getting some time with the books studying for the Dental Boards. He was reading Dental Anatomy to his daughter. It might as well been written by Dr Seuss, because she was totally captivated. (Who wouldn't be, root canals have always been such a great source of entertainment for me)

Meet Braxton, Brett's shadow and best buddy. They have their own language. When Braxton gets hurt he let's Brett know if he "needs a hug" or if he can "walk it off". They have "Smack Down Time" and compare each other's "GUNS" and give each other "POWS". No little boy ever loved his daddy more and this daddy never needs to be reminded of what it feels like to be a little boy, because the lttle boy in him, is never very far away.

Portraits

2008-05-18T11:21:00.000-07:00

Nicole loves pictures. She takes her camera wherever she goes. When I put together a video for her and Christian I had tons of great pictures to choose from. They had pictures of almost every significant moment of their courtship and lots of great random shots. So it came as no surprise that as she budgeted for her big day, she wanted to hire a photographer that she felt a lot of confidence in. We went to the bridal fair here in Phoenix and Nicole was really drawn to one photographer, Tawnya Hood. They hatched a plan to take the portraits the week after the wedding up at my sisters lodge in Heber AZ. So Christian and Nicole went up to the lodge a few days early for their Honeymoon and I brought the photographer up the next weekend. So I thought I'd post a few of the portraits Tawnya took.

Perfect

2008-04-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

Anyone out there checking my blog has noticed I haven't posted in awhile. I have been a slave to a daily schedule of getting things done for Nicole and Christian's wedding. But it was worth it. The night went off without a hitch. Barry's sister, Judy, said her favorite thing about the event was that it was organized so well that we were able to have a party the night before and everyone enjoyed themselves without stressing about all the last minute details. And ya know, we really did have a great time. We had a get to know the families BBQ/swim party/beach volleyball at Val Vista Lakes. The Hagges are delightful people and up for a good time. The next day Nicole and Christian were sealed in the Mesa Temple. It was a beautiful sealing and love that they share was so apparent. We came back to our home and Hagges (prounced HAY GEE) provided an awesome brunch consisting of different kinds of crepes. I then dashed over to my sisters for some last minute set up while Barry, Greg and Grandpa Hulet made sure the yard was going to be well lit for the reception and dance. Nicole said the night was perfect and everything she had hoped for. There are so many people that helped pull this off. I feel so appreciative of all their support. The following day was Sunday and since everyone was there, Brett blessed our new little Jozelyn in our ward and Chelsee Worsley Hunt sang (beautiful). It was a very full weekend with lots of sweet memories.

Tag, I'm it!

2008-03-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

Jill tagged me. Here goes...

What I was doing 10 years ago...

Mothers Week at Ricks-Sleeping in Jill's roommate's bed (Thanks Alisha!) giggling, skipping all the mother's week classes and meeting all her friends.

Writing Christina and Brett on their missions.

Going on covert missions to retrieve an accidentally sent email.

Getting Nicole glasses.

Wishing I was skinny.

Glad to have another kid (Ben) get his driver's license.

Talking to Jill on the phone. (We'd just gotten caller ID and the name that came up every time she called was Farmer Ross...random memory)

I was attending CWU getting my much overdue education.

Proud of Barry for jump starting a new company.

Things on my to do list...

finish making Nic's temple dress

return library books

call Doctors office for results of my cholesterol test

clean house ...done (it's 8:45 am, definitely an over achiever)

start on Nic and Christian wedding video

laundry (also done)

make bread

visiting teach

okay, I'm going to stop...this is getting depressing

4 things I'd do if I had a billion dollars

I think money can create as many problems as it solves, so if I'm wishful thinking I'd like to do the following things...

get wood floors and a fireplace

pay off Ben's student loans

fly Jen Brett Brax and Jozelyn here for a visit

buy all of my kids a house near by

buy Barry the car of his dreams

help Barry start his own company

hire a nanny to potty train Avery and Braxton so their parents would only have one in diapers

put enough away for a comfortable retirement...

and then I would look for ways to make a difference in other people's lives (sorta like a white Oprah Winfrey)

Jobs I've had

Worked at Red Steer Drive In

taught sewing classes at fabric stores

substitute teacher

3 bad habits
I have a certain word I like to use to relieve stress
I always plan to start my diet tomorrow
I make cookies because I'm starting my diet tomorrow so it's the last time I'm going to get to have them in a while

6 things people would be surprised to know about me...
I am an avid recycler. I've been known to gather stuff at ward dinners and family get togethers and take it home to be sure it gets recycled.
I have an innate fear of someone touching my navel. I always sleep with a pillow on my stomach.
The smell of newborn baby poop brings back fond memories.
I'm a helicopter when it comes to my family. I'm always swooping in to save the day.
I have attractive feet. My toes angle perfectly with the exception of my little toe which has almost no nail and turns sideways.
I can turn my tongue over.

Okay...I tag Nicole, Christina, and Barry!!!

New People

2008-02-15T06:06:00.000-08:00

I was thinking the other day that in the past six months we've added 4 new people to the family (new daughter, Stephanie, new son, Christian and 2 new grandbabies, Logan and Jozalyn). With each new addition there is a sense of anticipation as you get to really know who they are and love them because of it. I love the people my kids chose to marry. And I'm absolutely CRAZY about my grandkids. Just thinking about it makes me smile. I do all the things I swore I'd never do. Buy them ridiculous toys, let them eat sugar behind their parents back, make my visiting teachers sit and listen to endless renditions of their antics and to my embarrassment, pull out the pictures of them because I can't imagine anyone not seeing that they are without question the most adorable beings ever produced!!! Okay, I'll get a grip one of these days, but honestly Barry is worse than I am. Lot's worse. He morphs from grown man to horsey, monster, football thrower, tea party guest, singer, story reader....immediately upon the arrival of said grandchildren. Every attempt at an adult interaction is puncuated by sound effects, side long glances, and giggles when those munchkins are around. All this, is in way of introduction of our newest little granddaughter, Jozalyn Jennifer. I spent some time in Michigan upon her arrival and introduced myself. She has the sweetest disposition, looks just like her mom eats like her dad

I also got to spend some quality time with Brax.

He's one funny dude!!! He calls himself super Braxton, so of course I made him a red cape to accomadate his pretending.

When everyone else was napping I decided to make some curtains for the baby's room. Okay okay I'll stop. But did I mention how crazy I am about them...I have a couple more pictures...if anyone is interested.

Good Times

2008-01-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

I look back on the Holidays as sweet memories and forward to this new year with the anticipation of adding some people to our family. Brett and Jen are days away from greeting their little girl. Her name is yet undecided as to the spelling so when I know you'll know. Nicole is excitedly working on preparations for the upcoming event. She, Christina and I went to a bridal show yesterday. That was a bit overwhelming! But it has been fun looking for invitations and trying on wedding dresses. I feel like I've been going full speed since August. This year doesn't look like things are going to slow down anytime soon The ironic thing is when they do slow down I sorta miss it all. I thought I'd post a few pictures from the holidays. We spent a great Christmas Eve and Day at Spencer and Jill's. It was fun to have little ones around again for Christmas. Avery got a Nativity set and had grandpa put the baby Jesus in his pocket to keep Jesus warm. Cute! Logan was a little bored with the whole thing. His needs are pretty simple: food, sleep, and a clean diaper and he was getting all that stuff already.

Of course, every kid dreams of their first car. Avery kept wanting me to ride in it with her. All too soon she'll realize the laws of nature and the impossibility of my hips ever fitting in that thing but for now it's nice to know she thinks it's a possibility.

Having Josh come was a highlight of the season. Though this is how we saw him the most. He is a cracker jack mechanic and keeps Christina's car purring. In this picture he is installing the car stereo Christina got for Christmas. Avery thinks when we say "oh my gosh" that we are really saying "oh my Josh" so of course ,now we do.

Welcome to the family

2007-12-15T16:07:00.000-08:00

This has been such an eventful year. Ben found Stephanie. Spencer and Jill added little Logan to the family. Brett and Jen are going to have a little girl and Nicole just landed hereself a man.

Christian proposed to Nicole on her birthday. He first asked her father for permission and then called each of her brothers and asked them for their blessing. He made a memory box that had pictures of he and Nicole on the lid and inside he had a leather bound book in which he'd written all the reasons why he loved her. When he popped the question on a beautiful star filled night you better believe she said yes...or at least he assumed she did. She wouldn't stop hugging him long enough for him to see her face. But her face was all we could see when they came back to break the news. She was lit up like a Christmas tree and the bling bling she kept flashing at me was blinding me. We are all so thrilled. Christian is just the kind of guy I hoped would find my daughter. He's a man of honor and integrity and he fits right in around here.

No Silent Nights around here

2007-12-15T15:55:00.000-08:00

I'm on our ward's Activity Committee and was asked to sew the costumes for the Nativity Play. So how does one make 14 costumes with $100 budget....Salvation Army and..drapes, sheets, shower curtains, and pillow shams

After the feast...Comes the Thankfulness

2007-11-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

Ben and Steph came down from SLC to spend Thanksgiving with the family in Phoenix. We spent the day at Jill and Spencer's. The weather was perfect and after a great feast we spent the afternoon playing croquet in the park...
and singing our lungs out playing "Singstar". the next day was spent shopping and getting ready for a bit of early Christmas since we will be sparse in numbers this year. Of course, the boys had to introduce Christian to paint ball on Saturday.
He came home a fan and then they got to relive all their battle wounds in the retelling of their adventure. The girls went to lunch and checked out the new mall by our house. Great Holiday!!

Ben helps keep with the tradition of finding all the smoking hot deals the day after Thanksgiving, laboriously going through each ad, getting up early with a well planned strategy, and finding most of the stuff sold out after standing in ridiculous lines. Brett had it the worst this year. He actually camped out on the sidewalk to BestBuy, determined to replace his worn out laptop. He got there at 9:30 the night before and put up a lttle tent I'd given Braxton as a birthday gift. The tent was made to look like a basketball. So here was Brett sleeping on the sidewalk to BestBuy on a Michigan winter night with his feet sticking out one end of a basketball. I guess the logical question is: did he end up with THE laptop....nope. Sold out. (the end of the story is he did end up buying one but for more than he wanted to spend)
Every baby so far has been gotten a Santa outfit for their first Christmas, from their aunt Christina. So to keep with the tradition she got Logan all decked out. I think the whole experience was sorta lost on him but the rest of us were amply delighted with the get up. What a precious little guy.

A few weeks ago, we all went over to Spencer and Jill's new house to help paint. Avery talked her great grandpa into having a pretend tea party with her. Consequently on Thanksgiving, great grandma decided to bring her a little tea set. Avery was excited. I thought it was so cute until she required that I fit my ample behind on that little chair and drink water with marshmellows dipped in it. But a gramma's gotta do what a gramma's gotta do. So Here's to marshmellow water!

Ben took an opportunity to get to know Logan. There is something remarkable about loving someone else's child and watching someone you love, loving them too. Ben had such a way with both Avery and Logan. He's going to be a great father. One thing for sure, his kids will know how to work.

Let's hear it for the boy!!

2007-11-06T13:21:00.001-08:00

Logan Spencer Anderson has arrived!!! November 5th, Logan made his entrance into our lives. He's long like his dad (21 inches) and weighed 8lbs 10oz. Jill didn't want to get sent home, so she waited to go to the hospital until she was sure it was the real thing. Consequently, there was no time to spare and he was born naturally. Jill is doing great and thrilled with this new addition, not to mention having her body back!!!

She should have been a surgeon

2007-10-31T08:15:00.000-07:00

One of the time honored holiday traditions that I was anxious to discontinue was pumpkin carving. Something about the slimy pumpkin guts that I always dreaded. But what I realized when I saw this picture is ya gotta have the "guts" to have the joy.

Take Your "Tricker Treater" to Work Day

2007-10-31T07:31:00.000-07:00

Barry and Avery

Christina and Avery

Avery, Nicole and Christian

Jill decided it would be fun to dress Avery up and take her trick or treating to the offices of some of the people that would love to see her all decked out. Barry gave her a whole box of fruit snacks, Christina gave her 3 movie size boxes of candy and Christian planted candy at several colleagues desks so he could take her around his office at ASU and show her off. (She has a mild crush on him so she was very accommodating.) Halloween has gotten fun again! I love being a grandma.

Nic and Chris

2007-10-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

Nicole and Christian were in the backyard enjoying the crisp fall weather (ya, right. instead of being in the triple digits it had cooled down to 93). Anyway, they both have such beautiful smiles, that just looking at them makes me want to smile.

R and R

2007-10-18T08:11:00.001-07:00

These two guys better enjoy their time on mamma's lap while there's still room. Soon the boys in the family will no longer out number the girls. I can't wait to see those beautiful brown eyes passed on to a little girl.

Go Blue

2007-10-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

On our recent trip to MIchigan Barry, Brett, and Braxton decided to show some school spirit.

U of M people are big into football and it's hard not to be swept into the mania. They pack the "Big House" with well over 100,000 screaming fans, among which are my son and sometimes his little guy and his biggest supporter, Jen. But in these pictures the Big Game Day festivities included grandpa. Our little guy Braxton is all about UofM football. In the photo he is cheering, "Go Blue!" When we dropped grandpa and Brett off to go to the game on Saturday he realized he wasn't going with them, he just sobbed. He kept saying "football, me go"

A Star is Born

2007-10-09T06:04:00.000-07:00

If anyone is interested they can view a video of Ben and Stephanie's wedding by following this link: http://www.rb-studios.com/blog/ They are happily settling into married life. Steph's parents drove up this past weekend and helped them get ready for an open house. They had planned on having it outside but it kept trying to snow (didn't quite make it though). They moved it all inside, which made for a cozy setting. Everyone seemed thrilled with how it turned out. Barry and I wish we could have gone. Sounds like we missed a smashing party. Ben said the State Auditor for Utah was there as well as lots of friends and family.

Kissing cousins

2007-10-07T16:23:00.000-07:00

One good kiss deserves another. These are my two grand-babies. They really have quite the bond and have made getting together so much fun. Both of their moms are expecting, so in the next few months we are welcoming another boy and girl to the ranks.

Meet the Fam

2007-10-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Well, here they are they some of the people I love the most in the whole world. I can honestly say that I am the happiest when I am with them.

Introductions: L to R

Christina, Brett, Braxton, Jen, Nicole, Barry, Cathy, Benjamin, Jill Avery and Spencer.

Meet the newest member of my family

2007-10-07T15:44:00.001-07:00

We are so excited to welcome to our family it's newest member, Stephanie Parker Hulet. We've been anticipating this event for months. We all met in St George Utah on Sept 28th and with the help of my wonderful family put on a Fiesta to help the new couple celebrate. Brett stole the show with his toast to his brother. Christina made the desserts which were wonderful. We had a pinata, ping pong game and a video presentation I put together. The next night Stephanie's parents put on a reception that was breathtaking with a crepe bar, caricature artist, fresh flower cart, shrimp bar and the most beautiful cake I've ever seen. Oh course they both looked great, but Steph in that dress, whoa...