Tourney Time!

This week was Tyson's very first Super League baseball tournament.  It was a tough weekend, with 2 doubleheaders, Friday and Saturday.  St. George was a bit cool, especially when you are sitting and observing.  I would imagine, that being an active participate would keep you much warmer!  But the sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful blue.  We arrived on Thursday and the hotel was in a busy part of town.  But we were lucky to get a room, there was a baseball tournament, Soccer tournament and a dance competition there and it was a full-house everywhere.  Jamie, Brecklyn, Ty and myself went down and stayed.  The traffic outside the hotel was very loud and then the garbage man came and emptied the big dumpsters at 5:00 am.  Boy, what a racket.  But that isn't what I wanted to write about, anyway!
I would have liked to have stayed longer, but the weather outlook wasn't so good, and as it turned out, Tyson didn't feel too well on the way home.  So it turned out for the best.

Here are my two oldest grandkids.  Notice the fancy pink mitt?  Brecklyn had to have it, and guess who gave in?  You got it, gramma!

A little warm-up game of catch at the favorite park of the grandkids in St. George.

Brecklyn enjoys the park and all there is to offer.

Here are Ty and mom getting his uniform all in order. 

All decked out.  Our favorite b-ball player.  The Lone-peak Knights are ready!

Casey at bat.

The first game ends.  Not a happy ending for the Knights.  But it was their very first game ever as a team.  Things aren't always a happy ending.

Night game in the desert, the cold desert!  People were smart and brought outdoor propane heaters.  My next request...I want one.  It was cooooold !  This was a better game but they still lost. 

Trying his best.  What he needed was dad or grandpa for some personal coaching, but we girls were not the coaches he wanted.  But ...we were still proud of our athlete.

Mom passing out after-game goodies. 
And because it was Ty's birthday weekend, he got to choose the place for his after-game dinner.

And the winner is:  Texas Roadhouse.  And because it's his birthday and you know Texas Roadhouse birthday .... fun:

Ride 'em cowboy!  Ty was a little embarrassed, after all, he is 11 now!  Can't be seen doing dumb stuff anymore!

And our little cowkids head home.  The cowpokes were a bit tired...

And although baseball wasn't such a big hit...because they didn't win any games, although Tyson made a great catch in left field.  He had a huge grin and it was just what he needed to feel happy about the outcomes.  It was their first tournament, the other teams were much bigger and more experienced, and so now we know what to expect.  But although life isn't perfect, there is always room for growth, and with hard work and a little faith, all things can work out for our good.  Good luck in March to our little man!

Tyson

The Color Guard getting ready to post colors and say the pledge.
This was Tyson's last Blue and Gold banquet for Cub Scouts.  He is now of age to become a "Boy Scout".  This was a big night for him.

Here he is with a cute smile waiting for the program to start!

Tyson just received a literal "TON" of awards which he is holding.  They are pins of all kinds which go on the right shoulder and he already has a Ton ...that shirt must be very heavy to wear! Ha Ha!  Our neighbor Dave is handing out the awards and our other neighbor, Steve, is close by, right behind Tyson.  The bags hanging behind them are their cars for the Pinewood Derby.  Tyson is no longer a cub scout but during his 3 years, they never had an opportunity to do Pinewood.  That was not good, so he will be doing it next month, anyway.  His mom made sure of that.  Good for you, Jay!

Here we are examining the goods!  A happy Ty observes.

Now it's time for the big award.  Tyson and a fellow cub scout are receiving the highest award in cub scouting.  It's the Arrow of Light.  Parents are invited to join him as the proceedings commence.  Grayson wasn't too happy at the moment and I guess the Indian was a bit scary to him.

Here they get their golden arrow and their patch for their uniforms.

Posing for the camera!  We are proud of you Ty and all the things you have accomplished as a Cub Scout.  All the way to Eagle!

Babysitting the Grands! Or a REAL ADVENTURE IN BABYSITTING!

This week was Valentine's Day.  It was an unusual one because of "not"doing something "romantic",but rather, we did something more "familial".  I don't know how else to put it...Anyways, Jake and Jamie had a fun evening planned and one without kids, the "romantic" kind I guess you can say.  They were going to dinner and a concert in Salt Lake City.  They didn't feel quite comfortable leaving Tyson in charge for that long, etc.  so gramma and grampa were requested to help.  We did manage a dinner for 2 just prior to our babysitter duties.  And it was nice.  The restaurants we wanted to go to had people standing out front, waiting, something we did not really have time or patience to do.  So we went to our old stand-by, Porter's in Lehi.  It was fun and then we became the "babysitters".

The picture is of Grayson, who was attached to grandpa this evening and wanted to be held by him.  It is always interesting.  Anyways, the boys and Brecklyn, too, got new Lego sets from us for Valentine's Day and so Grandpa and Tyson were working on projects.  Logan's project was already finished earlier in the day and so he brought out his big bucket of misc. Lego pieces to join the big guys at the table.  However, the big guys didn't want to get their project pieces mixed with the misc. pieces, so told Logan to go into the livingroom and build with Brian.  Logan  smiled and said, "OK, because Brian is the Lego scientist!"  We all had to laugh because basically he was right on target.  It was cute.  Logan is always cute, and says the funniest things and always at the right times.  He is a lot of fun.  I hope he always has that cute personality.  It is the best.

A little Lego action!

It was a fun night and they were all fun and enjoyable to be around.

Grandpa Bryan has a BDAY! The Big 6-0

Yes, grandpa Bryan had a bday...  Here are some pics of the dinner and fun party.

Happy balloon boy!

The gangs all here!

Happy Birthday to YOU! 60 candles!  Remember the song 16 candles?  Well there's just a few more going on here....

This tiny Hofheins can not possibly be Jamie's child?  There is no resemblance whatsoever...are you adopted?  No, just look at grandpa Bryan's baby pictures and you know where this one came from!

Bryan is excited to try out his new golf balls!  They are most unique and slightly used...

See that cake on the right with the raspberries?  It is a crepe-pudding cake.  It was amazing.  Gotta find a recipe.  Arden?  How do you make this???  Gotta have it!

All Moms Gotta Brag a Little Bit!

I am posting a link here because I couldn't post the video itself.  This is my daughter's dance group, Diamond Dance Company.  They perform within Utah at different religious functions. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXF5KK6zOmA

My daughter is the "pretty one"  Ha ha!

Here is a picture of where it all started, dare I say how many years ago????

Computer Gramma

Sometimes I think they visit just to play on the computer....hmmm...very interesting.

Kids! Gotta Love 'em

Yesterday Tyson came over. It was a cold, snowy Saturday, unlike the rest of the week. Ty came over earlier and by the time he left there was a really cold wind. He had only worn a hooded sweatshirt. As he was getting ready to go, Spence called from the basement. Make sure he puts his hood on. So I just took it and put it up on his head. His response, "Grandma, no, I don't need this!" I reminded him how cold it was basically it was, "he could take the cold". So off he went. I was kind of watching from the window. He hadn't gotten too far and suddenly he stops, up comes the hood and away he goes. Already not wanting to let an adult tell him what to do. Oh well. No one wants to listen to an old fogey!

From My Window

Last week was definitely beautiful Sunset week.  Every nite was just like this.  Unfortunately, my camera didn't catch the real colors and beauty of it all.  I saw it while doing dinner and looking out my kitchen window.  I grabbed the camera and ran out.  But the pics don't do the sight even one bit of justice.  Each nite last week as I cooked or did dishes I saw this.  Tonight, nothing.  So it was just last week and the planets must have aligned just right, ha ha!

Well, I am not the best photog but I will keep praticing.  Perhaps I will get it right one day!  In the meantime, I will keep peeking out the window and chasing the sun!  Is it really January?  It's so nice!   I hope it stays a while.  It certainly lifts the spirits. 

Only Logan!

Logan makes us laugh, laugh a lot, in fact.  He has a natural sense of humor, and it's all "built-in" to his personality.
Sometimes just looking at his picture makes me smile.

Sometimes he says the funniest stuff.  Like today.  "Oh, grandma, you are taking down the Christmas Decorations, Can I help you put up the Easter decorations now?"
"No, Logan, that is still 4 months away." And of course, that was very disappointing...

He is always full of life as you can see!  It's never a dull moment.

And at Christmas perhaps you saw my family Christmas picture.  Here is a close-up!

There is always a happy "mischief" about this one!

Our New Tradition! Christmas Eve 2011

I have decided to make a "new" tradition and hopefully we can do it every year.  One never knows when the last time we will all be together will happen.  So I have decided we will now have the family foto every Christmas before the gifts are unwrapped and the dinner eaten.  Things are still looking pretty calm here.  But not for long!

So then it's a very quick dinner (that took hours to prepare, I might add) and a show as you can see from above.  This year baby Jesus was not portrayed by Grayson, rather one of Brecklyn's baby dolls.  Who in a pinch, has a picnic-type basket for his manger.  Not really authentic, but the best our prop manager could come up with. 

Our cast has a new shepard boy this year.  He is not too excited about the strange apparel that the costume manager has provided him with.  It is just not a cool hat...no...but it's all good!

Our music director plays a Christmas solo, her first.  Very well done, then she has a program of MANY tunes and songs, however, the natives were growing restless and they all agreed, "Less is more".  And so it was then Silent Night and the program was concluded for the evening.
Then it begins, the destruction of paper, cardboard and such!

And here we go!

Even the shepard boy gets something to open.

These stockings were not hung by the chimney with care...rather they were laying on the floor.  But with this, another Christmas Eve comes to a close.  And hope that you had a fun and healthful Christmas.

GeneaBlogger Post

"Here is the Church and here is the steeple"

"Open the doors, and see all the people".

These are "my people" by the way!  Jamie is smiling and especially happy because her little guy, there, who is the really shy guy of the family, went to nursery, the very first time and loved it!  No one stayed with him at all.  And he did just great!  Who would have guessed it.  I think the others needed daddy or mommy to stay at least a few Sundays before they would stay by themselves. 

For Christmas we usually have a Christmas program and this year, because Christmas falls on a Sunday it will be only a 1 hour meeting.  So that will be nice to be able to spend time doing some nice Christmas things.  This year on Christmas Day, my mom will make her regular Sauerbraten dinner which we all love.

This was the only tree that I saw at Church.  I noticed that today.

It was a cold and frosty Sunday today.  No snow, but who knows what Christmas Day will bring!  I always look forward to the kids at church to sing during the Christmas program.  I have three grandkids that go to Primary and hearing them and seeing them sing, brings out the true meaning of Christmas.  I love having Christmas on Sunday.

I'm A Jerman

Brecklyn and Tyson, my parents and I went to the "Jerman" concert last night.  We always have to go early because the church fills up so quickly and we knew that was that way each year.  So Brecklyn found some paper and a pen and started writing and drawing to pass the time.  She wrote I'm a Jerman.  And in part, I guess she's right, ha, ha!  Gotta learn the right spelling here, I guess.  It was cute!

As always my family's friends from Jermany were there and they visited and had a good time!  I can't wait to go to Jermany again!  Where is Jermany, by the way???

The Makings of a Couch Potato????

Handsome and Gretel

Brecklyn and I were looking at pictures on my computer and saw one of Grayson.  I said, "Isn't he cute?" 
"No," she replied, "He's handsome."  Oh, OK, that's right, he's a boy...
"Yes," she said, "And I'm Gretel, Handsome and Gretel".

There you have it!

Adventure in Babysitting!

Well as of 5:00 last Friday for 2 days I was the babysitter of four rambunctious children, my cute little grandkids.  I have the oldest three often at my house, but the youngest, Grayson, has not wanted to stay with us.  He has preferred mom at all costs.  So I was nervous how this would all work.  He was just fine.  He wasn't his unhappy self when I cared for him, he was totally fine.  It was a nice surprise.  He was the one that gave grandma a run for her money.  There was never a dull moment!

Here is Grayson checking out Jamie's popcorn popper.  This was of great interest to him.  I took my camera with me so that I could take tons of pictures for the 2 days I was at their home, but between chasing kids and running up and down the steps, I was exhausted and I ended up only taking 2 pictures the whole time.  This is so not like me!  Here is the other picture!

Logan and Brecklyn are getting their Christmas Advent Calendars up-to-date.  They opened a few extra windows for the purpose of obtaining a little more chocolate. 

My favorite moments with Grayson were in Logan's room and here I so wanted to have my camera to take a picture but it was not with me.  Logan has a horse that stands at the foot of his bed.  Grayson wanted to ride the horse.  So he got on.  He hugged the horse, he kissed the horse, he jumped up and down like a horseback rider, and then he rested his head on the head of the horse and hugged the horse around his neck and smiled and laughed.  He loves that horse...!  It was sooo cute to watch.  I just was sad my camera was so far away.


So, being the old gramma that I am - I am not used to getting up throughout the night with a baby.  Boy was that hard as I heard him start to cry I would think:  I bet he will stop crying soon, I will wait a couple of minutes.   But did he stop, no, he didn't.  I had to get up everytime.  My first night back home, last night, I slept so soundly I could barely get up with the alarm clock.  This is clearly why we have our babies when we are young...I can't even imagine doing it everyday.  Thanks Jamie for taking so good care of the grandkids everyday so that I can have so much fun with them when they come over.  I don't know how you do it!