Memorable Monday9th Grade Pics

Emily received her 9th grade pics from the school.  So, of course I make a collage to show pics of each of my four kids.  Emily's picture looks darker in the picture than it does in real life.  They each look different, but still look like a Pace.  My kid have different personalities too.

Mesa High Freshman Pics

I scanned my freshman year from a yearbook and wanted to show it to my kids. I look so young in this picture.  My kids noticed that Emmy and I have the same nose.  I'm sure that there are more similarities.  That's the fun of comparing my pic to theirs.

Ham Radio License

I’ve been studying for a few months to earn my ham radio license. I took the test today and passed. For years, my dad has wanted me to get my license and I’ve put my foot down. The past year, I’ve seen things in a different perspective. I’m honoring my parents and their legacy by getting my license. Now I need to buy a radio. I’m thinking yellow just like my mom.  Chuck and Sue gave me my test and I had a call sign by the end o the nights.  I'm so excited!!  I wish that I could tell my mom, but I know that she already knows.  I called my dad and he was thrilled that I passed my test.

Manny’s B-day Party

Danni put together a cute Winnie the Pooh birthday party for Manny.  Loren and Abi hosted the party and it turned out great.  The decor was amazing and the food was super yummy.  There was a lot of family and friends there to support Brigham, Danni and Manny.  I loved watching Danni plan and execute this party.  She will be my party planner for now on.

Manny's Party

Dannis' supporters

More Decor

Manny's 1st Birthday

Manny is one

Manny turned 1 today.  We are so excited and can't believe how much this kid has grown. We had his cake mash a few days before his birthday and it was so fun to watch.   Danni and Brigham took Manny to the Awesome Toddler place and he played hard.  Danni took great pictures and it looks like the cutest place for Toddlers.  We took the family out to celebrate Manny's birthday at Backyard Taco.  We had a great time and enjoyed spending time with Manny, even if he didn't really want to sit in his high chair. He would rather run around.  Danni is going to throw a big birthday party at Brigham's dad's house tomorrow. We enjoyed the opportunity to spend this time with Manny.  We have enjoyed watching him grow up and see his cute personality come through.  He is a determined young man and he goes for what he wants.

A Year in Pics - month by month

Bow Tie pics

Cake Smash Pics

Manny at Awesome Toddlers

We took Manny out to dinner and this was his reaction

Memorable MondayDanni's 1st Birthday Cake

We just did a cake smash for Manny's birthday.  Danni wanted to do the cake smash before his birthday so that she could have the pictures to show at his birthday party.  Danni decorated a room in her apartment and bought a cake from Natalie Gardner.  She invited us to come and watch Manny eat his first cake while she took pictures.  It was so fun to watch him attack the cake.  Afterwards, we ate some of the yummy cake.  

Here is a pic of Danni with her birthday cake and Manny's birthday cake.  They both look super excite to see their cake.  I'm at a loss why I'm giving my 1 year old a cake with the candle still lit.  I'm sure it turned out great because she is happy eating her slice of cake. 

Memorable MondayParent's Car

With Jim's help, I sold my parent's van.  It was a little tough to say goodbye.  I remember driving my parents to and from the hospital and doctor's appt.  This van replaced the while one that they had for years, ever since my mom lost her hip bone.  They didn't have the black mini van for long, but the did have the white one for quite awhile.  It made it possible for my mom to get around to doctor's appt, shopping trips, Seagull trips, lunch trips. My dad took her to Utah and Benson in the white mini van and I'll always remember how lucky we were that mom was able to get around as well as she could.  These vans helped make it possible so it was hard to sell them, but with mom gone and dad in Utah, they don't serve the purpose that they were purchased for.

Blue Van - SUV

White Mini Van

Memorable MondayGoodbye House

This past year, we realized that my parents needed more help than Lisa and I could provide.  We were at the house 24/7 and that was not enough.  My dad moved into Sunrise and my mom went to live in a group home.

When we made the initial plan, mom and dad were both going to go to Sunrise.  Mom needed another test which was going to take some time, but we needed to get dad in Memory Care.  They were running out of space and we needed dad to be somewhere he could be safe.  He wasn't doing well at home and we believed that Sunrise was going to be good for him.  We toured Sunrise and loved the place.  We shopped for dad and got him new stuff for his room.  He did really well at Sunrise and seemed to get his strength and memory back.  We were thinking about moving him to a non-memory care room, but he decided to move to Bountiful instead.

Sunrise

My mom was never able to make it to Sunrise.  She came along for a tour and saw my dad's room, but she was so weak and needed special care for her cancer.  After her 2nd trip to the hospital, she was never able to get on her feet and died 3 weeks later.  Lisa and I toured group homes and found one that we liked for my mom.  She made good friends with the workers and had many visitors.  I picked up my dad from Sunrise and we visited my mom every day.  It was such a sweet experience and I'm so glad that I was there with them.  He always kissed her before he left to go back to Sunrise.  I know that it was hard separating them and I wished that we were able to pull off the original plan, but it didn't work out.  We did the best we could with the circumstances.  My parents understood that.

Mom's Group Home

My parents moved into their house in Nov. 1987.  We made so many memories in that house.  It was full of life when my mom was around.  When we moved in, my brothers ran into the house and picked the bedroom farthest away from my parent's room.  I shared a room with Lisa who happened to be the one closest to my parents.  Lisa married in '92, so I got my own room.  We eventually all moved out and on with our own lives.  My room because the John Wayne room and a guest room where Debbie or Jeff would stay the night.  Debbie's room became the craft room which was chuck full of crafts.  The boy's room was another guest room but held all the Christmas stuff in the closet and under the bed.  We would store our Christmas stuff in that room.  When my mom died and dad moved to Bountiful, we finished cleaning out the house and put it on the market.  It sold quickly to an investment company that flipped the house.  It was hard to go to the house when it was empty.  I missed feeling my mom's energy.  She was the life of the house.

Our House

My brothers came down to finish cleaning up the house and take up some stuff.  They worked hard in the heat to get the stuff packed up.  I will miss our house, but I know that the memories are with us.

My brother and I