Correction!

Ray was actually in the US Air Force for four years.  I obviously wasn't paying good enough attention!

Uncle Ray

Lori and Ray

Ray is my oldest brother.  I really can't claim to understand him, after all,  no matter how hard we tried to include him in our adventures, Ray just didn't want to sneak around the house with us on Christmas Eve night!   Not only that, he would have slept in on Christmas if we were willing to let him -- which we weren't!  Still, though I can't claim to completely understand him even now, I do love him and I know a lot of good things about him.

Ray is quiet, and perhaps a bit shy.  He was hard for me to talk to because if he didn't have anything to say, then he just wouldn't say anything (sounds logical said that way).  Calling people makes him nervous.  I can remember him pacing back and forth in front of a phone for quite a while before he called someone.  I thought he was kind of afraid of people, which made me think of him as super brave when he went off on a mission to England where he had to talk to people, and probably call people on the phone too. 

He served an honorable mission and then came home and joined the Air Force, which I thought was really brave.  I could not imagine how he would get through basic training since in our house there wasn't really much yelling, and I always managed to cry if anyone raised their voice when I could hear.  I knew they would yell at Ray in the Air Force and I was afraid for him, but he did make it through basic training even though there were others who quit.  He was in the United States Air Force for two years.  I have been surprised by Ray a few times and I learned that I had underestimated this big brother of mine. 

Ray seemed to be a great favorite with my great uncles and aunts on my Dad's side.  They were always happy to see him coming and he remembered their names better than me because he took the time to visit them more often.

I always thought that Ray was funny about money.  He would have coins and dollars lying around in his room and he never seemed tempted to spend it.  I was tempted to steal it and see if he would notice it was gone -- but I didn't.  Still, if anyone needs help, then Ray is quick to offer.  He likes to use his money for helping.  Not only that but Ray has some good muscles that he will use to help others too.

Ray is smart, and talented.  I'm sure that my Dad is happy that at least one of his children picked up his good sense of direction and his love of driving around and seeing new things.  Ray is one of those people who seems to find the encyclopedia much more fascinating than a novel, and I expect he knows a lot of interesting facts about a lot of things.  Ray has learned a lot about gardening too, both from helping in my parent's garden growing up and from creating his own little mini-farm on his property.  He gets a lot of produce and he cans it for winter and shares his crops with his family.   Ray is also blessed with musical talent.  He has a nice singing voice and he has taught himself to play the piano.

My Mom met a man who works with Ray.  He told her that Ray doesn't talk much, but he is a very hard worker.  Ray likes recreation too -- hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities.  Ray has a wife named Lori and a 16 year old son named Michael.  He is a good man and I am proud that he is my brother.

Happy Birthday (a few days late) to Ray!

Uncle Brian

Brian at our last family reunion (at Jenny's house)

Brian singing to us at a reunion.  I loved it.  I stole this picture from his facebook page.

Another facebook picture.  Brian likes to hike -- and go backpacking with the brothers.

Brian had his birthday last Sunday (the 10th) -- the day after Connor's.  Connor moaned on his birthday because Kayli told her friends that she was going to stay home for her little brother's birthday.  He didn't like being called a little brother.  It wasn't until the next day, when I was thinking to myself "it is my little brother's birthday" that I realized I call Brian my little brother, and Brian may not like it (now that he is aware).  He's not smaller than me, so I can't really call him little.  It must be a habit from years ago.  He's really my super awesome younger brother.

Derek, Connor, Kayli, and I were talking about Connor and Brian's blogs and it was suggested that I could do them together since they like many of the same things.  Brian loves to read, loves to write, is coordinated like Connor, and, at least when he was younger, had some awesome moves like Connor.  I still remember him doing a very impressive Elvis Presley, singing "He ain't nothin' but a hound dog", complete with air guitar.   Brian would also be great at doing puppet shows (like Connor).

Brian has written books, and learned to play the real guitar (as opposed to the air guitar).  He sings, and he helps me with computer problems.  He is a good dad and a good uncle.  He loves the scriptures and is a good listener and a compassionate person.  I think he is impressive.  When we were young we spent a lot of time playing together.  He did do some of the annoying little brother things, like hanging our stuffed animals by their necks and laughing when we cried about it.  Still, he had his own stuffed animals too, and he participated in our creative stuffed animal dramas (for lack of a better way to describe how we spent our time). 

A few of us had monkeys.  Jenny's was Tiny, which fit with her size, and I think Brian's was Bop because he would bop us all with it.  The name of my little monkey might have been Bo Bo.  I'm having a hard time remembering.  Clingy the mom monkey is still at my house, much to Derek's chagrin, but Bo Bo leaked beads and finally had to go.  I really was blessed with good people to grow up with, and I have such good memories of those years together!

I love Brian.  Fairly recently (within a couple of years) when we were just getting to a church parking lot for a family occasion, Brian pulled up and I said "Brian's here!" and then promptly burst into tears because I was so happy to see him.  I had to get a grip really quickly since it was time to go in.  It had just hit me how thankful I am for Brian.  He is good to me.  He has always been good to me.  I hope he had a great birthday.

Connor Blair

Connor holding Jake.  Connor was 3 and a half and had just become a big brother.

Connor opening a card from Grandma and Grandpa F.

Connor blows out candles.  Brownie trifle doesn't work with candles too well.

Connor and his birthday loot.  I think he's almost done reading both of those books already.

Connor turned 14 on Saturday.  He was at the Fathers and Sons campout and so he didn't get to open presents until late morning when he got home.  He is a great boy and always grateful for everything and so it is fun to get presents for him.

Connor loves to read.  We tease him because he loves his books so much and is very protective of them.  You might get in trouble if you use a sock as a bookmark in one of his books (even a clean sock), and in even more trouble if you use no bookmark at all!  He also remembers characters and plots really well.   Connor likes to write and hopes to write his own book someday.  He is always working on a story.   Connor is a good artist, even though he doesn't think so.  He obviously has not been comparing his art work to mine!  Connor is great at sports.  Soccer is his favorite, though he loves basketball too.  Connor is very fun in a lot of ways.  I like doing puppet shows with him.  He has the pirate puppet (Arrrrgus) and a parrot and a shark, and he is really entertaining with them.

The best thing about Connor is that he is a thoroughly good person.  He always wants to do what is right.  He is kind.  He loves family.  He really did not like it when his older sisters moved away to college, and he has always been good friends with Kayli, who is thankfully still at home.  He's a good big brother too.  I like that he often plays with his younger brothers when I leave him in charge.   Connor likes learning about the gospel and is very thoughtful when he prays.  I am really proud of Connor.  I love him.  He makes me smile.

Happy Birthday to Connor.

My Dad

These are my nice parents.  Dad is the manly one.

This was last year's 50th anniversary party.

Hopefully he won't shoot me for this.  He came to our recreational property a year or so after it burnt and scouted around with us.  He found some bear tracks!

My Dad had a birthday on Saturday.  We were able to visit them the Sunday and Monday before.  Here are some of the things that I love about my Dad (in no particular order).

*Dad was and is a good missionary.  He helped his companions.  He helped the people he taught.  My Mom and Dad have been missionary companions a couple of times, and they continue to be missionaries when they are at home. 
*Dad is a great gardener and good at sharing the bounty of the harvest.
*My Dad likes learning about the history of places (among other things).  He took us to Promontory Point and he probably knew as much about the history of the trains as the rangers. 
*My Dad is good at directions.  I did not get my ability to walk out of a building and automatically head the wrong direction from him!
*Dad loves the scriptures, and that helped me learn to love them too.  This is a great blessing in my life.
*Dad loves family and adventures and so we often travelled across the country to see family.  Two parents and five kids, in a little car, sometimes staying in a tent.  Wow. What an adventure! We had fun too.
*Dad is talented.  He can sing, carve, paint, play the harmonica, build things, garden, and recognize bear tracks.  He and my Mom both have a talent for being very kind and hospitable to those who are having a hard time.
*My Dad is a hard worker, and he took good care of us.  But it was most important to him that we knew about Jesus, and that we learned to love Him too.
*My Dad loves my Mom.  He treats her well and expects us to do the same.  All Dads should be like that.

Thanks to my Dad for being the best Dad for me.
Happy Birthday!

Kindergarten Graduation

Dan graduated from Kindergarten on Friday the 18th.  He spent a lot of his time making sure I was watching him, and he spent a lot of time doing awesome moves.  I wish I had been closer to the front so I could have seen them better.    Dan is rather proud that he is now a first grader.  His pictures will be worth more than any words I can say.


I took this picture because Dan was watching to make sure I did. 

Dan after graduation.

Dan Thomas

Uncle Chris

Prom?

Chris and Tina's wedding day.

Tina and Chris.  I believe this was May 7, 1988 (four days before my wedding)

I met Chris when I was 13.  Chris was in our ward (church congregation) when my family moved to Missouri, and he started dating Tina before much time had passed.   Tina was 16 and Chris was 17.  Chris became good friends with my brothers Brian and Ray too.  Ray and Chris would sometimes go camping.  Brian and Chris like to play games.  Chris was often at our house, and I remember occasionally being at his.  Chris likes music, and in an attempt to expand my horizons (or to save Tina from Air Supply being constantly played) he took the time to make me a tape recording of music that he thought I would like.  I still have at least one of those songs on my ipod's favorites list today.  Chris is good at playing the piano and used to play quite a bit of ragtime music.  I was not above begging him to play, and he was always fabulous to listen to (in my opinion). 

Chris went to Japan on a mission, serving honorably there, and trying occasionally to teach some of us a little Japanese when he got home.  I think I can still ask where McDonalds is in Japanese, and perhaps sing a few lines of a song.  We had moved to Colorado before he got back from his mission, and I went off to college before he married Tina.  I remember waking up in my apartment and thinking "my sister is getting married today", and wishing that I could be there.

Thankfully, Chris and Tina moved to Provo and didn't live too far away from me when I went to BYU.  They were very good to have me over and feed me.  I'll always remember the timely phone call Tina made that meant I didn't have to finish the noodles with salt I was having for dinner!  I spent Christmas with them the year that I met Derek -- a couple of weeks before Derek and I got engaged.  Tina made me a stocking (that I still use every Christmas) and they both were very welcoming.  I was so thankful to have family to spend Christmas with!  They had their first baby boy by then and I always enjoyed being with baby Bryce.

After Derek and I got married, going to Chris and Tina's became a regular thing and and we'd all watch Star Trek together, and often eat their food together too.  Chris went to school for a really long time, and eventually got his PhD in Psychology with an emphasis in behavioral neural biology.  They had several children during that time, and even more after he started working as a professor at BYU-I.  Tina and Chris now have 8 children, 2 children in law, and will soon have two grandchildren.  They are good at knowing the importance of family, and we love to visit with them still, though it's a little harder to find the time to drive to Idaho!

I know a lot of this is about Chris AND Tina, but I do not think Chris will mind.  Chris is a good person.  He is thoughtful and kind.  He has a lot of different talents and has tried out a lot of different hobbies over the years.  He really has enjoyed backpacking and hiking and he has taught his children to like them too.  The brothers on my side of the family try to get a backpacking trip in every year.  Some have gone more smoothly than others, but they always see beautiful things and enjoy each others company.  Chris has been my brother for a long time.  I am thankful for him and his good example to me and to my children.

Tina and Chris with their children.  I couldn't find a more recent one.  My apologies to Jamie and Kat.

Happy Occasions

At the end of last week Derek and I celebrated our 24th anniversary.  We had grand plans that didn't work out, but we enjoyed what we got to do.  We saw a movie that made us laugh, went and ate a delicious dinner that I didn't cook, and then enjoyed the beauty of Utah Lake and the chance to talk without interruptions.  We even skipped rocks.  I'm not too bad at that, but I discovered that Derek can flip little rocks with his thumb quite a few feet, while I can flip them at least a couple of inches -- if I concentrate.  Luckily, I don't need that skill to get into heaven.

It has been a great 24 years, and we are hoping to have lots and lots more years to enjoy.

Sunday was Mother's Day (as I'm sure you all know).  It was a really busy day, and kind of emotionally exhausting for me and so I had a slight come apart at the end, but that doesn't take away from the awesome things that happened.  My favorites are these:

When I got back from my early morning meeting a very nice note and embroidered "doubt not, fear not" was on my pillow from Kayli.  She had also drawn a colorful "Happy Mother's Day" on the white board.

Dan gave me multiple pictures, including one from school with "a really cute picture of me" (says Dan).  He likes pictures of himself.  In that one he guessed my age as 33.  Bless him.  He guessed my favorite food was "beans", which made me laugh.  He hates beans, which he gets from me.  He must figure though, that if I make them at all, I must love them!  In Primary he made me a picture of multiple black hearts that was apparently his favorite picture for me because he talked about it the most.  He hugged me several times throughout the day and told me how much he loved me over and over again.  Dan is great to have around on Mother's Day!

Derek gave me a wonderful letter that I love and went for a little walk with me after church.

I talked to my own good Mother for a little over an hour.  It is always good to get a chance to talk to my Mom.  After that I talked to Tia and then Trisa.  By then it was almost time to go on over to Derek's parent's house for a Mother's Day dinner.  While there we had a chance to talk about the hard things and the good things about being a Mother.  The hard things are really hard, but the good things outweigh them -- at least for me.  I am thankful for all of my good children.  Hooray for them, and hooray for good Moms everywhere.

My Derek



 Derek had his birthday on Saturday.  I love him.  He is a great husband, dad, son, brother, friend, etc., etc.  I always say that he is a bit like Mary Poppins -- "practically perfect in every way".  He disagrees.  I am right.  A good share of the good things that I do, that I get credit for, are Derek's idea.  He is very thoughtful and compassionate.  He is good at helping us all smile.  He works hard.  He plays hard.  He is a good man and I am thankful for him.

Derek had a busy birthday.  We spent a lot of the morning with family attending and celebrating our nephew Ethan's baptism.  Next we went home and sent off a picture message to our niece Maryn who was being baptized in the afternoon.  The puppets participated by being in the picture.  Derek returned Trisa and Tia's several calls and text messages that we had missed while we were out.  He put them on speaker phone while he unwrapped his presents.  I'm sure it was a thrill to hear the wrapping paper crinkle over the phone line -- but it was the closest we could come to having them here--which would have been our favorite. 

The pictures show our next adventure.

Derek, Dan, Kayli, Jake, and Connor at the beginning of the trail to the pine forest.

Dan Jake and Derek in the "fort" up in the woods.

Dan

I think Jake and I were still saying whatever long thing Derek told us to say before he snapped the picture.

When we got home I accidentally made about three cakes worth of frosting for a few cookies.  This is Derek right before he blew out his large candle.  Hopefully he'll get his wish.  That was a ginger cookie with cream cheese frosting.



Mmmmmm.

Next we did a little yard work for Derek's birthday, ate some food from Wendy's, and watched a movie.  All in all I think it was a good day for a good man.

Happy Birthday to my Derek.

Jake's First Cub Scout Campout

Bat Jake is in the back on the left.

They had tin foil dinners.  Jake had tin foil pizza tortillas.  He really doesn't love meat and potatoes.

Jake and Derek are standing in the middle -- at the back.

Jake was really nervous about this campout, even with his Dad going, but he had a great time!

The Wishing Plant

A couple of weeks ago Dan came in and told me that he had "wished on a wishing plant" that he would be able to go faster on his bike, and it worked!  So then, he excitedly told me, he wished that he could be grown up in two days.  I was not so excited about that wish and I said, "But I don't want you to be all grown up in two days!"  He then tried to console me by saying, "I don't know if it will work.  It is magic, so I don't know."  Thankfully he is still not grown up.

I wasn't sure which plant in our yard was the "wishing plant" and so I asked him.  He said, "You know, that white one that is out there".  Hmm.  It wasn't until I was outside so that he could show me, and he started looking around, that I clued in that "the white one" is a dandelion gone to seed -- of course!. 

A few days later he came and told me that he had wished on the wishing plant that he could ride his bike better, and it had worked!  He said that Jake had wished that he would be the best soccer player ever.  Jake was there and so I glanced at Jake.  He gave me the "Jake look" (Which is one eyebrow raised and an amused look on his face).  He shrugged his shoulders and said "Well, I do like soccer!"

Kayli Goes to Prom. . . . .

. . . . but before that Kayli, Dan and I went dress shopping.  The other girls are off at college, and the other boys and Derek were with scouts.  Who knew that Dan would love helping Kayli look for a dress?  He really liked that three way mirror in the dressing room so that he could see himself looking awesome, he liked picking dresses for Kayli to try, and he loved riding the escalators (which is how we got him to go without complaining in the first place).  He also got a Wendy's hamburger out of it and so dress shopping was a good thing for Dan.  He was a bit disappointed that she didn't pick the one he liked the best, but he didn't cry over it.  We went to one store and got one very nice dress.

When Prom day came Kayli went and got her hair cut in the morning, and then later her YW president kindly did her hair for the dance since Tia was not available and I do NOT do hair.  Here are some pictures of Kayli looking gorgeous.

Kayli.  I forgot to tell her not to hold on to her dress.  It was a little long and so she didn't want to step on it.  She's holding on to it in all of the pictures I took.  Oops.  It's still pretty.

The back of Kayli's hair and dress for you to admire.

I made Kayli pretend to put on the boutineer.  I really put it on -- which is funny because my Mom put on Derek's for our reception since I didn't know how!  I watched a video on how to do it -- and Kayli's date Ryan had instructions for me too.  Besides, I've done a couple for Tia and Kayli's dates before.

Ryan and Kayli.  They are friends.  He is in our ward and Connor said he's never seen him looking more nervous than he did when he came to get Kayli!

Kayli pointed out my flash hadn't been going off, which was causing blurry pictures.  Here is a clear one.

The last one before they left.

Ryan and Kayli went with a pretty big group and had a good time.  Kayli's dress ripped when she was getting in the truck, but it was just a seam coming loose and was easily fixed before church today.  Dances and dates make Kayli really nervous, but she said that she did have a really good time.  Derek and I even propped our eyes open until she was back (at around 11:30) and got to hear about it and get hugs from Kayli before bed.

Uncle Quinn

Uncle Quinn with some of his children and some of mine.

I "met" Quinn for the first time through letters while he was on his mission.  He didn't get home until I was officially his sister-in-law.  I have had a few years since then to get to know him in person, even though, once he got married, they became the travelling family for a while, living in a few different states before coming back to Utah (Hooray!).

Quinn and his wife Tonya have five children and I write about visiting them quite a bit since they are always graciously hosting us at their home.  I suspect we invade their home, eat their food, and enjoy their hospitality more often than any other family.  This is nice for us, and I have written about it before.  My kids still talk about the family home evening we had while visiting when we had a marshmallow battle using marshmallow guns.  Some of us laughed so much we had a hard time "shooting" those guns without inhaling the marshmallows!

Quinn is an occupational therapist who is good at caring for people.  He does a good job of listening.  He listens to neighbors, friends, family members, and the people he works with.  This is, I suspect, one of the reasons that Dan follows him around talking whenever he's here or we're there.  Quinn is also patient when Dan tackles him or otherwise does kind of pesky things. Connor describes Quinn as "fun", and all of my kids love him. 

Quinn has a notorious sweet tooth, which I think he has been trying to curb.  There are lots of family legends about Quinn eating all of his Easter or Christmas candy in one sitting, and then not feeling too well later.  Fortunately he enjoys being active too and so the candy hasn't killed him off.  He likes sports, and hiking, and he's done lots of scouting activities before -- both while earning his Eagle, and while being a scout leader.

There are lots of good talents and qualities that Quinn has, and I'm sure I don't know them all.  He does have a gift of making people feel like they are important to him.  He has a good sense of humor, he is compassionate, he is thoughtful, and he has a good sense of adventure.  He loves his family, and works hard to take care of them, and his extended family too.  As of yesterday he is my age (for a few months).  If only I could remember how old that is........I have conveniently forgotten.

Happy Birthday Quinn!