WEEK TWO

Our second week of the grandchildren's visit included a trip to the dinosaur museum, bowling with Amy and Joe and a four-day family campout.  We had a great time at the Fail family's property in Joe's Valley where we went fishing, 4-wheeling, swimming and rafting.  After we returned to South Jordan we spent one day at Temple Square and one day at Snowbird where we road the tram to the top of the mountain.

We began our Independance Day celebration on Tuesday night.  Molly stayed over so we enjoyed some sparklers and fireworks with her.  Wednesday morning Nanny joined us for a big breakfast after which we went to the Gateway to play in the splash fountains.  Then Molly went home for her nap and the rest of us left for Provo.  We attended a Colonial Heritage Festival where we geet hands-on experience with colonial life in a colonial village.  It was awesome.  Then we headed for the Stadium of Fire.  Kelsey and Connor seemed to really enjoy the Beach Boys concert, and we totally dazzled by the spetacular fireworks display that followed.  It was a grand finale to end their visit on. 

A busy Weekend

Friday morning we met Mindy, Molly and Amy at the zoo (one of Molly's favorite places).  Molly quickly became best buddies with Kelsey and Connor and we all had a good time. We finished off the day with a swim at Mindy's neighborhood pool while Molly took her nap.  Kelsey and Connor stayed the night with Carrie and Brandon in Farmington.

The next morning we met up with them at Cherry Hill for a round of mini golf followed by a picnic lunch.  After lunch, Brandonl and Carrie took the kids on the waterslides.  We finished off a busy day by picking up Molly and going to a Utah Bees Baseball game.  Grandpa had gotten complimentary tickets for the Nicholas suite so we watched the game in air-conditioned comfort with all the food and drink we wanted.  The kids got to meet "Buzz Buzz" the team mascot and also we priveledged to meet one of the twelve apostles, Elder Christopherson, in the elevator.  It was a fun but tiring day.

Thank goodness for Sunday--we all went to church and then Grandma & Grandpa Wardle came over for dinner and spent a few hours with the kids.  Monday morning Molly and Nanny went with us to the aquarium where Molly was thrilled to see Nemo, Nemo's daddy, and Dorie.  We also saw penguins, otters, sharks, an octopus and many other fish.  After lunch at McDonalds, we came home for an afternoon of games and movies while Molly napped.  Monday night Grandpa showed the kids his coin collection and then we all went out for frozen yogurt.

DOWNTOWN SALT LAKE

Yesterday we took the TRAX downtown with Aunt Amy to take in a few of the sites.  We toured the church museum and the conference center.  Then we walked over to the new City Creek Shopping Plaza and had lunch.  After we ate, Connor said he was too tired to do anything else, so he and grandma came home while Amy and Kelsey went on a tour of the Beehive House.

Last night we went to the movie Madagascar II.  The kids thought it was great!

GRANDKIDS ARRIVE

domestic elk 1 block from our house

Kelsey & Connor with Great-grandma Spelts (Nanny)

Kelsey with Millie; Connor with Rocky

Yesterday our two oldest grandchildren, Kelsey and Connor Romney came from North Carolina to spend a cople of weeks with us.  We are so excited to have them here!  Yesterday was a long day for them since they had to get up at 4:30am EDT so we just stayed around home except for a visit to see Nanny.  Today we are taking the TRAX to downtown Salt Lake City for the day.

ANOTHER LOSS

Early this morning our dear little Lizzy passed away. We have only had her for four years but during that time we certainly came to love her. When we got her from the shelter, she was skin and bones and scared of her own shadow. It took six months before she would even walk into a room Craig was in. But she grew to love and trust us and I think we gave her a good life the last four years.

Friday night she got into some sugar-free gum which contains Xilitol, an ingredient that can be deadly to dogs. We rushed her to the vet and he tried to induce vomiting. She apparently aspirated the liquid into her lungs and just stopped breathing. They managed to intibate her and get her breathing again but it was just more than she could overcome. We brought her home for the day on Saturday as the vet thought she was doing better and would be able to overcome it. But as the day wore on, her difficulty in breathing took everything out of her and she got weaker and weaker. Late last night we took her back to the vet. He thought if she was on oxygen through the night, she would pull out of it but she passed away early this morning.

So we have started a new pet cemetary in the backyard of our new home. I'm still in shock that she is gone. I will miss her--she was such a dear, sweet girl.

Martin's Cove

General Conference weekend Craig and I traveled to Wyoming. We spent Friday night in Rawlins and then Saturday morning we drove to Martin's Cove, about an hour away and in the middle of nowhere. There is a visitor's center there and the film they show is about Craig's ancestors, the McBrides, who were in the Martin Company. I also had ancestors from my mother's side in the Martin Company, John E. Bitton, his sister Jane and his wife Sarah. We got copies of stories on each ancestor and then we rode up to the cove with one of the missionaires in what they call "a rover." She told us great stories on the ride up and then we spent a little time in the cove taking pictures before hiking down. It was a beautiful clear and sunny day with no wind. Just cool enough to need a jacket. It was a good experience and we're really glad we went. It certainly renewed our appreciation for the sacrifices of those who came before us. Sunday morning we woke up to snow so we quickly packed up and headed home.

This week I am off work for fall break so today I am taking Nanny to Idaho Falls for a visit. We will stay with her friend Irene and come back on Wednesday. I haven't been to Idaho Falls for a long time so I'm looking forward to it.

CATCH-UP TIME

Since my last post was in mid August, I have a lot of catching up to do. The last weekend in August we had our annual family campout. This year we went to a place outside of Camus. Joe and Amy came along and Mindy joined us on Saturday. Chris had work and school so he couldn't come. Carrie was in a car accident the week before so she was pretty sore and didn't feel like sleeping on the ground. (An elderly man ran a stop sign and totalled both cars but no one was injured). But the rest of us had a good time, especially Xander and Lizzy.

Craig and I spent Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas. We met the Dangerfields there since it is a good half-way point. Saturday evening we saw Bill Cosby live--it was great! Clyde said he laughed so hard his jaws ached. Sunday we went to church with Norman and Marie and then went to a historical museum that afternoon. Sunday evening we played dominos all evening with Norman and Marie at their house. Of course, Marie had great treats for us too.

After much searching for a car to replace the one she lost in the accident, Carrie reached a dead end. The kind of car she wanted and the amount she was willing to pay were too far apart. So good old Dad came to the rescue and sold her his Toyota Corolla. Because it has a rebuilt title, it's value is two or three thousand dollars less than it would be otherwise. So Carrie was able to get the car she wanted and her payment is only half what it used to be. Craig bought a 2006 Nissan Altima that was a lease return. It's a silver car with black interior and is in excellent condition. He kind of wanted a little bigger car since he often hauls customers around, so it worked out for everyone. Besides getting a car, Carrie and I celebrated her birthday the previous Saturday with a day of shopping for some new clothes she needed for work. That evening Mindy joined us for dinner and a play.