Cuteness!!

Okay, so I know that I am prejudice, but that doesn't make it any less true, but I have the cutest grandchildren in the world.

Why do I say that? Well here are a few examples:

Ira, who is only two, gets on the phone the other night with me and he listens and he answers questions. Amazing. Then he starts in to telling me a whole big story. Unfortunately, I can't repeat the story because not all the words were recognizable to someone who isn't around him all the time. But it was a really good story. I am pretty convinced about that from the few words I did understand.

Dalley, who is about to turn 3, was on the phone with me yesterday. He told me that he wanted to take me on a ride on his purple snow mobile. We would be going out to hunt bears and maybe a couple of coyotes. He made all the sounds of every animal imaginable. Even an elk. Now how many people know how to make an elk sound. And he did a pretty good job with it. And the sound a puppy makes is the cutest. It is just the panting sound puppies make. Now Dalley is pretty good at this one because a lot of the time he pretends to be a puppy. He is the cutest puppy ever. Last time he was visiting he told me that he was his mama's puppy but she had to share him with me. While I was talking to him I ventured to ask him a question amidst his talking, which is pretty much nonstop. Well when I asked the question, there is silence. I'm thinking what?? But then I hear Kristi say, "Dalley you have to answer her with your voice, she can't see you." Okay now that explanins it.

Britnee turned nine on February 9. I sent her a card with some money in it. She sent me a really cute little thank-you card. But it just tickled me that she wrote "Thanks for the money. I am going to use it to buy me something GREAT!!" That girl has more enthusiasm for life than most. That is why it is so fun to be around her. It rubs off. She is so full of life there is plenty to share. I got a kick out of a letter she wrote to me recently, too. She said that she missed us and that she thought it would be fun to live with us. Now I know that it wouldn't actually happen and if it did I am not so sure she would enjoy the time away from her parents. But just the idea that it was in her head made my heart just soar.

We ended up meeting up with Luke and his family in Cedar City one day. It was pretty random. Neither us nor them had planned on being in Cedar City that day. Luke was there because orf an emergency with his eye. We just happened to be coming home from Kristi's, which was a trip that came about rather quickly. But we found out they were there so we met them at Walmart. I snuck up on Kayce, Kate, and L.E. Well Kayce knew I was coming but I think I surprised Kate and L.E. But the joy on their faces to see me was worth a million bucks. I mean it. I would gladly give a million bucks to those who find money more satisfying, just for the smile on one of those kids faces. Kate stuck pretty close to me the rest of the time we were together. She makes me feel like the best Grandma in the world. Later we were checking out and Kate and Lukie were admiring some little stuffed animals that were cuter than most I have seen. So I decided to get each of the kids one. Kate and Lukie picked theirs out. L.E. wasn't there so I picked out the cutest little fluffy white dog for her. Then I told Cody to pick one out. With the utmost politeness he told me he was okay, he didn't need one. This is one serious kid. He is so grown up and so mature for his age. He is 9. He is all boy. He used to love stuff like this, just like the others, but I guess he has grown past that stage. I sensed that it wasn't because he was just being polite, which he was, but that he didn't really go for stuffed animals anymore. So I told him to pick something else out. Well, he picked something very small, but very much like him and we got that one for him. It was a little vial with gold in it. What sweet, wonderful, kids they are.

You Did What?

My guy is so funny sometimes.

He keeps me guessing.

All - the -time.

But yesterday I came home and he told me that he had washed the dishes.

Now my first thought was that he had used some and washed them. Okaaayy.

But, no, he had put the soap in the dishwasher and run a load.

Okay, let's back up. I have a little history here to divulge.

We haven't always had a dishwasher. Rocky always said we had five of them and didn't need another one. True. But not always efficient. But, I never pushed the point because we had an older home and it wasn't equipped for one. Connie gave me one a few years ago that we made work in our older home.

Now in Rocky's defense, he works very hard and very long hours. Back then he worked for the LDS Church ranch. It was sun-up to sun-down. Very physical work. So I didn't expect him to come home and do dishes. I didn't work out of the home at that time. It worked for us that way.

Well, when we moved to Hiko into a new home we had a dishwasher!! Yeah for me.

Now Rocky works full time for the State Highway and tries to keep a ranch going too. He doesn't have many hours of down time. So I still do the dishes. But having a dishwasher is great.

WELL, when I went to stay with Luke and Kayce when they had their first baby, we had lived in our home only 2 years. He hadn't learned to use the dishwasher, but I was gone.

He can run machinery of every kind very efficiently. In fact he is downright talented at it. But, I was gone and he had to clean up the kitchen and he gave the dishwasher a try.

When I got home he said, "Hon, there is something wrong with the dishwasher."

My heart sunk. My dishwasher had become a necessity to me. But I bit the bullet and looked in it to see what the problem might be. It was FULL of SUDS. No water could fit with all the soap suds. He had used dishwashing liquid. Not just ordinary dishwashing liquid. I had some concentrated kind that you only needed a drop or two in a sink full of water. He had filled up both soap dispensers in the dishwasher with this.
Well you can only imagine.

From that day forward he had told me that he doesn't dare use that machine. He is afraid of it. But finally this last time I went to Washington to visit Shawn I walked him through it. I showed him the proper soap. I hid all other kinds. He did good.

So back to yesterday. I am not gone. I had loaded the dishwasher and it was only half full so I thought dinner dishes would fit also and I planned on washing them after dinner last night.

So what got into him. I really don't know.

But I think he is cute and funny and I love how he keeps me guessing.

I LOVE that guy.

Love is a Trade-Off

I remember the story that was always told at Christmas time about the young couple who had not been married very long and had no money for gifts for each other.

The girl had her long beautiful hair cut and sold so that she could buy her husband a new watch fob to go with his valuable watch that he loved so much.

Meanwhile he sold his watch to buy her some beautiful combs for her long beautiful hair.

Some advice I heard just the other day from a professional on the way to achieve a happy marriage was to wake up every morning with the thought in mind, "What can I do today to make him/her happy." I believe that.

So yesterday Rocky and I were returning home from a fabulous time we spent in Utah with two of our kids and their families. We had a few groceries and things we had bought. We had some luggage to be unpacked and put away. It wasn't late, but it wasn't early either. It has always been my job to put away the groceries so that I will be able to find them when I need them. I am totally okay with that plan. I am a little OCD and it keeps me sane.

It is always Rocky's job to unpack his own stuff and put it away.

WELL, without even checking with him, I decided to give him a break. I was busily unpacking his things and putting everything away. We had both brought in all the groceries and bags and things. He had gone out to check on his cows. I heard him come in and I knew he was putting away a few items that were his. But I finished my little act of love and went to finish my job only to find out that he had decided the same thing. He had put away all the groceries and had made sure that they were exactly where I would have put them so that I could find them.

This may not seem much to some people, but this meant the world to me. But I had to laugh. I was thinking of him and he was thinking of me. I guess that is what real love is.

Miracles.

Miracles happen every day. Whether or not you notice them, they are still happening. Some of them totally go unnoticed. Others are more obvious. I believe if you stop and analyze you will realize that you have had some in your life. More than you knew. I know that some people will attribute them to cooincidence or just plain normal. But I don't think so. I have had too many of them to believe that. Sometimes you may find that they aren't life changing or even all that important to your happiness. But they do make you happy because you realize that you matter. You matter to God. He cares about even the little things. I also believe that it is important to be grateful for them. Just think about it. If you do something nice for someone and they totally blow it off as no big deal and don't even appreciate it, how do you feel? So my goal for this week is to notice more miracles and be thankful for each and every one of them.

The More you Know, the Less you Know.

I am talking about technology.

I have been learning almost every day for several years more and more about computers, phones, faxes, printers, and the list goes on.

BUT

I think the biggest thing I learn each time is that there is way more to learn.

In FACT

I can't keep up. Just about the time you learn it, it has changed.

Usually for the better.

But I don't have time to keep up with it.

It is just happening too fast.

I do have a whole other life you know.

Oh well, it is what it is.

I'll just live with this fact.