Lagoon and more

Happy Birthday to our May birthdays. We celebrated Allyson's at the first of the month, then Zack's on the 20th and then Justyn on the 28th. Zack wanted to celebrate his birthday on Sunday with his cousins, but he ended up with the stomach flu, so we did a joint one last week with both boys. Zack turned 11 years old and had a Star Wars cake--or maybe it is Harry Potter--it's one of those guys And the family shot Justyn celebrates a milestone birthday and is pretty thrilled to get his driver's license. He is making his grandma feel old to have him driving now. When I asked if he was going to go on a date now, he just asked back "What are you talking about, grandma?" I hope his first date is with his mom! And he was ordained a Priest last Sunday! For Memorial Day, I humored dad and made pudding for breakfast. Jer and Liz and fam had slept over so it made it more worthwhile than to just make it for 2. Miss Izzy gave me the crusty when I tried to take a traditional messy pudding picture, but later she was all smiles. We got to go with Christie and family and John and Laura to the traditional Lagoon day and had lots of fun. They even got me to go on Wicked, which was pretty wicked! They are about ready for lift off. Luce and Zack before the what ever this ride is And after (it was still pretty cool this time of the morning even!) Christie and Averie about to fly away Darren kept Addie and JD happy at kiddie land It was a fun day and we were glad they let us tag along Dad had to have a sleep apnea test on Tuesday and when I mentioned I was nervous to sleep in this big house alone, Christie volunteered Lucy to come and stay with me. She was a perfect companion to keep me company. And, since Lucy got straight A's on her report card this semester, her mom relented and got her ears pierced. Dad and I tagged along for our "date" as he called it. The before: Lucy was really brave and didn't even flinch. And the after: Dad entertained JD on the escalator and at the fish tank. Sis bought us Bajio for dinner and all in all it was a great date with our family. Laura kindly cut dads and my hair last week to which we are deeply grateful! Dad got to be the babysitter while I was getting cut. Olive was getting her first jog-jog and wasn't sure if she liked it or not. She just stared at her grandpa, wondering about him! John and Laura talked in their Sacrament mtg last Sunday and gave such great talks about the Atonement. There was a great spirit there. I got to tend Olive and that was fun for me too. Well, that is our happenings in a nut shell. Hope life is well with you!

Pretty Girls!

The past 2 weeks were filled with many fun events watching a few of our darling granddaughters. Jenna and Nicole had their end of the year dance review and each were in 2 fun numbers. They are such good dancers now. Jenna especially has the grace and rhythm down and seems like a natural. Nicole is so fun to watch. She has enthusiasm for dance as she does for everything she tries. I invited Lucy, Averie and Addie to go with me and they loved seeing their cousins dance. The next Wednesday we got to see Taylor and Sydney at their preschool graduation. They looked so beautiful. Taylor threw her hat up in the air after she was done--wonder where she learned that? After they got hugs from Mom and dad Addie also had her preschool graduation last week. Here she is doing the ABC song, rap style. Her graduation outfit was really cute--made from a black garbage sack. It was fun watching our granddaughters and always we beam with pride. We wish we could see all of our little ones! And, as a side note, T&K and family left for their annual trek to Lake Powell. We hope they are having a great time!

The Place to Be!

Our Hawaii trip is just a memory now, but what a great one to have. Thanks to Christie and Darren for taking us along with their family and providing a great get away and vacation. Now I know no one really wants to see vacation pictures, but oh well, here they are anyway--in my journal form. The airport was an adventure in itself. Dad and I got on the early flight but by the time the rest of the family got to LA the first plane had gone. So, that meant a 6 hr wait in the airport with hungry and tired children. So, bring on the game boys, the computer movie, the running up and down the corridors, a scavenger hunt (find someone with crazy hair--not hard, someone in a wheel chair, someone with a hat, etc) and McDonalds. A few even got in a nap. Funny how that picture isn't on my camera anymore. I wonder how it got erased! The flight over was uneventful. Dad and I watched Avatar on the itty bitty screen, but it passed the time. We got in, got all the luggage and caught the shuttle and drove the 45 min to the hotel. Next morning at 5:00 the kids were ready to hit the beach. We made them wait a few hours longer and then it was sand and surfing. Next day we hit the big beach. You'll notice the smiles--that's cause they are looking at the nude beach just behind me! Friday we went to some little shops and ate at Cool Kats--actually we renamed it to "Fat" Kats. Their burgers were huge. After that we climbed huge trees and fed the pigeons and birds. Everyday the kids swam and stayed in the water for hours. Zack is a fish just like his dad. Christie and I got to see many whales jumping out in the ocean. It was really awesome. So, on Saturday, we went on a whale watching boat and it got up pretty close to a mom and baby and "escort" After we went to another beach. Darren found some sea urchins. The kids loved looking at them Sunday we got to go to church--heard some awesome talks, then took pictures. The girls The whole gang It was one of those down days cause you know your vacation is just about over. We also made a quick trip to the forest part of Hawaii. They loved swinging on the vines for a minute We got to the airport and were holding our breath that we got on the flight. Which we did but when we got to LA at 5:00 in the morning Monday, we heard the sad news that the flights were overbooked. By a miracle of fate, all the Pratt's got on so that was good. Dad and I spent the day there and said lots of prayers. When we finally got on a flight later afternoon cause one of the international flights had been canceled , dad accused me of my prayer causing someone else grief. Hopefully it didn't work that way but we sure were glad to get a flight home. We had such a great time. We loved being with our grandchildren and feeling their excitement and watching them have such a great time. I loved being able to visit with Christie again since we rarely have time to talk much anymore. I loved the beauty and spirit in that land and it makes me so grateful for this wonderful world we live in. I loved spending time with dad also. So a big thank you again to Christie and Darren for taking us there!