Thank Heaven for Little Boys!!!

It is so much fun having Melissa, Greg and their three darling boys 2 doors down. One of the nicest things is when we get a phone call and they want to come over to show us or tell us something.

 Greg had taken the 3 boys to Wild Animal Park (while he sent Melissa to Glen Ivy for the Day) and had their faces painted.  They loved their snakes.

 I had to go over to their house to see their face painting because I was sound asleep when they came over. I didn't even hear the doorbell. In my defense, I have been plagued with an abscessed tooth since April 20th (the day we left for Utah) and I am currently on antibiotics and pain killers until May 3 when I finally "get" to to have my root canal. Dental health has not been my friend.   

 

 

Luke had to tear himself away from his favorite past time, playing Mario Brothers!

 

 I volunteered to watch Dylan and Austin while Melissa had Bunko at her house last week.  Craig took Luke to soccer practice, and so I offered to bathe the little boys.  What is it about being a grandparent that makes bathtime so much fun? And why is it that it is such a big chore for parents?                    
 

Austin was so cute oohing and ahhing and whoaing over the water and the bubbles. 

 Dylan was there too, but he was not in the mood to smile for the camera. They were such sweet boys for me.  I love a freshly bathed, lotioned, pajamaed child.  One of the sweetest things on the planet!

 A few weeks ago I got this cool action shot of Dylan.  We have had fun watching Luke and Dylan play soccer on Saturday mornings.  This is Luke's second season, and Dylan's first season.  Today Dylan played goalie and I wish I had a picture of him. He held on to the goal with one hand at all times.
 

Luke was so happy to score a goal this morning!  We are enjoying these 3 little boys.  We just ache for the 5 little girls and our other grandson, Blake that are far, far away!  I am so grateful for skype, email, pkgs, and airplanes! 

Krista's BYU Graduation

We made a fast trip to Provo, Utah for Krista's graduation from BYU , with her bachelors degree in Public Health. 

 Josh  is so proud of his bride!  Now it's Josh's turn to finish school.  He is majoring in International Business and minoring in Computer Technology at Utah Valley University and he is working for Sprint.

 It was great to see Krista's family. Her youngest sister, Amy will be a BYU freshman in September. 

 Josh and Krista have worked hard decorating their apartment.  They were excited to surprise us with their new couch, entertainment center, curtains, and pictures up on the wall.  They have created a nice cozy home.  All of our children now have better furniture and TV's than us! 

 We seldom visit Utah in the Spring.  We are usually there in the summer or at Thanksgiving.  After living in the desert for over 30 years, the beautiful springtime took my breath away.

 The  pink and white flowering trees are all over town.  They were exquisite against the back drop of bright blue skies, puffy white clouds, and snow covered moutains.  There is still a ton of snow. The tulips and daffodils were just beginning to bloom.  Days like this I wish I owned a nice camera and had the talent to capture the moment without powerlines and parking lots in my pictures!

On the way up to Provo we spent  the night with my parents in Parowan.  While in Provo we stayed with our dear friends, Tim and Shannon Dulaney.  Tim was Craig's best man and Shannon and I were bridesmaids for each other. They just moved  to Provo in August when Dr. Shannon Dulaney started her new job as an assistant professor at BYU in the education dept.  It is always so fun to be with them, and the years just melt away.  It was just like the old days, staying up too late laughing, talking and playing cards. 

We were able to visit Craig's sister and her hubby, Lillis & Frank Byers in Salt Lake City on Thursday afternoon.  It is always wondeful to spend time with them. Shame on us for not taking any pictures.  Lillis just had back surgery this past week.

On the way home we stopped for lunch at IN "N OUT in St. George and we looked up and saw that we were sitting next to Robin & Kathi Hiatt, friends from Moreno Valley who moved out of our ward over 20 years ago!  It doesn't seem possible that it's been that long.  They were also on the way home from their daughter and son-in-law's graduation at BYU. It's a small world in the church!!!

We had an easy  trip home on Saturday and we experienced every kind of weather through the state of Utah, inlcluding snow and fog at the Scipio summit.  We got home about 6 p.m. and I was able to go grocery shopping for Easter dinner the next day and find everything I needed, including Reeces Pieces eggs.  I was glad that my Primary lesson was all prepared and ready to go before we left for Utah. 

We had a lovely Scrament meeting, although both Craig and I missed our dear Valley View Ward choir. On Sunday afternoon, we had the Gargalis family over for Easter dinner.  Melissa made darling Easter cake balls decorated like chicks and eggs for dessert.  I did the usual ham, yummy potatoes and most wonderful cherry jello.  It was all a taste treat.  This year to mix it up a little I used frozen rolls to make dinner rolls in the shape of ducks and bunnies. It was a busy, fim day.  And once again,

shame on us for not taking any pictures. 

Skye's Blessing Day

It was such a treat to have our family assembled in our new home for Skye's blessing.  It finally felt like home at long last.  Nick, Renee, Skye, Josh & Krista and my parents stayed with us while Rebecca's family stayed with Melissa just 2 doors down.  As always, we wish there were more pictures, especially of all the cute little cousins playing together.  Everyone got along beautifully and it was so convenient not having to drive back and forth to Moreno Valley.

 Nick gave Skye a beautiful blessing.  It was such a sweet time together.



The Gargalis Boys and The Bryant Girls

Luke selected this tie to go with his shirt. 



4 Generations

Renee's Aunt Donna

Aunt Suzy, Trevor and Sarah from El Cajon

Skye's Grama & Grampa Great





Meeting Skye

 Nick, Renee and baby Skye arrived via airplane last Thursday night (March 24). It was so much fun to have them in our home for 4 very short days. Since the Bryant's and I are the only members of our family she has met in person, there were lots of people who were happy to greet the newest memeber.

Aunt Melissa and the boys came over first thing Friday morning.  Austin was so sweet and gentle with her.

Uncle Josh and Aunt Krista left Provo at 8:00 p.m. Friday night, stopped for a 3 hour nap in Parowan and then arrived bright and early Saturday morning - even before the cinnamon rolls were done.  Since Josh just started a new job with Sprint, he only had Sataurday and Sunday off. 

Skye loves Aunt Krista!