CAMPING WITH THE JENNINGS- END OF SCHOOL YEAR-UNCLE MILT

the snowball bush (taller than the house)

Sunday was a wonderful meeting in that Zachary Jarman gave his farewell speech.  It was as if it were his homecoming speech.  He really preached the doctrine of Christ with great confidence and faith.  He was powerful and we all gained much from the meeting.  He is such a tall Jake.  The Spirit was in abundance.
That evening we went to a fireside where we learned about the rebuilding of the Tabernacle into a temple of our God.  It is amazing what they have done.  It has only been done in 2 other places in the world and they were not near as large as this.  We thought they had put the temple on risers but they didn't lift it at all  They dug 40 feet under and braced it.  It is way complicated.  He compared the work of this project with the things we go through in our lives.  It is a faith builder and they are doing everything they can to honor those pioneers who took 15 years to build this beautiful building and they are trying with all intensity to rebuild it to be as they made it.  They honor those great people and feel their reverence.  The best news of the day was that a man we had visited every week in Caswell was baptized Sunday evening.  His family is so excited.  His son will get the priesthood in a few weeks and the plan is for the entire family to go to the temple in a year.  Sure hope this happens.
When we went to the temple Tuesday we ended up in the same session as Uncle Leonard.  He is living at the Seville and is doing so good.  He looks great.  He was so happy to see us.
We went to Ava's pre school graduation.  It was the children singing the whole time.  They were incredible.  They sang more than 10 songs and she knew every word.

Thursday we got the trailer so we could go camping with Tiffani's ward at Pine Valley.  We do this every Memorial Day.  That evening we went to Riley's choir concert.  He even had some solos and was so good.  He was the tallest one there.  He is getting so big and handsome.

I've got to earn how to take pictures in buildings

Friday we packed up the trailer for the trip.  We took Ava with us thinking Scott and Bethany would come later but he had a job to do so they couldn't come.  We left at 11:30 with such an excited little girl.  Mom was not so excited.  She was so good in the car but didn't think we would ever get there. 

 She fell asleep after a short time and slept until Beaver where we needed a dish of ice cream of course.  

She ordered bubble gum flavor.  We finally made it to Cedar and then up the mountain to Pine Valley.  It was so beautiful but chilly.  Thank goodness for a trailer.  It took us over 6 hours to get there.  Ava immediately wanted to go fishing and caught her first fish.  Talk about excited. 

 I took a movie of it but then somehow deleted it.  Oh well.  Shortly after we got there Tiff and family came.  Of course they had to wait a few extra hours for Dave.  Ava slept in the tent with the twins, and Cameron and his bird, Flappy slept in the trailer with us.

ice fishing with Dad

It was also Scott's birthday which in all the excitement of the trip we forgot to wish him happiness.  We had already given him his present.  He is such a good father and husband to his family.  We love watching him in his different roles in life.  He is a good man.  We love that when he was little, he would crawl in bed with us and read his little book (look at the pictures).  We would ask if he was ready for bed and he would answer "Not yet"   Then a few minutes later he would say "It feels just right now.  I can go to bed."   Wish we had done that with all the kids.  He is always coming over to fix something for us.  We so appreciate that.  

can't have Scott without the family

The next day was Camden's birthday but we couldn't call him due to no service.  He is a treasure.  He is always so kind to everyone.  He loves to play with his brothers and cousins. 
 He is a super reader and has read several Harry Potter books.  That's amazing for a third grader.  He makes friends easily and comes up with some of the funnest statements.  He loves to choose the right and is just a good boy.  We love him so much.

The girl rode bikes, fished and played all day.  They have way too much energy.  Ava's fish died having been hugged so much and so the girls planned a funeral for her.  Ava gave the opening prayer, Clara gave a spiritual thought (second article of faith) Lauryn gave a talk and they all sang "I have a family here on earth"  It was a special occasion.  

roasting marshmellows

Sunday is so special in Pine Valley.  The building was built in the 1800's and is so beautiful.  There are so many Mormon campers that we sit outside on the grass and take lawn chairs and blankets.  They have a great sound system  so you can hear very well.  It's a sacred place.  We spent the day enjoying nature and took several walks.  Ava fell in the water.  Shocker.

chatting

We went to see Smokey the Bear and some people rode by on horses.  Of course the girls asked if they could pet them.

The girls love doing anything with granddad or just by themselves

hikers

Lauryn balancing

pine cone heart

hiking

the three

Our last day the girls played so hard.  They fished all day in that they couldn't on the Sabbath. 

 What did Cameron do the whole time?  Put his bird on his shoulder and walked all over the place.  That bird is amazing.  It absolutely loves Cameron.  He also spent hours playing Cribbage with the older boys.
Everyone caught fish.  It was so fun. 

notice the bird

 I even went fishing but dad and I caught nothing because we were always helping several kids  bait and fish.  Another funeral was held  for an unfortunate soul.  The girls loved the fish someone else caught and ate freely.  Even Ava and Lauryn ate fish.

  The girls decided to play with their fish for a little while and then set them free to be with their brothers and sisters so their families could be together forever.  They threw them back in and were so happy.  We left later than we had planned because everyone was having so much fun. 
Of course we stopped in Beaver again and Ava had play dough ice cream. Ugh! 
 Ava didn't think we were ever going to get home but she was just so good.  She colored and played with her Leap Frog thing.  It was a great family reunion.  She could not have been better.
On the way home we found that Uncle Milt, my younger brother, was in the hospital and not expected to recover.  His foot infection that has bothered him for years had gotten so bad that his kidneys shut down (has diabetes) and his liver was not doing as it should.  They felt he had an infection in one of his heart valves and his blood pressure was way low.  They were planning on amputating his foot that night.  He was not responsive at all.  

TOO LATE TO END THIS BLOG SO JUST STARTING THE NEXT ONE NOW YOU GET 2 WEEKS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

We went to SLC the next morning and Dad gave Milt a priesthood blessing. Someone in the hospital had already given him one but he likes Dad to give him blessings.  We didn't stay long because he was so out of it and needed rest.
He was doing better the next morning but they decided it was best to amputate that afternoon.  Karen had been in SlC for 9 days with Uncle Bert so she was there when he came out of surgery.  They felt good about it.  Bert is still having a difficult time with his heart.  He has a great attitude and is so positive.  Bert and Karen went home the next day.  It has been a hard few days.
  
Wednesday we went to Camden and Kolton's dance festival and then to Asher's Kindergarten graduation.  All three were so much fun.  The boys danced so well.  Kolton's class danced to "Let it go"  Camden knew every step of his dance.  Asher's graduation was all music.  They sang songs from every month of the year and he knew every word.  He was so darn cute.

After the graduation we went back to SLC and the hospital.  Milt was not coherent due to all the pain meds in him.  The good news was that they had taken him off the blood pressure meds and he was holding his own.  They are now very optimistic.  We are so relieved.  He knew we were there but could not respond.  He did open his eyes a few times.  I feel so much better about everything.  He has a long road ahead of him.
Thursday, we are now on May 29th, we worked in the yard for a short time and then went to Asher's dance festival.  He knew every move and was so cute to the little girl behind him.  She has never spoken and when Erik asked him what his favorite thing about school was he said "Riding the bus home and making the little girl happy."  What a precious little boy to think so much about someone else.  He will go to school at Central next year and be with his two brothers.  He will be in first grade.

After the dance we headed back to the hospital.  We went to the VA this time because Milt had been transferred there.  He looked better to me but still does not communicate.  He was in a lot of pain.  The doctor talked with us and said he is better than he was but is not by any mean out of the woods.  They took him off the continual dialysis and just give it to him a needed.  He is still holding his own blood pressure but is very jaundice.  They are trying to find where the pain is coming from because they feel he should be more responsive.  They did another ultrasound and some more tests where he has to drink dye.  Good luck with that.
We are just praying and know that the Lord is in charge  We hope for the best for him.  I have a very hard time seeing his leg without a foot.
I ended the day by finishing the top of our swing.  It needed to be replaced.

Friday the 30th we headed to Payson to see Dr. Nelson about my knee and foot.  He feels it is just arthritis but when I told him I was taking 2 teenage grandsons to Disneyland he gave me a shot of cortisone in my knee and the prescription I take 6 first day 5 the next day and so on 'till they're gone.  This is the first time since Dec. I have been pain free.  I'm ready to go dancing.
After the doctor's apt we went to SLC to see my brother.  I was so thrilled when we saw him.  He was higher in his bed and sipping on broth.  He looked so much better.  I fed him a lemonade freeze and a cup of cranberry juice.  He took it all and smiled.  It's the first time I have seen him with his eyes all the way open and his body not so puffy.  He stayed awake for an hour.  He is sill not on the no worry list but having him responsive was so exciting.  They were going to do a blood transfusion this afternoon because his foot has lost a lot of blood but it is not necessary, they just want to be cautious and boost up his resistance.  He loves the VA.  It's not fancy but he loves the care.

We got up Saturday to clean the church.  We have three wards in our building so we only clean every 6 months.  A huge group comes and it is done in 30 minutes.  Every ones assigned shows up.  It's great.  After the cleaning we hurried to Salem to watch Scott in his triathlon.  He came in 12th and beat his own record by 8 minutes.  There were many competitors, several hundred.  We love to go watch.

waiting in the bushes

After the run we took all out for lunch at Kneeders to celebrate Scott's birthday that we missed while camping.
We got home in time for the boys to mow the lawns and wash the basement windows.  While helping hold up the grate on the family room window, the grate accidentally fell and landed right across both of my feet.  It just doesn't seem like a foot summer.  It will not hinder Disneyland.  I'm tough. We went to Erik's home for pulled pork sandwiches.  Yumm!  Riley was there for our trip tomorrow which will be on the next blog.  We celebrated Parker's birthday because he will be in Disneyland during that day.  He is finally a teenager and a great one at that.

We love our families and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ that makes it possible to be together forever.  We even love each other.

THE RETURN

Sunday was Mothers' Day and Ava sang with the Primary children.  She did such a good job and learned the words so quickly  We were sitting in our seats and she whispered to me, "See the little chair up there? (It's a speaker way up high near the ceiling)  That's where the Holy Ghost sits."  What a gal.  They were so good in church.  They didn't make a peep.  

After church we went to Erik's again and had a delicious dinner.  Erik makes such yummy Calizones and Shanelle made salad and a dessert no one should eat it is so good and filled with calories.  It was a special bunt cake.  Erik taught Nixon how to sing like a dog.  

It is so good to be in their home and watch the cousins play together.  We had to really work to keep Nixon awake 'till we got home.  The boys went in together and gave me a beautiful umbrella to go in our glass table outside. The girls had already sent flowers.
I have the most perfect mother.  I never heard her raise her voice, say a negative word or talk unkindly about anyone.  sure wish I could be more like her.  She has been gone for over 20 years now and I still miss her.  She never complained and was a workaholic in keeping our home in order.  She could do anything: cook, sew beautiful clothes, knit, crochet, do any kind of handwork, reupholster our furniture,  read to me even when I was older, was my seminary teacher for a few years, helped me with anything I needed help with.  She loved the Lord and taught me by example to do the same.  My prayer is that someday she will hold me in her arms again.  I don't know how to use my external drive so I could only find these few pictures of her.

A year after married

so beautiful Katie Jones

with my dad around 1963

young Dora

Gtanny Fox  as she was lovingly called

My mother was a great lady. She taught me the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the stories of the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  She also taught me that I had a special purpose on this earth.  Most of my motivation growing up was to become what my mother believed I could be.  She never got to travel much, but she saw the world through books and instilled in me a great love for literature.  I hope when I see her again, she will be proud of what I have done with my life.

Monday was so fun.  Ava just couldn't wait for school to get out because we went to the airport to get Scott and Beth.

  They screamed when they saw them get off the plane.  They went from the Provo airport which is so nice.  They brought us a loaf of sourdough bread from the San Francisco pier.  We ate a hunk when we got in the car and again with chicken salad for dinner.

After we left Scott's we went to Timpview for a retirement party for 4 of the teachers.  It was so good to see so many of those wonderful people George worked with for 10 years.  (some longer)  They are the best.  It was like an old reunion.

The garden is now all planted.  It is so good to work outside and feel the warmth of the sun.  I also planted some flowers in baskets on the bike.

I put up the umbrella the boys' families gave me for Mothers' Day

That evening we went to PGHS to see Kolton be Abraham Lincoln in a fifth grade wax museum

sorry but I didn't get a good picture but he looked great.

Friday we got up early and went to BYU for the state track meet.  We went to watch Kate Hunter run.  She took fisrt in region and 6th today at state.
  She is only a freshman and one of my Young Women.  We worked some more in the yard and went to Merilee Goats reception.  She married a nice young man.

  It was fun to see all of her great family and especially Clark, Dianne and their family.  They are all so wonderful and doing just great.  It was a fun evening.
Saturday was busy as usual.  Parker had a soccer game at 9 and after the boys came to our house to mow the lawn. 

Parker with Camden and as the goalie

                                  

 I love this time because I see them and love having them around.  I like having Shanelle too.  I don't see much of Erik because he rides his bike 14 mile here and then takes off on a run for 30 minutes.  I think he must be crazy but then Shanelle gets up and bikes 14 miles at 6 AM.  No wonder she looks so good.  Our yard is also looking  good thanks to the boys and Granddad.
Again we are continually blessed to be a part of our families long ago and yet to come.  the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is so true.

Nancy:  I want to pay a tribute to Nancy.  She is a wonderful wife and mother.  I don't know how she could be more caring and giving to our children and to me.  She loves her grandchildren and worries about them daily.  Her whole life is centered in her family, except for the great love she has for her Savior and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, a love that she passes on to her family.  I have never known anybody who has such a natural love for everybody she meets.  She is an incredible person.  I am so thankful that she is my eternal companion.(I am not sure she always feels the same towards me.)  

HOLD TO THE ROD(S)

If you didn't see it in the last blog, I added some of Kolton in the  "Is it Spring Already?" blog.

flowers from Kristin and Tiffani

Sunday was as always a great fast day.  After church we went to visit the Fidel Montero family because they were just home from California for his dad’s funeral.  He died suddenly of a heart attack.  It is a hard time for the family.  Again, we are so grateful for the knowledge of the plan of Salvation and the comfort it gives to know our Father in Heaven loves us and has such a wonderful plan for us to follow.

The next day was hard for us in that we realized that Spencer Washburn had called to invite Dad to be in the circle while he was ordained a deacon and we forgot.  How do you forget such an important thing as that.  We felt horrible as you can imagine.  We went to Clint’s work to apologize for our mistake.  He was so kind but we still felt badly so we got some ice cream and a couple of boxes of Oreos and went to see Spencer to repent some more.  We told him how sorry we were and he was so wonderful.  We told him he didn’t even have to share the treats but that if he and his Dad hurried they could have it all gone before Mom got home.  He is so sweet I’m sure he will share.  It doesn’t make up for missing but we just hope he knows how much we love him.  He is a special young man.

We just want to put in a special story on our blog.  One of the times we went to the nurse practitioner for my protein shot, he shared an experience with us.  He was a kid who liked to mess around and drove his parents crazy.  They lived in Northern California so he chose to go to college at Berkley with no intent of going on a mission.  He didn’t take anything seriously and when school was over he went home.  His parents were shocked when at stake conference his name was called to be sustained as an elder.  He put his papers in and was called to serve in Peru.  He knew that was what he should and needed to do but was not overly enthusiastic about going. After getting to Peru he decided to be obedient and give his mission his best  He gained a testimony and worked very hard.  He was made an assistant to the president. Six weeks before the end of his mission he was in the passenger seat when they were in an accident.  He was thrown out through the windshield due to not wearing his seat belt.  An ambulance took him to a small hospital in a tiny town.  When he arrived the doctors found that the skin was peeled off his face and scalp.  The main doctor was in surgery and couldn’t take him so a doctor and male nurse did the best they could.  No one from the mission knew about this accident because of the area.  When the mission president found out he called the area authority who was in the area and told him what had happened.  They had him transferred to a hospital where they often took missionaries and knew the staff.  When they got there they were so surprised by how well the work had been done on this elder.  His face was such a mess and the work done was perfect.  The stitches were well placed.  (When he told us this I got right close and tried to fine the scars.  His nose had been peeled up above his eyebrows and there were numerous stitches all over his head and hair.  I even took my hand over some areas.  There was a minimal sign of scars.  If he hadn’t told me I would have never known or seen any evidence of an accident) The area authority was so impressed with the work that had been done to this elder he wanted to be taken to this first hospital to thank the nurse and doctor.  The elder was being sent home in that he only had less than 6 weeks left.  On the way to the airport they stopped to thank the two who had  done such an incredible job.  When they got there and asked by name for the two, the staff just looked at them.  They said they knew of no such doctors or nurses by that name.  The only doctor at that hospital was the one who was in surgery at that time.  This missionary, who had worked so hard his entire mission, was an assistant to the president, and on his way to pick up an elder who was struggling had experienced a miracle.  He left it to us to decide who the doctor and nurse had been.  It strengthened our testimonies so much.  The next time I went in I asked permission to tell you this experience.  The Lord is definitely aware of His missionaries.

We're back to going to the temple every Tuesday.  We decided if we waited until we were in good health again we would never go.  It was great and we did very well.  That evening we went to Kolton's game in the cold and rain.  He was the goalie.

George made granola and Myra's granola bars Wednesday because it was too cold and rainy to go outside.  They had to delay the state golf finals due to snow.  We're ready for some warmer weather but are so grateful for the moisture.  We need it so badly

We went out for dinner at Ruby River to celebrate Dad losing 15 pounds.  He has really worked hard and been so careful.  After dinner I went to Young Women and learned to decorate those fancy cup cakes.

Thursday I went to humanitarian and George went to carving.  RS finished 3 quilts and had a great time chatting.  It's so fun to do something for someone else.  When I got home the men were there putting up our railings so I won't fall again.  They did a very good job. 

laundry room and
dining room steps

 They also fixed the teeter-totter airplane.  The grands love to play on it. That afternoon we got George's Cpap.  He has one that is absolutely silent and only goes in the nose.  Hope it works for him.  He can check how it is doing on his iphone

Scott came over to bring the kid's suitcases.   We are going to go to their home in the morning so they don't have to wake up so early.  The next 4 days should be interesting.  They'll be spoiled rotten by the time Scott and Beth get back.

Friday Scott and Beth left around 7:30.  We dressed the kids and got Ava ready for pre-school. 

 When we went home Gary popped in to say hello.  It is always good to see family.  He is a kid magnet.
 He was on business and stopped to visit.  He waited until I got Ava from school to leave.

  She loves him.  It was just good to have him in our home. 
The kids were great and went to bed so easily.
Saturday we got up and started off the soccer games.  Camden was first and then Asher. 

Asher

 It was fun and so good to keep the kids happy.  They love their boys.  After Asher's game and lunch, Erik's family came to our house so Parker and Kolton could mow the lawns.

Parker

Kolton

the weed eater

working hard in the play house

After mowing we all went to Parker's soccer game.  Wow!  He is really a good player; more aggressive than before our mission.  It was cold for all the games but Parker's was Arctic.  We froze but had fun anyway.  After the game Erik took the kids to his house while we went to some friends' 80th birthday.  We went back to get the kids and stayed for dinner. 

 It's so wonderful to see cousins get along so well and enjoy each other so much.  Ava and Nixon were exhausted and went to bed again so easily.
We have had so much fun with them.  Families are why we are here.  The plan is to grow in the gospel of Jesus Christ and return to our Father in Heaven as families.  Families are forever and the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is so true.

KRISTIN BAYLES BATCHELOR'S BIRTHDAY

At the end of SPRING HAS FINALLY SPRUNG I HAVE PUT A PART THAT GOT LEFT OFF ABOUT KOLTON AND STUFF.  PLEASE GO THERE.

We love our back yard view of Timp, especially with the apple trees in bloom.

Kristin 2 years, dog Two and Mom with  matching dresses

You know we love Sunday's but this one was special because it was Kristin's birthday.  We won't say how old but She's one of the ice age babes.  She was such a good baby and so beautiful.  Everyone stopped us no matter where we were to look at her.  She was very vain about her curly hair and the ringlets I put in it.  She was reading much before she ever went to school and when she was finally allowed to read in kindergarten she came home very disappointed because she had already read Tip.  She would hide under her covers as she got older so she could read when we thought she was asleep.  She to this day is not happy if she doesn't have a book to read.  Just ask David.  We are so glad she found David.  He is a perfect match for her.    She loves to learn new things.  She loves her family and misses not being close enough to come visit often.  We loved it on our mission because we saw her so often.  We wish they were closer now so we could laugh with her kids and family.

A couple of years ago, Kristin did a blog post to summarize her life. She's had some interesting experiences, which you can read about here.

Eternal Family
This week we had our new security system put in.  I think we will like it better than Home Security.  We control it on our iphones.  We can turn on a light, change the furnace settings, turn on the alarm, and have a camera in the basement and on the main floor.  We can just unplug the cameras and move them to wherever we want, any time we want so look out from now on---you're on camera.  We can change the setting on the furnace so the house will be warm when we get home or the air will be cool in the summer.  It's with Vivint.  Rich Goats got us set up with a good program.  Our other carrier had raised the price and we got no service so this is the same price we would be paying anyway.  After the medical bills of $64,000 these past few months we are thrilled to get a break anywhere we can.  Thank goodness for insurance.  Don't know how long Medicare will be good but we're just grateful we had it for all the lovely visits we have made in March and April.  We still have a few more to go.  Hope that's the end.

Well it isn't.  Now George has to have a "sea pap" to sleep at night.  Don't know how that's going to go.  We're just grateful for modern medicine that permits us to live longer.  He will use it for a few weeks and then go in for another overnight sleep test.  Not fun.

Saturday was a big day.  We started out by going to Camden's soccer game.  It's always fun to watch grands do things.  He was a great little player.  We then had things to do while Erik and Shanelle went to 3 more soccer games.  That's what happens with 4 boys.  When the games were over they came to our house to mow lawns. (Erik rode his bike over.  He's crazy.  I think that's about 15 or 20 miles.) The boys do a really good job.  Of course I forgot to take pictures of them working.  

Camden blowing the grass

They are tending a friend of Kolton's for a week while his parents go on a cruise so he was with us.  Great kid.  The boys are saving money for their missions by mowing.  I'll try to get pictures next time.

Asher eating an Otter Pop

After the work was over we had a bar-b-q.  Tyler and Ashley were able to come which added to the fun.  After eating all we wanted we went to the BYU soccer game.  It was such a beautiful night and we won which added to the good time.

Tyler and Ashley are the ones kissing behind us.
We don't know who the brown guy is with Shanelle.

Now Who's kissing!?

We need to have Tyler and Ashley over more often now that it's good weather and we can do family things.  Family is what this life is all about and being together for eternity.  We love the restored gospel of Jesus Christ and are trying to endure to the end by constantly learning and growing in the gospel so that we can be with our family.  It's true.