Babysitting Chelsea

We had a fun time babysitting Chelsea for Chris and Chantelle.

 

Isn't it funny how buckets meant for toys make better toys than the toys themselves?

Grandma and Chelsea stacking blocks.
Oops that shoe isn't a block.

Chelsea loves stacking blocks.

Hazen is 100

Hazen Olsen, my dad, was born on December 24th. We always celebrated his birthday with a cake and ice cream. This year was his 100th birthday (which we celebrated without him). We had cake and ice cream after our Christmas Dinner. We were in Ashton for the big event. Devin sent peanut clusters to everyone - mom made some too along with the little white chocolate lambs. When I told my sister Yvonne, she said he was probably smiling down on us. Happy Birthday Dad!

Chelsea told us some great news! Congratulations to Chris & Chantelle. New baby due in July.

Lyvi loves to suck on oranges.

Kami had a chocolate pretzel (there was milk in the cake). It was kind of messy. We love you Kami.

Kaite's Baptism

 Congratulations to Kaitlyn Bonnie Baldwin for being baptized. Kaite has taken a big step and made important covenants with our Heavenly Father. She was so happy that day and thanked Grandpa and I for coming to her baptism. When in fact, we wouldn't have missed it for anything. Isn't she pretty? She wasn't her usual rough and tumble, tom-boyish self this day. She was a princess - in a dress that she loved!! We love you Kaite and are very proud to be your grandparents!!

WOW! Fall is here!

I looked out the window and what did I see?
The Mountain Ash tree is really pretty.

Another shot of the Mountain Ash tree from outside

The apple tree is slowly losing its leaves

The May Day tree has shed all its leaves.

So we got the rake out and went to work. We covered the roses and
the carrots to protect them from the cold.

We also added more carrots to the freezer.

My Christmas cactus is blooming

Does it have its seasons mixed up?

Sunrise over Rexburg.
I don't recommend this while driving - especially with a dirty window.

The view is great on my way to work.

Halloween

Chris, Chantelle and Chelsea's pumpkins

Tinker Bell sure likes suckers!

Peter Pan
 

Peter Pan, Tinker Bell and Captain Hook

Yep suckers help you fly better!
 

Ashley, sorry I caught you with your eyes shut

after carving pumpkins, frosting cupcakes is fun and tasty

Kyle is concentrating way too hard!

Livy enjoys time in her walker while we work

cupcake with witches hat

Vic and Kathy's pumpkins
Check out Kat and Kyle's blog to see their finished jack-o-lanterns

I DID IT!

After carving pumpkins, we sat down to rest. Chelsea picked up grandma's camera and wanted to play with it. Chris told her it was grandma's and she would have to ask. She looked at me and said "Please". What grandma can resist. So daddy helped her take a few pictures.



Good form!!

 

Then she hopped down and took a few of her own! She was spinning and taking one picture after another! But the best part was when she turned the camera off and turned it back on, punched her arm into the air and said "I did it!"                 

Just that very day I had been at church and had an "I did it!" moment of my own. I played the piano for the Primary program. I was so scared that I would mess up and not be able to play. I practiced on the piano in the Hinckley building, on the piano in our chapel and of course, at home - over and over and over again. The day of the program, I arrived early to practice once more. I did fine until people started coming in and then my hands started shaking and I was scared. You can believe that I was doing a lot of praying before the program started. And when I started to play, I felt at peace. I played better than I know how. Of course, I have thanked my Heavenly Father because He helped me so I could say "I did it!"

 

 

Grandpa pulling faces

Chelsea spinning - this is a cool picture!

Chantelle - what fun!

Grandma taking pictures of Chelsea and then viewing them!

Esau

Buffalo visit

 

We have been to Buffalo and back. We left home on Monday and spent the evening with Kyle, Kat and their
girls. We enjoyed watching Ashley open her birthday presents from us. Hope you had a good birthday, Ashley!
We went through Yellowstone Park. We saw Old Faithful go off, but had forgotten to take the camera.
We ate our lunch in the car and drove on. Above is Yellowstone Lake. It was really choppy.



We went out the east entrance to Yellowstone Park



The scenery in Wyoming is pretty in its own way

This is one of the tunnels we drove through on our way to Cody, Wyoming.



This is the Uncle Dick and Aunt Georgie I remember



Aunt Georgie's 91st Birthday.
Left to right: JoAnn (Donna's daughter), Anna (JoAnn's daughter),
Aunt Georgianna, Bobbie Jo (Keith's daughter), Cindy and her grandson
(I can't remember his name - Kyle's son)

Kyle (Cindy's son)



Vic, Kathy, and Uncle Dick - who is 88



Aunt Georgie, Kathy, Vic



Left to right: Kyle, Donna, Vic, Kathy, Cindy, Bobbie Jo

Uncle Dick and Aunt Georgie are in a rest home in Buffalo.
They are side-by-side in the same room.

We came home through Riverton and over the Jackson Pass.
That is the way we came home when bringing Kyle home from his mission.
It was a fast trip, but we felt the Baldwin hospitality while there. Donna made sure our needs were met,
she and Cindy were very happy to get a copy of the Family History I have done for Vic Sr and Gomer Baldwin.
They stayed up until midnight looking at it. We visited together for several hours and shared pictures.
There are many stories they know that I don't and vice versa. We hope to share these in the upcoming days.

 

We arrived home at 8:30 on Wednesday night. We had driven 900 miles in 2 days.