Jeff's Time With the Kids

DIRTY JOBS PART TWO

TURN AWAY NOW! DON'T EVEN LOOK AT THIS POST!
Jeff and the kids took pictures of what Jeff called his bonding time with the kids so he wanted it to go on our blog. They had fun taking down a wasp nest in the chicken coop and then taking apart the nest and everything inside of it. GROSS!

And then they fed the larvae to the chickens.

Sunday Cookies

It seems I am always putting new pictures on my blog. I keep saying to myself, "Ok, we don't have anything big happening for a while so I won't be posting on my blog. Well, then the sweet little things happen that I know I am going to want to remember and put in my blog book. Madison always makes cookies for us on Sunday and this Sunday Emma wanted to help because she is taking a cooking class right now. Emma got out aprons for each of them and they went to work. I was outside and when I came in they were taking pictures of them making cookies together and they told me this was blog worthy. It is blog worthy to me as a mom because I appreciated seeing them being so kind to each other and spending time together. Just look at how loving they are being - they always are though.

Dating Life

Oh, to be sixteen again. Does it get any funner? What I think is neat is that a lot of dates Madi and Mikayla go on they go on together. Although they cannot go on single dates yet so maybe that's why but boys seem to ask them out together anyway. I think the girls like going together too. These are boys from our new ward. They are great boys, very responsible, spiritual,they have their priorities straight and they are gentlemen. On this particular date the boys made them dinner, they played volleyball, watched a movie and just talked. Of course Jeff and I gave them a hard time before they left about curfews, making good choices etc. but they like us so it was ok.
what I noticed after taking this picture was that it looks like Aeropstale and American Eagle are the clothes to wear right now. Madi doesn't have a label on her clothes but her shorts are from American Eagle and her shirt is from Aeropostale. Too funny.

Winco

Ok, so call me cheap, thrifty, crazy, whatever. We don't have a Winco or any cheaper grocery store here in Utah. I miss shopping at Winco and saving. The nearest Winco is in Idaho. Jeff was with me on this one when I decided we would take a trip to Pocatello, Idaho(2 hour drive - not bad) and stock up on groceries at Winco. We have a favorite missionary from California that is back home now in Idaho so this was an opportunity to meet up with him also. We traveled a little further to Idaho Falls to see Elder Ricks but it was worth it. I was able to stock up on flour, sugar, chocolate chips, rice, quick oats, cocoa and a few other things. Next month I will go again for things they didn't have this trip. This fall a Winco is opening in Utah and we are very excited.

The family at Texas Roadhouse with Virgil Ricks from Newdale, Idaho.

And here we are heading into Winco. Yeah! Although not as big as ours was in California - hopefully the Utah one will be bigger.

Jeff's Birthday

The kids and I were driving home from California the day of Jeff's birthday. I told him to make a yummy dinner and a cake and we would be home in time to enjoy it with him. He made the dinner (didn't have the cake supplies)and it was nice because as soon as we walked in the door he had dinner on the table. Well, the kids and I thought we needed to do more for his special day. On Monday WE made a yummy dinner that was on the table when he came home and we made him a birthday cake. We also took him to the movies to see Night at the Museum II. It was a fun night together as a family.

Eggs Benedict is his favorite so we made it for dinner. We love breakfast dinners.

Emma and Olivia put the candles in his cake.

The family at the movie theater.

Random Pictures from California Trip

These are just random pictures that for some reason I didn't put on the other posts but I want for my book.

When Mena and I went to the movies one night, the kids had dinner and a movie with Grandma. She made these flowers with them out of clay.

Sheryse with her boys.

Kristine, Kathleen, Salli and Mena at the mortuary before we dressed Grandma.

Cousin Jay with his daughter Christy and son Nolan.

Tony, Tracey and Michael. Michael sang at the funeral and Madi accompanied him - they did a great job.

Jeffrey and Jacob Zufelt

Dad gave Jeffrey a picture of a real plane that is like the model plane he is fixing up for him. Jeffrey put them up in the car like this on the way to home to Utah to stare at them.

Now we were getting silly with the camera on our drive home. I just turned the camera to the back of the car not knowing what I was taking a picture of. Madi put her face in the picture.

Maybe Emma's foot, Olivia's hand? Emma has the camera now.

Mikayla from India.

Tribute to Grandma

Grandma Ottoboni passed away July 11, 2009. She was a sweet woman. She very much loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. When we would get together for holidays she was so proud to point out, as she looked around the room at all of us, that "she started all of this". One funny memory Mena has of her was when she would pick us up from church in her sports car, go-go boots and miniskirt with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. Too funny. She may have had a rough life but I remember well the day she bore her testimony to me and other family members. I had never seen that side of Grandma before. With tears in her eyes she told us how she accepted the gospel and why. Grandma had a grumpy side to her but from that day on, I knew where her heart was and that's all that matters.

Grandma is on the end.

Dad with the Tenney's- very close friends of grandma's. I just heard a story that when grandma and Sis. Tenney's first met they both said they could never be friends with each other. They were best friends.

Dad with Dorothy. She was a good friend of grandma's also. Dorothy let Jeff stay with her one time when he was in San Francisco for a business trip. He really enjoyed visiting with her.

All family members who were at the funeral.

I was able to experience something that I have never done before. Mena, my two cousins and my aunt and I had the opportunity to dress Grandma. None of us had ever done that before and didn't know what to think at first. It was a really special experience though that we were all glad we had the opportunity to participate in together. Definitely something none of us will ever forget.

More California Friends

We drove around Saturday and visited some of our Rocklin friends. We visited with the Cooks and brought Amy(Olivia's best friend) to get an ice cream with us. We ate at Round Table with the Zufelt's and then went back to their home for games. It was so fun seeing these families, they are some of our favorite people.

Amy, Olivia and Emma.

Taylor and Torri - they share the same birthday.

Mikayla. Luke and Madi

Amy has always been taller than Olivia but this is getting a little ridiculous now.

Madi and Mikayla's friend Trevor works at Round Table. He took very good care of us while we were there.

Rachel, Emma and Olivia -cute girls.

Zufelt's and Woods enjoying yummy pizza.With two of their boys on missions and Jeff gone, we don't look like such a big group anymore when we get together.

The girls with Alex.

Jeffrey and Jacob made plans to go to EFY together next year.

Games back at the Zufelt's.

And then Jacob got a hold of the camera.

This is too funny. Brian was trying to prove to us the words he made were real words - didn't happen.

Dinner at Tony's

Tony was nice enough to cook a yummy dinner for us while we were in California. We had a fun time visiting and enjoyed the meal - thanks for having us over Tony and Tracey.

Mikayla helped with the potatoes.

Olivia and Emma played while dinner was being prepared.

OF COURSE Jeffery enjoyed looking at all of Uncle Tony's airplane magazines.

Madi helping with dinner.

Tony dishing up the food - he is such a good cook.

My plate - chicken tenders, red potatoes with sage and artichokes with the dip inside them.

Candice and Parker joined us for dinner also.