Festival of Trees

Back in my lifetime, almost 30 years ago, I tended children and cleaned house for Barbara Frazier, (an incredible woman!) She was involved in a little community service project known as Festival of Trees which has evolved into a huge community service project. She signed me up to be on her committee and the rest is history. This is the 38th year. I have been involved with Festival of Trees since Matt was a baby. This is my 9th year of serving on the Festival of Trees Executive Board. I have worked in the Gift Boutique, served as co-chair to Lori Peterson and Edyth Hansen, and I am currently serving as the Auction Host Chair with additional duties on the Large Tree committee. My responsibilities as Auction Host Chair include training and scheduling 500 plus Auction Hosts for Opening Night. Last year we raised $1,604,021.64 in less than five days. Every single penny of that money goes to charity care at Primary Children's Medical Center. All my daughters (which includes my daughter in-laws) are on my committee. Talya is also a member of the Executive Board. This year she is the Entertainment Chair. I celebrated my 50th birthday on Opening Night (hence the tiara) and my daughter, Erica, was engaged at Festival. I am often asked why I keep doing Festival. To me it is a no-brainer. In my small way I get to help children. The money raised gives hope to families in need. Then there is the selfish side of me that keeps doing Festival. I do it for the friendships I have made with some incredible women. I do it to serve with my children, my sisters, my husband and my dear friends in a great cause.

Cheekie Weekies or Squishy Bums

I have a thing for baby bottoms. I just do. They are soft and smooth. They come in all shapes and sizes. They are irresistable to squeeze. That squeeze is the only payoff of having to change a messy diaper. My older grandkids now run if they know I need a cheekie weekie fix. But I have three that don't know about my addiction just yet. Erica sent me this picture of Keagan. (Boy is he going to hate his mom someday!) His squishy bum isn't very squishy. He needs some more fat but it will do because he is so dang cute! Rylee and Eliza have better squishy bums for cheekie weekies. They take after their Gamma and even have great thighs to squeeze during those dreaded diaper changes. I love babies! I can hardly wait for Dax to join the group.

It's official! The Arizona Family is coming home!

It has been 26 months since Matt and Lindsay headed south for the winter....then spring, summer, fall and all over again. Now they are coming back north sometime in the next few weeks. It will be wonderful to have them close by again. I know it will be hard for them to leave their home in Arizona. They have fabulous friends who answered a mother's anxious prayers when they first moved. It is bittersweet to leave a place you have grown to love to come back home. They will probably settle somewhere in Pleasant Grove. Matt is going to be working for a new company called everysinglehome.com. Look it up if you have a minute. Great concept! I am glad to have them return so my family can be all in one state for a few months before Erica and Carly and their families leave sometime next year. Welcome home Hansens!

Another April Birthday -- Audrey

My granddaughter, Audrey Hansen, turned four years old on April 29th. Audrey is full of life! She is such a fun little girl to be around. She is the only blonde with two brunette sisters. We tease a bit and say that she is really Carly's daughter. (Carly was my only blonde with four brunette siblings.) Audrey is the youngest of my first four grandchildren. I watch her try to keep pace with the older ones. She hussles and does a good job of keeping up. She, however, seems to recognize her size limitations. If the older ones are faster on their scooters or swimming in deeper water, she seems content to just be. She is a busy little girl who doesn't sit still too long. She's eager to please but has a spitfire personality that surfaces every once in a while. She knows the best moment to say "I love you" for the biggest effect. She loves to mother Eliza, her baby sister. My favorite conversation with Audrey was when she called to see if she could run away to my house. Of course I said yes! But then I realized that I needed to support Mom in a teaching moment. I explained that I had the same rules that she had at home and there was also a time-out spot at Gamma's house. She still wanted to come. She told me that she just didn't love mommy and daddy anymore. If she hadn't been 12 hours away I would have kidnapped her for the weekend. Happy birthday Audrey! You are my very favorite four year old!