Gardner Gab

Latest photos

2009-07-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

We got some new photos of Kurt. Above is Chino's baptism. Below is a photo of the kind of roads they get to walk on every day. Kurt says it is blistering hot. He says it is nothing like he has every experienced with the hot sun and then the intense humidity. He just moved into a new apartment and then he and his companion have been really sick, so he has felt a little frustrated lately. Hopefully he is doing much better.

Below are some photos from Thursday, July 9th when Rakel brought the kids over to swim. Casey hadn't gone to work yet, so the boys were having fun swimming with Austin & Alayna.

We even had Brent, Nichole & Todd come and joing us for lunch after the swimming. It was a fun summer July day.

Here are Austin & Cade using about any flotation device they could find! Austin had swimming lessons a few weeks ago and he is really swimming well and getting maybe a little too brave!

I told Austin to "cheez-it" for the camera and he did! This was his Sunday evening snack while hanging out at Granma & Grandpa's house. We love it when they come over!

Alayna's Brownie Face after dessert on Sunday dinner. I love her little smile she does...I call it her "mole face".

More celebrations!

2009-06-26T16:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my birthday (yes Brent & I are both 53) and I am grateful for 1 more birthday! I received so many gifts and I say thank you to everyone. I tried to put the word out that we were going to ignore my birthday, but it didn't work very well. One of the best gifts was that I had a really good day and felt well. The day before I was not feeling well, so I was happy to have a good day. I even got dressed in real clothes, put on make-up and my wig because I had to renew my driver's license. It was expiring and they wouldn't extend it anymore. I called and told them my situation but they said sorry you have to come to the DMV and pay your fee and fill out your application and have a photo taken. So I did it. Brent bought me a shaved ice on the way home and that was my birthday treat for the day! It did taste good! Thanks again for all of the phone calls, emails, facebook messages, visits, and gifts!! It meant a lot to me! Love to you all!

Father's Day was fun! Here Brent is opening his presents with of course Austin helping! He is wearing his new shirt from Troy & Amy and checking out his new wind up flashlight from Todd & Rakel. He also got another shirt from Cade & Neil, a movie from Chad & Melinda, and coupons from Casey & Nichole for dinner and a night off from worrying about the boys (she & Casey took them to the new Transformers movie). Brent is a wonderful dad and I love him so much for that! He has been amazing during this cancer trial taking good care of me. He has to give me my medicine 4 times a day and he keeps my food tube pump working. It has not been easy with everything else he has going on in his life, but he keeps working hard to do it all!

This is a little Mazda 6 that we bought for Neil to drive in a few months...also, Brent & I will use it as a smaller car to run around in. Neil is very excited. He has had his driving permit since he turned 15, so it is nice he can practice driving a smaller car. He turns 16 Sept. 20th.

Back in the hospital & Back home again!

2009-06-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

This is a photo of me in better days gone by! A week after my last chemo I got really sick again and ended up going to the Emergency Room again on May 31st. My lovely cdiff bacteria returned again. I was ICU for a few hours and then ended up down on the 3rd floor again. (A lot of the nurses and CNAs are getting to know me by first name.) I was there for a week and I was neutropenic again and was in isolation again. My doctor called in 2 specialists to figure out what to do with me, since now I was on my 3rd time and Dr. Cobb decided I had contracted a superbug that is resistant to antibiotics. They ended up doing a rare procedure which I won't describe here, and we are hoping that now I will be healed! I came home June 7th with great hope to do better but feeling very tired. In fact, that whole next week I did a lot of sleeping!! Then when this last weekend hit I started feeling sick again! It really scared us and that is why poor Brent's birthday was so lame! We made arrangements to delay my PET scan because I am just not getting well enough to get my feeding tube out. Today I finally feel a little better so we are feeling more hopeful. Another sad thing is my hair is falling out...yes...I actually was getting a good head of 1/2 - 1 inch long hair, but 2 weeks exactly after my last chemo it started falling out. Hopefully I won't loose it all!

Here are more photos from Memorial Weekend when we were together.

Memorial weekend we all gathered together for Austin's 3rd birthday. It was Memorial Weekend and so Chad & Melinda & Mikell was there to help celebrate too with us here in St. George.

Happy 53rd Birthday to Brent (he doesn't look a day over 25). I was so sick that day he had to make his own birthday dinner, however, I did have Baskin & Robbins make him an ice cream cake. Our umbrella on our outdoor patio broke in the crazy wind while I was in the hospital so Brent went out and bought us a new umbrella...an exciting birthday. Luckily his kids all remembered to give him some gifts!

Fun-packed Memorial Weekend

2009-05-26T16:26:00.000-07:00

It was a fun Memorial Weekend having lots of family around and lots of fun activities. It wasn't really as fun for Kristine because she can't do much, but she enjoyed watching everyone. I had my last chemo on Friday and it went okay. I slept during it and after. Saturday I had a pretty good day, but for some reason on Sunday I had some kind of an anxiety attack and it was pretty hard on me. I haven't felt well the last few days either. This chemo treatment definitely has been my hardest to deal with. I have been pretty sick, but I am trying to fight my way through it! Being with family made my weekend happier. Austin blowing out the candles on his birthday cake. It was a yummy layered ice cream cake that Rakel made. She also brought cupcakes for share.

Sunday Dinner and Austin's 3rd Birthday. Here they are celebrating, Austin, Todd, Rakel & Alayna.

Casey & Nichole join the party too!

Chad, Melinda & Mikell eating Sunday Dinner.

I love this photo of Austin getting his free Birthday ice cream treat! What joy! Cade & Alayna watch from behind. Friday they had a party at Pirates Pizza and I had to add this darling photo with Austin & Mikell with their Pirates' hats on.

Sunday we all got together to celebrate Austin's birthday. He already opened his presents at his house but had a few here at Grandma & Grandpa's house. We can't believe he is 3 years old!

Mikell also had fun swimming in Grandma & Grandpa's swiming pool. Mikell loved her first boating trip and didn't want to get off the boat when the day was over. Grandpa Gardner was her good buddy on the boat.

Cade & Neil tubing on Saturday, the weather was windy so they were mostly only able to go tubing.

Happy Birthday Kurt!

2009-05-17T15:14:00.000-07:00

How could I dare post on my blog today and not mention the importance of the day!!! Kurt Wayne Gardner was born this day 20 years ago!! I don't know if Kurt ever looks at my blog, but if he does ...Kurt we are thinking about you today and hoping you are having a great birthday out their in the Dominican Republic. We love you!!

Father & Sons Outing '09

2009-05-17T15:02:00.000-07:00

Here is Cade swimming in the pool fed by the natural spring water.

Neil & Stockton play in the river that goes through the property. They boys said that playing in the river was the most fun.

This last weekend was Father & Sons Outing and our Ward went to a really cool place down by Moapa, Nevada called Warm Springs. The Church owns the property and I guess a misionary couple oversees the area. Brent said it was this little valley oasis out in the middle of the desert. There is a natural spring that empties into a swimming pool. They had a nice grassy area to pitch their tents. They had a great time! Above is a photo of Neil and his friend Stockton and the background is a snapshot of the area.

Found some photos finally!

2009-05-15T17:46:00.000-07:00

Casey has a birthday May 1st. Nichole has a fun party for him in their basement apartment. Doesn't he look thrilled!?!

Nichole graduates with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education Magna Cum Laude from Dixie College. I missed the graduation (sadly) but Casey & Brent were there to support her.

Above: Neil playing in the Church Regional Basketball Tournament. Unfortunately it is blurry but their team did really well and barely lost in the final championship game.

Above: You can see Troy, Amy, and Nichole in background and Neil & Casey mugging for the camera.

Below: Fun night out at Pirate Island Pizza. Here is Casey, Neil & Cade...they found video games!

When Troy & Amy came to visit, Amy promised her brother they would go check out Pirate Island Pizza (a client of his). So Brent, Troy, Amy, Casey, Nichole, Neil, & Cade met Todd and Austin there. Rakel stayed home with Alayna because she was sick, and of course I had to stay home. Anyway, they had a great time!

Here is Cade playing the chimes in the 6th grade Band Concert. The song is the theme song from Halo.

Oops I messed up!

2009-05-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

I meant to just preview my last post and totally didn't know what I was doing and got all messed up and so I ended up posting my post instead of editing it, so it doesn't make any sense with the title because all I talked about was Kurt and not about the hospital but now I will do that!

My post before I was so happy about being home and hoping to be on the mend, however on Saturday May 1st I started getting sick again and ended up in the Emergency room on Sunday May 2nd. The cdif bactieria came back and luckily we got over to the hospital early enough this time and so they only had me in the hospital until Wednesday May 6th. I was pretty discouraged to have to go back again, but it did help to get me well quicker. In fact, I wasn't feeling really great on Thursday after I came home and wondered if I had come home a little too early. Slowly I am doing better. I am really tired this time and so spending a lot more time in bed, but able to get up to do laundry, ironing and a little housework. The doctor put me on a much stronger antibiotic and so hopefully it will kill that bacteria for good! Also, the nutritionist has me drinking Danactive 3 times a day (which is really hard because it hurts so bad to swallow, but I am doing it). The Danactive is supposed to be building the good bacteria in my digestive tract.

I had a great Mother's Day! I actually slept in until almost noon while the family went to church. Brent fixed a big Turkey Dinner for the family and we had Todd, Rakel, Austin & Alayna over for dinner and the evening. Casey & Nichole spent part of the day with us and part with the Nuttalls. The kids all gave me wonderful and fun gifts and we had fun visiting and talking to Kurt. I still can't believe I didn't even think once to take a photo of any of the day. I feel bad about that.

I am happy I can enjoy Mother's Day...I didn't always like Mother's Day because I had insecurities about my ability as a mother and didn't always feel deserving of it all. So my perspective has changed...blame it on the cancer, or blame it on my age! I am so happy to be a mother! I love it and hope I can still mother my children for many more years! I am so grateful for the wonderful mother who gave birth to me and she was such a great example of motherhood for me. I miss her dearly. I am also grateful for Mom Gardner (Brent's mom). She is an amazing lady, so full of love for everyone and so giving...I feel lucky to have such a great mother-in-law. Also, I love to think about my awesome daughter-in-laws! Rakel and Melinda are such great moms and I love to watch them with those beautiful grandchildren! (I know Amy & Nichole will be great moms too when they get the chance.) It was a great day, what would have made it perfect is if I could have attended church and if I could have eaten the great meal Brent made...all I got was Danactive and water! Oh well...next year!

Back from the Hospital Again

2009-05-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

The power goes off and on for hours at a time. Here is Kurt trying to schedule their next day by candlelight. They also have to have mosquito netting over their beds and their study areas or they get bit like crazy. We loved talking to Kurt on Mother's Day!! He sounds great and is very happy! We talked longer than we were supposed to, but it is so hard because our family is so big and everyone wants to talk to him and Kurt wants to talk to everybody...and Kurt loves to talk! He said in his email to day that it really helped to buoy him up and it made him feel really ready to work hard again!

This is a photo of Kurt and his companion Elder Ogando (he is his first Dominican companion) at the baptism of Josefa. They have had quite a few baptisms lately, but it has taken a lot of work. So many of their investigators need to get married first and they had to help take care of that.

I am Finally updating my Blog!!

2009-04-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Okay so it has been over 2 months since I posted and a lot has happened in my life. I took a photo that I will add here somewhere of Marilyn visiting me and I am actually all going to let you see me bald...I guess a lot of you have already. Here is an update on what has been happening:

I had my 4th Chemo on Feb. 23rd and also started Radiation on the same day. That was the plan of the doctors to do it simulanteously and end both at the same time. That weekend Melinda and her friend came to St. George for the Home Show and it was fun having them here. She announced she was expecting a baby that weekend which made it even more exciting!!

Steve dropped Marilyn in St. George as he had business in Salt Lake (hence the photo of her visit here) and she knew it was after my chemo and I may not feel great but we still. However, I was doing fairly well and we had some fun. Then Saturday hit and I wasn't feeling very well and as the day prgressed I got much worse with a high temperature. Brent took me to the Emergency room and after several tests I found out I had diverticulitus, and I spent several days in the hospital. I was having a pretty rough time (couldn't stop throwing up) until they slowed down the antibiotic they had me on. After that I started to feel like a human being. Ater several days they let me go home and told me to eat a low residue diet...so that was kind of interesting. However, my throat was really starting to hurt from all of the radiation treatments, so I kind of was living on yogurt, ice cream & really soft food.

Troy & Amy came for their Spring Break and it was fun having them here. They took Neil and Cade on a fun mountain bike trail and the boys are now hooked (since Brent went out and bought all of us new bikes so we can have a new hobby). Chad, Melinda & Mikell came down during our Spring Break for a few days. Todd, Rakel, Austin & Alayna came and hung out with us as the different family members came to visit and it was so much fun to be togeher! I was soon having a hard time eating anything. I was sent to the IV Center to get some nutrition via IV, however, by March 23rd I was feeling pretty rotten and we just decided to walk into Dr. Te's office and talk to him. He admitted me into the hospital. I was by chance put into a specail cancer neutrapenic room, which after they ran tests found out I was nuetrapenic, along with a bladder infection and possibly other problems. I had decided I couldn't eat anymore and I was so dehydrated I wanted a stomach feeding tube. They wouldn't give me the surgery until I got healthier. They ended up putting a pick line in my arm that will stay long term. The first one failed and so I had a blood clot and very sore arm for a week or two. By Wednesday March 25th they decided I was healthy enough for my surgery. I stayed in the hospital a few more days and then sent home. I felt pretty good the day I came home, but honestly by Sunday I was not feeling well. Actually, looking back now, I think I came home sick from the hospital! I rarely got out of bed that next week. They had home health coming in to check on me but now very often.
Brent was doing his best to help me and even Rakel was sweet enough to come over and help me.

So, by Easter weekend I was feeling pretty rotten. Luckily Nichole took care of a lot ot the Easter duties (along with Brent), but I don't remember much of the day at all. That night I fell twice trying to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I now hardly remember what happened. Brent took me to the Emergency room Monday morning (I had a fever of 103). I don't remember him taking me or even being there. Brent said when he took me in they took my blood pressure and it was only 60/40 so they rushed my straight back to triage and he said he sat there helplessly watching 5 people work on me and by 11:30 a.m. I guess I was in a room in ICU. I was in ICU for 4 days and I don't remember a lot of it. Brent tried to stay with me as much as possible. I guess I was saying a lot of crazy things and he recorded some of them. I also tried to get out of bed by myself and fell. It was some rough days and honestly pretty scary. They finally gave me a blood transfusion and we believe that once they did that I started to do better. I had a cdif bacterial infection that had gone into my blood. Marilyn had planned to come to stay again to help, but didn't know she was going to end up spending a lot of her time sitting with me in the hospital. By Thursday they sent me down to the 3rd floor to a regular room. They even moved me after one day to another room because I was in Isolation and a man next dooor to me was having heavy duty chemo and they didn't want be by him. Everyone who came to visit had to put on a robe and gloves. Brent sent a message to our Relief Society President to discourage visitors, so I didn't have to many...but it was a fun surprise to have Clifton and Steven drop by on separate days for visits.

Finally I started to do better and after 11 days of being in bed at the hospital they let me come home. I wasn't sure I wanted to come home!?! At first I wanted to go to rehab where they could keep a close eye on me and keep me healthy so I could finish my last 6 days of radiation and by last (the 6th) Chemo treatment. But, I missed my family so much and really did want to be in my own home. Actually, the day I came home Brent had to be out of town so Marilyn & Steve ( - he had come into town to drive Marilyn up north and then home) brought my home from the hospital. I have a home health nurse coming to check on me a couple of days a week. I am feeling better but I am still quite weak. I am trying to do laundry and a little housework. I need to try to keep myself somewhat busy or I go crazy. You can only lay around so much and watch so much T.V.

So...today I had my 2nd of 6 Radiation treatments that I have left. So far they are going okay. I am getting axious about finishing because I can't wait until my esphogas is healed so I can have my feeding tube removed and I can once again eat REAL FOOD!! It has been hard, but I am trying so hard to be patient.

So, that was a lot to write, and maybe way too much for anyone to read, but it is a quick review of my life the last few months. I am hoping and praying for for the next few months to be much, much better! I appreciate so much all of the kind letters, cards, food, phone calls, prayers, fasting, and names at the temple!! Everyone is so wonderful and I feel bad that I have not written thank you notes to everyone and maybe not even acknowleged them, but please know they are appreciated and we really feel the love from everyone!!

(OOps! NO Photo to be found of Marilyn & I with my bald head I guess I lost it somewhere...I will add photos next post. Sorry!)

Good News

2009-02-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

I thought I would add another photo of Kurt. Here he is enjoying some coconut milk. This photo was taken in Consuelo. This security guard had a machete and just hacked the top off for the Elders to enjoy.

Austin & Rakel made this cute "Get Well" arrangement for Grandma! It was so fun to get it and I had to get a photo. Anyway, I am better today!! I had a doctor appointment yesterday and found out I am not neutropenic anymore! I was at the doctor's office for 2 hours and when I left I headed straight to pick up Brent and made him take me to lunch so I could eat a big 'ol huge salad! It tasted so good! I will enjoy life as long as I can until it knocks me down again!

Catching up

2009-02-18T16:32:00.000-08:00

Brent, Neil & Cade went up to the Draper Temple Open House with the Ward young men and young women. For some reason Brent didn't take any photos at the temple, but he did take one of his granddaughter Mikell because they came over to meet them when they were eating lunch at Chuck-A-Rama. Mikell went right to Cade but wasn't quite sure about Neil or Brent. They did have a great trip and they enjoyed seeing the new temple (and of course Chad, Melinda & Mikell). The drive home was a little dicey when they drove through a blizzard in the Cedar City area.

Here we are posing in front of the Universal Studios sign. We took the boys down for a quick trip to California for New Year's. We decided to have a little vacation before we were tied down for long with all of my cancer treatments. The weather was a little cold our 2 days in L.A. but by the time we got to Palm Springs it turned really nice and warm.

This is a photo from our little trip to Palm Springs...and yes the kids (this is Neil) were swimming the first part of January. The weather was great while we were there.

I haven't put a photo of Kurt on my blog for a while and here is one of Kurt for one of his baptisms. He is doing great and was just transferred to an area called Los Molinos in the D.R.

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on my blog. I had a blood test today and should find out soon the results. I have my 4th Chemo treatment and my first Radiation Treatment on Monday, February 23rd. Then I have radiation treatments every weekday for 6 weeks. Fun & Games!!

I Hate Cancer

2009-02-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

Okay! It has been like almost 4 months since I posted. When I learned about my Cancer diagnosis I told a lot of people to check out my blog and I would keep you all updated on what was going on...well, I didn't do it! Sorry! I think I am in a bit of denial. If I have to talk about it or write about it then it is true, and I really don't want it to be true and so I guess I like living in my happy little world called "Denial". I started chemo treatments in December the week before Christmas and just finished my third treatment as of Jan. 31st. I have been tolerating it fairly well, I have a few bad days and then after about a week I feel almost back to normal, so then I have 2 good weeks. I started losing my hair about 2 weeks after my first treatment. My sister Marilyn shaved my head while we were on a trip to Palm Springs (I guess I will be brave and add a photo of it). Then my daughter-in-law Melinda shaved it even closer the next week. So I have been bald since the middle of January (I wear lots of warm beanies). I did purchase a wig however I don't even think I have a photo of me with it on. I really have been able to just carry on with a fairly normal life.

I found out today that I am neutropenic (my white blood cell count is too low). That means I have to stay away from crowds and anyone who is sick. I am not allowed to eat raw fresh fruits or vegetables (I am not happy about that!!!!!). So...I figured now is the time to catch up on my blog because I basically will really be stuck at home (unless I want to walk around wearing a funny looking mask). I also guess that I can now do some much needed deep house cleaning (that is if I have the energy). We shall see about that!

I wish I had great and amazing inspirational thoughts to add to this post, but I really don't get those in my weak brain very often! Anyway, I am not really feeling very inspired tonight! So, I will write more at a later time when I feel a little more positive.

However, I do want to thank all of you for your cards, letters, kind words, food, flowers, plants, prayers, fasting, and faith in my behalf! You don't know how much I appreciate it because I can't express my feelings sufficiently! Please know that I feel your love and support. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Love - Kristine

Cade is 12 as of November 5th

2008-11-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

Early morning birthday breakfast for Cade before he heads off to school at 7 a.m. He is wearing his new jacket he opened in one of his gifts. Can't believe my baby boy is 12 years old! No more Elementary school. No more Primary. No more Cub Scouts. One more year and he is a teenager!! Oh no!! We love you Cade! I know this post is belated...but better late than never!

Cade lighting his birthday cake! Neil sporting Cade's new Night Vision Goggles! Nichole smiling for the camera waiting to eat some of that Rainbow Chip cake.

One of Cade's cool presents from mom and dad. It is a giga ball and he and Neil had fun rolling each other around in it until some of the plastic bubbles popped.

Cade had a birthday party on Friday. We went to a cool park in town and had pizza and played. Then we came home and open presents and then the boys played night games in the neighborhood. Cade said that he had a great time!

Halloween Fun & An Eagle Scout

2008-10-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

An angel (Daddy's Little Angel) and a devil (Mama's Little Devil) visited our house on Halloween!

Cade dressed up as Steve Young for this Halloween...maybe one of his last for trick or treating!?

Cade & Neil carved pumpkins on Thursday night after they performed in their Piano Recital. We forgot the camera for the piano recital, so we just have jack-o-lantern photos!

Halloween 2008!

Austin & Cade wait for Neil's Eagle Court of Honor to begin. It was held Sunday, October 26th.

Here Neil is giving his little Response talk. He had been sick for 2 days and we made him get out of bed and come to the Court of Honor. The next day we took him to the doctor and he had Strep...so we kind of felt bad about it.

Big brother Todd presents his Eagle award to Neil while Mom & Dad watch. Thanks Nichole for taking all of the photos.

Here is Neil's little display table. Here are photos of his Eagle project. He and his troop helped to clear a trail in Springdale. On the table are all of the congratulation letters from prominent people. We also had a slide show that Brent put together for all 3 boys getting their Eagles. He worked long on it and he did a great job! It was a great evening.

Trip to Logan and West Jordan

2008-10-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

We drove up to Logan October 3rd and attended the BYU vs. Utah State football game. It was a fun game and exciting. Troy & Amy wore their Aggie shirts and Neil & Cade wore their BYU shirts (all navy blue). Brent & I had neither so we just wore our royal blue Dixie High school shirts. Of course BYU won!!! (Don't be too sad Troy & Amy :) )

Saturday we drove up Logan canyon and then over to Bear Lake. It was raining and so we jumped out every so often to get some photos. The canyon really had some beautiful fall colors! We had a fun day!

Here is Cade showing me all of the gorgeous leaves than had fallen.

Brent, Neil, Troy, Amy & Cade on the shore of Bear Lake.

Neil, Kristine, Amy, Troy & Cade. We stopped to enjoy raspberry shakes & lunch at Le Beau's (in the background of this photo).

We stopped and Chad & Melinda's on Sunday morning and watched conference. It was fun to see all of Mikell's new tricks. She is walking...it is so cute! This is Mikell's cute little poodle costume for Halloween! I was glad to see it on her since we won't be able to see it on her in person on Halloween. She wasn't feeling well that day and so wasn't thrilled to show us her costume.

Chad & Melinda fed us a great lunch! Cade & Neil had fun playing with Mikell...even blowing bubbles outside after the rain cleared out. After our visit there we headed to Grandma & Grandpa Gardner's in Provo for a quick visit before hitting the road to head back to home. It was a great little get away weekend!!

Neil 15th Birthday

2008-09-25T15:49:00.000-07:00

Here is Neil blowing out those 15 candles on his "money" cake. You can see Austin helping him blow!

Neil got a new play kitchen for his birthday...not really! I bought it to go down into the playroom for the grandchildren. However, Neil (and Cade) had fun putting it together. We got up into the attic and found the play dishes and pretend food that Nichole had in her play kitchen. So the kids had fun showing it all to Austin on Saturday.

Neil requested french toast and bacon for his breakfast. We had Jimmy John sandwiches and lots of other food for lunch while watching the BYU vs. Wyoming game. We had birthday cake later in the afternoon. Then Neil wanted more than anything to go eat dinner at his favorite place...Outback Steakhouse. We all had a fun day! We wish Chad, Melinda, Mikel, Troy & Amy could have been here too. Well, we wish all of our friends & family could be here! :)

BYU Fans & Wild Play with Uncle Cade

2008-09-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of the BYU fans here at the house on Saturday! It was such an exciting game...we loved it...BYU winning by 1 point with 2 seconds left in the game. That blocked kick was amazing! Mikell & Austin had fun playing together. I tried really hard to get photos of the 3 grandchildren together and it was just about impossible to get a good photo.

Here is the video that Chad & Melinda have been waiting for. Sorry it took me so long. Also, it takes awhile to get videos downloaded on my dumb computer. Enjoy!!!

Mikell comes to Visit Grandma & Grandpa

2008-09-06T21:26:00.000-07:00

Mikell is visiting Grandma & Granpa this week while Chad & Melinda are in Orlando for a vacation. They are using the Christmas present Marriott Week. We are having so much fun with Mikell. Here she is having breakfast. Melinda told us that she loves to dip her food in...dip. So here she is with some waffle pieces (Grandpa made for her) and she is dipping them into her little pile of syrup on the table. So cute! Todd & Rakel came over to watch the BYU vs. Washington game and so afterwards we had a little swimming party, and Mikell loved the water, but the pool was a little cold, so they mostly stayed in the hot tub.

I have more photos and some video but it is getting late and I need my "beauty sleep" and so look for more photos to come soon!

The Bathroom is finally finished!

2008-09-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

It has been a lot of work and several months but finally the downstairs bathroom is finished! Brent, Neil & Cade tore the room apart & remodeled the cabinets. We hired Travis Read to laquer the cabinets for us and then he came back and painted the room for with mildew & mold resistant paint. We hired Curtis Peters to do all of the tile.

We love all of the tile...hopefully it will be much easier to keep clean

I love the new towel hooks but the boys just need to learn how to hang them properly. We love the new shower door also.

By the way, Melinda, you are probably looking for photos of Mikell (since we are babysitting this week), look back again soon and I will add those!

Found the North Rim Photos!

2008-08-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

Finally found the North Rim photos...Brent had downloaded them on his laptop and deleted them from the camera. We had a great time and saw some amazing scenery! It even was a nice day...not so hot.

Busy week...

2008-08-13T15:06:00.000-07:00

Neil & Cade went back to school on Tuesday!

Neil is at Dixie Middle School (9th grade) Cade is at Tonaquint (6th grade)

Last minute trip before school started. This is out in the Big Water area by Lake Powell.

Overlook at Glen Canyon Dam at Lake Powell. Didn't take the boat there this time.

The site of the filming of the T.V. show Gunsmoke. It was also used for a lot of other western movies. It is up in Johnson Canyon outside of Kanab.

Last week we had two fun little trips. Brent had business up North and we rode up and visited with Chad, Melinda & Mikell. It was really fun to see them even though it was a short visit. Then on the weekend we went to Kanab on business for Brent, then Lake Powell - Big Water area for business, then for fun drove out to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I am adding a few photos, but when I opened the camera file there weren't any of the photos we took at the North Rim so I don't know what happened.

More news from Kurt

2008-07-31T16:35:00.001-07:00

Kurt's district at the Provo MTC just before they all took off to their different mission areas.

This photo is actually one taken at the Provo MTC right before Kurt headed out to the Dominican Republic. This is Kurt and his cousin Devin posing in front of the missionary statue outside the MTC. Kurt is doing great in the DR MTC. He says he loves their food. He is working hard and learning a lot. He likes to throw in Spanish words every so often in his emails and letters. He says it is super humid there. For their p-day today they picked up trash at the University close by (he said it was really trashy), and it looked really good when they were finished, but after 5 minutes of working they are soaking in sweat. He says that the people appreciate their service project and so are more likely to talk to them and have good feelings towards them.

Bathroom Project & Photo from Kurt

2008-07-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

We got new emails from Kurt yesterday from the Dominican Republic. He sent us a night photo of the Temple. He is busy working hard, and getting a little frustrated because he feels like he is not learning the language fast enough.

Brent is into "stripping" these days!

Neil & Brent are having lots of fun tearing apart our basement bathroom. (Cade even helped ripping out sheetrock.) It is a messy job, but somebodies got to do it!! It should look good when it all gets put back together!

Oops, I forgot that I had one more Birthday photo!

2008-07-21T20:11:00.001-07:00

I am so dumb...I forgot I had this photo to add to my last post! I thought this was so cute of Mikell with her messy little hands with cupcakes and chocolate frosting on them. She was so fun to watch as she tried to eat her birthday cupcakes. Happy Birthday Mikell! We love you!!

Happy Birthday to 1 yr. old Mikell!!

2008-07-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

I can't believe little Mikell will be one year old tomorrow! I wish, wish, wish we could be there in person to give her a big birthday hug and big birthday kiss! We had a little pre-birthday party up in Park City a few weeks ago and so you can see that we all enjoyed the yummy cupcakes that Melinda made to help us celebrate. I love these photos of Mikell enjoying these birthday cupcakes! We will be sure to get onto Chad & Melinda's blog after tomorrow because I am sure they will have some fun photos of the big day!

New photos from the DR

2008-07-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

Here is Kurt's new home in the DR...at least for 5 more weeks.

Kurt made it to the Dominican Republic. He emailed us photos and this is his new companion at the MTC in the DR. He didn't tell us his name...we just know that he is from Delta, UT. Hopefully we will get a name eventually. The MTC is next to the temple and so here they are posing in front of the Temple.

Photos from Kurt

2008-07-14T09:42:00.000-07:00

Here are the photos sent to us from Kurt, I just tried to scan them in and they look a little crooked but I guess that is okay. He liked this first photo because it shows what is life has been all about the last few weeks at the MTC.

This is a photo of his room. He was happy because he had his own desk and didn't have to share it. Also, on the back he wrote that this is him "walking with purpose"...he says at the MTC they always tell them to walk with purpose.

This is Kurt's companion at the Provo MTC. He is Elder Sevey from Riverside, CA. They go along really well. Now that Kurt is at the DR (Dominican Republic) MTC he has a new companion from Delta, Utah. He says he will send more photos later. We will try to keep it updated.

Talked to Elder Kurt Wayne today!

2008-07-10T17:00:00.000-07:00

Kurt called at 7 a.m. this morning from the Salt Lake airport. They changed his original flight plans so he told us he was calling in the late afternoon, but with the changes he didn't know if he would have time, and this way he figured he could catch his dad at home. We visited about an hour. Cade, Casey & Nichole talked to him also. He told us he would try to call from Houston around noon...and he did, but only for about 15 minutes. It was good though because Neil was able to talk to him. He sounds great! He is ready to get to the Dominican Republic & learn some more. He met some lds teens at the Houston airport who had done service in the DR and told him how absolutely beautiful it is and that they would be able to see the ocean from the MTC there. He was traveling with about 27 other elders going to the DR MTC (18 of them going to his exact mission). He bought some pass along cards at the MTC bookstore before he left so he could pass them out to people on his trip there. The missionaries at their last American hamburgers at the Fudruckers at the Houston airport. Guess we won't get to hear his cute voice again until Christmas! Hopefully, he will email us before too long when he gets there.

Elder Gardner Enters The MTC!

2008-07-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Kurt entered the MTC in Provo on June 18th. He was set apart by President Richards the night before, then we (Cade, Neil, Casey & Nichole, Kurt, Brent & I) got up early Wed. morning and took off to Provo. We met Chad & Melinda & Mikell at Olive Garden for lunch. We then drove to the MTC where Derek Owen & Chris Cunningham where jumping up & down and waving at the entrance as we drove in! It was really hard saying good-bye, but Kurt was ready to go and anxious to start his 2 year mission to the Dominican Republic Santo Domingo East Mission. We were teary-eyed as we drove away but knew he was where he was supposed to be. Now the mailman is our best friend!!!

Beautiful Wedding Day!

2008-07-09T14:31:00.000-07:00

We had to do a lot of planning between December and April before we left on our trip. Nichole had to do a lot on her own to help, but when we got back from Israel we had to really concentrate on all of the last minute details. We worked hard and we were a little stressed out, but somehow that day came along and everything ended up wonderful! The best part was having so much family and loved ones there with us to share in the day! Casey fits right into the family, just like our three amazing daughter-in-laws!! We feel very blessed and hope that all of these in-laws can put up with these 2 crazy parents (mother-in-law & father-in-law).

Here is a photo of Israel

2008-07-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

We are sitting in front of the Garden Tomb where it is believed that Jesus Christ was placed and then resurrected. The round stone rolls along the trough right behind where we are sitting. (The stone is gone.) Harold B. Lee said that when he visited this tomb he believed it is the actual place Christ's body was placed. It is in a beautiful garden setting and Golgotha is just outside of the garden area. It was an amazing experience to be there! We had limited time in Jerusalem and so we had to do a quick tour our tour guides (Iona & Jimmy). Thank goodness they took us or we would have missed a lot!

It has been a busy 7 months!

2008-07-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

Brent & I were able to take the trip of a lifetime in April to Egypt and Israel. This is Brent in front of the Sphinx and a pyramid in the background. They are just outside the city of Cairo. The pyramid and Sphinx are huge and the photo is deceptive because he is standing quite far away so we could get both in the photo. Notice the tiny men in the corner of the photo. The trip was actually 18 days however we only stayed for about 10 days of it. We missed several days in Israel and the days they spent in Jordan. When we got home we have to prepare for Nichole & Casey's wedding and then Kurt for his mission.

The Wedding Day

2008-07-08T18:49:00.000-07:00

Nichole & Casey's wedding was on May 31st and it was a wonderful day! We're excited to have Casey in our family.

Kurt Has His Call

2008-03-07T09:53:00.000-08:00

Kurt received his mission call on March 6th. We opened the call with family who live here, with some of Kurt's friends, and Bishop Brown and his wife. It was exciting to find out that he will spend the next two years in the Dominican Republic Santa Domingo East Mission. He goes to the MTC in Provo on June 18th where he will spend 3 weeks and then go to the MTC in Santa Domingo for approx. 6 weeks. We understand there is a temple there also. So, that will be a neat experience for Kurt. We will keep you updated on the info.

2008-03-07T09:11:00.000-08:00