Happy Birthday Jade - it's a week celebration!

Saturday was the big day for our grand-daughter.  It was her very first birthday party with all the trimmings.  Jenny and Tyler invited family and friends to Freestone Park, where we enjoyed seeing old friends, eating great food, watching a rousing game of soccer, and laughing as Jade her first un-supervised cupcake - WITH frosting.  Her celebration continued the next day at Grammy and Grampy's with a "few" more presents.  Yes, she is spoiled with love and loved the most!

 

Sunday evening, over at Grammy and Grampy's with all her cousins



Happy Birthday our Sweet Jade!!

 Our grand-daughter turns one today!  She is such a smart little munchkin!  No, I'm not biased AT ALL, and I know there are a few more who would gladly say she is the brightest little angel in our lives.  Jade understands everything you say, from "Do you want some milk?" to "J-A-D-E....what ARE you doing?" to "Where's the doggie?" and "Come give your Grammy a kiss!"   
Right now, Tyler and Jenny are trying to finish up their cute little home, so during nap time, Jenny brings Jade over and Jade takes her naps in "her" room.  Not quite sure how that is going to go over with our daughter in Mexico.  But I can say:  "Jade, you ready for a nap?"  and she will prance right into her "nap" room and wait for me to cuddle with her, give her big kisses, turn on the wonderful wave noises, and lay her down with her comfy blanket.  She doesn't even peep!  Right off to sleepy wonderland she goes!  A birthday post would not be complete without pictures......I think I might have a "few" of those on my computer of this precious grand-daughter of ours!!  Can't wait to celebrate her birthday this weekend...we will share pictures...I promise!!

She is not wanting for love.  I think our hearts have expanded further than we thought possible.  She is the sunshine is our lives and we are so happy this little sweetheart is a part of our lives. 

Happy Birthday Jade!!

I DO believe in Miracles!!

I've thought alot about miracles lately.  Just what exactly IS a miracle??  Some read about the miracles in the scriptures and readily believe that they did occur.  The miracle of the birth, life and atonement of our Savior comes immediately to mind.  We know about the miracle of forgiveness.  But what about today?  I've gazed over some past conference talks and many talk of miracles.  Many General Authorities talk about a variety of miracles, ranging from the conversion process, the communication efforts of the Church throughout the world and the miracle of the Restoration of the Gospel.  Elder Dallin H. Oaks just talked about "Healing the Sick"  and stated than many still believe in miracles of healing and some have even witnessed them.

I wonder if I would have believed in the miracles performed by our loving Savior when He was on the earth.  I'm sure there were doubters, some wondered if the sick that were healed were really sick in the first place.  If, after awhile, the wonder of it all just faded away.  I want to believe that I would have been filled with awe, wonder, and over-whelming love as I witnessed these miracles.  And that those feelings would deepen my conversion and desire to follow my Savior.

I know there are many who still wait for the "miracle" in their life to happen.  I watch many whom I love dearly suffer thru great trials and have their faith stretched and strengthened.  I have watched as family members have fought their own battles with honor and submissiveness to our Father's will -- holding on to their faith with both hands and crying mightily for extra strength.  I have watched faith grow and trust in our Heavenly Father deepen because of personal trials.  From the Bible Dictionary we read that “miracles do not produce faith,  but strong faith is developed by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ; in other words, faith comes by righteousness".  These certain individuals are great examples to me.  Their examples keep me from complaining about my struggles too loudly.

I have seen miracles all around me.  I have seen the miracle of healing.  I have seen the miracle of prayers answered.   I have been the recipient of prayers and fasting and have personally felt my "burdens" lightened.  When a miracle occurs, sometimes, it's hard to notice.  It's hard to understand and comprehend that something so wonderful could happen to an ordinary person.  We might even doubt if it could possibly be true.  I will not.  Through personal experience, I will always say:

I Believe in Miracles!!

Jade and Magic

Magic has been a part of our family for over 11 years.  As soon as Jade was old enough to know what a "doggie" and "woof-woof" meant, we introduced the two of them.  When Jade comes over, and we say:  "Where's the dog?"  and Jade prances over to the back door and starts looking out the blinds.  I've been taking her outside to see the dog and it didn't take her very long to watch Magic very intently.  Eventually, she got brave enough to touch his nose, and then pet him for a small amount of time.  Then she got even braver and we captured it on movie. 

Jacque - Book of Mormon Retreat

December 3rd and 4th
Jacque joined about 75 other young adults and traveled up to Payson, where they stayed at the Barney Ranch (she said it was absolutely beautiful!)....for a very special retreat.  These young adult took the "President Barker Challenge" to read the Book of Mormon in 100 days.  They were treated to a much needed weekend of spiritual nourishment and pampering.  Jacque had just finished the week before her last final and was looking forward to a wonderful weekend (her last final was the Friday morning before they left).  Friday was filled with a special fireside given by Elder LeSueur of the quorum of the seventy, a game of live clue, and chatting until 3 in the morning.  The fireside she said was incredible as well.  She also said she was a large contributor to clearing out the oreo stash.

On Saturday, they had a testimony meeting after a wonderful breakfast prepared by the bishop's wife, played games and enjoyed the wonderful weather.  One of the activities was "Sumo Wrestling".  As soon as the kids walked outside, guess who ran to the suit first and quickly put it on to compete?  Yup, a girl put it on first!

....and as you can see the gear was a little large for our petite Jacque!  But that didn't stop her from a challenge from one of her very good friends, Blake....

However, as you can see, her hands didn't even come out of the suit and the helmet was just too much to put on.

So, off came the helmet while competing with Blake.....wrong choice.

After the first bang against each other, Jacque was knocked down and hit her head.  She noticed that it hurt, but since the game was "2 out of 3" and she has never been one to back down, she was pulled back up by the bystanders to challenge Blake again.  That is all she remembers....

From others telling the rest of the story, she and Blake hit again and she went flying, took a bounce, and landed again knocking her head on the ground instead of the mat.  She was out for about a minute.  She awoke to many people around her, confused and wondering why she had been napping outside.  After assessing the situation, it was determined that Jacque probably had a concussion.  She was taken to the Payson hospital, we were called, and Brad immediately headed up to bring our daughter home.  There were so many who called and expressed concern and worry for this adventurous daughter of ours.  Jacque woke up the next morning to a wonderful headache and spent most of the day "relaxing".  Even 2 weeks later, she still suffered from bouts of dizziness, headaches, and aches of other sorts. 

We feel very blessed that Jacque didn't suffer anything more serious.  Another tender mercy from our Heavenly Father and answers to prayers for her safety!

Happy Birthday Jenny

It's a good thing Jenny loves me.  It's the end of the year and she is the last birthday and I am LATE! 
That doesn't change how much we love this beautiful young mom and daughter-in-law and wife and everything else.  I think my that one of my favorite things about Jenny is her love for her sweet family and her desire to teach Jade all the good things in life.  Jenny is a hard worker and I've seen her sacrifice some much needed time with her sweetheart so that they can have their own little home.  Another admirable quality I see in Jenny is her ability to laugh and bring happiness to someone's day.  Some days get a little cloudy but Jenny knows how to cheer me up and comes over often with our beautiful grand-daughter to give us love and much needed hugs.

Another favorite thing I love about Jenny is her ability to see what needs to be done and jumps right in and starting doing whatever is needed. Whether it's up on Mt. Graham, or at Grammy/Grampy's home or our home, she is pitching in, helping where ever she is needed.  Jenny's laugh is contagious and she has a knack of making the best of any situation. 

Jenny's birthday was the day after Thanksgiving and we THOUGHT we would have a blast doing the shopping the wee-morning-hours thing.  But poor Jenny wasn't feeling good, so she decided against it and instead brought Jade over so she could help Tyler on their house.  We sure had fun with Jade!  Jacque and I took her over to the Riparian and fed the ducks tortillas (old stale ones!) and watched all the birds.

Then we practiced our cleaning skills.  Jade LOVES the water...not much of a scrubber yet...but we are working on it!

We celebrated Jenny's birthday with a yummy dinner by Grammy and Grampy.  Tyler wasn't feeling too well, so he was home, but Jenny and Jade had a wonderful time opening her presents!

We sure enjoy and love that Jenny is part of the Weech family.  We couldn't imagine a better fit for Tyler.  And we sure can't imagine our family without Jenny!

Happy Birthday - again! and  We LOVE YOU JENNY!!!

And December Begins

Thanksgiving barely gets over and we start preparing for December.  The first tradition?  Putting up Christmas lights.

With Aly gone, it wasn't quite the same, but Jacque enlisted the help of Kade and Brittany and Jade was all about helping.  I love our house at Christmastime.  We drive around the corner and with the white lights....it's just about perfect.  Many thanks to those who helped out this year!!

So Much to be Thankful for....

This Thanksgiving, I realized that I have many things to be grateful for.  My sweetest and dearest blessings are close to me and each day I kneel  and give thanks to my Heavenly Father.  President Monson's admonition helps to make each day a little brighter and each trial a little easier.  He said:

"Do we remember to give thanks for the blessings we receive? Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, but it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love."

Here are some of the things I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving:

A "good-morning" call from a son and daughter-in-law, wishing us a wonderful day.  Aaron and Savannah braved the weather and arrived safely (another blessing) in Henriville, where they are enjoying time with Savannah's family.  They are good examples of people who look for ways to serve and their example is a blessing in my life!

Even though I felt bad that Tyler, Jenny, and Jade couldn't spend time with Jenny's family this Thanksgiving, I am so thankful they are so close and share their lives with us.  We get to see our beautiful grand-daughter very often, and as they work on their new little home, Jade blesses our home with many fun visits.  Thanksgiving was at our house this year, but it was a small, intimate gathering.  Tyler, Jenny, and Jade came over early to help.  Well....Jenny helped us in the kitchen.  Tyler helped Brad watch a movie and Jade helped by....well....she just makes us happy!!

I'm thankful for a daughter who helped in every aspect of our Thanksgiving dinner.  We watched Food Network to get amazing ideas for our Thanksgiving menu, shopped the night before for all the best ingredients, and made a very detailed list of just when this "culinary masterpieces the likes of which we have only glimpsed tonight!" would happen.  Woke up early and enjoyed cooking together.  That was a great memory I'll treasure for a very long time!

Our Menu:
Turkey - my first attempt at cooking one all by myself  (yes, I know)
Noodle Gravy - a much requested item served up by Grampy

"Grampy's rolls" - yes, the whole pan was GONE - and there were only 8 of us!!

Mashed Potatoes - whipped to perfection by Jenny

Cornbread Dressing with Pancetta, Apples and Mushrooms - Jacque's creation
Frisee Salad with Maple-Bacon Vinaigrette - Jacque's culinary masterpiece

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranates and Vanilla-Pecan Butter - my attempt at a new recipe
Ginger-glazed carrots - my contribution
Cranberry Sauce - compliments of Pam's yummy recipe
New York Cheesecake - Jenny's
Pumpkin Pie - Jacque's first attempt at the famous "Grammy Payne's Recipe"

It was a wonderful feast, but the best part was doing it with my beautiful daughter, Jacque.  I had so much fun cooking all morning with her.  I love the way she cooks - so different from me, but everything tastes so delicious!  We also had fun watching Grampy teach Tyler how to carve a turkey....passing the tradition down!

I'm also grateful for our youngest daughter.  Aly was not forgotten and we all missed her smile and humor.  She has faced some "interesting" challenges and with courage and faith met them all.  I am thankful for her example of commitment and perseverance thru trials.

We have been admonished to NOT wait to express our gratitude.  So today, I want my family to know how much I love them and how much I appreciated each of them in my life.  Our family, my family, Brad's family, and all our friends help to make my life wonderful.  I am blessed indeed.  

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving!! 

Brad's Birthday

This post is a little late because life happened, and I wanted to have all the pictures.  (That's the story I'm sticking by!!)

Brad celebrated another birthday last week.  Since his "special" day fell on Saturday - which was the Gilbert Temple Ground-Breaking Ceremony, World-Wide Leadership Training AND Regional Conference, Saturday seemed too busy to get the family together.
We celebrated Friday evening at our house.  Jade and Jenny came over early which always brightens my day.  I introduced her to my piano and quite frankly...she is going to be a natural!!  We also took a walk outside waiting for family to come home.

Most times we go out as a family, but Brad is always saying he doesn't care and just wants his family to be happy.  But sometimes, he will say: "I sure like steak and shrimp!"
So, the cooks in the family got together and whipped up a wonderful dinner of steak, shrimp, and all the trimmings.  It was a hit and Brad enjoyed the evening mostly because he was surrounded by those he loves the most. (And Aly, of course!!)

It is very, very hard to shop and buy something that Brad wants.  That's the key word.  Brad doesn't really want anything, but just focuses on what he needs or could use.  That makes the shopping very limited.  Very often, his best gifts are the ones that include a heartfelt note from his children.  He keeps all of those in a special place and holds them very dear to his heart.  This note was from his daughter in Mexico and tugged at his heart.
Sometimes, we can find something that will delight and surprise him and this year we did!!

While in Mexico, Aly gave me the best idea for a birthday present.  I came home and worked on it and with the help of our artistic friends, we gave Brad something very special.  This phrase has been in the Weech family since I can remember.  It epitomizes the love and acceptance that Grandma and Grandpa Weech have shown their whole lives.  Now, it's something Brad and I try to live by in our family.  It's over his office door and personalizes "his space" perfectly!!

Another tradition is celebrating over at Grammy and Grampys house.  Since Brad and Russ both have birthday's so close, theirs is always a joint celebration.  Again, wonderful food is prepared and enjoyed by all.  Brad received a few more gifts he could "use" and it ended with his family around him......perfect!!

I am so blessed to have Brad in my life.  I have learned to serve and love unconditionally by his example.  He is patient with my flaws and supportive in everything I do.  I'm very glad we were able to celebrate another birthday of my very best friend!