June 2013

Aunt Allison comes to visit!  Allison is such a great sport!  She drove up with all her kids to spend the week with me and let the kids enjoy some summer time together.  I'm prego and feeling huge and not up much...  Kids went to swimming lessons at the YLP pool.  Always a great time!

Meanwhile Mitchell went to summer school and had a blast!  Look at this pic his teacher texted me!  So cute!

 We had fun feeding the ducks! My kids love it!

 Aunt Allison & Jacen, Clark & Jansen

 These kids are hilarious!  We have a pool and a hot tub... where do you think those kids spent all their time???  In the $10 Walmart kiddie pool!!!!!

We built a hutch for our new bunny rabbit!

 Awe, look how sweet he looks with Reesa...

 Mitchell absolutely hating the bean bag chair...  I tried really hard, sometimes he tolerates it...

 Janie kissing Mitchell good-bye as he leaves on the bus to summer school.

 Mitchell as sweet as ever falling asleep in his favorite place EVER... his jungle swing.  He likes his swing turned on, and then he holds the bar to keep it from swinging.  Every once in a while we hear him crying in the swing and get a little panicked as we fear he no longer likes his swing only to go in and realize we forgot to turn it on.  Seriously that's the only way we KNEW he liked his swing on, but not moving ha ha...  Notice his feet can touch the ground.  He was WAY too big for this swing, but it was the only one he liked!

 AND then this sweet find... a beautiful hutch that Allison made shelves for, painted, hammered, and everything else it needed...

 Look how beautiful it turned out!!!  The best part it's a great place for me to hide all my craft supplies!  I LOVE IT!

 Then we hiked up to Angel's landing and went swimming in the creek...

 Seriously who ever wants summer to end?

Then we went to the Fork's restaurant afterwards for their amazing burgers!  yum!

 And... we made this amazing watermelon baby we made for a baby shower... too cute!

Grandma Dude

I was so lucky to get to fly out to Oklahoma, (all by my pregnant self, NO KIDS) to attend my Grandma Dude's funeral.  Jake watched all the kids while I met with my mom dad, and sister.  I remember thinking funeral's are so healing.  I felt so blessed I was able to attend and be with some of my family.  (Little did I know less than 3 months later I would be planning the funeral of my own precious son.)  My mom asked me to speak and I really felt honored.  Grandma Dude is my namesake, as I share my middle name Alice with her, and gave my oldest daughter that middle name as well.  She always made me feel like I was her favorite granddaughter.  I don't know if she did that for everyone, because I still believe that I am her favorite!  I wish I would have written this sooner because I can't remember all of the details of her funeral, but the things I do recall... my mom spoke, Chelsey sang Amazing Grace, my dad dug the grave the day before which was very hard work!  I felt a lot of love and such a strong spirit.  

Alice Dude Asbury

August 13, 1930

December 28, 2012

Alice Dude Asbury passed away in her sleep while visiting relatives in Oklahoma. She was born in Luther, Oklahoma to Leonard C. Willard and Alice Weber Willard. Dude married her high school sweetheart, Sam Bowden in 1947; later divorced. From this union came four children. She married Max B. Asbury in 1962. Dude and Max will be remembered for their contributions to the bowling community in the Reno/Sparks area. Max passed away in 2000. Mom's companion, Barney Lott, also preceded her in death.

Dude is survived by her four children, Gary (Terri) Bowden of Eugene, Oregon; Sue Whitney (Bill) of Salt Lake City, Utah; Don (Sharon) Bowden of Reno, Nevada; and Kim (Prentiss) Moreno of Hilo, Hawaii. She leaves behind 14 grandchildren and 25 great grandchildren, a sister, and many nieces, nephews and dear friends. Mom made friends wherever she went and we will miss her deeply.

Uncle Greg and his wife

Look at this beautiful field we had to walk across to get to the private cemetery.  She was buried next to my Grandpa Max, (who also made me believe I was his favorite).

Mom, I need you to help me remember who all your cousins are... :)

We laughed about this picture, my dad teasing me how I always wanted to be with my mom and dad.  Guess I just loved their attention as the middle child!

After we drove around and let my mom tell us some of the places she lived and remembered as a child.   Then we went to the Oklahoma bombing memorial... because we had already been crying all day...

I was so exhausted and my legs were killing me, Chelsey got a wheelchair for me and pushed me around the second half of the dad.  Ha ha what a wimp I am!

We were in Oklahoma the week after this huge tornado that took so many homes and neighborhoods.  Just another example of how precious life is and how quickly every thing can change.  It makes you really appreciate all the things you do have!

Sisters, with Chelsey's hello Kitty phone...