It's hard to believe

we have a 36 year old daughter. 

It seems like yesterday that we were that age. 

Tiffany put together this cute folding scrapbook of pictures 

of her and Misty together from 1977 to 1983.

 

In honor of Misty's birthday, I took pictures of all the pictures.  (You may notice that Natalie is not in them, but don't feel like she was neglected, she just wasn't born yet)

 We love you, Misty!!!

PS -- here's a full view of what Tiffany is wearing when she's holding the photo album.  I picked it up at the swap.  It is an authentic "Swirl" brand that's got to be from the late sixties, early 70's.  It looks like one of my old outfits. 



I'm trying to capture a few

of our activities, but we are so busy doing our activities, that I don't have time to take pictures or blog about them.    Here are a few, though:

 Resurrecting the "slip and slide"

 (Giant slug found under the "slip and slide")

 S'mores in the fire pit.

 School Shopping

 Eating

 Baking giant donut cake.

 Waiting to devour it.

I heard some very interesting things today

on my lunch date with Lucienne.


 

 "Me does not like that girl"

"Me does like this girl."  (Smurf)

 "But me does not like that girl."

The truth of her feelings became even more apparent to me

when she didn't even play on the toys because "she" was sitting there. 

I also learned something else when we went to JoAnnes Craft store.  Lucienne told me, not very quietly or confidentially, that they have this, and this, and this, and this, and basically everything in the store at home.   This is quite startling news to me.  I always thought Tiffany was quite frugal.  After listening to Luci, I'm a little concerned that she may have become a compulsive shopper.  

We have been doing

lots of fun things, like going to Trafalga and Seven Peaks. 

But one of my favorite activities is this one:

 

Making paper dolls, with my cricut machine, for these excited little girls.
  

Sometimes they dictate to me exactly what they want. 

Other times they want me to surprise them

and we play a guessing game about what it might be.

I wish I could "bottle" that kind of excitement.

 

I can (and have) spent hours sitting back in my little cubby hole, enjoying every minute of it. Not only because it makes them so excited and happy, but also because I agree with the saying that goes something like "Grandma's are little girls at heart."   Who wouldn't like creating and dressing paper dolls?   Especially when you have such enthusiastic playmates.

Last Tuesday

I was just getting ready to post this "waiting" pictures,

when the Idiart family came running in from their long ride from Oregon.

Here are just a few pictures taken since then.

 

Anniversary Memories

One of our activities at the Hall reunion was an "Oldie Wed Game."  Gary and I didn't do too well, actually.  One question was,

"What did you do on your first date?"   

My first thought was of Halloween, 1967, when we were "trick-or-treating" with a group of friends.  He tore off a piece of his brown paper bag, rolled it into a ring, and asked me to "go with him."   We were way too young for that, by the way (just 13).  

His answer was, "Going to the movie 'Where Were you When the Lights Went Out."  That was technically true, in that it was the first time he actually asked me to go somewhere with him officially. 

Another answer I was going to give, but didn't, was "At the hospital."   I guess that wouldn't qualify as a date, since we were just a few days old, but it would have been the first time we were together here on this earth.  We know we were in the nursery together, because he is only three days older than me and back then our mother's stayed in the hospital for 10 days.  We also speculate that we may have been right next to each other, being as both of our last names started with an "A."   (Just as a side note -- Mom always joked that Gary must have been the baby that was screaming all the time.)  

We meet up again at Wasatch Elementary in the fifth grade.  (Second row down, far right)
 

My mind is on many of those memories, as today is our 37th wedding anniversary.  We figured this morning (after he had very sweetly made me oatmeal with blueberries) that at this time 37 years ago, we were on our way to the Salt Lake Temple for our ceremony.  I have only the happiest of memories of that day.  It could not have been more perfect.  I guess the only negative thing I can remember is that it was the day President Richard Nixon announced he was resigning as president.  We were having a hard time getting the family to come get their pictures taken because they were outside listening to his speech on the car radios.

I don't have a lot of early pictures of us together, but here are a few I've found from our Jr. High yearbooks.

(Right by each other again)

Romeo and Juliet

Hall Sisters

This last week we've been up to West Yellowstone for a Hall Family Cousin's Reunion.   Mom was one of 6 girls born to Edward Owen and Pearl Averett Hall.  One daughter, Fern, only lived for a couple of months.  The 5 sisters were always very close, and we grew up sharing many good times with our cousins.  All of the sisters and their husbands have passed away,  but only one of first cousins, Wally, has died. 

It is pretty amazing that nearly 122 years since my grandmother's birth and 50 years since her death, that 16 of  her 24 grandchildren were able to come to the reunion this year.  We range from age 76 to 50 years old.   It makes me hope that the sisters and our grandparents were able to catch a glimpse of us together, and that they feel happy we are still gathering.

Here are the 5 Hall sisters.  My mom is Charlet, the one in the middle.

   Ruth, Beth, Charlet, Ione, Merlyn