Having a "SWEET" time (many Pics)

The Goodson's are in town so we went to the Block Party downtown Monday night to see what was going on.  The boys loved the bounc-y house and the dunk tank.

 Jackson got up really close since he's young.  This was the second guy from the Sweets team to volunteer for the Dunk Tank.  If we had stayed a while longer we would have seen the General Manager get dunked.

Paul and I with Janessa's boys listening to the Live Music at the Block Party.  Sometimes grandpa doesn't wait for me to look a the camera.  And I am usually talking or being distracted anyway with my grandkids.

 After we got home and Grandpa mowed the yard they played with the fat bat and played catch.  It's hard with only one bat and two boys...

Tuesday- JULY 24th

NaDell Drove over from Tri-cities with her 4 children to see her Sister and sons.  No visit is complete without some Pioneer Park time.  

Jacob smiles big on the baby swings.  I can get a good picture as long as MOMMY is nearby. Abigail loves to Swing!  She would have stayed there the whole time if we only had the energy to keep pushing her up high!
  

My two Girls posing for me as they sit in the shade at Pioneer Park.  NaDell had to twirl the tire swing around with Janessa and her Boys on it.  It was fun, Janessa thought, but it sure made her Dizzy! There are even more Pictures of NaDell's kids and Janessa boys on NaDell's Blog HERE.

Vincent and Jackson up on the ROCK!  Grandpa helped them to get up there.  Scaring this Grandma, but I still had to get a Kodak Moment of it.  The grandkids like to go around and see all of the birds in the Aviary.  The Peacocks are a fun stop along the way.  They screamed at the male one to get him to fluff his tail. I don't know who told them that would work?? 

 Back at Grandpa and Grandma's it is time for Blue Jello Jigglers and Grandpa's "homemade" Sprinkler. Four nozzles for the oldest of the 6 here. Jackson and Vincent came close to tell me they were "all soaking wet!!"

Almost Game time --

 Janessa and her boys all decked out in "SWEETS" shirts. 

(I bought the shirt for myself, but it didn't fit me.  Happy Early Birthday for Janessa)

Jacob was afraid of Sweet Lou,but Jackson gave him hugs and poked him in the eye.  Funny to him, not so much for the Sweets Mascot... 

Milton, Christen and their family joined us at the Borleske Stadium for the ALL-STAR Game.  

 Grandma bought some of the BLUE Cotton Candy for the "kids".  I think two bags would have been enough, thinking back.  We were in the "Family Zone".  Sorry to the Guy who sat in front of us...

I brought the 'Bells' I got at an earlier Sweets game to let the kids play with.  A slight distraction and racket for us at the Game.  I told them to ring them when a Bellingham Bells player was up to bat. They even took them down and got them signed by Sweet Lou for me.

 Sweet Lou poses with a few of the little ones.  All Thumbs UP for SWEET LOU! Another lady had them pose for her too. I think her daughter works on the SWEETS crew. The East and West of the WCL played a close game- no score until the 4th inning.  The west WON 3-2.  I think we were rooting for the EAST...

Uncle Milton and Jacob= PRICELESS! 

 The oldest Child and Youngest Grandchild of mine!  Nothing like sharing some Family Time at the Baseball Game and there was FIREWORKS too!!!

The DVR at home was taping the Pioneer Commemoration Concert for me to watch later.  I got the link in an e-mail from DEONN to go and see it on the Computer if you don't have BYU-TV.  Click HERE to listen and watch the Mormon Tabernacle Choir with Special Guest Katherine Jenkins.

Blessed Honored Pioneer...

  
 I love to talk about the Pioneers in my ancestry.  I am a proud Daughter of Utah pioneers for sure!  I got the call on Tuesday that I would be speaking. I text-ed a few family and friends  "Guess who is speaking in Church about Pioneers?" I got several responses.  Paul replied, "It wasn't my idea", Janessa said, "Lucky you",  Milton said, "You?"  and my friend, Wendy said, "It's because you have the outfit".   So in spite of my declaring last week that I would NOT be wearing the Pioneer Dress this year and complaining once again that we weren't celebrating Pioneer Day that way I want to. This morning I woke early enough to listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast "Music and the Spoken Word".  They sang my favorite Pioneer hymn that I used as the title of this post.  SO... I wore the "outfit" and spoke to the Walla Walla 3rd Ward for about 20 minutes about Pioneers.  Through the week I read through some articles in the Church News, stories in my Daughter of Utah Pioneers books and found some that I wanted to share.  Janet O aka: the Rogue Quilter e-mailed me her talk that she gave last week in Utah.  I had some of the same thoughts so I read a bit from it as well.  I started out telling about the "Jubilee Celebration" from 1897 in Utah.  It began with the setting off of the "Old Sow" Cannon that was pulled across the plains with Brigham Young's Company. There were 5 parades that week. The July 22nd Parade was for the Primary Children to dress in their bonnets and bandanas.  The Book tells of 10,000 children who met at the Brigham Young Monument to participate.  The last Parade was on the 24th of July and encompassed 20 blocks south and east of Temple Square. President Wilford Woodruff rode in an open carriage and Heber C Kimball's wagon was followed by a long line of his descendants.   The original Pioneers, about 318, who crossed the plains walked or rode in wagons in their second Parade of the week.  Our family has only been in Utah once to see the Days of 47 Parade on the 24th of July.  I went on to tell about a Christmas in the Valley.  A girl named Mary Pratt Parrish was asked at school what was her favorite Christmas song.  When she replied "Come, Come Ye Saints" her classmates laughed and her teacher told her that wasn't a Christmas song.  When she went home after school and told her mother with tear-filled eyes that her class had laughed at her, her mother explained how it came to be their families Tradition to sing each Christmas.  The story goes on to tell that the family still sings the song at Christmastime to remember their heritage.  The whole story is found in the Daughter's of Utah Pioneer book  Museum Memories, Volume 3 (pg 226-229).
I also related stories from my Mother's Paternal grandparents lives, also found in the Volume 3 book. (pgs 394-397).  There are so many that I could share, the hard part is remembering which ones I've already told in previous talks in Church.  We have several new families in our Ward this year, so they haven't heard all of my stories yet.  There were a few ladies who asked about joining us for Daughters of Utah Pioneer meetings this coming September.
The following link takes you to see a picture of Paul and I with Joe and Milton in 1980's Pioneer Day.

When I got home from Hermiston on Saturday this sweet boy and his mom were here.  I found some new  toys for Grandma's toy box at a yard sale in Umatilla. Jacob liked the Spiderman motorcycle and he found my shelf with the Microwave Kettle corn and wanted some. 

 

Grandma is happy to share that with him.  It's good to have Janessa and her boys home for a visit this week.  We have a couple of days to visit and go to the All-Star game at Borleske Stadium planned.