Best Performance Ever!

 On June 17th, ten of our family members (Alan & I, Ryan, Jared, Cheryl, Eric & Nicole, Ethan, Ella, and Livi) were able to attend the matinee performance of Les Miserables at the Hale Center Theater in Sandy, Utah. Ten members of the Aird family were also able to attend (Ken & Jane, Michelle & Robby, Amberly & Nick, Heather & Randy, and Ben & Eboni). 

Here's a selfie Ryan took before the show began that shows some of us who attended.

We have seen the play before and we've seen the movie twice, but hands down, this was the best performance of Les Miserables or any other Broadway-type play we've ever seen. It was fantastic! All three members of the LDS singing group called Gentri had major parts in the play. 

Our immediate family who attended:

So glad we were able to see it with so many people that we love! What an awesome experience! Sure wish Kyle, Emily and Parker could have joined in on the fun!

One Of My Biggest Regrets

June 13th was Father's Day. As I was thinking about my father that day, I remembered a time when I was visiting my aging father in Spanish Fork, Utah. He was living alone in his little house after my mother had passed away. I remember him telling me that his outside windows were dirty and he wanted someone to wash them. 

He didn't actually ask me to wash them, so I kind of brushed it off.

A few hours later, he again mentioned how dirty his windows were and how he would like them cleaned. I pretended not to hear him and I rationalized in my mind different ways to get out of the task.

*I hate washing windows!

*I don't have the time!

*he could get someone else to wash them!

I never did wash his windows. My selfishness shames me today. If I could rewind the clock back to that day, I would certainly wash every one of his windows until they were sparkling clean, and I would do it with a smile! 

Not washing my dad's windows that day is one of my biggest regrets in life! I'm so sorry Dad!!!

Such Good News!

 I was sitting in my recliner on Sunday afternoon (June 13th) and Jared was sitting a few feet away.  Alan was taking a nap and Cheryl and Kessler were getting ready to go visit her in-laws - Bruce & Karla Stronk. Right before she left, Cheryl approached me and handed me this picture and said that Kessler had drawn me a picture. She noted that the picture didn't look great because we need new markers because they don't work well. She had to leave, so she couldn't wait until Alan woke up to give this to both of us together.

I noticed that there was a picture on the other side so I turned it over and had to choke back the tears of joy.

I am so excited that Cheryl and Parker are expecting another little one! January can't come quickly enough for this Grandmother!

When Alan woke up from his nap, I handed him the picture (back-side up) like Cheryl had given to me and told him that Kessler had drawn us a picture. Eventually Alan turned it over but didn't understand what the message was. I had to explain that Kessler was going to be a big brother in January. Alan excitedly said "No!!!" He was just as elated with the news as I was. We have been praying that Cheryl and Parker would be able to have more children. Prayers are answered and miracles do happen! We couldn't be happier!!! 

UPDATE: After Cheryl got back to California, she had a doctors appointment for an ultrasound. Everything with the pregnancy looks good in spite of  a scare she had early in the pregnancy where she had a uterine bleed and was on bed rest for three days. The heartbeat seems to be fine and all seems to be going well. We don't want/need another miscarriage!

Visiting Family

 Jared flew up here on June 9th and Cheryl & Kessler flew up here on June 11th for a visit and to see our home for the first time. I think Jared was mostly trying to get out of the heat of the hot Arizona summer desert. We were able to do some pretty fun things while they were there.

On Friday the 12th, it was Ryan's birthday so we held a BBQ in his honor. He wanted a Japanese/Ninja theme, so the only thing I barbequed was some marinated tenderloin strips. The rest was Oriental food - chicken w/rice, noodles w/vegetables, and orange chicken. It was tasty, but we prepared way too much food. 

Those in attendance were: Alan, me, Ryan, Jared, Cheryl, Kessler, Eric, Nicole, Ethan, Ella, Livi, Bruce & Karla Stronk, Vicki Lee, Heather Bradbury and three of her children, and Hillary Hopkins. We had way more people than we originally planned but it all turned out great and we had a good time.

Instead of birthday cake, Ryan opted to have donuts. Cheryl found some Japanese flags to help decorate them and go along with our party theme.

One thing that brought Kessler a lot of joy was "swimming" in the spa. We did it early in the morning before it got too hot and we turned the temperature down as far as we could (99 degrees). Kessler knows no fear so you have to watch him constantly. 

After two swim sessions, we decided to purchase a vest to help Kessler float. He didn't mind putting it on and it worked like a champ.

Kessler was all smiles the whole time.

Ryan, Jared, Cheryl, and Kessler were able to go on a hike up one of the canyons. They had a great time.

Another fun activity we had was going to Loveland Living Planet Aquarium. It is only four miles from our house.

I didn't take any pictures of the actual building, but found some online.

The inside is beautiful and the displays are great. Ethan was the only one of our grandchildren (besides Kessler) who could go with us.

Shaping Up

 Things are definitely shaping up in our home. It is all starting to feel more like a home instead of a house and we love it here in Riverton.

Here is a list of some of our recently added new additions to the family:

A Fire Pit!

This is something we are going to enjoy during cool evenings. Right now, we are in a hot wave so we might not be using it for a while.

We finally finished our sitting room - just to the left of our entryway.  We ordered the two chairs, added the curio cabinet and end table and put up pictures. It is now my favorite room in the house.

Up until last week, I didn't have a place to showcase my Lladro Collection. I found this curio cabinet on Facebook Marketplace for a good deal from a woman who lives only about one mile from us here in Riverton. It is perfect! I'm so in love with it!

As far as the back yard goes, I planted some tomatoes, strawberries, zucchini, watermelon, and cantaloupe. I don't have a green thumb, so we will see how this works out. So far, the tomatoes seem to be doing the best. We have a landscape professional coming next week who will make recommendations for some major changes in the yard. Stay tuned for those improvements.

In Lancaster, we had a huge 500 gallon water tank. We got one that's a little bit smaller for this home. This one only holds 260 gallons, but that's still a lot of water.

Last but not least, we carpeted the whole basement...well, except for underneath the stairwell. They forgot to measure under there, thus underestimating the amount of carpet that would be needed to complete the job.

We are still waiting for the blinds that were ordered for the basement to arrive and be installed. Once those are installed, the basement will pretty much be completed. Yay!!! What a good feeling!

One thing that has kept Alan very busy is hanging pictures in the whole house. This place is starting to feel like a home more and more all the time. We have so many pictures to hang!!! Almost done now, thank goodness.

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UPDATE (6/22/21) : We found out last night that the fountain in our back yard actually works. We didn't know that there was a plug, a hose, and a pump inside the fountain. We set it up, filled it with water, and it works great. The two bottom levels even light up.  So cool!

Also, yesterday we got a steal of a deal on this kids table and chairs set. We bought them second hand from someone living in Sandy who is moving. She said she paid just under $400 for them and we got them for $30. What a deal!!! They have a few minor cosmetic issues, but they are very sturdy and should last a long time. Now I just need more grandchildren to come and visit us!!!