Joshua is Coming Home

My nephew Joshua McKell will soon be coming home from his LDS Mission in England. He is the last of all eight of my dad's grandsons to go on a mission.

I have been reading Josh's e-mails for the past two years, and I am pretty confident that he is coming home a true Englishman! At least his writing is very British. Josh has been a good missionary and has worked very hard. I'm sure that he will miss the English people (maybe not the weather, though).

The pictures above show my dad and Josh; also shown is Paul and I and Josh at his home before he left two years ago. At the end of August, Dad, Paul, and I will again go to California to hear Josh tell of his experiences from his mission and get a chance to visit with my brother Allen's family.

Notice how tall Josh is. Dad looks like a shrimp next to him, and Dad is six feet tall! All of Dad's grandsons are tall. The shortest one is six feet tall and the tallest is six feet five inches.

I threw in a few pictures of Josh as a little boy. Isn't he so very cute!

Cute Nephew Mark

I was going through some past photo albums and boxes of odds and ends (trying to find my birth certificate) and came across this adorable picture of my nephew Mark. I would guess he is around 12 years old here.

Mark is now 33 years old (Am I correct?) and lives with his wife Jami in Spanish Fork. He is an optometrist.

Do you know a person who would do anything for anybody (including total strangers)? That is my nephew Mark. He calls my elderly father twice a day to check on him. He also helps him with jobs that need to be done around the house and yard, and he can literally fix almost anything! Mark is a real example of living the Christ-like life.

P.S. Did I find my birth certificate? Of course I didn't. To start taking my retirement income from my teaching years, I need this document. So....I had better get busy and obtain another copy.

P.P.S. Turning 65 years old has its benefits. In three months I will officially be a senior citizen and go on Medicare. I will also buy a supplemental health insurance, but it will cost so much less than the insurance program I have now. I know this is extremely boring to youngsters like you, so I won't mention it again!!!

Happy Birthday, Paul White Moore

My husband is named Paul Frank Moore, and his oldest son is Paul White Moore. Today Paul White Moore turns 50 years old.

We were invited to his birthday party yesterday at his home in Bountiful. We had lots of fun teasing Paul about being "older than dirt" and other insults about getting older!

Happy Birthday, Sullivan Patrick Moore

Our grandson, Sullivan Patrick Moore, turns four years old today. He is a handsome little boy, with the bluest of blue eyes.

Sully (as almost everyone calls him) is looking forward to tasting the special Toy Story cake his mom is baking for him today.

Sully is a busy little guy, but at the same time, he loves cuddles with Mom and Dad. He also likes playing in the water and hanging out in the large tent set up in his backyard. Preschool is also a favorite place for Sully to learn, play, and interact with other children.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy. We hope you have loads of fun on your special day!

Derek's All-Star Team

Our grandson Derek Peterson has had a great summer in baseball. He and his All-Star West Jordan Team won the title for the regional playoffs. Now he and his team go on to battle for the state championship. Congratulations, Derek!

A Trip With the Grandkids to See the Dinosaurs at Thanksgiving Point

Happy Birthday, Catherine (July 11th)

Happy birthday to my step-daughter Catherine. She has been a joy in my life since I met her 12 years ago. Catherine is loving and supportive. She is kind and genuine. She is also very intelligent. Did I say what a great mother she is to Bryce and Nicole?

Catherine is a devoted daughter to her dad. It is obvious how much she loves him. She frequently calls him to keep up on the happenings in his life. She appreciates her dad's perspective and advice.

Catherine has a combination of enthusiasm and optimism; at the same time, she is also pragmatic, even-tempered and diplomatic. These traits have served her well in the business world as well as her family life.

Step Mother has a bad connotation in this world. Catherine puts a positive spin on the term. She has always made me feel accepted as her friend and as a companion to her dad. I feel loved as a step mother because Catherine makes a real effort to show her support and her caring nature.

Sometimes, as you go along in life, you get really lucky. I am lucky to have Catherine as a part of my life. She is the very best! I appreciate her and love her very much.

Cute Sully Celebrating the 4th of July

Isn't he adorable!

Happy Anniversary to Us - 12 Happy Years

It's been 12 wonderful years since Paul and I said, "I do." They have been years filled with joy! We are lucky to have each other and also our six children, who are loving and supportive.

We were married by Bishop John Gardner at Thanksgiving Point in 1998. Our honeymoon took place in Russia as we cruised from St. Petersburg to Moscow.

Summer Time in Salem, Oregon

Our grandsons Keaton and Sully are two little active boys who find lots of fun things to do this summer. They seem to be growing so fast. Just the other day, it seems, I was holding them as babies.

Keaton plays socccer. Both boys ride their bikes and scooters. Blowing bubbles is always fun.

One of the best activities for the summer is sleeping out in the backyard in the family's new tent. Mike is getting the boys accustomed to sleeping in the tent in the backyard before he tries actual camping sites.

Happy 4th of July

This is one of my favorite pictures of Derek. I think he was around one year old at the time. Isn't he just the sweetest!!

I hope you all have a good 4th of July (and safe too!).