Roo's Time to Blossom

 Mariah and her cousins, Maddie and Abbie and "other cousin" Madeline have been preparing to spend a week together in Arizona for the past five months.  They are attending Time to Blossom which is a mini version of Especially for Youth.  Mariah has been packing for a week and since then, I have not had most of my clothes to wear!  I can see them on her right now in this picture.  Yesterday I got to drive them halfway to Arizona for this adventure.

They got to pass by the Gilbert Temple on their way there.

 They met their new counselor.  I'm pretty sure she is going to love these girls!

 Then it looks like they checked out their new beds.  I'm pretty sure they will wake up excited each morning and exhausted each night.

Mom's Hospital Visitors

 I'm finally getting these pictures pulled off of my ipad so that I can finally blog some of the excitement that happened while mom spent her last week in the hospital.  We knew she didn't want to be bored so most of the time we packed the waiting room with relatives.  Most of these pictures happened on Sunday, March 4.  Everyone came for the day.  We had a special fast for mom and went to the church services at the hospital.  The kids thought that part was great.  We didn't have to wear church clothes.  The meeting was only 30 minutes and the people there were thrilled to see us because we quadrupled their numbers.

  Dayton and Brooke brought the game that they built and taught everyone how to play it.  Garry had to leave the table when he decided that the game made him want to swear a few too many times!  Joyce brought food and "mom's homemade brownies" so that we had something to eat.  We found that we didn't have much to each and we all lost a good amount of poundage during this week long ordeal.  We pretty much had the waiting room to ourselves which was good because there really would not have been room for any other people to have visitors!

 

 Sandy and her kids came a little later that day.  They were a bit frazzled because Sandy had been moving into their new house that very weekend.  They were really glad that they did not have to find church clothes as well.

 Emi had the great idea to draw flowers for grandma's room.  People in the ICU can't have real flowers so we thought that was a great idea.  So, we each got a little piece of Emi's precious paper and a broken crayon or two and we drew mom a flower.  We hung them on the wall of her room where she could see them and it turned out so cute.  We later framed the flowers for her funeral and they are now keepsakes at dad's house.  (I think we would have drawn better flowers had we known that prior!!!)

 

 Dad and Brian drawing their flowers.  Dad's said, "I love you momma bear!" I think that is the one and only picture I have ever seen my dad draw!

 This little sign was placed strategically in the waiting room to ensure that those there would be quiet.  Unfortunately, that didn't really help on this day, but we know that mom was happy knowing that we were all there AND making a LOT of happy noise.

 The seven of us had more "together" time in that one week, than we have ever had in our whole lives.  I think that mom wanted that!

Me and Mariah's 70's Night

 

Skyping With Bo!

 

 

Puppies Week Six

 

Mariah's Lagoon Clogging Competition

 

 

 Mariah had her last clogging competition of the year yesterday.  It was Nationals at Lagoon.  This is her fifth year of being there.  She won three firsts and an overall.  Good job Mariah and her Extreme Team!

 

 

Puppies Week 4

  Now K.O. basically gets attacked anytime she is near the puppies.  No wonder Cado has to carry her into the kennel on those times when she just doesn't feel like going!  I think any mom can relate.