GRACELYNN NOEL CHAZEN

From my journal:
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Last night, Judy, Alexa, Gavin and I accompanied Greg to the hospital to see Gracelynn and to see how Niki was doing. Gracie is beautiful and Niki is doing great. Gracie has dark hair. Lynn, her other grandmother said, “Finally, one that looks like the Chazens.” Eric; Greg’s brother had a big grin in his face.
Alexa and Gavin kept taking turns holding the baby, Gavin with Greg’s help. Gavin had a silly grin on his face and Alexa kept patting the baby’s head, smiling and saying “She’s so cute, she’s so cute.”
Three year old Gavin got all teary-eyed and wanted Mommy to come home with him; she is staying in the hospital until Friday and possible Saturday.
Judy and the kids and I ate dinner in the (Riverton) hospital cafeteria; the Wind River Grill. The kids had chicken nuggets and Judy and I had cheeseburgers and of course, Diet Coke. Alexa had chocolate milk and Gavin drank orange juice.
My brother Brent and his wife Linda called this morning to offer congratulations and to see how everyone is doing.
My cousin Sherilyn and I exchanged the following e-mails.
"Fred C. Jepson" 12/20/2011 8:39 PM ;
fyi
Our daughter Niki gave us our 8th grandchild at 4:01 a.m. this morning. A beautiful daughter Gracelynn Noel Chazen.
from Sherilyn
Congratulations! That's wonderful! Another one who will have her Grandpa wrapped around her little finger! I'm lovin it!

MAMA

Tuesday, December 13, 2011 –My mother was wiser than I thought at that age.
I have always been sentimental, crying over sad songs etc. (Going back to 4 July 1948 again-pivotal date in my life.)
One day I was singing Tommy Edward’s “she is on the Morning side of the Mountain and I am on the twilight side of the hill."
Mother put her arm around me and said, “You know what that song is about don’t you, it’s about an older man in love with a younger woman.”

I miss my mama!

UNDER WEAR? - Good thing I can laugh at myself

Monday, December 12, 2011
When my Jayden; now age twelve was in diapers, I said
in front of my mother and someone else; maybe Brent, “My grandson wears Huggies and mother wears hugies,” to which my mother got angry.
Fortunately I learned years ago not to take myself serious and to laugh at myself.
Lately; the last couple of years, I have been having more and more trouble with leakage and the last year or so I have been acting out my dreams, kicking and trashing. One time I threw myself out of bed and landed on the floor hurting myself slightly. A couple of times I dreamed I was going to the bathroom. One of those times I woke up in time and one time I didn’t.


The night before last I told Judy that I was having problems and that the day before I went to the bathroom to discover via evidence that I had wet my pants semi-severely and didn’t even know it until I saw the evidence, who knows how long after the fact.
Judy went out and bought me a bag of L-XL adult, male diapers. I expected some huge things that showed unless I was wearing a mumu and which made me bowlegged. Thankfully they are very comfortable and I feel much more at ease wearing them.
The only drawback is that I have to drop everything to go number one.

No photos forthcoming.

RAPPING or WRAPPING

Thursday, December 08, 2011

Last night Judy and I were at Niki and Greg’s. Judy helped Niki wrap Christmas gifts while I distracted Alexa and Gavin.
By the way, Niki is huge with child. Gracie or whatever her name is couldn’t come too soon to suit the mother.
Niki had made Lion House recipe chicken noodle soup. Good stuff!
Alexa ended up helping with the wrapping of the things that aren’t from Santa. Mostly taking them from the home office into the living room and putting them under the Christmas tree.
At one point Niki was complaining about being tired. Judy said that she was tired too.
Alexa said, “Mom, you go to bed. Grandma, go home. I can wrap the rest of the presents.”
I guess someone asked her if she knew how to wrap presents. She said, “Yes, you cut paper, wrap it around the present, put some tape on it and put a bow on it.”
It would interesting to see a five year old do it on her own and have it turn out looking nice.
At least she’s thinking.

Greg had gotten into his grubbies ready to paint the toy room upstairs in preparation for it being Alexa’s room so the new baby can have Alexa’s old one. He had no sooner gotten ready when Scott, a neighbor called saying he had an extra ticket to the University of Utah basketball game and invited him to go with him.
I don’t know how much of good time he had; the Utes got killed; again; this time by Cal State Fullerton. They have the worst record in school history.
(BYU again blew out their opponent [Weber State]. BYU and Utah play each other Saturday if I remember correctly.)

Gavin and I played and had a good time. He has a red plastic toy camera and he was pretending to take pictures of me. He kept telling me to say cheese, pushing the button then handing me the cheese. When you push the shutter button a little piece of plastic cheese pops up. After a while he announced, “I’m going to take (the camera) into my workshop and fix it.” He left the room for a minute then came back and told me that it was fixed.
Later we were in the toy room upstairs playing “library.” He told me we had to be quiet in the library. He got a couple of books and turned the pages. Then he said, “Those (imaginary) kids are being bad. I’m going to take their book away from them.”
He walked across the room, picked a book up off the floor and put it up on a shelf.
I wonder if they have a library in his preschool.

In all fairness to the Utes I am adding what Wikipedia has to say about the Utes.
1. Utah Utes men's basketball - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utah_Utes_men's_basketball
The University of Utah Utes have consistently been one of the most successful basketball programs in the NCAA.

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful!

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Last night at dinner we got talking about the weather; how cold it is. After a moment Jayden said that he wants to go back to Hawai’i, come home ever so often, turn in his homework, get new homework and go back to the islands.

BLANK at The BANK

Monday, December 05, 2011
Obviously there has not been a lot to talk about. I have spent a lot of time not feeling on top of the world. Often I have not felt well or else the medications I take make me groggy. What a life. I wish I could live in a warm humid place at sea level. I seem to always feel well in those places.
I keep asking the Lord to grant me this wish but I feel like I am being ignored. I ask for a number of things…same results.

Depressing!

On a lighter note I was talking to Corey on the phone today. He pulled into his bank’s drive thru, placed a check in the tube and pushed SEND. He was so distracted by the phone conversation, he drove away.
A few moments later he realized what he had done and went back to the bank.

Oh yea, Stacey is "dying" for sushi. She told me that if Corey decides to go to Simply Sushi (or just Simply a we often say) (all you can eat) on Thursday that she wants to go with us. We do Thursdays because that is the manager's day off and Apple will make us special rolls that are not on the lunch menu. Lunch is $5.00 less than dinner.

TURKEY DAY EVE

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Yesterday:
We all met at Chucky Cheese’s for a pizza birthday party for Wyatt and Cades birthday party. They and Lynn are in town for Thanksgiving.
Today:
Jim is in town for Thanksgiving. He and his kids met Judy, Niki, Alexa, Gavin and me at Winger’s at 13400 S. and Bangerter for dinner. Austin and Molly were there first. (Austin finally has a car; a 1994 (I think) Saturn and loving it. Jim and I were there next.
We weren’t there long when Niki called. She was in the parking lot with both kids asleep in their car seats. She asked if I would get Alexa which of course I did. Alexa soon woke up and sat next to Molly and was soon jabbering and giggling. I ended up holding Gavin the whole time. Near the end Gavin was pretending to be asleep, wasn’t totally awake.
When we were done, I put Gavin back in the car and they left.
A little later Niki texted me and said, “Gavin said ‘I like it when Grandpa puts me in the car. He is my buddy’”.


While we were eating, Niki mentioned that Gavin mumbled while he was falling asleep, “When is Grandpa going to take me to see the dinosaurs?”
After dinner, Judy and Molly and Alexa stopped at Wal-Mart and picked up Bailey and Jayden. Obviously we are going to have a noisy house tonight.

CHRISTINA...

I haven’t felt good for days. I keep thinking that I have the flu and a bit of a cold but, neither one, especially the sniffles is really bad…but my intestinal system and related areas feels quite squeamish albeit right after I eat I feel quite a bit better tummy-wise for a half hour or an hour or so.
I felt fine the whole time we were on Kaua’i. I think the altitude and humidity and warm weather is a factor. It seems I always feel better on a cruise and in Barcelona.
I keep praying for the ability to pop back and forth between places and be a gadzillionaire but so far nothing has happened. I don’t know if they are laughing at me “up stairs” or just ignoring me. I feel bad that they don’t give me some form of communication.
Anyway, the main/real reason of writing tonight is the following:
Corey called and said that they “are going” to the Hibachi Restaurant by the Texas Roadhouse in Lehi and asked if I wanted to join them seeing that Judy and Julie were doing a girls night out tonight.
Jayden has been wishing that he could take “Christina” away from another boy. I forgot his name. While we were eating and no one was watching, Jayden put one hand up to his mouth to make sure no one could hear him then whispered to me that he and Christina are now dating/going out or whatever the term is today.
I no sooner made my vow to secrecy than he started throwing out hints to his mom and dad.
Funny boy.
In the forth grade it was Izzy, no one in the fifty now in the sixth it is Christina…at least for now.

Chris’ birthday #43

Today is Chris’ birthday so yesterday he, Sierra and Mark, Corey and his family and Niki and Alexa were over for a birthday dinner.
As usual lately, Corey and his group showed up first and he and Stacey went right to the kitchen and started working chopping and skewering etc. Corey, I think, has become the “official” barbequer.
We ate chicken kabobs and roasted potatoes and squash and a myriad of other goodies.
Later in the evening Chris put a DVD of various family doings including of Walt Disney World on the TV and we all had a good laugh. Bailey really enjoyed the parts about her at Disney World.
At one point Niki who is eight months along and has dropped was laughing so hard that “Baby” was bouncing up and down like a basketball. I, of course, pointed it out to which Chris ran and got his camera and things escalated from there.
Early into the video there were several dance recitals of Alexa when she was really little and was spending more time tying her shoes and watching the other girls than she was dancing. She got a kick out of watching it and started dancing “live” in front of the giant TV. As I mentioned in an earlier report, for a five year-old she really has some moves.
For about ten minutes of the video there was a “horror movie” made by Sierra and Molly a few years ago. What a couple of goofs. At the end Molly was hanging from my “ducky” tie in the shower with Ketchup splattered all over the walls of the shower to represent blood.
Later Stacey posted the following on facebook:
"I am thankful for my family we had a dinner tonight and we laughed so hard."

Kaua'i, Hawai'i

Judy and I returned Wednesday from a week in Kaua’I, Hawai’I with our son Corey and his family. They returned later in the day. Judy and I flew via Los Angeles non-rev while they non-reved to Las Vegas on Delta then had had reserved seats on Hawaiian Air through Honolulu. On the way home they flew Lihui, Honolulu, Phoenix on Hawaiian then non-reved from there to Salt Lake after a night in a hotel. Grandpa Wayne picked them up and took them to his house where there van was. (He took them to the airport on their way going.)

We stayed in a luxury three bedroom condo(?) at the Koloa Landing at Poipu Beach Wyndham Grand Resort in 2-101, a ground floor three bedroom suite right next to the gate to the pool where we spent much of our time when were weren’t out running around. Jayden and Bailey especially made use of it. I suppose I was next.
One day they offered free paddle boarding lessons in the pool which we all took except Judy. Corey and I “turfed” it (couldn’t stay on because of our weight) but Stacey and Jayden and Bailey did really well and paddled up and down the length of the pool. Finally they quit so that others who showed up late could have a turn.
The first night (I think) we ate at Brennecke’s Beach Broiler; upstairs across from Poipu Beach. I had sashimi and Corey and Judy had the “sliders,” one hamburger, one pulled pork (if I remember correctly) and I don’t remember the other. I liked it but Corey wasn’t overly impressed.
The second night we went to the Smith Family Garden Luau including the Fern Grotto boat ride.
One night we ate at Roy's - Kahana Bar & Grill just down the road from our “hotel” in the Poipu Shopping Village. We also had Pupu dogs there and ate at Keoki's Paradise there.
When were on the north shore we ate at Kalipso Island Bar and Grill In Hanalei. And let’s not forget Bubba Burgers. We got shave ice and ice cream and the like here and there.
Most of our breakfasts and lunches we ate in the room. We bought a kitchen full of groceries at Costco coming in from the airport.
Probably the most enjoyable thing we did was taking the catamaran four hour sunset cruise from Eleele down the Napali Coast which included dinner. We sailed with Kauai Sea Tours on the 60 foot Lucky Lady.
side note: We were told by someone that a lot of "Utahns" move to Kauai after visiting there. 

MIGRAINE...but worth it

Jim is in town from Los Angeles for a couple of days so Molly is here. Austin is deer hunting with his step dad, Bob.
Yesterday Judy and I and Corey’s family minus Stacey who had to work at FedEx Office went to Won Won Wok for lunch. Last night we all plus Niki’s family met at California Pizza Kitchen at Fashion Place (Mall) for dinner.
After dinner, because Molly was here, Alexa said she wanted to sleep over at our house; she is getting really good about that; no fears.
Since Alexa was going to sleep over, Bailey decided she would too.
Way into the night there was a lot of giggling and laughing out loud.
This morning I woke up with a headache which soon turned into a migraine. There was a “band” around my head and I go really sensitive to light.
I didn’t go to church but climbed back into bed.
The girls started screaming and laughing and giggling. Niki and Gavin showed up to retrieve Alexa and stayed quite a while. Either Niki or Jim started pounding on the piano.
For a second I thought “Oh my head!” Then I thought, “Those are my kids and grandkids out in the living room together enjoying each other’s company…having fun together.” It is well worth the noise and headache.’
‘Good for them.”

BAILEY ANN

Somewhere I mentioned how, after so many people saying so, Bailey blurted out, “I didn’t know I was soooo good looking!



Lately people have been commenting on her singing, (I heard her singing in the shower.) After someone said something about it a few days past, she got a look on her face that said, “I didn’t know I was such a gooood singer!

CATCHING UP...i.e odds and ends

first
I realized recently that my body runs on a two part cycle; three or four days of diarrhea and three or four days of wishing I had diarrhea. Sometimes there is one day of transition between the first and the second phase.
Second
I have been having some “interesting” dreams lately.
The last two nights were full of erotic dreams. (Yea, like I could keep up!)
The night before that I dreamed that Judy and I were in a small town in Australia. Judy took off and left me all alone. Thankfully it wasn’t too long before a pretty young lady (upper teens or lower twenties) came along and took my hand. We walk around the town as she pointed out the sights.
What do you expect from a 68 year-old man!?

NOW I REMEMBER....

Now I remember why I don’t do that anymore.
I don’t know what I did to earn it, but last night my back stiffened up and my leg was twitching. I couldn’t sleep. Finally at a little after two I took a muscle relaxant; the second in about a month. A half hour later I took a pain pill; the first in about a month.
A little later my body relaxed and I felt a pop in my lower back and I was soon asleep.


Wonderful except…


This morning I woke up around 9:30 feeling quite groggy. After staggering around for a while I managed to get myself together and I went to see “Uncle Tom” my chiropractor. He said my whole right side from top to bottom was tight…no kidding!
He fixed me up and off I went to Atlantis Burger in American Fork for a hot pastrami sandwich after which I came home a plopped back into bed for a couple of more hours.
Around 2:30; about twelve hours after my first pill I started feeling almost normal.

I wonder if it had something to do with the forty minute semi-brisk walk I took yesterday afternoon. Any way I reconfirm my vow never to take those pills again except when absolutely necessary. Not only do I feel better when I don’t take them but they seem to work better on those rare occasions when I do.
There go the odd jobs I planned to do around to house today.
Good night: 3:42 in the afternoon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to ME!

Monday, October 03, 2011
A long fun day
I had trouble getting to sleep last night then at a little after six Chris texted me and asked if I wanted to drive the Alpine Loop with him and take pictures.
Judy heard the beep on my cell phone and woke me up. I texted Chris back and told him to call me. Anyway, he picked be up in the Macey’s parking lot in Lehi and off we went. We first walked a bike trail at Bridal Vail Falls then we drove up a side canyon at Vivian Park which was fun then off we went to “the Loop”.
Our first stop was Sundance. We got out and walked around and shot pictures. Then we stopped at various places along “the Loop” to take more.
Our last major stop was on a long un-paved side road that took us to the base of Mt. Timpanogos where we got out and took a bunch of pictures.
I have a new (used) SLR Canon camera that I got from Corey and Stacey. The family got me a long range lens for my birthday and gave it to me last night when everyone was over for spaghetti dinner.
When Chris and I were doing “our thing” I keep switching back and forth from my short range to my long range lens; what a hassle and if I were in a hurry I might miss something.
Oh well!
After the drive we met Mom and Corey and Greg and Niki and Alexa and Gavin for lunch at Joy Luck or as I call it, Sum Dum Luc.
I got Jayden and Bailey after school and took Jayden to the see “Uncle” Tom; Tom Allen our chiropractor. Jayden is doing well.
From their we drove to our house and spent an hour and an quarter wrestling in the pool.
Fun day.
Side note both hiking with Chris and wrestling in the pool I am holding up really well. In fact the last three or four weeks I have been doing so well that I have gotten off my pain pills, muscle relaxants and sleeping pills.
I am not breathing heavily hiking in the mountains albeit we didn’t take any strenuous hikes but I used to be huffing and puffing just walking around in the high altitude like at Sundance.

NORMAL...WHO ME?

Friday, September 30, 2011
The other day at Disneyland, I spilled food on my shirt. I didn’t realize how bad it was and put it on again the last day, the day we flew home. We noticed the stains at the Orange County Airport so Judy bought me two T-shirts there. One of them read: “I my be immature, unorganized, lazy and loud…but I’m really fun!”
The other one says: “I may not be as normal as I first appear.”

DISNEYLAND

Thursday, September 29, 2011
Last night we returned home from Disneyland. Judy and I flew in on a later flight. Niki and Greg and the kids left early and drove home. We all arrived at “our” Smith’s within a few minutes of each other where Judy and I got our stuff out of their Honda Pilot. They took our stuff so we wouldn’t have to deal with it through the airports.
Nice of them.
We all had a good time. We stayed in adjoining rooms at the Disneyland Hotel which made it convenient. It is right next-door to downtown Disney where we did some of our eating and shopping.
We went on mostly kiddy rides but Alexa did on one occasion “suffer” through the Tower of Terror. She was big about it but announced that she wasn’t going to do it again.
Gavin got to where he could handle the darkness on some of the rides where he would cringe in terror and complain on previous trips. He and I went on a lot of the rides together.
Alexa made several new friends on the trip. The family in front of us in line on the Dumbo ride was from Boise and had a daughter Alexa’s age. Alexa, in no time flat made friends with her and soon invited her to ride on the ride with her. Unfortunately it didn’t work out where they could do it but the thought was nice.
One night we went to dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen on Katella not far from Disneyland. While we were eating, three year-old Gavin blurted out, “Grandpa, do you stand up when you pee ?” I answered that sometimes I do.
Later in the same meal if I remember correctly, five year-old Alexa in a plenty loud voice  announced graphically what a "Melvin"is. Tuesday was a hot day and not too long into the afternoon we retired to the hotel swimming pool. (The rest of the days were overcast much of the day.)
Greg and Niki put swimming vests on the kids and we headed for the water. We did some swimming in the deep(er) pool first.
Alexa has lost most of her fear of the water and didn’t bother to stay near the edge so much. Remember she is wearing a swim vest.
From the “swimming” pool we went to the water slides. There is a little slide, a middle sized slide and a BIG slide. Greg took them on the little slide which they loved. From there I took them on the middle sized slide which they called the big slide. Alexa especially loved it and after the first time she went on her own over and over again.
It wasn’t long before Gavin went back to the little slide.
After a while we went back to the chaise lounges where the adults were. Alexa took off her swimming vest and soon announced that she was going back in the water. I guess Niki didn’t want them going in the water without the vests until they have had swimming lessons…I didn’t catch that message until later when it hit me; so Alexa and I were off; first to the hot tub then later to the “big” slide where she went without her vest at least three times and was just fine though I can see how a parent might worry.
There were a lot of kids littler than her without vests on but I don’t know about their swimming abilities.
Any way we had a good time together at Disneyland.
Jim showed up and spent one day and part of another with us. The first day his friend Larissa was with him and she and Alexa became fast friends. The two of them were hand in hand much of the day.
We all really liked Larissa.
There were a lot of rides Niki couldn’t go on and other thing she couldn’t do being as pregnant as she is.

"Uncle" Tom the chiropractor

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

A week ago or so Jayden had been complaining about his back hurting so I took him to my chiropractor, Tom Allen. Tom asked him if it was his upper back or lower back that was bothering. Jayden said both. He worked on him for a while and I could hear several good pops.
Jayden was very cooperative as well as chatty.
His one hip was way out.
I paid for ten visits. If you do it that way you get them for $15.00 a visit instead of $20.00.
Today Stacey called to tell me that Jayden wanted to go in again. I picked him up after school after talking to Stacey for a couple of minutes. We invited Stacey to go with us but she declined because Bailey didn’t want to go and Stacey was in the middle of house cleaning. She said she still had a pile of wash to do.
Her vacuum “blew up” so I took one of ours to her.
On the way to the chiropractor, Jayden and I stopped at Simply Ice Cream. Jayden got a chocolate peanut butter shake and I got a Lime Rickey sherbet cone. Jayden usually gets a double or triple cone but he got the shake so he could leave it in my van while we were at the doctors.
Jayden and Tom talked up a storm. Tom was quite impressed at Jayden’s communication skills.
He went through the same routine as last time with some good pops.
Stacey probably wouldn’t have liked the sound of it.

DINOSAUR MUSEUM

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Re Friday
Three year-old Gavin has been wanting me to take him to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum. Thursday at dinner at Winger’s I asked him if he wanted to go “tomorrow”. Of course he said yes.
I picked him up at just before 11:30 a.m. and off we went in my old white Town and Country van.
He kept asking my how soon we would be there.
He has been there enough to know the routine and where to go. When we got there he ran up to the admissions counter and put his hand up to get it stamped. I paid the $16.oo dollars for one three year-old and one senior citizen (nearly 68) and off he ran.
It was just a few seconds when we came up to “the” dark tunnel like side path. At that point he came to a screeching halt, turned to me and said “hold you” or was it "carry you?"
I picked him up and carried him a couple of feet past the darkness then he was good to go again. I was able to teach him that he needed to say “Carry me.”
We practiced a while him saying “Carry me” and me saying “I’ll carry you.” He seemed to get the concept. We’ll have to see if he remembers next time.
We had a good time looking at all the displays and playing with the interactive displays. Of course he especially enjoyed playing in the water with the toy dinosaurs and toy palm trees.
After we had seen everything; some of them several times, it was time to run and chase. He ran, I walked as fast as I could. We ran and played hide and seek so much that I got confused and it took us maybe five minutes to find the exit.
From the museum we walked over to the deli in the next building. We passed maybe ten handicap parking spots. Gavin walked up to the first pole which held a handicap only sign and pretended to hit his head and said “Boing” then fell to the grass moaning and holding his head. He then got up and repeated this ritual on every pole.
At the deli he ate half of a peanut butter and (strawberry) jelly sandwich, ate potato chips and drank water. I had a pulled beef barbeque sandwich and drank a diet coke. I finished off the other half of Gavin’s PB & J.
In the van driving back to his house we sang, “Gavin is a monkey up in a tree eating potato chips.” He sang “Grandpa is a monkey up in a tree eating potato chips.”

Anyway, grandson and grandfather had a good time.

BIEBER FEVER

Saturday, September 10, 2011
Niki called before Judy left to get her massage. She was telling her about her frustration over Alexa and Gavin; ages five and three. She said that for something for school, (the word was not show-and-tell) Alexa wanted a BYU sweatshirt.
In the beginning Alexa would play both ends against the middle. To her parents she would always say “BYU” knowing they are Utah fans. To me she would shout out “Utah Utes!”
Now she has become a straight BYU fan.
Niki, today tried one more time to change her mind to no avail. Finally Alexa said “How about if I wear one that says BYU on one side and Utah on the other”
Gavie (age three) said “Grandpa is a BYU fan so I am too.
Later Alexa called and asked to speak to Grandma. I told her that Grandma was getting a massage and explained what that meant.
She said laughingly, “Well, I have a story I want you to tell her if I can remember. Oh yea, I remember. I came out of a store wearing a BYU shirt and two boys said ‘Utah Utes’”
She thought that was pretty funny.
Remember Alexa is the one who swoons over Justin Bieber.

Judy reminded Niki that when she was eight(?) she insisted on Utah sweat pants which Judy relented and finally got her. She did look good in them even though they were the wrong color.
Serves Niki right payback's a B---- as they say.

ANOTHER DAY IN SARATOGA SPRINGS!

I have had a lot of good times with grandchildren. Austin and Molly have spent a lot of time at our place and I feel I have gotten a lot closer to them.
We have had a couple of sleepovers and on one of them Gavin wanted to sleep over but wanted his mother to stay with him so she did.
Yesterday I delivered a mask that Austin ordered on line. I got Diane out of the shower…Oops! From there I went to Niki’s and ended up staying there four hours or so. Gavin and I had a good time chasing each other around the house for what seemed like forever. I was gasping and I felt like I was having a heart attack…but it only lasted a few seconds and I have had enough of them to know it was a false alarm.
Gavin and I got some toy musical instruments and started banging and singing. He had a plastic microphone and a tambourine. I had a little drum and a tambourine. Gavin started out. I don’t remember the words now but I followed along. Then we started banging the instruments on our knees and heads while we sang.
We kept this up for quite a while. Finally Gavin held his head where he had been banging it and said, “Ohhh, I need some Ice.”
When it was time for Alexa to come home from school, Gavin and I and Jenn, Avery’s mother from next door, walked to the corner and waited for Alexa and Avery to get off the bus.
I was invited to stay for dinner and Alexa and Gavin and I broke eggs and helped mix them for the oven baked omelet. Alexa broke one egg and I broke a couple. At that point Alexa got a big spoon, pulled out one of the yolks and put it in her hand. She held it in her hand for quite a while with a little bit of egg white hanging down the side of her hand.
I thought, oh well it’s going to be cooked.
This afternoon Niki called and invited me to go to Winger’s to eat with them. It was Alexa's idea to invite me. Almost immediately after that, Alexa called and we chatted for a while. She is a very mature, sophisticated conversationalist.
I got there first.
When they got there, Alexa counted how many of us there were including Grandma Judy (who hadn’t arrived yet) and went inside and told the girl at the door that we needed a table for five.
Judy arrived not too much later.
Niki mentioned that Alexa is bossy including with her friends. She knows how much she can get away with at home and Niki being pregnant is in no position to argue with her.


Corey and I did all-you-can-eat sushi at Simply Sushi for lunch today.
As usual we sat at the counter where Apple was working. She has taken care of us so many times we don't even tell her what we want.
When we left Apple said to me, "Papa, tell Mama hi."

PLANTATION SHUTTERS

Monday, August 22, 2011

The last several days we have had a lot of fun with grandkids; Jayden, Bailey, Alexa and Gavin they have all been over for extended hours including all four of them (and Niki) sleeping over Friday night. Gavin is getting so big and cute and brave for a three year-old and he is definitely a Grandpa’s boy.
He and Alexa are getting braver in the swimming pool. In fact for a while, Alexa was insisting I stay on the opposite side of the pool while she walked around is the shallow area.
Today Stacey worked so I had the Jayden and Bailey all day. We didn’t get to do anything fun because we were waiting for plantation shutters go arrive then get installed.
Stacey got off at three and the four of us did finally go to the pool until well after five.
They had to run to meet the teacher night. Tomorrow is their first day of school.
The new plantation shutters really look nice. Now to keep the grandchildren from breaking them or smearing them with dirty hands. At lest they should be easier to clean than the Venetian blinds that were there before.

NEW BED...aaah

The final piece of our new bed we got on a super deal arrive at 9:00 this morning and it looks great.

NEW CAN OPENER

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Today Stacey was making lasagna for a family in their ward who had just had a baby. She was trying to open a can of tomato sauce with their old can opener that every couple of turns, skips so that in a full revolution around, there are places where the lid is still connected to the can. After getting to that point, Stacey tried to finish opening it by inserting her thumb and pulling. When she pulled she cut her thumb. That made her jerk and that caused tomato sauce to go flying all over the kitchen, her body and her clothes.
There was blood running down her arm.
She yelled, “I’m bleeding!”
Bailey came running seeing the mess and thinking it was all blood totally lost it. She called her dad on the phone yelling, “Mom cut herself bad and I don’t know what to do.”
Jayden panicked too but not as bad as his sister.
There was blood in the tomato sauce and they didn’t have another can so she had to take care of her bleeding thumb, clean herself up put on new clothes and either she ran to the store or Corey got a can on his way home from work.
Corey bought her a new can opener and bought her two of them as a joke; one manual and one electric.

LONG DAY/NIGHT yawn

Thursday, August 04, 2011

Obviously I haven’t written for a week or so…not a whole lot to say. Little things have happened but nothing to go Wow! about.
Yesterday at Alexa’s suggestion Judy and I along with Niki’s family ate at Winger’s on 134th, not tooooo far from their house. This was to celebrate Alexa’s first day at kindergarten.
When we first got there Gavin had a snotty nose and was grouchy. He sat next to his mother and Alexa sat next to me and was a silly chatterbox. Later she crawled under the table and set next to Niki and soon fell asleep. Greg put Gavin between him and me. He was fine by this time and we got silly…wrestling as best we could in a corner (round) restaurant booth. Gavin kept screaming but there was a little kid in the next booth that was yelling as loudly as Gavin so it sort of balanced itself out. Greg did try to quiet things down but was only successful for a few seconds at a time.
There near the end, Gavin and I went outside a goofed off in the parking lot.


I went home a tried to get a short nap.
Jim flew in and Judy picked him up at the airport. When they got home, Jim threw a few things together and he and Judy and I jumped in Judy’s Honda Civic hybrid. By this time it was dark and we had a three and a half-four hour drive (each way) getting him to Jensen, Utah, about ten miles east of Vernal and not too far from the Colorado border at about 12:30 including a stop for gas and snacks and another one to go potty and buy some ice that Chris requested via a text message. In Jensen we met up with Chris and two of his friends who were in Chris’ fold up camping trailer.
Judy and I got home at about 3:30 this morning. I took a sleeping pill and except for one potty break, slept until a quarter past 12:00.
Judy had to go to work, but set her alarm for 9:15 so she got a little sleep.
Today they drove (I assume all when as planned) into Colorado with a river rafting company and started their four day rifting journey down the Green River.


Jealous!


Chris paid for Jim which I think was very nice.
I told them both I expect detailed e-mail from them about their adventure.

REDECORATING OUT OF NECESSITY

Sunday, July 24, 2011

I put my back out big-time and my knees are killing me too. We pulled everything away from the west end of our bedroom and vacuumed and used the Bissell carpet cleaner on the floor. Later, we pulled everything to the other half of the room and did it.
Judy and Jim; from a hint from Niki, bought some cheap one by molding and Jim used him pneumatic nail gun and nailed them all around the room about two inches above the old molding, so from the floor up, there is on traditional molding, a couple inches of wall then the new one by molding.
Judy taped the wall above the new molding and painted everything below, white.
It gives the appearance of fancy molding going up six or seven inches from the floor.
We had water come in through the basement walkout door next to “Jim’s” bedroom. He ended up pulling up all the linoleum in front of the door and several feet of carpet beyond that. We are going to have to replace that area with some new flooring.
We have a problem with the drain at the bottom of the basement stairwell that I need to find an answer to.

Following are a couple of pictures of out messy bedroom.

Bedroom in transition

Squash from our neighborhood garden

PAINT JOB and A GOOD TIME at THE POOL

Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Last Wednesday Austin and Molly came to stay with us. The details are a little sketchy. Molly just called on Tuesday; I think it was and asked if we could pick them up the next day and bring them out to our house. We of course said yes and not much more was said about it.
Yesterday, I asked Molly when they were going home and she said Wednesday. I ask her where her mom and Bob were and she said “In St. George; Bob has a military conference there.” I’m not sure that conference was the right word.

A week ago last Saturday, Judy and Corey and I pulled everything in our bedroom out into the middle of the room and prepped to Paint.
Judy picked out a blue green color she liked and at Niki’s suggestion we had Home Depot tone it down a quarter.
Greg was good enough to offer to paint and did the two walls we wanted done first which turned out really well.
We decided to paint the other two walls a lighter shade so we took the almost-full gallon, of the left over original back to Home Depot and had “Dennis” mix it with a gallon of pure white making it half the intensity of the original.
The difference is subtle.
Judy and I prepped and painted it and again it turned out really nice.
I must note that ten year old Bailey helped me paint one wall and did a good “ten year old job.” She helped me paint the bathroom not too long ago too.
I didn’t have to ask her to help me. She volunteered both times.

Molly helped us with the last two walls. She always good to help.
Yesterday I had Bailey and Jayden from 12:30 on. Stacey, their mother worked 1:00 to close; 9:00. After Bailey and I finished painting the one wall she asked if we could go swimming. We were there from 3:22 until 5:45 and I kept moving the whole time. In fact my legs got a little physically sore which surprised me.
Bailey had trouble fitting in with anyone at the pool. I suggested Maddie Tolman but she didn’t seem too interested and neither did Maddie. Maddie and her sister McKenna were doing their own thing.
Finally I saw Nick (Nicolas) Stott who is also age ten throwing a small ball back and forth between him and another boy. I said to Bailey, “Why don’t you go play with Nick?”
She said, “I don’t know the words!” (a surprise to me,) so I took her over to where they were and by happenstance the ball went over the one boys head and landed by us. I grabbed it and told Bailey to throw it to Nick which she did and BAM! she was in.
They played for well over an hours.

Lisa Stott, Nick's mother, was sitting with a friend on the side of the pool in a lawn chair watching. She seemed to get a kick out of the whole thing.

Judy met us at Won Won Wok on her way home from work. Austin who had just taken a pill stayed home. Loss of appetite is a side affect of his medication.
Corey drove Jayden, Bailey, Molly and me there and I road back home with Judy.
Stacy was, of course, still at work but Corey took leftovers home for her.
I didn't order anything for myself but I had plenty nibbling off what everyone else ordered.

BARNACLE BILL the SAILOR

A song my father taught me.

Who’s that knocking at my door?
Who’s that knocking at my door?
Who’s that knocking at my door?
It’s Barnacle Bill the sailor.

I'm Barnacle Bill from over the hill.
I'm Barnacle Bill the sailor.

GREEK SOULAVKI

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Yesterday I had Jayden and Bailey from 12:00ish until 6:00ish. Stacey dropped them off at our house on her way to work.
They weren’t here long when we decided to go to the pool.
Since they were camping at Pineview Reservoir a week ago Friday through Mon/Tue (?), their swimwear was at their house instead of being left at Judy’s and mine.  We have the community pool. 
I drove them back home in my van via Simply Ice cream to get their suits then back here again.
It seems that every time I have them, Jayden has to have a two or three scoop chocolate/peanut butter ice cream cone and Bailey gets a one scooper of whatever looks good. I will usually get a scoop of something too. This time it was pralines and cream.
At the pool we wrestled and chased each other for an hour and a half and got pretty well worn out. In fact, later I had the worse headache I have had in a long time.
At the pool there was a cute little girl; maybe age 10 with a blue swimsuit and a purple streak in her brown hair that kept eyeing Jayden and later, when he was turned the other way, she came up behind him and, with two hands, splashed him and quickly turned around and ran the other way.
Her brother (I assume) kept looking at Bailey.
Merlin Smith (age 75) came on at 3:00 to keep his eye on things and to make sure no one is doing anything they shouldn’t. He and I are good buddies and of course had a short chat. Jayden had a pretty long conversation with him. He and Bailey are not shy to talk to people they don’t know and do it regularly.

Today I had an hour and a half hot rocks massage at Massage Envy in American Fork then went to lunch with Corey at Greek Soulvaki on 106th, west of I-15.

PAINT JOB

Monday, July 11, 2011

We are getting a new bed frame, headboard with drawers, drawers under the bed etc.
We pulled out the bed, tore out the old headboard set and saw that the wall behind looked terrible. We went to Home Depot and bought two gallons of a bluish green pain-toned down a 4th from a chip Judy liked. It was Niki’s idea to tone it down. For those two, everything has to match. Me, I prefer contrast. Oh well!!!
The guy in the paint department said we would need to do two coats so we got two gallons. Wrong!
Greg graciously volunteered to do to painting.
Judy and I washed down the walls. Put on painter’s tape except in the highest corner and Greg came over Saturday and knocked it out in nothing flat.
It looked great but at Greg’s suggestion, especially seeing we still had a gallon and a third of paint left over we decided to do the long wall; the bathroom/closet is on the other side.
Judy and I prepped it and Greg and Niki and the kids came over last evening.
Alexa and I went swimming while Greg knocked that one out. The cutting in the edges took the longest in fact the whole time we were at the pool. But, when we got back the rest went quickly too.
It really looks nice.
As a side note the swimming thing was Alexa demanding and getting her own way. It was rainy and cold but, Oh well!
Alexa is quite the fraidicat and screamed every time we say a snail and there were a bunch of them in the rain both on the way and on the cement around the pool. She is also afraid to let go of the side of the pool but at the end had she was racing back and forth (running) from one side of the shallow area to the other.

WHAT is A MOTHER to DO?

Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Alexa has gotten to be quite mischievous.
When I was at their house last week, Alexa and Gavin naturally dragged me to the playroom upstairs.
After we were there not too long, Alexa climbed up on the table in front of the window and opened it up about half way. (It was already up a little ways because the upstairs air-conditioning isn’t working.)
I told Alexa she should shut it back down because she could fall and hurt or even kill herself. Gavin was watching and getting ideas too.
Outside the window there was about an eighteen inch-wide roof sloping down to the second story-floor level then a drop-off to the ground below.
Alexa insisted she wouldn’t get hurt and left it open with her head out.
Finally I went into the hall heading for her mother, yelling “Niki, Alexa is…”
Alexa came running out yelling, “I closed it Mom!” then ran back in and opened it again.
Again I went into the hall and yelled to Niki wherein Alexa again yelled the same thing to Niki.
I hate to be a tattletale but I sure would feel guilty if something were to happen to one of grandchildren.
Monday was similar wherein at our house Alexa insisted on getting her own way.
She wanted to go swimming but Niki didn’t want too and said no. Alexa turned to me and asked, “Grandpa, do you know where my swimsuit is?”
I said I didn’t and reminded her that her mother said, “No.”
She said, “I want to go swimming, do you know where my swimming suit is?”
I told her that it might be in one of the two boxes in the laundry room.
She looked and came back again asking if we knew where her swimming suit was. Finally Judy went to help her find it (in a box under the bed in the little bedroom), as Niki looked on helplessly. I think to a degree at least, especially being pregnant, she has given up.
Chris, who had just walked in, saw her standing there in her swimsuit and offered to take her which he did.
Neither Niki, nor any one else said anything and Alexa got her way.

No NURSING HOME FOR me

From Cousin Sherilyn
No nursing home for us. We're checking into a Holiday Inn!
With the average cost for a nursing home care costing $188.00 per day, there is a better way when we get old and too feeble.
I've already checked on reservations at the Holiday Inn.
For a combined long term stay discount and senior discount, it's $59.23 per night.
Breakfast is included, and some have happy hours in the afternoon.
That leaves $128.77 a day for lunch and dinner in any restaurant we want, or room service, laundry, gratuities and special TV movies.
Plus, they provide a spa, swimming pool, a workout room, a lounge and washer-dryer, etc.
Most have free toothpaste and razors, and all have free shampoo and soap.
$5 worth of tips a day you'll have the entire staff scrambling to help you.
They treat you like a customer, not a patient.
There's a city bus stop out front, and seniors ride free.
The handicap bus will also pick you up (if you fake a decent limp).
To meet other nice people, call a church bus on Sundays.
For a change of scenery, take the airport shuttle bus and eat at one of the nice restaurants there.
While you're at the airport, fly somewhere. Otherwise, the cash keeps building up.
It takes months to get into decent nursing homes. Holiday Inn will take your reservation today.
And you're not stuck in one place forever -- you can move from Inn to Inn, or even from city to city.
Want to see Hawaii ? They have Holiday Inn there too.
TV broken? Light bulbs need changing? Need a mattress replaced? No problem.. They fix everything, and apologize for the inconvenience.
The Inn has a night security person and daily room service. The maid checks to see if you are ok. If not, they'll call an ambulance . . . or the undertaker.
If you fall and break a hip, Medicare will pay for the hip, and Holiday Inn will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.
And no worries about visits from family. They will always be glad to find you, and probably check in for a few days mini-vacation.
The grandkids can use the pool.
What more could I ask for?
So, when I reach that golden age, I'll face it with a grin.

FORGETTER Be FORGOTTEN

From Cousin Jenny in Newquay, Cornwall, England
My forgetter's getting better,
But my rememberer is broke
To you that may seem funny
But, to me, that is no joke


For when I'm 'here' I'm wondering
If I really should be 'there'
And, when I try to think it through,
I haven't got a prayer!


Oft times I walk into a room,
Say 'what am I here for?'
I wrack my brain, but all in vain!
A zero, is my score.


At times I put something away
Where it is safe, but, Gee!
The person it is safest from
Is, generally, me!


When shopping I may see someone,
Say 'Hi' and have a chat,
Then, when the person walks away
I ask myself, 'who the hell was that?'


Yes, my forgetter's getting better
While my rememberer is broke,
And it's driving me plumb crazy
And that isn't any joke.

ENTERTAINMENT on top of ENTERTAINMENT

Saturday, July 02, 2011
Last night around 11:00, Niki called and asked if we wanted to go to the Hale Centre Theatre in WVC today at 12:30. Her neighbor friend asked her if she wanted them since she couldn’t go. There were four of them. Judy called Judy Pavia and asked if she and Len would like to go with us.
Len drove and we had a good visit each way.
We saw Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, the musical version.
I think it is/was the most enjoyable performance I have ever seen. It was just hilarious and had a lot of twists and turns and a surprise ending. I think it would be fun to see again and see if I missed any of the innuendos. They were coming a mile a minute.

Following is Judy’s facebook entry from a couple of nights ago.
Extreme Makeover Team comes to SLC
by Judy Dean Jepson on Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at 12:21am
Great night - we just attended a fundraiser for Jonah Gomez that included entertainment from David Osmond, Thurel Bailey, Alex Boye, and comedian Jason Hewlett (a mission companion of Niki's husband, Greg). Very talented men. We had VIP tickets and front row seats. Jonah's mom, Jessica Kasparian Gomez, grew up with my kids. Jonah has 2 very rare blood disorders that require regular transfusions and extensive care with high medical expenses. They were surprised last Thursday, along with Jonah's sister, Ellie, by Ty Pennington and the "Extreme Makeover" team. The were whisked off to Disneyland while the community of professionals and volunteers of more than 1,300 have rushed to build a new home in the Daybreak community southwest of Salt Lake City. Can't wait for them to come home Wednesday afternoon and for everyone to shout "Move that bus!"

SUNDAY RE-CAP

Sunday, June 19, 2011

I am still not feeling well, much like Thursday’s entry though today I think a lot of it is that I am full of it…never mind.
Yesterday all but Niki and family came over for Father’s Day dinner. Niki and their whole family have been ill including ear aches and sore throats.
Yesterday Corey smoked a beef brisket. Actually I lit the fire and put the brisket in the smoker. I was being with Jayden and Bailey while Corey and Jim helped Greg and others lay sod in Greg and Niki’s back yard. They were short a little over one pallet.
Today Jim was one of the two main speakers in church and he played his flute while the choir was singing. He gave a very good talk and Brother Philips told him that it was the best sacrament meeting talk he had ever heard. Others told me that they thought it was an exceptional talk.
After meetings Judy, Jim, Molly and I ate yesterday’s leftovers.

FROM ALBERT EINSTEIN

As our circle of knowledge expands, so does the circumference of darkness surrounding it.

THE FATAL KISS (from my journal)

Sunday, June 05, 2011
Everybody is over for dinner and a swim. It is 5:34 now and most of them are at the pool.
At Judy’ suggestion we baked cornbread on the grill so as not to heat up the house. It looks like it turned out well.
At someone’s suggestion, we set up the folding tables and chairs on the back lawn near the grill which turned out really well though I’m sure it was a bit of extra work for those who had to lug them out of the basement and then back again.
We had food coming out of our ears figuratively speaking. Niki made a huge potato salad. Chris made guacamole and Corey smoked ribs and chicken wings at home on the barrel smoker he made. He finished them off on our grill as well as grilling the steaks Judy bought.
Corey also made a pot of beans when he got here.
There are tons of leftovers.
The kids put Dance Central on the X-Box downstairs. Dance Central is an interactive dance contest game were the kids kept challenging each other to a dance off. I imagine Sierra won all of hers but they all had fun. Bailey, especially when she was just dancing, not being competitive did very well. Sierra and I both commented on it. It was a real hoot to see the older boys dance. I watched Corey and then Greg and later Jim. Greg had by far the most energy jumping high off the ground and doing gyrations.

The fatal kiss
As they were walking out the door, somehow the subject turned to five year old Alexa’s love life. Greg said that a longhaired five year old neighbor boy named Cade walked up to Alexa and gave her a big kiss. Greg turned to Niki with a “Did I just see what I think I saw?” look, to which Niki nodded “Yes!”
Greg told Cade to COME HERE! and told him very sternly, “DON’T YOU EVER KISS ALEXA AGAIN!”
The kid was shaking in his boots and Greg said, “He’ll never do that again!”
It’s a good thing Greg was in control because I would probably have just laughed.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Today I had lunch with Corey, Greg, Niki, Alexa, Gavin and Michael; Greg’s sister Shannon’s husband who works with Greg and Corey. We went to La Puente on 123rd. We four boys had the usual, a smothered carne asada burrito. Well it was Michael’s first. He doesn’t handle the heat so well and couldn’t handle the salsa at all. In fact I am the only one who can eat it by the shovel full.
From the moment she and Niki and Gavin walked in the door, Alexa was a silly animated showoff and demanded everyone’s attention as she performed funny faces etc etc.
Gavin played off Alexa and did his own silly antics but he was no match for his older sister.
As we were getting up to leave I picked up Gavin who still had a mouthful (unbeknownst to me), and threw him over my shoulder so that he was hanging upside down, down my back. He started to choke. It only lasted a couple of seconds by that was long enough to scare him and the rest of us.
He started to cry (for about forty-five seconds) and said, “I want a band aid. I want a band aid.” Then “I want some medicine.”

SAM THE HAM and ALL THAT SPAM

Saturday, June 04, 2011

                Later this evening at the church we went to a chili dinner etc fund raiser for the young women, for their camp etc. There was a chili cook-off and Judy’s Three Bean Chipotle Chili won first place.
The young women's (and Ben Roush) put on a talent show.
Ben was there with his really cut girlfriend; or is there more to it? He did a trombone comedy act which was really cute. (He's a talented player.)
Mckenna and MaddieTolman each did cute dances.
(Sam the Ham); Samantha Stott sang Adelaide's Lament from Guys & Dolls . Not only did she sing it well but the outfit and choreography, inflection in her voice etc were all great.
I know I forgot someone...Sorry!
Oh yea, Anela Hansen did a really good job singing a song  a capella.
There was a lot of work put in by both the youth and their leaders.

YESTERDAY at OUR HOUSE

Saturday, May 28, 2011
            Yesterday afternoon some of the kids were over for dinner. Niki and Alexa and Gavin and Sierra went swimming. I got my swim suit on but Corey called. He said that Stacey was running late getting off work and would I get Jayden and Bailey after school.
            When Stacey got home she changed clothes and the four of us came over in my van. That way they wouldn’t have two cars here. Corey came straight from his office.
            Jim of course was here.
            Corey and I (mostly Corey) grilled steaks and chicken while Judy and Jim and whoever prepared everything else.
            Greg showed up in time to eat.
            For a while, Bailey, Alexa, Gavin and I danced to my oldies played through my I-pod player. I taught Alexa how to use the remote to fast forward and return to previously played tunes, so we were in a constant turmoil of back and forth. Gavin wanted to use the remote but Alexa wouldn’t relinquish it and Gavie was constantly trying to get me to get it for him. I felt caught between a rock and a hard place. After the girls were tired of dancing, Gavin got his turn and was appeased.
            Sierra kept trying to get hold of her boyfriend Mark. He never responded. Finally, shortly before leaving our house Sierra learned that Mark had been in the emergency room with a migraine. It sounds like a double wammy to me. Sierra getting regular migraines and now Mark; if they get married their kids will get the tendency from both sides.
            We have enough migraines in our family; my mother, me, Chris and Niki, now Sierra and Molly. Yikes!
            Chris is/was in Brazil.

OH, MY ACHING BACK

Saturday, May 28, 2011
            I have been walking with a little running mixed in it since Tuesday omitting yesterday. This morning I no sooner walked out the door than my lower back tightened up and got sore. Soon one calf then the other got sore. So, I just walked for thirty-seven minutes not too fast and with no running involved.
            I came home and took a muscle relaxant and half a pain pill but they leave me tired/groggy.

JAYDEN'S BROKEN ARM

Thursday, May 26, 2011
                Last night, one hour into the first day of football practice, Jayden was running backwards, tripped, tried to catch himself with his hand and broke his arm; pretty much like Bailey did in basketball.
                This is after Grandpa Wayne paid $190.00 for his fees and I bought him new football shoes. Only $30.00 on my part.
                The last I heard he had left the InstaCare and was on the way to the emergency room at the American Fork Hospital because they were going to have to put him “out” to set the bone.
                I asked him over the phone if he was going to get a pink cast. He said no.
                We first found out about it as we were getting ready to leave for dinner at Olive Garden. Jayden himself told me. He sounded like he was bragging about it.
                Stacey e-mailed us from her phone saying:
Two kids, two broken arms. Please don't call social services.‏ it’s good she can laugh about these things. And it has taught the kids not to take stuff like this too seriously though they can be drama queens about some things.
I just talked to Corey on the phone. He said they gave Jayden an IV and morphine then put him “out” while they set the bone.
               They warned them that even though he is “under”, he will still kick around from the pain. Corey said that he was yelling out “ow, ow”. They weren’t expecting the vocal part. He was under for about five minutes and can’t remember any part of it; thankfully I guess.

                At least he will have something to show off at school the last few days.

Stacey sent me the following, ala my request:

Ok I sent some pics if you want.
The story goes like this, Jayden’s love for sports started pretty much the day he was born, and the need to be competitive started the day his sister Bailey was born. They have to best each other at everything including injuries; Bailey broke her arm a few months ago. Since that happened Jayden has been joking around saying "now I need to brake my arm" of course we laugh at his jokes and tell him "be careful what you wish for, it just might come true" Jayden has been talking about football for the whole year he couldn’t wait for it, nether could Corey, then finally it arrived, football camp, he put his new cleats on and ran out the door, was so excited to get there and see his coach and team mates. He eagerly ran out, said hi to everyone and grabbed a football. An hour of what they call fun past then they threw the ball to Jayden, Jayden ran backwards to catch it (they call it back pedaling) next thing he knew he was down. He only teared up for a second. Corey then called me. I called him a liar cause we had just gone through this with Bailey. Corey told me to meet him at the InstaCare. From there they called Baileys Dr. Baileys Dr told us to take him to the ER in American Fork, there we waited for the Dr to show up, when he did he told me the mesa they have to use could stop his breathing, I of course went in to Mom mode and started to cry and panic only a little bit, we ask the nurse if we could have a minute alone with Jayden so Corey could give him a fathers blessing. She of course said yes, this made me feel a little bit better. Then the nurse came in and told me that she does this 2 or 3 times a shift and never once has anything gone wrong. So the time came; they put him out and fixed the arm. Now they told me he wouldn't feel anything but his body would suggest otherwise. He started to kick the walls and moan in pain while they fixed it. They had to hold his legs down. It was not easy to watch.

Then it was over, and they sent us home. The coach called Jayden and told him he could still be part of the team doing what he could and helping out, this of course made Jayden very happy but still a little sad since we are not sure if he will be able to play in any games. All we can do is wait and see.