August 24th: I looked back and realized that I had not posted anything since late December! Wow, I could not believe it. Here it is in late August, so I have a LOT of catching up to do.
The most important event was the birth of our 10th grandchild, Brandon Thomas Hobbs! He arrived on May 25th in the wee hours of the morning. He's so sweet and soft and beautiful.
Brandon is 3 months old already, and he is so alert and making happy sounds all the time. He can already hold his head up while on his tummy. Big sister Elise adores her baby brother and is such a good little mommy. Tyler is also a wonderful helper to his mommy.
Like all babies, Brandon is growing and changing fast. And of course, he gets more fun as he gets older. We are so happy to have Brandon in our family! I have thoroughly enjoyed holding him, cuddling him, talking to him, and singing to him. New babies are the closest things to heaven! Shauna and Jacob are such loving, doting parents, and Shauna takes excellent care of her family.
I am so grateful for my children and the amazing way in which each of them and their spouses care for and discipline their little ones. They set a righteous example and spend quality time with their families, and that is such a comfort to me.
August 21st: This year we got a lot of very small peaches from our two young trees. They look more like large apricots than peaches because we didn't prune the trees like Mike usually does before spring. We invited our next door neighbor, Katalina Nunn, to pick a bunch while we went to Idaho. We had our kids pick some to take home too. Jessica made a pretty peach pie with her's!
Mike helped me skin and peel most of the peaches after I blanched them in boiling water. Blanching them makes them look and taste like canned peaches. We made 4 large pans of Peach Crisp, and we froze the rest of the peaches for smoothies.
August 17th: My beautiful daughter Jessica saying good-bye to her growing son, Beau, with little Hannah by her side. This was Beau's first day of pre-school. He was a little worried and nervous, but he LOVED preschool!
August 14th: The Dunlap's came over for Sarku Teriyaki Chicken and peaches. The recipe tasted better when my friend Sandy Cole made it for us in New Hampshire, but Jessica and Sebastian still liked it. And the boys asked for more of the meat!
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| Marinading the boneless chicken thighs (and drumsticks) |
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| After refrigerating the marinated meat, I placed it in freezer bags for later use |
July 23rd: Donny and Marie Osmond Concert! When my little sister, Jacquie, asked me if I was going to the Donny and Marie concert, that was the first time I heard they were coming to town. Jacob helped me find some decent prices on two seats not too far from the stage. Donny and Marie performed at the Sandia Casino Amphitheater stage outside on a very warm evening. The place was pretty packed, and there were a lot of Native Americans in the audience and most of the people were middle-aged like us!
Donny still has the chops, but Marie's not too good singing live. And she's changed her singing style since I used to listen to her records back in '84. Marie also did a lot more talking than singing, and a lot more wardrobe changing than anything else. She looks great but wears too much eye makeup and had long crazy hair that kept getting in her face. She was also feeling too hot on stage and had a hard time cooling down and feeling comfortable.
We weren't allowed to take photos, but people were doing it with their phones anyway. Mike managed to sneak a few shots, but the images on stage are pretty bad! All he really captured was the crowds as they started to fill the arena.
July 12th: Having lunch at Gourmet Buddai with my dear friend, Patti Waseta. We always have a good time together--whether it's eating, babysitting, working in the kitchen or in the garden, exercising, shopping, or going to the movies!
June 29th: A photo of my Dunlap trio sent to me by their mother, Jessica. Looks like a stop on their vacation to Texas and Arkansas this summer.
June 8th-13th: We babysat the Dunlap kids while Jess and Seb visited his parents in Seattle for his mom's college graduation. Peggy Dunlap earned her Master's Degree! We are all so proud of her.
Hudson, Beau, and Hannah were wonderful to have!
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| Loved this picture of Beau asleep with stickers stuck to his face! |
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| Tired little Hannah was such a good, happy girl |
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| Beau was born happy and wants everyone else to be happy too |
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| June 8th: Beau and Tyler (with a boy's Nerf gun) looking for action |
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| Hudson made a friend instantly and started using the boy's Nerf gun, which all the boys wanted to play! |
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| There's Beau (with his cute little butt crack) and Tyler |
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| Beau with the Nerf gun |
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| Beau and Tyler going in opposite directions |
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| Tyler in his Spiderman ensemble |
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So glad Tyler could join us! Elise did more running around on the cement chasing Hudson than anything else,
and Hannah did more sitting on the chairs. It was probably her nap time. Love these sweet grandchildren! |
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| Kids being silly at McDonald's, where Jacob joined us (not pictured) |
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| June 12th: Hannah and Beau playing in the living room |
