Luckiest Person Alive!

While Jer and I aren't always the most romantic couple, Jer still seems to surprise me at times. Yesterday evening the doorbell rang. I was expecting to find the Walgreen's delivery guy. Instead, I found these beautiful daisies!

Jer noticed how stressed out I feel about having to move and how hard it is to find a rental here.

I just feel so lucky to have such a thoughtful husband in my life!

The miracle pill...

Growing up, I heard many a story how cayenne pepper is such a good thing! This past trip to Idaho, we stopped by my Grandma Bailey's house and she gave me some cayenne pepper for me to fill capsules with. Today, while I was filling capsule after capsule I couldn't help think back to sitting in the kitchen with my mom while she would fill these same pills. One time she accidentally rubbed her eyes and that didn't feel so good. :

I really do believe they helped her. I never once remember mom getting a cold or sick besides the times she'd go into the hospital for her usual diabetes.

Grandma says that they clean out the blood. I can see that. So as an experiment, I am trying cayenne pepper pills twice a day just like mom used to. Maybe I'll lose weight faster and it'll clean out my blood, perhaps get me off my blood pressure meds. Can't hurt, I guess.

1st hair cut!

Dallas had his 1st hair cut on Friday the 25th! I finally broke down. I was tired of him looking like such a girl when his little tail would curl up. Now he looks so different to me. He's no longer my baby and he is an all out toddler. Oh my!

While in Manassa we...

After the funeral, we visited at Aunt Debbie's for a while. The kids had a big time dressing up and playing.

Here, Shayla is proving that blonds really do have more fun!! Ha ha!



 Jer looks like a Samoan! He he!

 Dallas was not happy to be dressed like a girl.

 Brook was my incredibly tight spider suit girl!

 We visited with Grandma and Grandpa Snuffy at their house too. The kids liked to play in their back yard. It was hard to see Grandma Snuffy not feeling well. I'm so happy the last day she looked so much better!

    Jillian gave Dallas a mohawk since his hair is really growing long! I thought he looked like a girl. ahh!

The girls are such good friends as well as cousins. Here they are posing! I have no idea what my child is doing! 

                                                     Here is Grandma Snuffy holding Dallas.

Grandma and Grandpa Snuffy with the Smith grandkids.

We went out to eat and Dallas was a little ham! It was the best Mexican food I've eaten since Mexico!!

After we ate lunch we all went to play a game of bowling. Can we say mass chaos! but fun.



Jer after a strike!



This is how mason fell asleep on the drive home. So funny!

It was so good to see family and visit and play together.



Grandma Bonnie's Funeral

Saturday afternoon, we headed towards Manassa, Colorado for Jer's Grandma Bonnie's funeral. We made a stop overnight in Pueblo where I was able to visit with my friend Aly and her fiance'. It was nice to talk with them. It really has been a long time. The next day we decided to wait for Jer's mom and Aunt Diana so we shopped around Pueblo for a little and looked around. I've never really been in that city before.

When we met up, we convoyed through the pass to get to Jer's home town of Manassa. Jer's Aunt Debbie was really nice to offer her home to us. We stayed at her house along with Jer's sister Amanda's family and his youngest sister Shayla. All the cousins had such a big time playing together. All of Jer's sisters came and the rest slept at Jer's Grandma and Grandpa Snuffy's house.

It was bitter sweet to see Jer's Grandma Snuffy. She just isn't feeling well at all. I felt so bad whenever we went to her house to visit because I didn't want my kids to stress her out and make her feel more pain.

I was invited to help dress Grandma Bonnie. I really think she looked so good. I'm so grateful for the experience. Later that night, there was the viewing. The kids attended and they really did so well. Brooklyn felt a little sad and we were able to explain to her that its okay to feel a little sad but we need to remember that she is in no more pain and that she is in heaven with family again.

Tuesday morning with the family viewing and the service. Mason asked to be picked up to see Grandma. He said "Bye Grandma. We love you. See you in Akron". I said you mean heaven right? Mase said, "Oh yeah, heaven". Ha ha ha! What a funny little guy.

Later I guess he was talking with his Grandpa Mo and he said "Grandpa, I think Grandma is ready to be put in the ground now". Oh man! The things kids say. 

That must have been important to him because we left the cemetery before they lowered her in the ground and Mason was really worried that they didn't put her box in the ground. I had to ask someone to send me a picture of it so he could be sure that everything was as it should be.

The funeral service was so good! It was short and sweet and to the point. I laughed, I cried and I felt the Spirit. Just like it should be. I told Jer, that's how I want my funeral to be one day. Short sweet and to the point.

Bye bye Grandma! We love you so much and we will miss you! 

Here is Dallas being so cute on the way there. He was making monkey sounds!

Following Cindy and Diana over the pass.

Here are 5 of 8 of the Smith grandkids. I thought they looked so cute in their Sunday clothes.

Jer was one of the Paul Bearers. Her coffin was so pretty!

Here Mason... She is safely under the ground now. Silly boy!

Grandma Bonnie

This morning we got a call that Jer's Grandma Bonnie passed away last night. It was a sad moment, but I also felt relief. Relief for Grandma because we know that she is no longer in any pain. Relief that she can finally see her son Barry again.

Grandma Bonnie was a very private person. Some might say she was hard to get close to. But I will always be grateful to Grandma for making me feel so loved and thought of. I remember that she used to call just to talk. She was always concerned about her grandchildren. One moment that I will always remember was not long ago Bonnie was having a hard day. She had gone into almost a comatose state. She couldn't talk or move. We were there to visit her and as soon as we put baby Dallas close to her she opened her eyes and said "Hi". It was the only thing she said that whole time but I know she knew we were there and she was happy to see us.

Grandma Bonnie,

Thank you for all your love and support. Thank you for the calls just when I seemed to need them. We will miss you a lot but I truly know you are where you need to be now. We love you!