David and Henry

Henry James Dougal was born May 21st.  He weighed 6 1bs 14 oz and was 20 inches long.  I was able to spend the weekend taking care of William for David and Rosalee.  I had a lot of fun spending time with him.  I took William to the hospital several times to visit his mom and dad and new baby brother.  He wasn't sure at first what to think.  He would hold Henry for just a minute or less and then he was done. 

Marcella graduated from preschool - year 1 - she turns 5 in October so she will have another  year of preschool.  Nathan, Dann and I went to Orem for her graduation ceremony.  They sang a few songs then they received their diploma. 

Big changes are in store for this family.  They will be moving in July and leaving Utah.  They will be missed immensely.  We wish them the best as they start a new adventure in their lives and hope they come back often to visit!  (it's only a 24 hour drive).  I hope they like company because we will visit as often as we can.

We are excited for  the new addition that is coming to this family this month.  We will soon have another grandson and we are excited to meet him.  We are glad that they are only an hour away and hope to see them often. 

These two just celebrated their first anniversary in March.  They are both working and Nathan is going to school.  He wants to be an FBI agent.  They are living close to us (with us) and we enjoy having them here.
Amy was telling Nathan to smile so his teeth show because he never does - that is why the strange look.

 So this one is for you Amy.

Jason is trying to get through high school and get his diploma.  He is working through trying to figure out life and what he wants.  We love him and hope that he gets if figured out soon.

Dann is keeping busy since he retired.  He built another bathroom for us.  He is busy  with making furniture, gardening, fishing, relaxing and visiting his family.

I have been helping  a friend sew and make purses to try and sell.  I have been looking for a job but have not had any luck at that. 

That sums up what the family has been up to lately. We just keep plugging along.  I really enjoyed Sister Beck's talk at our Stake Conference about prioritizing our lives.  She gave 3 categories to help us prioritize.  The first being the essential things in life and we should do them everyday - they included - reading and studying the scriptures, prayer, going to the temple more often (not necessarily a daily thing), pondering and listening for answers, keeping covenants and attending sacrament meeting (also not a daily thing - weekly).
The next category was the necessary things in our lives - they included:  homemaking, cooking, cleaning, learning to be more self-reliant, laying aside the things of this world.  The third category was the nice to do things - (things that are fun to do but they wont save us)  such as:  crafts, hobbies, t.v., movies, recreational things etc. 
I have learned that doing the essential things first makes my day a lot easier to get through in spite of all the trials and daily things that happen.  The days that I skip in reading/studying scriptures and praying/pondering I seem to be more lazy, discouraged and unhappy.

On Saturday, Dann and I took Marcella to a PBS reading party. It was at the Fairgrounds in Salt Lake. She had a lot of fun making things, coloring, looking, exploring and eating. She was also able to pick out a book. She grabbed one of the first ones she saw. She was worried that the drums were going to start playing so she grabbed a book and said let's go. She wanted to get out of there before they started. They were loud and she doesn't like loud noises. It was fun having her stay with us for a few days.

Kanien anxiously waiting to hear our wonderful voices singing Happy Birthday to her. I forgot candles - so we used a 2, 6+2 to = 28.
Marcella's gingerbread house - so cute!

We celebrated Kanien's birthday on December 12th - a week early - everyone was able to come on that day and would not have been able to on the 19th. We made gingerbread houses, ate dinner, opened gifts and had cheesecake. I did not take very many pictures at all. We had a fun day being together. Happy Birthday Kanien!

Nathan, Amy, Aunt Maurine, Morgan(Amber's boy)

Cheryl, Derek and Uncle Bob
Ina, Amanda and Aunt Maurine,
Keith, Jason and Ashley
Dann, Myself, Aunt Marjorie and Nancy
Uncle Gary, Nancy's baby girl Emma and Jeff's back

We went to The Garden and had dinner with the Oviatt side of the family . Nancy flew into Salt Lake and wanted to see as many family members as she could. Not everyone could come but it was good seeing those who were able to be there.

Our family Halloween party - We carved pumpkins, played games, made bats and spiders, and ate. Later that night we dressed up and took Marcella, Lily and Claire trick or treating. David, Rose and William came trick or treating in their costumes later. It was a fun day to be with the family and spend time together.