A Winter's Wish

Better late than never(not really, just making myself feel better). A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Umbrell Family. Now, if we could only get some that Bear Lake snow down here my kids would be thrilled! Here are some highlights of the Umbrell 2011 year.






We moved! Again-seems every update has us moving. Well, we left our rental and found a spot to stick around for a good long time. It's just down the hill from our old spot, in Uintah. We love this little town nestled against the mountains. The good people welcomed us right in.












I(Emy-in case you were thinking Craig blogs hehe) grew my hair out! This may not seem like much to you but after 13 years of short hair I was thrilled with the change!






Craig discovered "Frogger" at Fat Cats. Insert big smiley face here. We love Fat Cats for birthdays at this house and Craig has found a way to make them extra special. Whenever he needs to take a break from work he and one or two other little boys(I mean guys) from work walk across the street to play a little Frogger. These office boys team up to "calculate" just the right timing to get as many tickets as possible.






Here he is after a good day at the "office". These additional tickets are then given to the next birthday person to add to their winnings. The kids love to watch the stream of tickets going into the counting machine. It's great birthday fun(and handfuls of cheap junky winnings) that keeps us returning.






My old flip phone broke and after two weeks of searching for the perfect clunky phone, I had to eat my words "I will never have an iPhone". And so began our collection of random, silly self pictures. Apple has a new fan!






My date for the big midnight opening of "Harry Potter". Don't you just love those cheeks! I love this boy! In a house full of estrogen, Spence is growing dearer to my heart with each passing roller coaster of emotions that fly around this place sometimes.













Kate and her summer of duct tape projects and cooking experiments. Rings, water bottle coverings, pens, bookmarks and bags of all sizes were made. Such a creative girl! And next time she makes cupcakes from scratch she is going to remember to use granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar. But we loved our dense as rocks, little bites of goodness.

Someone turned eight this year! Yessss!!! for friends birthday party, scouts, shopping for his first suit and getting baptized. Such a handsome young man. Spencer loves scouts! His baptism day was so nice. Good job on making good choices Spence.






Who would guess just seconds before(and after) this picture was taken they were arguing and not getting along. Loved the broom theme we had goin on this Halloween!























And....the announcement of a new Baby at the Umbrell house..................






Ok, not the sweet, soft sort of baby. But it still makes beautiful noises!






Craig is not an impulse buyer-ever!!! Which makes this story so much better!






We attended a Scout Charity auction this Holiday season. This lovely Baby Grand was up for grabs to the lowest bidder. Kaedell and I were up admiring this beauty and guessing the price it would normally sell for, thousands more than what we would ever pay for a piano. After dinner the live auction began. A very low starting bid was named and not a single bid was made for this piano, at a quarter of the cost! The announcer then said this item would not be sold and he would move to the next item. At that moment Craig raised his hand and said hold on. No contending bids were made and within seconds, the piano was ours! I was shocked and bouncing up and down I was so excited! It was delivered a few days later with the Piano Gallery employees saying "I can't even get a piano for the price you got it".












I played it and cried. My favorite Sunday pass time is playing church songs and putting my heart and soul into them, for the Lord "delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me". I was overcome with gratitude that we had been blessed with such a beautiful instrument that would bring music a little sweeter into our home.






Thank you my dearest Hubby! Thank you a thousand times over and over!






So welcome 2012! I look forward with a grateful heart to whatever comes our way!

Happy Birthday Alikans

Someone had a birthday!

Some cute little someone!

<3 <3 <3 Someone I love <3 <3 <3

I was over to Emilyn's when Spencer pulled up his birthday tribute on Em's iPad. Ali was there and she got to listen to Spencer read his very own tribute. When he finished reading his post, Ali looked at me and said, "Grandma, when are you going to write to me?" Something in the sound of her voice told me she really liked the letter part of the post where I spoke directly to Spencer. Maybe it made it more personal. What ever that reason, today I'm going to answer that question of hers.

In fact, I'm answering that question right now! "When am I going to write to you Miss Alikans?"

T O D A Y! Today is YOUR DAY Sprout! Right this very minute! Emilyn, go get your daughter and help her read this please!

Dear Alison, (I love your name!)

Nanners LOVES YOU!!! You already know that though, don't you? I'm telling you again anyway! I love you little girl!!! Did you know you're a prize! Yup! You are better than all the prizes you could ever win in a cracker jack box! You are better than any prize you could win anywhere! Even if I won the million dollar lottery, you are better than that prize! You, little girl, are the prize of all prizes! And I love you more than words could ever tell!

Look how cute you are in these pictures! Nana had so much fun taking you out for your birthday! Our trip to Rainbow Gardens was awesome! Do you remember the big giant potato chips? I do, because you shared them with me and I love potato chilps almost as much as I love you! (That's a lot!!!) I had so much fun on our birthday date! And I had so much fun taking your picture. I think your idea to sit in every chair was very clever. Look how cute they turned out!

That is one thing I love about you Ali girl, I love your smile! Your smile is a link to your bubbly personality. You are such a happy little girl. And that happiness is always bubbling and spilling out all over the place. It's always present in your smile! You have the prettiest smile ever. Did you know you are a good example to grandma. Every time I'm around you, you teach me how important it is to be happy! That's a very hard thing for some adults. You are a good example to grown ups every where!

There's something else I love about you. Do you know what that is? The other day you came over to my house and you and Anna were playing outside. The next thing I knew, you were playing with a new friend. You met Kyler and you made friends with him and I didn't even have to introduce you. Do you know how many kids come to grandma's house and have not had the courage to go over and meet Kyler. Not you! You are MISS FRIENDLY! You are outgoing, and friendly to everyone. You went outside and made a friend and Kyler thought you were awesome! Now he asks me when you are coming again! Wow, you are a good example! I like how kind you are to everyone around you! That is an admirable trait.

Now . . .let me see, what else do I love about you, besides E V E R Y T H I N G?

I love how strong willed you are. You are determined, and you have a strong mind. You know what's right and wrong and you always make such good decisions. Even when it's hard to make good choices, you still make them. You can do hard things. That's amazing. I love that about you! I also like how you know what you like. You know how to make up your mind. I love how you know yourself, who you are and what kind of person you want to be. You are not wishy washy!  You have a strong character! You're going to make a good leader Ali! Your friendly and outgoing and you are a natural born leader. You are going to have a good influence on everyone around you! I know that the kids you play with admire you and they want to be around you. You make people feel better about themselves and you make people want to be better. Wow, that's an awesome trait you have!

There's another quality I love about you Ali! You are thoughtful and considerate of other people's feelings. You are unselfish. I think that's why everyone loves to be with you. I remember last year at my Grandkiddie Christmas party. Somehow grandma messed up and got one more toy that was for a boy instead of a girl. Do you remember this? I can't remember who got the gift for the boy, but I remember tears (I think it was Eden) and grandma was beside herself with how to fix the awful mess! That is when you stepped up and I still remember exactly what you said,  You looked at me and then you spoke, "It's ok," you said, "I'll have it!" Oh my goodness! You took and traded your gift that was for a girl and you took the toy that was for a boy! Grandma nearly fell off her chair! Do you know what a big thing that was? Wow, you saved the day, you saved grandma's party! I will never forget that!

Well, that's not the first time I've seen you do that, and I know it's not the last time I'll see you do that. You are a very kind and generous little girl Alison. I love you for that! Well I could go on and on all day about you. Your fun, your energetic, your smart, your beautiful, you are important, and you, little lady, are my best friend! We are best friends forever, huh?

Thanks for being WONDERFUL! I'm so glad you are MY granddaughter! I am proud of you Ali! Every where I go I tell people all about YOU! You are very special to me! You are very special to everyone in our family. All your crazy aunts and uncles. Everyone LOVES YOU! And, I feel so lucky that I get to be YOUR GRANDMA! I'm the luckiest grandma ever! We are going to have a lot of fun ---YOU and ME! I hope you had an awesome birthday, since you are such an AWESOME KID!

OK SPROUT! I LOVE ---LOVE ---LOVE-A YOU! Your my Ali Cat! Grizzly Bear HUGS (Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr) and Butterfly kisses!

I love you! Grandpa loves you too!

Nana :)
PS. thanks for giving me the whip cream and cherry off your cake!

Happy Birthday Spencer-Roo

I would like to schedule my life so that I have some time to blog!

Stuff has been hindering me. Grrrrrrr

I love writing,

I love writing about life!

I love philosophizing!

And . . . if I get to write and philosophize about the people who mean everything to me,

 then that's even better.

Here is someone I love to write about!

He is a very special little boy!

(I won't be able to insert the word "little" much longer.) 

This great and spectacular person had a birthday! Not only that . . .

This very special boy turned 8 and got Baptized! A birthday and a baptism --- Holy COW!

When it comes to writing about my grandson having a birthday and getting baptized to boot, well, I gotta warn ya! I just might just be here a while. See, I've got to carry on and do quite a bit of bragging!

Spencer is one A W E S O M E (awesomest of the aswesomest) Kids 'Ev ...AAR'! He can read now too, so I'm going to write especially to him today! Maybe this can count for your reading session Roo. The one you have to do each night when you get home from school! (Spencer always does his homework! He is very SMART!)

So here we go!

DEAR SPENCER-ROO,

How are you today bud? I know your birthday and baptism has come and gone and I know grandma is tardy here on posting. I however know, that you will forgive me, because that is how you are, kind, thoughtful, and so forgiving!

Today, Nanners wants to tell you how much I love you! Yup, you are one of kind kid! And you're mine. I'm the luckiest Grandma on earth ---heck, I'm the luckiest Grandma in the whole galactic universe!

I love you bud!!! You are such a terrifical kid. I'm so happy to know that you and I are going to be best friends for all eternity! You are my best friend!

I had tons of fun taking you out for your birthday. Shopping with you was radical dude! I especially liked what you picked out, By the way ---you better not let your uncles see your new stuff or they'll make me go buy them one!

I also want to tell you today, I loved your baptism!

I'm glad you liked the towel that I made you. I put the baseball's on it because I know you love baseball and when it comes to any ball game or life in general, you are going to be a BIG hitter!

You looked so handsome in your white tie, shirt and pants. You are one handsome guy! I bet the girls won't leave you alone at school! You stay away from them. The girls at school are evil. Hahahaha I'm teasing you!

Did I tell you I had so much fun taking your picture at the Bountiful Temple? I was so happy we snapped the last frame before the people who care for the grounds came to remove the potato plants and all of the summer foliage. We got the last warmth and colors of summer, didn't we? Fall is here.

One thing I love about you Roo is that you never mind me taking your picture. Thanks for letting Grandma pester you with my camera! You never seem to mind, even when I take a million shots! You are patient and you have a good heart bud! You are always so good to me!!!

Now I want to tell you something before I sign off. You have so many wonderful qualities Spencer. You are kind and thoughtful Spenc. You are probably one of the most generous and thoughtful kids I know. REALLY! I've seen you share with your sisters and your friends. I've seen you save your gifts, treats and goodies, things you could have enjoyed yourself, but instead chose to save so that you could share them with others and I see you do that all the time. Did you know most kids aren't like that. You are very unselfish. That is a special quality at your age! You are also very appreciative! You always say thank you. You notice and appreciate what others do for you. And another thing that really impresses me is that you are responsible. Wow, for only being 8, you are good example even to some of us old people ---like me! You are a great kid Spenc! Don't ever forget it!

Today though, there is one thing I am particularly impressed with! It's the team you just signed up for. Did you know you chose a team to play for? I am so proud of you for dressing in that white jersey! I know you like to play sports. I know you love baseball and especially golf. Today though you signed up to play on the most important team there is. Choosing to play on your Savior's team is a choice that will make a difference every day you live! I'm proud of you Spencer. You are going to be a winning player! So I have a quote for you. It's by Elder Holland, Nana's favorite apostle. Here it is:

“The FUTURE of this world has long been DECLARED; the final outcome between GOOD and EVIL is already KNOWN. There is absolutely no question as to who WINS because the VICTORY has already been posted on the SCOREBOARD. The only really strange thing in all of this is that some of us are still down here on the FIELD trying to decide which TEAM’S JERSEY we want to wear!”

Today Spence, you have chosen to wear Christ's jersey. You've signed up for His team! You have chosen the winning side to play for bud ---way to go!  Remember everyday who's team yo picked and be the best teammate you can be. I know you will! Because that's how you are, when you decide to do something, you do a good job!

Well, bud ---Happy Birthday and Happy Baptism! You have so many people who love you! Grams and Gramps, all your crazy Aunts and Uncles, and all your crazy relatives!  Hahaha WE LOVE YOU ROO!!! To infinity and beyond! Thanks for being a wonderful boy Spencer and for being one awesome terrifical grandson! Now come over and get some treats!
I love you!!! Nanners
(HUGS and NOGGIN KNUCKLES!)

Happy Belated Everything Number Two

This photo was taken at Lake Powell last year. The photo is a last minute ditch effort on my part. Needed a picture for the blog, because in my happy belated everything, I almost forgot to insert a very important happy anniversary! In hunting for pictures, I can see I need to take more of the married people, husband and wife without the kids. None the less, I can't forget to wish this little couple a Happy Belated Anniversary!

I just want to say a couple of things about this husband and wife duo. They make an awesome team! And as I watch them age, I am more and more grateful for their union.

One complement I'd like to personally pay them today is centered around their parenting. Em and Craig have the most well behaved kids you'll ever meet. I'm not saying that just because their my grandkids. You ask anyone in my family and they will tell you, Em and Craig's kids are so pleasant to spend time with. No they are not perfect children, there are none of those, but for children, they are so well behaved it almost seems so. They are considerate, easy to be in the presence of, easy to reason with, and they take direction well. They are easy kids to discipline, they know their boundaries, and they respect them. They are respectful children, something I see less and less of in this day and age. The greatest thing every member of my family will tell you is, they are not whiners. They don't pitch fits either, they don't pout a whole lot. They are overall pretty managable kids. I don't know what Craig and Em do in their parenting, but they do it well. And the older their children grow, the more impressed I am.

I think, to a great extent, their parenting is a reflection of their marital relationship. Craig and Em have a solid spiritual union of love and respect for each other and the fact that God is in the center of that relationship, affects every fiber of their life, including their children. It spills over into ever aspect of their home, the relationship they have with their children, the relationship their children have with them and with each other, and it also spills over into their personal relationship as well. In this home there is a plethora of respect that abounds in everything, both for people and for things. I think it's the blessings of a Christ centered home.

So Happy Anniversary you two. Dad and I are so proud of how you are living your lives, all the great decisions you constantly make. It's a great thing to be able to say that not only about this couple, but about each one of our children. I can write the same thing about each one. I got such good kids! Em is the eldest in our family and I want to complement her and Craig for setting a great example in the couple department. So proud of all you are doing in your relationship with each other and in your home.

We love you both! Hope you had a great day! So happy you tied the knot all those years ago. How many? I can't keep track!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next, and not so long ago, a cute little boy had a birthday!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BINO!

Here is one awesome kid! And he had an awesome birthday. His birthay bash was a huge sucess. We all went swimming. This little boy is a regular fish! He even showed me how he can jump off the diving board and swim all by his little old lonesome self, right over to the side of the pool. You should have seen him. I was impressed!

I took Corbin shopping for his birthday the other day. I love this day! When your grandson is six years old, he can engage in quite the complex conversation. And I have to say those conversations are never boring. And the topics spring up and catch you by surprise like a tulip in December.

Warning! I'm not sure if there are any smokers who read my blog, but if so, this next paragraph or two is not meant to offend you. However, there are some very definite opinions of one six year old you might want to consider. And I have to say as an older adult, I fully agree with him!

The story started out as we pulled into the parking lot at Walmart. As I was parking the car, Corbin began telling me all about the little house next to the big store.

"Grandma," he said.

"Yes," I answered with my full attention.

"That's the house where people smoke."

I could see is obvious concern. Immediately he had my attention and I went into a dissertation on how observant he was.

He continued.

"Grandma,"

"Yes Corbs."

"Smoking is really, really bad for you!" He said it with a lot of stern emphasis. He said "Really" twice so there'd be no misunderstanding.

"I know it is," I said to him, matter of factly.

Then I asked, "How do you know it's bad for you Corbin?"

"I just know it," he retorted, as if that knowledge has always been with him.

By this time, we had climbed out of the car and he was holding my hand as we strolled across the parking lot. We were both walking silently, obviously deep in thought, pondering over the ill effects of smoking.

Just before we stepped into the store Corbin stopped me and looked up at me.

"Grandma," he said.

"Yes," I peered in at him, as if I were composed of all ears.

"I'm never ever gonna' smoke!"

chosing to be healthy right now while he is young and how impressed I was that he knew a great deal on taking good care of his body. I finished up with, "You're really smart, Corbs."

He humbly said, "Thanks."

The next step once we got inside Walmart was to make a birthday selection. Corbin is a man who knows what he likes.

We strolled down each isle at least twice. We spent extra time in the Lego's since that is Corbin's absolute favorite.

We also had an interesting conversation on budgeting. I ask him if he knew what a budget was and he quickly told me no. I explained that a budget had to do with money. I was honest and upfront and told him I detested all budgets. I even disclosed how pathetically horrible I am at keeping them. He totally sympathized with me. I went on to explain that he had twenty dollars to spend and that was his budget and today we were sticking to it.

The kid is a genius because he immediately told me he wasn't sure if that was enough! Then he said, "My mom says Lego's are really expensive, grandma. I want to buy some Lego's. Then he asked me, "Will twenty dollars buy Lego's?"

"Probably not," I answered.

It was a logical question. I showed him the shelves with the prices under each item. I told him he had to pick things that started with a two and that anything higher was off limits. He caught on real fast.

You know kids are a lot smarter than they appear! Age is no factor in the smarts department or the finagling department either. I think sometimes, the younger a kid is, the more ingenious they are! And what's more, they like to fool you into thinking they aren't ingenious, when they totally are!

I was happy, he stuck to his budget without complaints and It wasn't long when he made his selection.

After Walmart, we hit his favorite place to eat, McDonalds. It's all about the kid meal, when you are six. And I have to interject here, Corbin really is health minded, because he chose apple slices over french fries. What a smart kid. I got the fries.

We had so much fun eating, talking, and laughing at the silliest things ever. The whole event was nothing short of superb!

Well Corbs, Grandma had the funnest day ever. You are the best kid; Fun to be with, bright as they come, good through and through, and a wonderful boy! In short, you are growing into the one fantastic human being. I'm so glad you are mine! I love you to infinity and beyond! Everyone wishes you the best Happy Birthday a little boy can have. Hope it was that and more. We love you! Happy Birthday Bud!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One little girl gets really excited when it's her brother's birthday.

She knows, after his birthday it's hers!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DOODLE BUG!
You are the cutest little cupcake in the pan!

Every time I point my camera in this little girl's direction I have to be quick. I've decided I'm going to take a photography class on shooting sports. I can see with Eden Rose, I'm going to need to shoot in shutter priority, all the time. That way I can catch all of her animations in full speed.

With Eden Rose, you had better be prepared for action. I'm pretty proud of myself in regards to capturing the above photograph. As you can see I caught her just before she ran out of the frame.

This little girl is always on the go. I'd like to bottle some of her energy and drink it. 

And as you can see, even Corbin is no match for her supreme vitality. 

She is so funny. It cracked me up how she tackled her brother and then posed sweetly for the picture. One thing I know for certain about this little girl, is that she's going to have no problem tackling life!

Eden is so funny. She always has me giggling. These pictures were taken after her dance recital.

This is her recital. Eden is the first little girl on the left. As you will see, it took me a minute to find her.

First Dance Recital from Faye Crowther on Vimeo.

Isn't she cute!

Kaedell would tell me the funniest stories about Eden at her dance classes. She loved to dress up in her dancing clothes, but I'm not sure about the rest of it.

And this little girl knows her mind. She has so much confidence for a 4 year old.

For Eden's birthday, she got to go to build a bear. She was elated. She loves her 'Wish Bear' she made.

I took this picture at the new house. These kids are pretty excited about their new surroundings and I'm so excited for them.

When I look at Eden I am taken back in time. Such a good time. Her pure white hair and her complete excitement with living reminds me of her mother. Eden is most completely Kaedell's clone.

So full of life. Happy and exuberant over it all. And don't underestimate her determination, because there is never a lack of it. Eden can do anything she puts her mind to. I get such a kick out of her. 

I can't wait till our birthday date together. I'm calling her today. I can't begin to imagine what our conversations will center around. I know one thing for sure though, the day won't lack for charm, enchantment, and magnetism. Life will show up in all it's color and we'll have the best time ever!

Grandma loves you, Eddie Begeety! You little girl, are a SWEETY! And life just wouldn't be any fun without you. Hope you had a spectacular day, because you are most definitely a spectacular 4 year old and life is so much better with you in it! Happy Birthday, Lovey!