Santa's Little Helper!

Papa Randall works at a bank. Every Christmas they collect gently used and new Teddy Bears. Sometimes other stuffed animals get donated, they accept them all and then give them to children who wouldn't otherwise get any presents.


I was hanging with Izzy on Monday and we had just done an inspection of a home (yes, my grand children do go to work with me!). We were near the bank so I asked Izzy if she would like to go to the store and buy a bear and then give it to the bank so they could give it to a little boy or girl, Izzy's response was "I don't understand". I am not kidding, she must have said that same line 3 or 4 times. I tried another tactic about how sad it was if other little boys and girls didn't have any toys for Christmas, so now she was really confused with sad, giving it away, etc !!We found a Wal Mart, I told her it had to be a soft bear and she kept repeating a "soft cuddly bear" - and then I would again explain what we were going to do with the bear only to get the "I don't understand" ...... We found just the perfect bear, Blacky, is what we named him (I was worried about naming him for fear she would become too attached, what do you think???)

When we got to the bank and went in Izzy was totally blown away by the amount of stuffed animals (so was I - probably 3-4 hundred!!) It was absolutely astounding how many they had spread out under and around the Christmas tree. We took Phunt Phunt in so he could learn what this giving season is all about too!

Isabella was so excited to sit amongst ALL of the animals with her Phunt Phunt, in fact she is sitting ON top of Blacky (how quickly we forget!!)

We talked some more about how she had a lot of toys and we were going to leave Blacky at the bank for some other little boy or girl. I believe she finally began to understand just what was going on!Blacky ended up being the one and only black bear under that Christmas tree, good choice Izz!

Of course before we could go she needed to hug the puppy, Tigger and Curious George good bye!

And last but not least, she gave her Blacky a big hug and kiss, and left him for another little child to enjoy!! Thanks Izzy for being such a giving little girl and for helping another have a toy for Christmas!!

This was a fun opportunity. I was going to take Luke to get a bear on Friday but found out the animals were donated on Wednesday :( Just a shout out to you kids, I will be planning a day with each grand child next year and we will go get a treat, an animal and go donate it to Papa Randall's bank! Another tradition in the making. xoxo

We Had 'em for 17 Hours!!

Yes the Bills family arrived Thursday, December 4 around 6:00pm and were scrambling out the door the next morning and off to American Fork by 11:00a.m.!!

We crammed as much fun in as possible, rallied the rest of the family, ordered Cafe Rio, opened Christmas jammies, took photos, met Penelope Jane for the first time (they all loved her!) Visited, hugged, laughed and stayed up way too late but enjoyed every minute of it!

It's obvious I am a very proud Nana Sue! Please be sure to get a good look at all 7 of our darling grand kids as my terrific blog header!!

These two little gals are almost twins!! Izzy came April 12 and Sofi April 20. It's always so fun to watch them get re-acquainted - at first they're not too sure of each other and then they finally warm up and play.

Thanks Bills for coming for a short but fun visit! We love and miss you all!! xoxo

Max and Mother Goose!

Max has a terrific kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Wallace. I was lucky enough to be able to attend his Mother Goose Program!

We arrived ALL of the students were in their place on the platform stage and were as STILL as could be, were these kids REALLY 6 year olds!

As soon as everyone was seated Mrs. Wallace began her magic, wow, what a talented and loving teacher she is! This darling children sang their hearts out, had great action moves for the songs and also displayed their art work for other songs.

We were treated to cookies and milk when it was over! Congratulations Max your program was a wonderful success and I loved that you knew the words to ALL the songs!!

Happy Birthday Blog!

Somewhere last month, November, my blog turned 1. So happy day to this delightful way to share memories with friends and family!

I know I have sorely neglected my record keeping, but the way I figure it, ALL of the posts on this glorious blog are more than what I would have done in a normal journal - so hey - this has been a success, right!!??

On to other family excitement! I also challenge some of my friends out there to leave a comment once or twice so I know you are out there and alive.

Love and hugs to you all, xoxo!!

Pura Vida: Dublin, California!

We had our own brand of excitement in Dublin, Ca while the girls' mom and dad were away in Costa Rica! Here is Miss Sofi at the Golden Apple checking out one of those musical jewelry boxes, the girls love to hang out and look at all the fun toys. Lucy was certain she could find just the "right" work book, no luck. Kaylee had her eye on the Calico Critters. We tried to get to Golden Apple the first evening I was there......Gladys (GPS Gal) was out of sorts and we just kept going around in circles doing u-turns......Kaylee wondered why all the people kept honking at us - I realized I didn't have my head lights on, whoa is me!! We went home and tried Golden Apple the next day in the day light, Gladys performed like a champ! Unpacking boxes was something we tried to do "some" of, we didn't get many emptied out, in fact this one just happened to have a little 2 1/2 year old in it!!

Occassionally a few things would go missing while I was at the Bills' home......I learned real fast that Sofi would quietly "save" things on this bottom shelf of Marisa's bakers rack!! (such as the car keys!!!)

Sunday morning was the Primary Program. Lucy had to learn her part quick, we got it from the Primary President on Thursday and Lucy had it totally memorized by Friday. Kaylee already knew her part and they both did a terrific job. Sofi was a great sport and made it all the way through the program!

Since we had Gladys, I decided going to a pond to feed the ducks would be in order. After Sofi's nap and the girls rested on Sunday I googled "feed ducks near Dublin, Ca" well what do you know, a park came up not too far, I think it was called Oak Hill Park. We grabbed the bread and headed out, cheering Gladys on!

One day I needed to get Lucy to her pre-school and I couldn't find John Knox in the GPS - Lucy assured me she knew just how to get there.....then she said she could maybe tell me how to get there and then she said she wasn't really certain how to get there, haha, I checked with information and got the address, again, Gladys to the rescue!! Lucy was happy to get to school on time!

The ducks were in seventh heaven and FLOCKED to where the girls were feeding them!! It was a fun time with the ducks, some of them even started following us out of the park!

Sofi is a very, very smart little girl. Often when I would ask her if she had a poopy diaper she would say "no way Jose"! That was her standard answer to most things - with "though" stuck on the end of her sentences.......this particular day as I walked by her in the living room and saw her hands I thought "gee I don't remember them having any chocolate to eat......" Upon further and closer inspection I determined much to my dismay that it was NOT chocolate, not even close--- yuck and yikes though, she had decided finger painting was in order!! Luckily I caught up with her BEFORE it got spread anywhere! I have to admit I was laughing pretty hard as I cleaned her up and tried to explain why this was NOT appropriate behavior haha!!

Here we are waiting at the Bart for Mom and Dad to return. The girls were so excited for their folks to be home! They really were great helpers and got along with each other the whole time I was there. We worked hard to clean up the house, they helped me fold clothes, clean out the van and tidy up their rooms. Lindsay had made them job charts and they did a good job getting things done everyday so they could earn different things.

It was a joyous reunion for the Bills family, welcome home mommy and daddy!!

What a Guy!

This sweet man, Don Benson, Randy's dad, passed away Thursday, November 6. He had just seen Pepper and was scheduled to have his rotator cuff operated on in December. He also had a case of walking pneumonia. He went to bed on Wednesday and decided not to wake up on Thursday.....oh that we all could leave this world so peacefully.

I will post a few more photos later, but just had to let everyone know what a quiet giant of a man Don was. He was forever building and/or remodeling things, even in their condo! He loved to be "doing" all the time. When his drivers license was taken from him for 3 months he bought a 3 wheel bike and rode to the church, Albertson's and even to Shopko from their home in Centerville, that trip alone was 7 miles round trip!!

He served as ward financial clerk for over 30 years and was meticulous about this job. He was also totally deaf for most of his adult life, he was great at reading lips and had a terrific sense of humor about his handicap. What he lacked in hearing he more than made up in the service he rendered to others.

I am so thankful I have this man as a father in law. I am also so greatful that he is with family and friends and that he can HEAR now! What a blessing the gospel is in our lives!

I love you Don and will miss you--until we meet again.....

Oooh---- HaPPy HaLLowEen!!!

Today was one of the warmest days we've had, up to 73 degrees! Perfect for those little spooks and goblins out trick or treating!! I spent some time with Doug, Linds and Izzy on Main street in Bountiful. The merchants hand out candy, some are dressed up, others read stories but most just hand out a lot of treats for the kiddies! Izzy had a pretty great time!

Lickin' her little cat lips, can't wait to get to that chocolate candy!!

Izz and her dad listening to a crazy story! Looks like the storyteller kept them BOTH interested!!
Lindsay and Cooper dog watching the lady tell the story, haha!

The cute Benson family, another Halloween for the books. Thanks guys for letting me tag along!

Then I headed over to Suni's place to catch Max and Luke, oops, I mean Batman and Batboy, before they started their night of trick or treating. This is what I found, oooooh scary!!

Such a darling little bat, Suni was just thrilled that he would put the costume on AND leave it on!

Ooooh, big bat wings!


Max was a very convincing Batman!

Suni and her cute boys!

As long as Luke had a sucker in hand, he knew it was ok to have on a bat costume!!!


Whoa, what a wing span!!

The cute boys and their darling "witch" momma!! Happy Halloween kids!!

Janetha, Marshall and Penny had a great Halloween party and other festivities this past week - here is Miss Penelope Jane - what a cute lady bug!!

Of course, Marshall is a milkshake......and cute Neef is a lovable bumble bee with Penny the "bug"!

I will let this photo speak for itself!! Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Lu-Lu Girl turns 5 Today!!!!

Happy, happy birthday to our Lucy girl!! Today she is 5 years old and so very excited for her special day! We are lucky to have such a cute 5 year old grand daughter in our family.

Lucy loves to help and make others feel good. I was the recipient of a great "medicure" on one of my trips to Dublin!

Lucy absolutely loves to go to the beach, swimming pool, water park, just about anywhere there is water or sand to play in! She likes to dig in the sand, Uncle Doug and Uncle Mike even buried her when we were at the beach last year!

Lu LOVES her sisters! They can be the very best of friends whether it is watching Sofi's shows, jumping on the tramp, riding scooters and bikes or just paling around the house - she is a good big sister and a great little sister!!

Lucy has the best big brown eyes!! We also are pretty impressed with her darling dimples!

One of the most endearing things to me is that Lucy can put anything on her head, whether it is a hat, headband, barret, clip etc. and look so totally darling - she also can pull off any style of clothing and yep, you guessed it, look darling!

We love you Lucy! Have a super terrific birthday today, eat lots of cake and ice cream, have fun opening and playing with your presents - this is YOUR special day!!! xoxoxo Papa Randall and Nana Sue