The Secret Garden...June 2011

For a few years my goal has been to create a "Secret Garden" in our Children's Garden in the back yard. Last summer I wanted to get to it but couldn't decide on exactly how I wanted to do it and what product to use to create a wall. Well, it came together a few weeks ago and I hired Austin (who needed to earn funds for football) to help me construct the wall. So on Friday we rented a pickup truck and got a pallet of blocks from Lehi Block (a pallet contains 100 blocks and to give you an idea of how much weight Austin and I...especially Austin....lifted...it weighs 2600 lbs!) and got the boys (Logan helped Grandpa clean the garage) and heade home to unload. The next day Austin and I began our project at 8:30 a.m. amd finished around 5:45 p.m. We were tired but very happy with the results. I need to get about a 100 more blocks to finish my wall but we got the hardest part done.

The photos show the garden "before", Austin laying block, and our "finished" project to this point.

A bit of Navy, a Graduation, and a Piano Recital

One of these days I will get it right...but for now I will describe the date and the picture! Okay? Following Courtney's Piano Recital on Saturday, June 4th, I got a cute picture of McKenna outside the Legacy Retirement Center where the recital was held.

Courtney posing by the fountain and flowers following her recital.

Courtney before her recital...so adorably cute...and a little nervous! She did such a great job

on her two pieces!

Alex on Graduation Day, Thursday, June 2nd, posing with Grandpa, Grandma, and Great-Grandma. This was taken after the ceremony.

The family following graduation. Matthew was making that interesting face on purpose...I just didn't catch him by surprise!
Brent and Karen with their newly graduated Alex! Congratulations to you!

The parents got to go up with their son or daughter (the parents signed the diploma and then presented it to them.

Alex performing on the piano a composition of his. He did a really great job! He is seated at the piano to the right of Karen (in the light blue dress).

The proud mama and her proud Graduate!!

Alex before we went in to the Graduation...with the tassel on the left side. Not graduated yet!! What a handsome young man!!

Before Graduation we joined Brent, Karen, the boys, and Karen's dad and his wife for Graduation Dinner at Tepanaki Steak House! The food was delicious and it was a lot of fun watching the Japanese Chef cooking dinner on the grill at our table. He was really entertaining!

An onion ring tower. I thought I had got a picture of a flame coming out of the top of the tower...but I guess not.

Our Chef cooking Fried Rice....delicious!

On Wednesday, June 1st, we had the opportunity to visit Logan's classroom! It was so much fun! Logan wanted to do a special presentation on the Navy. He wants to go to the Naval Academy when he grows up and has been doing a lot of research on the Navy. He asked Grandpa if he would come and talk about the Navy to his class. Here is Logan describing the chart (really well done) he made to his class.

Dad/Grandpa talking to the class about his experiences in the Navy...Vietnam, ships, submarine, medals, etc. The class was really attentive and had lots of questions. Another boy in the class (Logan's best friend) also wants to go to the Academy and really enjoyed the class. It was an awesome experience for all of us! Thanks, Logan, for inviting us! We are so proud of you!

Hiking trip down south

On June 9th - 12, 2011 Jennifer and I took our annual hiking trip...going to Dead Horse Point, Canyonlands (Needles District...there are three areas and we have done one two years ago so did the second this year), and Natural Bridges. We wanted to do a hike in Capitol Reef but it had snowed and rained most of the day and we thought the trail might possibly not be safe so didn't do that one. Here are a few pictures of some places we went.

In the Natural Bridges area this was the third bridge we hiked down to. Pretty awesome! This was a relatively easy and safe hike.


The second bridge we hiked down to was a different story. Some areas were safe such as this one that Jennifer is posing by. The rock steps were steep but safe.

But then we had really steep areas with some steps that were small and on very tight corners with a drop off on one side. This shows one area of steep slick rock, small steps and a wood ladder we had to go down. There were railings in some areas like this one to help with safety going down and coming back up. It doesn't look to scary in the photo but it was!!

This is at the bottom and it was beautiful! There was a little lake at the bottom from the rain...and me! To prove I made it all the way down in one piece! The bridge was awesome but I couldn't get a full picture of it down there.


The picture below is of the bridge partway down.

This is Newspaper Rock...a close-up view!

The picture below gives a bigger picture of how much was "written" by the Indians a long time ago!

Newspaper Rock is just before one goes into Canyonlands. I am sorry I don't have more pictures to share but Jennifer took most of our photos on her camera and I haven't got copies yet. But this give you a little idea of where we went.

Hey there! I messed up on my last post. After I put the photos on I accidently clicked on "publish post" before putting my commentary on. So here is the commentary!! Brent, Karen, and I ran in the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure on Saturday, May 7th. It was a fun experience and for such a worthy cause. The first photo is of me going to the finish but you can't see me...I'm hidden. The second one is of Brent and Karen heading to the finish. The third nearing the finish...you can just see Karen. The last is of us together! We did it and we are glad we did!!!

On Saturday, the 23rd, Stephanie and Dan hosted our annual King Family Easter Egg Hunt and lunch. Below are the pictures I took of our fun event for all of you to see and copy if you wish!

Tyler was the second "finders keepers losers weepers" recipient of a Golden Egg! Couretney found the first.

What a fun day! The BBQ was great (thanks Dan!) and the side dishes were yummy! Looks like everybody had a really fun time! We missed you and your family, Cheryl!

Hey everybody...I am back!! I decided to try my hand at blogging again and as you can see I need a lot of help and practice!!!!

I thought I would begin by posting pictures of our recent adventures with McKenna and Courtney while Stephanie and Dan were in Hawaii...that way Stephanie can see what her "sweeties" were up to while she was away!

The photos were posted backwards ????but at least you can see them and I will put the dates below them.

The first one is on April 13th. It is Easter Sugar Cookie baking day. The girls are decorating 12 cookies each...and they did a grand job!

The second one is a "dough (snow) man" Courtney made out of left-over dough. McKenna sprinkled it with flour to give it a snowy touch!

Courtney rolling out the dough and getting ready to cut out her cookies. Next McKenna cutting out hers!

I did something...I don't know what...and my picture of the Museum was deleted so I posted it again and it went to the top. Are you getting dizzy yet?? Anyway now the second picture at the top was taken on April 12th at the BYU Museum of Art. We went to see the magnificent Carl Bloch display of his paintings of the Savior.

The pictures below were taken on April 11th at the Payson Bowling Lanes. McKenna was demostrating a new bowling move and I think she actually made a strike with one of these moves!?!

Courtney letting it rip!

Well, there you have it! Hope you enjoyed my amazing blog today!!?! Now...doesn't it make you feel like a professional? Help...any tips would be appreciated!

A portion of our backyard I wanted to have set aside for a Children's Garden...sort of a Secret Garden without the wall. It has been a few years in the making and I still have some things I still want to do but on the two walkways going into the bench area I have put cement stepping stones that each of the grandkids have made with their names and handprints, etc. on them. On Memorial Day, June 1st, Greg's family was moving back to Utah from Phoenix and stopped at our home on the way to Lehi for a visit and BBQ. Brent's family came down from Salt Lake to join us and give the boys a chance to play. So while I had the boys here I had them chose a perennial they wanted to plant close to where their stepping stone is so they will have their own flowers blooming each year. What fun! Alex, in the first picture,planted a poppy plant. In the next picture Austin, Logan, Matthew, Tyler, and Alex on the bench are posing by their flowers. In the next picture (which should have been second) Austin is watering his newly planted flower. The last is of all the boys except Austin. Aren't they adorable?!!!!Yes! As soon as I can get McKenna and Courtney down here we will go buy their plants to plant by their stones and when Abi is out here in July from Wisconsin she gets to go get her plant to put into the garden. No matter where the kids are in the future they will know their flowers are growing in their garden at Grandma's home!

Mother's Day Blog Package

Sorry it has taken me so long to get back to my blog but Cheryl has tried to walk me through this so I can post my gift pictures on my blog. I don't know how this will look when I finished but it is my first time to post pictures. The other pictures on my blog were done by helpers!! So here goes! The theme of Cheryl's package to me was "My Favorite Things" from "The Sound of Music". So my gifts were wrapped in "brown paper packages tied up in string"! So FUN!! The other picture shows the gifts she sent...things she likes that I also happen to like...People Magazine, notebook and stackable pencils, candy treats (sprees, etc.), book labels, lemonade packets, hot cocoa, DVD"Persuasion", popcorn and containers, bookmark, mascara, the book "Princess Academy", 2 tickets to Cinemark Theatres...and a little "Monsters and Aliens" toy from Abi. It was so much fun opening this package on Mother's Day! Thank you so much,Cheryl!! This package was awesome!!!