Helping Grandma get rid of "stuff"

David's family and Lindsay and kids all met me in West Point yesterday, the 24th of July, and they helped me sort out keepsakes and other stuff that they could use. I am trying to part with a lot of things that have accumulated over the years.

Lindsay points out some fun family photos.
Zeke and Apollo came too, and they loved running around the yard at first. Then they chose to stay in the hot sunroom so that they could be closer to their mom.
Here, Tami is letting water run out of storage water containers that have deteriorated from age.
Lindsay is checking out cupboards while Ema looks on.
Katherine chose this candy dispenser. It's been fun for me to hand kids quarters over recent years so that they could get M & M's. Doug and Mary Ann bought two of these from the people across the street from me, and they joked that I could have one as long as the money went to Matt's Mission Fund. (At least I hope you were joking, Doug...the quarters have been reused for the machine.)

Jennifer and her friend, Justin, look though my book collection.
When things get a little boring, there's always video.
Our Guy Kai.
Katherine.
While we were unearthing "treasures and trash" inside the house, David, Jordan, and Mike were in the shop. Mike will inherit this Infinity in December when he turns 16. Booth re-built it for Doug, but circumstances caused it to go to Tami or Jennifer, I believe. Jen was driving it when she put a dent in the fender.
David sure reminds me of his dad in this shot.
Ema and Ellyn look at my cache of hairbands. Mike chose Grandpa's store of coins in the foreground.
A stack of book that Tami chose.
They had a good time looking at all the random stuff I have squirreled away in my storage boxes. I learned the system from Lisa...one just throws stuff in any old numbered box, and then records alphabetically in a directory what is stored where. Really works great...only don't lose the directory. I never did.

In this little video, Ellyn is looking at a picture book. During the day, she was so darling...after overhearing the older people comment on things, she brought me a tin of watercolors found in the toy room and exclaimed, "GrandmaGreat this is so-o-o cute!" She was thrilled when I told her she could have it.


I love to see Ema playing with Kai.

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Kai said "DaDa."

Ema dancing. I gave the girls some little handbells that I used to use in my Workshop Way classroom.

Ellyn dancing and Ema points out the photo of Doug's kids.

I like this video clip where Ema worries because Lindsay is loading the car and Ellyn is still inside the house. Ema's a "little mother." One can hear the jets overhead.

There's a Lot Going On Around Here

On Sunday evening, we had our monthly Stoll Family Get-Together at Jackie's. Tiffany took this neat photo of us.
In this shot the kids are getting balloons ready for a water fight. Sam is in the foreground.
Sue with Lucy and Max. She said that they had a good time visiting in Utah.
Emma Claire.

Jim Brown and Freddie. We celebrated Lindsey's 9th birthday.

Landon goes after the target, andJackie helps Alex aim for the pinata.
Sarah.
On Friday, we dropped Summer off to play with Ema and Ellyn. Here they are in their dressups.

Ema looked pretty sad when we picked Summer up.
Doug and his family flew in on Sunday evening. I took these shots on Monday the 14th. This is Evelyn, Drew and Jackie.
Evy enjoys David's hammock.
Torie and Summer.

A video clip of the girls enjoying the patio.
Earlier in the week, Summer and I paid a visit to Walmart to find some new Grandma toys.
Doug and Mary Ann are loading my wonderful Maytag washer onto the pickup. The appliances were brand new before I moved to Salt Lake, and I have been wishing that I could have them here. Doug and Mary Ann assured me that loading and moving them was not a problem. (Actually, it involved a terrific amount of effort to get the old ones out and the new ones in...especially down the stairs and through a very tight door.) I am thrilled...I loved that washer and dryer to pieces, and Guenther finished the installation once they got them here. Thanks, thanks, thanks.
The girls are playing on the swings...the bar that Drew is on broke shortly after I took this shot. The weld just gave up the ghost.
Matthew did a great job of mowing the pasture and lawns.
He's not bad on the trampoline, either.
I like this photo of my two youngest grandchildren.

Fourth of July 2008

We had a wonderful Fourth of July. On Thursday, the third, I persuaded Guenther to take me to view the fireworks put on at Granite High. I learned to love the fireworks displays when I was young, and my folks took the family to the Cotton Bowl stadium to see the fireworks each year on July 4th. Guenther doesn't care to be in crowds, so he really didn't want to go, but he relented. The fireworks display designer/technical-engineer attends our ward, so I got to tell him today how very much I enjoyed the show.

Then, on Friday morning, we went to West Point early so that we could sit out in front of the house and watch the Big Parade with Lindsay and the kids.

Ellyn's all set. However, when the marching bands and loudspeakers came by blaring music, she wanted me to put my hands over her ears.

But she loved the candy that the marchers threw out. And she enjoyed the horses.



Ema's wondering how long it's going to take them to get to us.

Here we are. I gave all of the flags to Lindsay after the parade. On her computer, she has a photo of her as a teen holding those little flags while she saw the parade during one of her summertime visits to West Point.

Guenther got a kick out of the tractors.

Lindsay takes a photo of Kai.



And here he is. What a darling little chunk.






Some video clips..very, very, short.. of the parade.

Bob and Genie and the kids came up later in the morning.

Here, Bob is helping Guenther load some branches into the bed of the pick-up. Why the frown, honey?



Sue sent some fun photos of the kids to Guenther for Father's Day, thanking him for their good genes.


Shots of Lucy and Maxwell. Sue's right...they do have good genes. I adore the Stoll mouth.