HEAD MISSING!

Just an alert that, yes, we realize Peter is wifeless in this photo. Jill was not able to be with us the day Ethan was blessed (March 7th), but Becky has promised she can get her picture and photoshop it in..... so stay tuned for the full family picture!

Settlers of Catan - The Next Generation

Victor and I have at least one daily game. (You can do anything when you're retired!). We get Charles in there as often as possible just so we don't always get so mad at just each other when the mean cards come up to be played! Ethan spends a lot of time in the arms of one of us, especially since he has been really sick the last few days. I thought this picture was such a classic Father/son look-a-like photo that we had to blog it! He is really getting smiley now and reaching for things. Loves to be sung to and verbalizes with us a lot.

Six years!!! Becky & Charles have been married 6 years!!!

Here is the little family: Becky, Charles, Audrey and Ethan Graf. Hard to believe we have had them living with SIX whole years!

Got up early in the morning and made some awesome breakfast crepes to honor their wedding anniversary. We had some left-over cream cheese/whipped cream frosting which I put down the center of each crepe, then made some with blueberry filling, cherry filling and peach pie filling. Of course there had to also be Nutella ones (Hazelnut spread). To counteract all the sugar I made a sausage/brown rice & wheat kernel/egg & cheese mixture. Was all very good.

They got to eat on the China with the goldware. Grandpa and I had everyday dishes.

HATCH/WRIGHT WEDDING LUNCHEON

Colleen's (our daughter-in-law, Nathan's wife) beautiful mom Sandra Hatch finally got to marry Mr. Wright, literally, on March 6th. Because the Newport Beach Temple was closed they chose to come to Las Vegas to be sealed. Becky got to do the photo shoot and I volunteered to do the wedding luncheon.

This is the kid's food table. We had chicken nuggets and pizza for them along with doughnut holes, brownies, grapes, rice crispy treats, etc. I think my son Nathan got more of the pizza than the kids did though.

The Salad table and the GORGEOUS edible fruit basket that Sandra ordered

We may have gone overboard a bit on the dessert table! (Dieting does that to you. You just sort of dream about the stuff you are not currently eating!!)

Had a lady in our ward make them a surprise wedding cake. Peggy did a great job.

Also served barbecued beef sandwiches and roasted potatoes ("Guys NEED potatoes, right Larry?) as well as a variety of chips. Fed about 80 people from both sides of the family. They were all so gracious and appreciative and helpful at take-down time that it was worth all the planning and effort. Blending families is not always easy, but there is such goodness in the hearts of all these people that they can't help but blessed by this sealing.

Thank you good friends, Shellee Lewis and Glendya Carson for your kitchen help, support and constant good cheer as we chopped, diced and sliced!

SUNSETS, SEASHELLS, SAND, SURF ....and..... FOOD!!!!

The early morning sunrises were breathtaking. Always different and ever-changing.

Fun critters stay alive in the tide pools

This is how far out you can walk when the tide is out!

Howard and Carol, carefully selecting shells

The Taylor cabin, viewed from the ocean

Adriana's is the origin of fish tacos which are now featured on LOTS of Mexican eatery menus.
Adriana is the niece. Maria is the one who actually made and originated the tacos.

We had a wonderful few days of R & R with friends from our Chilean mission in San Felipe Mexico. Margene and Dennis Taylor own a wonderfully fun "cabin" overlooking the water. (Is a brick structure technically a cabin?? It's round and really perfect with a patio to sit on all day and watch the beach happenings). We also had fun and funny Howard and Carol Snow with us to keep us laughing and enjoying every breath of wind, every shell, every grain of sand. We played Canasta and Scum and walked and cooked and talked like crazy people. Up early to enjoy the gorgeous rising of the sun. To bed late cuz we had to play just one more round of Canasta.

Margene timed our visit at the end of Feb/beginning of March to coincide with the full moon and the low tides. When the water receded you could walk for BLOCKS out into the ocean and explore the tidepools and pick up shells and sand dollars by the gazillions. (Where can you do THAT on a California beach these days??). Had fish tacos in town, as well as visited the San Felipe Branch for Sunday meetings. I believe I slept better down there than I have in a very long time.

Only two things saddened our time there: The Wilsons were not able to join us as planned and we heard about the Earthquake in Concepcion, Chile. No internet, no phones, no TV...so the news and details had to wait till we got back to the U.S. How our hearts ached for all the people we had all known in Chile. We prayed hard and continue to do so as the stakes and wards continue to recover and administer help to others.