They're FINALLY home!

In early February Grammy and Papa FINALLY got home from their 18 month mission to Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa. We missed them so much and their arrival was long awaited by those who love them.

We all made signs to hold up at the airport. It was quite the motley crew…

Our kids worked very hard on our families’ signs. Well done, kids!

Here we are waiting for them to come through security. They took FOREVER!!!

Still waiting…

They finally arrived! We could hardly believe they were back with all of us!

We spent a few wonderful days just playing around as family. One of the nights mom and dad spent telling us all about the wonderful things they brought home from Africa.

Here are they are in their African clothes…

Next, Grammy taught us how to sing “I Am a Child of God” in French.

Then, they told us about many wonderful African items they brought home with them…

Jewelry…

Headrest…

Head dressings… 

And how to hold a basket on our heads like the African people do…

Then, Papa showed us how to play his African drums…

Lastly, they shared with us some of the African artwork, and gave all of us some items that they had brought home for us.

It was a wonderful night to share as a family.

After they arrived, we were able to spend a few days together as a family before everyone had to head back home, and to work and school. It was a glorious reunion!

Harley’s 7th Birthday

Harley turned 6 just 2 days after my surgery, so we had done a little family party for her before the surgery. During February, we FINALLY had a party with her cute little friends. It was so much fun!

Harley’s friends were very generous with the gifts they gave her.

After some games, yummy food and treats, they got comfy to watch a movie before heading home.

Harley seemed to really enjoy herself.

Happy 7th birthday, little miss sunshine!

Tater’s 1st Tooth!

Tater tot lost her first tooth yesterday during school. She was so excited to tell everyone she saw about it. I even sent emails to a few relatives to share the news. Cute girl!

She’s growing up TOO fast!

Christmas 2010

This Christmas was especially fun because we had all the Stewart clan together. Even those from Washington and Texas came. As always, it was loud, crazy, chaotic, and SO MUCH FUN!!! Here are the highlights…

Christmas Eve, we had a wonderful dinner all together, followed by a Nativity acted out by all the kids under 12 years old. The girls got to be angels this year…

Chandler didn’t love the idea of being in the Nativity this year, and since he was almost 12, I told him he didn’t have to do it. So here he is, watching the show…

After the Nativity, there was a special visitor who arrived… The big man, himself, SANTA!!! The kids all got to have one last chance to make their Christmas wishes before the big day arrived.

Then, we headed home to open one gift, and head to bed. Christmas morning, Eric and I awoke to this…

Here they are with all their loot. Chandler got a Nintendo DS…

Shelby got rollerblades…

Harley got a “big bike”…

And Tatum got a “big girl scooter”… (I could get her to stand still long enough to take a picture of her. So, this is as good as it gets. She was just too excited!)

Lastly, Santa surprised the family with a blu-ray player and some videos. Even daddy was surprised about this one!

Lastly, the kids all had gifts that magically appeared under the tree all the way from Grammy and Papa in Africa (with a little help from mom and Deseret Book). When they opened them up, they were so excited that they all got “real” CTR rings holding some money. What a great gift! They LOVE wearing them, and telling everyone that they came from Grammy and Papa.

after playing with things for a little while, we were headed back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house to play with the cousins again. It was a long, busy, crazy, WONDERFUL day!

What a day!

So, how's your day going? Want to hear about mine?...

Harley came inches from getting hit by a car this morning on the way to school. She was trying to be obedient and stay on the side of the road like she was told, when her handlebar hit a garbage can, and she went flying into the street. Luckily the car that was coming was watching for kids and going slow enough that he had time to stop, but she was MAYBE 2 feet from being hit. It was so scary, and had her shaking uncontrollably in fear for quite a while. She kept saying that she wanted to go home and sit on the couch all day. I pictured her in the fetal position, staring into the distance, and knew that wouldn’t help. So, I spent some time just hold her until she wasn’t shaking anymore, and told her that she’d probably feel better if she went to school and told her friends and teachers about what happened. She agreed, got back on the bike, and headed for school.

Needless to say, we're all a little frazzled today. What a way to start the day!

OUCH!!!

Last week, I finally had my knee surgery. It was NOT an enjoyable experience! Surgery was about 90 minutes long, and there was some pretty significant pain afterward. I was on pain meds for 5 days, and take them occasionally at night still to be able to rest. But, I can feel major improvement everyday, so I’m feeling much better. My physical therapist is very pleased with my progress, and has promised to push me as much as he can to get me back to “normal” as quickly as possible. I go 3 days a week, and it’s not fun. But I know it’s productive pain, so I’m ok with it… sort of!

Here’s a picture of my leg a day or 2 after surgery in the immobilized brace (good times)…

Here’s a picture of it today. No brace or bandages needed. And I try to do without the crutches around the house…

I know… it looks kind of nasty, but I just got the stitches out yesterday. It’s looking much better, and feeling better, too. I’ll keep you updated as I progress. I hope to be doing cheer moves again in no time!  (Ssshhh! Don’t tell Eric or the Young Women. They’ve both banned me from doing any cheer moves in the future. We’ll see about that…)

We miss them both

This week was the anniversary of 2 of my grandparent’s death. Grandma “J” in 1996, and Grandpa Bird in 2009. I miss them both so much for different reasons…

Grandma “J” was a strong woman. The older I get, the more I realize the hard things that she endured in her life. It’s a miracle that she could carry on after some of her trials; Two of which were losing a child, and losing her husband. Both happened within a very short time frame, and at a very young age. I’ve known people who have lost one or the other, but she lost both. I can’t imagine the pain she had to endure. As long as I can remember, she was very frail. She was a tiny little thing who would constantly be applying chapstick with her shaky little hands. I loved her house. It was a small one in Provo. As I think back on it now, I wish I’d have realized how significant it was that we were visiting the very house my dad grew up it. I wish I would have asked more questions about the things that went on there, and what life was like for them in that house. Someone else owns it now and has made some changes to it, but I still love to drive by there when we go to Utah, and remember the good times there.

Grandma lived in Utah, and we’d visit her as often as we could. One particular trip will stick with me forever… Grandma had been sick, as she often was when we would visit. This time, she was at my Aunt JoAnn’s house, resting on her living room couch. I went in to check on her and she asked me to sit on the floor next to her and talk with her. She held my hands as we visited. We only talked for a short time, but I will never forget that moment. My Grandma, the woman who had endured so much, told me that SHE was proud of ME for how I had endured my trials. I remember feeling so connected to her at that moment. My trials were of a medical nature, and though I thought they were significant, they were nothing compared to the trials she had seen in her life. She told me that she wished she could make them go away, and that someday they might, and that I would be a better person for that. I wish I’d have taken that time to ask her more about her life and her trials. But, I didn’t.

She was a beautiful woman who raised a great family. I hope she is proud of the legacy she has left us.

 

Grandpa Bird… Well… there just aren’t enough words to express what kid of man he was. The best ones to use to sum him up are… ALWAYS THERE! Grandpa had this way of knowing about everything in our lives. He’d threaten to beat up boys who gave us grief. He’d attend every event we ever had, including sports, concerts, plays, birthday parties, etc… He was at every Christmas I can remember. He was involved up to his elbows in every project that we did, including our science projects, eagle projects, home improvement projects, etc… He had a new joke every time we’d see him, and mom would always have to ask if it was clean before he told it. He made the GREATEST homemade bread and chocolate chip cookies. He’d entertain us for hours with various woodworking projects when we’d have sleepovers. He was so generous and charitable, but he didn’t want to be noticed for being such. He was a tough old bat! I swear he lived into the wee hours of his birthday, just so he could say he lived to be 90! He was feisty, but that’s what made him so amazing!

For a long time, I was convinced that Grandpa was never going to leave us even though he had a bad heart for almost my entire life. He got sick occasionally and would require a trip to the hospital. Every time he did, we  thought this would be his last fight. But NO! Grandpa would kick whatever it was and be back at the gym, working out, in a flash. He always amazed us!

The greatest thing about Grandpa was that he LOVED my Grandma! They had their fights, always referring to the quote, “Our marriage was made in heaven… But so were thunder and lightning!” However, we always knew that he LOVED her, and he proved that later in their lives. Grandma had Alzheimer's, and he was SURE that he could give her the best care she needed… and he was right! He did everything for her with such love. No matter how mad or upset she got, he would reassure her and love her back to feeling calm and peaceful. He cooked, cleaned, and cared for her in a way NO ONE else could have. When he couldn’t physically lift her or care for her, he found the best people he could to help him to continue to lovingly care for her. He was such a great example of how to love unconditionally!

 

A recent family reunion was referred to as a “genealogy trip”. I am so grateful for the genealogy trips and moments that we took often growing up. They gave us opportunities to connect with those who we’ll be connected to for the eternities.

We miss you Grandpa Bird and Grandma “J”,  and we can’t wait to see you again after this life!