Random Memories

Here are a few random photos of things I want to remember about Christmas 2016

Three of my handsome boys - Scott, Jackson and Matt

 

Isabella having a 'spa day' in the sink!

 

We took a drive to Newport and decided to see if there were any seals on the pier! There were lots of them. We could hear them long before we saw them.  Super noisy and and hilarious to watch!

 

A gift from friends that we unwrapped was a funny little stuffed fox with a hard round head.  We couldn't figure out what it was to be used for...a cell phone holder, a hot chocolate topper to keep the drink warm?????  We had many guesses.  Jackson however took one sniff and knew exactly what it was.....a dog toy.  Inside the head is a tennis ball.  Jackson smelled that scent right away!  And he waited patiently for the rest of us to figure it out!

 

I'm sure I'll never forget this Christmas - our first as Grandparents! 

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning is always such a great time!  While I know that gifts should not be the focus of Christmas, watching the people I love enjoy what I have bought for them is a joy!

 

 

Ok, maybe we did go a bit overboard with Isabella this year....

 

Her shirt says, "Who needs Santa when you have Grandma." 

 

Baby clothes are just so darn cute!

Oregon Coast 2015

We love the Oregon coast!  It is spectacularly beautiful.

 

I think Isabella will enjoy it more in the years to come!

 

I love my family and love to share good times with them in such a beautiful place.

Argentine Dinner

And speaking of Monica, she is a great cook!  John is a lucky man!  One night she made us a typical Argentine dinner.

 Handmade gnocchi

Delicious but a lot of work!

Chicken Milanese which is breaded chicken served with a tomato sauce and melted cheese.  Yummy!

 

Very fun to taste a bit of her Argentine culture! Thanks Monica for sharing with us!

Monica

We all fell in love with Monica over Christmas!  She was a great sport and willing to participate in all our 'weird' traditions!

Winter trips across the mountains!

Pumpkin Pie - We taught her the proper way to eat it, with lots of whipped cream!

 

Cutting and decorating a Christmas Tree!

 

Reading the Polar Express on Christmas Eve.  I did find it in Spanish.

 

Christmas Stockings 

 

Jigsaw puzzles and snowman plates!

 

Beach houses on the Oregon Coast

 She is a great addition to our family!

 

 

 

 

Grandpa George

George got to meet Isabella when we drove over to Boise on the December 20th.

 

It was love at first sight!

 

 

#24 Yep I'm crazy!

Do you ever do something and realize that you are a little bit crazy?  I had one of those experiences yesterday.

I am totally enjoying my two weeks off from teaching early morning seminary but I have long lists of things I want to get done.  Top of my list yesterday was to put away all the Christmas decorations and get my house back to normal.  In the morning I got a call from Guide Dogs for the Blind asking if I wanted to take a foster dog for a few days.  We haven't had a dog in months so I was really excited about this!  I made arrangements to drive out and pick him up in the afternoon early enough that I wouldn't get caught in the crazy Portland traffic on my drive back.  Time came for me to leave to get him and I was still right in the middle of putting things away.  My house was a disaster area!  I thought, "Oh I can't go get him.  My house is too messy." I felt myself getting all anxious and was racing around to finish. 

Then it hit me....the dog doesn't care if my house looks like this. What's he going to do?  Report me?? I'm acting crazy!

I left immediately and we now have Foster Guide Dog #24 - a very large and very relaxed lab/golden cross named Burke who didn't complain even once about the boxes.  He'll be matched with a blind person on Monday so we only get to enjoy him for a few days.  I'm adding dog snuggle time and several walks a day to my 'to do list' and it feels great!

Welcome to the USA!

I'm not the only one to welcome John, Mónica, and Isabella to the USA!  Tammy met us at the airport in Salt Lake with an infant car seat plus coats and blankets for all!  We made a quick trip downtown so that Monica could see the Salt Lake Temple.  It's doubly beautiful in the snow.  

We enjoyed lunch in the food court at City Creek Mall and my sweet friend Jan came over to  visit with us!  I even let her have a turn holding Isabella!  Jan is one of the most thoughtful people I know!

It was a day of firsts.....Isabella's first time in a car seat....Monica's first snowfall....first airplane trips....first time in the USA....first time meeting the extended Lewis family and friends. Everyone stayed happy even after 15 hours on planes, hours in airports, jet lag, and no sleep!

 Waiting in Boise with flowers for Monica were Uncles Matt and Scott!

I think they were pretty smitten by their new little niece!

 Grammy Marilyn is definitely in love!

 How could you not fall in love with this little angel!

 She's all ready to enjoy Christmas in the Northwest! Let it snow!  Let it snow!  Let it snow!

Grandbabies

Grandbabies

All you need to do is hold one

 

to know how heaven feels! 

December 14, 2015 

My first time holding Isabella was in the airport in Salt Lake when I surprised John and Monica as they arrived from Buenos Aires.  What a special day for me!

Two Happy Girls

 Sweet Isabella is smiling!   I think it is because she has her passport!

Do you know what that means?  She and her Mommy and Daddy will soon be arriving in the US!!!!! That makes Grammie really happy!!!

Ups and Downs in Seminary

The best advice I ever got about teaching seminary was this, "You won't hit a home run every lesson."  Well this last week I felt like I had a week of strikeouts!  It is our 13th week of seminary.  It's the week after taking a entire week off for Thanksgiving.  Plus there is the excitement of Christmas in the air! I felt like the kids were the least attentive they've been all year.  There was much more chatting with their neighbors and a lot less involvement in the lesson.  Sigh!  I felt like it just didn't go well at all and was discouraged. 

Amazingly enough though, the spirit prompted me to take some photos with my phone during the week and as I looked back at them I felt so much better.

First lessons were on Moses and the Tabernacle of the Congregation.  This is a replica built by a former seminary teacher in our stake.  In this photo the roof isn't on the tent of the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies so that we  could add the interior furnishings.   This photo doesn't do it justice.  She put an amazing amount of work into this.  Really helped our class see the symbolism to the Savior,  the Plan of Salvation, prayer, sacrifice....having this wonderful visual made that lesson come alive.  

 

For the lesson about the Children of Israel building and worshiping the golden calf, I gave them play dough so that they could make current 'idols' we worship.  I especially loved this "Tweet"....yes we can 'worship' social media!

 

We talked about how the Children of Israel had so many reasons to always be focused on Jehovah yet they turned their attention to a 'Golden Calf Idol'.  We had a great discussion on the distractions of our day and how we can always be facing the Savior.

 

Favorite comment, "Even if we are facing away from the Savior, HE is always facing us." 

One day we played a fun game called "Teacher, Bell, May I".  

 

Four teams, each studying and discussing the scriptures.........

Writing answers on papers and putting them on the board, identifying principles they learned from their reading......and racing against the other teams to finish first. Let's just say it got pretty competitive!!!

 

So good to look back and see that there were some positive moments!  Now I feel ready to face the next week! I do love my seminary calling!