Christmas photo

Allison and Chad loved Texas, but we are so glad to

have them back in Las Vegas. This is their Christmas

Sunday photo.

Polar Express Ward Party 2009

Kim and Jennie are both on our Ward Activities Committee.
They had a fun idea this year to bring a little magic to the ward party.

Vance came to visit the Polar Express

He looks like he's had enough.

Zachary, Kelsie and Mason came early to help set-up.

This photo is a little more in character

Jennie even had a railroad apron

Kelly, Jennie, Kelsie and Deanna ended up

wearing similar PJ's, so we had to get a photo

Robert cooking the veggies before the dinner started.

Chad, Vance and Allison came to join in the fun.

Leslie and Joseph pose for a pic a the ward party.

Winter Concerts at School

The fifth grade performed a choral Christmas concert
for the school and family. Aspen looks so cute in her new
glasses and Santa hat. She is getting so old. Crazy.

Keslie's first band concert. This brings back so many

memories for Kim and I. Jennie, Amy and Allison all played

band in Junior High School. Kelsie was super excited.

Magical Forrest 2009

The group snapshot

Preparing for BLACK FRIDAY

Dumon Sand Dunes over Thanksgiving

Amy and David and their family at the North Pole.

Out in the middle of nowhere there is a little mailbox at the sand dunes called the North Pole. The kids always want to come and take a photo and hope for the best on Christmas morning.

Checking out the other messages left for Santa

All the kids love to ride. This is Brayden and Colton tearing it up.

"M" lights the nation's largest tree

Photo from the balcony of the restaurant. The M is a fairly new hotel in Las Vegas and this season that celebrated by hosting a tree lighting of the nation's largest tree. There were performances on the huge outdoor stage as well as cocoa and candy canes for the kids.

This isn't a great photo but you can see the 4 women who played some old school rock songs on their string instruments.

Gayle and Steve invited us to join them for a night out. We ate dinner and then watched the tree lights from the balcony. A little chilly outside but Kim found an area with overhead heaters. Perfect.

The holiday decorations inside the hotel were beautiful.

They had a gingerbread house contest with entries from many local Elementary Schools. The one that won was a completely edible tree house. Very cool. This is the gingerbread village done by the pastry chefs at the M. It was massive and impressive.

The guest bathtub remodel

Amid a little grumbling, and a lot of trips in and out of the house Kim worked on the bath tub tiling project. We use to have just plain white 4x4 tiles. This looks 100% better. Merry Christmas to me.

Logan's birthday party

Logan wanted a Bakugan birthday party. Bakugan's are these little round things with magnetic centers. When you roll them across the card on the playing mat they spring open. Anyway, he loves the game and wanted to play at his birthday party this year.

Who wants to go next?

Logan had a great birthday. Lucky # 7!

Private showing of NEW MOON movie

Jennie arranged for a private showing of "New Moon" for friends and clients.
Amy's job was as a bouncer at the door. If you didn't have a badge you couldn't get in. It was fun to be there with so many friends.

Before the movie we went to Claim Jumper for dinner. I had to get a photo of just my girls though.

The theater hired actors to dress up as the movie characters and come into our theater for a photo op. Jennie and Timmie got in the action. Fun stuff. I am not an actual Twilight groupie since I haven't read the book series, but we did listen to the audio book of New Moon on our drive to San Francisco over Labor Day.

Girls Night

Briton is ready for her turn next.

That's right - pamper me!

For our grandaughters "Girl's Night" we had Briton, Aspen and Kelsie over. We had dinner, then did manicures and pedicures. Who doesn't like their nails done? Allison and Chad stopped by so Vance wanted to check out the pedicure water too. Then we had a slumber party with waffles for breakfast. It is so fun to have the girls over because they are so easy to be with and enjoy the same things I do.

Cougars?

Pam and I couldn't resist this photo when we saw the stuffed Cougar.

Winterfest on Water Street in Henderson

Allison and Chad invited us to join them to check out the
holiday happenings in Henderson. We all went in on a horse
and buggy ride around the plaza in old town Henderson.

Snapping a quick photo in fron of the huge christmas tree

Little Boy Heaven at Bass Pro Shop

Zachary can't figure out what exactly went wrong?

Vance needs a camping chair.

The boys all had a chance to practice putting

Colton loved the four wheeler

Mason's turn at the remote control monster truck

Vance working on his important letter to Santa. Kim and I stumbled across this idea when we went for Family Night with Allison and Chad to see the Santa Helper Mermaids in the aquarium at the Silverton Hotel. We knew that we had to bring the other boys back for a night of fun too.

Pam was visiting and got to come along for the little boy outing at the Bass Pro Sho Santa Wonderland. They had a little shooting range, monster trucks, bow and arrow, Wii bass fishing as well as a little table where the kids could write a letter to Santa if they wanted. Cute idea.

Target practice

Swimming Team and Baseball

Zachary is a pitcher just like Jennie use to be when she
played softball.

Robert coached Zachary again this year.

Mason played coach pitch and loves it.

Kelsie started a swimming class at Desert Breeze
and is doing really well. She loves to swim!

We tried swimming laps with Chad while he was training
for a mini triathalon and it about killed me. This is harder
than it looks.

TAEKWONDO

Some of the family came to cheer them on!

Camden, Carson and Logan all get their Orange Belt

Showing a few of the moves

Testing for the ORANGE belt

Disneyland with Amy and David

DISNEYLAND

Amy and David invited us to go with them to Disneyland.
The boys were so excited on the drive to California. Amy found a great buy on Craigs List for tickets so it was hard to resist the trip. We had so much fun.

Everyone needs the photo in front of the train station to begin a day at Disneyland, right?

Brayden and grandma watching the new street parade - New Orleans style. This was the first time Disneyland had done the Mardi Gras themed event.

Colton and I would hang out while everyone else went on a few of the scary rides. This is right after Splash Mountain.

Logan was picked to be a part of the Star Wars Training Camp. He was so intent and excited. Very cool idea.

Another new attraction this time was the NEMO submarine ride. The boys all had their faces up against the outside glass looking so when the sub went deeper bubbles came shooting up against the windows. They loved it

The Haunted Mansion ride had been changed to the Nightmare before Christmas. Disney always does a great job and Logan especially liked this cool ride.

Oktoberfest 2009

The Ogden's were the only ones who carved their
pumpkins the traditional way.

Good thing Grandma has two laps and can hold a grandson
on each leg. Colton and Vance wanted equal time.
No problem at all since there are both so cute.

What's up Joseph?

Great Grandma Sutton working on her

pumpkin. Jennie makes the BEST carmel apples

dipped in chopped almonds. They are my favorite.

Malinda came for the Oktoberfest and really got

in to the mode by making these cute sugar cookies. Leslie

made Mummy Hot Dogs, which the kids always love.

Leslie's birthday is October 31st. Leslie has a little side
business making wedding cakes, sports team banquet cakes,
and of course birthday cakes!

Allison's birthday is October 29th. Amy made her some
activity folders she wanted for her birthday. Maybe this
will help Vance at Church?

We bought Allison a new watch which she couldn't wait

to open and wore her watch the whole day before her

birthday. Some things never change.

The Waldron's had a great idea to just paint the pumpkins

for the younger kids. Vance was a mess, but he had fun.

Aspen and Camden working on their creation.

Briton helped her brother, and David worked with

Colton and Logan designing their "Iron Man" pumpkin.

Leslie opening up her gifts for her birthday.

The girls went shopping the day before and

Leslie picked out a new black jacket, a grey

sweater, and some fushia sandal

Kelsie and Briton helped the little boys do the craft. We

used the precut foam shapes and made a candy corn

refrigerator magnet.

Ghost BINGO

Everyone played for a single, double and triple bingo. Mason

was the first BINGO winner of the night.

Viva Las Vegas

Malinda helped Carson and Camden with their craft.

Munching out while waiting for everyone to arrive for the

party at Mom's

No event would be complete without a ride in Grandpa's

Dune Buggy. The grandkids took turns taking a spin in

the desert by our house. There is one advantage to living

in an area that isn't built out yet.

Vance and Colton challenged Brayden to a game of

Air Hockey.

We love having the kids over. Our annual Oktoberfest

is just another great excuse to get together. We have

been doing an Oktoberfest since our girls were little and

have so many great memories.

Polynesian Cultural Center

Hula lessons

Our tour group trying to learn to do the Hula.

We stopped by the see the Laie Hawaii Temple grounds.

Pearl Harbor

Canoe Pagaent

Exploring Kauai

We found this great little place in Hanalei near our resort
that served Fish Tacos. These were Kim's favorite!

We went to Annini Beach one afternoon. We rented this
paddle board. Kim and Jennie did it really well. I apparently
have no balance and couldn't stop laughing long enough
to get the hang of it. We snorkeled in the reef here too.

One rainy day we decided to rent some bikes in Kapaa
and check out the shoreline on a 4 mile bike ride.

We headed down to Poipu Beach to catch the sunset.

Waikiki

The Hilton Hotel had beautiful grounds. We walked
around downtown Waikiki one evening.

Diamond Head Beach near Honolulu/Waikiki area.
We watched the wind sail and wind surfers from this vantage
point one afternoon. They were able to move through the
water pretty quickly with the strong winds blowing thru the
sails.

In Waikiki we went to "Shore Birds" for dinner
were you cooked your own meat on a grill.

Anniversary - Bullshed Steak House on the Beach

We hunted all over until we found a pretty view of the beach
combined with a good steak and seafood menu. It was wonderful.

Zip Line Adventure on the South Shore

Jennie and Robert hanging off the edge of platform.

Very comfy for Kim

Ready to give it a try. It was a little scary taking that
first step off of the platform.

No hands! The zip line people kept us tied off

at all times. Pretty safe, just don't look down.

Robert zipping thru the trees

We crossed over several suspension bridges to get to a few
of the platforms we zipped off.

Kayaking and hiking in Kauai

This was the first little fall that we came to. I was perfectly
happy stopping here. We had already crossed the stream
twice. This was pretty enough, right?

We may have gotten off the trail here. Crazy thick jungle-
type trail near Kapaa.

We rented Kayaks and set out on our own to hike up to
the Secret Falls on the east shore
Golden tan legs - yep, I should have went tanning before.

We hiked in to Secret Falls

The little boys already think that Grandpa eats cockroaches,
now they can see proof that he also kisses frogs.

We had such a great time. Robert would usually act as
the trail guide, however we did get to the middle point in
this kayak activity and we couldn't find where we had
left our kayak's for a little while.
The mosquitoes ate US for lunch.

Anniversary in Kauai

We have a timeshare in Hanalei Bay on the north shore.
Our anniversary is in October and we are spending
it this year in the rainforest side of the island of Kauai.
Are bags are packed and we're ready to go!

Park play day

With the weather finally turning cooler here it was a
perfect day at the park. After playing on the slides everyone
went to feed the ducks. Amy brought bread and
cereal for the kids to share so they had a blast.

I brought Jennie and Leslie's kids. Jennie met up with us
after Mason's ballgame, and Leslie came after her motorcycle
ride with Joseph.

We picked up some pizza for lunch and then the kids played hard.

What we are missing here is Vance and his parents and Briton.

Cub Mobile makes it's debut

Kim's Bear Den is almost finished with the Cub Mobile and wanted to share their efforts at Pack Meeting in September. All they need now is a little paint and they are done. The boys seemed to have fun working on this project.

City Center - Kim's job

San Francisco

We don't get to see Pam, Jay and Ellie as much as we would
like to, so this was a great chance to be together. They
were good sports and drove into San Francisco with us to
play tourist.

Ellie was off to college just a few weeks after this trip.

Mason loved this stone etched with his name. I'm sure
grandpa took this photo.

Ready to hit it and have a day in S.F.

There was a Aquarium next to Alcatraz check-in. The kids
got a kick out of this shark photo op.

Tons of seals by the wharf

Pam waited in line while we watched some street dancers
so we could catch a ride on the Trolley downtown.

We had a strategy so that everyone who wanted to could
have an outside pole to hang from while we were on the trolley.

Yeah, imagine Zachary on the trolley as another
trolley passed within a foot of us. Heart stopping,
but no injuries. The little kids loved it.

Alcatraz

Now here is a very natural photo?
This was taken just before we got on the ferry.

The audio tour was really well done. The sound effects and
narration helped to visualize what this prison must have
been like in it's day.

Outside on the steps to the recreation area for the convicts.

We loved spending the day with Pam, Jay and Ellie. This was
the first time that Kim had been to Alcatraz, very cool self-guided tour.

Windy day and my typical vacation retarded hair. Ugh.
Loved spending the weekend with Jennie and Robert and their family

Santa Cruz Beach

We drove down to the beach house & spent the first couple
of days near Capitola. The kids played in the ocean.

We went for an early dinner at a restaurant on the water.
The band played for us and the mexican food was delicious.

When I heard that there was going to be a sand sculpture
contest on the beach one morning, we all got up early and
headed down to check it out. The group next to us asked
if we would like to join them and after helping them for a bit
we decided to make a smaller creation of our own.

Robert was the creative mastermind, but Kim and the kids
had such a great time building their turtle. The name for our
entry in the competition was FREE RIDE. The big turtle had
a baby turtle on it's back like in the movie Finding Nemo.

This creation took all morning and lots of work,
but we had a great time at the beach.

Visiting at Pam & Jay's

Visiting Pam and Jay over Labor Day

Zachary takes 5 by the grape vines.
Pam and Jay have made their own wine in the past, I think
this year they just sold their grapes to be processed.

Pam and Jennie pole dancing? What?

Kelsie loved spending time with Ellie.

Kim and I relaxing by the pool after breakfast. Northern
California is a little cool in the early a.m.

The kids swam all afternoon and had a great time.

Pam had this huge antenna system on her roof that she had
asked several of her general contractors over the years to
remove. None would ever take on the project . . . so what do
Kim and Robert do after breakfast? Kim nearly took Robert
out with the pole when it first came down. In the end, problem
solved, and Pam was thrilled.

The regatta competition is on

And we have a winner!

Painting project . . . DONE

It took us a while to get it finished, but the house is done!  I picked up some new exterior lighting, not that the old polished brass fixtures weren't lovely, but it looks so much better.

Time to give our house a face lift

The BEFORE photo of our house.

It started to rain harder just as we were getting ready to begin adding the trim color, so we will have to work on this project another day. The overcast day and light breeze made what would normally have been a very hot day much cooler.

Kim was able to borrow the sizzor lift from work which really made reaching the high places much easier. It took us quite a few hours just taping up windows and doors and other exterior lights etc. before we even started to paint.

Raingutter Regatta

Zachary takes 1st place at the Raingutter Regatta at the Cub Scout Pack Meeting in August.  He was so excited to participate again this year and I know that Robert and Zachary spent some late nights getting his boat ready.

Back to School Dance

Amy gave the Family Home Evening lesson this month and had prepared a little SCHOOL SURVIVAL KIT for each child starting school on Monday. Everyone had fun seeing what was inside and answering questions about how to overcome the challenges they may face at school. Kits included:
Cleaning wipes - remember to keep yourself morally clean
Band Aid - use the Holy Ghost as an aid in making good decisions
Guaze - pad yourself with the gospel standards
Starburst - be a true star and don't ever cheat at school
Smarties - be smart when choosing your friends
Rootbeer Barrel - sometimes you just have to barrel through the hard times.
On the outside of the kit their was a letter P - to remind us that most importantly, don't forget to pray.

I decided to have a "Back to School Dance" for a little end of summer fun. Everyone brought their favorite CD or IPOD playlist, I picked up a disco ball for a little atmosphere, and the party was on. Afterwards we had pazookie's with vanilla ice cream. Yum!

Watch out here come the boys

Kim's project with his Bear Den

I've always said that Kim was just a large cub scout and now with his calling as the Bear Den Leader he is able to do all sorts of fun projects. This week he started building a go-cart, aka Cubmobile, with his boys. It will take them a few weeks to finish but he said they got a good start this week. It is so great that our grandson Zachary is in Kim's Bear Den. Kim told me that Zachary came with his own very nicely drawn blue prints for the cart. More photos to follow. . .

Annie at Tuachan Amphitheatre

Jennie organized a trip to St George's for the girls. Of course we started off shopping, then we went to the Pizza Kitchen for dinner and then drove to Tuachan outside of St George to see a production of Annie.

The girls had fun taking their photos in the props. Grandma Sutton used Amy's ticket since she wasn't able to make it. I think it was good for Grandma to have a little get away too.

Diva Dancers --having some summer fun

Actually this video reminds me of some other little girls not so many years ago. The other girls actually charged the neighbors to come and see their dance spectacular -- and they came. Amazing! Picture this dance to "Krazy" by Lil Wayne. I couldn't get the sound to work on my camera and transfer it to the video clip. That may be next weeks lesson. Allison assured me that I could put a video on my blog. Have fun . . .

Waldron's head back to Texas

Look alikes

The day after the funeral we had all the kids over to breakfast. Leslie and I ended up wearing the same shirt so all day everyone was kidding her that we looked just alike. I take that as a compliment, but I'm not sure about Leslie?



Mason is wearing a patch to try and strengthen his eye under the direction of a Pediatric Opthamologist. Uncle Chad was giving him some moral support.

Jennie's birthday lunch

How can Jennie be 33? We had lunch together at the Cheesecake Factory. It worked out nice because Allison was still here visiting so she was able to come with us to celebrate.

Display board for Grandpa's funeral

Gayle and Leslie came over to my house to sort and organize the stack of photos the Sutton's siblings had selected. Then Jennie, Leslie, Amy, Allison and I worked together under Amy's direction to get the display boards done in time for the funeral. All the pages were put into a scrapbook album for LaRue to keep.

The display boards were sectioned into LaRelle, then LaRue and LaRelle, the family through the years, then each of the siblings with their families and great grandchildren.

Kim's Dad passes away

LaRelle Harry Sutton
Kim's dad died at Summerlin Hospital ICU with respiratory and heart complications from the Swine Flu on Monday, July 27th. It was a tough week at the hospital for the whole family.

The two beautiful floral arrangements behind us are from Marnell Masonry and the men Kim works with at Marnell.

Jennie, Allison, Amy and Leslie together at the viewing. I am so thankful for wonderful supportive daughters, especially at a time like this.

Chad and Allison before the services.
Amy finding a light hearted moment before everyone arrived on Saturday morning.

Lisa, Sophie, Maddie, Lilly and Chad

Sophie, Maddie and Bailey did a really touching musical number at the grave site services.

Palm Northwest Cemetery. LaRelle's plot was under a big pine tree which fits him perfectly.

Luncheon held at the church. Kim gave the Eulogy for the funeral and did a really nice job. He was emotional but I wouldn't have expected anything less. Kim and his dad were so close.

Ross, Kim, Mike and David
So great to have good friends at a time like this.

Linda, DeEsta, Cindy and Lorita.

Kim as a little boy

We came across these photos of Kim when he was a little boy. Some are of Kim and Laurie and the one in yellow outfits is Kim, Laurie and Tammy. The last one is of Kim and Laurie with Grandma Sutton. Too cute!

LaRue told us that she never remembers a time when Grandma not in a wheelchair from her Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Grandma and Grandpa Dates

Briton went on her date night to Carmine's Little Italy for dinner.


After dinner we went to the Bellagio Hotel for the indoor atrium summer floral display and then watched the water show. Briton wanted to go check out FAO Schwarz toy store and then we went out to Baskin Robbins for ice cream.


Mason decided to go to Chuck E. Cheese to play games and then we went bowling at the Red Rock Hotel. Grandpa won a bowling but Mason did really well too. Grandma needed a handicap on her game apparently. Forgot the camera at bowling.

Zachary went to see the new Transformer movie with Bumblebee. Kim loved the new style Camaro. I didn't exactly get the whole gist behind the movie but Zachary assured us that it was totally awesome. We had a hamburger at Fuddrucker's and then dessert afterwards at Baskin and Robbins.

Aspen went to the movie at the Orlean's Hotel and saw "Night at the Museum 2, Battle at the Smithsonian." Afterwards we had dinner at TGIFriday's which was yummy. Aspen met us when we did Kelsie's date night for a turn in the batting cages.

Vance went to Silverton & Bass Pro Shop. Vance was our first date night and his parents came with us to watch Vance as he sat on the four wheelers and pretended to drive the ski boats. He loved to crawl up to the glass and flirt with the mermaids in the indoor aquarium.

Colton went for lunch to McDonald's with Grandma Anderson (aka - Grandma Great) and then went to JCPenney's to get his 2 year old photos taken. He tried out every stool and chair in the studio until he found the perfect one to get his pictures taken with.

Carson and Camden both picked the Circus Circus Adventuredome and eating dinner at Farm Basket. They wanted to make sure that they did the same thing. They told each other all the good rides to go on.

Kelsie went to the Batting Cages and invited Aspen to come with to that part of our date night. It was the week of Kelsie's birthday so we went to the Rainforest Cafe in the MGM Hotel and had a "Volcano" dessert after dinner to celebrate.

We started our night off with a Happy Meal at McDonald's. Logan went to King Put Mini- Golf course. Indoor black light golf - what a great idea in the Las Vegas heat. Kim and Logan were neck and neck for the best score at minature golf. Watch out grandpa because in a few years he may beat you on the greens.


Brayden went to Chuck E Cheese and ran around like a mad man spending his tokens after he had his pizza. Then Grandpa and Brayden shared the race car, air plane and roller coaster rides at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for a super fun evening.

Shopping Therapy

Everyone needed to decompress a bit after our traumatic day at the hospital.  There isn't anything that a little shopping can't fix.  Jennie found out that Dillard's was having their annual swimsuit sale so we took a few hours to unwind and find a great bargain to boot.

Mason has his groove on for graduation

I went to Mason's kindergarten graduation. He kept telling me that he was learning several new songs that they would be performing at graduation. He was totally getting into a-tooty- ta. Mason had his groove on at graduation.

X is for Xray

Amy was working on quiet books before Allison left for Texas to give to Vance and Colton for church and I made it in as the letter X. I work for Dr. White as his Office Manager, and we of course, take X-Rays. I remember making quiet books for my kids too. It seems like every Mom gets to the point when they will try anything to improve reverence on their row during Sacrament. Hope the quiet books help!

Cub Scouts - a tradition

This photo of my Mom taken while she was serving as the Primary President. Gayle was in Girl Scouts and Richard Cub Scouts. I don't remember this time in my Mom's life, but I love this photo.

Ward Campout

Kim and Jennie are both serving in our ward on the Activities Committee. They planned such a fun outing this weekend. We to a ranch about 30 minutes before Alamo that had something for everyone. There was catch and release fishing, which the little boys loved, paddle boats, canoes, and a swing system over the lake that we had fun with as well as a covered picnic area. Friday evening we ate dinner, played games, visited and had a movie projected on the side of Robert's fifth wheel trailer. Saturday the guys fixed breakfast in the dutch ovens and then everyone played hard all day. We were so tired when we left. Great fun for the West Oquendo Ward. I had several children ask me at church on Sunday when we were going to go again. Hopefully in the fall . . .

Deep in the heart of Texas

I was so sad to see Allison, Chad and Vance move to Texas at the end of June. This is a photo that the security guy at the gate took of us. I didn't get very far down the walkway before the tears started flowing. I am going to miss them. I get it that they are excited to head out on their own and make a spot for themselves, but it doesn't make it a whole lot easier. We are planning to fly to see them in February and I can't wait. Allison will be back for our annual Octoberfest and then for Christmas. I love reading her blog and visiting with her on the phone. The best way for me to feel connected has been with our webcam. I just need to see Vance in action.

4th of July

Amy and David invited us to go bowling on the 4th in the afternoon. Kim bowled a 190, I won't say what I got. Maybe it was having Colton help me with a few balls that was the problem?

In the early evening we were invited over to Jennie and Robert's house for a BBQ and swimming. We went over near the the Red Rock Hotel and watched their fireworks.

Footloose - Tuachan Play

Kim and I, Jennie and Robert, Reese and Kelly, and Chuck and Debbie went together to St. George and saw a production of the musical "Footloose". I wasn't sure how they would put the old movie that I remembered and change it into a musical, but they did a great job. It was nice to just get out of town. The guys went golfing early Saturday morning and the girls shopped, then met up with the guys in the afternoon in St. George. Chuck did the best, but Kim had fun and golfed a respectable game.

New home getting closer to being finished

Kim, Robert, David, Chad, Joseph and Chad Sutton worked hard over the weekend to lay tile at the Leslie and Joseph's new home. Everything is they have picked out is turning out really well. They are getting excited to move into their dream home. The cabinetry came the other day and looks beautiful.

Elise Graduation

I flew up to the San Jose area to be with Pam and her family for Ellie's graduation. She looked so pretty and proud to have this day finally arrive. She graduated from a private girls high school Notre Dame, so the graduation was unique. All the girls wore white gloves and white shoes along with the traditional cap and gown. The announcer who read the graduates names also read a statement or quote that each girls had selected. It made the ceremony seem so personal. Later that evening Pam and Jay hosted a party for Ellie's friends, their neighbors and family.

Mom

Sweet is the peace the gospel brings.

Leslie stayed with us following her surgery and recuperated in one room and Mom in the other. How relieved we all were that Leslie did not have cancer. It was crazy running back and forth from the hospital and hospice. I was so torn between my concern for Leslie as a mother, and my love and angst as a daughter for my Mom.

I was grateful when Pam asked me if I would like her to stay rather than go home after Mom was brought home to me from Hospice. I had prayed that I would have the courage to care for Mom in her final days, but I was never so glad as when Pam said that she could stay longer if I needed her. I did. I am so thankful that my girls came home early from their trip to be with me and hold my hand, as well as Grandma's.

I feel so blessed to have had such a wonderful mother. I've had so many people come up to me over the past few weeks and express their love and admiration for her. She truly was an elect lady. What a whirlwind of activity it was planning all the details in an effort to honor Mom. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to have her in my home for the last month or so of her life. My children and grandchildren were able to make a few memories of grandma to treasure.

Mom loved pink, so all the family decided to wear her signature color at the funeral. My sisters and I went for a quick shopping trip to see what we could find in pink. After trying on dresses for a while one of my sisters said that she was sure that Mom would like to take us shopping one last time for a new dress. What did we think? We all laughed, because Mom did love to shop. It was so fun to shop together after all the tense hours spent during the past few days. I love each of my sisters, as different as they all are, and am so thankful that we had each other to rely on during this really difficult time.


The chapel was full of beautiful flowers and the family decked out in every shade of pink - - - Mom would have loved it! At the funeral some of the great grandchildren sang "My Heavenly Father Loves Me", which is one of my favorites. They did it so beautifully and I know that their sweet song and tender feelings meant so much to all the family. Mom loved her posterity and was so proud of them.

My mother-in-law, LaRue, gave the Eulogy. She had been a friend of Mom's for many years as they served in the Stake Relief Society Presidency together. It was such a beautiful and touching tribute.

Pall Bearers: Tristam Harrington, Jay Shepard, Craig Camp,
Richard Anderson, Steve Galler, Gene Winward, Kim Sutton.

Right before the grave site service was about to begin the sprinklers started to come on at the cemetery. Everyone started trying to move and Kim just quickly walks over to the big rainbird type sprinkler (suit and all) and steps on it. End of problem. That's what I love about Kim, he knows how to take care of things with no fuss. He never complained that his pants and boots were all wet. I love him for the support that he showed not just to me, but to my whole family.

At the end of the day on Saturday everyone needed some time to relax. Leslie and Joseph hosted an informal gathering for the family. The kids went swimming and played at the park in Worthen Circle while the adults visited. Of course, we needed matching pink shirts for this occasion as well. Definitely a Becky idea!

The next morning Kim and I hosted a breakfast for those family members still in town. One last chance to be together for a while. I am thankful for my family and my knowledge of the plan of salvation which has helped me get through this.

UNLV Graduation

Allison graduated from UNLV with a Bachelor Degree in Finance, and earned Suma Cum Laude which means she is in the top 1% of her class. We are so proud of her accomplishments. Pam had been to visit in LV and was giving Allison a hard time because she didn't want to walk at graduation. Pam wore Allison down, and finally Alli said" Okay, fine, I'll walk if you come". Not really thinking that Aunt Pam would actually do it. About a week later I received an email from Pam with her flight info. I forwarded it to Allison with the message . . . "Guess you ARE walking"

Graduation Party

We had a little get together for Allison after graduation. Alli and Chad are planning on moving to Texas the first week in June. Chad will attend the University of Texas at Dallas and Allison will job hunt. I am sick to think of them leaving, but at the same time excited for their adventure. I told her she can not leave without getting a web cam. Gayle keeps in touch with her out-of-state married kids that way which I thought was a terrific idea.

Construction underway

Joseph and Leslie's new home under construction. Kim helped do the shower pan in the master bathroom and Chad has been working hard on the stone on the exterior.

Lion King

For Allison's graduation she asked for a ticket to see the Lion King on the strip. The costumes and set were amazing.

Field Trip - helping Leslie

We had such a scare with Leslie. Her doctors thought she might have ovarian cancer and did surgery on May 15th. The Oncologist did a complete hysterectomy but did not find cancer. It was such a huge relief for us. I asked Leslie what I could do to help her and beside hanging out on my sofa for the week she asked if I could attend the school field trip with Aspen, Carson and Camden. I haven't been on a field trip in a very long time, but off to Spring Mtn. Ranch we went.

Night on the town at the Bellagio Hotel

Amy and Allison invited us to join their families to see the Bellagio Atrium and watch the water shows at the hotel. It is absolutely incredible. Tulips in every color. After that we went to the Flamingo gardens paradise, which had Flamingo of course, and all sorts of fish. We walked back over to the Bellagio and ordered some crepes from a gourmet chocolate shop that were so delicious. This was one of the last evenings that we spend having fun with Mom.

BYU Women's Conference

Becky and I found out while visiting one day that we were both going to be in Provo for BYU Women's Conference this year. We called Marci to see if she had room for us too and made this a fun weekend all together. (Much better than staying in a motel) It is such an awesome feeling to be in the Marriot Center with thousands of other LDS sisters of all ages. The classes were good as always, and we had a great time.

Don't be jealous of our trip to Pahrump

We had some friends tell us that the Lakeside RV park in Pahrump was pretty nice, but we were still pleasantly surprised.




There were paddle boats and kayaks, a sandy beach and heated pool and free catch and
release fishing. Kim was the only one who caught a fish.

We celebrated 4 birthdays while we were there, Kelsie age 11, Colton age 2, David age 32, and Linda 49. Colton's Mom and Dad gave him an electric motorcycle which he totally loved.
One evening we went and played Bingo. How those older people keep up with the stress of a rainbow card is a mystery to me. Leslie was a pro and showed everyone the ropes.
The oldest granddaughters babysat while we went for an hour.


While the guys went and golfed 9 holes one morning the girls and grandchildren made tie dyed shirts. We modeled them at the park the next morning.

Sutton Girl's Weekend

My girls wanted to do a "Girl's Weekend" like I do with my sisters. Amy was in charge of our first one. We met for dinner at BJ's then dessert after shopping at "The Melting Pot" which was so yummy. David and the kids vacated the house so we could have a slumber party at Amy's. We did pedicures and watched a movie. In the morning we got up early to hit the Peccole yard sale which is only held once a year. We went back to Amy's house after lunch and made a cute craft. All in all . . . a huge success thanks to Amy.

Sand Dunes

No need to wonder why I'm a little nervous
about going on rides in Kim's Dune Buggy.
Kim's idea of a great ride on the dunes is a tiny bit
different than mine. Scares me to death!
He loves it.

Fremont Street Concert

Kim searched the internet for "Free Ideas" in Las Vegas and hit upon a winner! Our kids went with us to the Fremont Street Experience to see the Kelly Pickler Concert. In conjuction with the Country Music Awards (CMA) being held in Las Vegas this weekend the Fremont Street Experience was holding a free outdoor event at the Fremont Street Experience. It is the first tourist type thing we've done in a while. We had a great time and enjoyed being in the downtown area.

Sister Weekend

Post shopping spree photo . . .
We had so much fun trying clothes on and laughing in the dressing room. Nothing like real honesty when it comes to shopping with your sisters.

Mom's birthday dinner where the dishes were Weight Watcher recipes. I practiced new recipes on Kim for a week prior to the dinner. Everyone is always watching their weight, but our weekend is a little bit of a splurge. We all stayed the weekend at Gayle's house - thanks to Steve vacated just for us.









A pedicure - the gift that keeps on giving. Wonderful!









I hadn't been to Benihana in the Hilton Hotel for years. It use to be a favorite of our family. Lots of new and old memories. This year included Saki (sp?) for Pam, who was a riot during the rest of the evening.

We found a great little Tea Shoppe in an antique mall and went for "High Tea" which was so much fun.

Logan and Brayden celebrate too

Logan and Brayden both had birthdays during the past month. Amy's family has been staying with us while they have been looking for a one story home. Escrow should close on the house they bought out off of 215 and Jones. We have loved having them with us and watching their boys in action. The minute Kim gets home Brayden is his constant shadow because Kim always has a project he is working on outside. Logan has done so well in kindergarten and will now get a chance to make some new friends when they move. He reminds me of Amy is lots of ways . . . he could totally be a member of the bubblegum club. He is silly. Colton and Vance have so much fun going places together with the girls. How fun to have cousins so close to your own age. Amy's knees are still really bothering her so the one story home will be a blessing for her.

Pinewood Derby 2008

We've never had boys so the whole concept of a Pinewood Derby is a little new to our family. Kim was just called to be the Bear Den Leader a little while ago and was asked to announce for the Pinewood Derby. He borrowed his nephew Alex's racing outfit. Kim totally got into the whole thing and had such a great time with the boys. Zachary's car did great and even Mason got to participate. I'm not sure who worked harder on the car though, Zachary or Robert.

Vance turns ONE

It is incredible that Vance has turned one years old already. Vance has plenty of cousins to show him the ropes. He is one very busy boy.

Leslie and Joseph's construction

Leslie and Joseph finally got all their permits in place after a year of working with the County and have begun construction. They have their work cut out for them, but they are so excited. In this photo they are just getting beginning the 2nd floor. Joseph is not a Certified Dust Inspector for the project. Anyone need a Dust Inspector . . .

YW In Excellence

Jennie is part of the Stake Young Women's Board and was in charge of Young Women in Excellence for the past two years. Robert's younger sister Adrianne has been living with them for about a year now and recieved her YW Medallion in November 2008. I led the youth choir and the Medallion musical number and Amy played the piano for the choir and during the slideshow and other presentations.

Sutton Family Reunion Cruise Nov. 08

Lisa Sutton (our sister in law) planned the Sutton Reunion in November 08, for adults only and we all went on a short cruise to Ensenada. I haven't went dancing in a very long time, it was so much fun. Jennie and I did the spa package which was so relaxing. We all went shopping for the afternoon in Ensenada. The final consensus was that we should do it again sometime!

First Night Karoke

The first night on board the ship everyone went to the lounge and participated in a little Karoke. Chad found a kindred spirit among the guests and sang "Ebony and Ivory", Robert and Chad did a little duet. Kim was grooving to "Another Brick in the Wall", and the girls did "I am alive". We had a great night being a little retarded.

UNLV - graduation in sight

Allison and Chad are both attending UNLV. Jennie and I both watch Vance while they are at school in the late afternoon and evening. Allison has a 4.0 gpa and one more semester until she gets her degree in Finance. Chad is working away on a Business major. Vance has some smart parents.

Vance still army crawls but is so close to getting up on his hand and knees. He can really cover some ground and puts everything in his path in his mouth. Allison and Chad have loved being new parents.

New home for Amy and David

Amy and David are anxious to get into their new home, which should be ready mid-December. They purchased a single story home with a big back yard and couldn't be happier. Amy has her piano studio in the front of the house so she can see her students and their parents as they arrive which will be nice.

Logan started kindergarten this year and is learning to read at home with Amy. Logan and Mason are on the same soccer team with Robert coaching. Brayden is in Joy School with 5 other friends whose mothers take turns teaching the group. From the minute Kim gets home from work Brayden is his shadow and helps him as he works outside. He reminds me so much of Leslie -- busy and smart. Colton learned to walk and has figured out that grandma is a softie.

Leslie and Joseph get their building permits

We are so happy for Joseph and Leslie that after a long and frustrating year they finally have their building permits for their new home!!!! They are working on the construction financing and then they'll be ready to get started. Leslie likes living in Worthen Circle with all of Joseph's family, and their kids have so much fun playing with their cousins. This next year will be a lot of hard work and a challenge, but exciting too, as they build their own home.

Leslie is teaching pre-school and gymnastics again this year at Mirabelli Community Center. Briton started Junior High last year and is in 7th grade already. She was a first year at Stake YW's Girls Camp and had a great time celebrating her 12th birthday at camp with her friends. Aspen and Kelsie are playing on the same softball team this year. Robert and Grandpa are coaching their team -- so far Grandpa only got kicked out of the game one time for throwing his hat at a bad call. Carson and Camden moved up to the next division in baseball and had a good season too! The boys are reading and doing wonderful in 1st grade.

New Family Pictures

It had been a few years since we took a family picture with a photographer so we decided to give it a try this fall. One of the girls who use to work at our salon does some photography. After spending one morning driving around looking for a location we finally found a spot. Kim suggested we try the Monte Carlo Hotel on the strip. He passes it as he enters the parking area for his job and thought that the front atrium area of the Monte Carlo would provide a pretty setting. Still waiting to get the proof/CD to view photos, but I'm hoping that they turn out. There are 8 grandsons and 3 granddaughters, 8 counting our daughters and their husbands and Kim and I = 21 in all. You cannot imagine what a production it is picking a date, deciding what to wear and getting everyone there at the right time. Hopefully we can use the photo for our Christmas card this year.

Octoberfest 2008

Each year since our girls were small we have had a family Octoberfest. This year we had a costume parade, painted the kids faces, carved pumpkins and played a fun game with the adults. The girls all brought Halloween inspired food and we ate a yummy dinner. I remember our first Octoberfest where I made a recipe called "Dinner In A Pumpkin" . . . yeah, not such a good idea. Even our dog at the time wouldn't eat any. We haven't repeated that recipe but have found some festive ideas over the years.












This year we painted the kids faces again which they really liked. We had to hurry to snap a photo before they were off to play. We have two birthdays in our family in October; Allison was 22 on October 29th and Leslie turned 30 this year on October 31st. How is it possible that they are that old? Pam was here visiting so she and Grandma Anderson came with us to our ward Trunk or Treat Activity. Zachary and Robert built a "Jack In The Box" costume together which was so great!. After our activity at the church we all went over to Jack in the Box so Zachary could show us around and introduce us to his co-workers. We took lots of pictures and had fun with the staff. This year the youngest grandchild was Vance who dressed up as a scarecrow. Colton is 1 1/2 and was a chicken. His huge costume is especially funny because he is so tiny.

Viva Bike Vegas

Jennie was asked to help recruit some volunteers for the first "Viva Bike Vegas", which was put on by the RTC. Amy, Jennie, myself, Kelsie, Adrianne, and Robert helped at one of the rest/aid stations. It was really a great event with about 900 cyclists. This was Allison's first bike ride and her goal was simply to finish the 50 mile course with her sister in law and friend. Chad and Allison purchased some new bikes with the click in shoes and have been training for a while. There would be times at our station when big groups or packs of riders would go by or stop for a drink and quick snack. We were so excited when we saw Allison finishing the last leg of the ride which started near I-15 and the downtown area near Alta Drive then went west through Red Rock and Blue Diamond areas for the 50 mile.

Chad has done two triathalons this year. The first was at Lake Las Vegas during the summer and then just recently he finished the Pumpkinman held near Boulder City. They start out swimming, then bike and then run. Brutal! What was the most surprising to me was the average age of the participants is around 35. We had so much fun cheering Chad on and snapping pictures of him completing the race.

Colton's 1st Birthday

Colton and his friends all had birthdays close to each other, so Amy and her girlfriends had a group swimming birthday party for their kids. Colton is the third one from the left in the picture. Amy's friend Chelsea is in to photography and took this cute photo.

Zachary Baptism

Zachary was baptized this summer. Since we never had any boys, Zachary is our first Cub Scout and is blazing the trail for his cousins. I take each of the grandchildren to have a formal picture taken for their Baptism.

Labor Day at the Lake 2008

The family went to Lake Mead to celebrate Labor Day. It was overcast and not even 100 degrees which was great. We met the Cook's, Rice's and Taylor's, and caught up on what everyone's been doing. David and Kelsie went double on the tubes, it was a rough ride and they both hung on for dear life. Mike took the kids for a boat ride, which they loved. We hadn't been out to the lake very much since we sold our boat a few years ago to it was nice to have a day at the lake for us. Logan and Mason went tubing too, and Zachary went on the kneeboard. The littlest members of our family . . . Vance and Colton had fun in the water too.

Color Me Mine . . .

I had Jennie's kids today while they are on their last track break of the summer, so we planned some fun! Kelsie, Zachary and Mason along with cousin Aspen all went to "Color Me Mine" a ceramics studio where we painted and had fun making our creations. The boys painted monster truck banks, and the girls did crown jewelry boxes. Afterwards we met Leslie and the twins and went to lunch and then to the new Spring Valley Community Park to play in the water feature. Everyone is getting in the last summer fun before school starts next week.

Sutton Beginner Bloggers . . . Giving it a try!

Allison has been encouraging me to create a blog as a way to journal what is happening in my family. She came over to the house and helped set me up. Now the trick is, can I remember what she tried to teach me?

I love looking through our scrapbooks through the years and remembering the fun things we've done together. I have year after year of fishing and camping trips, the kids all learning to water ski, Octoberfests, and so much more. I'm blessed to have such a great family and if this is a new fun way to stay connected with family and friends then, I guess, count us in!