Easter 2013 at Grandma Val's house

                        Gayle and Elle at Easter Sunday. Elle is Gayle's namesake- Anne.

                        Elle and Kenny searching for Easter eggs with Marlo and Isla.

                                   Isla found an egg. Look at that adorable smile.

                                Marlo and Isla showing off their adorable Easter bags Lydia made for everyone.

                                Kenny and Elle show off their adorable bag as well. Aren't they an adorable couple!

                                     Isla loved posing for the camera- aged 3 1/2 years.

                                                      Kaela with Jason searching for eggs.

                   Karon and Lydia with the nativity scene she brought back from Israel.

                                                      Ian and Elle- both 22 years old.

Grandma Tess's 56th Birthday 3-9-2013

Karon Clarissa Hylsop Valdivieso turns 56 years old.

                                       Steve and Karon inside Visalia Jewelry Services

                   Glorious GRANDCHILDREN: Isla, Kairi,Jack,Ava,Carly,Jarod,Kaela,Me,Josh

                          Celebrating with a deeeeelicous cake from Clarissa. YUMMY!!

                                      Round Table Pizza -notice our table number is 56

                                                            Kaela aged 8 years.

                                                                Carly aged 8 years.

                                                            Ava aged 6 1/2 years.

                                                        Josh aged 6 1/2 years.

                                           Canton a family favorite restaurant.

Toasting almost 35 years of marriage

   

                                    Playing at Kiwanis Park by our house. Jack and Josh.

                                  Grace loves to take her picture. She's almost 4 years old.

                                                Kaela swinging with Kairi.

                                                     Carly swinging Jarodito (18months).

                                         Ava,Jack,Carly,Jarodito,Isla,Josh,Kaela,Kairi

 Navarre and Catherine drove all the way from Utah to make my birthday memorable!

                              Another family favorite- Reimer's Candy and Ice Cream.Catherine is
                              pregnant with their first child. They will be married 5 years in April.

Many,many thanks to Clarissa for orchestrating such a wonderful 56th birthday. All the children came
for part and some for the entire day. I will long remember her love to give me such a gift. I will
also remember the sacrifice of others to make the effort on my behalf.

Christmas Eve at Grandma Tess and Papa Steve's house

Circling around the "White Elephant Gift Exchange."
 This year's theme: Camping.

The children opened each gift(taking turns youngest to olderst) and with the help of an adult
decided if they wanted to keep it or exchange it.

Grace waited her turn to open the cast iron griddle for a camp stove.
 Her family will put that to good use this summer.

Next on the agenda: read scriptures wearing Nativity scene costumes.
Isla didn't like the idea. She wanted to  be Mary without wearing the costume.
 She is adorable even in tears.

Autumn orchestrated the scriptures and songs.
Ava is using her Dad's cell phone to sing along
(reading the lyrics-modern technology...Toooo FUN)

Ava(1st grade) and Kaela (2nd grade) read from Luke

Joseph and Mary
 (A.K.A. Gabriel soon to be 5yrs and Grac
 3 1/2 years old).

Grace kept encouraging Gabriel to kiss baby Jesus.

Ava wanted to hold Baby Jesus.
 Damon is in the background using his cell phone to take pictures.

After the nativity reading, we opened gifts.
The grandchildren received  pajamas(homemade by me) and a book.
It was great fun.

Needless to say,I was relieved that all the pajamas fit.
 I am a blessed  mother and grandmother.
Their smiles tell the story....love, peace, and happiness!

Thanksgiving with the Wilstead and Perez families

Thanksgiving 2012 at Clarissa's house.
The Perez family joined the fun.

Manuel, Autumn and Manuel's father-Francisco Perez

Activities included story telling by Ava

Papa brought Balsam wood airplanes.
Papa, Clarissa and Kaela displays the airplane.

Gabriel using the hand puppets in a skit

Isla on the ground, others showing their puppets to the camera

Grace loves the dinosaur hand puppets.

The day after Thanksgiving the Wilstead girls helped me set up the
Christmas decorations. My mom (Grandma Ginner) crocheted these many years ago. 

She also gave these to me a few years before she passed away.

This year I added a nativity created in Montana in honor of Elle.
She's serving a mission in Montana; she'll be home June 2013.

Ava delights in the little people in the city.
Usually Elle does the decorating;their help was greatly appreciated.

At the end of the day, Papa is in heaven watching a movie
with his side kick Ava.