Mimi and Bonka

Our 1st Annual Family Easter Party

2010-04-13T15:47:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun Easter Party the Friday before Easter. We began the evening with a delicious dinner...b-b-que ribs, twice baked potatoes, baked beans, fruit and rainbow jello...yum! It was followed by our 1st Annual Easter Party. Whitney flew home to surprise everyone and Kristin, Mike and Avery came from Tucson and we had such a good time together. Family is the BEST! (We missed Dustin and Mariel but they were enjoying Mariel's family in Utah.)

Avery, Halle, Kate, Molly and Maddie getting their baskets (made by Kristin)

ready to go hunt eggs.

The little girls LOVE Whitney and she loves them! (She always wanted a little sister and I think she finally got her wish...times 6...at least for now :))

Lucy and Whitney in their hoodies :)

Our egg race!

Getting ready for the fishing pond...always a favorite!

The cupcake walk...not sure the little girls understood the game but they sure had fun dancing around the circle of colored squares.

JuST for FuN

2010-04-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Just for fun...a few pictures of whats been happening...

Bonka and little Lucy

We went with Jeremy, Hannah and girls to the Queen Creek Olive Oil Festival...had a great lunch and then went to take pictures of their family. Such a fun afternoon!

Molly and her Daddy

Whitney riding bikes with Kate (just a few more trips around the backyard and we will let Whitney try the sidewalk in front!)

In March I was in Provo shopping at Costco with Whitney. We saw this cute little clubhouse and she said, "If Dad saw this he would so buy it for the little girls!" She was right! When I came home and Bonka and I were at Costco he saw it and bought it! He loves his little granddaughters and they love him, too!

Avery, 20 months

Kate, 2-1/2 yrs.

Kate and Melissa

A date with Maddie

2010-04-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

This post is waaayyy out of order but when I saw the pictures I just had to post them. In November 2009, Bonka and I took Maddie on a date, just the three of us. It was so fun to pick her up and have her come to the door all dressed up. She looked so cute in her sparkly "princess" skirt. We began the afternoon with lunch out. We let Maddie pick the restaurant and she chose "sandwiches" at Jersey Mikes. Then it was off to see "The Frog Princess". After popcorn and treats at the movie we headed home and Mimi and Maddie did crafts together (she painted a nativity set her Great Grandma Buckley gave her) and then we made brownie treats to share with the rest of her family. Our time together went way too quickly and she was an absolute angel the whole time. We love you Maddie!

Look Whitney, we took a picture of the three of us, just like you would have done...holding the camera out in front of us! I'll bet you are so proud of your old parents :)

"Go ahead and take my picture...please!"

2010-04-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

Ok, so this is a VERY random post but I just can't help myself. When I saw this picture it reminded me of all the patience Whitney has for helping me learn how to take a decent picture. If I find the pictures we took on New Years Eve I'll show you what I mean but for now, thank you Whitney for teaching me how to smile with my teeth showing, holding my head a bit forward (helps disguise the double chin), and keeping my eyes open :) Now, to figure out how to disguise droopy eyes, wrinkles and an extra 10 pounds..hahaha!! Oh well, ten years from now it will be worse so go ahead and take my picture...please!!!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-17T17:27:00.000-08:00

Wow...where to begin? Christmas 2009 was in Kaua'i, Hawaii...Wow!!! Christmas 2008 Danny, Whitney and I realized we would be spending Christmas alone so instead of staying home and feeling sorry for ourselves we decided we needed to go somewhere and Whitney's only request was that it be someplace "warm" and away from the snow. Well, I think Dad did a pretty good job of meeting her request!

It didn't really feel like Christmas in the 70 degree weather, no decorations or gifts so when we saw this decorated pine tree we thought we'd better get a picture so we wouldn't forget it was indeed Christmas time.

While Whitney and I waited for our luggage to arrive in Kaua'i, Dad went to get the rental car. We both laughed when we saw a little PT Cruiser drive by and Whitney said, "That would be really funny if Dad drove up in a Cruiser for us to "cruise" around in." Well, sure enough...he did!

It was difficult to decide what pictures to post so here are just a few of my favorites...

Whitney at Hawaii's own "Grand Canyon"...Waimea Canyon

Almost sunset on the beach of our hotel...awesome views, great company, perfect vacation!

Dad let us splurge and take a helicopter flight around the island...what a treat!

Whitney got to sit in the middle front! They seat you by weight so Dad and I (the bags of the family) were in the back :)

The views from the sky were spectacular!

We survived :)

Whitney, having fun with Dad's camera...it was a bit boring for her at times :)

but not always :)

I LOVE pictures of Whitney with her Dad! They are such good friends!

A few pictures from our beach front...

We finished our trip in Honolulu. We spent Sunday at church with Mariel's grandparents, Tutu Joan and Papa Johnny, and then accompanied them to "the Punchbowl" Hawaii's Arlington Cemetery and Pearl Harbor.

Whitney, Tutu and Me :)

Dad, Whitney and Mom at the Hawaiian Temple (which has been closed for rennovations for over a year and will be closed until summer 2010). We enjoyed seeing BYU Hawaii, as well, as the Polynesian Cultural Center.

We finished our trip around Oahu by eating at Dustin and Mariel's favorite hamburger spot, Kua-Aina Burgers where they put 1/2 of an avocado on your hamburger. We were so excited to try one, however, when we walked into the restaurant there was a sign that read, "No avocados today"...wouldn't you know it :) We tried the pineapple burger though and we were NOT disappointed!

It was a wonderful trip and we will cherish the memories forever.

The wall at the airport says it best...

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-03T12:55:00.000-08:00

I admit right now that there are a lot of pictures in this post but I make NO apologies for that. It was a fabulous weekend with a lot happening and I didn't even begin to dent the surface of what I could have posted. :) So here we go...

We were blessed to have all our children and grandchildren in Arizona for the holiday. Whitney had suggested that we all participate in the Mesa "Mi Amigos" Turkey Trot and so we did. Joshua,, Whitney, Dustin and Mariel all ran in the 10K and did GREAT! Old Dad and I ran the 2 mile run and take great pride in the fact that we never had to walk (and with no training, haha) so next year we have set a goal to run the 10K, and since we may be alone, who would dispute if we did or didn't accomplish that goal? :)
Jeremy, Hannah and the little girls walked in the 1 mile family fun walk. Hannah made each of the little girls their own "official" competition numbers and they looked so cute!

Melissa and Katelynn were our cheerleaders and we couldn't have finished the race without them!

Whitney, our family race organizer
Dustin and Mariel (this was Mariel's first "official" race but I bet it isn't her last :)

Traversing the desert on our way back to our car...thank goodness this wasn't our AZ raceway :)

Later when we got home and while we waited for the turkey to cook, we made "handprint" turkeys with the little girls and listed our blessings on the feathers.

I forgot to mention that Kristin, Mike and Avery were so fast at the Turkey Trot that I wasn't even able to photograph them. So glad they sat still for this one :)

Whitney and her "blessings" turkey.

We also wrote letters to our serviceman to give thanks for their service to our country. Thank you everyone for taking the time to do that. Thank you Uncle John for being one of those servicemen!!!!
Great weather and food + wonderful family = perfect Thanksgiving dinner

Friday was not just the day after Thanksgiving and "black" Friday but at the Skinner house it was the day we "ushered in Christmas".

The little girls LOVE their Aunt Mariel and had fun decorating a gingerbread house with her and eating it as they went along. Thanks Mariel!!! Molly looks VERY happy!

That evening we enjoyed a Mexican dinner with yummy new recipes for enchiladas and then headed to the backyard to let the little girls break a pinata full of Christmas candy. They loved swinging at the pinata but Uncle Dustin finally had to take a turn and break it open.
Kate, Molly, Maddie and Avery ready to go to bat!

Kristin, Mike and Avery (17 mos.)

Josh, Kate (2 yrs) and Melissa

Dustin and Mariel

Jeremy and Hannah (I just loved this picture of them...so cute!)

After we broke the pinata we came in the house and Mimi read a Christmas story to the little girls and we shared Christmas gifts with each other. We could have waited until Christmas but it wouldn't have been as much fun not seeing the smiles on each other's faces since we will all be in separate places...Idaho, Utah, Arizona and Hawaii. :)

Maddie 4 yrs (our oldest granddaughter) She REALLY did listen to the story :)

Saturday morning was "family pictures". I should have put the silliest one on this post (and we had quite a few to choose from :)) but I couldn't figure out how to get it on...I'm obviously still learning how to blog :) Anyway, Whitney picked the colors this year...black and purple. All in all, they didn't turn out too bad. It's a shame we knew that in just a few days they would already be obsolete. Sorry Lucy!

That afternoon while the boys watched the ASU/UofA game the girls snuck out of the house and went to lunch and had a little shower for Melissa and Lucy. I am very blessed to share my life with these sweet girls.

After we got home it was time for our pedicures by Whitney! Ahhh!!! Our toes look so much better and the little girls can't quit looking at their purple glittered toes and saying "Whidney...toes".

This Thanksgiving weekend was too short and went way too quickly but will be a treasured memory for all of us.

Lucy Elizabeth Skinner

2009-12-03T09:49:00.001-08:00

I realize I'm blogging out of order but everyone is so excited to see pictures of little Lucy that I'm blogging about her before Thanksgiving. Here she is...little Lucy Elizabeth Skinner, born December 2, 2009 to Joshua and Melissa. She is absolutely perfect and we welcome her to the family!!!! She weighed 7 lb. 8 oz. and was born at 6:06 am. What a great way to start the day!

Mimi and Lucy

Bonka and Lucy

Josh, Melissa and Lucy

The proud Daddy

The VERY happy Mommy

Do you think she looks like Katelynn? We definitely think they look like sisters! How blessed this little family is to have Lucy join them. She will add even more sunshine to their very happy life. Congratulations Josh and Melissa! We are so happy for you both!

Backyard Campout

2009-11-22T11:51:00.001-08:00

Hannah suggested that sometime we should have a campout in our backyard before it got "too cold". (Which should make all of you who live in Utah smile.) So Friday night was the chosen night and it was so fun. Maddie had her last soccer game for this season at 9:00 am Saturday, Melissa is expecting her baby anyday and Bonka and I would always pick our own bed, so it was decided that those were reasons enough to just have a "pretend" sleepover. We had sub sandwiches and then went to the backyard and began preparations for the tent, fire and s'mores.

Here are the mighty men setting up our tent. Thank you Josh, Jeremy and Bonka!

Bonka started our fire for us and we enjoyed the warmth it provided as the evening began to get cool enough for a light jacket :) Hannah brought the biggest marshmallows we had ever seen and the s'mores and roasted Starbursts were a hit!

I realized that Halle slept through most of the campout so I thought I'd better get a pre-campout picture of her so you knew she WAS here :)

Maddie, Molly and Kate loved playing inside the tent with their flashlights. Here they are making silly faces for the camera.

Josh, Melissa and Kate

Hannah, Jeremy, Molly and Maddie

Bonka telling his idea of a "scarey" story for 2 and 4 yr olds. Obviousily it wasn't too scarey since the adults all seem to be laughing :)

Jeremy and Maddie listening to Bonka's story.

I do believe this was the first time I had seen Kate and Molly holding hands. They walked around like that for part of the evening and it was so cute! I hope they will always love each other and who knows maybe someday they can be roommates with Avery at BYU.

Molly did a little shopping and her best find was Kate!

It was such a beautiful night out and so much fun. We will definitely do this again sometime and who knows, maybe next time we will actually sleep all night in the tent :)

An Afternoon with the Girls

2009-11-08T14:49:00.000-08:00

Bonka and I had a great time playing with Maddie, Molly and Kate Saturday afternoon. We had gone to Maddie's soccer game and brought the girls home with us afterward. We had so much fun playing with the blocks, watching Barney, playing with Tanner, swinging, eating, playing in the kitchen for real and pretend :), jumping on the trampoline, eating again and making pumpkins out of apples (which I forgot to take pictures of but they were so fun to make) and eating again :).

Here is Bonka playing blocks with the girls. (He bought these blocks several Christmas' ago and just knew that "someday" the grandchildren would like playing with them...well, "someday" has come:)) Thanks for buying them Bonka!

Molly

Kate

Maddie

Playing in the "kitchen".

Maddie was cute about this. She went into the "real" kitchen and loaded her little grocery cart full of real foods and then put them into the pretend kitchen so she could play with them instead of the play food. (I understand completely, afterall, what fun is it to eat fake food? :))

Jumping and "fishing" on the trampoline.

We will definitely do this more often. It was fun to watch the cousins play together and they are now getting old enough to enjoy it. So fun!!! Can hardly wait for Avery to join them at Thanksgiving! Party on!

Our Visit to Provo

2009-11-05T16:04:00.000-08:00

Dad and I had planned a trip to fly to Utah and had to change it at the last minute so we decided to save our tickets for another trip and just drive. Who would have thought we would hit the kind of snow that would bring us to a mile per hour travel for over an hour? We were so glad we had the "big" Tundra so we felt safe in spite of the weather. We left 90 degree weather...how is this possible? :)
Dustin and Mariel are the Activities Committee Charimen and had planned a Halloween party for their Ward. They strongly encouraged everyone to dress up so how could they not do the same? :) Here they are...

Dustin as a flower (what a great sport!)

Mariel, his favorite butterfly :)

Dustin and Mariel had craved pumpkins with Mariel's family.

Here they are...Mariel's ghost and Dustin's Michael Jackson

Whitney was able to help make crayon costumes for she and her friends. They were adorable! Great job girls! Here they are making last minute adjustments with the stapler :)

Here is the "box" of crayons. The pink crayon is definitely my favorite!!

(Although I really like all the colors :))

Just hanging out with the "fam".

Whitney made chocolate cake mix cookies with milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chips, Reeses chips and mini semi sweet chips...YUM!!!!! This was after she made us Chicken Bruschetta Chicken for dinner which I forgot to take a picture of but it was FABULOUS!

Thanks for cooking for us Whitney!

It was a great trip but WAY too short! Good thing Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away.

FHE Halloween Party

2009-11-05T15:13:00.001-08:00

On Sunday afternoon Bonka and I had the idea of having a Halloween Family Home Evening the next night. Leave it to us to have a great idea at the very last minute :) We are so glad we did it though and have decided to make it an annual event. Next year we will have to think of it soon enough to have the Hills join us.

Happy Halloween!

Molly, Maddie and Kate with their treat bags

Donuts on a string

The girls were great sports!

Shooting out the flames on candles.

The Dads just had to have a chance after the girls did it. (Of course, since I'm so new at this whole blogging thing the pictures are in the wrong order...help girls, how do I change the order? :)) That's cute Melissa watching with baby number 2 :)

The little girls showing the Dad's how to shoot out the flames "the right way".

Maddie at the fishing pond. The girls could have done this all night!

Grandpa and Grandma Skinner were in town and got to enjoy the evening with us.

Maddie and Molly making Mummy Dogs for dinner.

Kate making Mummy pizzas.

Hannah and Melissa helping the little girls. (I'm blessed with the best daughter-in-laws in the whole world and that includes Mariel, too, even though she wasn't here...thanks Darla, Lynn and Jamie for sharing them with me!)

We couldn't believe how well the little girls did and how much fun they appeared to have. We will definitely do this again next year.

PS...I have one really great son-in-law, too :) Thanks Marie! :)

My "New" Friends

2009-11-05T15:06:00.001-08:00

I have been blessed to serve in the Tempe Arizona University Stake Relief Society Presidency and it has just been reorganized. I was blessed to be called again to serve with these great ladies. They are my newest best friends! I want you to meet them (from left to right)...

Joyce Wold (Secretary), Beth Dibble (Sister Specialist), JoLynn White (President),

Sue Kempton (1st Counselor) and then me (2nd Counselor)

This is going to be so much fun I'm not sure it should be allowed!

Weekend with the Hills

2009-11-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Kristin, Mike and Avery came to spend the weekend with us while they enjoyed the "big city" and we enjoyed every minute with them.

Bonka and I love giving our granddaughters a "double kiss" and Avery loves getting them. Notice her hand around Bonka's neck. She will pull both of us together to do it again :)

We love you Avery!

It's amazing to see how fast Avery is growing up. In no time at all we won't even notice the age difference between she and Kate and Molly. Josh and his family and Jeremy and his family came to visit and the little granddaughters had a fun time playing together (although this picture doesn't seem to reflect that Molly is having fun:))

Avery LOVES playing outside and can even say "outside".

We enjoy every visit we can get with Kristin and her family.

We are so glad Sahuarita isn't too far away!

Maddie's Soccer Game

2009-11-05T14:30:00.000-08:00

Maddie has been playing on her very first soccer team..."The Lil' Gators" :) Bonka and I have had fun going to some of her games. It brings back great memories of going to Jeremy's games when he was a little boy...the "beehive" play, orange slices, aftergame treats and drinks and this time we have added hairbows and cheers :)

Maddie (the fastest runner on the team and a big scorer!)

Halle (one of her youngest fans)

Notice she even wore green :)

Molly (all set with her styling sunglasses, her binky and her very own soccer clothes:))

Down on the Farm

2009-11-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

Jeremy and Hannah invited Bonka and me to join them at the pumpkin patch. It was fun to be with them and watch how excited the little girls got when they found pumpkins, rode the tractor, and ran through the maze. It wasn't your typical "farm" like they saw in their Maryland days, but they were good sports as they had an Arizona "fall" experience :) Such a sweet family!

Halle

Molly

Maddie

Thank you for inviting us to join you! We had such a good time!

An Evening with Kate

2009-11-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

Josh and Melissa went to the Temple one evening and Bonka and I were blessed to have the opportunity to babysit Kate. We always have so much fun and this night was no exception. We were playing in the backyard and Kate learned how to ride the tricylce all by herself. It was cute to watch her face light up as she pushed the pedals and actually moved by herself. Such a BIG girl!

All our little granddaughters love pumpkins. It was fun to take pictures of Kate sitting on one by the front door. Her smile was as big as the one on the pumpkin! What a cutie! Thanks Josh and Melissa for sharing Kate with us!

Tempe University Stake Rodeo

2009-10-13T13:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday night Dad picked up his rope and hit the Barney's arena to show off his roping skills and it was fun to see him do so well!! The Young Adults in our Stake were VERY impressed with his not before seen talents and so were his granddaughters :) Way to go Dad!!! Jeremy, Maddie and Molly came to join us and to "ride the horses" and we enjoyed a fun evening together. (Along with Uncle Toby, Aunt Sandy, Danae, Tanner, Porter, Della, Brian, Janette and McRae.)

Such a cute pic :)

Maddie, Tanner and Porter watching the rodeo

Maddie and "her friends" (cousins) Tanner (black hat) and Porter
Jeremy and Maddie

Bonka (Mom's favorite cowboy!) and Maddie

Jeremy and Molly

Still Learning :)

2009-10-10T11:35:00.001-07:00

Molly, her Baby and her little stroller (yes, that's her smiley face)

Halle and Bonka

Maddie and her bike

Ok, so I tried to do this all by myself and still have a lot to learn :) I'll have to give one of you a call the next time I try to do this on my own. Anyway, here's the story behind the pics...Bonka and I got to go to Jeremy and Hannah's last night and babysit the girls while they enjoyed a date night together. The girls were so sweet to us and we had a great time. We had dinner together, went to the park to play and then came home and watched, "Alvin and the Chipmunks". Doesn't that sound like the perfect evening out for a Grandma and Grandpa? :) Bonka and I were so impressed that Maddie rode her bike all the way to the park, all around the park and even all the way home. Molly wanted to take her stroller and we were afraid she would not want to push it after we got half way to the park and yet she pushed it the whole time too. Such BIG girls! Halle was adorable and we all had a great evening. Thanks Jeremy and Hannah for letting us have an evening with the girls!

My New Door

2009-10-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

So what have Dad and I been up to? Well, I've been to North Carolina to see the Farnsworths and of course, I didn't take my camera so I have no pictures of that but while I was gone, Dad gave me a new front door...well sort of...he painted my old one BLACK! Then he put on new hardware and even a new peep hole so we can even see out finally. It's awesome and I am thrilled! Thank you Dad for taking so much time and effort to surprise me. I love it but love you a whole lot more!!!!!

2009-10-08T18:38:00.001-07:00

Ok. I have been told by Whitney that I must be an "official" blogger now since she has added my link to her blog :) I guess that's a great reason to begin. Well, actually I guess I already have begun (I did that at the FACS Conference this summer) so I guess it's time to continue. First, I'm going to have to learn how to post pictures for this to be fun for everyone (since that's what I always like to look at :) and that's going to mean that I'm going to have to start taking pictures since I NEVER do that. HA HA! So wish me luck! Or wish Whitney luck since she is going to try and help me learn to post from Provo while I'm in Tempe.

A Day at BYU

2009-06-17T10:07:00.001-07:00

Whitney and I had a great day being "students" together at BYU for the FACS workshop! Thanks Whitney for helping me set up my new blog.