Let's be FRANK!!

Tis the season for , "FRANK!" Code word for Santa Claus.  

Keith's oldest brother had a Santa outfit and for years was Santa at the Gines family Christmas party.  Well, he got tired of it and so Keith would borrow his suit and play the part.  About 3 years ago, Keith bought his own, new and improved Santa suit.  Since then, December has been filled with Santa sightings. We do family parties and ward parties and every year we do more. (I say we, because I am Santa's helper/dresser.  No, I do not dress up.) This year we  added Adam's and Kelli's wards. More people are finding out and asking Keith to join their party.  Today, for the 2nd year, he was Santa at Walgrens in Clinton where Darin works.  He had lines of people waiting today and had a fun time.  The only drawback is that Santa, well, sweats under the large amount of clothing that he wears. YUCK,

One of the most fun things we have done is to randomly show up Christmas Eve at homes with little kids in our ward.  Now, that's a shocker, but they love it.

He's a fun Santa, but now I worry about the grandkids recognizing his voice.  He tries to change it to fool them.  5 gigs down and 5 to go.

HAPPY 30TH ADAM

Heaven forbid, my oldest child is 30 years old today.  Adam is an amazing son.  He doesn't realize what an important part of my life he is. I depend on him for so many things. 

I knew from the time I was 4 months pregnant that I would have a son, (that's before ultrasound.) We were both so excited. Keith even bought Adam a train set when he was 1 month old. Sweetest baby ever and so loved.

Adam talked early.  At the age of 2 and 1 month he memorized an 8 line Christmas poem ( The first 4 lines were 'R is for reindeer a truly fine creature whose (something, something) at Christmas we feature.' I can't remember the rest.) I thought that was normal.   I use to bribe him to be quiet for 5 minutes.  To this day, when Adam talks to you, you must give him your full attention.

Adam loved to play with He-Man, transformers, legos, anything that used a great amount of imagination.  Best of all, he didn't require me to play with me, he entertained himself for hours.

Adam has always been a voice for the underdog.  He has a heart as big as gold and would do anything for anyone.  For many years, even before he was married, he has done sub for Santa for families without telling anyone.

Adam has always loved, LOVED computers, staring with the Commodore 64. He would work in the yard for hours with the promise of a new game.

His first video game system he bought was the Sega Genesis.  He had to sell things at a yard sale to earn the money to buy a used one.  Since that time, I think he has bought every system as it comes available.  And CD's - don't get me started, hundreds and hundreds of them.

Adam found his true love with Jess.  When they got married, I told her, he was her problem now. We love his choice of a mate.

Adam is passionate about many things, right now, it's his Utes and his video arcade that he is making. 

His dream of going to a pro football game came true in October when the girls in the family took the boys to a 49ers game.
Adam loves kids and is the best uncle around.  He will be a tender, kind, and loving father some day.

Adam has a sense of humor that entertains us for hours.  He's smart and witty and just plain fun to be around. He and Travis are their Dad's best friend. 
30 years. WOW!  I am truly blessed to be a part of your life.  You are destined for great things.  You don't know the potential you have for good and achievement.  

I love you Adam.

Southern California Fun

The Gines' always make an annual football trip.  We either go to Las Vegas or San Diego.  This year we went to San Diego.  Keith and I, Adam and Jess, Travis, Natalie and Addison, and Kelli and Jeremy (who celebrated their 1 year anniversary) went.We got cheap flights on JetBlue and were gone for 6 days.  Six wonderful, sunny, warm, happy days.Addison was a fabulous baby. She is so sweet and even tempered, even when she is sick.  She talks and smiles and is an absolute doll.
It was so warm - 88 degrees - we went to the beach and the boys had a great time body surfing. They had so much fun, we bought boogy boards and went back the next day.  That was great fun.  That is until Trav couldn't find the keys to the rental car.  You know, they just don't stay in you swim suit pockets when you're taking on the big waves of the ocean.  

We were able to stay in the Marriott Vacation Club in Newport Beach. (Thanks Kelli!)  This is the view from our balcony. Yes that's the ocean you see. We were well taken care of and the resort is beautiful. 
The boys and Kelli went to the football game.  They took baby Addi with them. (Can you say blowout?)  Natalie, Jessica and I went to Hollywood to see "Wicked." This is my all time favorite musical.  It was stressful getting there - way to much traffic.  Fortunately, Keith had bought a Garmin and we found the place just fine.  The play, however, was fabulously wicked. 
I talked the kids into going to Universal Studios.  Things have changed since the last time I was there and the Mummy ride is an absolute kick.  It was smokey from the fires, but what a great time of year to go, warm weather and NO CROWDS.  You get right on the rides and can go as many times as you choose.
This is the sunset from Universal.  Gorgeous isn't it.
Disneyland was great, no lines no waiting.  I've never been there when it was like this.  We went on everything we wanted to in both parks as many times as we wanted.  The only bummer was that Natalie had the flu.  She tried so hard to enjoy the day, but just felt too awful.  I felt so bad for her.  Travis was a sweetheart and took to the hotel and stayed with her.  Sometimes the kid surprises me.  This is Addison's first ride, "Pirates of the Caribbean."  She loved it.  (Sorry, I don't know how to turn the picture.)
My favorite ride is the Tower of Terror.  Keith hates it and opted out after the first 2 rides. See us all on the front row. LOVE IT!
I don't know whose great idea it was to go on Splash Mountain after dark, but hey, no line.  So we went --- 3 times! Each time changing positions in the canoe.  I have never seen so much water splash up on the side of the ride - and on us.  We laughed so hard, but boy were we wet when we got done. Jeremy is taking the picture and he is wetter than all of us.  Yes, that's wet, not just dark jeans.
It was a terrific trip, now if we just didn't have to come back to real life and go to work. Booo! 

I love going in vacations with my family.  We have so many great memories and really do enjoy  each other's company.  Thanks all for a fab trip.

Happy 26th Katie

Today my daughter turns 26 years old.  

We were so excited when she was born.  We had 2 sons and were so excited to have a girl.  I went crazy and bought EVERYTHING pink.  She wore so much pink that at the age of 3 or 4, she said to me, "Mommy, no more pink!"  She has loved purple every since.  She was gifted and talented as a child, doing things ahead of expected time. Some of my favorite things she said:  Her Papa was tending and he was reading the newspaper, not really paying a whole lot of attention to the chatty 3 year old.  Finally, she pulled down his paper and scolded him with, "Fine, you not talk to me, I go to Bed!"  One day after primary, I asked her how class  had gone.  She told me, "Sunbeams fart."  I guess one kid had a problem in class and that's how she understood her teacher's explanation.  

Katie has overcome trials and hard times.  She has learned and grown from her experiences in life. Heavenly Father has watched over and protected her and led her where she needed to be.

Katie has always been everyone's princess. To this day her Papa still thinks of her has his special princess.  She is kind, thoughtful, loving, silly, (and to the amazement of her brothers) funny, talented, creative, and my best friend (along with her sister).

She loves sleep, loooong showers, soap operas, TV and movies, the Olive Garden, crafting, reading, her family and her husband and wonderful children.

Katie is an awesome Mom.  She has always loved children and is much more patient and kind than I ever was. She is a tender, understanding, giving wife.

I love her and am so glad she is a part of my world.  I am better because I know her.  I feel blessed with the priviledge of being her Mom and watching her learn and grow. 

Happy Day my sweet daughter.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Beware, the pictures get ugly.

So, 2-3 years ago, the Stake got ahold of a bunch of 50 gallon drums that had held some kind of punch.  We bought 5 of them for $3.50 a piece.  Now the good intention was to clean them out and give one to each of our kids and one to us.  We even bought the pumps to go with them. WELLLL, they sat next to the shed for the last 2-3 years collecting rain and snow water and all kinds of dirt.  Keith and I have been trying to get some emergency supplies together.  Since there was no UTAH game today and the weather was nice, we (or rather I) decided today would be a great day to clean them out.  We went to Walmart and bought 5 gallons of bleach, one for each drum.  Then we went to work.  First we had to dump the water out of each drum and then we got the power washer and proceeded to clean the gunk out of each one.  After they were pretty well cleaned out, I poured a gallon of  bleach in each drum and then Keith would put some water in.  I then sealed the tops, rolled them on their sides and let them sit and then I would turn them and swirl them, over and over again.  Well on the second drum, water and bleach sprayed out of the drum into Keith's eye.  He went into to wash it out, came back out.  I told him to go to InstaCare, but he kept on working.  Then he went back in the house and took a shower to try and flush it out and since it was still burning, he agreed to go to InstaCare.  Just as he was getting ready to go, Trav came by and he took Keith. I stayed behind to finish cleaning out the drums.   Picture of drums all cleaned out.

He's a lovely picture of Keith's eye after it had been irrigated and cleaned.  He has to have antibiotic eye drops and Pain meds.  The yellow stuff is what they put on him in the Dr.'s office.  He can't stand bright lights and it is burned.

Well, back at home, the cleaning was going pretty good. I figured out a system where I could rinse out the bleach and get all the rocks out and then rinse and rinse again.  I got to the last drum and my last rinse when the power washer slipped out of the hole and the end of the wand was 1 inch away from my gloved thumb and sprayed my thumb.  You would think no big deal right? WRONG!  Pain as I have never experienced it before went shooting down my thumb.  Blood was coming out through the glove.  I ran into the house grabbed paper towels, changed clothes and drove myself to InstaCare.  Now, I've cut myself a ton in my life, but nothing like this.  I've even cut through my tendon in the same thumb.  NOTHING like this.  By the time I got there, I was shaking and starting to go into shock.  As the receptionist was taking my information, out walks Keith and Trav.  So, Back Travis goes with his other parent to get helped.  Keith sat in the waiting room.  He felt like he was going to faint.  Now, Travis says I was Hysterical.  I say I was in more pain than I ever remember being in and I was being rather brave.  I did cry harder when the Doctor gave me shots to deaden my thumb.  She said she had never seen anything like this before and there was a lot of soft tissue damage. I got 4 stitches.  the cut runs from the middle in the front of my thumb to the back. I got x-rayed and found out I also have air in the thumb and may need to see a hand specialist. I also have pain meds and antibiotics.  So, I'm typing this before the numbness wears off.  Another ugly picture.  Notice also the bruise on my cheek.  That came from the dentist on Monday and is 5 days old.  Believe me, it was worse.

So, with the money we had to pay to the docs and meds, we could have bought 3 new drums.  What drama.  All my Thanks to Travis.  He was our angel today.  It's neat to see him in his element.  He's a great nurse.  

Yep, Keith and I are going to be fun to be around.  Someday this will be a REALLY funny story.

Merry Christmas -Already???

Last year for Christmas, I took my kids on a cruise. (Except for Nat and Trav. Too close to Addison's birth.)  I loved giving them a memory instead of more stuff.  So I wondered what I could do this year.  Adam and Keith are always talking about going to a Pro football game and how cool would that be.  So I mentioned it to the girls and they thought that would be a great Christmas gift. (Darin couldn't get any more time off, so they couldn't go.)I gave them the airfare and the girls bought the tickets to the game and the hotel rooms.  We planned in July to take them to a 49ers game because they love Alex Smith.  We about died when he was injured and couldn't play, but, oh well.    

We told many lies and had all kind of stories.  We got really good at it at the end.  Keith was told we were going to breakfast with Trav and Nat and he was really upset that he didn't get to eat at his favorite cafe.  Then he didn't  relax for a whole day worrying about what he was missing and could church and work really go on without him.  It was really interesting to watch calm and cool Keith sweat stuff out for so long.  In the end he figured everything out and had a great time.  I did pack his lap top and he did several hours of work a day, but it  made him happy.

Nat knew they would want to watch the U of U game and found a a great sports bar where they had the MOUNTAIN and we could watch it.  It was great because they gave us our own room.

Sunday was the game, and as much as I don't love football, it was really a kick.  We got there really early and were able to walk all around the stadium, high and low and get a view at everything.  We spent extra money to get seats in the lower bowl.  We were behind the goal posts, which was a weird angle to view the game, but we got use to it.  
Don't worry, we even got to see Alex Smith.  

That's him in the red warm up suit.  Hard job to earn millions of dollars, isn't it.

Lots of excitement to get the team on the field.  They had a big blow up helmet the team ran through.  That was right in front of us, so we got to see them come out.
Here's the happy faces, enjoying their Christmas gifts.
We got really good at taking public transportation.  It was a rocky start at first, but kind people helped us.  Adam and Jess get the award for figuring out the whole system the best.  

Addison was the best baby ever.  I loved getting to see her everyday and playing and holding her.  What a sweet blessing from heaven.
Did you know you can walk down Lombard Street?  The boys ran down it with the video cameras.  But Nat and I ended up walking down it because the stairs were too hard for the stroller.
This is Addi before our big bike ride.  She loved it, and didn't cry too much when Trav took a turn too sharp and dumped her on her head.  Good thing she's strapped in.
My favorite day. I loved riding the bikes to the Golden Gate bridge and walking on the beach.

We only ate ate Giradelli twice.  Yummy.  There was a big air show this weekend and Fisherman's Wharf was so crowded, but fun to watch all the people.
It was a great time.  Tuesday night Keith told me he had a great time and it was a great surprise.  Do you think he'll be able to top it?  Probably not, but it was a great Christmas.  

Just remember this on Christmas morning kids.  Love you all tons.

The Greatest Show on Earth

Kelli invited us to go to the Circus. 

We took MyKelle and Gage and had a great time. 

We haven't been since we were dating. 

MyKelle being cheesy and Keith checking out the clowns. 

 You know, he was the Dee Burger clown.  

He has to check out his competition.

Gage with no nap for the day, but loving the animals.

Kelli helping MyKelle get a better look.

 She thought it was great when the elephant peed right in front of us.

Cute Jer and Kelli

Poppy  bought MyKelle a pretzel.  

She had a hard time deciding between popcorn and a pretzel. 

 I'm surprised he didn't buy her both.

So tired and happy kiddos.  They were great and loved every minute of it. 

Thanks Kelli for inviting us.

And last, but by no means least, cute Addison eating her cereal. 

 Isn't she just the cutest thing ever?

Happy Anniversary to Us!

September 10th was our 32nd anniversary.  Keith and I don't need or want anything, because if we need or want something we just buy it.  We had said we would just go to dinner.  Boring, but we LOVE to eat.  

Well, I decided after having my first pedicures in the last month, that Keith really needed one.  He has the nastiest, cracked, rough feet in the world.  When Travis was a kid, he use to give Keith foot rubs with lotion.  He wouldn't give me one though, because my feet were too nice.  The grosser the better to Travis.  So, I surprised Keith with a pedicure for his gift.  He was okay with it at first because, well, there was a laptop.
Then, the cheese grater came out.  Man, I needed to give this sweet girl a good tip, and I did.

Keith's feet are softer and smoother than at any other time in our married life.  He likes to tell the story of how awful an experience this was, but he really liked it.  I may even get him back again.  He opted not to have the clear coat polish applied. 
After the Pedicure, we went to Red Lobster for dinner.  Keith HAD to have the steak and Lobster.  What did he think it was, an occasion or something?
In our little area of Red Lobster, 3 of the 6 booths were celebrating their anniversary, one 15 years, one 24 and us 32 - we win!
Keith surprised me roses, Mom's favorite color.  He is a sweetie.  We've had ups and downs, easy and hard times, and we're still here.  We're empty nesters, rediscovering why we married in the first place. I love him, he's the BEST Poppy in the world, a fabulous Dad to his amazing children and a sweet and loving husband to me.  Here's to 32 more.

(As we were driving home, I started talking about how long 32 years had been, and yet his parents had been married almost double that time.  What would we do for the next 32 years.  His response, "Oh, Jo, guys don't think that deep.  I was just thinking that I'd put 3,000 miles on the motorcycle." 

So there you go, an admittance by Keith of the complexity of men.)

Go Utes! and Good Weekends

Just a few pictures of the last couple of weeks.  We had to go to the Ute Fan Fest so my "boys" could get autographs of the Ute Football players.  

Jeremy was a good sport and took MyKelle down the "Mountain" slide on real snow!

Love Addison's Ute Cheerleader outfit.  It is a requirement that she wear it for every game.

Gage and MyKelle love to help Poppy mow the lawn.

This is for Ryry.  These deer live in my backyard.  4 huge bucks this day.

My cute 4th grade class.  Yes, we must be angels with the light above us.

Ugh! Hate the red mohawk.  I can deal with it for the one day he has it.  By the end of the game, the entire top of his head was red!

I golfed with the guys before the game on Saturday.  I hadn't been able to golf all summer because of my knee surgery.  I had some pretty good hits and had a great time.  Then, yesterday, when I went to my Dr.'s appointment, I got a royal scolding.  I may have undone all the work we were trying to do with my knee.  There is a possibility I will have to have the surgery redone.  We'll know in 4-6 weeks.  GREAT!

The guys headed out to the Ute Game.  Thank Heavens they won.  Makes for happier boys.

Sunday night we had the Oborns over to our house for a BBQ.  It was a great time.  Fun to catch up with such good friends. The guys were in the human rubber band.  Someone's gonna die in that thing one of these days.  Sorry to our latest casualty - Nat.