Spring (and rain) Comes to Utah

This past weekend Lloyd and I and daughter Jenny drove to Layton Utah for a writer's convention Jenn was participating in. It was an adventure...12 hours on the road there on Friday, the convention on Saturday, and another 12 hour drive home on Sunday.

While there, we went into Salt Lake City and toured Temple Square in the pouring rain.  We hadn't been there since 1985 so it had changed quite a bit since then.  In spite of the rain, we managed to get some pretty good pictures.

Temple Square was teeming with beautiful flowers that appeared to love the rain.

Cherry blossoms maybe?

Jenny and Lloyd and the Handcart Pioneers monument

The Seagull Monument commemorating  the
seagulls who saved the pioneers from starvation
by coming and eating all the crickets that were
destroying their crops in the early years of settlement.

The Assembly Hall on Temple Square

The Salt Lake Temple of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Jenny by the monument commemorating the
restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood

Cherry (?) tree in bloom on Temple Square

Another view of the Temple

Spring flowers

Tulips

Beautiful lacy tulips

So many varieties and colors 

More tulips

We were fortunate enough to be on Temple Square when an organ
recital was scheduled.  The Tabernacle is an amazing structure with
truly astounding acoustics.

The world famous Tabernacle pipe organ.  The recital was beautiful.
The organist really rocked the building with the lovely sound
he could generate from the pipes.

As on any Saturday, Temple Square was the scene of many
weddings.  We saw at least five bridal parties in the hour or so we were
there, having their pictures taken, smiling in spite of the rain.

More to come....

The Wait Is Over

Five days past her due date, Olive Rosemarie Taylor finally came to join our family.  It wasn't easy but it certainly was exciting and we're all so thrilled to have this new little angel to love and spoil.

It amazes me how things have changed in labor and delivery procedures since I was having my babies.  Back then the fathers weren't allowed at the delivery.  When the babies were born they were whisked away to be washed, measured, checked over, etc. before finally being given to the mother to cuddle.

Yesterday, Allan was with Emily the whole time, and so was I.  And cameras were welcome.  Emily had opted for a water birth at a midwife-run birthing center.  It was a very soothing place to be but after 24 hours of labor it became apparent that medical intervention was necessary, so she was transferred to a nearby hospital. I must admit to feeling relieved to be in the familiar atmosphere of a hospital delivery room where I knew there would be everything necessary to assure a successful birth.  As it turns out, Olive came "sunny-side-up" as the doctor put it...face up instead of face down...a difficult birth presentation.  My first baby was like that and I was put out for the birth and he was extracted via forceps.  Emily was luckier than that, and a very strong pusher.  At 3:35 yesterday afternoon Olive was safely born with the doctor and nurses cheering her on, but not interfering.  Oh!...oh!....and guess who cut the cord...Me!  Allan didn't want to and the doctor asked if the grammie wanted to.  I didn't hesitate and jumped right in there!

Emily and Allan at the birthing center

 I think it's so nice that as soon as the baby was born she was placed on Emily's chest, covered with a blanket and just left there for an hour or so while the medical staff completed the birthing process and clean-up.  What a special time...and how quickly the agony turns to joy.

Emily and Olive,  five minutes after birth.

The Taylor family.

Happy Grammie. You can see the red ridge on Olive's forehead
where she was stuck, causing the long labor and difficult labor.

A new baby and her new Daddy.

Olive this morning - 18 hrs. old

 Isn't it amazing that the 21st grandchild brings the same attention, love and excitement to the family as the first one did almost 18 years ago.  It's something that never gets old and the love each baby brings with her is multiplied through the whole family.  Babies....there's nothing like them!

You can bet there'll be more pictures of this little lady on this blogsite for years to come.

Tennis Anyone???

While we were in Arizona with Sara's family, it was decided that the two older children, Charlie and Max, would take tennis lessons.  It turned out to be fun for the whole family, with Charlie and Lloyd taking on Quincey and Max for a couple of games after the lessons.

Surprise, AZ has the best public courts we've ever seen.  They played under the lights on beautiful clay courts at a large public facility not far from our home.

Their form wasn't great but after only two lessons I guess that's to be expected.  Hopefully they'll keep at it after they go home to Canada.

Quincey and Max

Charlie and Lloyd

Jump and stretch

Quinn figured her job was to gather up all the stray
balls.  It probably would have been easier if
she wasn't holding on to her big stuffed cat.

Just one of the many fun things for the family to do during our winter get-aways.  The snow has finally left Alberta, for the most part, so we won't have to 'escape' for another few months.

In the meantime, we still are waiting for our new granddaughter to make an appearance.  Yesterday was her due date so its gotta happen soon.

Shower Time

A few weeks ago daughter, Sara, hosted a baby shower for daughter, Emily.  This is Emily's first baby and since we haven't had a new baby in our family for over three years, everyone's excited to see this new little addition.  The official due date is April 10 so Olive Rosemarie can make her appearance at any time now.

Sara outdid herself once again with this party.  She should have been an event planner - she has such wonderful ideas for theme partys, much to her childrens' delight when their birthdays roll around.  I got so involved in the fun that I forgot to take many pictures.  Here's what I have (along with a few from Sara).

The food table - those are bottles of fruit
flavored soda in case you're wondering.

Fresh fruit in cups with Nutella in the bottom

Raw vegetables in individual cups with ranch
dressing in the bottom

Baby face cupcakes made by Christie

Pink and white striped plastic popcorn cups filled with crunchy
sweet popcorn and nut mix, and assorted tarts, cookies and sweets. 

I love the little clothesline. Emily got to keep everything
hanging on it, as well as the books and toys on
the fireplace under the clothesline.

The three framed pictures are of Emily as a baby

Mickey, Charlie and Me

Emily in the seat of honor

Sara handed around a spool of tape and we all had to cut off a length
we thought would equal the span of Em's pregnant tummy.  Rachel won
but she cheated...she just put the tape around her own pregnant tummy
and cut it to that length!  Her baby is due a week after Emily's.

Have you ever seen this game?  Everyone was given an ice cube
with a plastic baby frozen inside.  Whosever 'water' broke first got
a prize.  I froze my hand trying to get that ice melted to free my 'baby'.

And of course there were gifts...lots and lots of gifts.
Among them were a couple dozen books for her
to read to her baby.  What a great gift for a child.

And a special card hand crafted by Mickey

Four of my girls.  We always miss Mary at these events but
she lives too far away to come to all of them.

Our hostess, Sara

One of the many books she received

DIL Cindy, DDs Amy, Sara and Jenny

Granddaughters Brooklyn (Cindy's) and Charlie (Sara`s)

Among the guests were four pregnant ladies, two ladies with new babies,
as well as other assorted friends and relatives.
A lovely way to celebrate the arrival of a new baby to the family.

Now all that remains is the waiting....any day now Emily!

License Plates

Lloyd and I have done a lot of driving these past few weeks.  I noticed that there are a lot of vanity license plates on vehicles these days so I started trying to take pictures of them while Lloyd drove. It's fun to try to figure out the 'code' and wonder about the owners' reasons for their choice in tags.  Here are a few I managed to capture.

Her personality, or her job???

I loved this one we saw on a license plate from Utah, USA.  It says
CDN4EVR - Canadian Forever. There are lots of Canadians
living in Utah. Its nice to know they love their homeland.

These drivers must like The Princess Bride, one of our
favorite movies.  The phrase 'as you wish' was the farmboy
Westley's way of telling Buttercup that he loved her.

The girl driving this car in Arizona obviously likes little blue
creatures 'two apples high'.

Team colors???

The perfect plates for a convertible - OPNSKYS

I don't know the story behind this one but I bet it's an
interesting one - PRPLSNO.  I've never seen purple snow.

I understand the GOLF, but not the PP, the name of a
favorite course maybe?

This one is anyone's guess.  Really.  Does anyone have a
guess about what this one might mean?  M4RITZA

I like this one that Lloyd found for me - GRMAZ - can only
mean Grandma's.

But this is my favorite one of all, found on the best food truck
in America - The Maine Lobster Lady.  Lloyd and I found out where
her truck was yesterday and went and feasted on her amazing Lobster
Rolls.

The best lunch in town!

Do you have vanity plates?  What's the most interesting, unusual, funny you've seen?