This and That

I'll try to bring you up to date on the lives of our family. Steve and I are still working, working, working. The funnest thing I do each week is babysit Macy on Tuesday. We have great fun. The funnest thing Steve does is his golfing. This month he just completed a goal of golfing at least once every month for a year. He did this, even through the winter, thanks to a few good weather days in our cold months. Sick, cold, rain, snow -- he's there!!!! I've been spending a lot of time in physical therapy trying to get my arm and back pain gone. It's a challenge.

Most of the family has been able to all get together a couple of times this year, once for Janelle's birthday and then for a combined Terri/Bethany/Jessica birthday. Always one missing, so not everyone yet. So hard to get everyone together with everyone's crazy schedules. We will try again this month for Macy's and Nathan's birthdays.

Bethany and Isaac moved to a new apartment this last couple of weeks. It's a very cute basement apartment in a very nice home in West Jordan, not far from where Bethany works, which is great for her as she's had to go a pretty good distance for the last year and a half. She even goes home for lunch. They're very excited to be there, especially now that they have their own washer and dryer. I have teased Bethany that I won't see her much now, now that she won't be coming over to do her laundry, but she assured me that she only did her laundry here because she was coming over anyway and that won't stop. I hope not. I love it when her and Isaac come over. They taught us a new game called Werewolf the other day that we played when my sister and her son came over for a visit before my nephew goes off to Afghanistan. I know it sounds like dumb game and that is what I've thought ever since they told us about it, but it really was quite fun.

Heather is loving her condo in Eagle Mountain. Her friend from the MTC will be moving in next month. She's very excited for that. She has been called to teach the Temple class in her single's ward and also was called to be the "Ma" in her family home evening group. She's also starting a course to become a "stager" which goes along with her interior design education. I've started to have lunch with her and Bethany every Thursday as that is the day she is in town all day at one of her jobs. We have a great time.

Nathan and Jessica and Macy are doing great. What a cute family. We love hanging out with them whenever we can. Nathan is still working for Velocity. He would eventually like to teach and coach at a high school -- hopefully that will happen in good time. Jessica is still doing hair -- mine looks great, she keeps me looking young. Macy is the joy of our lives. We love being grandparents.

Matthew is still working hard and long hours at his 2 jobs. We don't see too much of him but treasure the times that we are able to spend with him. Janelle is still looking for a job so if you have any ideas let me know. As I write this, she and Heather and Bethany are having a fun girls night out. Oh, to be young again.

Steve and I are going to Europe in April with his sister and her husband. They have a grandson in Germany getting baptized. It should be fun if my back will just hold out.

Macy vacuuming

Here are some pictures and video of our granddaughter vacuuming the floors. I had taken the attachment off and she took it over. It was so cute.

Macy going through tunnel
This is a video I took when Steve and I were babysitting Macy when Nathan and Jessica went out for her birthday. What a fun night!!!! WE LOVE BEING GRANDPARENTS!!!!

Sunday with Trinity

Most Sundays we take my nephew's daughter, Trinity, to Primary. Today when we got home, she sat down at my computer, put my glasses and headphones on (the headphones fell off), started typing in my keyboard, and said she "was getting her e-mai.." I love that kid.

Other pictures of my girl, Trinity.

Christmas 2008

We had a great Christmas. On Christmas Eve we went to Terri's parents house to visit with Grandma and Gramps and Grandma Hatch. We got some great pictures. Heather spent Christmas Eve with us. We all slept in as there really weren't any presents for the 3 of us to open (we had given Heather early gifts to help furnish her new condo and Steve and I gave each other our cruise). Isaac and Bethany and Nathan, Jessica, and Macy came over later and the kids opened their gifts to each other and our gifts to them. We had so much fun watching Macy with her new little activity center. She stood by it for a half hour just laughing at the little dancing bear. After playing a game with us, Nathan and his family were off to Jessica's family's home. After Isaac and Bethany visited with his family they came back to our house where we played some more games. Heather, Bethany, and Terri got in the hot tub. It was snowing lightly and our heads got a dusting of snow. We were out there for an hour. We had so much fun. Isaac had to work the next day and Bethany didn't so Bethany decided to stay the night. She had gotten a Cricket vinyl letter cutting machine and we made a saying for our wall. You can see it on her blog. It turned out great. Then the 3 of us stayed up late watching movies. What fun. What would I do without my girls. I love you two!!!!!

5 Generations

This is a 5-generation picture of Macy Soelberg, Nathan Soelberg, Terri Soelberg, Lorraine Smith, and Irene Hatch, Macy's Great-Great Grandma who is 102-1/2 years old.

Steve and Terri go on a cruise, January 12-16

So before I went back to work after my 6-week recovery from elbow surgery, Steve and I went on a cruise with our dear friends, Steve and Debbie Jester. It was a 4-day cruise to Catalina Island and down to Ensenada. What fun. We took a little tour around the island. What an interesting place. Later that afternoon we took a little boat, big raft more like it, out into the ocean where we saw a whale diving into the water and dolphins which swam right along our boat with us. It was so cool. It was like they were escorting us around. Steve and Steve stuck their hand over the boat and the dolphins came up and touched them. Awesome stuff. We then went down to Ensenada where we tried to get a look at a blow hole that is there but the tide was out and it didn't blow too much. We went from shop to shop in the city and then back to the boat. What a relaxing vacation. I'm now back to work, yuck. Oh, well, back to real life.

Our Ship, the Paradise

The Dolphins