New granddaughter

May I introduce my newest granddaughter.. (we now have three little princesses and I have already been looking for matching outfits for the three of them!)..this was my first chance to hold her but it wasn't my last.

Grandpa introduced her to the fine art of napping. She is a quick study.





Hard to leave especially when she said, "Look I fit in your suitcase! Take me with you!"

The end of 2010

We welcome 2011 and say goodbye to 2010.

December was a fun month with a wedding, Christmas and New Years. Adam and Andrew came home by way of Arizona for the wedding of their cousin Drew.

2010 was the year for the "in-law" Christmas so all our married children did not come home but Adam and Andrew spent the holidays with us in Texas...and as usual brought lots of energy and fun with them. Our traditional New year's Eve Bingo night was loads of fun laughing and trading--(though we held it the night before so they could go to the singles dance.)

Then early in 2011--off they went leaving me feeling really sad for a day or so. Funny, we raise them to be independent and responsible adults. We truly do not want them to live with us forever--but it still feels sad when they leave.

Another end of an era--the van which has been part of the Salt family for 18 years made its last trip down the driveway. Lots of memories with that vehicle...

Thanksgiving in Denver

We celebrated Thanksgiving this year in Denver with Matthew & Debbie. If only Sarah and her family could have been there it would have been perfect. As it was, it came pretty close. We are so blessed and we had so much fun together.

We sang..

We worked together..


(One of my favorite pictures).

Then we sat down to Debbie's lovely table. She made the centerpieces herself!! The meal was wonderful but the company was the best.

We enjoyed our time together. The girls did crafts. We played games. I went with Debbie to the gym--once to discover new muscles that I was not aware of in my legs which made descending the stairs every day a fun reminder of our experience. ouch!! Then another day to take a weight lifting class to provide a similar experience for my arms and shoulders. Luckily no pictures of that!!

Also Natalie helped me feel the baby kick. It was a great weekend spent together and we ended it by helping put the lights on the house.

June-August

June was a milestone year for Steve's parents. They had their 60th wedding anniversary. We loved being able to join them on the beautiful Oregon coast and celebrate their achievement. They were excited to get to see Andrew again after two years.





Notice I am wearing a coat on the last week in June...INSIDE the house? It is cold in Bandon--but it didn't snow.

Then in August all of our children headed to Nauvoo. It was our first family reunion in almost 4 years. It was a blast!! We rented a home big enough for all of us and we had a great time together. We prepared meals together, we played together, and we were touched by the spirit that permeates the place. We went on wagon rides and ox cart rides...and didn't need a coat!




I loved being with my children and my grand-children. I am so glad they all made the effort to come!!

April-May

Then in April, Andrew went to visit his siblings. We were able to be there for Natalie's graduation...And SNOW IN APRIL!! A big shocker for those of us that live in Houston or just spent two years in Samoa.



Then we did a short hop to Denver to celebrate Matthew's birthday with Matthew and Debbie. Did I mention I have poor photography skills? We will need to do a retake next time we are in Denver.

A long long time ago...

I used to write on this blog occasionally. If you were worried we are fine. I just didn't have the enthusisam to try to remember how to post pictures and commentary without it being a jumbled mess. We will see if I am successful...

A few highlights from the last 7 months or so has to include our trip to Samoa.

In April...We went to Samoa to pick up our missionary son. It was an amazing trip. We were able to experience the culture...

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admire the beauty....

meet wonderful people, and hug our son a lot!"

He was waiting for us at the airport and he saw me coming through customs before I saw him. One of the other Elders asked him if he thought I knew he was waiting for us on the other side of the partition. Andrew replied, "No, she hasn't seen me, yet." The Elder asked, "how do you know?" He replied, "She isn't crying!! (Ignore my red tear stained eyes.)

I finished a project!!

At Christmas, the girls and I (WOW did I wait a long time to say that) went to the fabric store. It was one of my favorite parts of the family visit. I loved watching them pick out their fabrics. I loved the fun they had helping each other and tossing around ideas. It was a great girl bonding experience for me.

Then I made their purses. It was nice to finish a project and to have them seem so happy with the results. Happy day!

Earthquakes in Chile

I served a mission in Chile Concepcion many years ago. The destruction there made me feel so very sad. This article http://www.ldsmag.com/churchupdate/100303chile.html is a nice testimony that the Lord LOVES His missionaries. My son in Samoa is also fine--the threatened tsunami did not materialize! :)

Happy Birthday, Dad

We celebrated my Dad's 80th birthday last weekend. I loved having us all together. It may have been a party for him, but I think we all got a present of memories.

All of his children and grandchildren were there except for the three young men on missions. So we had them represented in cardboard form.

One big happy family!!

I can now breathe!

As you have probably heard, on Tuesday, September 29, a magnitude 8.3 quake struck off Samoa at 6:48 a.m. local time. The islands felt the earthquake and about 15 minutes later the islands were engulfed by four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet high that reached up to a mile inland. It appears that American Samoa was hit hard as was the south side of Upolu.

My son, Andrew, is an LDS missionary in Pago Pago on American Samoa. The stories I have been hearing from some of the other missionary moms have been scary. Elders climbing trees to avoid the water, homes moved off of the foundation with missionaries inside, cars washed around like pin balls with missionaries inside, and missionaries on a ferry in the ocean during the earthquake/ tsunami. It is truly miraculous that every single missionary is safe.

Andrew called home to assure us of his safety and emailed us details today. He said that having never experienced an earthquake--he watched Elder Pepe jump over the bed and under the table and just sit there. After watching him under the table for about 30 seconds, Elder Pepe said "come under the table lest you get hit by a falling ceiling..." (translated exactly) So Andrew moved under the table.

I am so grateful for the safety of all the missionaries.

More simple joys...

I have been thinking today of more simple pleasures or memories that bring me joy. For example, in our Sacrament meeting today a member of our ward who is from Mexico bore his testimony in Spanish. It was so beautiful! (And rather amazing that I understood most of it!!) I was flooded with with such joy and memories of a time when I bore my testimony in Spanish on a daily basis. (Back when I could "speak" Spanish.)

Then there is the joy of holding a new grandchild for the first time. In July, we welcomed our second granddaughter. Even though Lily spent five days in NICU and was hooked up to so many monitors that it took a lot of caution and help to get her into your arms--WOW it was worth it. Can't you tell I was thrilled?

















Yes, I can honestly say that one of my favorite joys/blessings is being a grandmother. One of my favorite memories this summer was when Ally wanted to help me embroider the label I was making for her quilt. I was dubious that a 3-year old would be much help--but she was actually very good at pulling the needle and thread after I had poked it through the material. She cheered and clapped every time!! She turned a routine task into a celebration!!


Cooking was also a lot more fun with her help. Even when she kept sneaking nibbles of the cobbler dough.


















Then when the rest of my children arrived to meet the newest member of the family...and play with Ally. Every day brought happy joys and lovely memories. Ahhh, such happy memories.






I loved talking "quilts" with Natalie. She did a beautiful job on the quilt she made for Lilly.






























I loved watching Nathan tenderly hold Lily.









I loved the hair bows Debbie made... and seeing both their smiles.



























Here's Matthew, president and founder of the "naughty" uncle's club. They all delight in spoiling their nieces.

















Adam would hold Lily or play airplane or scary monster with Ally.
And even when Grandpa is exhausted, he still loves to hold his granddaughters. (We have an identical photo of him holding Ally when she was a newborn.)