Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. This one was particularly special because our whole family was together for the first time in about 10 years. And the family has grown a bit since then. We have 5 new boys since then. Abby has a beautiful home where we gathered to consume a months worth of food in about 10 minutes. It was delicous! Abby is a wonder offiering her home to us when her little Jake is only 1 month old. It has been fun having the PA DeSpain's here..they've been shooting real guns with their dad and grampa jim also to the U basketball game. We had a fun sleepover on Wednesday night. Yesterday I got to snuggle up with Jake, the newest member of our family and that is about as good as it gets. Food was eaten, Pictures were taken and games were played! It was great. Abby does a Thanksgiving dinner, with the help of Whit as good as both their gramas. June and Maude would be proud. I am thankful for you all. Happy Thanksgiving!

Babysitting

Today is my first babysitting job in about 5 years, since Luke was born. Abby is being brave and going to get a massage (she deserves it) and I, as the grama get to tend little Jake. He will be well taken care of. I think that anyone who has had a baby has that swaying thing built in the minute a baby is put in your arms. I have many things planned for our day together. First we will watch "All my Children" together, then I am sure he will need to be fed and changed.. we will probably walk around in the yard together if it is warm and then come in and watch "Hardball, with Chris Matthews" I feel that children should learn early all about politics and Chris is the best teacher. By then Abby will probably be home, and I will lay down in my bed for a much needed rest after all the energy spent watching this little boy. (by the way, did you know that he is walking, pottytrained, and can read) He is a genius. Have a nice day, I'm sure I will.

Letter to our mom, grama

To all my sister, nieces, daughters, nephew, son and anyone else interested I thought it would be kind of interesting to write a letter to mom and tell her what's been happening in the last 10 years. Mom died November 6, 1997.
Dear Mom, When you died Dad had a struggle. We rose to the occasion, but mostly Tyler rose. He stayed with Gramps til he died. I'm sure he will get a big hug from you when you see him. I had 5 children, 1 daughterinlaw and 1 grandson (the first great grandchild, but who's counting) Dad got to see our Jack when he was just a few hours old. He was amazed to hold a two hour old baby. Abby got married ,so now we have another soninlaw, Mike Latimer..they just added to our family with little Jake and I am sure that Mike will win the hands on dad award. Abby moved to a new house. Tyler moved several times and has now bought a condo. He finished at the University of Utah with a degree in Sociology, but found he didn't have the calling for social work, so he works for some big computer company. You would be proud! Both Tyler and Whitney had the fun of living with Jolyn for a year. Whitney has travelled the world with Jolyn and family and is at the University of Utah. Jamey and Becky have lived various places since you left us. They've lived in Mexico, back to SLC, then back to Pennsylvania where they live now and get to see Gabi and Brad who don't live too far from them. Jamey has his boys involved in all sports. The kids you never got to see were Jack, Hogan, and Luke. Luke is kind of little, but tough..he plays a mean game of soccer. Jack and Taylor and Hogan play basketball, baseball and golf. We think Hogan might be the athlete in that family..he does everything so naturally. I got sick blah blah blah....am getting better now. I have fun visits with Aunt Ginny, since she lives so close, we see her more and I took her to the hospital to meet Jake..She is doing fine and is honored to fill in for you. We've done some improvements to our house. I think you would love my bedroom! ( Your lovely furniture has added some class to our home.) I teach Sunday School and Jim is the YM President. We are waiting (somewhat anxiously) to hear if he has a new job or no job...so if you have any pull, it would be appreciated. OH, I forgot Jim and I got to go to England and that summer both Whitney and Nick went on School abroad programs. Nick decided he loved England so much that he went back and got his Masters Degree in creative writing at a University there. He has written a novel which an agent liked, but he has to make some changes, which he is working on. I'm sure you will get lots of news from all the others, but I want you to tell Dad that Jacoby Ellsbury is a member of the Boston Red Sox and they just won the world series, he's not even a rookie yet and he played the whole time. Dad finally got the athelete you always dreamed of.....Love, Polly

Pilates and Babies

On yesterday's visit, Mike was doing pilates with Jake. They had heard that if you put their legs up and down it helped their tummies. It was working..so they will be doing alot of pilates for the next few months. This is just a short little report on the new parents and baby. Mike had put together a swing, baby holder thing that runs on D batteries...he said everything they had for the baby ran on D batteries, so he was going to have to stock up. (I don't remember any batteries involved with kids until they got their starwars stuff for Christmas) but it is a different world. Just had to put in a little about my short fun hour at the Latimer house. Then I went home and went right to sleep..Lovely day.

My Friend Teri

Two years ago I wrote a small tribute to our neighborhood, from time to time I have posted exerts from this little book. It is how we are all tied together with thread making a beautiful patchwork quilt. This is the part about my friend Teri.

Teri and I have probably walked hundreds of miles together. If you walk for exercise for twenty eight years it has to be many miles. Of course in those walks we have solved many problems and many still remain unsolved. We probably have gained a pound or two around the middle during all that walking which seems strange, and yet I think our jaws are thinner, because of all the talking! (written b/illness) I would like to state right here for the record that we do not gossip on these walks. We solve world problems and mysteries and the many strange goings on in the neighborhood. Never gossiping, but only trying to understand and solve problems and in some helpful way figure out why everyone is so strange. We come up with lots of answers, but of course not much changes, and so I sometimes wonder....what was all that walking for???? If we don't loose weight and don't solve the problems our neighbors are having or our own problems or the world's problems, and our jaws are tired from all that talking and our heads ache from all the thinking, what does it all mean? Maybe Teri and I have our own patch in the quilt. It has two women walking, talking and laughing and the stitches are very uneven and sometimes wonder on to another patch. But maybe that patch with all it's stitches kept us a little sane as we raised nine children and 2 husbands between the two of us.....friends are priceless.

Baby Jake

I am sorry, but for a while there will have to be a little blogging of nothing more than this new bundle of joy. Actually it is 3 bundles of joy, because Abby and Mike are as fun to watch as the baby. Abby went home yesterday, so I went over about 4:00 pm, got to hold and feed and snuggle and kiss this sweet little boy. Mike had run a few errands and was texting to see if Abby and Jake were ok, while he was gone for 15 minutes. He gets home and both of them are telling Jake how lucky he was to have chosen them to be their mom and dad...there is a lot of love going on in that home. And I get to watch and enjoy every minute (if I want) of it.

Amazing Daughter

I have this daughter who's name is Abigail. She is the most amazing woman I know. She can and does anything she sets her mind on. She is 30 years old and works at a worldwide company as an SBU Manager (a boss) she quilts, she has a zillion friends, she has a beautiful home, she has a great husband, who together with Abby created their beautiful home through hard work, being smart and creative. She entertains people...And again I have to say she is bossy and gets whatever she wants (not because people just hand it to her), but because she sets her mind to the task at hand, makes a goal, and then goes for it. She has been working the last few months on a boutique that she held in her home. Several cousins and friends helped work and set up a beautiful display of handcrafted items. Abby, along with the rest of them has worked really hard, and oh did I say that Abby was pregnant during this whole big project. She is due on November 11, but has been saying all along that she was having the boutique on Saturday and the baby on Sunday. And of course, because Abby gets what she wants....she ran a very successful boutique Saturday and of course on Sunday morning at 4:00am her water broke. I called her about noon to see if she had survived and she was at the hospital!!!!! We communicated by phone throughout the day and at one point she was working her ACS job from her computer while in labor, there was trouble in Mexico and the office had to open on Monday and Abby of course was bossing them around down in Mexico , but had to excuse herself because she was crowning! Mike took a picture of her and sent it to her boss with the caption ACS best hustler. She never stops. We got the best present from her at the end of that long day. At around 9:20 she delivered Jacob Michael Latimer.....6lbs. 8 oz. 19 inches long..with Abby's cute chubby little cheeks....He is beautiful...We've got a basketball team now..although this little guy will have some catching up to do since the youngest member of the team is 5...But, I'm sure Mike will have a basketball in one hand and a golfclub in the other hand as soon as possible. Abby was born to be a mom to some little boys...she loves to watch them play sports, she will probably be coaching him soon. Abby, I don't care what they say ( a little quote from Grampa Jiggs) you are amazing...I love you, I respect you, and when I grow up I want to be just like you.... See you in a minute ( oh did I mention that they live here in SLC Yay!!!!!) I get to see the newest little golfer any time I want!

I Can't Remember anything

I woke up about an hour ago, and couldn't go to sleep, so I was just laying there thinking..I'm probably waking up just as Marty goes to bed. any way, I thought about stuff and then I decided to go and blog it. Came downstairs, got on the computer, read a few emails, a few blogs, and now I am sitting here at 4:30 am and I can't remember what I was going to write about. If I had just stayed in bed, I know I would have remembered, but I would have gone crazy, thinking about this great blog...so I had to hurry and go and write. First thing I found out is that if you are over 50...write the second the thought hits..it will be gone forever if you don't....or you will think of it at Testimony meeting out of the blue and you'll jump up and tell all about your hysterectomy, uteris, tubes and all (this really happened, only happily it wasn't me). Jim has his instructions---no testimonies til I'm totally well. Speaking of being well, the last month has been wonderful. I couldn't believe how well I have felt! Then about a week ago..I started going down hill. I thought....I can't, I can't do this anymore. I cried most of the week.. My family thinks I'm crazy (that is one of the side effects of this medicine-..the family) I ache so bad that I get up and take baths at 3:00 in the morning. My good friend Fat (refer to heading) told me to pretend like I was pregnant..Pregant woman cry all the time, but they know there is an end in sight. So now I have decided I am no longer a gypsy, (I got knockedup during that time) I am just pregnant and in a few months I will have gone through all this with many lessons learned, my health returned and...there won't be a baby to get up and feed and all that fun stuff that Abby get's to look forward to. Well, I've written long enough and still can't think of the wonderful blog I was going to write..so I'll quit writing and maybe sometime on Fast Sunday...I won't bear my testimony, I'll just jump up and run home and write my blog.

What a guy!

Hey Ty! Have a great day!

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

I can't describe how great it is to wake up and feel so good!!!!!!!!!!! The small things seem like so much fun. I'm cleaning out drawers and cupboards, doesn't that sound fun? I walked to two of my neighbors homes without huffing and puffing. I drove to Draper and on the way home looking up at the mountains, made me greatful for living so close to them. Bad health is a great blessing (providing you don't die of the bad health). It wakes you up to all the beauty around you and feels you with gratitude for the family, friends and neighbors who have suffered right along with you. I have always been a person who felt gratitude and even kept a gratitude journal. But now my gratitude list is long and takes me quite awhile to write each day. You are all part of my gratitude journal and I love you all.