Cindy

Cindy is Lucas' aunt. She came to live with us at the end of March when her mother died. Cindy is 57 years old and a sweet, sweet lady. When Grandma Abbott died, Cindy took it hard. She stopped eating and got really weak. She didn't talk much and looked so sad. She spent some weeks in hospital because she had fluid on her lungs and had low blood pressure. We were all very happy when she was able to come back home. Since then Cindy has regained strength and she has her fiery personality back. She loves having the kids around. Gavin, Tyrone & Niamh love going into her room and watching movies with her. Niamh likes to tease Cindy by taking all her stuffed animals off her bed and stealing her water bottle and drinking it. Cindy is very patient with Niamh and has found ways to deter Niamh from taking her water bottle. Whenever we come home from the store with groceries, Cindy loves to get out of bed and come and investigate what goodies we have brought. We love her lots and are so grateful we get to spend every day with her.

Gavin, Tyrone & Niamh watching a movie with Cindy.

Lucas' mom & Cindy.

Niamh & Cindy ( I love this one.)

Burley again

We drove up to Burley, Idaho at the beginning of May for my nephew Noah's blessing. We drove to Alamo first and picked up my mam and drove up through Nevada instead of Utah. We saved about 3 hours time. Although it was quite desolate the whole way, Nevada does have its beautiful parts. It was fun traveling up to Idaho with my mam. She kept the kids supplied with candy and entertainment the whole way. Noah's dad Tyler gave a beautiful blessing and the crowning moment was right at the end when Noah blew out in his diaper. He's a natural :) We spent a lovely 2 days with Trudi, Tyler & Noah. We stayed with a couple, The Halls. We actually met them in Ireland where they were serving their mission. We've kept in touch over the years and come to find out when Trudi and Tyler moved to Burley, the Halls were their neighbors. Small world. We had a lovely visit with the Halls and they were so kind and hospitable.
About 10 minutes into the trip

Isn't he the cutest little man ever?

The kids played at "Storybook Park."

This one shows how much fun they were having.

Cousins

In April we.......

1. Had many a slurpee.

2. Rode 4-wheelers in Alamo :)

3. Lost a few Soccer games.

4. Rode our bikes.

5. Sat on the swing with Grandpa.

6. Had a few dates here and there.

7. Painted the kids room.
(Before)

(After)

Easter

Every Easter we do an Easter Egg Hunt with friends from our old ward. It has turned into an annual tradition now. It's always fun to see people that we may not have seen since the previous Easter egg hunt. There always seems to be a bigger crowd each year. Everyone brings candy filled eggs to hide and a snack to share with everyone. Then each age group gets to go hunt for easter eggs in the park. This was Niamhs first year of actually getting to collect eggs and put them in her basket. She got the idea right away and was starting to collect before the hunt even began. When she got about 5 eggs, she was satisfied with that and sat down and began to open and eat the contents. It was so cute to see Gavin, Tyrone & Niamh all sit down together and enjoy their candy treasures.

On Easter Sunday we enjoyed a family dinner at Lucas' brother Jasons house. We had Turkey and Ham, and lots of great side dishes. The food was great and we all had a great time talking and laughing together. I loved that General Conference was also on Easter weekend. To hear from the Prophet and the Apostles of our church was such a treat. I was touched by many of the talks that were given. As always, it motivated me to get back on track and I was given a lot of inspiration and answers to prayers. I am so grateful for the knowledge I have and the joy that it brings in my life.

A Burley Trip

Day 1 & 2
We travelled to Burley, Idaho on Saturday to see our new nephew Noah. Grandma Abbotts funeral was that morning at 10am. It was a beautiful service and a celebration of her life. We left Vegas at 12:30pm and arrived in Burley at 9pm. It was a long day for everyone especially Niamh who decided not to take a nap all day. We had breakfast with Trudi & Tyler on Sunday morning and spent lots of time with their sweet baby Noah. He is a little angel. I didn't hear him cry once when we were there. He slept and made the cutest faces in his sleep. I could have cuddled him forever. Trudi is a great mom and a natural and Tyler is such a doting dad. I actually heard him volunteer to change Noah's dirty diaper. What man does that? He's a keeper. We went to church with Tyler and had pizza for dinner. I've missed my sister, it was so fun to catch up and gossip about everyone. I wish we could have stayed longer. We'll be returning to Burley in May for Noah's blessing.

Day 3 & 4
On Monday, we headed to Salt Lake City. We went to Temple Square and spent time taking pictures and walking around. We love to visit Temple Square, I always get such a special feeling while I am there. Seeing a city that was settled in the middle of the mountains by the early pioneers. All the sacrifices they made to travel to the Salt Lake Valley. The magnificant Salt Lake Temple, that took 40 years to construct. It's just beautiful. Some of our ancestors from Lucas' side actually worked on the Temple. It was great to watch the curiosity that the boys and Niamh had for all the temple square sites. Tyrone kept saying that it reminded him of Disneyland.
That evening we visited with Lucas' grandparents. The kids were a little tired after the long day so we didn't stay long, but it was fun to spend time with Grandpa and Grandma Wood. We wish we lived closer and could spend more time with them.
The hotel had an indoor pool, which was heated and felt like a really warm bath. Needless to say, we spent hours swimming. We made a breakthrough with Tyrone. He had a scary experience in my sister's pool last summer and has been terrified to get in any pool since then. We were able to help him overcome his fear and he trusted himself to once again embrace the pool and had a great time swimming around. It was hard to get him out when it was time to leave. I'm so relieved that he has been able to overcome this fear of water. I'm very proud of him.
We headed home on Tuesday morning. It was nice to get away and we look forward to our next trip.

Life

Lots of stuff has been going on. Gavin had his second game last Saturday. The Blazers vs. The Jitterbuggs. Don't underestimate them by their name. They killed the blazers. The final score was 29-3. I'm pleased to announce that Gavin scored two of his teams goals. He is learning a lot and is really enjoying playing soccer. He also lost 2 teeth in 2 days. Lucas was worried that he was too young to start losing teeth, but I assured him that he wasn't. Gavin was very excited to put his teeth under his pillow and even more excited when the tooth fairy visited his house two nights in a row.
Lucas went to a 2 day gang conference and did a ride along with the gang bureau. He is interested in testing for the detective bureau but is unsure what area he wants to go into. He had a good experience riding along with the gang bureau, but he decided its not for him right now. We only have one car so a lot of these decisions are affected by that. We both hope this is the last year Lucas has to work the graveyard shift. It definitely takes its toll and I know Lucas is ready for a change.
My sister Trudi and her husband Tyler welcomed their first baby into the world on March 18. Noah Vann Matlock was born 4 weeks early. He weighed 7lbs 2oz. My mam was able to be in Idaho with Trudi and Tyler during this time. Little Noah had to spend a week in the hospital as his lungs were underdeveloped. My sister Trudi was a superwoman and Tyler is such a rock to her. I know this was such a trying, emotional time for both of them. Many prayers were said on behalf of little Noah. Each day Noah showed his "fighting Irish" side and surprised the doctors and nurses and improved and made sure he got to go home within a week. He is a little fighter and a gorgeous little soul. We are heading to Burley, Idaho this week to visit The Matlock Family. I can't wait to hold my little nephew.

Lucas' grandmother Thelma McKnight Abbott left this world this past Tuesday. She was 95 years old. What a woman! She was the epitomy of hard work and service. She was always working in her garden and served many years in the temple. She left an impressive legacy of 50 grandchildren and 161 great grandchildren and 18 great great grandchildren. She will be missed by many but we find comfort in knowing she has been reunited with her husband and other family members.

I have been thinking a lot this week about the arrivals and departures of life. My little nephew Noah has just begun his journey in this life. There is so much for him to learn and accomplish throughout his life. The world will change, he will see much. Then I think of grandma Thelma, she was born in 1915. She often spoke of the first vacation that she remembers, traveling in a covered wagon. She witnessed technological advances, a man on the moon, each decade with it's trends and pioneers. What a rich life she led. It really puts it into perspective that this life is really a journey and not a destination. I'm grateful for these life lessons.

Gavins 1st Game

Gavin's soccer team, The Blazers had their first game against The Avatars this past Saturday. Gavin liked the Avatar's uniforms because they were his favorite color, blue. The game started, 3 on 3. The Avatars looked older and much taller than Gavin and his teammates. The Avatars scored goal after goal. Then one of Gavin's teammates scored a goal. Yay Blazers! Lucas was at a Gang Conference on Saturday but was able to drop by the game on his lunch break. He really wanted to see Gavin score a goal, but we didn't think it would happen this first game. The second half started and out of nowhere Gavin got a new boost of energy and zest and scored a goal. Several minutes later he got the ball from midfield and took it to the goal, scoring a second goal. I was yelling and screaming from the sidelines, so proud and happy of my little soccer star. The final score was Avatars 11 Blazers 3. Gavin didn't notice the team's loss, but celebrated his personal victory with a slurpee.