We had such a great week-end . Scott and Brittany came up to Utah and her parents came from Wisconsin , we came from Idaho. They blessed their baby at the home of her Grandparents on Saturday nite. It was very nice. Good food and good company. We enjoyed getting to visit with Marcus (Brittany's brother and his wife) , Amanda. The little one Jackson is very calm, yes I know he cries but basically he is such a sweet heart. These are pictures of Scott, Brittany and GRandparents (Great Grandparents ) of Scott and Jackson.
This is of course me-- watching him make cute faces and kicking his legs against mine.
Here we have 4 generations of Slade's , Carsons. Nice . Jackson slept on Grandma's lap for a long time that afternoon. SHe loved it.

This is Grandma and Grandpa after the blessing.


Both Grandpa's and a very proud Daddy . LeGrand and I were asked to take a platter of fruit. so we attempted an edible arrangement. Pretty good for a 1st try.

Even the little ones enjoyed the night out.
We had our Grandkids over for some smores last Monday Evening . What fun we had. The weather was pretty nice and there was very little wind.
Gwennie eating one. and others being very much the actors/actresses.

We are listening to general conference. What a blessing to be able to sit in our home and hear the word of God from the Prophet. What a blessing to have a Prophet on the earth today. The Gospel gives us such hope and peace as we look to the future. We love to hear the choir, sweet peace the music brings to our souls.
One of our favorite quotes is from the Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley;
"Be cheerful in all that you do. Live happily, Live enthusiastically,
Knowing that God does not dwell in gloom and melancholy
but in light and love."
The following expresses our feelings about the Gospel of Jesus Christ :

Quit the Church

In The Daily Herald in Provo, Utah there had been an ongoing series of articles written by individuals who wanted to persuade LDS Church members to leave the Church. In response to the highly critical and spirited series, a local member wrote this rebuttal:

To The Editor:

I have been thinking of

quitting the Mormon Church. Yes, if I can, I am going to get even with that church. As soon as I can find another church that teaches about the Gathering of the House of Israel; the return of the Ten Tribes and their mission; the return of the Jews to Palestine and why, and how they are going to build the temple; the building of temples and what to do with them; the mission of Elias, the prophet, as predicted by Malachi; the method for the salvation of the people that died at the time of Noah in the flood; the origin of the American Indian; the complete explanation of why Jesus of Nazareth had to have a mortal mother but not a mortal father; the explanation of the three degrees of glory (three heavens) as mentioned by Paul; the complete explanation of why Elias and Moses did not die but had to be translated (since they both lived before the resurrection was introduced by Christ); the restoration of the gospel by modern revelation as promised by Peter, Paul and Jesus himself; the belief in eternal marriage and the family, and the knowledge and the place to seal for eternity; that teaches abstinence from all harmful drugs and foods; and that sells the best fire insurance policy on earth, for the last days, for only a 10th of my income.

Yes sir, as soon as I can find another church that teaches all that, or even half as much, I will say good-bye to this Mormon Church. The church that I am looking for must also be able to motivate 50,000+ youth, and adults, for the first, second or third time, to leave their homes for two years at their own expense, and go to far-away places to teach and preach without salary. It must be able to call, on a frosty day, some 5 or 6 thousand professors, students, lawyers, doctors, judges, policemen, businessmen, housewives and children to go and pick apples at 6 a.m. It must be able to call meetings and get the attention for two hours of more than 150,000 men. Yes, it must also teach and show why salvation is assured for children who die before eight years of age.

Mr. Editor, could you help me find a church that teaches all that and more than hundreds of other doctrines and principles, which I have no room to mention here, and which brings solace and comfort to the soul; peace, hope, and salvation to mankind and, above all, that answers the key questions that all the great philosophers have asked? Questions and answers that explain the meaning of life, the purpose of death, suffering and pain; the absolute need for a Redeemer and the marvelous plan conceived and executed by Jesus Christ the Savior? Yes, as soon as I find another church that teaches that, and also that has the organization and the powers to make that teaching effective, I am going to quit the Mormon Church.

I am using my Dad's computer , so my pictures are not available.
We have been in Utah for almost a week now. LeGrand had his cataracts
removed on Monday . Things went well for him. On Tuesday, I saw the eye Dr.
and I will have my cataracts removed on this coming Monday. They are also
going to insert a toric lens to greatly improve my astigmatism and my myopia.
I am so excited to be able to see more clearly.

Hence the song" I can see clearly now, the rain is gone" .

We are enjoying the nice weather here. Went for a walk today . Sure was nice.
We have been able to spend some time with Brent and Gay, visiting , eating and playing
games. LeGrand and Brent went to visit Jared on Tuesday.
WE have also spent time with Debbie and Norman, and their kids , David and Erin were here
from Maryland so we got to see them., It has been 2 years since the last time. We also got to see
Loree and her fiance' JD. Plus Anna and her children were here on Wed. So it has been a real
family week.
Nice to have family. They are each a blessing to us.

I recently spent a week in lovely, warm sunny Arizona. I got to see my newest Grandson, and his Parents. I spent some time with Jason and his family. So fun. Grandchildren are the greatest.









It was a great trip. I got to watch Cayden and Devan play basketball. Jason is their coach. I got to go for walks with Avery.

Seeing some friends was also a highlight.

We have a new grandson!!!! Jackson LeGrand , Number 12, but no less important or less exciting than the others.
born Feb. 6, 2009


We are so blessed, with 12 healthy Grandchildren. They are each full of life, have sparkle in their eyes, and bring the Spirit of the Lord with them into the family.
They help bring us back to what is really important in life. At least for me, my focus goes back to their experiences before this life,(sometimes I wonder what they could tell us if they could speak), and how perfect they are in their desire to do good, trust in their Heavenly Father and their parents.
Each of our grandchildren have great parents that love the Lord, want to do the best they can to teach, love and care for them.. What a blessing that is.

There has been a drought for us in postings, as the poster person has been sick for about 5 weeks. first a cold, that lasted 5 weeks, then the flu with a headache. IT would seem that what ever the Grandchildren got , they shared and I just kept it longer. I am finally feeling better , not well but better.
I have to be well to go to the home of our new grandson. We are so excited.

The new year is here.
We are both well. We visited with the eye Dr. this week. He was thrilled with the progress of LeGrand's eye. The most progress is achieved in the 1st 6 months with more progress within the 1st year.

I have gotten my blood thinness level where it needs to be. I also found a new Neurologist, he ordered a MRI yesterday. (they actually saw brain matter ) , he changed my medicine. That in its self is a real blessing- because we are eliminating the one that makes me sooooooo sleepy. What a deal.

Our ward is undergoing a boundry change this Sunday. 4 wards into 5. The advantage to a split is we know more people in each ward.

Changes are in the air.