Story #31

Once upon a time there was a cream colored house with brown shutters at the end of a very long driveway at the end of a circle just around a corner in a village called Chase Lane in the city of Centerville. This was the official "empty nest" of a fine old man and a little old lady now that all of their children lived elsewhere. However, the fine old man and his little old wife did not have "empty" lives.

They kept busy with their ever growing family. They helped out with their middle daughter Betsy after the birth of her first baby boy. They helped out their oldest daughter Emily and her two little boys while she helped out Betsy as her long-term kindergarten sub. They helped their son Tom as he struggled being a single father of his baby boy. They helped their youngest daughter Hayley and her husband, Brady move into their first home in Layton. They even invited themselves to Disneyland to "help" their two daughters when their families went there on vacation.

Soon the fine old man and his little old wife needed to help more than their children and grandchildren. Their very own parents were getting older and suffering from poor health. The little old lady's mother (also known as Great-Grandma Hawkes) was sick with cancer for a couple of years and died on April 25, 2008. Then that summer the fine old man's father (also known as Great-Grandpa Chambers) had to move into Avalon Care Center and Great-Grandma Chambers couldn't handle living alone and also moved.

It was a busy, sometimes sad summer preparing and selling their parents' homes. In fact, by the end of summer the little old lady's hair had turned completely gray. But it was also nice to inherit enough money to give all their girls a piano for their birthdays/Christmas . . . and to help their son later buy a new car.


And best of all--on the fine fall Monday September 29, 2008, their sixth grandson . . .their second daughter's second son . . . and her first son's first little brother . . . Ryan was born! Soon the fine old man and the gray-haired little old lady were on their way down south to help. And life goes on as they all live happily ever after.

(five little grandsons with their brand new cousin!)


Happy Birthday Ryan!
Love, Grandma

P.S. This brand new eight-year-old loves running and sports. Right now he is juggling soccer, flag football and his own travel baseball team! He is in 2nd grade and loves math and reading. And he is best at entertaining himself whether it's drawing, building Legos or playing his own personal indoor baseball game. He is very artistic and creative, drawing or doodling something every day. To see more pictures of Ryan, click his name under the "Labels" column.

Story #30

Once upon a time there was a white house with red bricks and brown (later green) shutters that sat in a circle at the end of a street in the small town of North Salt Lake. Once upon a time there was a handsome young man, his cute nice wife and one little baby girl who moved into that house. For the next 20 years this house was home to a little family that grew to three more girls and one boy.

This was a house with a very big yard filled with fruit trees like the beautiful cherry tree that never grew cherries and a peach tree that grew the biggest, juiciest peaches ever! . . . plus plenty more space for a vegetable garden, grape vines, a redwood deck, a swing set and a basketball court!

This was a  house with a shiny yellow kitchen floor . . . a fireplace for hanging Christmas stockings and birthday banners . . . a pink sink in the downstairs bathroom . . . an adorable little playhouse under the stairway . . . a craft room for "Saturdays off" and top-secret Christmas projects . . . and a big enough basement family room for pizza picnics, family slumber parties, and Disney puzzle-making marathons during the holidays.

This was the house with a yellow phone on the wall that one teenage girl (known as Emily) would stretch the cord as far as possible in the useless attempt to have privacy when she was talking to her friends. This was the house with a big bedroom in the basement shared by up to three sisters sometimes, but only a half-room for the boy (known as Tom). However, his Grandpa built him a bed/closet/dresser combo so he survived just fine. This was the house with a bulletin board in the kitchen where the creative mother posted "Top Ten Lists" such as this one:

"Top Ten Reasons Why We Spoil Hayley"
10) She's the baby of the family . . . it's our moral duty to spoil her!
9) She'll cry if we don't.
8) She has such a sparkling, outgoing irresistible personality . . .
7)  . . . and a funny little giggle!
6) She is so dang cute!
5) She attracts more boyfriends than all her sisters put together!
4)She won't let hardly anyone leave the house
without a big hug and kiss.
3) She dazzles us with her big vocabulary and amazing piano skills.
2) She's our favorite "muffin" . . . "tootsie pop" . . . "sweetie pie" . . . "punkin". . .
1) . . . and one great little eight-year-old!

 

This little girl climbed the monkey bars, stood in probably every dance picture of her sister Emily and lived in the North Salt Lake house only half of her childhood. Shortly after she turned nine years old her family moved to a tall gray house on Eastpointe Circle where she lived the next nine years until she moved with her parents to their little "home sweet home" in Centerville. Since then she has lived in other houses, basements, apartments, condos, and once in another state, before she and her little family found their very own "home sweet home" where they will hopefully live happily ever after.

Happy Birthday Hayley!
Love, your Mom
(also known as Wade's and Owen's Grandma)

Story #29

Once upon a time there was a state named Utah that celebrated its Centennial (100th birthday) in the same year a city named North Salt Lake celebrated its 50th birthday in the same year a nice man and his nice wife celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary in the very same year the five children of that lovely couple celebrated their birthdays with the gift of "Top Ten" lists. The year was 1996 and this was one of those lists:

 

"Top Ten Reasons Emily is Our Number One Sister and Daughter"

10.  She was born first
9. She has been smiling every day since the day she was born
(except maybe those few days she had chicken pox)
8. She always sets a good example
(except she doesn't always tell time very well)
7. She never makes the same mistake twice . . .
(at least she never wrecked the same car twice)
6. She shares everything from blow dryers to boyfriends
5. She has many talents: music, cross stitch, scrapbooks,
and the gift of tongues (or at least accents)
4. She has many brains. She never procrastinates or oversleeps. . . ?
Well, okay, so somehow she gets good grades and scholarships!
3. She has many friends (and now missionaries to write to)
2. She has lots of patience--especially with whiny boyfriends, siblings, and co-workers

1. She is going to have a great last year as a teenager!

Emily had just turned 19 years old when she received this list. She had just finished her first year at Snow College. And she had just survived a summer of juggling two boyfriends. When one of those boys named Bryant left on his mission, the other boy named Keoni began his quest to convince Emily he was her "one and only".

 

That was only the beginning of a most exciting 19th year. The following June Emily graduated from Snow College in the same year her sister Shelly graduated from Woods Cross High School in the same year her sister Betsy graduated from South Davis Jr. High School in the same year her siblings Tom and Hayley met the Jazz Bear at a family reunion at East Canyon in the very same year her father became a Gospel Doctrine Sunday School Teacher and a father of the bride!

The grand finale of Emily's 19th year occurred on a lovely Thursday, August 14, 1997 when she married her "one and only" (also known as Keoni) in the Bountiful Temple. Now 19 happily ever after years later Mrs. White is the mother of three handsome boys and one cute dog . . . as well as the favorite recess lady and best substitute teacher at Ellison Park Elementary!

 

Happy Birthday Emily!
Love, your Mom
(also known as Zach's, Brody's, Luke's and Coco's Grandma)