New Layout

This is Jenny. Here is a layout I did recently of my parents with Kylie on her baptism day. My mom made her dress and Kylie was pleased as punch with it. I was too. Look how beautiful she looked.

The real reason I'm here though isn't to show off my page. My mom asked me to come on here and update her look. Check it out and leave her some feedback about HER new layout. I hope you like it and I know she hopes so too.

If you are reading this in Google Reader, then come over here and look! I think you will be glad you did!

The Perfect So-Cal day!

We are among many Southern California residents who have annual Disney passes, and today was a beautiful day, a perfect day for Disneyland! It was about 80 degrees and we met Kevin, Brandi and their kids there and then Julie and Dustin met us too. Saturday is not the best day to go to Disneyland but it is the best day for the bread winners in the family. The best thing about having passes, as anyone who has one will tell you, is that it affords a whole different experience than when you don't have one. If you can only get on 3 or 4 rides because of the lines it's O.K., if the park is crowded and hot it's O.K. because you can just go home and then go again when ever you want to. I'm sure I go more times every year with our grandkids since I have my pass, than I did the whole time when our children were growing up. We were there and in the park by 10:30 and home by 3:30 and don't feel shorted at all. We'll be going again soon, probably even next week with the Stockards.

Why I Do The Things I Do

I am starting to understand why Grandmas are the way we are. We cater to our grand kids in a way that we didn't quite have the patience for with our children. I have this cabinet in my kitchen, that when we put it in, was intended for the storage of potatoes and onions. That ended up just being a mess,

so now I have a much better use for it.

As the grand kids came along and spent a lot of time with us, we started adding baby locks on our cupboards so they wouldn't get into them. You know, kinda baby-proofing, but I felt bad keeping them out of everything, thus stifling their inquisitiveness. I wanted them in the kitchen with me too. So now I keep my Tupperware and other storage lids in there. It is very frustrating when you are trying to find the right lid for a certain container. But I love it when they find the special little play spot I have reserved in my kitchen especially for them. They love it and it keeps them busy too. Isn't Adam darling?
My grown-up kids and kitchen helpers think I'm crazy not to be more organized, but I bet that when they become as wise as me, they will have a special little spot for their grandbabies too.

Am I Really a Blogger?

So . . . . my favorite blogs quickly become my less favorite blogs when they aren't updated very often. You know, we all have our favorite ones, but when they aren't updated very often it's disappointing. Well, here I am only about 2 months into my blogging and I'm guilty of that very thing myself. I guess it's because I always feel that I need to have a picture to add to the interest. My pictures on my computer are kind of a mess, they need some serious organizing. And then there's the question of what to share and how to make it interesting. I love blogging and keeping up with my people this way, but I'm just a rookie.

Another Temple Open House

While in Utah last week, we went to the Draper Temple open house. It is so beautiful just like all of the other temples. It is wonderful that we get to enjoy these open houses before the new temples are dedicated. I wish that I had been able to attend one in my youth, but I really don't think there were any. Going to the temple was always a worthy and the ultimate goal for me, one that I hoped to reach, but somewhat mysterious and hard to visualize. Being able to go into a temple and see for yourself the absolute beauty and feel the spirit gives the goal more reality. It is really great for the youth to be able to experience the beauty found inside the temple to help solidify this goal into their hearts and minds more fully.

I used this poster in a lesson for the Young Women a few weeks ago. I love the temple and am so grateful for the blessings we receive there. I really hope that we can teach the youth and especially our grandchildren the reality of this statement.

"Marriage is perhaps the most vital of all decisions and has the most far reaching effects, for it has to do not only with immediate happiness but with eternal joy as well."

A New Picture

I was looking through my picture files to see if I could find some more of Gene and myself together. I had to go clear back to Oct. of '07 to find these. That just tells you how bad we are at taking pictures of ourselves. Here we are just messing around with the camera one Sunday after church, hence the fancier hair do. I have never been the type of person who could just naturally "strike a pose" when a camera is pointed at me. I'd usually duck and run, hide, scowl or stick out my tongue. I have always really envied people who can just smile and say "cheese" so naturally. That could be one explanation for the lack of pictures of myself and my sweetie.
It really makes me sad though that we don't have more pictures of us through the years, documenting our life together. So, if you are reading this, take a lesson from me and take more pictures of yourself and you sweetheart together. Someday you will want to look back, not only at your babies growing up, but of yourself growing up and getting older. As you do you will see that you look pretty good now. Smile and document yourselves growing together!
Just another lesson from an older wiser sister.

My Beautiful Parents

Wayne and Marjorie Haws

I am so lucky to still have my parents around and part of my life. They have always been such a strength to myself and Gene, excepting him into their family and loving him all of these years. They are wonderful examples of everything good and true; they are my pattern of who I need to be. I am so grateful that my Heavenly Father has lengthened their stride and their lives and given them good health and strength to continue as my earthly parents.

Another Family Wedding

We go to Utah every chance we get so that we can keep up with these two little ones. They are growing up to fast and we don't want them to forget us. Dylan is three and he is the "Boss of the Barnyard" Filling that roll as the oldest in a way that makes his grandma Holly proud. He is so cute and so fun. You never know what he will say or do next.
Little Adam will be one year old in March. I can't believe his first year has gone by so fast. It seems that it takes the whole time we are with him for him to warm up to me. He's in that shy stage, but by the time each visit is over he's my buddy. He even cried when we got out of the car at the airport last night. He's so cute. One thing that is really great is that Greg and Jessica's boys LOVE Gene! Of all the grand kids, they really prefer Gene over me. Boo hoo! It's so good for Gene though, he loves it! Dylan and Adam just adore their grandpa Gene.

But besides going to see Greg and his family the main reason for our trip was to spend time with some more of our favorite people. Jerry and Laurie Duclos, my sister and her wonderful husband. They are the very proud parents of 6 awesome boys. Four of them are returned missionaries and they were in the temple with their oldest brother Nick, as he finally took the giant step of matrimony. He and his sweetheart Kadee were married in the SLC temple last Saturday. It was wonderful to be in the temple with them and all of my sisters, their husbands and my parents. Any chance to be in the temple with loved ones is worth the trip. As the happy couple emerged from the temple Nick embraced his younger two brothers with tears in his eyes, and shared a little of his overflowing spirit with them. It was very sweet to witness. Oh I needed my camera. They are one awesome family.

These are my best friends!

I love this picture, it's of all of my sisters and myself at the SLC temple on Greg and Jessica's wedding day, in 2001. We are seated in order of age, myself, Karie, Laurie, Connie and Krista. I sure love these ladies, and regret not being able to spend more time with them.

Our Son Greg

When Greg was born in 1978 things were a lot different than they are today. We were lucky that expecting complications we were sent to UCLA medical center for our prenatal care and for his delivery. After a diagnostic amniocentesis my water broke at 34 weeks, and we knew that his lungs weren't mature enough for him to be born. So I was hospitalized in Los Angeles waiting for complications to set in. This was really difficult because I had never left Jenny, except to go have Julie and never Julie at all. Jenny was not even 3 yet and Julie was only 18 months old. My mom and sisters took the girls and Gene came up to LA everyday, to spend time with me. They drew my blood every 4 hours, watching for signs that we couldn't wait any longer to deliver the baby. If my white blood cell count got to high they were prepared to give me an emergency C- section at a moments notice. But that didn't happen and because my water had all leaked out they couldn't monitor the baby's billirubin count any longer, so they couldn't tell how he was. It was very crazy. The doctors didn't even know what to do, so they put it on us, a 24 and 28 year old non-medically trained emotionally confused mommy and daddy. We could just continue to wait, which in hind sight would have been the better option, or induce labor and deal with the baby on the outside. Making a long story a little shorter, that is what we did and when he was born he had respiratory distress syndrome. In 1978 that could be fatal. They took him to the NICU immediately and Gene was told to go with them. They told Gene that he needed to prepare me for fact that our baby's chances of making it through the night were not very good. His lungs weren't ready for the outside world yet. He was hooked up to all kinds of monitors, positive pressure was pushed into his lungs and he was given oxygen and an IV was even hooked up to his umbilical cord. Then they took me in to see him. It was awful, Gene and I immediately went to the hospital chapel to find solace and peace. We called our families and someone came to help Gene give Greg a priesthood blessing. The next day they sent me home, saying that I didn't need to stay, but Greg did. Talk about baby blues, I didn't even get to hold him for 5 days. But we traveled to UCLA everyday, scrubbed in and reached into the isolate to touch and try to comfort and bond with Greg. It was a very heart-wrenchingly, long week.


My Premie Greg.
But when he turned the corner it was fast and he was ready to eat. This is the first time I got to hold him. I wanted to nurse him but they had to monitor the amount of fluid he took in so we had to use a bottle.
Being the nursing crazy mommy that I was, I had rented an electric breast pump to make sure that I could nurse my baby when I brought him home. (Gene has even gone as far as to refer to me as "the Nursing Nazi" how rude!) But I had plenty of milk, and when the nurse told me they were giving my baby formula, I just about freaked out. I said, "what about all of the milk I am bringing in for him?" They told me that breast milk is like gold and was used for the littler, weaker, sicker premies, they hoped I didn't mind. It was O.K., because I had been told that we were going to be able to take our baby home the next day, after a week in the NICU.


Finally Home where he belonged. That ordeal was a growing experience for us and we learned to trust in Heavenly Father more fully, and our gratefulness for the priesthood increased.


Here's our boy, just a few months later, all caught up in size and development. We are so grateful for the opportunity to be his earthly parents and for the blessings and joys his life has brought to our family.
His life has not been easy, but he continues to magnify every calling or challenge he is called on to accomplish
Can you tell I love my boy?

Feb. 5th, Two Beautiful Sons, Two Birthdays!

Here's one of the birthday boys. I'm so glad to have Dustin in our family, where he's belonged all along. He and Julie are so happy. Which makes us all very happy!


This week Greg and Dustin turn 31. They were born on the very same day, Feb. 5, 1978. I always wanted twins, I just didn't get the second one for 29 years, and Julie had to go find the missing one! Anyway when given the opportunity to be with both of them on their birthday, here in the morning and in Utah the same afternoon how could we resist a trip to Utah ???


Well . . . here's one thing makeing me second guess the idea. Ever since Greg sent us these pictures I have been dreading the trip. He actually cleared the sidewalks for his whole block. What can I say, we raised one awesome young man. I can't wait to be with him and his cute family for a few days!


This is how they found their home after their long trip home on New Year's Day. This one was taken after he had all of the sidewalks cleared. I sure hope someone has turned the "great big heater in the sky" back on over Utah, and that we can enjoy our visit.