Update coming

Life has been super crazy these past few months. Now that things have calmed down, I have to find my picture CDs so I can update my blog. It will happen this weekend, I promise :)

4th of July BBQ

The 4th of July was a little busier this year than in years past. On Sunday, we had a BBQ at my mom's house and had the whole Davis family over. The kids have so much fun playing together and it's nice to just get to hang out and visit for a while. Below are lots of pictures from the day (not in order, because that would make sense).

Cigi trying to teach the kids how to do headstands on their own

Me and Rylee


Dylan

Steven, Marilee and Rylee

Beth and Nick

Tyler, Whitnee, Danielle, Jaxon, Travis and Chandler

Chandler posing for his picture

Halle and Jaxon taking a break from the gun fight

Halle, Karsten, Jaxon, and Jesse showing me how they were going to shoot Dylan :)

Broox spent most of his time in the walker. He had big holes in his socks when he was done

Vance, Weston, Cigi, Dylan and Steven (in the back)

Jade wanted her Dora chair on the table so she could see everything that was going on

Trav and Kayli having cake

Hogle Zoo

At the beginning of June, we took a trip to Hogle Zoo. We had Rylee's stroller for her to ride in but of course she wanted to ride with the big kids in the wagon and she wouldn't have ANYTHING to do with her stroller (until she fell asleep).

Jesse was very important with his map spread out telling us where we needed to go next. I tried holding his map for him and he made sure that I was going to take very good care of it. I love these kids soo much!

Memorial Day 2011

For Memorial Day this year, we decided to go to Cedar City and Kanarraville. We decorated Grandma and Grandpa's grave (I forgot to take a picture) and then headed south. We went to the Cedar cemetary and decorated the extended family graves and added some to Aunt Marilee's. We ate at Sizzler (aka Sizzies, or Sizzles per Jaxon) and then headed to Kanarraville. My Grandpa Gunner's family is from Kanarraville and we have quite a few relatives buried there. We used to go every year to Kanarra and there was NEVER any grass and the wind was ALWAYS blowing. The wind didn't disappoint this year, but SURPRISE! THERE'S GRASS! We were shocked (in a good way) :). Below are pictures from the day. (It would not let me center the text under the pictures, so my apologies)

Jaxon, Jesse, and Karsten enjoyed climbing on Whitnee's truck

Cigi and my dad on the amazing grass in Kanarraville

Halle in Kanarraville

Me trying not to get blown away

My mom, Vance, and my dad putting flowers on the graves in Kanarraville

Kisses For Cami: Please HELP!

Kisses For Cami: Please HELP!: "Things are calming down in our house and I am slowly, but surely recovering from this nasty pneumonia. Summer is upon us and we couldn't b..."

Help a great cause!

http://www.kissesforcami.com/2011/05/please-help.html

Guidance from above

Last Friday, Jill (my roommate) and I went to 2 cemetaries in SLC to place flowers on my Grandpa Gunner's mother and 2 brother's graves. I had been to the Elysian Gardens where Great Grandma Clark (Grandpa's mother) and Uncle Clive (Grandpa's brother) are buried. We had to wander for a few minutes, but finally found both of their graves and put some roses on them. They we headed across town to the Salt Lake City Cemetary - which I had never been to and didn't even know it existed to be honest. My grandpa's mom had a stillborn son in 1940 and he is buried in this cemetary. When my mom was at the cemetary last, Grandpa walked right to the baby's grave and they couldn't believe he remembered where it was. That was over 20 years ago so I was sure my mom had no idea where the grave was. My mom gave us some very vague directions to find the grave but she was busy and couldn't walk me through finding it. We parked the car and proceeded to explore about a 5 yard wide area that stretches the length of the cemetary (which is about 5 city blocks long) where we knew the baby was buried. They had just mowed the lawn and there was grass covering ALL of the headstones to the point that you couldn't read them at all. I was telling Jill that the headstone wasn't one of the really small ones, as we were wandering. We walked about 10 feet and I said to Jill "The headstone is about this.....oh my hell, this is it!" I was going to show her the size of headstone we were looking for when I saw Wallace's name (Grandpa Gunner's dad) through the grass. I brushed the grass off of it and sure enough, there was the baby's grave! I know that Grandpa Gunner was helping me find the baby's grave because it was always so important to him to visit the cemetaries for Memorial Day. I will definitely return to visit baby Davis' grave and keep grandpa's tradition alive. :)

Vegas BABY!

The "big kids" on the Davis side of my family planned a trip to Las Vegas with Grandma Sade in April. Unfortunately, grandma didn't live long enough to join us but did threaten to haunt us if we cancelled the trip :). So, we went for 3 fun-filled days in the sun (it snowed in Utah the week we left). It was a lot of fun and we fit a lot of tourist stuff into those 3 days.

The first night was spent on Fremont Street where there was a Sara Evans concert for free since the ACM's were that Sunday night at the MGM. Above: Alisca, Whitnee, and Beth

Below: Sara Evans

Rylee liked holding on to Chandler's face for some reason. She was in total awe :)

Rylee at the Bellagio

Elvis #1, Cigi, Alisca, Marilee, Kayli, and Elvis #2

Tyler, Danielle, Whitnee, Alisca, Beth and Nick after the Beatles LOVE by Cirque Du Soliel. The show was sooo fantastic. I am so happy we went (even if we did sit on the very back row)

Vance, Whitnee and Danielle jumping to pose like the Beatles

Nick and Beth on the shuttle ride of death

"We drive with the interior lights on for saftey, sorry folks" (our driver was a little crazy)

Whitnee and Alisca on the shuttle

A huge but rewarding project

When Grandma Sade passed away in February, she had a huge dresser FILLED with pictures and other stuff. I took all of it home and over the course of the next month and a half, scanned each one into my computer. It has been a painstaking process, but definitely rewarding. I'm now in the process of organizing all of them so I can burn them to CD for all of my cousins to have.

There was a huge stack of letters and post cards that my Grandpa Gunner wrote to his mother when he was in Guam during the Korean War. So interesting to read and look through his pictures from that time. Here are a few samples:

Post card from Hawaii on his way to Guam

Young Grandpa Gunner

He was a cook at the Officers Club in Guam

(he's on the far left in this picture)

Grandma Sade and Grandpa Gunner

Gunner & Sade

Grandpa's high school picture Grandma's high school picture

Their wedding picture

Vikki, Vance, Grandpa, Grandma, and Bonnie

Grandma playing the organ (something I always remember her doing when we were little)

We miss you both but are glad we have pictures and memories to hold close to our hearts. We all love you very much!

A beautiful farewell to Grandma Sade

It was a beautiful day but very sad when we had to say goodbye to Grandma Sade. We appreciate everyone that came to the viewing and the graveside service. It is nice to feel loved by so many friends and family. Below is the weekend in pictures:

Alisca and Broox

Whitnee and Jade

Steven, Marilee, Rylee, Jesse and Halle

Karsten, Dylan, Jade, Jaxon, and Halle

Cigi, Kayli and Chandler

The kids had a "movie corner" at the mortuary that kept them busy and out of trouble

Uncle Bill and Aunt Gen (grandma's sister)

the casket was perfect for grandma

The pallbearers: Nick, Chandler, Tyler, Steven, Travis and Dylan

We released some balloons to help grandma get into heaven

Jaxon and Halle checking things out

The great-grandkids: Jesse, Jaxon, Karsten, Halle, Jade, Dylan, Broox and Rylee

The grandkids: Chandler, Cigi, Steven, Marilee, Alisca, Whitnee, Danielle, Tyler, Nick, Beth, Kayli and Travis The whole gang: Weston, Rylee, Vikki, Marilee, Steven, Alisca, Danielle, Tyler, Vance, Beth, Nick, Kirk, Bonnie, Broox (sleeping), Kayli, Travis, Chandler, Cigi, Whitnee, Jade, Halle, Dylan, Jaxon, Karsten and Jesse The grandkids at the cemetary

We are going to miss Grandma Sade very much but knowing that she had a joyful reunion with Grandpa Gunner, her parents, her brothers, Aunt Marilee, and her friends makes it a little easier. Her memory will live on in each of us and we will never forget her. We love you Grandma Sade :)