Kerry & Brenda Denney

Nathan's First Date!

2012-02-11T21:14:00.002-07:00

Cienna Madsen asked Nathan to the Sweetheart Ball at the high school. It is Nathan's first date. Don't they look cute?!
The flower pinning ritual! (With a little help from mom).
They spent the afternoon doing a photo scavenger hunt, then dinner, dancing, and ice cream.

Our Son is a Missionary!

2011-10-30T18:08:00.004-06:00

It was a beautiful day in September - actually Tuesday evening, September 27th, to be exact - when we made the oh so familiar trip to Smithfield, Utah. This time, however, we were not going to transport kids back and forth as we did for so many year. We went to participate in setting Tim apart as a full time missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

His Stake President was a wonderful man who loves and knows Tim and gave him a beautiful blessing and set him apart.

The next day, we picked him up at 8:00 in the morning and headed for the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.
It was very nice to get a huge hug to last for two years. Tim was very anxious and so our goodbye was very short... but not too short for a photo and a hug.

Kyrstina was able to go down to Utah with us and here we are right after the setting apart. We hear from Tim every week. He will be in the MTC until the end of November as he is learning the Spanish language. He seems to be happy and working hard. We are proud of him.

Birthdays!!

2011-10-02T21:34:00.003-06:00

I get caught so often without my camera!! It is the family joke that I can never find it! But I do keep track of it once in a while. Here are a few of the birthdays that I actually have photos for.
This first photo is Kyler's birthday. He turned 5.

This is Kyler at his 5th birthday party with Courtney, baby Tristan and grandpa. We had such a fun time celebrating with them.

This is Carter at his 1st birthday. We were able to go down to Utah and enjoy a few hours with Carter and Aden.

We sure love our birthday boy and wish we could see him more often.

This is Braxton Cook, Aden, Carter, Uncle Nathan and Dillon Whyte. We were on our way to summer vacation and we took friends for Nathan to hang out with so that we could actually relax a bit and not have to entertain Nathan the whole time :). We went to Carter's birthday on the way to Park City.

Summer Fun continues!

2011-10-02T21:31:00.002-06:00

The other really fun thing we did this summer was tend Kyla and Tayven for 10 days while Hyrum and Amiee went on a cruise! We definitely had the best deal and the most fun! I have TONS of very cute photos, but they are mostly on the other computer so I'll have to update this later. We played house, jumped on the tramp, went swimming, went for a bike ride everyday, played with cousins, went to Nathan's ball games, read books, played in the park, played at grandma's school, just to mention a few! We had a wonderful time.

Summer 2011

2011-10-02T21:27:00.002-06:00

We had an awesome summer of fun with Nathan's baseball. He played on three teams. First he played on his Freshman school team. Then he played city league. Third he played on an all star traveling team. He got his first home run of his baseball career and the teams first home run of the year. We had lots of fun watching him play this year.

Impossible to Keep Updated!

2011-10-02T20:46:00.002-06:00

I just can't believe all that happens in life. Some things are so insignificant. Some things have eternal consequences. I love my life and find that I want to remember everything good about every day but it is just impossible. I don't have the time or the energy to do so. I haven't looked at this blog for months. But I did upload some photos recently that I would like to share and remember. We had such a wonderful summer with grandkids and family. So here is a quick attempt at a few events.

August, 2010 - Our grandson Tayven turned 1!!

2011-02-28T22:46:00.003-07:00

I meant for these photos to be in the opposite order, since it was Tayven's birthday (haha) but oh well... this is Kyla at her brother's birthday party. We LOVE living close to them and are so happy that they want us to be a part of their lives and memories. We have TONS of fun playing with them and loving them.
This is our cute little Tayven grandson enjoying his birthday cake. He is such a sweet little guy!

Granddaughter Courtney is Baptized!

2011-02-28T22:42:00.002-07:00

We love our oldest Granddaughter Courtney and her family!! It was a wonderful and beautiful day when Courtney turned 8 years old and was ready to be baptized. Isn't she just adorable!?!
We love this picture of her snuggled up to grandpa.

Grandson Carter comes into the world!

2011-02-28T22:34:00.002-07:00

Aden and I had tons of fun playing together while mom and dad were busy brining home a new baby. We played, walked, talked, had sleepovers, cleaned house together, gosh the list of our activities is very, very long. He is so much fun.
It was also very fun to cuddle a brand new baby... Carter James. He is our 6th grandchild and our 4th grandson. He was very easy to love at first sight. We sure love our family.
A beautiful bundle straight from heaven.

Kenne and Danielle marry

2011-02-28T22:18:00.002-07:00

I haven't posted on my blog for a very long time. Life has been so crazy. But I want to add a few of the highlights. In July, Kerry, Nathan and I went to Illinois to visit my family. While we were there, Kenne called and said that the wedding planned for December was now in July! We rushed home and had 11 days to plan a wedding before Kenne and Dani left for Wisconsin to meet Dani's family. It was a crazy time, but all went beautifully. We love Dani and are glad to have her as a part of our family.

Nathan's Baseball Season

2010-06-13T22:18:00.004-06:00

The runner was tagged by Nathan. He's OUT!!

Nathan getting a double play with the tag at third and then throwing it to first - he made it!
Good eye, Nathan! Ball 3.

Taking a rest between games. Nathan number is 1!
Another throw out at first.
A sacrifice bundt to get a player to second, but they missed the throw and he was safe on first AND he advanced the runner to second.

Nathan played on a traveling baseball team. One of the moms kindly took some awesome photos of the boys and shared them with us. We enjoyed 36 games this season including several out-of-town tournaments. We drove from Provo, Utah to right here in Rexburg. Most of the games were cold and windy but some were just beautiful. It has been a joy to watch Nathan play the game he loves the most. He usually plays third base but he also plays Right Field sometimes.

NateMay22 119.jpg

2010-06-13T21:22:00.001-06:00

Click here to view these pictures larger

Nathan's Piano Award

2010-04-17T20:16:00.002-06:00

Because Nathan has played in 12 piano festivals he got this cool award. Tonight after his piano recital it was awarded to him.

Eric Graduates, Heidi & Eric move

2010-04-17T20:10:00.002-06:00

I was hoping to post a photo of Eric in his graduation cap and gown but I didn't have my camera and so I don't have a photo. But we tended Aden during part of the graduation and we had SO much fun. Here is a short little video of him talking.

Right after graduation, Heidi and Eric moved to their first "career job" in Virginia, Idaho and they will be commuting from Pocatello, Idaho.

After Dinner Entertainment

2010-04-04T11:57:00.002-06:00

While the men went to Priesthood, the ladies stayed and played and enjoyed visiting. We basically were entertained by the grandkids for hours. It was wonderful!

This one is the longest. It is Kyla dancing while Heidi plays the violin and Amiee plays the piano. Aden comes to join Kyla and they have fun dancing together.

These other two videos are only a couple seconds long but I just had to share them all. They are so cute.

2nd Annual Easter Egg Hunt!

2010-04-04T11:20:00.003-06:00

Last year our grandchildren were big enough to enjoy and Easter Egg Hunt. We had so much fun that Grandpa and I decided that we would make it an annual event. So last week I sent each grandchild their own invitation and we prepared by filling 200 eggs with candy and money. Then it snowed, and it snowed, and it snowed. . . about 6 inches. So, we hid the eggs in the house, made a yummy Easter dinner and here they came.Courtney is the oldest grandchild and so we hid her eggs a bit higher. Kyla, Kyler, and Aden's were about eye height for them. Tayven is just crawling and so we put all of his in the living room on the floor so that he could reach them. He actually got the hang of it pretty good.
Each of the grandkids received a magnetic book to make funny faces. They loved them. They each got a new summer outfit, and they each found about 15 eggs with candy and money.

Kyla had fun finding eggs.

Aden found most of his downstairs. It was a little less crowded down there. :)

Kyler seemed to like his shirt and shorts for the summer! He jumped up and down squealing.

Easter Snow!!

2010-04-04T11:15:00.002-06:00

Saturday we woke up to 4 - 6" of snow! It had been warm and beautiful and we were planning a spring weekend but the snow was so deep that we actually had to shovel. I told Nathan and Kerry that one year when Kenne was little I had made a snow bunny and I thought they should try it so they went out to shovel the snow and had fun making this wonderful bunny. They used easter eggs for the eyes and sticks for the whiskers.
Nathan relaxing behind his snow bunny.

Nathan Goes Skiing with Friends

2010-04-04T11:04:00.003-06:00

For Christmas we bought Nathan a pass for Targhee Ski Resort. He has used his pass all winter by going with friends and other families because Kerry and I don't ski. So Friday, April 2 we decided to take Nathan and five of his friends up to the ski hill. It is about an hour drive and the boys had fun laughing and playing all the way!When we got there we learned they they has 21" of snow the night before and they had 42" in the last 7 days. It was considered "the PERFECT" day to ski and people came from across the country to ski on this perfect powder day. Nathan said in some places the powder came up to his arms - and many times above his waist.
Those who came with Nathan were Daniel, Jacob, Zach, Nathan, Zach and Dylan. It was a beautiful day. Kerry and I sat in the lodge sipping hot cocoa, planning our summer vacation, and relaxing. Nathan and his friends skied all day long.

Camera on the blitz!

2010-01-24T14:25:00.003-07:00

Well, I haven't updated my blog forever because I don't have any pictures. . . my camera has been on the bliz! (Actually, to tell you the truth, I finally found it under - don't ask me, I don't know - yes, under the bed.

So. . . Kerry and I celebrated out 15th wedding anniversary in December. What a joy to be married to this wonderful, loving man! I can hardly believe it is 15 years already!

We celebrated Nathan's 14th birthday and ordained him to the office of a Teacher in the Aaronic priesthood. He also received his Deacon Duty to God award.

We had several fun evenings with our family and extended family.

I guess that's the short version of December and January. We are so blessed to live in such a wonderful place and have such wonderful family and friends. We are grateful for our jobs and all that we have to make life comfortable and easy. We look forward to a wonderful 2010 and hope that you are all well and happy. . . . I guess we'll have to see what the new year brings for challenges and blessings. Gratefully, we have the gospel and each other to forge ahead.

Officially Introducing. . . Elder Tim Worthen

2009-11-18T07:06:00.003-07:00

This is Elder Worthen, minutes after being set apart, with his Stake President. It was a wonderful experience with an abundance of the Spirit.
Saying Goodbye to Elder Worthen.

Farewell Sunday

2009-11-15T19:30:00.003-07:00

Today, our son Timothy spoke in church for his mission farewell. He will be going to the California Fresno Mission, Spanish speaking. He will be in the MTC for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. Today we spent a day with friends and family to support and encourage him as he bids farewell for two years. It was a wonderful day.
This is a photo of Great Grandma Hansen and Tim. Great Grandma is the one who introduced Kerry and I and we have lived by her for over 20 years. We love Grandma Zella Hansen and she holds a special place in our hearts.
This is my sweet heart, best friend, and the man I love and respect so much. Kerry and I spent a few moments together here and there inbetween visiting with guests.
Tim and Nathan having a few fun moments together for a photo session! It is hard to believe that Nathan will be almost 15 when they see each other again. It was so fun to have so many family and friends around.

Sacred and Sweet

2009-11-14T21:15:00.004-07:00

"I love to see the Temple. I'm going there someday. To feel the Holy Spirit. To listen and to pray. For the Temple is a holy place where we are sealed together. As a child of God I've learned these truths. A family is forever."
Today, Kerry and I had the wonderful privilege of taking our son Tim to the temple. What a joyous occasion! As parents, there isn't anything more sacred, more sweet in life, than taking an adult child to the temple for the first time. There is no celebration more important to a family than adding one more child to the link of eternity.
My sweetheart Kerry, and my son Kenne were the escorts for Tim. Unfortunately, we all left the temple at different times and so we didn't get a group photo but it was a special experience to have several of my wonderful family together in the temple. Tim was very handsome dressed in white, and worthy to enter the temple. I am grateful for eternal families and for the peace and love that radiates there.

" I love to the see the temple. I'll go inside someday. I'll covenant with my Father, I'll promise to obey. For the temple is a house of God where we are sealed together. As a child of God I've learned these truths. A family is forever."

The Birthday Kids!!

2009-11-14T21:00:00.005-07:00

Sunday is Tim's 21st Birthday and Monday is Amiee's 25th birthday. Because those two days are going to be so crazy we decided to celebrate the birthday kids tonight. Happy Birthday Tim. Happy Birthday Amiee. We love you both and hope that your birthdays are WONDERFUL!!

We had lots of fun celebrating. Doesn't Chris have a cute smile! :)

Hyrum, Amiee, Kyla and Tayven, Chris, Troy, Courtney and Kyler, G & G Denney, GG Hansen, Kenne, Tim, Kyrstina, Rizzo, Nathan, Kerry and I all celebrated. We ate chocolate better than kisses cake, pumpkin pie, raspberry cheese cake, blueberry cheese cake, and chocolate pie along with a full Thanksgiving dinner. Tim will be in the Missionary Training Center for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years so we decided to have Thanksgiving early so that he could eat with us.

A fun day with Kyla and Tayven

2009-11-08T12:26:00.002-07:00

I love fall. (I also love spring, summer, and winter) but I have always enjoyed playing in the leaves. When I was little my mom would play in the leaves with me and I still remember how much fun I had. So this fall it was a great joy for me to be able to spend some time with Kyla and Tayven in the leaves. We had a beautiful fall day on Wednesday, Nov. 5th and so we played outside.

Nathan's Concert

2009-11-08T12:23:00.004-07:00

Nathan had his first Jr. High Choir concert. He has been enjoying the choir and looks forward to singing in the tree festival in Idaho Falls in a couple of weeks.

Halloween with grandkids!

2009-11-05T20:50:00.003-07:00

This is my beautiful granddaughter Courtney. I can't believe this is my only photo. She was cute.
Kyla was a princess, of course! Here she is as Cinderella. She had fun eating candy.
Tayven was sick of the whole thing and tired, but cute as ever!

Aden was face smeared with candy. It appeared that he was enjoying the sweets. We gave each of the kids a small pumpkin ball - the kind the kids like at school to play 4 square. They seemed to like them. I wish I had gotten a photo. Oh well. It was a fun evening.

Another really fun day!!

2009-10-28T21:04:00.002-06:00

Gosh, am I really allowed to have this much fun in life? Today Christina brought Kyler and Courtney to see me. They are so much fun. . . always smiles and hugs. I just love it when I see them. Courtney always smiles this beautiful smile and Kyler always says "HI GRANDMA!" in this cute, big voice. It is usually accompanied by a big hug. Then, this afternoon Amiee, Tayven, and Kyla came over to play. We played in the leaves, played Hi Ho Cherrio, decorated for Halloween, and just had a great time! I wish I had a couple of photos. . . but once again my camera didn't have batteries.. .ugh! I had to write about it anyway, so that I could remember such a beautiful day.

A REALLY fun day!

2009-10-09T21:02:00.007-06:00

This week, our daughter Christina and son-in-law Troy went on a little "honeymoon" trip. We were so excited to have Courtney and Kyler with us for a day and a half. I thought it might be fun to have the cousins enjoy each other and so I invited Amiee, Kyla and Tayven, and Heidi and Aden to join us in some fun activities.

Wednesday they arrived at our house around 10:00 a.m. Grandma, Nathan, Courtney and Kyler loaded into the car. First we drove to pick up Amiee, Kyla and Tayven and then we drove to get Nathan's swim suit at a friend's house. We were finally off to Idaho Falls. Our first stop was the Idaho Falls Aquatic Center. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos. (We kind of had our hands full :). However, you can see in this photo the diving boards that Nathan enjoyed. Also across the pool was a yellow slide that Courtney enjoyed. It was fast and she did really well swimming to the side by herself . Grandma stayed close and treaded water while she jumped, but the pool rules said that I could not catch her and that she had to swim to the side by herself.

After swimming for almost two hours, we were all starving! Our next stop was Leo's. We had a HUGE pizza, soda, chicken strips, etc. and then we spent a couple of hours playing on their toys. Everyone had so much fun that we didn't want to leave! Kyla used this really cute little whiny voice and she said "but Grandma, I don't want to leave!" She was adorable!!Kyler had lots of fun climbing on the playground toys and didn't want to leave either.
With our tickets we each got to choose a prize. Nathan got a sour sucker. You can see below in Courtney's mouth that Courtney, Kyler and Kyla got some plastic fang teeth!

Even Tayven had fun! haha. He mostly slept and smiled. It was fun to see him so entertained by the crew in the car and at the playground!

Courtney had fun climbing through the "jungle" of a playground too!
Technically, Nathan was too big. However, I asked if he could help us "chase" kids and so the owner let him play too. He was really happy about that - he had just as much fun and the little ones. It only took Kyla a few minutes to practice climbing and then she was off on her own. Here they are having fun together. Courtney and Kyler took off climbing on their own right away :).

After having so much fun that we were all exhausted, we decided that we should get home. We left Idaho Falls about 4:00. We took Amiee, Kyla and Tayven home and then Courtney and Kyler had dinner with Grandma, Grandpa and Nathan. After dinner we played LOTS and LOTS of games. . . board games, ball games, "house", babies, etc. Around 7:30 we took them home to bed.

Thursday morning, I went back to get Courtney and Kyler. We played at our house for a few more hours. We played more games, and had more fun. We made brownies and we also had a really fun "tea party" with Grandma's special china tea set.

What a fun time with Kyler and Courtney!! Thanks Amiee, Kyla and Tayven for coming too! These events are special memories for a grandma who loves her family. My heart is full as I think about how fast they are all growing up and how very, VERY grateful I am that I have had so many opportunities with them to have fun and make memories to last an eternity! Grandpa and I love you all very much. Thanks!

Friends, Quilting, Fun!

2009-10-09T20:36:00.002-06:00

It was girls weekend. 35 of us went to a beautiful cabin in Island Park for a weekend of fun. We arrived Thursday early afternoon and most stayed until Sunday Morning. I am spending Saturday with my family so I went up Thursday and came home Friday evening. I thought I took a photo of us all crammed into this beautiful living room but I guess I didn't get the photo. Imagine rows of tables with sewing machines. We used the top of the dressers and counters for cutting tables and ironing stations. We had cords going everywhere! I thought for sure that we would blow a breaker but we didn't. We had so much fun quilting, encouraging each other, and laughing! (We also had GREAT food!!)
When we got up Friday morning, it was snowing huge beautiful flakes. It snowed for a few hours and we had about 3 or 4 inches of snow. It was SO beautiful and peaceful. After a very difficult week for me, this was a wonderful event. Also, when I went out for a few minutes I saw two huge, beautiful elk. They were right in front of me in the road, looking at me. I wished that the battery on my camera wasn't dead :(.

Let me introduce Kenne's new friend Jen!

2009-09-23T22:09:00.002-06:00

Kenne has been dating a new friend. Her name is Jennifer and she likes to be called Jen. We sure have enjoyed getting to know her.

Aden turns 1!

2009-09-23T21:59:00.005-06:00

After opening his gifts and having cake everyone went outside and played water volleyball. I thought that was a fun idea, but since it was ADEN'S birthday, I wanted to play with him. So he and I sat on the grass and played. We had lots of fun.

I think this is a really cute photo of Aden on his 1st Birthday. We sure enjoyed him.
I got a few minutes to squeeze Aden and Tayven.
Even though they are looking away from the camera I wanted to post this photo because I wanted to remember how cute the cousins were playing together. When Courtney and Kyler arrived, Kyla RAN up to Courtney and gave her a BIG hug!
Mom and Dad were WAY more excited about things that Baby Aden, but he was pleased.
Notice Kyla's face. . . she and Kyler had so much fun trying to catch the water balloons. Also notice Courtney's face. . . she had fun playing with Grandpa. In this photo, Kyler and Kyla missed a balloon and were getting a bit wet. They LOVED it!
It was fun to share Aden's birthday with him and the rest of the family.

Kyler turns 3!

2009-09-23T21:55:00.003-06:00

Our cute Kyler turned 3 years old and I forgot to add his photos to my blog. . . I guess I've been distracted :)

He had lots of fun. We bought him a cute car set and I don't know what's up but I didn't get a photo of him playing with it!
Here he is blowing out his candles.

We're Going on a Bear Hunt!!

2009-08-29T15:06:00.004-06:00

Kerry won a ticket of one car of 7 people to go to Bear World. So today I took the 4 "oldest" grandkids and two of the mommies to Bear World and we had LOTS of fun!It was Kyler's Birthday and it was fun to spend some special time with him! He was so cute and fun.
Kyler liked the ducks, too.
We got to ride the train. . . how fun!
This is the gang petting a deer. She was very good to sit still for a long time and the kids just loved petting her.

This is the entrance area. Trying to get these wiggly ones to pose was a trick :)!
Aden and his mommy Heidi wanted to chase the chicken!
We saw LOTS of bears. It was absolutely delightful to hear Kyla and Kyler say "This is SO MUCH FUN!" over and over again.

First Day of School

2009-08-29T15:00:00.002-06:00

Every year we have a tradition of taking photos on the first day of school. This is Wednesday, August 26, 2009. Even though Kerry isn't going to "school" we wanted a photo of him too!Nathan had a bad attitude this morning because his hair wasn't done! This is the only photo we got. . . oh well!
My photo this year looks terrible. . . I am so tired that I have big bags under my eyes and my face looks really stressed so this is the best I could do :)

Extended Family

2009-08-16T18:40:00.003-06:00

This past week I was able to take five days out of life and return to my extended family. I was born in Minnesota and raised in Illinois. My grandmother (middle) is 90 years old and still lives in the house where I visited her as a child. My mother has been ill and has not been able to see her mother and so this week my brother Brian and I decided that we wanted them to have an opportunity to be together. So. . . I flew to Minnesota on Monday morning, rented a car, and Brian flew in on Wednesday with my mom (right).
This is my beautiful mother, brother Brian and me. We were saying goodbye after visiting with my aunts and uncles for three days.
Brian has to add humor so that the tears don't roll :). It was so good to see him for a few days and now he is off to Arizona again.
This is a photo of my grandmother Ellouise Marie Parrish with all of her grown children. From left to right is Carol, Rodney, Faye, Marjorie, Crystal, Leonard. She also gave birth to Diane and Mitchell who died in their infancy. It was so fun to watch these brothers and sister interact with each other. As we sat around the dinner table one evening, I asked my grandma if it reminded her of the days when they were younger and she said yes. They were all expected to be home for dinner together. That is what Kerry and I have done with our children and I reflected on what it will be like when I am 90 and all of my kids come home to see each other. I cried that evening thinking about what life has brought me and where we will be in another 45-50 years.

Once a mother, always a mother! I love this photo because the first day was really hard on my mom. She has a new feeding tube and she was pretty distraught to visit her family. She tried to rest and couldn't. She tried to sit and visit and couldn't. She tried to walk around the house and couldn't seem to. It was very tender for me to watch my grandma try to "mother" my mom and take care of her. She decided to try to lay down with her to see if she would nap. They both ended up falling asleep for a few minutes. Another opportunity of this trip was to visit with my dad Chuck Markowitz and his sister, my Aunt Sue. My cousin Kathy also made the trip to come and see us. We had lunch together and visited but the batteries were dead in my camera and unfortunately I didn't get any photos.

This was a short, but special trip for me. I was taken care of so well by so many people. All of my aunts and uncles were concerned for us and brought food each day. Grandma doesn't cook by herself a lot these days and so each day, each of the family would bring some food and come to visit and eat with us. Most of them are farmers and have children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren of their own and it was a huge sacrifice for them to come to grandma's each day and visit. When they left in the evening they had to return home to bottle beans, bail hay, weed gardens, and tend to the responsibilities of their lives to return the next morning with a smile on their face and a tight hug to begin again. I am sure they were relieved when we left to get back to their normal lives. . . but they were WONDERFUL to me and to my mom and I am grateful!!

Lagoon

2009-08-08T21:53:00.003-06:00

One of our days in Utah was spent at Lagoon. This is Kyrstina and her boyfriend Rizzo enjoying the rides.

Kerry and I had fun on the Bumper Cars.

On Wicked.

Park City, 2009

2009-08-08T21:42:00.003-06:00

Grandma and Tayven enjoying our time together after the pool. We enjoyed having Hyrum, Amiee, Kyla and Tayven join us in Park City this year. We have lots of fun memories getting to know Amiee in this very resort.
We enjoyed spending time with all 5 of our grandchildren in Park City this year. I am so sad that I didn't get my camera out the first couple of days because I don't have a photo of Aden. He was just adorable in the pool and I had the wonderful privledge of putting him to sleep IN THE POOL two days in a row. He was needing a nap and Heidi and Eric went to play tennis so I took Aden with me to the pool and held him tight in the warm water while he laid his head on me and fell fast asleep. It was great fun. This photo is Friday after a full day of swimming. Courtney is holding Tayven. Kyla and Kyler are posing too.
It is my tradition each year on vacation to put a puzzle together. I love puzzles and I always enjoy brining one on vacation. It was so cute and amazing how Kyler loved my puzzle. He said "Grandma you puzzle is beautiful". "Grandma I like your puzzle". Grandma, you have a pretty puzzle". Here Kyla and Kyler are enjoying my puzzle while I try to keep them from touching it :).

Kerry and Kyler having snacks on the couch at the condo.

Kerry and I enjoying each other for a few minutes away from the kids.

Right of Passage. . .

2009-08-08T21:38:00.004-06:00

BRACES!Nathan got his braces on this month. He isn't very excited about the whole thing but I guess that's just life. . . some things aren't fun but are good in the long run.

Tayven's Blessing Day

2009-07-19T11:44:00.003-06:00

Sunday, July 12th was Tayven's Baby Blessing. It was a fun but busy day. Here is a photo of Tayven with Hyrum and Amiee.
Tayven is really easy to coax to a smile. I got LOTS of really cute ones but this is one of my favorites. He was a happy baby all day and was given a beautiful blessing by his daddy.
Kerry spent much of him time on his back wrestling and playing with grandkids. Here is Courtney, Kyler, Kerry, and Aden looking at the clouds and finding shapes.
Kyla was so tired she could barely function - although she was her cute happy self most of the day. This photo is right before she fell sounds asleep in my arms.
Tayven Boyd Denney is the 6th generation of "Boyd" Here is Donald Boyd (great grandpa to Tayven) Kerry Boyd (Grandpa) Hyrum Boyd (Daddy) and Special little guy Tayven Boyd Denney. We are so blessed to have all four generations in the same town for now. Wonderful priesthood holders, fathers and husbands.

Another Quilt made by me with Love

2009-07-19T11:39:00.002-06:00

While Kenne was on his mission, one of his best friends Matt Davis married Aubrey. So when Kenne got home from his mission we decided to make them a quilt. Her wedding colors were red, black and white and so this is a whack and stack I made for them. 6 months later they finally have it!

Grandkid fun

2009-07-19T11:31:00.002-06:00

One afternoon Hyrum and Amiee came over with a new blow-up pool for Kyla. We had fun setting it up and then they decided to run for just a few minutes to the store. Grandma got to keep Tayven and Kyla for the first time and we had so much fun!
Nathan helped by playing photographer :)!
This is Kyla lounging in her new pool. It was pretty cold but we dumped buckets of warm water from the house :).
Heidi & Eric left Aden with us one evening for a short time and he was SO cute and fun we had to have a photo shoot.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-19T11:21:00.004-06:00

This 4th of July was a wonderful time. We started off with the parade. Heidi, Eric & Aden watched with us. As well as G & G Denney (behind H & E).
Hyrum, Amiee, Kyla, and Tayven were also dressed out in their Red, White and Blue for this special celebration.
and Kenne went really early to get us all a good spot to see the parade. It was great fun catching candy, waving flags and drinking our traditional chocolate milk! Later that evening we all came to our house and shot off fireworks and listened to patriotic music. This video below isn't a very good picture of Kyla - but just take a listen and you will be amazed at how cute she is (at the age of 2 years) singing "You're a Grand Old Flag".

June 24th & 25th - Birthday's

2009-07-19T11:15:00.002-06:00

June 24th was Kyrstina's 19th birthday. We celebrated her birthday with mine this year and Rizzo, Kyrstina's friend, did the cooking. It was delicious sweet and sour chicken. My 46th birthday was on June 25th and we had fun celebrating mine too. It was actually a wonderful birthday week for me - I went out to lunch everyday with friends and family and had lots of attention. On the day of my birthday, Kyrstina, Heidi & Aden, Amiee, Kyla & Tayven, and Kerry and I went to the splash park in Rexburg and played with the kids. It was great. Thanks everyone for such a wonderful birthday!

Enjoying our Family

2009-06-18T14:25:00.003-06:00

Kyla and Kyrstina at Courtney's birthday party.

While we were in Hawaii, Nathan had several games and a friend took this photo. Nathan was hit by the ball and she got the action shot of him jumping out of the way. Notice the ball hit him and is bouncing.

Tayven at Courtney's Birthday Party.

Kyler and Grandpa celebrating Courtney's 7th Birthday.

Happy Birthday!

2009-06-18T14:19:00.002-06:00

June is a busy birthday month for our family. Kenne celebrated his birthday without us this year because we were on our way to Hawaii. But we are excited to have a 22 year old living at home again. Happy Birthday Kenne.

June 15th is my mother's birthday - Crystal Markowitz. She is home in Illinois and enjoying her garden. She turned 71 this year. My how time flies.

June 16h was our beautiful ganddaughter Courtney's birthday. We were excited to be able to celebrate with her.

Day #12 - Tuesday - Airports

2009-06-09T09:29:00.002-06:00

Tuesday morning we arrived in Portland and slept for a few hours on the airport floor. Then we boarded a plane for Salt Lake City around 10:00 a.m. and we will be landing about noon. We need to hurry home because we want to take Nathan to his baseball game in Driggs tonight. A few things that happened that I haven't mentioned. . . One of our flights we were seated directly in front of Dallin H. Oaks and his wife. She was ill so we refrained from taking their photo out of respect for them, however, it was fun to visit with him. He was preparing to attend a Stake Conference. Also, the only negative of the trip that I can think of was that due to the heat and humidity, my feet swelled up absolutely HUGE - so huge that I can't hardly get my shoes on. Other than that it was a perfect trip. As I sit in the airport reflecting on our adventures I think we had enough fun to last a life time. It was absolutely beautiful. . . wonderful. . . I still can't believe that we were able to go and do such a fun thing. . . . I loved every minute of every day. . . but I must say. . . there's no place like home.

Day #11 - Monday - Packing, Saying Goodbye, Enjoying the Beach, Just a Few More Souveniers!

2009-06-09T09:18:00.003-06:00

Monday was bitter sweet. It was hard to say goodbye to Adam and Jenni. They were such wonderful hosts and we surely enjoying seeing them very much. They are so kind to us. We spent the morning trying to re-pack our suitcases and decide what we would need for the day. We left around 11:30 and about and hour later called Jenni and asked if we could come back. . . we didn't know what time our plane left. We got on the internet and then took off again. I have photos but can't find the gizmo to get them off my camera so I will add them later but we spent the day enjoying Waikiki beach. We played in the ocean until we were exhausted, ate lunch and dinner in Waikiki and had lots of fun our last day in Hawaii. We were very creative and changed into airplane clothes in the backseat of the car and then headed for the airport. Our flight left Hawaii at 10:40 p.m. We arrived in Portland around 7:00 a.m. the next morning. These photos are of our rental car - we lived in it for a week and a half. Also, Waikiki beach and being silly on our way to Honolulu.

Day #10 - Sunday - Tour of BYU-Hawaii Campus and Temple Visitor Center

2009-06-07T21:49:00.003-06:00

We spent a relaxing day today enjoying the Sabbath. Adam and Jenni gave us a tour of BYU-Hawaii campus and then we spent time at the Hawaii Temple grounds and the visitor center. The temple is closed for reconstruction but it was still fun to see. This photo is the road leading up to the temple.
This is a beautiful mosaic on BYU campus. It depicts David O. McKay and his dream to build a school here.
This is a statue at the temple visitor center. It depicts Lehi conferring the priesthood upon Joseph.
The yellow Hibiscus flower is the state flower of Hawaii and this is a pink version of the same flower. They are everywhere and they are beautiful!
We also enjoyed slowing strolling along the beach together. This is Temple Beach. It is straight across the street from the temple and has a beautiful sitting area for meditation. The church as also provided a beautiful grassy area, small secluded parking area and a shower to wash the sand off. It is very nicely landscaped. Your tithing dollars at work :).

Day #9 - Saturday - Sea Life Park and the Dole Pineapple Plantation

2009-06-07T00:22:00.003-06:00

We spent a wonderful day with Adam and Jenni today. Adam was able to take a day off work and so the four of us spent the day sight-seeing. First we drove up the North side of the island on our way to Sea Life Park. This picture is of Rabbit Island.

Then we arrived at Sea Life Park and enjoyed several hours of shows and fun with the animals. We enjoyed their shows and displays very much. I have over 100 photos and it was hard to choose.

Then we drove almost all the way around the island to the Dole Plantation. We rode the train and took the guided tour. We learned lots about pineapple, cocoa, bananas, etc. Did you know that a banana plant will only grow one bunch of bananas and then it is cut down and they plant a new plant. It was very interesting!Doesn't Jenni look cute here!!
We thought the colorful bark on this tree was cool so we took this photo.

After sight-seeing, we went to a grocery store and stocked up on food and then went back to Adam and Jenni's apartment and cooked a wonderful dinner. We ate fresh guava and pineapple and enjoyed the evening with them. Word has it that friends are coming over to meet us. It was a great day.

Day #8 - Friday - Ko Olina Catamaran - My Favorite Day Yet

2009-06-06T01:48:00.004-06:00

Today was absolutely incredible! We began the day packing and checking out of our condo. It was a bit sad to leave, but exciting at the same time because we will get to spend a bit more time with Adam and Jenni by staying with them in their apartment and being on the north side of the island where they are. Ko Olina has a wonderful thing called "linger longer". We have to check out at 10:00 a.m. but many people don't catch their flight until late in the evening and so they give you a new key for the day and we were able to use the pools, showers, and anything else on the facilities that we wanted. So we played in the pool until lunch, ate a wonderful lunch around the pool and then headed to the marina. We had tickets for a 1:00 catamaran ride.
This is the cat that we rode. It was amazing! Things got a little tricky right off because they didn't tell us to be there at 12:30. So we almost missed the boat. Because we were trying to run to the boat, I forgot the camera. But luckily for us, we boarded at the very last minute - they actually held it for us while the condo took us there in a golf cart!
They also didn't tell us that it was a 3-4 hour trip and that we were going out into the ocean to SNORKEL! Due to the strength of the ocean currents, I had NO intentions of snorkeling in the ocean - and no way was I going to snorkel OUT in the ocean (as opposed to along the shore!) however, there were 14 of us on this trip with 3 divers. They gave us "state of the art" equiptment that fit perfectly. They got in the water with us with life rings and they took us to the PREMIER spot to snorkel on the whole island. We were in the area where they film commercials and film etc because there is so much wild life to see.
So seriously at $120 each, the best spot, and wonderful guides how could we resist. However, the other problem was that the lady who signed us up for this trip didn't tell us that we were getting IN the water and that we should wear our suits. . . we thought we were going to WATCH! So, after a bit of debate about garments and the ocean. . . we decided that this was a once in a life time opportunity and we should just GO FOR IT! In we jumped - ocean here I come!!

This is a moorish idol. We saw lots of these. It is a type of angel fish.
This was bright purple and green fish called a parrot fish. These were really large and beautiful.

This long skinny fish is called a trumpet fish. There is also a smaller one called a cornet fish. We saw several of both kinds. This photo from the innernet doesn't do this fish justice. They are long and beautiful. The ones I saw and swam with were about 2 feet. This black, white, and yellow stripped fish is called a convict tang. We saw hundreds of these and I fed one of them a tiny bread crumb from my hand. They swam around us, over us, under us in huge schools of fish.

The photos of us and the boat above were taken AFTER we returned and docked and I went to the car to get my camera and then went back to the boat. We did get two photos on the boat - we traded our drink (alchohol) tickets to a guy who agreed to take our picture and e-mail them to us in a week or two. We'll see if he really does it. Any way. . . we saw hundreds of fish! These photos were taken off the internet but they were even more beautiful in person. We saw many more kinds but I can't list them all there. They were bright, beautiful colors and amazing shapes. They were all around us close enough to touch. We saw puffer fish, trumpet fish, yellow tangs, several kinds of coral, moorish idol, etc. It was breathtaking and once again caused tears of joy. I can't even begin to tell you. . . how amazing it was. We were in the ocean for an HOUR and then we boarded the cat again and they had a beautiful dinner for us. We continued to sail about another hour and then returned to dock. I am SO GLAD that I took this opportunity and didn't chicken out. It was the most amazing experience of my life to swim with the wild, beautiful fish.

Time out from the trip

2009-06-04T21:33:00.002-06:00

Vacationing is always wonderful but I am so glad that it comes to an end. As I read Heidi & Amiee's blogs today, I am so anxious to get home and kiss on my grandkids. I have also missed our kids a ton. Partly because we are jam-packed full of activities and partly because of the time difference of 4 hours I don't get to talk with them every day and I am getting homesick. It will also be really hard to leave Adam and Jenni here to go home. They have been fun to be around.

Day #7 - Thursday - The Cost of Freedom & The Aquarium

2009-06-04T20:47:00.004-06:00

This is the tree that grows the flowers Adam and Jenni made my lei from.

Photo session at Ko Olina with Adam and Jenni on our way to our activities today.

Today we enjoyed spending time with Adam and Jenni. They spent the night in our extra bedroom and this morning, after sleeping in a bit, we toured some places together.
Next we went to Pearl Harbor and the Arizona Battleship Memorial. We watched a 23 minute film of actual footage and then took a boat out to the memorial. It was a good reminder of the cost of freedom. I hope that my children and grandchild remember that thousands of men and women have died for the United States of America and it is now our responsibility and honor to appreciate our freedom and keep it that way.
After Pearl Harbor we went out to lunch at the big shopping mall in Honolulu but I can't remember the name of the mall. We had delicious sea food with Adam and Jenni.\
Then we drove to the Aquarium. Jenni is a volunteer here once a week and we enjoyed her knowledge and sharing of information. I have over 100 beautiful photos from today but these are just a couple.

This Aquarium is also on the Waikiki beach. We took a quick glance and decided that we were so exhausted and Adam was going to be late to his new job at McDonalds so we headed back to the condo. It was another wonderful day but we are getting very tired. Tonight we plan to just eat dinner at our resort, enjoy the pools and head to bed early. We have a big day planned for tomorrow. We are having enough fun to last a lifetime.

Day #6 - Wednesday - New Side of the Island

2009-06-04T00:55:00.003-06:00

Today was a variety of things. First in the morning we got up early and headed to the resort sales office for our regular sales pitch. It was actually a wonderful visit and we learned a lot about our Marriott option and how to better take full advantage of being an owner. Then we headed to the swap meet. My friend Marianne told me not to miss it and she was right! We had such a fun time spending way too much money to bring back gifts for all the kids and grandkids. It was a blast but of course too long for Kerry's taste, althought I seriously could have stayed another 3 or 4 hours! Then we decided to explore the other side of the island. Each time we have gone from South to North and back again (for dinner, to see Adam & Jenni, to visit the PCC) we have always gone around the West side of the island. This time we decided to go toward Honolulu and then up more toward the East side of the island. We drove through the most beautiful part of the island and through a couple of tunnels. We explored a few beaches and went back to the PCC for a couple of hours. Here is just a few photos of our beautiful day.
I took this photo of the restraunt where we ate dinner. It was a small family owned place with no walls again. There were a few mis-matched chairs and tables, or planks of wood sitting around and it was the strangest atmosphere - but absolutely delicious food.

Day #5 - Tuesday - Polynesian Cultural Center

2009-06-03T03:53:00.003-06:00

Another day of breathtaking beauty and culture. We thoroughly enjoyed the PCC. It was an amazing experience. The spirit was strong there and brought tears to both Kerry and my eyes. This is such an incredible experience and another thing we wish we could share with our children and grandchildren.

We began the day enjoying the beach here at Ko Olina. We saw LOTS of crabs and fish. We enjoyed the ocean and the pools. Then we packed a picnic lunch and headed to the PCC. We bought the Ambassador package and so we were given orchid leis, a guided tour, a gift package, special (second row) seating at the events and we were the second table to get to go through the dinner buffet to eat, and boy were we hungry by that time.

It was a day of music, dance, customs, crafts, and learning the beautiful history of the people with Polynesian history.

Then the day ended as it began - we took a quick dip in the pools and completed our exhaustion.

Day #4 - Monday - Relaxation

2009-06-01T15:33:00.006-06:00

The day ended with a wonderful dinner at Jamison's By the Sea restaurant. We were served a delicious meal of fresh catch fish, scallops, shrimp, linguine and vegetables. At a cost of $73.00 it was a memorable experience, on the ocean, romantic dinner, loving company, and it is so fun to come "home" after an evening out and have the valet service open my door and park our car. I sure could get used to this lifestyle! hehe. Goodnight.

It is difficult to explain how close we are to the beach. I took this photo to try to show that it is only a few steps from our condo, past the pools, to the beach and ocean. It was a beautiful morning. We saw a huge school of fish right near the shore.

This is the ocean beach right outside our condo.

I took this picture to try to show and to remember that there are no walls in our hotel. That's right. . . there are pillars holding up the floors and there are walls up in the condo rooms but the lobby, sitting areas, and the main parts of the building has no walls. You walk from the outside to the inside and up open stairs to the check-in desk. You can sit in the lobby and play the piano and there are no walls. It is amazing. You can hear the birds sing, smell the millions of flowers, and hear the waterfalls inside because there are no walls. Notice on the bottom floor there is a bit of glass because there is a store there that sells expensive clothing, etc. But around the corner the glass wall disappears like on the second floor. Notice there is only a railing around the edge, not glass or wall. I'm going to try to get a better picture of it later.

This is one of the hot tubs.

Very powerful waterfall :)!

The batteries went dead on my camera so we don't have photos, but we also saw a torch lighting ceremony that included a Samoan King climbing a coconut tree, a Hawaiian starting the fire by rubbing sticks, the proper way to open a coconut, and a variety of authentic dances. It was a fun filled evening.

Today we are spending the day relaxing. We don't really have many plans except laying on the beach, playing in the pools, and watching the sky.
We also want to tell Kenne to have a very Happy Birthday!

Day #3 - Sunday - Laughter and Tears

2009-06-01T02:36:00.005-06:00

Today began with laughter and tears and it ended the same way. This has been such a wonderful experience that I will be unable to put it all into words. First off, we got up and enjoyed a beautiful stroll around the resort for our first time and it was absolutely amazing! Words and pictures are not going to do it justice. I was really missing family today and wishing so much that I could bring you all here. There are many pools where you would all have a blast! They meander over lots of ground. There are tunnels and waterfalls, hot tubs and basketball hoops (all in the pools, of course). The ocean lagoons come right up to the pools and are just beautiful. We only had a short time to explore before leaving to see Adam and Jenni. What a wonderful reunion! Adam and Jenni haven't changed a bit. They are wonderful and cute as ever. Notice the beautiful lei around my neck. Adam and Jenni hand made one for each of us to wear today and they were absolutely beautiful. The aroma was something special. Every room I entered smelled wonderful because of my lei. Jenni made us a delicious lunch and we enjoyed visiting with them. Then at 2:00 we attended their ward. The talks and lessons were great. Then we returned to their apartment and had a delicious dinner cooked by Jenni. After dinner and dishes, we drove back the hour and 15 minutes to our condo. Adam and Jenni came with us to spend the night. They have to go back early tomorrow morning, but it was fun to show them Ko Olina. As we were arriving in Hawaii, every time we told someone where we were staying their eyes would get big and they would say something like "oh! That's a nice place!" Well, after our little stroll around the place today, we know why! I have never seen anything like it - and I've seen lots of condo places! Here are just a few photos of our day.

Day #2 - Saturday - We're Here!!

2009-05-30T22:28:00.003-06:00

We're Here! It was a very long day and a very long flight but we have safely landed in Hawaii. Our Marriott Timeshare is absolutely beautiful and huge. . . we have a 2 bedroom with the largest kitchen and living room of any condo we have seen. We have a balconey too. We have such a large place that I was kind of wishing some of the kids were with us but it will be good to have time with just Kerry and I. Here are just a few photos of our arrival. I slept lot on the plane but Kerry can't ever sleep in cars or planes so he is very tired. We plan to rest this evening and begin our adventures tomorrow.

Day #1 - Friday - Off to Salt Lake City

2009-05-29T22:58:00.002-06:00

Our first stop. . . Courtyard Mariott Hotel next to the Salt Lake City Airport.

Because we had such a busy week and we were both exhausted, we decided to drive to SLC tonight after work and stay close to the airport. Besides, it turned out less expensive to stay and leave our car there for no charge instead of paying the airport parking fees.

We enjoyed the swimming pool and hot tub and then returned to our room early to prepare for arising at 5:30 tomorrow.

A Life Long Dream - Honeymoon #14

2009-05-29T22:47:00.004-06:00

Off to Oahu!

Kerry and I celebrated our 14th anniversary in December of 2008. Every year since we have been married, Kerry and I take turns planning our special day and it always includes a trip. Some have been only one night, some have been longer. Some have been farther away and some have been very close to home. This past anniversary we were very pleased to have my mother here visiting us from Illinois and so we celebrated at home and decided to postpone our "honeymoon" until summer. So today has finally arrived. We are headed to HAWAII! This has been a life long dream for us and we have been saving since we got married. Each day for the next 10 days I hope to be able to post one photo and a brief description of our trip.
I hope you enjoy. . .

Enjoying Tayven & Kyla

2009-05-19T23:01:00.002-06:00

Just a few favorite photos from the last few days. Kisses for Tayven from Grandpa.

Our Beautiful granddaughter looking at herself in the mirror with Grandpa.

We got up that morning and did our hair so that we would be cute for our photos with Tayven. Then we put on Kyla's new dress and went to the hospital. It was SO fun to watch Kyla with Tayven for the first time.

Happy Anniversary Heidi & Eric!

2009-05-19T22:56:00.002-06:00

We sure are glad for things like anniversaries for our kids because that means that Grandma and Grandpa get to babysit! We had so much fun with Aden. He laughed the whole time. We went for two walks, jumped on the tramp, played on the swings, bounced on the horse, had dinner, and got ready for bed. What a wonderful evening we had.

Their Son is Born!!!

2009-05-17T11:13:00.004-06:00

Grandchild #5 - Tayven Boyd Denney
7 lbs. 2 oz. - 19 inches
6:43. a.m.

About 6:00 a.m. we got a call from Hyrum apologizing for waking us so early. No problem!! I jumped up, brushed my teeth, threw on some blue jeans and headed to their house. When I arrived Amiee was smiling and breathing through her contractions. Hyrum gave her a beautiful blessing and they headed off to the hospital. She was doing so great! By the time I got there and they left it was about 6:20. Kyla was still asleep so I laid down on the couch to rest for a bit. Thirty minutes later Hyrum called and said that baby Tayven was here. I seriously thought he was joking! It was hard to believe that in about 20 minutes our beautiful 5th grandchild had arrived!

"He camed!! He camed!! Tayven camed!" - said big sister Kyla :)

The Hyrum & Amiee Denney Family
May 17th, 2009
with big sister Kyla and new baby Tayven

Grandma with Tayven

Perfect Score for Nathan at Festival!

2009-04-22T22:06:00.003-06:00

Nathan had a piano recital tonight. He played the two songs that he played for Festival last week. He received a perfect score from the judge. He had a tiny bit of trouble tonight but we are still really proud of him. It is fun to listen to him practice and we are glad that he is learning to play really well.

The Best Husband in the World!

2009-04-12T13:02:00.002-06:00

Kerry is such a loving, serving person. During the baby shower, he and Hyrum took several children in the back yard to play. Kerry took a slippery board and put it over the window well into our bedroom so the kids could climb up and slide down. They played on the swings and had fun in the back yard. Here he is holding Aden.

Every Sunday Kerry goes to two nursing homes to visit the people who live there. He is such a good example to our family of service and love. Today (Easter) he asked if I would help him make something for Easter to give to the residents. We made these little bunnies and then took them to give away. It was a really fun way to serve. I am grateful that he reminds me to get out and serve others when we can.

Baby Shower for Tayven and Amiee

2009-04-12T12:54:00.003-06:00

It is hard to believe that Tayven is almost here. We are getting excited to have the first Denney boy grandson. Kyrstina, Chris and Heidi hosted a baby shower for them over Easter weekend. Here are a few photos. Amiee sure got some cute baby blue outfits - LOTS of them :) Everyone's generosity sure is humbling.
We played a fun game Heidi made up - we threw diapers at Amiee - no I mean at the basket - and tried to see how many we could get in the basket. Amiee was a really good sport as we missed the basket and hit her in the face instead :).

Busy Easter Weekend

2009-04-12T12:32:00.004-06:00

This weekend was very busy for our family. We hosted two college students who had to be out of their apartment. We enjoyed sharing our Easter holiday with Tabitha and Shea. On Saturday, we had an Easter egg hunt for the kids and grandkids. It was really fun to watch them search for eggs. They had candy and money in them and so the "big kids" were pretty motivated to find the eggs. When I was a child I remember my grandma Markowitz sewing clothes for the cousins. I decided this year that I wanted to sew a skirt for each of the girls and then we gave each of the boys a book. It was fun to see them open their gifts and it was fun that the skirts fit great. These are some photos from our day. Then after naps many of the family came back for and Easter dinner. We had broccoli braid, rainbow jello, salad, carrots, and bunny cake.

Christina helping Kyler gather eggs during our Easter Egg hunt.

Our Easter bunny cake for dinner.

Kyla looking for easter eggs.

Courtney, dancing in her new skirt make by Grandma.
Courtney & Kyla in their matching skirts.
Aden & Heidi with his easter gift from grandma and grandpa.

Happy Birthday Heidi!

2009-04-12T12:30:00.001-06:00

In March we celebrated Heidi's birthday.

Basketball Season comes to a close

2009-02-28T15:14:00.003-07:00

This year Kerry was Nathan's coach. He has been his coach every year except one. Nathan begs him to be his coach every year and so Kerry agrees. It has been nice that Nathan chose to have his dad coach his teams each year. This year, they were the ONLY team out of 11 teams, that went undefeated. Some teams cried, some coaches screamed, some games were close and some were landslides but whatever the score, they had lots of fun. These photos were taken February 28, 2009 at the last game. They were all given a certificate and Kerry's team was given a 1st place medal. Most games Nathan scored many points and swished at least one 3 pointer. It has been a fun year.

Snow Day - Ski Day

2009-02-28T15:11:00.002-07:00

One day in January, we had a snow day from school so Nathan and his friends went skiing. I drove up to Kelly Canyon to pick them up and we saw probably 50 or more deer. It was a beautiful drive. We tried to get a few photos of the deer. This isn't the best photo but you can see a couple of them in the back.

Valentine's Day

2009-02-28T15:07:00.002-07:00

Kerry and I have an annual event at the Stake Center each year for the formal Valentine's Day Dance. We have gone every year for 14 years and we just love dancing the night away. This year we went to dinner, went to see Courtney and Kyler and Chris & Troy for a few minutes and then spent the evening dancing. Nathan took one of these photos for us and then a photographer at the dance took the other one. We love our Valentine's Day tradition.

Babysitting Fun

2009-02-28T14:58:00.002-07:00

One weekend Hyrum and Amiee decided to celebrate their anniversary a bit early and so we had Kyla overnight. We also had Aden that evening for a while. We spent time coloring, playing, watching a movie, and laughing. That night after Aden went home we rocked Kyla for a while, put her in bed and she didn't cry one bit. She slept all night and then we played again the next morning. We had such a fun sleepover!

A Few Favorites from Christmas

2009-02-28T14:53:00.005-07:00

My mom got her hair cut while she was here and we took these photos that day.

He Returned With Honor!

2009-01-23T21:57:00.004-07:00

A missionary leaving for two years is something that I don't think I'll ever quite get used to. They are missed so much. However, we wouldn't want it any other way. It is a fun experience writing for two years, praying, sending care packages, etc. And of course, there is nothing like seeing them again after serving an honorable mission. Elder Kenne Worthen served for the past two years in the Texas Houston East mission. Wednesday, January 21st he returned to his family waiting at the Idaho Falls Airport. Some of the family had other commitments but there were also several who could attend. We had Great-grandma Zella Hansen, G & G Denney, G Crystal, Christina, Courtney, Kyler, Amiee, Kyla, Heidi, Aden, Kyrstina, Nathan, Kenne's friend Matt Davis, and of course Kerry and I. Smiles were big, hugs were freely given, and a good time was had by all :)

The Birth of a Teenager!

2009-01-23T21:53:00.004-07:00

Happy Birthday Nathan! We love you. We also hope that you are a nice teenager and take it easy on your old parents. We were able to have a family dinner and ice cream cake party for Nathan. We had lots of fun.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-23T21:50:00.002-07:00

Life has been pretty busy for me lately and I haven't been able to update my blog but I finally have a few minutes and decided I wanted to get to it. This photo is of Kerry, Brenda and Grandma Crystal on New Year's Eve.

Happy Birthday Brother Brian!

2009-01-02T19:52:00.004-07:00

Today is Brian's birthday and if he were here we'd play games, work on quilts, eats lots of yummy foods and look at stamps. But since he's not I'll just add this photo of him to my blog. :)

Brenda and Brian in ArizonaBrain driving to Grandma Markowitz's funeral.
(So Brian, if you don't like these photos, you need to send some you like (smile) )

Kyla Turns 2!

2009-01-01T20:43:00.005-07:00

Happy Birthday to our beautiful little granddaughter Kyla Brielle Denney. We went to Hyrum and Amiee's house today for Kyla's 2nd birthday party and we had so much fun. Amiee made the cutest Elmo invitations and cupcakes. Kyla was very pleased with the whole thing she almost couldn't wait. We had given her a baby for Christmas and so for her birthday we gave her clothes and bottles. Her other grandma gave her a shopping cart and she quickly had the baby riding in the shopping cart, feeding her. It was really cute. It was fun not only to see Kyla but to watch Hyrum and Amiee enjoy the event as their little girl turns one year older.

14th Wedding Anniversary - December 27, 2008

2008-12-27T15:14:00.004-07:00

This year my mom was here visiting and we didn't want to "ditch" her and so we decided that we would spend the evening/night before our anniversary at home just enjoying each other. We rented 3 movies - Hancock, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and Fool's Gold - we went to get "Fongs" for dinner and then we spent the evening quietly in our room enjoying each other. 14 years and counting. . . it was a wonderful, peaceful celebration of our life together. This photo was taken the next day - on our actual anniversary. We spent the day just relaxing, cleaning house and playing our new Wii games. Fun times were had by all :).

Christmas Day!

2008-12-27T14:55:00.005-07:00

Christmas morning is always so hectic and fun that I never get many photos. . . . And of course my camera was out of my hands AGAIN! But Christmas afternoon we played games and just enjoyed each other. Kerry's main gift this year was something that he has wanted for years but I never seem to get - a karaoke machine. In the afternoon Kerry and I sang for over an hour and then the kids and Grandpa Chuck joined us. We had lots of fun. Kyrstina and Tim also got ahold of my camera and had some fun posing. Aden slept through the songs and Kyla crawled into Aden's bouncer and said "I be Aden". She was really cute!

Jesus Christ is the Reason for the Season

2008-12-27T14:51:00.002-07:00

Kerry and I have tried hard to keep Christ as the focus of our Christmas season this year. It has been fun to ponder the birth of our Savior and enjoy this season of giving with our family.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

2008-12-27T14:45:00.003-07:00

We have had days of snowing and snow blowing! We have spent many hours shoveling and playing in the snow. These photos were taken when we had about 11 inches (see the yard stick) but since then we have had about 7 more inches. We think it is about 18 - 20 inches right now. More is on the way :).

Family Sledding - Christmas Eve

2008-12-27T14:28:00.003-07:00

We had a wonderful day of activities with our family this year. We began the festivities on the sledding hill up by BYU-Idaho and spent the morning enjoying the snow. Grandpa Chuck, Kerry & Brenda, Christina, Courtney, Kyler, Hyrum, Amiee, Kyla, Heidi, Eric, Aden, and Nathan all had fun on the hill. Nathan enjoyed his skiis and the rest of us used sleds. After sledding most of the family went home for naps. Hyrum and Amiee came over for lunch and then enjoyed naps :). In the afternoon we went carolling to the care home and the nursing home and sang for the folks there. It was lots of fun and beautiful to hear the family sing in harmony. In the evening we had a wonderful Christmas dinner and Christina, Troy and kids came back to open gifts. We stayed up late playing games, delivered our secret Santa and then retired to bed so that Santa could come. He had 11 stockings to fill at the Denney home this year. Of course, as usuall, I misplaced my camera and only have photos of sledding. Ugh! I always seem to do that!! :(.

Fun Evening with Kyla

2008-12-20T22:05:00.003-07:00

Tonight Hyrum and Amiee went to finish their Christmas shopping and so we were able to have Kyla come to play. Kyla loves noodles and so a few months ago I thought it would be fun to make homemade noodles with her and we did just that. Tonight when she was playing house she used the toy rolling pin to roll noodles and she used the play blender to make "pancakes". She stirred, poured, flipped and ate and enjoyed the kitchen set for over an hour. It was really fun to play! She also had lots of fun with the tea pot.

Courtney has a Dance Recital

2008-12-20T21:57:00.003-07:00

It is so fun to be a grandma and grandpa who can attend events of our grandchildren. Courtney danced in a beautiful recital and we were able to snatch a photo before it all began.

Handsome Nathan in his first choir concert.

2008-12-14T22:24:00.004-07:00

Nathan has a wonderful choir teacher and he had his first choir concert. They did an awesome job. The problem was that Nathan didn't like the bow tie and vest and we forgot our video camera. So. . . I snatched one photo of him in his "outfit" before he turned it in and I recorded just ONE song on my camera. This song was Nathan's favorite and so even though I couldn't zoom in and get Nathan, I wanted him to be able to hear how it sounded.

December 10 - Kerry's actual birthday

2008-12-14T22:13:00.003-07:00

We had already celebrated Kerry's birthday on Sunday so that Christina and Troy could stop by for a few minutes and it turned out to be a really good thing because on his actual birthday, we were so busy that we were only able to spend a few minutes together. However, Heidi and Eric came to wish him a happy birthday and so they helped us take a couple of photos.

My birthday boy, Kerry Boyd Denney on his 53rd birthday. Our cute little grandson Aden smiling for the camera!

Granddaughter Courtney's Tavaci Concert

2008-12-14T22:09:00.002-07:00

Great-grandma Crystal and I were able to watch our beautiful granddaughter Courtney's Christmas Tavaci concert. We were very lucky to see her before the performance and snatch these photos and then we enjoyed the concert. My how she is growing up. She was so beautiful and fun to watch.

Happy Birthday Kerry!

2008-12-07T22:02:00.002-07:00

My sweetheart turns 53 this week! We decided to spend this Sunday evening enjoying the First Presidency Christmas devotional from Salt Lake city as a family and then had brownies and ice cream. All four of our grandchildren were here and Kerry's parents and mom mother. We played games and just spent time enjoying our family.

Grandma Crystal Comes to Idaho

2008-12-07T21:51:00.003-07:00

My beautiful mother Crystal Markowitz has come to visit us in Idaho for several months. She is recovering from cancer surgery and radiation treatments and we are so happy that we can spend this time with her. Things have gone well. We have had our challenges and our difficult days but overall things have gone smoothly. It has been extra fun for her to spend some time with the great grandchildren. There is nothing like a baby to heal the soul! I'm sad that I didn't think to get a photo of Courtney and Kyler with mom, but I did get these cute snap shots. Grandma Crystal doesn't know how lucky she is that Kyla crawled up on her lap and fell sound asleep. Kyla rarely does that - she likes to be in her bed to fall asleep but we were just playing and tending Kyla while Amiee was in Idaho Falls shopping and Kyla got tired, crawled up on Grandma Crystal's and she was out. Mom had to get up but we laid Kyla on the couch and she slept for over 2 hours! It has been difficult for mom to have the strength to hold Aden and so Heidi and Grandma held him together. :)

Happy 24th Birthday Amiee!!

2008-11-17T16:45:00.005-07:00

We were having so much fun on Amiee's birthday that I didn't get a photo posted - but better late than never! Happy Birthday Amiee. We love you!Blow those candles out before the house burns down!

Don't they look so cute and happy! I have to add one really cute story. Kyla came over to our house while Hyrum and Amiee went to dinner. Hyrum had taken Kyla shopping for a gift and as he was telling us about shopping Kyla said "mommy, clock!" Of course, that is what they bought for Amiee and it was so cute to see Kyla's excitement and hear her tell the secret. Later that afternoon while they were gone our doorbell rang and she said to our guest "mommy, clock". From the mouths of babes :)

Happy Birthday Tim!

2008-11-15T17:29:00.005-07:00

In this photo he is 1 day old.
Happy Birthday Tim, We sure love you!

Tim's First Christmas - 1 month Old

I think he is 2 years old here - pretty cute even covered in spaghetti!

We LOVE Date Night!

2008-11-09T15:36:00.009-07:00

Aunt Kyrstina tickling Kyla

Nathan falling asleep with Aden

Kyla, Aden and Grandma crashing on the couch. Kyla doesn't look very happy but I promise, she was :) I guess we just caught a second inbetween smiles.

Now many of you might be thinking that Kerry and I love OUR date night and that is true. We have fun and enjoy our date each week. However, the other date night we like is when our kids and their spouses go on dates and WE get to babysit. We have so much fun with grandkids. This week we enjoyed coloring, playing and laughing with Kyla. We also enjoyed giving Aden a rattle for the first time. He seemed to enjoy the sound it made. It was a very fun evening that sure went by fast. If you listen closely, in the background you can hear Kyrstina talking with Kyla. Kyla is a talking machine and she says the cutest things!

Happy Birthday Hyrum

2008-11-03T19:07:00.003-07:00

OK so this is a bit messed up - I only have photos of Kyla on Hyrum's birthday! Oh well, I'll try to remedy that but while Hyrum and Amiee celebrated Hyrum's birthday we enjoyed tending Kyla. We usually play, play, play but tonight we decided to watch a few minutes of Toy Story, which is Kyla's favorite movie right now. These are cute moments with Nathan and Kyla enjoying the show!

November 2nd - Baby Blessing

2008-11-03T18:47:00.004-07:00

Sunday, November 2nd, 2008 we had the privilege of attending our 4th grandchild's baby blessing. Aden was given a blessing by his father Eric Kowallis in their college ward. Then we all came over to our house and had a photo shoot and dinner. We enjoyed the day together although poor little Aden ended up with a fever and a bit of the flu. A precious moment as Eric and Heidi kiss their beautiful baby.

Zella Hansen (age 92) enjoying Aden - her 5th great-great-grandchild (age 1month 1week)

Grandma Brenda and Grandpa Kerry holding all four of our grandchildren. Special moments!

The whole gang of family who were able to attend the blessing.
The photo includes 5 generations of family.
We love and support you Aden!

Halloween

2008-11-01T14:33:00.003-06:00

Happy Halloween! What a fun day we had. Heidi and Amiee surprised me by bringing the grandkids all dressed up to my class and that was fun to show them off. Kyla counted and said colors and was cute as ever and Aden was fun for the kids to see while he was so new. Then in the evening kids and grandkids alike came trick-or-treating and it was great to see everyone having so much fun. Nathan and his friends have continued the tradition of hiding on the roof and scarring kids as they came and more than one cried this year. There were 7 of Nathan's friends on the roof! We had a great day.

I Agree to be DRUG FREE!

2008-10-29T09:19:00.004-06:00

This past week (until Friday) has been Red Ribbon Week. This is a week where we try to make children aware of the risks of drugs. We pledge to be drug free.

Match Maker Turns 92 Years!

2008-10-27T21:29:00.003-06:00

Grandma Zella Hansen is very special to Kerry and I for many reasons. One of these reason is because 14 years ago in November she set us up on our first date and the rest is history. The first week of November she will turn 92 years and we had a party tonight while many of the family were here. She is beautiful and happy as ever and we LOVE her!Grandma was SO happy to have 2 cakes! One had 92 on the top and one had lots of candles. We sang to her twice and she was able to blow out ALL the candles! Aden Tyler Kowallis is Zella Hansen's 5th Great Great Grandchild!

Babysitting Aden for the 1st Time!!

2008-10-24T23:12:00.002-06:00

Thank goodness for date night! That is when Grandma and Grandpa really get to play! It is so exciting when the kids decide to go on a date so we can play with the grandkids. This was Heidi and Eric's first night out without Aden and he was a perfect gem! We rocked and had a photo shoot and rocked some more :)!

Loving Those Grandkids!

2008-10-24T23:03:00.005-06:00

I think these photos speak for themselves. It was SO cute to see Kyla enjoy Aden. She does get a bit jealous once in a while but for the most part she is just cute and loving. When she wants my attention away from Aden she will take my finger and have me walk with her to the kitchen and then she'll just stand there. The other night we sat on my bed and played for over half and hour and when I went to get Aden she wouldn't play with me anymore! It was pretty cute. These are choice moments to be remembered always.

Happy Birthday Eric

2008-10-24T23:00:00.004-06:00

The beginning of October we celebrated Eric's birthday with a fun party. I thought the picture of everyone taking pictures was almost as cute as Eric.