Holiday Activities

I have a lot of catching up to do. We have been very busy with family activities over the past three weeks. So, here are some pictures that will help you know what's been happening in the Dalebout household.

This is Thanksgiving. We had 19 present. Ryan and Jenny Wood family (6); Travis and Rachel Wood family (5); Geri and Larry Wood (2); Billy and Amy (Billy's fiance) (2); Rick Soulier, (a friend) (1); Grandpa Dalebout, Dick and I (3). That makes 19. We had a nice timie together.

All good things must come to an end, and Billy had to return to Washington DC to work.

The next day, Dick and I drove Grandpa Dalebout up to Logan. Grandpa had some dental work that needed to be done, so we stayed at Bill's (Dick's brother) and Dedee's house. While we were in Logan, we traveled to Smithfield and visited Dick's first missionary companion in England, Elder Lillywhite. The Lillywhites invited us to dinner and we had a very nice visit with them. Dick says Elder Lillywhite was his best companion.

The Logan Dalebouts were very involved in family activities. On Monday night, we went to Holly's house and helped celebrate Carter's 11th birthday. Here is a picture of Holly's family and Amanda and her two little girls, along with Bill and Dedee. Grandpa is in the background.

After the birthday party, we attended Erin's children's piano recital. She has four children who play the piano, and in this picture, three of them played together. It was a delightful concert. The piano teacher is sitting by the Christmas tree.

Whenever I go to Logan, I always stop at the cemetery to visit my parents graves.

On Saturday, December 5th, I had a piano recital at my home. I only have four students now, but Jenny had two and a couple of others joined in. Here are the students who participated--everyone except Milly. She doesn't take piano lessons yet. But, she loves to be in the picture.

December 5th was also Spencer's 12th birthday, so we had a little celebration after the recital. Then, we attended "Christmas Around the World," which the BYU folkdancers perform.

On December 7th, I had a surprise birthday-neighborhood party for Dick. He turned 66 years old. Wow! We're getting up there. Here are some of his friends.

Then, we had a clogging performance to attend. It's always fun to see Jenny's kids clog. All of them performed. Below, Zack is clogging. Jenny even clogged with some other mothers. It was fun.

Jenny and Ryan took a little over-nighter to Salt Lake to see the Tabernacle Choir concert. We took care of their children. We took them to our ward Christmas party, watched "Night at the Museum--#2", and then TRIED to make a gingerbread house the next morning. That was a fiasco! Grandma really blew it. But, the interesting thing about it was that the kids had fun even though the gingerbread house didn't survive.

What a mess!

Saturday afternoon, Dick and I went to Salt Lake to stay over night so that we could see the Tabernacle Choir broadcast and mini concert afterwards. We had a wonderful time. Saturday night, we ate at the Joseph Smith Building, watched the Joseph Smith movie (wonderful), and then enjoyed looking at the lights on Temple Square. The night was fairly warm (low 40's) and very pleasant. We stayed over night at the Marriott Hotel, and then we attended Sunday's performance. What a wonderful way to feel the spirt of the season. We were truly spiritually uplifted.

Happy Birthday, Billy---27 Years Old

We're SO GLAD that 27 years ago Billy joined our family. He has truly been a joy in our lives and we are very happy to have had him with us as long as we have. We miss him but know that he is working hard in Washington DC. For that we are grateful.

On Saturday, November 21st, Billy came home for a week-long visit to see us, but more importantly, to see Amy, and to celebrate his 27th birthday. On Sunday, we had a family birthday dinner for him and really enjoyed being together.

Just before he blew out the candles.
Amy, Billy, Zack and Keshia
Grandpa Dick and Grandpa Dalebout

Here he models his new sweater.

Amy and Billy chat with the group.

Jenny, Ali and Spencer

Just sitting around and talking with each other. It's just fun to enjoy each other's company.

Keshia Lai and LeRoy Thong.

WE LOVE YOU BILLY!

We've Been Off to Texas Tending our Texas Grandchildren

On Halloween day, we left Salt Lake to go to Texas to be with our grandchildren for six days, while their parents (Scott and Shelley) left and traveled to Costa Rica for a nice little vacation. We arrived just in time to have dinner and then go out trick or treating in the neighborhood.
Matthew was Harry Potter, Jordan was a Vampiress, and Andrew was a MAD Scientist, with flask boiling over and hair sticking straight up. I got pictures of Jordan and Matthew, but failed to get a good picture of Andrew. They were all so cute. Scott, Dick and I took the kids around the neighborhood trick or treating. They really do Halloween BIG in Texas. Several houses had scarey monsters or characters on their front lawns that made noises if you got near. It was fun seeing all the various ways they fixed up their yards. The weather was gorgeous--about 65 degrees in the evening. We had a good time with the kids and they got a ton of candy.

On Sunday around 4:00 a.m., Scott and Shelley left for the airport for their 5:40 a.m. flight. Thank goodness the time changed and clocks fell back an hour. We awakened the children and got them ready to go to church, which was stake conference. It started at 9:00 a.m. It was a very nice meeting. That afternoon, we took the kids for a walk. Again, the weather was BEAUTIFUL! (As a matter of fact, the temperature was in the mid-seventies during the day and not a cloud in the sky every day until the day we left.) The picture below was taken at the Middle School, which is about four blocks away from Scott's and Shelley's house. Three cute kids.

During the week, Dick was the chauffer. There are many things that these children are involved in and transporting them becomes a major concern, especially Jordan, who moves to different places about eight times a day. Whew! Needless to say, he was tired when the day was finished. But, he found time to help Matthew do his volcano.

Speaking of Matthew. I played two games of Monopoly Junior with him, and he beat me both times. You're just too good, Matthew. He had a great time winning.

On Thursday night after Jordan came home from gymnastics and Andrew came home from soccer practice, we took the kids to Fruitti Cup, which is a frozen yogurt place where you make your own yogurt treat with toppings and all. It was yummy and the kids had a good time, except that they were cold when we left. Jordan and Andrew enjoyed their treat below.

Grandpa and Matthew enjoyed their treat.

The last night we were there, we took the kids to a restaurant called "Babes." It is a fun place to go. They serve all different kinds of chicken along with mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, salad, biscuits and yummy pie. The restaurant was built about a year and a half ago and is made of metal. It has a real cowboy flavor to both the inside and outside. Some of the waitresses sing while you're eating. And, they did the Hokey Pokey while we were there. There are signs all over the walls that have witty sayings. For example: "I got a dog for my husband--It was a good trade." "There are three kinds of people--those who can count and those who can't."

All in all, we had a great time with the kids. They are good kids and we love them.

We were able to walk about three miles every day, but in the afternoon, we needed a nap, so we took one. Now we are home, at least for the next couple of months.

The Knight Gives the Ring to the Fair Maiden

Today, Zackary Wood delivered an engagement band to Amy Brennan from Billy. Amy was in one of her classes at BYU. Billy had arranged with Tonya Harmon to go in and interrupt the class and have Zack come in with some flowers and the engagement band. Tonya was awesome. She started telling the students about the fact that there would be some changes in the MPA program and one of these would have a very long-term effect. (I thought she even got a little emotional.) Then, she said that she had someone there to help her with this presentation. In walked Zack in his Sunday best with a bow tie. He brought in the flowers and a note from Billy, as well as the engagement band in a box. He gave here the flowers and the envelop. Then, he got down on one knee and said: "Amy, Billy loves you very much, and he wants you to have this engagement band so that other guys won't try to take you out." It was something to that effect. The class gave him a round of applause. I think Amy was a little startled and wondered what was going on at first. She was a good sport. Below, Amy (on left) chats with Tonya Harmon (left) and Catherine Cooper (middle).

Later in the day, Jenny brought her kids over so that we could see their Halloween costumes. Spencer (next to me) was a paparatzi man, Ali was a glamour girl, Milly was a she-devil, and Zack was Captain Jack Sparrow. Then, there are the costumes of the other three of us. Aren't they great.

Here is a picture of three sweet girls, Samantha, Jessie, and Allison Gatenby. They came over to see me today. They are my good little friends that I love very much. Tomorrow is Halloween, and we are leaving to go tend our grandchildren in Dallas, so we won't be here for Halloween. Thus, the visits from Jenny's kids and the Gatenby kids.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Six Days in Washington DC

Does is seem to you like all I talk about is traveling here and there? Well, that's pretty much what we've been doing over the past couple of weeks and months. With Dick being retired and feeling better from surgery, we have taken several trips. I am happy to report that Dick is doing quite well. He still gets tired, but he doesn't have to take a very long nap. And, we walked all over Washington DC and saw a lot of great sites. We were both tired and needed our nap during the afternoon, but we did all right.

The first three days that we were in DC, it rained and rained, except for during the time we were walking around Williamsburg. But, it was cold and rained all the way back. We enjoyed ourselves anyway.

Billy didn't have to work on Friday, so he took us to see the National Archives, where the original Declaration of Independence and Constitutional are. It was very interesting seeing the real thing. Then, we went to the National Art Museum, which was wonderful. Beautiful art: Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Renoir, Monet, Vermeer, and many other really fine works of art. We then went to Ford's Theater, where President Lincoln was assassinated. We were told about the circumstances surrounding that night at the theater and saw the box where he and his wife were sitting. Here is a picture of the box. Lincoln's chair is the big one on the right.

We were able to have a nice lunch at the Garden Restaurant across from the National Art Museum. We took our picture by the sculpture of a giant eraser in the garden. Cool, huh.

We spent a couple of hours in the Air and Space Museum. The boys love to look at the airplanes and rockets, as well as the Wright Brothers first airplane. By the end of Friday, we were walked out and tired out, but Billy was a great guide and got us to all the places we needed to go. It was a good day.

On Saturday, we traveled 150 miles down to Williamsburg to visit this early colonial town. It rained a little going down and didn't rain while we were there. But, it rained like crazy going back to DC. Colonial Williamsburg was interesting, and there were several skits that portrayed how things were during the time it was in its prime. There were many places to visit and learn about history. Here, Billy and Dick are in the stocks outside of the courthouse. That seems like a good place to keep people from getting into trouble.

There was a nice fife and drum corp, which played several times throughout the day. It was made up of young men, probably high school or jr. high school age.

On Sunday, we went to Billy's church, but they were having stake conference, so we really didn't get to see the flavor of his ward. We did stay for conference and then went out to see my half brother, Kenneth Jensen, who is in a retirement center in Fairfax, VA. Ken was the second child of my father's first marriage. I haven't seen Ken in about 23 years, so it was nice to visit with him and his son, Charley. They treated us to a wonderful meal at the care facility, and we had a great visit. Ken is 88 years old. I'm so glad I got to see him again. Notice that there's not a lot of height in those three bodies.

Later that afternoon, Billy took us over to see his house. It was the first time we had seen it because Billy stayed with us every night at our hotel, because he had a friend who came to DC and needed a place to stay. So, Billy gave him his bed and spent the evenings with us. Here is his house,

and it is very nice. We were impressed. He can walk to work in about 25 minutes from where he lives.

Sunday evening, we toured some of the monuments: Iwo Jima, Franklin Roosevelt, and Jefferson. Below is the outside of the Jefferson Monument

Then, we drove about thirty minutes over to see the temple. This is not a good picture, but it is truly a beautiful temple that seems to stand in mid-air at night. We were able to visit the Visitor's Center.

On Monday, Billy had to go back to work, so Dick and I were on our own. We walked the mall and saw all the monuments. After a several hours of walking, we were tired and had to go back to our hotel for a nap. We must be getting old. We also learned to figure out and ride the metro, which brings back great memories of London.

Evie in front of the White House.
No one gets too close.

On our final day in Washington DC, we had a personalized tour by one of Billy's roommates, Joe Johnston. Joe works at the capitol, and he showed us lots of places where regular tours do not go. The capitol is truly an impressive building. There is much beautiful artwork inside. Joe did a great job and we enjoyed seeing how history is made.

The building below is the huge office building for the EPA, where Billy works. Our hotel was about a 15-minute walk to his office, so we went and visited. We were able to meet several of the people whom he works with. They were all very nice and seemed impressed that Billy's parents would come all the way from Utah to see where Billy worked. I think he really enjoys working there. His colleagues at the EPA said nice things about him. He knows most of the people from when he interned there a year ago.

Here's Billy in his office space. It's a nice setup for him. And, what's even nicer is that he got paid while we were there, and he was so happy to be getting a paycheck. Thanks, Bill, for a great tour of DC. We enjoyed being with you.

Tending Grandkids in San Diego Has Its Rewards

San Diego is truly a wonderful place to visit. As you can tell, we visit it frequently. Last week, we went there to tend Amy's and Scott's children, while Amy and Scott went to Michigan to see Matt and Stacie and go to Mackanac Island. It was a much-needed vacation for the two of them.

We really had a wonderful time. San Diego is so beautiful. The weather was in the low 70's the first few days we were there. It turned cooler on Sunday during Conference. But, we were able to enjoy the weather and being together.

Dick was the chauffer for all the kids' school and soccer events. At 7:00 a.m., he took Ashlynn and her friend to Middle School. At 8:00 a.m., he took Sam and Elle to Elementary School. Then, most of the time, he would pick them up. We also attended several soccer practices and games. But, when he dropped the kids off in the morning, he and I went off to play. On Thursday, we took a trip to Torrey Pines Beach. We walked the beach for about an hour, and then we ate our picnic lunch and sat and watched the people on the beach and in the water. We really had a nice time together.

Here is a picture of two grandmas doing a little boogie boarding. We thought it was fun to see them being so active. Go Grandmas Go!

We found some nice shade off to the side of a lifeguard station, where we could eat our lunch and relax.

That evening, we attended Elle's soccer practice. She really gets into the swing of things. She is a FAST runner and lots of fun to watch.

The picture below was taken after a scrimmage that Ashlynn played in.

The next day after Dick dropped the kids off at school, we headed out and went to the San Diego Temple. That is truly one of the most beautiful temples I've ever been in. It was a gorgeous day and a nice session. I felt like I had died and gone to Heaven.

Friday night, we took the kids and got a couple of videos that we could watch. Here they are posing for me on the fountain near the video store.

Ashlynn and Elle at Ashlynn's soccer game in La Mesa.

Ashlynn played very well in her game. Her team got beat 2-1, but Ashlynn played hard.

Conference Sunday was a fun day for us. We invited Miguel and Melanie Miller and kids over to watch conference. With six little kids, it was interesting, but the kids listened and quietly played. After the morning session of conference, we made Swedish pancakes, as has always been the tradition. We enjoyed being with the Millers, who live a short distance from Amy and Scott.

Miguel and Melanie and Dick

Ashlynn and Sam work on a puzzle.

Sam did most of the work on the puzzle, but Ashlynn and Elle helped too.
Here is the finished product.

Sam at his soccer practice.

Before we left, Dick had to give Sammy a "Half Haggrid Hug." It was still pretty tight.

Here we are saying goodbye to the kids and possibly the house. We have loved visiting San Diego. We had many rewards because we went. We got to visit the beach and the temple and, most of all, be with our grandkids. We love you guys. You were really good.