Happiness Redefined

I think my cousin Rochelle said it well. Paraphrasing, she said, "Considering that Sarah is pretty much always happy, it is really something to say that this is the happiest I have ever seen her." I was once accused by someone (not to mention any names--Joe) of having a "perma-frown." While in that case the evidence was scant, I believe I have in these photos proof that Sarah had a "perma-smile" on her wedding day. Brian doesn't look too miserable either!

Thank you, Sarah and Brian for sharing your very happy day with us.

Big Cousin, Little Cousin

Our kids really enjoyed spending a little time with John and Emma's kids who they hadn't met much before this. Austin and Preston absolutely loved little Hyrum. Austin liked to sit across from him and imitate his expressions.

While we were waiting for people to arrive for the wedding brunch, Evelyn was dancing around. I showed her and Austin and Preston how to do part of the Virginia Reel. It was fun to see my kids reaching out to their younger cousins.

In Arizona, our kids were on the other side of the coin. Kayden, who is 17, was really good to our kids. One evening, he and Alyssa and Austin had some "teenager" talking time. Other times, Preston could be seen on his lap watching TV. The picture above is the boys 3 deep on a chair during the Kartchners' home teaching visit.

Co-ordinating Cousins

The fun began on January 1 when Liz and I with Rob, Anna and Alyssa went shopping in Provo. There was a big sale at Dillards--50% off the lowest ticketed price! We were in search of dresses for Sarah's nieces to wear to her wedding. The store was a zoo--no two dresses in a single style were on the same rack. We persevered, however, and found all the purple dresses in these pictures. Liz found Riley's dress by some miracle on our third trip to Dillards on an unexpected rack. The little girl dresses came from JC Penney's and Liz had to hunt all over several locations of the store to find the appropriate numbers and sizes.

Sarah's purple dress has a story too. I tried on and bought two dresses that I really liked at Dillards too. January 1 is Sarah's birthday. We met up with her and Brian that evening in SLC as they were getting back from their trip back east. I let Sarah try on both dresses and choose her favorite--and it became her "going away" dress.

Anyway, the shopping was only the first fun. The bigger excitement was seeing the girls in their matching dresses. The boys also somewhat coordinated in their dress clothes.

Grandma and grandpa Prete are all tied up with 10 grandsons and 10 granddaughters. Unfortunately, Hyrum is missing from the boys picture.

Any Relation?

On Sarah's wedding day, in the morning, we had brunch for the families at Kneaders. It was super good. Our family sat across from John and his daughter Evelyn. Emma, John's wife, had stayed back with their baby Hyrum so he could get his morning nap. I think it is fair to say that Emma is a very conscientious parent and John is more laid back. Anyway, many of us ordered french toast for breakfast. It came with a cup of whipping cream and a few strawberries on top. Rob and I had fun encouraging Evelyn in eating her whipping cream. First she ate with a spoon, then a knife and after a while, Rob told her she could probably get more if she licked the cup. All the while I was taking pictures and video. She ended up looking like this.

Later that evening we learned where she got that tendency to have her food all over her face.....I think we can safely say it comes from the Prete side.

Family Swim

On the day before Sarah's wedding, most all our family was in Salt Lake already, but we couldn't start setting up for the reception until the building was available at 7:30 p.m. To give us a chance to be together that day, I invited everyone to come swimming at our hotel. The arranged time was 3:30. It was classic Prete punctuality--we were there 15 minutes early, Joe got there with his family at 4:15, John 15-20 minutes after that and mom, dad and Sam just as we needed to leave at 4:50. The water in the swimming pool was really cold and the hot tub was about the right temperature for a swimming pool. We all had fun, mostly in the hot tub. We moms enjoyed visiting at water's edge. I can't express how much I love seeing the cousins together.

Following swimming we had dinner at the Golden Corral. Almost our whole family was there (minus the Bryner men/boys). Also in attendance were Aunt Babe, Uncle Bud and his wife Bev. Sarah's friend Wendy was there as well as a contingent of Kohrman's. Sorry I didn't get any pictures of dinner. I guess I was too busy eating!

Family Dance

Brotherly Kindness

 Recently, Mark got a new bed, specially made to provide comfort and protection for people with disabilities and to be at a height convenient for transfers. It has a 12" high edge all around it, with the front being able to be let down from the outside. Now that there is room in Mark's bed, and perhaps because of the challenge of climbing into it, Austin and Preston can sometimes be found in bed with Mark, playing. This is how I found them one Saturday morning. Notice how Mark has his hand at Austin's face, enjoying the brotherly contact.

 How many people has an 11 year old, a 9 year old and a 5 year old who are all about the same height. I do, and here's proof.

 Mark's caregiver Indie is assisting Austin in giving Mark a piggy back ride.

When we stayed at a hotel in SLC over Christmas, Alyssa and Preston had to share a bed. This is how Rob found them when he woke up early in the morning.