The VT Gypsies

Paddleboarding in Style

2011-07-19T13:21:00.001-07:00

What every well-dressed girl wears on the lake!

Lexi loves to eat . . .

2011-06-22T11:55:00.000-07:00

This child will never starve! Whenever our pantry door was left open, she would go in and find something to eat. (She was only able to drag the bag of potatoes a little ways before I caught her.)
And at least some of the food gets into her mouth. (I love the messy face pictures of the food that stayed on the outside!)

With Help Like This . . .

2011-06-11T10:12:00.000-07:00

The boys like to help! . . .

Mow the lawn . . .

Make kolaches . . .

Eat the kolaches . . .

"Gramma bite"

"Lexi bite"

"Jett bite"

"Tyson bite"

And, sometimes too much togetherness leads to time outs!

Update

2011-04-26T17:02:00.000-07:00

Brock had a wonderful 1st birthday - the best thing was he passed his cardio check-up with flying colors. We were all excited and relieved! Since Adam and Kasey moved to Minnesota this past weekend, they had a combined birthday party for Brock and Ady (she will turn 4 on May 2nd). Cousins from both sides joined in for the fun at Classic Fun Center and spent most of their time bouncing and sliding on the inflatables. Oakley (15 months old) seemed to enjoy the sliding the most; once she got going she wouldn't even wait for her mom or her dad to go down with her.

As you can tell, chocolate cupcakes were the hit of the evening for eating and, well, making a mess.The next pictures are just some random fun ones - Brock's idea of how to help with the dishwasher . . .
playing in Gramma's bowl cupboard - Brock climbed in the bowl and we thought it was so cute so I took a picture, then Ady climbed in one and wanted her picture taken, too, she just didn't fit as well! . . .

Pepper looking cute on our front lawn . . .
Jett - and Pepper - in their construction safety gear . . .
Jett helping "Papa" mow the lawn . . .
and then trying to figure out what was on his feet!

What a Year!

2011-01-02T16:28:00.001-08:00

So, last year, we were waiting for this little
girl to arrive. Oakley will be a year old this
week, and here she is helping her mommy do laundry.

This was not the only change of the year. We definitely had our share of ups and downs! Oakley was born in January, then Lexi and Brock came in April. Brock was born with a bad heart valve, spent his first week of life in the cardio intensive care unit at Primary Children's Hospital, had two surgical procedures in three months, and is now doing well. He will continue to be monitored, and may have to have open heart surgery someday, but things are looking good for now.

Cheryl's dad died on September 1st and Brent's dad died seven weeks later. Also during that time, both of us were laid off work. Teaching jobs are not real plentiful right now, and the districts can hire new teachers for a lot less money than they can hire experienced teachers, so, yeah, we can do the math - no new teaching positions yet. To have some income in the meantime, Brent went to truck driving school and is now driving longhaul. He's gone for a few weeks at a time, then home for a few days, then off on the road again. Cheryl is still doing odd jobs and looking for full-time employment. Actually, she thinks it would be very nice to be independently wealthy so she could play with the grandkids, do family history, and work on scrapbooks all the time! But, that is not happening.

Pepper was born at the end of September (something good had to happen during that time!) Both Lexi and Pepper came early, and neither Natalie or Rachel had time to get an epidural.

To sum that up, we had four new babies, two deaths, and two job losses. But, we want to assure you that life goes on . . . and on . . . and on.

Tyson and Jett both like grampa's big truck!

Brock and Pepper at the swimming pool; notice the totally unexcited looks!

Jett loves being with his grampa; he
has a really hard time figuring out why
he can see gramma, but not grampa.

Jett has also learned how to climb out of his crib at home, and his playpen bed here. When we opened the door to get him up from his nap, this is the scene that greeted us. All the toys were off of the shelves, but we were not sure what he was trying to accomplish with the stool!

Rachel and I saw these lunch boxes
just after Pepper was born and resisted
buying one then. But Gramma couldn't
resist one for Christmas (and it was on
sale by then!).

This picture is mostly for Natalie. We have two little sleeping bags at our house for the grandkids, but Ady and Tyson have been the only two old enough to use them yet. When Ady saw the other little sleeping bag on the shelf, she said, "That's Tyson's! Where's Tyson?" It was really quite cute, so, Natalie not only do you miss being out here with us, you (or, at least Tyson) are also missed!

Good-Bye Dad, Grampa, Great-Grampa

2010-09-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

I know I've been very lax in my blogging, and this one won't be a long one or full of pictures. I just wanted to let family and friends know that my father, Waide Hamner, passed away last night. He was 81-years-old, and had survived much during his lifetime -- polio, tuberculosis, and several forms of cancer. The last few years he has been battling post-polio syndrome, another cancer, and Alzheimer's. The Lord, in his mercy, has called him home, and he no longer has to suffer physically. We all agree that it is a blessing, but he will be so greatly missed. Brent, Rachel, Jett, and I got to spend some time with him a couple of weeks ago. He wanted to hold "the little guy" and the picture is of him holding Jett on August 17th. Good-bye, Dad; I love you.

Granddaughters Weekend

2010-02-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

On Saturday, I got to watch 5-week-old Oakley while Daniel and Whitney went out for a couple of hours. Oakley now looks around and watches things. While she does stay awake longer, I bored her by reading my abnormal psychology assignment to her. She looks adorable even when asleep.

From Oakley, I went to pick up Ady to come spend a couple of days with us. She is such a character! When I asked her if she wanted to come she said, "Go to Mama's house. Play with dog." (She really likes Fiona, and Fiona is very good with her.)

These pictures show her and Papa building a jewelry holder (one of Lowe's kid's kits). He would tell her to get a nail and show her where to put, and she would then either hold it for him or help him hammer it in. It was very cute to watch.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-19T21:23:00.000-08:00

Meet Oakley Ryan Van Tassell. Born January 6th;
measured 18 inches and 7 lbs 6 oz.

Ady quite liked the gloves I was using to wash dishes.

Tyson was SO helpful putting the
desk and shelves together!

Hey! I like this Christmas stuff!

Another place, another grandkid (again!)

2009-07-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

Thayne, Natalie, and Tyson joined us at Sam and Rachel's. We took the boys over to a park on Sunday evening. Even the big boys got in on the action!

Jett tours like his mother used to! (Only
she was a teenager when she'd go to sleep
while we went into museums!)

George Washington was quite the
innovator; he built "The Necessary"
(an outhouse) at his Mt. Vernon estate.
Here's Jett depositing his donation.

Ady and "mama" looking at the turtle on shore at the Place of Refuge.

Kasey helped Ady put on some lip gloss. Then Ady helped herself put on some mascara (boy! do you have to be fast to keep up with this one!)

We took a ride in a small airplane over the volcanoes and Hilo area.

While the volcano is still actively flowing, there is no safe viewing of the lava coming out. But we flew over Pu'u O'o and saw the steam close up.

You can kind of see the explosion that is made by the lava and the sea water when they meet; black sand is made instantly.

We thought this sign at the front desk of our hotel was quite funny.

Another city, another grandkid

2009-07-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

While in Buffalo we went to Niagara Falls a couple of times. This year we went over to the Canadian side; it really is more impressive over there. In addition to catching rainbows over the mist, we also got to go down below and behind the falls. WOW! Talk about awesome!

One of the last things we did while in the Buffalo area was attend the Hill Cumorah pageant in Palmyra. Out of all of the thousands of people there, we were pleasantly surprised to run into Ben (our nephew) and his cute family.

Our favorite part, though, was getting to play with Tyson. He is such an adorable, fun little guy. He is really happy, and just loves playing outside. Gramma and Grampa both especially liked getting him up in the morning and just having him to ourselves for a little bit.

We left Natalie and Thayne's and went on to Rachel and Sam's (they're living in Landover, MD this summer). Washington, D. C., is such an absolutely amazing place! We've been to Ford's Theater, the Old Post Office (even clear up to the top of the tower to view the city from above), the National Archives, the Capitol, the Library of Congress, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Arlington Cemetery, and some of the Smithsonian museums. We are learning how to use the Metro system to get around; it's quite the system! Tomorrow we are going up to the top of the Washington Monument.

And, of course, the best part -- Jett! He still has lots of hair, but it is lighter underneath the dark tips. He's been a real trooper as we've hauled him around.

Buffalo!

2009-06-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

So, here we are on our first stop of grandparent
heaven -- Buffalo, New York -- with Tyson (and
Natalie and Thayne). We went and picked straw-
berries with Tyson's play group the other day.
Walking down the uneven furrows with the straw
was a bit tough for Tyson, but it did provide
something fun to hold in his hands. He LOVES
strawberries, and fortunately, this place allows
the little kids to eat as they pick (some even
gets inside!).

The next two pictures are just to show
how he looked before and after the picking.

Brent actually started this trip out by
meeting Adam in Minnesota for a canoe
trip. It was a good trip -- although very
tiring! Brent then joined us in Buffalo
with this scruffy look:

Jett's Blessing

2009-04-26T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today was Jett's blessing. Brent and I drove down to Cedar City this morning (it's about a three-hour drive) and Sam's parents and Jake (his oldest brother who lives in Colorado) and his family got there on Friday. Jett is now seven weeks old, and is getting cuter and cuter as he is responding to people around him.

We thought it looked really cute that he looked

like he was praying while he was sleeping.I was way excited that I got him to smile several times.

And now just some random cuteness.

Jett

2009-03-29T18:51:00.000-07:00

OMIGOSH! I was in seventh heaven this weekend! Jett (along with his parents) came to visit, and I just couldn't get enough of him. He makes the funniest sounds and faces. I can hardly wait until they come again next weekend!

He is almost out of his newborn clothes.

Holding on to Dad's shirt to keep from sliding off.His touchdown pose while sleeping.

Now if I could only get Adyson and Tyson here again!

Spring

2009-03-22T17:41:00.000-07:00

While it's officially spring, I'm not sure the weather knows that. We have been having warm and cold weather for the past month or so. Last week was so encouraging for nice spring weather, and then last night the wind really kicked up again. It's trying to rain right now and it may even snow tomorrow. Oh, well, we knew that was how spring was in Utah when we returned. At least the birds are coming back. Even with snow still on the ground and ice on the water, a gray heron put in an early appearance a few weeks ago. Then just recently, a white crane reappeared. The following two pictures were taken from my bedroom window. (The thistles are on the slope going down to the walking path just below our backyard.)

This following picture is mostly for Adam and Kasey. There are all kinds of things (in addition to Key Lime Pie) that are made from the small, tart key limes. One of our favorites when we lived there was this key lime soda. Last week I was picking up some case lot sale items at Macey's, and when I went down the soda aisle, this jumped into my cart. I surprised Brent by bringing it home. Our Key West friends can get it all the time, and those of you who have never had it don't even know what you are missing!

Of course, one of my favorite things right now is our 2-week-old Jett. This picture is a week old, but I still think it's adorable. I can hardly wait for him to come spend the first weekend in April with us! Sam has a National Guard weekend scheduled then just a few miles from here, so Rachel and Jett are coming up here, too.

Jett Aaron Miller

2009-03-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

Just like Jett coming a week early, we didn't want to wait until next weekend to go down to see him. (We were already planning on going down then.) So we drove down to Cedar City today to meet our newest grandchild. We definitely were not disappointed! He's got a lot of hair (more than his two cousins put together!), is very cuddly and lovable (gramma had a hard time sharing him), and, other than being tired, Rachel and Sam are doing well. Jett was born Friday, March 6, at 8:02 in the evening. He was 7 pounds 11 ounces and 20 inches long. We met the kids at the hospital and then went home with them.

He did not like being put in his car seat,

but once he had the blankets put back

around him, he settled down.

He was so mad before the blankets were

put back around him that he cried (and you

could tell it was a mad cry) and his little chin

quivered. Rachel said that that was the most

he had cried for his entire two days of life.

Happy daddy!

He actually did open his eyes while we
were there, but not much or for very long.

The Miller family.

Brent's Fun

2009-03-08T00:50:00.000-08:00

Not only do we have a new house to decorate, but we also have an awesome garage that Brent loves playing in. It's a three-car, extended garage, and in the extra section he is building his workshop. Not one to miss a bargain, the first picture shows the lumber he was able to get for just $18.00. The second one shows the start of his workbenches. The last picture is of his new tool box.

Our next post will be pictures of the newest member of our family, Jett Aaron Miller. He made his arrival Friday evening (a week early), and we are going to go see him Sunday morning. We are wwwwaaaaaaayyyyyy excited!

Fun at School

2009-01-29T15:08:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got to do USU's Junior Engineering program at our school. This included an evening family program, so it was a very long day. We were exhausted at the end it, but it was so much fun and we were in the local news. The following is the link to watch (I'm in it, even though I'm disappointed you can't tell yet that I've lost weight): http://videos.heraldextra.com/p/video?id=2983397

Holidays

2009-01-04T18:41:00.000-08:00

What an absolutely wonderful time of the year! All of the kids were able to be here for Christmas. Thayne, Natalie, and Tyson got in on the 19th; their plane was on time but had to circle and then wait for a gate as a plane had slid off the runway and had to be cleared before they could land. Sam and Rachel came in the next night. Adam, Kasey, and Adyson came in on the 24th; Ady wasn't sure about the cold when we walked out of the airport! Daniel and Whitney stayed overnight on Christmas Eve, but opted for their own bed in SLC the rest of the time. Ady sure made our day when she called us "mama" and "papa." Here is this year's family photo:

We played Wii and board games, ate snow with Ady, watched movies, went to Leatherby's, took the kids (big and little) to Lehi's pool, laughed a lot, and just had a generally good time. Here are some random pictures:

Grampa got each of the grandkids a Lowe's apron!

Ady had Grampa hold the snow 'cuz it was so cold!

Sometimes Tyson was way too helpful!

Is this concentration or what?

We have been in withdrawal for the last few days as everyone went home. We go back to school tomorrow, so real world, here we come!

Ouch!

2008-12-09T21:57:00.000-08:00

A month ago I had my total knee replacement surgery, and like everyone who's had it done warned me -- "IT HURTS!" But since it was hurting so much just to walk, I figured it was time. Even being warned about the pain, though, doesn't really prepare you for how much it hurts. When you wake up from the surgery you wish you could change your mind! And, then they don't waste any time starting your physical therapy. Below are a few pictures from this process.

First of all, you have to make sure they do
the right knee! So you write "yes" on the
correct one, and then the doctor comes in
and initials it.

When you wake up, it seems like your

whole leg is swollen and wrapped up. You
are attached to this cool ice machine, that
you even get to take home with you
(at what expense!?).

They put me on a CPM (constant passive

motion) machine that literally moves
your leg up and down, up and down. The
goal is to get your knee to bend to 120
degrees -- soon! So even when you aren't
doing the exercises the therapist gives
you, you are still bending the knee.

Of course walking again is the goal, so
they get you right up the next day and
down the hall you go. You don't think you
can do it, but they don't even give you
the option to say "no." The therapists help
steer all the contraptions you're hooked
up to, and make sure you don't fall over.

After all the wraps were taken off,
this is what I discovered underneath.

And, then, two weeks after the surgery, the
little bandages were removed. There are
no stitches on the outside layer of skin; it
was all done inside. It now looks even
better than this, but it is still sore.

Happy Birthday!

2008-10-19T16:43:00.001-07:00

While this isn't such a great picture, and Natalie is feigning her surprise, we did successfully pull off a great surprise for Brent's birthday. With Joy & Karey's and Emily & Will's generosity, we were able to fly Natalie and Tyson out here on a buddy pass. When I said I wanted to drive as Brent and I ran some errands, he wasn't even suspicious. As I got on the freeway instead of going to the stores, he wanted to know where we were going. When I got to Salt Lake, and then through Salt Lake, he not only was suspicious, but he also wasn't real happy with me (that's actually an understatement!). We had two days off of school, and he had plenty planned to get done in that time. He even said that if he did this to me, I would be very upset. But I just kept smiling and making small talk. When I pulled off the freeway in Bountiful, he could not figure out where we were going or what we were doing. As I pulled into a parking lot, he said he knew I could find a Cafe Rio closer to us than this one. Little did he know that that was where we were meeting up with Joy, Emily, Will, Audrey, and, of course, Natalie and Tyson. Natalie even called him while they were driving there and asked about the weather, the upcoming BYU game, and what she had finally decided on for her birthday present from us. When they pulled up beside us, Brent said he had figured out that Joy was probably a part of this, and then the back door of the van opened and you could tell we had done it. Brent was totally surprised. Natalie and I were surprised we hadn't slipped up in any of our conversations with him.

The following are some pictures of what we did for the weekend:

Grampa and Tyson watching the BYU
football game (it's not often Grampa
shares the remote control).

Taking a bath in the kitchen sink.

Miniature golfing at Boondocks with Joy,
Audrey, and Emily on Natalie's birthday

And, of course, ice cream at Leatherby's.

Brent and I had to stay after church
for a bit, and this is the scene we
came home to.

New House

2008-09-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

As we've moved around, Brent has always asked, "If you died here, where would you want to be buried?" Now that may seem like a strange question, but since we hadn't really settled down, it made sense to us. I guess we've now sort of grown up and are figuring out what we want to do. Last January we started the process of building a house of our own. In June, we moved in. Here are a few pictures of that process (and I do mean only a few, as we came almost every day to take pictures of the house being built):

January 2008: Choosing the lot -- you can't tell from the picture, but that is BLM wetlands area behind us, and it will take an act of congress for any development to happen there. Thus, no backyard neighbors, except for the wildlife, and we also have a wonderful view of the mountains.

March: Same view, after the snow melted

March, same day: Standing at the edge of
our backyard looking down at the wetlands

Still March, digging for the foundation (oh, happy day!)

Foundation poured; now we wait for
the cement to cure

April: Framing

Heating & AC duct work

Dry wall & mudding

Kitchen cabinets, counters, & floor

Outside walls, windows cut out, & roofing done

May: Bricks & stucco for the outside --
while they're also working on the inside

June 2008: Landscaping still needs to be
done, but finally our new, finished home
(oh, happier day!)!

Spring/Summer: Part of what we get to
watch from our backyard (white pelicans).

Next post, we will take you on an inside tour!

2008-08-10T16:14:00.001-07:00

Ady is showing you how big she is now; this was the dress that she wore for Rachel's wedding when she was only two weeks old! Rachel had us dress in black, red, and/or white. She especially wanted her new niece in red. Well, it was impossible to find a red dress for a newborn in Key West (possibly had it been December instead of May we might have been able to do it), so Kasey looked for a solid color dress to dye red. The smallest Kasey could find fitting the criteria was this 12-month size that was light pink. Of course Ady had plenty of room in it at that age, but this may be about the last time she wears this, as it is tight on her.

Zoo Trip

2008-08-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

We took Ady to the Honolulu Zoo yesterday and had a great time watching her look at the animals. She wasn't

too interested in the ones that didn't move, but she loved the big ones and the

ones that moved. It was feeding time while we were at the hippo exhibit, so the hippos got in the water to retrieve the apples that were thrown at them. Some apples landed right in front of where

we were standing, and one hippo actually slammed into the plexiglass right where Ady was standing. It shocked her (if not scared her), but then she was quite delighted. She not only laughed, but also knocked on the window and motioned for the hippo to come back!

Hana

2008-08-06T00:03:00.000-07:00

We went to Maui this past weekend and had a really great time. We rode the Hawaii Super Ferry over and back (it was cheaper than flying). We agreed that our favorite part of the trip (besides Adyson) was going to Hana. The road there is about 50 miles of curving, winding (almost 600 curves/switchbacks) and 54 one-lane bridges. It is an absolutely beautiful drive! There are breathtaking views of the ocean, lush foliage, and waterfalls galore.
But one of the things that I got the biggest kick out of was some of the signs.

Buffalo

2008-07-29T14:29:00.001-07:00

Going way east from Hawaii, Natalie and Thayne are in Buffalo, New York. Thayne is in his second year of dental school. They had a little boy, Tyson, at the beginning of April. Now, four months later, he's not so little anymore. Natalie says he's like the Michelin tire guy, lots and lots of rolls (he's 15 pounds). Natalie is getting to stay at home with Ty. All are doing well, and while this is what they need to be doing at this time, we do miss them a lot. And since Cheryl doesn't work for the airlines anymore, it costs Gramma and Grampa quite a bit to go see them. We haven't seen him since he was a month old, so my pictures are a bit dated, but I'm putting some in anyway.

Two weeks old.At Leatherby's, a BIG family favorite!

One month old.

Laie

2008-07-28T21:40:00.000-07:00

We are currently in Laie, Hawaii, visiting Adam, Kasey, and Adyson, our beautiful little granddaughter. Adam is attending BYU-Hawaii and Kasey is working there. Ady is a blonde, blue-eyed "local" girl; her legs are really tan. They moved here the first of January and this is the first time we have seen them since then. Ady has doubled her age in that time!

We got in the night before the annual Laie Days parade. This really brought back memories because our kids rode and sang in this parade when we lived here. We also got to sit with the Langis (our old neighbors) to watch the parade.

Parades here are a bit different than many of you have seen before.

The kids's favorite part is, of course, when candy is thrown out to them. Ady would pick up the candy a piece at a time, but then she realized that she really didn't have to do anything to get it -- other kids would bring her some when they got theirs or the people throwing it would just walk over and give it to her! She's definitely cute and catered to! Grampa fed her Smarties one at a time (her daddy claimed her Butterfinger).