Grandkids 24/7

Three of our grandchildren and our daughter-in-law visited us one Sunday afternoon last month. While this seems like a common occurrence to many families, it was a first in ours. Erin, Ian, Lily and Molly came, they ate Sunday dinner, they stayed for a while and left. Even though we have six grandchildren, they all live out of state with their parents. When we see our grandchildren we get to love them from the time they get up, (usually while their parents are still in bed) to good night stories, prayers and kisses.

Every two years we get together with our family. This year Matt and Erin from St. Louis, Missouri,  Thomas from Steamboat Springs, Colorado,  Annie, John and I all met at Chris and Meg's home in Cortez, Colorado. With Erin's degree in Anthropology, we thought she would like to come to the four corners area and see the ancient native American sights before Chris and Meg moved.

Oh, the best laid plans. . . Erin had kidneys stones across the plains into Colorado. She ended up taking Molly and going to her sister's house in Sandy because kidney stones and communal living don't mix.  Megan had another trip come up and wasn't there for the first couple of days. So it was the two dads, Annie, Thomas (and his girl friend Monica) and grandma and grandpa with five grandkids ages 18 months to 6 years. That's a ratio of  better than one adult to one child, but somehow Moms are the glue that holds things together, sot we muddled along the best we could.

To get out of the heat we were going to do some hiking (strolling) with the kids at about 10,000 feet at one of the mountain passes between Cortez and Durango, but when we got to the trail head a thunderhead moved in and the temperature dropped to 57 degrees. Not one us us thought to bring jackets! It was so cold Ian and Travis wouldn't get out of the car!

It's a good thing we had polar fleece blankets in the car!

So we  drove on into Durango and rode the free tram up the mountain.  It gave us some good Grandma and Grandpa time as I tried to make sure the kids didn't get too close to the door. 

It looks like I'm having more fun than the kids.!!!!!

At the top of the mountain with the thunderstorm behind us.

We brought Annie's new raft, to run the Anamas River. It was the highest it has been in years and the kids couldn't run the river so they played at the take out. And in Annie's boat before it got put away.


Because the kids couldn't go on the boat in Durango we promised them we would take them on the Colorado River outside of  Moab on the way home. It was a lot of work for a 20 minute boat ride, but even Maggie got to go!

I still haven't decided if I would rather have my grandchildren live close and drop in on Sunday afternoons or spend time with them 24/7 when we visit them or they visit us.  But I do know I'll take what I can get!

Ann Elizabeth Cowley and Rachel Dunford Lingard Stories

One of the reasons I started writing this blog was to record the small stories that my parents and John's mother have told us about their lives and their parents' lives. Most of these stories have been told over and over again, but when I ask if anyone has written them down, the answer is "Probably not." These stories are not heroic or earth shattering, but just give me a glimpse into the past.

I had Sunday dinner yesterday with Mom and Dad at Shelley and Ann's home.  Mom told a story about her grandmother Ann Elizabeth Cowley Willey. Ann Elizabeth's brother was Matthias Cowley, the apostle who had his priesthood suspended and resigned from the Quorum of the Twelve because he continued to perform polygamous marriages after the Manifesto. (His priesthood was restored 4 years before he died.) He was also the father of the apostle Matthew Cowley.  Mom's mother, Eva Willey Hill Trump (Grandma Trump), referred to Mattias as Uncle Matt.

Ann Elizabeth had an infection (maybe staff) in her knee that resulted in her using crutches.  She asked Matthias to give her a blessing. He did so.  Later he asked Ann Elizabeth to get him a drink of water.  She turned to get her crutches so she could stand up and get the water.  Matthias said, "No, you don't need your crutches."  And she didn't, she got up and got the water unaided.  Again, a small story, but kind of neat.

John's grandmother, Rachel Dunford Lingard, died of a heart attack when she was 58 years old, I think while Dad Lingard was on his mission. Her family put a quaking aspen etched on her headstone because, like the leaves on an quaking aspen tree, Grandmother Rachel was never still.  She was always doing something. Dad Lingard was that way and so is John. He told me the other day that he finally understood the significance of the aspen tree on his grandmother's headstone. He is happiest when he is doing something. I could have told him that.