Another vacation...!

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Cutest... Baby... EVER!!!

Our Utah trip was wonderful. There was never enough time to do all that we wanted to do, nor to see all those we wanted to see. But we got Brett checked into BYU and spent our time with our family. A fun bonus was that on Saturday night, my children planned a surprise birthday party for me (a few weeks early) with family and friends from our old neighborhood. The girls even invited Snow White to come! I got a tiara and princess song from Megan's sister Melinda (aka S.W.) and it was really a fun evening. We have all voted Melinda into our family. The ride home to Washington was really sad for me. I mean really sad. I feel as if I have left several pieces of my heart behind, and I know that sounds like lyrics from a country song, but that's how it is. Alicia and Blaine, Scott and Megan, Laurel and Jason and Isabel, Michelle and Brad, and now Brett. Anyway, the good news is that Laurel and Isabel have been able to come visit for a week! Jason needed to be working away from home, so the girls decided to come to Camas. We gave her a bath this morning (Isabel, not Laurel) in the kitchen sink. She was absolutely adorable, and the cutest thing is that she kept trying to catch the stream of water from the faucet. She is the happiest child I have been around in a long time...always smiling with arms and legs moving at all times. This grandparent thing is really fun. Matt and Dave are enjoying her too. She really does love everyone, but me the most. Okay, so maybe Laurel wins, but I am trying very hard.

The first grandchild

Isabel Lee Richardson!!!!

We are in Utah right now and Megan and Laurel are asking me to post a new picture on our blog. Obviously, I was talked into this blog thing and I admit that I am not a good person for this. But I do love, love, love to read my children's blogs. Anyway, we are having a wonderful time here and it is simply not fair that these people whom I love so much (Alicia and Blaine, Scott and Megan, Laurel and Jason, Michelle and Brad), live so far away from me. And what a fantastic bonus to see our beautiful Isabel again and to recognize how much she has grown. She is so much fun to play with. Babies are precious and heaven-sent and that is their bonus. But when they grow to be this age and into toddlerhood, they are so much more interesting to me and that becomes my bonus. I adore her and love to see my little girl Laurel turned into the mother of my new little girl Isabel. So...we officially checked Brett into BYU yesterday and he is very excited to begin life as a freshman. I love him so much and am sad to let him go. But he is ready and so very ready to rock and roll. Dave, Matt, and I will have a new life in Camas without Brett. And I guess that I am lucky that I am still happy with the family that I have left because, yes, I love them too. Lee life. Good life.

Well this is the only picture that I had immediate access to of the whole family. I will have the boys help my understand how to work this thing and get new pics added.

My all american hero.