Hyrum Dam is in the center of the pictureProvidence Quarry is along bottom in center
Our house is in the lower left-hand corner
Friday, August 14, 2009
On top of Mt. Logan
Hyrum Dam is in the center of the picture
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Conversations with a 5 year old
I'd like to get inside of Ashlyn's mind for a while. She's quite incredible. She cracks us up. Here are some recent conversations:
Ashlyn talking to Aunt Kim: "How old are you?"
Kim: "Twenty."
Ashlyn, after thinking a moment: "You can't be twenty because you are my mother's oldest sister and my mother is thirty-three."
(Ashlyn will ask us how old we are and when we were born. The next time she sees us she'll tell us how old we are, the date of our birthdays, and how old we will be on that next birthday.)
Ashlyn to me: "Grandma, I see some gray hair growing on you."
Me: "I know, I am long overdue for a color job."
Ashlyn: "Don't you like gray? I do, it's just a mixture of black and white."
The next morning-- Ashlyn: "I see your gray hair again!"
Me: "I know, you don't need to remind me, but hopefully you won't be able to see it much longer."
Ashlyn: "Don't worry, Grandma, there are lots of good things that are gray...like concrete!"
Me: "We've got to hurry, it is already eight-O-five."
Ashlyn: "You must mean eight-ZERO-five. Didn't you know that 'O' is a letter, not a number?" (She corrected me on this more than once!)
Ashlyn is always reading, thinking, making observations and asking questions. Out of the blue she came up and asked, "What does 'consequences' mean?" When we were taking her home she said, "Grandma, what does 'assisted' mean?" I told her it meant 'helped,' and if I assisted someone, then I was helping them. Then I heard her say, "Assisted Living." Evidently we had passed an assisted living center and she wondered what it was. One day Ashlyn asked me what 'glurp' meant. I didn't understand what she was asking so I asked her how the word was used. She started laughing and said that there was just this lady 'glurping.' I went to check and she was reading the comics...Dilbert of all things. In one of the conversation bubbles it said "Glurp." How do I define that for her? Ashlyn LOVES the word 'slurp' because the sound of it is so descriptive of its meaning. All I need to say to Ashlyn is 'slurp,' and she gets the giggles.
While eating, Ashlyn spilled all down her shirt. She said that it was 'okay, because that is what Oxi-clean is for.'
Ashlyn just can't believe I don't have a middle name. She wants to know why. I told her that my parents didn't think girls needed a middle name because when they married they added their husband's last name to theirs. Sometimes when she asks me what my middle name is, I say "Milligan." Ashlyn will tell me, "No, that's your maiden name." I told her that none of the four girls in my family had middle names, only the boys got them. She thinks it is awful that we didn't give any of our five daughters a middle name either. She acts like I was very derelict in my duties as a parent. She reminds me that all of my granddaughters have middle names.
When I pick beans in a short-sleeved shirt, I get a red, itching rash on my arms. Ashlyn tells me that I am allergic to the beans. She'll ask what else I am allergic to and then ask her grandpa if he is allergic to anything. If I sneeze, she wants to know what I am allergic to. Do most 5-year-olds even know the word 'allergic?' Also, while snipping the beans, she reminds me that my mother could snip beans faster than anyone...a tidbit she picked up from talks at mother's funeral.
After attending Primary in our ward, Ashlyn's teacher was telling me how the class went. Evidently Ashlyn was quite a handful. The teacher said the kids were all talking at once so she just sat with her arms folded and listened to their conversations, hoping they would decide to be quiet. She said she overheard Ashlyn say something about 'ordination to the Priesthood.' She asked me where Ashlyn got those words from as they are not words normally heard spoken by a 5-year-old.
Ashlyn has been planning her wedding for quite some time. For a while she said she was going to get married on February 3rd. When asked why she picked that date, she said, "Because it's the day after Groundhogs Day!" Like, Duh! Couldn't anyone figure that one out? Now she has decided to have a summer wedding. I asked her if she was going to be a June bride. She said, "Probably not June, because it would have to be after the 21st of June, or it wouldn't really be summer yet." Ashlyn is fine with a white wedding dress, but would like a pink sash. She wants 30 children, 17 girls and 13 boys. Ashlyn thinks the Salt Lake Temple is the best temple so that is where she is going to get married. When asked about the Logan Temple, she will give an emphatic "No!" She doesn't like the fact that the Logan Temple does not have Angel Moroni on top. That upsets her. Recently after attending the openhouse for the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, she remarked to her mother that the Salt Lake Temple was still the best.
Ashlyn is very aware of family relationships. She will often say something prefaced with the relationship like: "My second cousin..." When she hears the garage door going up at home, instead of saying 'Daddy's home,' she is more likely to say to her mother, 'Your husband is home.' She has an uncanny way to figure it all out. One day after Mother's funeral she was telling me something about my mother. She started out saying, "Your mother...my great-grandmother..." and then proceded with the rest of the conversation.
I hope you enjoyed these few 'Amazing Ashlyn' stories. I hope Robin is writing a lot of them down. I am sure I will think of many more as soon as I post this.
Ashlyn talking to Aunt Kim: "How old are you?"
Kim: "Twenty."
Ashlyn, after thinking a moment: "You can't be twenty because you are my mother's oldest sister and my mother is thirty-three."
(Ashlyn will ask us how old we are and when we were born. The next time she sees us she'll tell us how old we are, the date of our birthdays, and how old we will be on that next birthday.)
Ashlyn to me: "Grandma, I see some gray hair growing on you."
Me: "I know, I am long overdue for a color job."
Ashlyn: "Don't you like gray? I do, it's just a mixture of black and white."
The next morning-- Ashlyn: "I see your gray hair again!"
Me: "I know, you don't need to remind me, but hopefully you won't be able to see it much longer."
Ashlyn: "Don't worry, Grandma, there are lots of good things that are gray...like concrete!"
Me: "We've got to hurry, it is already eight-O-five."
Ashlyn: "You must mean eight-ZERO-five. Didn't you know that 'O' is a letter, not a number?" (She corrected me on this more than once!)
Ashlyn is always reading, thinking, making observations and asking questions. Out of the blue she came up and asked, "What does 'consequences' mean?" When we were taking her home she said, "Grandma, what does 'assisted' mean?" I told her it meant 'helped,' and if I assisted someone, then I was helping them. Then I heard her say, "Assisted Living." Evidently we had passed an assisted living center and she wondered what it was. One day Ashlyn asked me what 'glurp' meant. I didn't understand what she was asking so I asked her how the word was used. She started laughing and said that there was just this lady 'glurping.' I went to check and she was reading the comics...Dilbert of all things. In one of the conversation bubbles it said "Glurp." How do I define that for her? Ashlyn LOVES the word 'slurp' because the sound of it is so descriptive of its meaning. All I need to say to Ashlyn is 'slurp,' and she gets the giggles.
While eating, Ashlyn spilled all down her shirt. She said that it was 'okay, because that is what Oxi-clean is for.'
Ashlyn just can't believe I don't have a middle name. She wants to know why. I told her that my parents didn't think girls needed a middle name because when they married they added their husband's last name to theirs. Sometimes when she asks me what my middle name is, I say "Milligan." Ashlyn will tell me, "No, that's your maiden name." I told her that none of the four girls in my family had middle names, only the boys got them. She thinks it is awful that we didn't give any of our five daughters a middle name either. She acts like I was very derelict in my duties as a parent. She reminds me that all of my granddaughters have middle names.
When I pick beans in a short-sleeved shirt, I get a red, itching rash on my arms. Ashlyn tells me that I am allergic to the beans. She'll ask what else I am allergic to and then ask her grandpa if he is allergic to anything. If I sneeze, she wants to know what I am allergic to. Do most 5-year-olds even know the word 'allergic?' Also, while snipping the beans, she reminds me that my mother could snip beans faster than anyone...a tidbit she picked up from talks at mother's funeral.
After attending Primary in our ward, Ashlyn's teacher was telling me how the class went. Evidently Ashlyn was quite a handful. The teacher said the kids were all talking at once so she just sat with her arms folded and listened to their conversations, hoping they would decide to be quiet. She said she overheard Ashlyn say something about 'ordination to the Priesthood.' She asked me where Ashlyn got those words from as they are not words normally heard spoken by a 5-year-old.
Ashlyn has been planning her wedding for quite some time. For a while she said she was going to get married on February 3rd. When asked why she picked that date, she said, "Because it's the day after Groundhogs Day!" Like, Duh! Couldn't anyone figure that one out? Now she has decided to have a summer wedding. I asked her if she was going to be a June bride. She said, "Probably not June, because it would have to be after the 21st of June, or it wouldn't really be summer yet." Ashlyn is fine with a white wedding dress, but would like a pink sash. She wants 30 children, 17 girls and 13 boys. Ashlyn thinks the Salt Lake Temple is the best temple so that is where she is going to get married. When asked about the Logan Temple, she will give an emphatic "No!" She doesn't like the fact that the Logan Temple does not have Angel Moroni on top. That upsets her. Recently after attending the openhouse for the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, she remarked to her mother that the Salt Lake Temple was still the best.
Ashlyn is very aware of family relationships. She will often say something prefaced with the relationship like: "My second cousin..." When she hears the garage door going up at home, instead of saying 'Daddy's home,' she is more likely to say to her mother, 'Your husband is home.' She has an uncanny way to figure it all out. One day after Mother's funeral she was telling me something about my mother. She started out saying, "Your mother...my great-grandmother..." and then proceded with the rest of the conversation.
I hope you enjoyed these few 'Amazing Ashlyn' stories. I hope Robin is writing a lot of them down. I am sure I will think of many more as soon as I post this.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Catching up...
We have had a very productive garden this year. Here is a picture of Ashlyn and Katelyn with some of the vegetables they helped pick. Ashlyn, especially, is really fascinated with the garden. She says she is going to be a farmer's wife some day.
Look at the size of our blackberries!
The garden really ties us down. Everyday we have garden chores, but we get to enjoy and share the harvest. We have had sauteed zucchini, impossible zucchini pie, zucchini casserole, and have have made 12 loaves of zucchini bread. Every other day we pick and process beans. We've dined on radishes, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, beets, beans, lots of corn on the cob etc. We've made jam, pickled beets and applesauce. Cantaloupe should soon be ready. The pumpkins are already orange. Next month we will have tomato juice, pears and peaches to bottle and apples to eat. A garden is a lot of work but it gives us a lot of satisfaction (and food storage) as well.
Maybe with our giant sunflowers we'll have food for the birds too! Everything has grown so big and tall. I planted some dwarf zinnias on the border of a flowerbed because the package said they would grow 6-8 inches tall. They are at least 18-24" and block the sprinkler.
AubreyFuture Shutterbug:
Katelyn loves this old camera from the toy box
Wigs and dress-ups are always a hit
Missed photo opportunity:
One morning when Katelyn got up she had her usual wild, fuzzy, messy 'bed-head.' She was playing with the trolls and lining them up on the bench when I realized her hair looked just like the trolls. It was hilarious! I grabbed the camera but she moved faster than I did and refused to let me take her picture. Oh well, just imagine her with her out-of-control, white-blonde hair kneeling in her pjs in front of this bench.
Cache County Fair
Ashlyn in Cinderella's coach
Ashlyn loved the rides and Katelyn hated them. They both loved all the animals.
The fair wore Katelyn out so she hitched a ride on Grandpa's shoulders
Smoke and dust made strange afternoon skies
For a Daughters of the Utah Pioneers booklet, I was supposed to have my picture taken with a family heirloom. I am holding a sampler that my great-grandmother, Elizabeth Smith Prigmore, made while at the Oakley School in England during the early 1850's. I am holding her picture as well. I didn't tell them that Great-Grandma Prigmore lived and died in England and, therefore, wasn't a Utah pioneer.Jory: Get Well Soon!
We wish our son-in-law, Jory, a speedy recovery. He seems to get a lot of tough breaks (literally). Pardon me if these details are not be 100% accurate. Jory, Candace and kids were camping with Jory's family at Strawberry Reservoir. Jory and his uncle went on a motorbike ride. While going through some loose gravel or rock, Jory tipped to the side and he put his foot out to catch himself. He suffered a bad break in his ankle. Jory's uncle didn't want to leave him alone in such horrible pain but couldn't find anyone at a nearby camp to be with him. Jory had an ambulance ride to the hospital in Heber where he underwent surgery to put him back together with pins and plates. If this accident isn't enough, by the time Jory gets 'back on his feet,' he will probably be unemployed as well. He works for the Albertsons stores in the Salt Lake Valley in loss prevention/security. With some stores being closed and the others bought out, Jory will be out of a job. With all of our family problems lately, I feel so powerless to make things all better again. Let's all hope and pray for some miracles for the VanWagenen family!
Courtney is 14!
Wow, our oldest grandchild is 14 years old. Time flies. We think she very special! She is a pretty young woman with personality and brains (4.0). She spent the day working at her dad's dental office, getting registered for 9th grade at South Cache and doing corn they got from our garden. We had cake and ice cream at her house but had to eat and run because the garden was being irrigated. We didn't get to watch her open presents, but she was pretty excited about the new cell phone with a keyboard, really neat ringtones and all the features you'd ever want. That will surely make her text-messaging a lot easier! Courtney didn't like the location of her school locker, except she did manage to get a top one. But shucks, she didn't get any classes with her favorite someone.
Courtney shares her birthday with cousin Miles, who turned 2 years old. We were unable to make it to his birthday party in Oklahoma. From the pictures Jodi posted on Facebook and on her blog, it looks like he had a great day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Miles too!
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Update on the update
The new doctors think it is pointless to do the 28 radiation treatments when Andrew is having his colon removed anyway. So it is great news that no radiation will be done. They have also changed the drugs/delivery etc. I feel much more confident in this group of doctors.
Andrew Update
After much delay and a multitude of frustrations with the VA, Andrew has 'fired' them and is going with IHC. Yes, it will cost more out of pocket, but I think it is a wise choice. Chemo will be at Utah Valley where Andrew has his office. Radiation will take place at American Fork Hospital which is a couple of minutes from their home. So much more convenient! Now they don't have to spend a large chunk of time on the road, fill the gas tank as often, or enlist the help of friends and ward members as much. Placement of the pic line, port, or whatever you call it will be tomorrow. Treatments will actually begin on Monday. It is good to finally 'get the show on the road.'
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Backyard Waterslide
Jill and Brandon supplied the waterslide and we supplied the yard and ice cream. It made for a fun evening for 10 of the grandkids.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
They each got three!
Proud grandkids Riley (13) and Ashley (11) showing off their catch at Hyrum Dam last week.Aubrey's Blessing Day
Sunday, August 2, 2009 - American Fork, Utah: Aubrey Lauren Burkhardt was given a name and a blessing by her father, Andrew Burkhardt. It was an answer to prayer that Aubrey did not scream during the blessing. Thankfully, she was fairly good natured all day! Andrew gave a nice blessing and later bore his testimony.
Three little girls dressed in white
The Burkhardt Family
Ashlyn, Katelyn, Aubrey,
Mason, Brooklyn and Jory
We had a nice 'break the fast' meal
Three little girls dressed in white
The Burkhardt FamilyAshlyn, Katelyn, Aubrey,
Andrew and Robin
Mason, Brooklyn and JoryWe had a nice 'break the fast' meal Later, Andrew was given a Priesthood Blessing. He has two doctor appointments tomorrow and then on Wednesday he starts chemo and radiation. We hope and pray that the Lord's choicest blessings and tender mercies be upon Andrew as he begins this battle. We also pray that the whole family will be strengthened to be able to endure the challenges during this difficult time. Andrew's 32nd birthday is this coming Saturday. We brought Ashlyn and Katelyn home with us.
During Fast and Testimony Meeting, one brother said to "Count Your Many Blessings." Here is a partial list of my blessings:
1. Reed 2. Kim 3. Bryan 4. Riley 5. Ashley 6. Jayse 7. Brynlee 8. Jill 9. Brandon 10. Courtney 11. Hailey 12. Natalie 13. Kaden 14. Robin 15. Andrew 16. Ashlyn 17. Katelyn 18. Aubrey 19. Candace 20. Jory 21. Mason 22. Tanner 23. Landon 24. Brooklyn 25. Jodi 26. Ty 27. Owen 28. Miles 29. Olivia
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