Braden's Farewell

While we were down in St. George for Grandpa Maxwell's funeral, we were also able to attend Braden's mission farewell.  We are so excited for Braden and his choice to go on a mission.  He will be a wonderful missionary!

Braden was called to serve in the Ohio, Columbus Mission.  He will be in areas of early church history in Kirtland, Ohio as well as other areas of Ohio.  Braden's farewell talk in church was so good.  He told stories about how he had already been doing missionary work in high school and he didn't even know it.  We were all excited to hear these stories and realize even more what a great missionary he will be.

After church, we all gathered together at the park for a good luncheon with the whole family.

It was fun being with everyone.  We even enjoyed a fun game of volleyball.  

Braden leaves for his mission on April 10th.  Congratulations Braden on your mission call! We know you will be an amazing missionary to those you will serve in Ohio.  We are proud to call you our nephew and cousin.

Saying Goodbye to Grandpa Maxwell

James Lee Maxwell was one of the best grandpas a grandson could ask for. If someone were to ask me what kind of man my Grandpa was, I would tell them this: He was a man of knowledge, wisdom, truth and a man who loved everyone. He left behind a great legacy for many grandchildren and great grandchildren. He was a man who loved my grandma unconditionally. He was a the man who taught me what it was to work hard and always do your best with the jobs at hand. I am grateful that my kids got to know him and have memories of this great man.   

 For many years he has had Alzheimer and it was hard to watch this giant man turn into a weak and feeble physical body. His mind was always sharp and he was constantly thinking of new ideas and how to fix things. He did his best to remember us and the memories we had. The picture above was the last picture we got of Grandma and Grandpa with all of us together. I am glad we got to have this moment before he passed away.

On March 21, 2019 James Lee Maxwell passed away at the side of his lovely wife, LuJeane. It was a cool story that my mom told me about how he passed. My Grandparents have always had these awesome true love stories ever since they met each other. This story puts a cherry on top of their love life together. Even though my grandpa was not physically or mentally strong in his last days, he was still very spiritually strong. He still worried about grandma and how she would be if he died. I think that is why he lasted a lot longer than we thought. I called my mom one day to check up on them and she told me Grandpa is not doing well. She thought maybe a couple of months if that, but boy he fooled us. Before my grandpa passed away, my grandma prayed and asked for him not to suffer anymore. They both woke up around 5 am and she gave Grandpa his medications. Grandma talked to him and she told him she would be okay and it would be okay to move on and not suffer any more. Not long after their talk, Grandpa died in his sleep. That is the best way to go I feel, no pain or suffering. My mom had to work that morning and she had a feeling to check on them and see if everything was okay. As she went into their room she saw he was not breathing but he was still warm. The cool part of the story is that this was their anniversary day of 61 years together. I feel like I was prepared for this better than Grandma Farnsworth because I knew it was time for him to go and not suffer any longer.

The Funeral was the next weekend and there was a lot to do before then. We had a great time seeing everyone at the funeral. The only person missing was Andrew because he was on his mission. As we were driving down we found out that Grandma wanted everyone at the funeral home Friday night. So we made a detour to Cedar City. 

Grandma wanted everyone together one last time before the viewing started so she could talk to us. She also wanted to see the legacy she had made with Grandpa. She had all the Great grandchildren sit in front of her as she told stories to them. When she asked the great grand kids if they knew where Grandpa was, she told us that Charlotte said "Heaven!"  The coolest memory I will never forget is when Grandma walked in and came up to me and said, "Will you go up with me to see Grandpa?"  I was surprised she picked me over my aunts and uncles. I felt very honored that I was able to be the oldest grandson to take my Grandma up to see Grandpa to say goodbye one more time.  Boy that was hard but I made it through. When I saw him, he did not have his glasses on, so he looked almost like a different person. Grandma fixed that and found his glasses in her purse and asked Uncle David to put them on. At first Uncle David said he will be fine and we both said he would look better with his glasses so he did it. Once the viewing was over, we headed to St. George for sleep and getting ready for the next day of funeral services.

It was amazing some of the things the family put on display during the services. Grandpa was always a journal keeper and they had some of his journals. There were a lot of amazing pictures of him with different people and family. The best thing ever was the marble chess set. All the family would spend hours playing on this chess set. This chess set made some amazing memories. 

The funeral service was amazing. Everyone told a lot of cool stories about Grandpa and all of us grand kids stood up and gave a one sentence memory about Grandpa. Mine was, "Is the hole deep enough?" and "Make sure the post is straight when it goes in." Bryson's was, "Let's go build a fence." Jen would always remember his laugh and his whistle. Sean Teide was there and he spoke. This was a heart wrencher. He said in his talk that grandpa helped over 100 boys in their lives, and he was very blessed and happy he was one of them. He was glad to call him Dad and Grandpa. The whole time I was trying to hold back the tears and be a strong man.  Then we were asked to sing a song as grand kids, "Families Can Be Together Forever." I stood up there and I only made it through half of the first verse and lost it. I broke down and could not sing. I looked at my mom and said, "I am going to miss him." I thought I was the only one who was loosing it, but I wasn't there were a couple of my other boy cousins who couldn't hold it back either. It is amazing how much of an impact Grandpa had on a our lives. So many fun and fond memories were made. I will always remember helping them move out of Salt Lake City. Everything was packed and they did not want me to loose my stuff, so they made me a special room in the closet where all my stuff went and it was also were I slept for a couple of days. I was really young, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever. 

After the funeral service, it was time to head to the cemetery and lie this great man to rest until the Resurrection comes. Grandma wanted all of her grandsons to be the pallbearers. I felt honored in doing it. At the end of the service Mom asked us to go pick the red and orange mums for Grandma because it was Grandpa's favorite flower. 

As I gave my flower to Grandma, I gave her a kiss and said, "I am going to miss Grandpa." Darn those tears came again. We took some pictures of our family and all of the cousins. It is hard to say this but, I think the next time we will be all together in one place is when Grandma passes. It is always fun when family is together. This side of the family is really close and we keep close tabs on everyone.

Even though there were tears, it was mostly tears of joy and some sadness. But one thing I do know for sure is that families are forever. Because of the plan our Heavenly Father gave us, families are eternal through temple marriage and I know I will see this wonderful man again. 

My Grandpa knew he had Alzheimer and knew what was coming, but through out his life he always had a saying, "Even though our bodies change, there is nothing that the resurrection can't fix." I believe this with all my heart. I have a testimony of eternal families and the resurrection. Because Jesus died lived again so will we and we will be with our family again. I love this gospel and how it keeps families together. 

https://www.facebook.com/jeanmarie.m.hughes/videos/10218812491644984/

March Happenings

So many things have happened with the kids in school this last month.  There have been a lot of activities they have participated in. First, back in November the kids participated in the Reflections contest.  They just found out how they did and got their prizes.

The Reflections theme this year was "My Hero."  They each did something on the fire department. Emily did a photography entry and took a picture of Russell's fire helmet.  Colby and Logan did visual arts entries and each drew a picture of a fire truck.  They all did very well.

Each of the kids got a trophy and a certificate during an assembly at school.  They were so excited for the trophy especially.  Emily and Colby's entries each made it to the district level and did well there also.

During the same assembly, Logan was awarded a Leadership award from his teacher. 

Logan was so excited to receive an award.  He was awarded for his leadership in class.  His teacher said, "Logan loves to learn!  He is an incredible reader and participates in our class.  He likes to take his time but still dependable in getting it all done."  Logan does love to learn and is loving kindergarten.  Good job Logan!

These next pictures are just some funny ones of Logan and Charlotte in their Mickey Mouse clothes.

And all of the many faces of Charlotte.

Also in March was the Literacy Night at the school.  During this night, we got to get new books, and take a quiz on the book we read as a school, Nim's Island.  We also got to see Colby in a Reader's Theater he did with his class.

Colby did really well on his parts.  He was even able to fill in for a kid that was not there.  He likes reading and does a very good job.  We also got to see Emily's diorama of a book she read.  She made this diorama at school and based it off of Charlotte's Web.  This turned out so cute.  I could tell she had worked hard on it in school.

March was also the first time Colby was able to go to Cub Scouts now that he is eight.  

His first Pack Meeting was really fun and was an Olympics theme.  The boys were able to play a lot of fun games and then got a medal and a treat afterward.  Colby had a blast and is so excited to be a Scout.

On March 16, the kids worked together with the help of Russell, to put together a Leprechaun trap for St. Patrick's Day.  They were sure that this year was going to be the year that they would catch a Leprechaun.

Unfortunately, the Leprechaun was a too sneaky for us again this year.  Somehow he was able to get inside the trap, steal our pennies, and then get out without getting caught.  His footprints were everywhere but no Leprechaun.

The kids were sad when they read Lucky's note that said, "Better luck next time!"  Oh well, someday we will catch that Leprechaun and get all of his gold.

Another fun thing we did this month was attend a USU Girls Basketball game.  The kids always have a good time going to these events.  This was another Cancer Awareness game so we got free tickets.  During one of the quarter breaks, I was able to walk out on the court with other cancer survivors and bring awareness for cancer. 

The Aggies won the game and it was a pretty close and exciting game to watch.  One fun thing about it was that Colby and Logan got to participate in the halftime entertainment.  They were part of "Dress Like an Aggie."  They had to run down to half court, put on a huge basketball jersey, run to the other end of the court and put on these humongous shoes, and then run back to the other end of the court.  Whoever did it the fastest won.  It was so funny to watch. Colby did great, he was focused and just got it done.  Logan was just in it for the fun.  We was smiling and waving to the crowd and enjoying the cheers.  He ran so fast he even lost his huge pants.  In the end, Colby was the fastest but they both had a great time.  We had a great time watching them too.

Emily and Colby also had a piano recital this month.  This was their final AIM recital where they performed their favorite AIM song they had been working on all winter.

They both did a great job memorizing and performing their music.  As part of AIM, they perform two songs, sight read one piece, and do scales, theory, and ear training tests.  It is pretty intense but their teacher is really good at preparing them for everything.  This year Emily passed off her level two requirements averaging a score of 97.  She scored 100 on her technique and sight reading  Colby passed off his level one requirements averaging a score of 99.  He scored 100 on his performance songs and ear training.  

These kids are getting pretty good on the piano.  I love hearing them play some of their fun songs.  It is sometimes a pain to get them to practice but they do a good job once they get there.  

At a Relief Society activity in March, I learned how to do string art.  It is actually pretty easy once you get all the nails hammered into your board.  I liked it so much I made four different string art boards.

The Utah one is for me.  I have always wanted one of these signs in our house and now we have one.  I was torn between putting the heart in Logan or St. George.  So I put a heart on both of them and then connected the two.  I love how it turned out.  The other three boards the kids helped me make for their teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week.  I also love how they turned out.  I had the kids hammer their own nails though.  They didn't seem to mind that and Colby was done in no time.  My friend Rowena Bunce cut the vinyl out for me and made the sayings.  I think the teachers will love them.

Also for Teacher Appreciation Week, I did a big gift for Logan's teacher.  His teacher didn't really want a lot of little things from the parents, she just wanted one nice gift and requested a quilt to replace the one given to her many years ago.  Together with the head room mom and donations from the other parents, I made her this quilt:

I absolutely love how it turned out.  It is so adorable!  We had each kid in the class, morning and afternoon, put their hand print and name on a square.  Then I sewed them all together.  In the middle we had an embroidered square that said, "We Love You Mrs. Kendrick!"  and another square with pictures of the classes silk screened on it. 

When we delivered it to Mrs. Kendrick, the kids were so excited.  Mrs. Kendrick absolutely loved it and was in tears.  I may or may not have been in tears too...  Anyway she loved it and that is all that mattered.  It was definitely one of the best teacher appreciation gifts I have made.  I am now wishing I would have done something like it for our other teachers. 

Finally, Logan is having a blast in his Let's Play Music class. 

He is learning a lot about music through this fun and interactive class.  This year he is learning the piano.  His teacher is really good and makes up these cool songs to help the kids learn the concepts.  This picture is of them doing the C song rap.  It talks about all of the C's on the staff and where they are so that the kids can remember them.  I wish I could figure out how to load the video so you can hear it but it is awesome.

Well March has been a busy month with so many activities and things to do.  We made it through though and now it is on to April and hopefully Spring!

Cassie & Jakob's Wedding

We took a trip down to St. George to celebrate the wedding of this cute couple:

Cassie and Jakob were married on March 9th in the St. George Temple.  The wedding and sealing ceremony was really great.  You could tell these two were meant for each other.  They were both so happy.

We all cheered them on as they walked out of the temple to meet all of their family members.  The crazy thing was that they came out of the temple so fast that a lot of people were not ready.  Some people were still in the temple getting ready when they came out. Even the photographer was taken by surprise and made them go back in and then come out so she could be ready.  But it all worked out and we all cheered as they came out. 

We were enjoying the warmer weather while everyone was taking pictures.  Everyone was so excited for Cassie and Jakob Pendleton.

Before leaving the temple grounds, Colby wanted to take a couple more pictures by the water fountain.

Colby and Charlotte were so cute for the pictures.  I love how they love each other.

After the temple, we had a luncheon at the church and got to visit with all of our family.  

That night, we continued celebrating with a really fun reception.  Before the reception, the bride and groom took some really fun wedding photos.

The best part of weddings is being with family.  We loved spending time with everyone.

Our family just keeps getting bigger and bigger.  Pretty soon we will fill the whole gym!  

During the reception, my sisters and I were in charge of the kitchen and all of the food for the guests. 

Cassie wanted a chocolate fountain bar.  It was so good but really messy too.  Everyone loved it though especially the kids.  I don't really know how sanitary it was but that's okay.

The kids loved hanging out with their favorite cousin, Chelsie, and their favorite Uncle Tyler.

Charlotte especially loved dancing with Tyler and eating everything she could get her hands on.  

The funny thing was that Tyler caught the garter and was so excited about it.  He even tried to propose to the girl that caught the bouquet.  Sadly, she quickly turned him down.

Then it was time for the first dance:

And the Father Daughter dance.

The reception was so fun.  We loved the chocolate fountain, we loved the dancing, and we especially loved being with everyone.

At the end of the night, we sent the newlyweds off in style with sparklers and cheers.  They were off to start their new life together.  Congratulations Cassie and Jake!