She DID IT!

I'm so far behind on posting....eventually I'll get caught up, you might be reading about whats happening in our lives MONTHS after it happened, but at least you'll know it "happened"!

In May, we ventured down to St. George for Kim's graduation from Dixie's Nursing College. I can't tell you how excited, and proud I was as we watched her walk down the sidewalks of campus wearing her red cap and gown....it even brought me to tears. She has worked so hard and sacrificed many hours of sleep, as well as "play time" to make this happen. She is going to make an awesome nurse! It was a privilege to be there and share in her happy day!!

It was really cool to stand on the side lines as the graduates took their 

last walk through campus....a very solemn, but happy occasion for all of them I think. 

As Kim walked into where the ceremony took place it was like trying to find "Waldo"...a hard

task, but once we found her, she was easy to spot....can YOU FIND HER?!

Deron, trying to catch some shade under a tree as we snapped pictures~

....and here they are, the beautiful Coat's Family...Mike, Kim and baby boy!

Mike, Kim, Deron and Halle as we walked to the next graduation ceremony (there were 3 that day).

Kim preparing to get her diploma.....ceremony #2

.....getting her diploma and doing the walk.......

More pictures after receiving her diploma......and then on to the pinning ceremony.....

....where Mike actually got to award her with her nursing pin!

Congratulations to this beautiful daughter of ours...you have fought a good fight and came

out on top!! YOU have set out, and accomplished a dream you have had for 

as long as I can remember! Congratulations we love you....WAY to GO!!

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...hopping down the bunny trail~

I love holidays.........YES I KNOW THE TRUE MEANING of Easter

and we observe and reverence our Lord and Savior...THAT is one of the reasons

the Easter Bunny comes on Saturday to our house.....She hides the baskets

and sends everyone "a hunting".....clues are given in an Easter Egg scavenger hunt. 

Halle only has 1 year left at home....YES ONE YEAR :(

so the Easter Bunny makes sure to make her last few years of youth...FUN!

 Halle hunted FOREVER in the shed for one of the "clue eggs"...only to find it was hiding 

right under her nose.

 Yes...Deron is a good sport and goes hunting for baskets too....he's a great sport!

After about 30 minutes of wondering around the yard, going from clue to clue....they finally

found their baskets full of goodies, hidden inside the house. OHHHHHHHH that

Easter Bunny is tricky!

We had a big Easter dinner later that afternoon and the Easter Bunny hid eggs throughout

the yard for the grandkids. 

Kayson wanted to open every egg...on the spot, and EAT everything in it.

Kenron on the other hand wanted to make sure all his eggs were carefully put in his bag

as he counted them....

Yes, that mouth is clear full of candy....chocolate, if you can't tell!

It was so much fun to watch the kids gather their eggs. 

We have decided to make our Easter Egg hunt and Dinner a tradition....

This year was the beginning of the 

Grandkids Easter Egg Hunt....

THE FUN will be CARRIED ON!

....along with more chocolate covered faces and chipmunk cheeks!

Waves and Wind....

Living in the Basin, between 2 canyons, means the wind blows JUST ABOUT

every single day, especially in the spring. The last few days have been 

a tale of STRONG WINDS.....the kind that keep you inside, batten down the hatches and 

hold on tight...............BUT Halle and I decided to go up to the lake and see

what it looked like up there. The waves were CRAZY (the pictures don't do them justice)! It was cold, but we decided to snap a few "funny" picutres as we watched the waves roll in. 

The color of the lake was amazing!

 In some places it was a gorgeous mint green....in others it was a deep turquoise...and some

it was a dirty chocolate milk color......

 There were places that the waves were splashing WAY UP on the banks of the beach...the rocks

were covered with wet marks where the water was hitting them and then splashing...

Halle got to experience one of the back lashes of a rather large wave (big for the lake).

 It was another fun, carefree Sunday afternoon.....

 Since this is the closest I can be to the ocean (not close at all)...I'll have to take what I

can get!.....I would rather take pictures of the gargantuan ocean waves, but hey....

living in Utah....this is what we have......................Lakes!

PROM.....and the PRINCESS~

We just experienced our last Jr. Prom. Halle has been awaiting this exciting day now for months...planning her hair, looking at dresses, buying shoes (yes, she bought 2 pair, heels and flats...just incase she had a "shorter date"), finding the "right" jewelry....who knew it would be such a process (ME). With 3 daughters, its been the same with each one. The Jr. Prom is THE day teenage girls get to feel like a princess...and so it was no different with Halle. We started with the hair....4 hours prior to her date arriving. 

Halle has EXTREMELY curly hair, so first she washed it, blew it dry and then curled it....THEN.....

.....we ratted it.......

AND ratted it some more......

Then we put it into these cute rolled up curls and pinned them with 100 pins (seriously, it was close to that).

She put on her make up, brushed her pearly whites and then......

she put on the dress~

She looked like a princess....a gorgeous girl...!

Her date arrived and we got some pictures of the two of them. 

.....we prepared a nice dinner and invited Halle's friends over to eat before the big dance....

they were a very fun and crazy crew....I think they all had a blast!

The boys were a riot....they were such good sports as we took tons of pictures!

The girls were patient as I snapped pictures as well..... 

Having this be the LAST prom, and Halle's first prom....I tried to get alot of fun pictures and 

capture the memories of this exciting night.........

....and this was the sweetest picture I captured all night!

Daddy/Daughter dance......priceless!

Halle had a wonderful night with her date. He was a gentleman and treated 

her like the lady she is! Now....onto planning her upcoming senior year!

Smiles and Achievements

I am lucky enough to live just down the street from my son and his family

so we are able to spend alot of time with 2 of our grandchildren. 

This little guy has had 2 school programs in the last few months, at the special school that he gets to go to, and I've been able to attend them. The first program was a "Tumbling Review". The kids got 

to show us the things they have been learning in the gym class. All the children are 

special needs and so their abilities differed...Kenron doesn't walk or stand by himself

without the aid of a walker, but he could roll and do many things that I had no idea 

that he was capable of at this point...it was a sweet and special program! 

Kenron saying "Ta-Daa" as he finished demonstrating one of his 

accomplishments..... 

 As he sat in his wheelchair, he looked over at us periodically. I don't know

if he was just checking to see if we were still there or if he was wondering what we 

were doing at his school...it was sure cute......

 One of my favorite things that I got see was him walking across the gym floor in his walker. 

It brought tears to my eyes...happy tears. I could see the excitement on his face, 

the sense of accomplishment that he felt...he was thrilled to show us what he could do!

He is a special little spirit...a boy who was sent here for a special mission!

 The second program I got to go see he got to sing....he didn't actually sing, but 

he tried and he clapped his hands and jumped up and down as 

his teachers held him up. I love that I'm close by so I can go to his school programs.

Being a grandma is awesome!!! So glad I get that opportunity!

I love my grandbabies....they hold a special place in my heart. 

Sunday Drives.....

A few weeks ago, Halle and I took a long Sunday drive. 

Our first stop was the Starvation Reservoir. I've been going up there periodically

for the last month or so and have watched the water level continue to rise. Its a good feeling to

know we will have water to drink and to use to take care of our yard once again this summer. 

I enjoy coming up to the lake to think and walk along the beach...especially when 

there are NO boats or crowds...which would explain the reason I go up 

there in the COLD. 

Halle and I had a great time and enjoyed some "mom and daughter" time....

I'm glad she enjoys spending time with me as much as I enjoy spending it with her!