Yes, as Linda said in her coment, the Jackson reunion is the 14th at Harold and Verla. Ben gets married the 15th.

Just so you know, we will be having a Hope reunion Aug. 11 at Uncle Dennis's. Vanita and Brents will be here. Then we will be having a Jackson reunion Aug. 15th. at Herold and Verla's. Ben will be getting married in Bountiful on the 16th. Should see all of Andrew and Linda's family. Peggy is getting her papers turned in for her internship and then graduation in April I think. Anyway, she is done with school.
Love you all, and miss you too. Mom

This is going to be the new bathroom. It will be easier for Grandpa and Grandma to use. It should be done by Sat. It is in the master bedroom. Its the same four walls but different shower and "jon". New floor like the one Paul put in the other bathroom a few years ago. Can I say here how much I miss Paul. He was so handy.

This is another colledge student that comes home and sleeps. Remember when you older kids did that? Is it late nights or just a comfortable couch?

Bear loves Le. He will do anything for him. Le was asleep and Bear just let him put his legs over him. They stayed that way for awhile.

Dad and I went to the golf driving range on the 4th. Dad can hit it pretty far. Its fun and something we can practice. I feel better with the left had clubs. We forgot to take the camera so we took this at home.

Grandpa and Grandma

Mom and Dad have come to live with us. I have been worried but this week has actually been rather sweet and easy. I try to hug Mom alot. Its so hard to be blind. Dad has cooperated really well and has tried to make it easy. I am still working in the mornings and then come home and fix lunch. They have the two bedrooms upstairs and your Dad and I have the downstairs.

Vanita and Brent will be here Sunday.

Can I tell you how much I love Bonnie and Dave? Well, I loved them a lot before they redid their pool, now I love them even more. And their BBQ? Ah, it's massive and wonderful. I want to live in their backyard.

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They had us all over for a swim party and BBQ (here's to the pioneers!) and more fun could not have been had. In the large picture below you can see our attempt at trying to get nearly EVERYONE onto the raft at the same time. (Notice poor little John's face squashed in between everyone? I hope he recovered.) And we might have popped it. Sorry Bonnie.

And while I was away, someone took my camera and snapped this shot. It looked pretty important, so I had to include it.

Just to make everyone in Utah and Albq jealous...

Sorry guys. But a little persuasion to move down here never hurts. (We missed you Wendy! Hope you can make it next time!)
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Jenny is so good to all of us Arizoans down here and always makes sure we've got her place to gather. This was no exception. Sam brought everything for sundaes and we had a blast putting them together, and then watching the thunder/rainstorm clouds gather around us. I looooove that kind of weather. It feels like a mystery novel is unraveling.
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I would also like to draw your attention to the photo of Jack holding his hand in front of his face. That photo makes me laugh because it is so OPPOSITE him. He would have let me use my entire memory card solely on him if I wanted. Such an attention-seeker. The apple didn't fall far from the tree for that kid, that's for sure! (No offense, Chris. I hope you still let me come over and partake of your pantry often.)

My sister in law is seriously so creative. When trying to think of some things to entertain her kids with this summer, she decided other moms were probably thinking the same thing. Jenny, as we all know, is not one to let things get the best of her. So she started a little kids camp thing. Wendy, her assistant, was out of town one week, so I filled in. This day was Crafts Day. We made pinatas, birdfeeders (w/ PB and pinecones), had water balloon fights, and showed off our gymnastics skills in the family room. I was dying over the cuteness of some of these kids and the things they were telling me. I wish I could remember now to tell you! If only I was that funny when I was a kid!

Here is the proof that 'Joy the Remodler' can get it done. And Trevor - you need a discount on all your replacement shocks too - just in case you did not recognize your wife in this picture.

We are proud of these two daughters.

Happy Belated Birthday Mom!

I hope this works / shows ok - this is a video with music --turn on your speakers!
(this is why I like Josh Groban!)
(p.s. if it doesn't work, then just let me know - I can send people copies, somehow.)
-Sam

Happy Birthday Mom!

And then off to college where Dad met and fell in love with her.

Marlene Hope was born July 5th, 1950 in Rexburg, Madison County, Idaho.

Age 18 months.

Age 2.

Age 3 plus.

Age 7, ready to be baptized

It is a wide known opinion that a wife does not get along with the mother-in-law.There is something about a new girl coming in and reaping the benefits of the work that a mom has put in over 25 years making the son into a gentleman that causes a permanent rift in the relationship. You did a great job Marleney! I hope putting in all that effort to make a respectable son means you are more likely to get a better quality of Daughter-in-law.But seriously you are a great mother-in-law and I have never felt uncomfortable or tense with you.You are such a pleasant person and you've always been so sweet to me. I hope you have a great birthday!

Love Kristyn

When I think of Mother Dear...It makes me want to chear! I love the way she make me feel,When I am greated at home with zeal! No matter how hard some days can be,mom has a talent to help me see.. all the potenitial in the upcoming dayI'm so glad you are here to stay!

Love Paul

Marlene: first, happy birthday. Thanks for being who you are. I think one of your best qualities is your respect of other's agency. You have a great way of encouraging those around you to be better while respecting who they are and giving them room to grow. I wonder if that is why Joy and your other kids are such great people. Thanks for raising a wonderful daughter. Our little Allie emulates her all the time and wants to be a mommy too. Its fun to see you in both Joy and Allie. Allie kissed me with her arms around my head for a little too long this morning - quite... passionate. I told her only mommies and daddies can kiss that long so she said, "well I'll just pretend to be a mommy then." Is this all your fault Marlene? We love you and hope your day is a great one. -Jason

I love mom's sense of humor: I remember her making fun of my big shoes, putting rocks in our oatmeal for april fool's day, and hearing about her sarran wrapping Paul to his bed, before he woke up in the morning. It made life fun and more enjoyable. One time when I went to scout camp she made up a letter because she didn't have anything to write about. That was fun! I enjoy her creativity and her sense of humor. That is why I am glad she is my mom. - and she gives good hugs!

Love, Sam

Mom, One of the things I admire about you is your wisdom. You are so wise and your perspective on things is inspiring to me. I have found, with some reluctance, that you are often right. Two silly examples recently in my life 1) You told me to get a house coat after I had a baby. I didn't want to. They are ugly and grandma-y. But you ARE right! It is so much easier to nurse a baby and lay around the house and not feel like I have to hide in the closet if someone comes to the door unexpectedly. I hate to admit it, but I LOVE my ugly, grandma-y housecoat. Especially right after having a baby. 2) I bought white fabric for the bumper on the crib. You said I would be much happier if I did. You were right. You didn't press too hard on that and you let me come to my own conclusion. Which is that I agreed with you. I finished the bumper and it looks sooo CUTE! You were right.Thank you for being solid foundation of good and right. I love you!

Love, Joy

I remember sitting on Mom's bed watching her iron her temple cloths. I could tell it was important to her. I remember waking up one morning to find she had painted the dinning room pink over night. When she had an idea in her head she just went with it. When I asked her "why pink?", She simply stated that it was her favorite color. She said pink was a soft, cheerful color and it occurred to me that maybe she needed more gentleness and cheerfulness in her life. It hadn't occurred to me before that mothering could be a hard thing because she is so natural at it! Thanks mom for hiding the ugly truths about motherhood until I'm in so deep there is no way I would ever want to recover from it! :) Your good at what you do!

Love ya-Jenny

Happy Birthday Mom! I love you so much! I have so many great memories of you... many of them funny! I always laugh at the blonde moments, especially as I realize I have many myself! I think I get that from you!I love how you comfort me and always have the right answers when I have a problem. I am amazed how you can use the scriptures everyday and give me spiritual comfort! You are so smart! I will always need my Mother!

Love, Wendy

Why I have the best Mother-in-Law:She never pressures us. She loves Lucy.She is without guile. She is the best masseuse. She laughs easily.She raised Victor to be the best father and husband.She has a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.She doesn't meddle in our business.She lets me be who I am. She comes to my shows. She gives us HOPE!Love, her favorite daughter-in-law (Molly)

Happy Birthay Momma. I have loved sharing birthdays with you. It has been so fun. You are such a great inspiration to us all. When I was trying to think of what I wanted to get your for your birthday, I first thought..."what is it that Mom loves the most?" Then it hit me. Hearing from your kids would be the best thing I could get you. So here you go Momma. I love you so so so so so so so much. Happy 29th Birthday!!!!

Love, Peggy

Dear Family,
Because of the corn drowning in Illinois and other states, the turkey business in Manti and Ephraim area are closing down temproarily. They will have to lay off 600 people.
Get your food storage and do what you can. We are watching the things that are predicted in the scriptures arn't we.
And who said it would be fun to come down in the last days? I guess we can't take council from our fears but we can go on with open eyes. Love Mom

Six Degrees of Lucy

Chris here - Just a small note of something that happened to me the other day. I had a civil traffic hearing last week. After the hearing, the Judge asked me if my family was alright, since I had to continue a couple of various hearings during the week of Lucy's funeral. I told him about Lucy and why I was gone. He looked absolutely surprised and said, "I heard about that! My wife told me about a little girl in Utah who choked on an apple and died." I asked him where his wife heard about it and he, unfortunately, could not recall. He expressed his condolences and wished our family well. I had a moment to bear a brief testimony to the judge about the Lord's hand in our lives and the knowledge that we would see Lucy again.

I am astounded at the far-reaching effects that Vic and Molly's little angel has had. Now, this might be a little irreverent, (forgive me) but the following is just how my brain works: You've heard of the "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" (based on a variation of the concept of the small world phenomenon and states that any actor can be linked through his or her film roles to actor Kevin Bacon). Well, I'm starting to seriously consider the phenomenon "Six Degrees of Lucy Jackson." I believe that everyone has either been affected, or know someone who has been affected, by little Lucy. If not, I at least had the opportunity to bear a testimony to a Gilbert judge, who just might remember this in the future when presented again with the truth of eternal families.