Nicknames

Nicknames are funny. I think we all have nicknames at one point or another in our life. I have been NEE NEE since 1987 or so. My oldest nephew, Justin McKay Packer, learned to talk and couldn't say Colleen, so his mom told him to call me NEE NEE. It was easy for Justin to say and so for 21+ years, I have been NEE NEE.

My sister Diane is the mom of two adorable boys, Ty and new baby Blake. When Ty was a few days old, he would nurse with one eye open and one eye closed. He looked like a pirate. Ty was 6 weeks old on his first Halloween. My sister Cheryl found him the cutest pirate outfit, Diane made him a pirate eye patch and he was a pirate for Halloween in 2005. Ty is our little PIRATE.

On Tuesday, when Blake was born, we were all surprised at his weight of 8 lbs. and 12 oz. Even the doctors who delivered Blake were surprised. For those of you who know Diane, she is not a big person. Blake really had no where to grow, except out. Diane gets extremely sick when she is pregnant. When she was finally able to keep some food/drink down, she drank lots of root beer. The doctors told Diane that Blake was a root beer baby, thus I have nick named Blake "MUGZ". Welcome to the family - CHEERS TO YOU "MUGZ!"

Our Family is GROWING again!

Tyler and Blake Aaron Salda

SEPTEMBER 17TH UPDATE: Blake Aaron Salda arrived on Tuesday, September 16th at 4:29 p.m. via c-section birth. He weighed in at a whopping 8 pounds and 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. He had some special angels watching over him as there was a huge knot in his umbilical cord. He has light brown hair, has some features of his big brother Ty Daniel, but definately has his very own look. He has a great set of lungs, loves to eat and is very sweet. The veil is very thin as the spirit was strong in the room. His dad was very emotional at the time of his birth and overcome by his sweet spirit. Diane is doing very well. More pictures to come soon!

We are patiently waiting for the arrival of my youngest sister, Diane and her husband Dan's 2nd baby boy - Blake Aaron Salda. Diane was scheduled for a c-section delivery at 11:30 a.m. today, September 16th; however, a few other babies pushed ahead, so baby Blake's arrival has been delayed slightly. We will have pictures to post later today or tomorrow.

School Pictures

School Pictures - I don't like pictures taken at the school. They never present the real picture. I have never been a real fan of them, thus when he was little, I would spend just a bit more than the school charged and take him to Kiddie Kandids. Tyler, being the typical 15 year old, has convinced me that Kiddie Kandids are for babies and not cool 15 year old young men. Thus, we are settling once again for school pictures. This is Tyler's school picture for the 2008-2009 school year. Since we weren't thrilled with the pictures, maybe next year he will let me pursue other photo ops for his annual pictures. SMILE :)

Angels Among Us!

Camille Waite - April 19, 2007 - June 15, 2008

Lucy Jackson - June 11, 2006-May 22, 2008

Daxton Kunz - May 31, 2007 - June 9, 2008

Sidney Lee Weber - November 12, 1995 - May 23, 2008

Oh I believe there are angels among us. Sent down to us from somewhere up above. They come to you and me in our darkest hours. To show us how to live, to teach us how to give. To guide us with a light of love.

I have been wanting to post about special angels for a few months. It all started with the untimely passing of our dear friend, Sidney Weber. In the blogging world, you become connected to others who lose their children. I don't know the other children or their families personally, but you come to know them through their family blogs. You mourn with them, you pray for them and you know their angels are watching over their families.

I am the oldest of 7 girls. I have two angel sisters. My mom lost two babies - Suzanne (baby girl #3) June 19, 1968 - December 7, 1968 and Deann (baby girl #6) (February 24, 1979 - stillborn twin of Diane). As of late, I just accepted that this was something that happened, even though I have been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints my entire life. Did Heavenly Father know that my mom would be a single parent of 7 girls so he made it less of a burden to her by taking two special angels home? No, I believe these little angels needed a body, but didn't need to live in this world.

Tyler's pseudo grandparents and our DEAR, SWEET, SPECIAL friends, Bill and Jean, are also the parents of two angels girls. It takes very special people to be the parents of angels. The void is big, the time without them is long, but there are special angels watching over us.

My heart goes out to the families of these special spirits. Thank you for sharing your special spirits with us! I have learned something special from each of these families. You have strengthened my testimony of the Plan of Happiness and made me a better person and I am truly grateful to each of you.

Labor Day Reunion!

My Aunt Susan & Uncle Harvey with their

grandkids - Abby & Jack

Jared & Holly with their kids Jack & Abby

Cousins & Brothers - The Mathis Boys

L to R: Jared, Jeff, Jordan & James

4 Generations of Mathis'

James, Jeff, Harvey, Andrew, Grandpa Mathis, Jared, Jack and Jordan

Jack, Abby, Audrey and Andrew Mathis (my cousin's kids)
Kiera, Audrey, Andrew and James Mathis
James is my cousin.


My Aunt Elna and my cousin James' son Andrew.

Just a shout out to the Asay Family for having a reunion in Utah over the Labor Day Weekend! Tyler, my mom and I drove to Perry, Utah on Friday, August 29th. We stayed with my Aunt Julie and Uncle Lynn at their home. I hadn't seen them for 4 years. We were able to see some of my cousins that I hadn't seen for 5 years. Even though my dad has been MIA for about 25 years, I am grateful for the brothers and sisters he has that keep in touch with us and care about us. Here are a few pictures I got from my cousin's blog (thanks Kiera).

I saw my Aunt Kathleen, Uncle Henry, their kids Lyndy and Alan. Lyndy just moved back to Montana after living in Utah for 9 years. Alan was in the process of moving to the Salt Lake area to begin a new job the day after labor day. My Aunt Adell and my cousin Scott came from California. My Uncle Ron passed away from cancer last November. I miss him. My cousin Brandon, Adell's other son and his family live in Perry, UT as well. My cousin Kevin and his two adorable kids came from Idaho. His dad is another MIA Asay brother. My Aunt Julie raised him and his brother after their mother Elnie passed away in the mid 1980's from cancer. My Aunt Susan and Uncle Harvey have 4 boys, Jared, James, Jeff and Jordan. We were able to attend the blessing of Jared and Holly's son Jack on Sunday, August 31st in Sandy. We had a brunch at Holly's mom's house, which is right behind their church building.
Being at my Aunt Julie and Uncle Lynn's house reminded me of my Grandma Asay's house. We lived on their property in a trailer when I was little and I always remember the yummy food at their house. Thanks for such good food, royal treatment and great memories. I hope next trip we can stay longer.

Take me out to the Ball Game!

The Crowd at Dusk
Tyler and his crazy sunglasses!

Tyler, Melanie and mom (Grandma)

Beautiful Coors Field!

Saturday night, Tyler, Melanie (cousin), Janet, my mom and I went to the Rockies game. It was a gorgeous night at Coors Field. Rod Smith (retired Bronco) threw out the first pitch and even though the Rockies were beat by Houston (2-0), it was a great night at the park!