Smithfield Scoop

 Hello All!! We are back on the blog. Hopefully, we will be more consistently. But, I've said that before. We'll just do the best we can.

We enjoyed being with all of you in Nauvoo! We really loved every minute of our time there and would definitely do it all over again! There wasn't anything that wasn't wonderful about it. Oh - correction... The only thing that wasn't wonderful about it was tripping on the stairs and landing on my face in front of the family. I've never been very graceful, but that was the worst. Thanks for not making a bigger deal of it. I'm especially grateful to Thomas for taking care of me, but not making me feel as clutzy as I am. Thanks T :) 

The arrival of little, darling Jane Faith Manning was so wonderful! She is a beautiful baby, and seems mild and calm, though she is starting to express some opinions. It was such a sweet blessing to be with Lauren as she brought this precious baby girl into their family. Joe and Lori were so kind and helpful as they took care of the Manning brothers during Lauren's labor. Baby Jane was born during a storm that caused some flooding in Joe and Lori's neighborhood, so Lori drove the Manning boys back home to American Fork, late at night, while Joe stayed home to help bail water out of some neighbor's window wells! Family is the best!! 

We were surprised to get a call from Ruth when they were headed home from Ephraim after Garrett's brother's funeral. It turns out that when they got about to Ogden, their truck had some trouble with a spark plug and was undriveable. Well, they could actually go about 30 miles an hour, but that doesn't work very well on the interstate. We were happy to rescue them from Brigham City, where they left their truck at a dealership hoping it could be repaired quickly. It turns out that it couldn't be repaired quickly. So, Garrett, Addy, and Milly took our car home and Ruth and the others stayed for a couple of days to wait for news about the truck. When it was obvious that it would take a while to get the needed parts, Dad took Ruth, Emerson, Henry and Dane back to Idaho. They are glad to again have their vehicle that fits the whole family!

The Hyde family came to visit!! It was so nice to have them here. We are very grateful to Emilee Bennett for getting married so Emma and Cam would come! Dad and Stetson bonded beautifully and are now good pals. The Hydes hit many of their favorite places so they could show Stetson where his parents used to hang out. I attended a very long labor while they were here, so I missed a lot of time I was hoping to have with them, which was a sad thing for me. Thanks to Cam for bringing his family out and for letting them stay another week after he had to return back to work!!

Things always have a way of working out... Emma was hoping to get to Idaho while she was here. When the Nilsson's truck was finally fixed, Dad took Emma and Stetson up to visit with Nilssons and Harts for a couple of days, which they enjoyed immensely.

It was delightful to have Flakes come for a few days while the Hydes were here. Jenn and Emma helped so much while we cut up lots of fruit to serve as refreshments for Emilee's reception. Robin, Rand and James were very happy to meet their newest cousins, Stetson and Jane. It was sad when Jenn and the kiddos had to head back to Arizona.  

Recently, we finally found time to go to the flooring store and choose some carpet for upstairs. We decided to save some money by pulling up the old stuff. Terrible. Gross. Disgusting. But I'm glad we did it because I don't think the guys who came to do the installation would have swept or vacuumed up the piles of dirt that were under the worn out carpet pad. The only thing we felt terrible about was that Emma and Stetson were still here when the carpet came, so there wasn't any place for Stetson to play while we pulled out the old stuff, swept and vacuumed and pulled staples out of the floor. Gratefully, they were in Idaho for part of that time. Ian and Jack brought them back and helped Dad move more of the heavy stuff out, which was so nice. 

Lots of stuff going on all the time. That is good. It is especially wonderful when family comes. Thanks for making the effort to come! You are all welcome to come whenever you are able. We LOVE to have you come and visit!!