Happy 4th of July

Okay, so it is a little late to be saying Happy 4th, but we were having fun. Emma, Jon and the kids came over for BBQ and fireworks. The kids had a lot of fun: all of the kids, the old ones, the medium aged ones, and the young ones. Dirk, Laura, and Ari let us use their pool, thank you!

When it started getting dark we watched fireworks.

I am very grateful for the men and women, past and present, who serve to protect our freedoms!

This and That

Today I cleaned the tile up on the sunrise porch. I love the new wicker furniture. The love seat is on the south side, and the two chairs on the north side. The door is west and the picture of the view is taken from one of the chairs facing southeast.

We also had the hot water heater, boiler, and swimming pool heater delivered. The swimming pool won't be ready for a long time, but we are making progress.

In late June we had an impromptu Peterson Family Reunion in June. Left to right Bonnie, Jeannie (sisters, Aunt Margret Harvey's daughters), Aunt Donna Peterson, Keith, and Julie (Aunt Donna's daughter). Aunt Opal Hoffman was there with her children; Jim, Bob, two grandchildren, and a son-in-law, John. Susan Tweed , and Uncle Larry were also there. It was good to see each other and visit. It looks like we have snow in our yard!

Actually Keith and I call these cats, because one day some other summer, it looked like there was a dead cat in the road. I asked Keith about it and it was a branch of cotton seeds from the tree in front of our house. Silly, huh?

Happy Birthday to Sarah

Happy Birthday Sarah, with an "h"! Her birthday is Wednesday. Sarah is our first daughter-in-law. I remember the first time we met. We went to see "God's Army", and David brought Sarah as his date. David was acting like his usual goofy self, and Sarah laughed. That was a good sign.

Sarah loves Australia, and figured out a way to do schooling abroad. So part of her high school years were spent in Australia. She served her mission there too. That is pretty awesome.

She is talented and creative. She does scrap booking, makes great cards, does a super blog, and makes beautiful cakes. She even made fortune cookies that were adorable.

Sarah is beautiful when she smiles and laughs. She loves to have fun with her boys. Her giggle is contagious. Most important of all she is David's wife, and the mother of three precious grandsons. (I "borrowed" this family picture from Sarah's blog). She has a busy job!

Here's hoping that you have a wonderful day, and that you will be spoiled!

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day is the day we get to honor the men in our lives who have made a great influence on us. I miss my own father, as do many others. Above all things he was a real "daddy", a great scholar of the scriptures, and loved us; my mother, sister, brothers, and me. He sacrificed for his family. We are his priceless possessions.It is also a time to pause and reflect about Keith. He is my sweetheart and a wonderful dad. He works hard to provide for us. One of the most touching things about Keith is that his prayers always include our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren. He includes specific items unique to each one he prays for. He enjoys preparing for family get-togethers, and always looks for ways to make it more comfortable for all. He always looks forward to playing with the grandkids.

It is great to see the wonderful blogs that the girls have done to honor their husbands for Father's Day! Sarah posted pictures of David with a great tie that Zach, Cannon, and Elliot made for him. We all know it is the mother's work and planning that pulls such a thing together. Laura posted pictures of Arie with Dirk. Emma posted pictures of Jon with the Cirrus and Crimsel. Keith and I hosted the Father's Day/June Birthday BBQ at our home again this year. He received flamingos and lined the walk path with them. It made it festive. Seems that all had a great time.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

Soooo, Keith and I have been looking at garage doors for what seems like forever. We finally narrowed it down to a carriage style door. We decided on white. Anywho, that's what I thought we agreed upon. So we are at the garage door warehouse seeking prices and my husband says maybe green would be nice. We've been playing around with photos and paint trying to decide white or green, green or white. Our fingers and brains went a little nutso and one thing lead to another. We spruced the whole place up. It will be difficult to drive up to the place tomorrow and see it in its unfinished state. PLEASE, vote on the color door you think looks best. Also, would you please let us know what you think of the piece of gingerbread at the top of the gable up above Crimsel?

My Cousin Gerard

My cousin Gerard passed away Saturday night. I remeber playing at Tante Dina and Ome Gerard's house as a little girl when he was a teenager. He had a wonderful laugh, a beautiful collie dog, and surprised my Opa Van Leer when he brought a girl to meet Opa that spoke Dutch. We will miss Gerard. I "borrowed" the picture and obit from Russon Brothers Mortuary website.

Gerardus J Van Hulten
Born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on Jun. 6, 1943Departed on May 24, 2008 and resided in West Bountiful, UT.

Visitation:
Friday, May 30, 2008
Service:
Friday, May 30, 2008
Cemetery:
Bountiful City Cemetery
Please click on the links above for locations, times, maps, and directions.

Our beloved husband, father, son and brother passed away late Saturday night May 24, 2008. Van, as many called him, was born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on June 6th 1943. He immigrated to the United States in July of 1950 with his family at the age of 7, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24th. He attended high school at Bountiful High graduating in 1962. He would be called on an LDS mission later that year to his native country of The Netherlands where he served for two and a half years. Upon returning home he would marry his own little Dutch girl (Pearl Straatman) in the Salt Lake Temple in November of 1966. Continuing on at Weber University he studied automotive engineering, where his college education was interrupted by a call to serve in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. After returning from duty in Vietnam, Pearl and Van would make their home in Farmington where he owned and operated Van's Auto Repair. After sixteen years of marriage they would adopt a baby girl named Heather and two years later adopt their son Jeffrey. Moving to West Bountiful in 1984 Van would continue running Van's Auto repair until 2000 when Van would start his own car dealership, Van's Auto Sales. Van would serve faithfully in his church callings, and would never shirk a moment to help another. He loved to travel weekly for business and always had a fond love for cars. Van passed away from complications due to an injury in his shop while doing what he loved most, working on cars. He will be sorely missed by all he leaves behind. He loved helping out anyone in need and never thought twice about giving all he could to those he loved. He loved to laugh, enjoyed the simple pleasures of life, and was an avid NASCAR fan. We will all miss you and the beautiful things you taught by example. Van is survived by his wife of 42 years, Pearl, his children Heather (Wade Reese), and Jeffrey, his mother Arendina, his brother Leen, his sister Gonnie (Don Buell), his brothers and sisters in-law, and many nieces and nephews. Preceded in death by his father Gerardus J. Van Hulten Sr., his sister-in-law Mary lynn Van Hulten, and his mother and father in-law Daniel and Neeltje Straatman.Funeral services will be held Friday May 30th at 11 a.m. at the West Bountiful 10th ward Chapel 1750 North 900 West, West Bountiful. Friends and family may call on Friday morning from 9:30-10:45 at the church prior to the services.Interment, Bountiful City Cemetery.

Painting Fun

Keith and I decided it would be fun to have the grandkids help decorate our walls in the pool equipment room. We have been trying different techniques, such as paint in plaster and then rolling it on the drywall.

I think the kids liked the colors best. We practiced on the yellow wall first. Cirrus figured out that if she smacked the wall it made a great hand print. Crimsel managed to get paint in his hair and eyelashes.

Jon came with the kids and he put up a few hand prints too! We've saved some space for Ariana, Zach, Cannon, and Elliot.