Firsts

So this weekend has to be at the top of the list for firsts.
First time I rode on a wave runner. We went with Nathan Saturday afternoon.
First time to Hyrum Dam. That is where we went wave running with Nathan.
First time to have Jessica, Nate's girlfriend, visit our home (currently under construction) and get to know her better. She's awesome.
First time we saw Monet, who is nearly three, and the daughter of Anneli (my niece) and Frits Grader (her husband). They live in Perth, Australia and came to Logan to visit Grandma Eva and our family. Also visiting was Kaeja, their 16 year old daughter, and Austin, their 11 year old son.
First time for their family to go wave running and I believe they really had fun.
First time I gave Frits and Austin rides in the Corvette.
First time for the Graders to stay over. As Frits said, "we're on holiday." We had a great visit and so glad they could stay overnight.
First time I was totally surprised by my whole family. . .(they all knew about the surprise).
I was planning to pick Staci up from the airport Tuesday evening (the 15th) from London.
Curt and Megan had invited us over for a BBQ Sunday evening (13th) to celebrate Staci's birthday and skype with her. At this point, I thought Staci was in England.
So after my family history center shift was over, we left for Bear River City. Things were a little strange but I didn't question anything, I even thought it was strange we took the minivan to BRC. When we arrived at Curts, Craig jumped out the car and started getting his camera out. Curtis opened the front door and gave me the funniest look, and I just kept staring at him and thought, OK, what's going on.
At that moment I turned and saw Staci. Well the rest is history and on film because I just screamed, and started hugging her and crying and couldn't believe the whole scene. It was quite surreal. I went into shock. It was such a great surprise. I was so relieved that Staci was safe and home at last. Well I have no pictures, because they are all on Craig's camera.
What a great weekend of firsts. We will reminisce this experience for a long time to come.

Joshua Craig Gulbransen

Today is Joshua's birthday. Joshua is now seven years old. He is currently living in Michigan, but will soon be moving to California. What an adventure. Joshua shares a birthday with his great-grandmother, Eva Kohkonen who is 89 years old today.

Joshua was a very cute baby with strawberry blond hair. He is very smart and has many talents. He loves to build legos and play with transformers. He enjoys video games, and is a very good reader. Joshua can make his little sister and baby brother laugh. He is a happy child and likes to have time to build lego ships. Often you will hear Joshua singing as he is transforming his favorite transformers.

Joshua plays soccer and enjoys his friends. He also enjoys playing with his older brother, Jonathan. They do lots of fun things together.

One of my favorite things about Joshua is a tradition we have. We often travel to Michigan to visit the grandchildren. When we get picked up at the airport and start traveling to their home, Grandma pulls out a bag of gummi worms for the trip. This tradition occurs every trip. One time, when we were leaving the airport, Grandma pulled out the gummi worms upon which Joshua exclaimed, "Yep, I knew it." He had anticipated the airport tradition - the unveiling of the gummi worms.

He is such a fun boy and we love him so much. We are excited to see you very soon.

Happy birthday, Joshua. Enjoy your legos and activities today.

Love, Grandma and Grandpa Armstrong

Jonathan Robert Gulbransen

Today is Jonathan's 9th birthday. I do remember the day he was born, like it was yesterday. I got a call from his parents and was so excited to have a grandson, my first grandson. It was such a thrilling day. I remember driving to Orem to the hospital to see this new baby and being thankful he was healthy. Jonathan had very blond hair, nearly white. He was a very sweet baby.

I stayed with Steph and Jeff in their apartment in Provo for a couple of weeks to help. It was an adventure for all of us. It had been 14 years since I had had a baby, Staci, so we called Grandpa (the pediatrician) lots with the "what to do" situations.

We have watched Jonathan grow and become a very handsome boy. Some of the things he loves are balls. He had very good eye hand coordination and loves to play with balls and is very talented with most sports. I believe his favorite is soccer which he plays seasonally.

Jonathan is a very good reader and loves books. He likes computer games and enjoys building legos and playing with his brothers and sister. He is a good student in school and is friendly with other classmates. Jonathan has many talents and will be an excellent young man and missionary when the time comes. He loves to read the scriptures with his family.

Jonathan is a very caring person, is a big helper to his mother, loves to camp with his dad, and has been a good example of a big brother.

Here are a few pictures from our last trip to Michigan in June.

Happy Birthday, Jonathan. We love you very much. Enjoy your birthday gifts. Grandma and Grandpa Armstrong.