Griffiths Family Reunion

Dear Gabriella,

You are so blessed to have a family that makes an effort to all get together.  I feel closer to the Griffiths extended family than I do to my own because they have a family reunion every other year where your Great-Grandmother, Nana Griffiths, and her nine children and their families all try to plan a few days of fun together.  This year we were very fortunate that the reunion happened to be planned in Vista where your Nana and Papa live, and it is nice and close to us.  Your Dad had to work, but I took you and Charlie because I wanted you to be able to play with your cousins, and I was excited to meet all of the new babies (Devin, Lena, and Liam).

We arrived at the reuinion on Wednesday afternoon just before lunch.  Your Papa decided to take everyone to Upper Crust Pizza.  We all thought he was crazy for wanting to eat at the restaurant with 9 children under 5, but we went along with it to please Papa, and you all did very well.  Later that evening we spent some time at the campsite where the whole Griffiths clan was staying.  You immediately went and hung out with your cousins and played in the dirt. 

That evening, your Papa took you and your cousins to the little park near the campsite.  Having your Papa push you in the wagon was probably one of your favorite parts of the trip.

One of the nights we were at the campsite, your Uncle Mike found a big bullfrog.  You were so captivated by this, and you almost gained enough courage to touch it.  You really wanted the frog to jump through your legs, so you kept spreading them apart and pointing in between them yelling, "Tunnel, tunnel!"  This is a game you play at home with me where you say "tunnel" and then run underneath my legs.

The next day we all went to Mission Bay.  I was worried this whole week about how I was going to be able to watch you and Charlie with so many other little ones around, but everyone helped out, and we had a great time.  You especially liked going on the waverunner with your Papa and playing in the sand with Reese and Adelyn. You and Charlie both got a little sunburn, but it was totally worth it!

Friday was beach day, and the whole Griffiths clan went to Oceanside.  This is the beach your Daddy grew up going to.  I was, again, a little worried about having you and Charlie at the beach, and I only planned on staying there a couple of hours, but you two had so much fun that we stayed there most of the day.  You especially liked building sand castles.  I tried to get you to hold a sand crab, but you just wanted to look at them.  It was so warm that we all enjoyed spending time in the water too.  It took you a while to get used to the waves pushing you over, but you got the hang of it after a while.

Your new cousins: Liam (4 weeks), Lena (2 months), and Devin (5 months)

Saturday was the last day of the reuinion, and we all had a pool party at your Nana and Papa's house.  You had fun playing in the water and having Nana push you on the swing. 

Aunt Kari and her boyfriend Alec

Your cousin (and buddy) Tyler getting ready to make a splash

Aunt Alex and Uncle Kurt

Nana Griffiths with the new Pyne baby (I can't remember the name)

We ended the day with some delicious carne asada and pictures of all the grandkids.  It was a bit of a circus trying to get all the babies to sit still and smile for the camera, but you and Charlie did a great job.  These were my favorite pictures of the bunch:

I love this picture of you giving baby Liam a kiss.

We had to leave that night so that we could be home for church in the morning, but we had a wonderful time.  I really appreciate all of the hard work that goes into planning these reunions.  So far, I have been able to just show up and enjoy the festivities, and I hope to be able to continue to attend in this fashion.  We are so blessed to be part of such a large, close-knit family.  I am proud to wear the name Griffiths . . . most of the time.

Love,
Mom

A Good Man

Dear Gabriella,

Sometimes I forget what a good man your father is until he does something so unexpected like what he did today.  I tend to focus on his incessant use of the computer, leaving of dirty socks inches from the laundry hamper, and little things that in the end don't really matter.  I realize that underneath his desire to conquer the virtual world lies the heart of a good man.

Your dad called me up this morning at 7am and said that he was going to be bringing someone home that he met at the checkpoint, and she was going to be taking a shower in our house.  "She?" I questioned.  "Yes . . . you'll see," he replied.  I figuered if she needed a shower and he was bringing her to our house while I was there, she wasn't much of a threat to me.  I also know that your dad would never put his family in danger, so I trusted he knew what he was doing. 

About 30 minutes later he texted me, "Don't know if she has deseases . . . Hepatitis . . . blah blah blah."  "This is weird.  I am trusting you will tell me the whole story later," I replied.  "Nah," he teased.

Around 8am she came into the house, and I immediately recognized her smile, but nothing else about her.  "That looks like my old student Jenny.  Maybe it's her sister," I thought to myself.  While she was in the shower, I asked Dad if he knew her name.  He said that another agent there knew her name was Jennifer Peters.  It was my student Jenny.  The Jenny I knew had bleached blonde hair and was a bit curvy.  I would always seat her in the front of the room because she couldn't see the board well and she often needed help.  She was never a discipline problem, and she was always sweet to me when she saw me in the hallways both the year I was her teacher and the year after.  This Jennifer (who told the agents that her name was Alexis Devine) had stringy, uncombed brown hair.  She was thin, her legs were unshaven, and she had a difficult time completing sentences and answering questions.  She was obviously on drugs and mentally unstable. 

While she was in the shower, Dad instructed her to put a towel around herself and put her clothes outside the door so that I could wash them.  It took several times of repeating the instructions before she understood what to do.  I took her clothes, threw them in the wash, washed my hands, and then got some of my clothes out for her to wear (including a Gila Ridge High School t-shirt).  When she got out of the shower, I asked her if she remembered me, and she nodded with a smile.  She sat on the couch watching Bolt with you, Charlie, and I.  When I was looking at her sitting on the couch, I noticed she had a scab from a slit on her wrist.  She seemed nervous, but she would frequently turn and smile at us and Madi.  I wanted to cry the whole time she was sitting there.  It broke my heart to see her in such a dreadful state.

Apparently, she had been picked up by a trucker, and she was trying to hitchhike to Tucson to get away from her pimp.  The trucker dropped her off at the checkpoint.  She was planning on continuing on foot (and hitchiking) to Tucson in 115 degree weather with no food, water, and only flip flops on her feet.  Dad called DPS (who are the highway patrol here in Yuma), and asked them if they could do anything for her.  They wouldn't do anything because she hadn't broken any laws and she wasn't a minor.  Dad tried to get other agencies to help, but no one wanted to help this poor girl. 

When she got to our house, she said she wanted to go to Phoenix instead of Tucson.  Dad was going to take her to the bus stop and send her on a bus to Tucson, but then when she said she wanted to go to Phoenix, he was unsure what to do.  I told him that neither Tucson nor Phoenix would help her.  She needed help, and he should take her to a rehab facility or try to get ahold of a family member.  Dad decided to take her to Crossroads Mission, which is a local homeless shelter.  They have a detox program there and a facility for her to have food and shelter.  Apparently, she was angry with him for not taking her to the bus stop as he had promised, and she hit him in the face when he told her where she was going.  He called the Mission later in the day to check and see if she was still there.  They said that she was, but she wanted to leave.  They thanked him for bringing her there and said that she had been there before, but this was the worst they had ever seen her.

I want you to know what a good example your dad is to me.  I am sure he was taking a risk by brining a drug-addicted prostitute into his own home, but he did it anyway because it was the right thing to do.  I don't know if Jenny will stay in detox or even if her life will change because of his generosity, but I do know that your dad did the right thing at the right time.  It warms my heart to know that I married such a good man.

Love,
Mom

4th of July Fun

Dear Ella,

This year YW camp was during the week of the 4th of July, so I was camping in the mountains of Tucson while you and Charlie stayed with your grandparents.  Luckily, your dad was able to get the 4th off and he drove up to San Diego to see you. 

His family has a tradition of going over to their good friend's house the Zeltners, having a BBQ, swimming in their pool, playing ping pong, and jumping on the trampoline.  From these pictures, it looks like you had a blast!

Jumping with Papa.
Your Nana bought you this adorable dress.

You are so brave.  I was very proud of you!

That night you went and sat on the roof of Nana and Papa's office and watched the fireworks.  Dad said that you loved them.  Now every time we watch a Disney movie and there are fireworks going off over the castle, you shout, "Fire!"  It's pretty cute.  I'm sorry I wasn't there to see all of your cute expressions, but I appreciate your Nana taking these pictures for me.

Love,
Mom

Father's Day 2012

Dear Gabriella,

This year for Father's Day, you and Charlie posed for some pictures for Father's Day.  I stole this idea from your Auntie Jennifer who did it several years ago for Uncle Jared and your Papa.  Although it took many takes, we finally got some adorable pictures!

Since you and your Dad have such a special relationship, I thought I would tell you about some of your favorite things you do with your Dad. 

Almost everyday, you say, "Daddy, truck!"  You take your dad by the finger, drag him out to the truck where you two sit and blare the radio.  You like to pretend to drive the truck and push all the buttons.

You also like to snuggle with Dad and watch TV.  With him, it doesn't matter what you two are watching, just as long as you get to snuggle with him on the couch.  You often watch "The Wonder Years" together.

Another common phrase you say is, "Daddy, food!"  This is not food for you, but this means that you want to help him feed the dogs.  You love to help Dad scoop out the dog food and put it in the bowls.  Your favorite part though is going outside with him and helping him give the dogs their food.  Dad even tought you how to say some of the dog commands like "Foos" (come here) and "Auf" (down).  (Sorry Dad, I'm sure I spelled these wrong.)

Of course you love to play with your dad.  He throws you up in the air, spins you around 360 degrees, and then catches you.  He's always so proud of how brave you are because sometimes he throws you up very high, but you always just giggle.

You two play a game that you made up called "Monkey in the nose."  You say, "Monkey" and point to your nose.  Dad will pretend to get the monkey out of your nose and throw it across the room.  Somehow, the monkey seems to crawl back into your nose three seconds later, and the game starts all over again. 

There are about a million other fun things that you and your dad do together like tickle fights, dancing, walking around outside, playing at the river, swinging on the swings at the park, etc.  I feel so blessed that I married a man who is such a great Dad to our children.  We are all lucky to have him.  Happy Father's Day Dad!

Love,

Mom

Indiana Trip 2012

Dear Gabriella,

Last year we went to Indiana to visit our besties, the Adams.  We had so much fun last year that we decided to go again for our 12 year wedding anniversary.  These awesome people are the reasons for our visit to Indiana:

Aunt Lindsay

Uncle Brandt

Hailey

Brianna

Brandon and Sammy

As soon as we arrived in Indiana, Lindsay and Brandt had an itinerary full of fun-filled activities planned for us.  Here is the order of festivities:

Day 1: Triathlon & Ruth's Chris
Your Dad and Uncle Brandt signed up to do a triathlon together.  It was one of the hottest days in Indiana, and the triathlon started at 4 in the afternoon, but they pushed through it.

Waiting in line for their turn to swim

Daddy doing the breaststroke

Brandt freestyling

You and Charlie were in the stroller, and you were cheering him on.  It was so cute!  You kept saying, "Daddy, daddy!" and clapping your hands.

The next event was the bicycle ride.  Unfortunately, Dad got a flat tire after the first lap and had to ditch his bike.  He was a champ and still finished the event even with the setback.

The last event was the running, where Dad ran a 5K.  As I stated before, it was a hot day, and I was sweating just watching.

This is one of my favorite pictures.  Brandt getting ready to slap Dad's butt for a job well done.

After the triathlon, we went home, took a shower, and headed out for our anniversary dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.  Lindsay and I had never been there, but everyone has told me how delicious the steak is.  I was so hungry and ready to sink my teeth into a juicy steak.

We ordered salads, calamari, a shrimp cocktail, ribeyes, asparagus, mashed and scalloped potatoes, and creme brulee for dessert.  Mmmmm, it makes my tummy rumble just thinking about it.  Dad even ate the tender meat right off of the bone.  The dinner was definitely worth the small fortune we paid for it.

Day 2: Indy 500

Can you believe we did all that in just one day?  The next day was our actual anniversary, and we went to the Indy 500, courtesy of Brandt and Lindsay.  They bought us the tickets for our birthdays.  Hailey was kind enough to babysit you and Charlie while your dad and I went to the race.  I'm sure you had a great time playing with all the kids while we were gone.

Brandt also knows about the back roads, and he was able to get us a free parking space that was only about two miles from the stadium.  (He said it was only a mile, but it was definitely more like two.)  It didn't matter though because we got to walk with all of the other people going to the racetrack, and we were all pumped!

The boys had to carry the coolers all the way from the car to the stadium.
I was glad to be a girl that day.

These were the nice covered seats we had.  Thanks Brandt for picking good seats!  I don't think I could've stayed for the whole race if we were in the direct sunlight.

At the gate, they gave us these free sunglasses to wear in honor of a driver, Dan Wheldon, who died this year.  They looked really silly, but it was a free souvenier.

This is what the stands looked like.  Almost the entire stadium was filled with people.  I felt sorry for all those saps sitting out in the sun.

Something funny that happened at the beginning of the race was the ridiculous number of songs they made us stand for.  They started with "America the Beautiful," which was nice, and I proceeded to sit down.  Then they told us to stand for another song, which I think was "Proud to be an American."  Then we stood for the Indiana Anthem.  And finally, we stood for the National Anthem sung my Martina McBride.  There may have even been another song we stood for that I cannot remember.  They all started to blend together after the first song.

They also said a prayer before the race.  I guess I am used to the standard LDS prayer where they would ask to bless the safety of the drivers and the crew, etc., but this was completely unexpected.  I felt like I was in a scene from Taladega Nights.  The preacher kept praying for "The awesome, powerful engines" and then he would shout to the crowd, "Can I get an AMEN!?"  The crowd would all shout, "AMEN."  Some people were actually touched by this.  The four of us were looking at each other and giggling uncomfortably from the irreverence of the prayer.  Needless to say, it was awkward.

After the race, we went down to the track and took our picture.

We walked back to the car and stopped at a tamale place that Guy Fiery named as one of the best places to get tamales.  I personally liked the carne asada tacos better than the tamales, but they were delicioso as well.

Day 3: Breakfast & Splash Pad

Monday morning started with, as written on the itinerary, "The Crappy Ward Breakfast" with Brandt and Lindsay's ward.  The breakfast was appropriately named.  You were quite unhappy that morning, so Dad stayed home with you to let you work through your tantrum.  Since it was Memorial Day, the ward decided to have a presentation in honor of our armed forces.  The idea was nice, but there were several flaws.  The breakfast/program began at 9am.  We arrived at 9:15, and the program had already begun.  The food was all cooked and sitting out on the tables during the 1 hour presentation.  By the time it was done, all of the food was cold, and the children were restless.  (Honestly, I was a pretty restless too.  I couldn't hear anything they were saying, so I couldn't even enjoy the program.)  The highlight of the breakfast was that Lindsay snagged me a scrumptious, homemade pastry stuffed with apple filling.  It was totally worth the wait.

After the breakfast, we headed over to the splash pad, and the kids played in the water.  I was sad that you missed it because I know you would have enjoyed it, but you were taking a much needed nap at that time.

Days 4 & 5: Chicago

Chicago!!!  We rented a car and drove out to Chicago, which is about 3 hours away from Indianapolis.  We stayed at the Hilton, and it was beautiful.  It had a baby grande at the top of the staircase with a live pianist to greet us.

They also had a life-size version of one of my cow parade cows "Lucky Cow" out in the front lobby.

After we dropped off our stuff at the hotel, we headed out to the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower.  This is the tallest tower in the US and the tallest structure in the world.

They had a skybox at the top of the tower where you could look out at the city.  I am terrified of heights, and it took a lot of courage for me to step onto the skybox and also allow you and Charlie to.  You were not afraid at all.

Since we were in Chicago, we stopped for some deep dish pizza.  It was yummy, but I think I am more of a NY pizza kind of girl.

When we were in the pizza place, you just wanted to be outside walking around.  You kept saying, "Outside, outside!"  It was also past your bedtime, so after I finished my pizza I took you and Charlie back to the hotel and put you to bed.  The adults stayed up and played cards and then went to bed.

The next morning we went to see the sights of Chicago.

Buckingham Fountain

Side Note: This is the same fountain shown at the beginning of a show called "Married with Children."  It was very popular when I was in high school.

Hailey is an amazing artist.  Maybe she'll go to school there someday.

I know it's silly, but this was one of my favorite parts of Chicago.

You could've stayed at this fountain all day.

The Bean - I love the view of the city reflecting off of it.

Which one is the real Lindsay?

The next part of our trip was soooo cool!  The Adams told us that we were going to a Cubs game, but what they didn't tell us was that the Cubs were playing against the Padres!!!  As soon as I found out, I was kind of bummed that I hadn't brought any of my Padres gear.  Then, they surprised us again by telling us that they had called your Nana and arranged for her to send us some Padres gear to wear at the game.  It was so cool to be routing for the Padres at Wrigley Field.  I thought that people would get really angry, but they were pretty nice about it.

The Adams routing for the Cubs

Go Padres!

You eventually took a nap on Daddy's lap. 
You were worn out from charming all the people around us.

Brandt also told us that we had to have a Chicago hot dog at the ballpark.  Well, I never object to a hot dog at the ballpark.  (That's usually the only place I will eat them.)  As he was going to pick up the dogs for us, I asked him to make sure mine had mustard and relish.  He laughed and said, "No.  You'll see."  This is what he brought back:

The picture doesn't do the relish justice.  It is a bright green color, so bright in fact that I think they add food coloring to it to make it greener.  It was yummy and full of flavor.

On our way home we stopped by Navy Pier, but just to use the restroom.  Maybe next time we go we can spend more time there.

Dad loved Chicago so much that he said he wanted to live there.  I loved it too, but I think the winters would be too cold for me.  We thought that maybe we could become snowbirds when we retire and live in Chicago in the summer.  I'm excited to go back and see more of the sights.

Days 6 to 10: Around the House & Children's Museum

The rest of the visit was spent hanging around the house in addition to a visit to the Children's Museum.  I hope someday we can get a Children's Museum in Yuma.

Daddy spent a lot of time playing the Wii.

We played cornhole (bean bag toss) outside. 

Your Dad played with you while we were playing cornhole.

Sammy let you borrow her scooter.

Your favorite thing to do was to jump on the trampoline.  You loved to take one of the kids fingers and drag them outside saying, "jumping."

It was nice having your Daddy off of work to snuggle with too.

Our trip to the Children's Museum was just as fun as it was last year.  You got to do more stuff though since you could walk around this time.  Charlie liked it too.  They had a Hot Wheels exhibit and a Legos Exhibit that wasn't there last year.

We all had so much fun at the Adams' house.  Although we miss them terribly, it is nice to have an excuse to go and visit other places and have fun in a big city.  They really went out of their way to make sure we had an amazing time while we were there.  I hope some day you are as lucky as I am to have such great friends.

Love,

Mom