We are using BABY BOTTLES again...See our New SMITH BABIES!

For years, Garvin has wanted to raise up "baby" cows....! Yep, you read it right...BABY COWS...Well, we are now the proud parents of two new boys..."T-Bone" and "Sirloin"... Like all new parents...we must show them off...(smile)  Meet ONE WEEK OLDS: T-Bone and Sirloin...

 Garvin and "T-Bone"

Being fed for the first time by his new "Papa"

Hyrum finally got "Sirloin"'s confidence

Sirloin was a bit skiddish, but has since settled down

Mama feeding "T-Bone"

I learned I need to wear better shoes...

Once you have been stepped on...you will know what I mean...

What is so funny...is when the two boys

come BUMP you...when they want more...

They instinctively...bump their mother to make her milk

drop down...so, they would do that to us...

and of course...they were left quite "disappointed"...

Garvin likes to think he is now a "Cattle Baron"! (smile)

Trip to Sacramento

To those children who helped "finance" this trip to Sacramento...I want you to know...the trip paid back in DIVIDENDS... I came away with stories I have never heard before...Example: My father shared the time he saw my mother for the FIRST TIME!  He told me about their FIRST DATE...Really quite cute...

I came away with pictures from the cemetery....which only a person who LOVES doing Genealogy would appreciate...(smile) Sounds like a crazy thing to do, but, I have to tell you...how EXCITED and HAPPY it made me...as I found, not only people I personally LOVED, but felt like I was connecting even more deeply with my ancestors...I will one day...get REACQUAINTED with...that I didn't get to see here during this sojourn....

Caleb made a super effort to drive "7" hours one day...to come and visit my father and I...Spent about "28" hours...with us...while he had to drive "14" hours in all...for that limited time...BUT, it was WORTH every minute...of those "28" hours...My father and Kathy...LOVED having Caleb there...!!!!! It was really the first time...that got to really get to KNOW HIM...In the past, I don't think they really got to talk with him on ONE-TO-ONE...like they did this time...MEMORY MAKING MOMENTS...

Also, on Saturday, Mandy, my brother Scott's daughter, and family came up to go swimming and have dinner...Caleb and I both wore my dad's swimming trunks...and I wore...one of my dad's "tee" shirts to swim in...Sorry...NO PICTURES...Didn't want to SHOCK the FASHION industry...or YOU...in how I looked WEARING the outfit....! (smile)

Dad, Mama Smith, Caleb

Dad, Kathy, and Caleb

My Father's Sister's Grave site

"Greta Louise PETESON"

1930 - 1946

My Dad's parents - My Grandparents

Both Greta's and my grandparents graves are located

at the Odd Fellows Cemetery

My Grandfather - Wallace Harry HEISEN's GRANDPARENTS

from GERMANY

This grave is located at the Sacramento City Cemetery

My grandmother - Dorothy M. JENSEN PETERSON's Brother -

Hans Christian JENSEN's wife's gravesite

Odd Fellow Cemetery

Addie is buried along with her parents

Charles and Adelheid HEISEN

Addie was born in Sacramento, California

Sacramento City Cemetery

WALDO A. WASHBURN and His parents and Sister

WALDO was married to MINNIE HEISEN

Minnie was the daughter, also, of 

Charles and Adelheid HEISEN

Rache'sl 1st Birthday

She loves her fish dinners

Red Velvet Ladybug Cake... a friend really wanted to make it for her so I let her

Sam wanted to blow out the candle... of course

It's all about being born in July

Scott Hansen - Visiting Hyrum - Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn

Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn...are icons of two very adventurous boys...Tom and Huck's characters have come to life...in Hyrum and Scott Hansen...

Scott Hansen came up from FLORIDA to spend 10 days with Hyrum.  They have had such a great time together...Scott has been getting to know Hyrum's new friends...plus...one adventure after another in this part of MONTANA country...Tonight, they went off to an area to camp...fully prepared...to camp in bear, mountain lion country...I won't know if they survived the night...for I will be on my way to California at 6:00 in the morning...to see my father...It was our children's gift to me for my birthday...

4 Days - Simply Being a "Granny"! THE BEST ROLE in LIFE!

With Sarah needing to go to Girls Camp and Luke needing to go out of town on business, I got to babysit for "4" days...with my HEINER grandchildren...I, however, do understand...why raising up a family is for the YOUNG...in body...that is...(smile)  

However, we found we were able to get some things done...to SURPRISE "Daddy and Mommy"!

Our FIRST accomplishment...was to tackle the "garden"...However, we got side-tracked into removing the "weeds" from around the house...and never were able to get back into the GARDEN...But, we did manage to get "half" of the garden done...Please, know we did manage to FINISH all around the house...Here were my HELPERS:

 Savannah, Jacob, and Alayna with her little companion

Sizing up the garden situation...

Joseph is equipped with spoon - works well for small weeds...

(Sarah - If you are missing spoons - you might check in the dirt

outside...)  Of course, there are always hazards on a job site...

Hence, Jacob is wearing his helmet...

What do you do with neighbor children - Yep...you hire them on the spot!

Notice the handy DUMP TRUCK - a must if you are pulling weeds!

Hope this isn't breaking the "Child Labor Laws"!

 By law - there is "break time"

Fruit Punch seemed to be most satisfying

OK...Since everyone had so much fun working OUTSIDE

I thought we would try INSIDE the next day...

We decided to tackle the BASEMENT!

Now, that was interesting...

As you can see, Jacob got a bit confused...

Clean up vs. play...

Savannah figured out the best way to pick things up...

Much easier to carry a little bucket and fill it up...

Saved many steps...back and forth to the box...

Joseph was letting me know...he was working...hard...

Jacob isn't so certain...

OK...Alayna discovered what she could do best for this kind of job...

She tested the "boxes" for us...to make sure they

would be sturdy enough for toys...

Nothing like "satisfaction" in a job well done!

Now, if you think all we did was WORK...WRONG!

Bike riding - Jacob spent a great deal on "Joseph's" bike

Trampoline - Some use it for "jumping"

like Jacob and Alayna

a

and Savannah chose to use the trampoline to eat her lunch...

Now for some good All-American baseball...

Look out Babe Ruth - Joseph is at BAT!

(Yeah, I know...going back a few decades...)

 Move over boys....Savannah hit a "home run"!!!

There was some "down time"

 Savannah reading a story to here brothers...

 The Italians have no edge on HOW to eat

spaghetti...Alayna has it down pat!

  All Joseph had to do was flash me those "innocent" blue eyes...

 Ah...yes...nothing like "sugared" cereal to put a SMILE

on the children's faces...(smile)

The Living Saga of Garvin Smith - Are you Dying to Read It? Part 17

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone across the country who prayed for me, put my name in numerous temples numerous times, thought about me, and pulled (exercised their faith and willed me to health) for me.
I apologize for not posting earlier but I have been horribly sick for about two weeks. I think I'm suffering from the "Vietnam Village" syndrome: "In order to save the village we had to destroy it!" My cancer is in remission, but my immune system is still weakened to the point that the flu becomes a major problem.
As a result of this experience I have come to know God much more intimately. I have felt more of his love, charity, and condescension, than ever before. For that I am grateful, as my initial quest of 2008 was to gain more faith, charity and gratitude. Words fail to convey the spiritual increase I obtained from this, but it is a goodly amount.
Again, Thanks to all who cared. That caring is a manifestation of God's love, and I feel it.

It is INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!! Garvin's cancer is in REMISSION!!!!!

This is the FIRST pet scan taken on 26th of February

You can see that his cancer was progressing

down his arms and legs.

The attached analysis said "There is extensive hypermetabolic

activity throughout the major lymph nodal chains of the neck bilaterally.

ETC. ETC.

His SPLEEN is "3 times" the normal size here...

(located on the "L" side of this picture)

All the WHITE lite up areas showed the cancer activity.

  Here is the 2nd pet scan taken on 29th of June

NO CANCER - Total REMISSION!

SPLEEN is now NORMAL SIZE!

I KNOW with all my HEART...your PRAYERS have played a major part in the 

STRENGTH we felt these past many months!

MANY MANY POSITIVE blessings came out of this experience!!!

Garvin will write more later...right now...he is sleeping.

THANK YOU to ALL OF YOU...who walked every step of the way

with us...I know this is what HEAVEN will be like...

EACH OF US...SUPPORTING and LIFTING EACH OTHER UP!

"God's 'tender' mercies"

is REAL!