Lindsay & Garrett Wedding 2010

Lindsay & Garrett and brothers and sisters

Granddaughter Lindsay

Great Grandchildren Are Precious And Welcome

Hudson Reeder 10th Great Grandbaby, born in 2009 to Ryan and Stacy, fun visit Summer 2010

Katie's an especially good beautiful mom!

James Taylor Christensen, 11th Great Grandchild, born in 2010. Mother Ashley was surprised when Grandma Marilyn got out this cute quilt for James to lay on. She got down on her hands and knees in delight to see how they made the quilt. She bought the same material in California and is going to fix the nursery in this design.

Kyle, Ashley, Grandma Marilyn, and baby James had a wonderful visit.

Grandpa Kay came home just in time for a three generation photo. Kyle is in the Navy now studying to be a dentist. Stacy's a stay-at-home mom.

Mother's Day 2010

Mother’s Day

2010 Mothers Day was wonderful in spite of running out of water in our car. Kay and I searched the car for water, water, and finally filled the car.
In our last workmeeting at church we got a lecture on summer traveling. Lots of water - water was the mosy important.
The short delay made us a bit late to brunch at Montreux. We still had a lot of fun.
Janette our daughter and husband Don invited us to Montreux. their family are all golfers.
The flowers on the table added to my fun picture taking.
Kay and Marilyn, Don and Janette, Denice and Grandma Marilyn, Brad and girlfriend,

Debbie & John Reeder had us to dinner, John is a wonderful chef and two grandsons Cody & Ty came too. Ty gets teased for looking like Clark Kent. He laughs but hasn't changed to Superman yet! Debbie & John, Ryan, Cody, & Ty are the only family that lives in Fernley, Nevada. The boys have grown up and are out on their own. So glad Debbie and John are still here. They invite us often to family dinners.

Denise couldn't wait to finish eating and picture time so she could go and change to her golfing clothes and practice her putting. She just made the team. It was freezing cold, terrible wind, but she loved every minute of it, and so did we.

Happy Mother's Day From The Wilkersons

Donnie Wilkerson & Jannette with flowers. The flowers were from the table and made it fun for my camera to take pictures.

Denise & Grandma Marilyn

Brad & girlfriend and flowers

Denise, girlfriend, and flowers.

Cheryl Lynn Wilkerson now works as a certified chef. Had fun making orders for all of us, and earning money to continue going to college.

All of our nine children remembered me on Mother's Day. Phone calls, live flowers blooming from Bryan, letters, and brunch and dinner.

Just Fishin' Around

Christmas 2009

I have lots of pictures of Madelyn because she likes to pose and has fun in her tutu and crown that Grandma Marilyn and Grandpa Kay gave her.

Christmas 2009

We enjoyed a delicious dinner Sunday the 20th at the Reeders’ home. Grandson Cody and his wife Jen were there and Ty our youngest Reeder grandson. Friends Kaye and Ron Brown were there to celebrate the season also.

Debbie and John were planning to leave for Saint George, Utah, on Christmas Eve to be with their oldest son Ryan and wife Katie and their First grandson Hudson born on Dec 12, 2009
Christmas eve afternoon we left cold snowy Nevada and drove to warm Nevada City, CA. . We left in the afternoon and the roads were clear and the traffic light. It was a blast to visit and play with the six great grand children. They brought their parents to take care of them. We sat back and rested as we watched the fun activities. Another wonderful dinner and then the little ones were put to bed, while we helped santa put many present under the tree.

Christmas morning was a joy to watch the little ones open each present and play with it. They often asked their parents how to run the movable toy. Kay and I had never seen such interesting toys. The rocking horse not only rocked back and forth but had music and other sound too. Madelyn got a kick out of the tutu and crown that we gave her. We got a lot of pictures of her because she liked to pose for us.

We were blessed with a computerized TV two way talking set up from Taylor Christensen who is in Bulgaria, where he is serving a two year mission for the church. It is amazing how that works. The left of the TV screen had a small picture of us as we talked to him. He answered lots of question his mom and the rest of us asked him. What a blessing we have to be able to talk to him so far away.

It took all morning to open the presents, because the children had so much fun playing with each gift. Then a delicious brunch and fun conversations around the table.
We had to leave in the afternoon before it got dark. It was hard leaving this Christensen family and all the six children and their mates and grandchildren and great grands.

We drove on clear roads but there were lots of cars on the hiway. It was off to the Wilkersons’ home before dark in Reno. Thank heaven for cell phones so we could let them know when we were arriving. It was cold and there was a lot of snow back in Nevada, but we will need the moisture and the summer flowers and trees and drinking water.

I realized I had left my camera in the Christensens’ house. we called again on the cell phone and they found it and Heather said she would bring it to me Monday on their way home. Kay let me borrow his camera “ nice guy I’m married to” We were greeted again by another family and friends. The Wilkersons’home was beautiful and there was a lovely tall christmas tree with lots of my hand painted ornaments I have given them over the years. Don and Janette had fixed a delicious dinner with all the trimmings. Janette had just finished a year of redoing the inside of her home. The kitchen was out of this world. It was fun visiting with our three grandchildren, Cheryl, Brad and Denise. Brad’s nice girlfriend twas here also.

We ate delicious horsd’ouvres and visited. The conversation was interesting, finding out what our three grandchildren are doing. Brad is working with his dad in real-estate, Cheryl is working as a chef and Montreux and going to school and thinking about teaching. Denise is sixteen and has her drivers license. Melinda, our daughter, is working for a doctor doing the books. She made the delicious desserts. Dinner was served and I was so hungry, I forgot to photo the table and the food., but is was wonderful. I gave Janette and Melinda each a copy of the 14 pages of stories of my paintings in a book I started last year. They got a kick out of them.

It was dark when we started home. We were a bit nervous about Dolly our Cocker Spanial, she had been locked up ever since we left. Oh! was she happy to see us. Our neighbor Sharon said Dolly howled and whined all Christmas Day. We were glad to be home and into our own bed.

These pictures bring back happy memories. We are so lucky to be in pretty good health and enjoying the holidays with a bunch of our children and grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Fun Old Picture Of Max 2004

Old Memories Of Heather

2004

I wonder what the family is talking about. Grandparents getting old! They still have hair and teeth and smile alot. They love me and it feels good when they hug me. I heard my mom say "Grandpa Kay, will you have time to teach my Zac how to make silver rings, so he can make one for me?" And Grandma Marilyn painted me a yo-yo with a frog on it when I was born. I wonder what a frog is? Grandma Marilyn walks with a cane and wears a singing watch. Grandpa Kay makes arrowheads in the teepee outside on the lawn. Hope they stick around awhile, they can make my life fun and interesting.

Merry Christmas and see you in the New Year, Love Max...

P.S. I haven't met Hollyberry the dog yet or Spot the cat.

Melinda Jackson
by mother Marilyn Johnson
September 7, 2009

Melinda Jackson was born October 31, 1962. I was alone in the delivery room and she was born as doctor Stewart came rushing onto the room. He had to wash his hands and put on a gown before he could help me. He told me I did a good job but now he needed my help. He yelled “S.O.S. for another doctor and a nurse. He placed the baby on my chest and told me to hold her. I was still a little afraid. I asked if it was a girl or boy. He jokingly said “open your eyes and look.” A beautiful girl !” One nurse arrived and took the baby I asked why the baby was not crying.

“She is still on the umbilical cord.”
“ Why? Because you are bleeding too much.”

The other doctor arrived and strapped me to the table and put my legs in the stirrups The baby started to cry and that was music to my ears. I was weak but happy and kept passing out. The nurse and doctor worked with the baby and took her to a nursery. Dr. Stewart kept poking me.
“Why are you hurting me.”
“I’m sewing you up.”
“How many stitches?”
“I lost count.”
“But you did a good job and the baby is strong.”

The doctor wouldn't let me nurse her because I was too anemic. Melinda was a happy baby and it was fun to give her a bottle of milk.

Melinda was a easy baby to care for. She kept her eyes on me all the time. She walked early and played in the house and yard with our puppy. She would try to feed the pup milk from her bottle. We all laughed at her because she would poke the bottle into the pups tummy.

As Melinda got older and a little more adventurous she got lost. We looked everywhere. I heard her singing and followed the sound. It was Saturday and the workmen that were building the house next door were gone. The house only had the wood framework up and the floors. I followed the singing and found Melinda in the bathtub. Her clothes were neatly piled on the floor. I tried hard not to laugh and scolded her. I gave her a little spanking and made rules about not leaving the yard. She was about two years old.

The painting she requested me to paint many years later was of her in her favorite red dress with the cherries on the collar. It was a fun portrait to paint. It always reminds me of the bathtub story.