Funeral & Reunion

Grandpa Hull's Funeral

Here is my family at the luncheon after the funeral.

Back Row: Brian, Kayson, Shannon, Sloan, Jack, Jessica, Chad, Ella, Charlotte, Hazen 

Front Row: Kaelyn, Dennis, Mom/Grandma/Barbara, Shelby, Cody, Guy

Missing: Danielle (Brian's wife), Tessa (Brian's daughter)

Jack went mountain biking with his friends Eric and Joel during our visit. Jack said they got out of there fast after taking this picture with the moose.

The following weekend I took the kids to the Hull family reunion. We had a great time, but I missed Grandma and Grandpa. Aunt Carol was in charge. She threw down this blue tarp and hid 50 cent pieces, quarters, pennies, and wrapped candy in wood chips. The kids could exchange pennies for dollars. They loved it!

Uncle Hazen took the boys out on a canoe and sacrificed his clothes to do it.

We went for a little hike with Grandma.

Guy took a picture of his cousin Cody.

Here are some of my memories of Grandma, Grandpa, and their house:

• Climbing the tree near the sliding doors and daring myself to jump from a low limb.
• Easter egg hunts in the many flowerbeds and grassy areas around their house.
• Thanksgiving seated at a long folding table set up in their living room.
• Braving the steep stairs to play with toys in the hot loft.
• Helping Grandma cut squares of fabric to make rugs.
• Watching Grandpa shoot and cut open a cow with a chainsaw. He caught me spying when he drove by with the cow in the bed of his truck. He invited me to go with him to drop it off to be butchered. He waited until the last minute to make turns and the cow would shift around in the back of the truck.
• Drinking Hooper water.
• Being yelled at to stay away from the ditch.
• Grandpa looked me in the eye and said he loved me about 7 years ago at a family reunion.
• At the end of my last visit with Grandma before she passed away, she held my had so long. Her skin was soft, but her hand was bony.
• At the end of my last visit with Grandpa we talked about the weather of St. George and Sloan threw a fit on the floor. The kids snacked on his cashews.
• Receiving Grandma's homemade afghan at my wedding.
• Wearing the nightgown Grandma made with the matching blanket.
• Opening a silver dollar from my grandparents every Christmas.
• Grandpa baptizing and confirming me a member of the LDS church.

I am sure I could go on and on. I will miss visiting them and their house. I am thankful for my memories though.

Tennessee, Mississippi, & Kentucky

We first traveled to Tennessee to visit Jack's family. We tried to stow the kids in the overhead compartments, but they asked us take them out. Guy had his own seat and Sloan sat on my lap. They both did a great job on the way there.

Jack and Guy helped mow Grandpa's lawn in preparation for the 4th of July festivities.

This is guy's rocket. He was not pleased when Jack lit it on fire and it blew up in the air. He said he was done with fireworks.

Guy doesn't like sparklers either.

We went camping in Sardis, Mississippi. John (Jack's dad) brought his camper. In the picture is Hailey (Jack's niece) holding Sloan, Hailey's friend Hannah, and Guy. Guy is excited about getting worms, but he wants to keep them as pets instead of using them as bait.

We rented a pontoon boat for the day and had a great time.

All Guy wanted to do was fish with his new Spiderman fishing pole. I wish he had caught something.

I tried out the tube. It is easy to be a daredevil when the boat can't go that fast.

We stopped by the beach for lunch. Grandpa took Guy exploring.

John (Grandpa or Dad), Jack, Brandon (Jack's stepbrother)

Sloan, Guy, Christian (Brandon's son)

Jack got up on the knee board despite the slow speed.

A couple days later we went to the Memphis Children's Museum. The kids sat in a real cockpit.

Sloan's favorite part of the museum was grocery shopping.

She didn't want to leave the shopping center, but we were able to distract her with playdough.

Next, they dressed up to be on TV.

Guy's favorite part was the police car, police motorcycle, and the fire engine. 

Then they made their own music video.

The best barbecue in the country is Corky's! We served it at our family dinner when we were getting married, and I will probably serve it at Jack's funeral someday.

The following weekend, we drove to Paducah, Kentucky to visit Jack's mother. We took the kids to Chucky Cheese where they had a blast. Then we drove to Metropolis, Kentucky to see where Superman is from. (P.S. the city is not a metropolis.) Superman is Guy's favorite superhero and his grandma got him an awesome action figure.

This is a picture of Lucy (Peggy's friend) and Peggy (Jack's mom) next to the Lois Lane statue.

After a wonderful visit with Grandma, we drove to Dyersburg, Tennessee for a small family reunion. Guy and Sloan saw fireflies for the first time. We ate more barbecue and I don't care to see any for a long time.

Finally, we traveled back to Memphis to fly home. Sloan would not sleep on the plane. The lady behind us complained when Sloan was screaming. We finally gave up holding her on the descent into Las Vegas and let her play on the floor. The flight attendants didn't say anything because they were probably glad she was quiet too. After we landed someone nearby farted. Jack quietly said, "Someone crapped their pants." Then guy pointed at me and yelled, "Mom, you crapped your pants!" I died laughing which only encouraged him. It wasn't the best 4 hours of my life. 

Summer Fun

We went to our Bob and Cheryl's house for a pool party with other mountain biking friends.

Sloan is not as afraid of the water as Guy was at her age.

The sun was so bright I couldn't see anything.

Guy upgraded from a 12 inch bike to this 16 inch Specialized bike. We bought if from a neighbor and now Guy wants to get a full-face helmet for the BMX track.

Here is Jack and Bob on one of their many mountain bike trips. I think they are in Bryce Canyon here.

In Memory of Grandpa Hull

My grandpa, Norman Hull, passed away last night in his sleep. He was 94 years old and was ready to be reunited with Grandma and other family members like his father who died when he was only 16 years old.

My kids and I had the opportunity to visit him one last time a few weeks ago. We talked about the St. George area and how crazy little kids are (because Sloan threw a tantrum on the floor). The kids are eating up all of his cashews in the picture.

My mom was with him last night. She helped him eat a hamburger and milk shake. He watched a ball game while dozing off. Sounds like the way he wanted to go.

I love you Grandpa! I have always looked up to you and Grandma. You are my modern day heroes. I hope I will grow up to make you proud.