A Baby Boy

Madison, Jacquelynn, Grandma holding Jacen, Sutton and Brooklyn

Jacen Edward Villa

Me, Madison and Baby Jacen

What an exciting four months I have had with thirty-five (35) days in Abu Dhabi with Chris and Beckham, three (3) weeks in State College, PA with Ben, Cooper and their five (5) great kids, home for a couple of days, then three (3) weeks in Orem, Utah with Angela, Eddie and their family ... four little girls and now a new baby boy.

We are blessed beyond belief to have these five fabulous kids, five wonderful spouses and now nineteen (19) grand children - all bringing us such joy. And we love visiting them. Our work and business can be done anywhere at anytime, so we are able to go wherever they are to see them and continue being a part of their lives.

Spending the past three (3) weeks in Orem with Angela and her family was awesome. We played games, occasionally watched movies, shared iPad's, visited the hospital, cleaned the house, cooked meals, shopped, attended church, and practiced the piano together. I took Madison to her special musical rehearsals at Clayton Production Studio in Salt Lake City, chauffeured the girls to and from school, and shared their moments of love and excitement about their new baby brother Jacen. It was a time that I will always cherish.

It's times like these that we realize what life is all about. Years ago I had a single friend say to me as she watched my young children run to greet me at the car with hugs and kisses, "mom, mom you are home, we missed you." She immediately said, "you are so lucky to be surrounded by snuggly love pillows." She was right in  referring to the comfort of knowing I was loved unconditionally. And I am that - now with five grown children, five super spouses, and nineteen love bug grandchildren! I will never take these "love pillows" for granted. Blessed? Beyond blessed. And each new grand baby brings a little bit of  heaven with them that we can see, feel and cherish. That is pure and eternal joy.

Eddie got his son! Never too soon for a Batman wardrobe.

Deja Vu

Baby Jacen Edward Villa

Big Sisters Madison & Jacquelynn

Talk about deja vu from the moment we arrived here in Orem, Utah to help my daughter take care of her family while she and Eddie brought a new baby boy, Jacen Edward Villa, into the world. Jacen was a week late, is gorgeous (as are all of Angela and Eddie's children), weighing in at 8 lbs 11 ounces and 21 1/2" long, with a full head of beautiful black hair. The girls absolutely adore him, and are so excited to finally have a baby brother. With five sisters, Jacen will get lots of motherly attention for sure. Holding Jacen brought back so many memories to me of holding my own six children at birth; each with their own distinct personality that could be seen and felt immediately. And each brought me such joy and love that has grown even stronger with the passing years. Newborn babies bring a little heaven with them that touches your heart the second you look upon their face. There's just nothing that compares, nothing better than children and family, and I have been blessed beyond measure with six fantastic children and now nineteen (19) incredible grandchildren.

Madison standing in front of our old Orem home.

More about the deja vu part of the story. Madison and I have been taking walks everyday while I'm here helping out, and decided today to hike over to our old home we moved from 32 years ago here in Orem. It looked exactly the same. As I gazed upon our old home, I could still see myself sitting on the front porch French-braiding Angela's hair when she was only 3-4 years old. Here she is now, living a few blocks away, with five (5) beautiful children of her own. This vivid memory of my little girls brought tears to my eyes. Other memories quickly surfaced, like sitting on the front lawn reading the Old Testament in preparation for a Sunday School class, having a New Years Eve party at the home across the street, and watching my children ride their big wheels up and down that driveway and into the cul-de-sac. It is amazing how things forgotten are suddenly remembered visiting places from our past. 

Attending Sacrament meeting Sunday gave me another huge wave of deja vu when I recognized an old, dear friend - now the Stake President of my daughter's stake, with a large family of his own. He was someone I dated when I was 18 years old while working at Grand Canyon's North Rim. I was pulling out my iPad in Sunday School and glanced up and saw him sitting a few seats to the left of me. We both immediately recognized each other after all of these forty+ years, and again ... memories of past events, people and places made me smile. How quickly these precious years on earth pass. How very important it is to keep a journal, take a ton of pictures and document what is happening around us. Cherish the moments is something we always say to someone as we see our own life so quickly passing before our eyes. Blogging and journaling helps me remember the beautiful life I have lived. And, I have loved being here these past couple of weeks with my daughter and her family, sharing the special moments in the present, fondly remembering memories from the past, and creating more memories that tomorrow will all too quickly have us smiling and saying, "remember when..."

Madison, Jacquelynn, Grandma, Jacen, Sutton and Brooklyn Easter Sunday, 2013