Cute Cutie Pie Camryn

This adorable little girl that is with Elder Nathaniel Gardner is Camryn Marie Gardner, whose birthday is today! Happy Birthday, Camryn! She is 5 years old, and she is wonderful. She has definitely stolen her daddy Joel's heart, and we are so grateful she is part of our family.

Camryn is a fashionista. She loves having her hair done and doing hair. I had the privilege of having her do my hair the last time we were in Ann Arbor, and it was fun to have her do it (especially learning that I had to have my hair sprayed with water). She is very gentle and very focused. She also is very creative. I don't know that my hair will ever look as good as it did with Camryn's creative skills! She uses them on her My Little Ponies also. I am pretty sure she got Grandpa to play My Little Ponies with her.

Camryn has lots of friends, and she is a very good hostess. She likes to play with dolls, stuffed animals, and ponies. She also is very tidy. I have watched her make her bed without being asked, and I am pretty impressed that she can do that as a young lady.

When we first got our Mac computers, we played with the special effects and Camryn had fun with them:


If you look at her eyes you can see how they sparkle with fun ideas. She is the epitome of creativity, and she is such a social little duck that it's fun to watch her in action.

Camryn is also a leader. She's a good example to her little brother Christian and I know she is very excited to have a new baby in the family. She will take very good care of her new baby brother when he comes in February.

I wish I had some more pictures of just Camryn alone! I think I'll steal a few from Heather's blogsite.

Anyway, Happy Birthday to our precious little Camryn! You are a joy to us!!!!!!

Our Wonderful Joel Daniel Gardner

In the foreground is our birthday boy, Joel Daniel Gardner, holding his son Christian: great dad, creative dating husband and one of the most wonderful guys in the world. Happy birthday, Joellie! I tried to do this blog entry yesterday, but the blog website was down for some reason. So please accept my apologies for the belated birthday wishes. We'll just have to celebrate extra hard in CHICAGO baby! Next weekend, yep, we're all 7 of us heading back to Chicago. I'm pretty pumped, especially since I had just told Stan how much I wanted him to come up with a fun idea to take me somewhere spontaneously like Joel did with Heather!

If I were to pick one word to describe Joel, it would be this: determination. I have loved this boy since I first saw his adorable face when he was born. He has an unquenchable desire to know all about everything. When he was crawling he got into soap, butter, sugar, toasters, cockroaches (we were in the Philippines and they are rampant there--even if you're a spectacular housekeeper), and was always watching everything with intensity. If we turned our backs, he could figure out how to take something apart and put it back together, and it would still work! The best fruit of Joel's determination is Heather. Joel fell in love with her when he was 14, informed me he would marry her when he was 15, and finally convinced her to marry him when they were going to school at Utah State University. They have three, going on four, adorable kids: JD, Camryn, and Christian. Heather tells me that they're considering naming their expected little guy after the places where they fell in love with each other. Pretty cool! With Heather's support and encouragement, I have watched Joel become a truly great man, and I know there's even more to come, because that's just the way Joel is. Once he decides something, NOTHING will stop him. Nothing. Nada. No Way. He just decides and goes for stuff, and gets there.
This is a picture of Joel and Christian. They are good buddies, and Joel loves all his kids. He and JD have a ton of fun together with Legos and ball games, and Camryn is definitely Daddy's little girl.

It always amazes me how each of our children has grown into such a unique, yet amazing individual in their own right. Joel has gone from a marginal student who worked part time at Checker Auto to an exceptional physician--an anesthesiologist who will be doing well in his contracted job next year in Pocatello Idaho. It's fun to see Heather and Joel excited to find a house. They deserve it after all these years in their crumby little apartment in Ann Arbor!
These six boys have a great time with their dad and each other. From left: David, Nathaniel, Joel, Stephen, Stan, Joshua, and Matthew.

Joel is wise, hilariously funny, witty. Inside he's a marshmallow: kind and compassionate, always willing to do everything he can to make things right. I love his integrity and I love his drive. Most of all, I love Joel. Happy birthday, dear son! You are an inspiration to me. I love you! Mom

Bekah Boo!

Happy Birthday to our little princess, Rebekah Loreen Gardner! She is a bundle of sunshine and a joy to everyone who knows her. Some of the things I love about Bekah are: she loves to smile. I think she is smiling 99.9% of the time! She makes ME smile, just seeing her smile. She loves her brothers and her sisters. She is kind and loving to her baby sister Emily and she thinks of ways to make her happy. She also loves to play with her big brother Jacob. Bekah also loves her oldest brother Joseph, who is a very good example to her, and her big sister Sarah, who helps her learn lots of creative skills. Another thing I love about Bekah is that she loves to talk and sing! In fact, just about any form of happy communication is something you will find Bekah doing. She is a little angel girl.
Bekah finds joy in everything, also. She loves to learn about things, and she gets excited about life and all the fun things life has to offer. She loves to play--outside, inside, it really doesn't matter. She just has a lot of fun!

We love this precious little girl and are so glad that she is part of our family. We are very grateful that she was born to Dave and Lori, who are some of the best parents in the world. Happy Birthday, Bekah Boo!

Nananananananananah....MATT MAN!

Happy Birthday, Matthew! Today is the 27th birthday of our precious son, and how we love him! Matt is a pillar of strength and integrity, a man who has blessed our lives and those of his brothers and sisters (and wife and daughters). We are so grateful for our Matthew Aaron Gardner. As I type this, I am listening the the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing "Sunrise, Sunset." "...when did she get to be a beauty, when did he grow to be so tall; wasn't it yesterday when they were small?" Tears come to my eyes as I realize how precious life is and what a miracle to be a part of someone's life--and how especially blessed I feel to know Matthew as a part of my life. Maybe Matt never grew to be "so tall," :), but he definitely stands tall in the things that matter!


This is Matthew's precious wife, Brittany, who is a marvelous mother to their little Della (pictured), and tiny newborn Aliya (above with Matthew and Brittany at top of page). The way that Matthew met Brittany and their subsequent courtship and marriage has been an answer to prayer. She is a treasure to us. The story of how they came to know and love each other is a story of divine promises fulfilled and friendships that extend throughout eternity. How we love her!








Matt and Della have a special "Daddy-Daughter" relationship. It's so fun to see them together. I know his three girls have Matt wrapped around their little fingers. Couldn't imagine a better place for him to be!
Last year, I was so proud of Matt, Josh and Nathaniel when they ran a half marathon in Logan, Utah. They were successful because they spent months consistently preparing and working to achieve their goals. I'm proud of the example Matthew sets in working to achieve his goals. I'm grateful that he brings inspiration into his decisions and he has great faith, which strengthens my own. We were also very proud of him when he prepared and studied and practiced and was chosen to join the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Now we get to watch Matt and Josh singing on Sundays!




Oh how I hope that someday everyone reading this will have the privilege of knowing Matt. I am greatly blessed to have this wonderful son. We love you Matthew Aaron Gardner! Have a marvelous birthday. And may you be blessed as you have blessed our lives!