The Book of Orton: 2 FALL Trips : Grandma's farewell and BYU.

This fall we took 2 road trips to Idaho/Utah.
Favorite Memories:(mixture of both trips)

My mom drove through with my bro's so we five Ortons jumped in the suburban. 8 people, one car... true rode trippin it.
Eating at Brick Oven.
Being at BYU campus again with Devin. Love that campus.
Hanging out at Karli and Pat's home for conference. We love them and their ping pong ball eating crazy pit bull Zoey.

(Orton #1 grandchild and #22 grandchild, conference cuddling)

Joey sitting in the back of the van with my kids, reading C.S Lewis Screw Tape letters and simultaneously busting out gut laughs at Shrek with the kids.
Gage calling Joey "Grandma" all weekend.

Cache asked me if he could see his first house. *Choke back tears.* "Of course!" He reminded us about 10 times during the trip to remember to take him to see it.

Devin re-creating when he brought Cache home. Cache was not a fan of Dad's humor.

Uncle Steve's Birthday. Uncle Steve and Aunt Raquel and their 8 awesome kids. Love my cousins! They are each the nicest people on the planet. Truly.
Sleeping in Grandma and Grandpa's bedroom and remembering conversation with Grandpa there.
Naomi walking around the house looking at all the pictures from Tahiti and saying: "Does this Hawaii Grandma house have a Grandpa?" Yes it does Naomi and Grandpa Childers would have thought you were a kick in the pants.
Staying up till 2 am around Aunt Raquel's round table talking and eating ice cream with Kev, Nat, Alisa her husband Scott, Nick, Sarah and Devin. I think we covered over 100 different topics.
The gorgeous Autumn colors of Logan and Aunt Raquel's house in Grace Idaho.

(My cousin Kevin's oldest 3 and Naomi)

Playing before church.

Naomi riding a day ahead with my parents(2nd trip) and by the time we joined her she had a new pony and 4 new sparkly skirts my Aunts and mom got for her. They say she is an excellent shopping partner. (She is.)
The pride and admiration I felt so strongly for my 81 year old grandmother when she stood in front of the congregation at church, trembling because she was so nervous but so determined to give her farewell address.

By the end her shakes were gone and she strongly and tearfully declared her love for the Savior and the Gospel and her love for the Missionaries that taught her the Gospel when she was little and still living on the Islands.
Her love for the Savior is one of the most beautiful things about her.
How many 81 year old women pack up by their own self to go work on an island? I know it was hard for her to leave her house where she felt closer to Grandpa, but felt as we all did that she was suppose to go.
She is brave. She is little. She is selfless. She is beautiful. She is everything Heavenly Father intended his daughters to be.
She is magnificent and I am humbled to be her Granddaughter.

Every time we visit Grandma Childers she says to me: (About Naomi) "That girl is a Tahitian."

I'm not sure what about Naomi's blue eyes and light brown hair say that, so it must be in her attitude.

Or her addiction to her orange mu mu?

Then her and Nay eat all the fruit in the house.

Snuck this pic from around the corner of them having a conversation.

Grandma always calls her "Naomi Titaua" and reminds me that Naomi's middle name means white flower. This time she asked me to: "Every once in a while put a white flower behind her ear just like dat. And that will be so soo nice.. Will you do zat Amie?"

Grandma's room looks like this everywhere. I love it.

More memories:

Pumpkin Poe. (Tahitian dessert) YUM!
Morning walk in the country woods with Devin and Gage. Oh the fall colors steal my heart.

Saying Goodbye. (My Uncle Joe)

Laughing at Grandma and Aunt Gisele. This side of the family is really good at laughing at themselves and making life light even when it really, really isn't. Love them!

The traditional Childers goodbye. They gather on the porch Yell GoodBYE so loud your heart stops. You always leave knowing you are loved. Never too many to love in that family.