Allison: I took a kiwi to school today for my snack.
Mom: That is a healthy snack. Was is hard to eat?
Allison: No, I got a plastic knife from the cafeteria to cut it when I ate it. I didn’t want it to get smashed in my backpack so I carried it around in my hand all morning.
Mom: (silently grateful she had the foresight to not take a real knife no school) Maybe next time cut it up first then you can leave it in a container in your locker or backpack. (Already know she is going to tell me she doesn’t care about “doing it the easy way”)
Allison: I don’t care if I have to cut it at school. People kept asking me what it was. Who doesn’t know what a kiwi is?! I put it on my desk in science and I had a bunch of people convinced it was a baby coconut. Then Mr. Hines comes over and tells everyone, “That is a kiwi, baby coconuts are not a thing. It has a sticker on it that says KIWI.” Then he walked off.
Mom: So now everyone knows what a kiwi is.
Allison: No. When he walked away, I told them kiwi is Spanish for baby coconut. Pretty sure at least three people believed me
Mom: 🤦🏻♀️
Another day…
Allison: Mom, do you know what a walk up song is? Like in baseball when the batter walks up he picks the song?
Mom: Yes, I know what a walk up song is.
Allison: Well, they don’t have those in gymnastics so I decided I wanted one for when I walk into my classes at school. The past couple days I have played one for most of my classes when I walk in.
Mom: Oh…ok. So what song do play?
Allison: The Imperial March. Darth Vadar’s theme song.
Then proceeds to laugh her head off.🤦♀️
This next picture is from a while ago, I came across it in my pictures the other day. Allison is known to leave various types of notes on her door depending on her mood. I will leave it up to the reader to guess her mood for this one.
Can you see what is different in the picture? A few weeks ago I went in for my regular eye check up and over the last few months I have started having occasional floaters in my left eye. So he dilated just my left eye. I have had both my eyes done before but never one. It was a little weird, and it freaked people out too.
I also learned that I now have a mole in the back of my left eye. I didn’t know that you could get moles in your eye but just like on the rest of your body they can develop over time. It is not the cause of my floaters (the kind I have are just caused from aging) just something he saw when he was looking. Getting older is just a bucket of fun. He did say that most people have to get readers when they turn 40 and my eyesight is just as good as it was last year, so it is nice to be bucking that trend for now.
Allison has been lobbying for a friend for Peanut for the last year or so. She has done lots of research on why they need a friend and pleaded her case many times. She even wrote a report titled, Why We Should Get Another Guinea Pig, and sent it to Ryan. A few weeks ago she got lucky and the stars aligned when she asked an we had a moment of weakness so we went to the store and she picked out a friend for Peanut.
He is a cute little bugger. Over the course of a week he had many names but she finally settled on Milo. He was only a few months old so he is pretty small. Peanut seemed to like him right away. They got along pretty well from the start. It has been about a month since we got him and they are buddies for life now. Now Emilee thinks she needs one too.
We all survived Allison’s favorite day of the year without to much damage. She pulled a few pranks on everyone but Matthew seemed to be the focus of most of her pranks.
She did the usual tape over the faucets, saran wrap across doorways, and creepy pictures strategically placed around the house to startle you when you least expect it.
Matthew said he woke up to Allison sneaking around his room at 4 in the morning. He didn’t care enough to worry to much about it then. When he turned his fan on and confetti flew everywhere he thought that was it. When he got to school he turned on his laptop and found this waiting for him.
She is a funny girl. I know I am forgetting a few of her pranks too. A few days later, I was cleaning out the fridge and found one that she attempted but then forgot about. I was grateful that she at least put the stapler in a bag first before submerging it in Jello.
I was able to go out to Utah for my Grandma’s funeral. It was a really nice weekend. My parents and Sherri were able to come as well and we all stayed with DeAnna. Friday evening there was a viewing. Except for my brother I think all of my extended family was there. My cousins Erin, Lisa, and Melissa made photo boards and displays of her life. Grandma looked very nice. A lot of my dad’s cousins and aunt and uncles were there too. After the viewing a lot of us practiced a song, Come Unto Me, written by Grandma to sing the next day at her funeral. My Grandpa sat on a chair by Grandma and talked with people as they came to see her. When he got there he put his hand on her chest and looked at her for a while then said, “Well Dear, you are cold and dead.” I think he was just being matter of fact, not funny or morbid.
Great Aunt Elain, mom and Lynette (Elain’s daughter)cousinsAuntsCazier FamilyGrandma’s sister Elaine and all of Grandma’s childrenJones FamilyBandley Family
The next morning we had the family prayer before the funeral. All seven of her children spoke at the service. They did a great job. The whole family sang her song, Families are Fun to Belong To. Some of us sang her song, Come Unto Me, and the closing song was a recording of her playing Danny Boy on her trumpet. She was an amazing woman. So kind, talented, and loving. My aunt Mary said that heaven had one of its best trumpeters back and she was probably already playing with the angels. I think she is too.
Howard Family (Ace, Leilani, Neo)Duerden FamilyMary Rowley FamilyJones Family
It was pretty chilly so the graveside service at the cemetery was brief. After my dad dedicated the grave, Grandpa was ready to go. There was a very nice lunch at the church. Her daughters sang another song of hers, To Mother. After the luncheon some people went home, a lot of us went to Grandpa’s house and visited and hung out together. He was exhausted and it had been a busy few weeks for him since Grandma had passed away so eventually he took a little nap. We had popcorn with raisins in it as a snack- one of his favorites. It was a very nice weekend. I enjoyed seeing family that I haven’t seen for a few years. Grandma will be greatly missed. She lived a great life and left an amazing legacy. There is an empty spot now that she isn’t with us physically anymore.
Grandma and AllisonFour GenerationsDropping me off at airport to go homeFascinated with grandpa’s snoringGrandma and Grandpa’s homePinegar Family
My sweet Grandma-Annie Joy Pinegar Jones passed away last night in her sleep. She was one of the kindest, sweetest people. She celebrated her 90th birthday just two days before she passed away. She has been in a lot of pain and not wanted to eat the past year but she still loved to have company and did her best to visit.
The last time I saw her was last April. She struggled with her memory sometimes but she knew who I was most of the time and we had a good visit. I have many special memories of her throughout my life. She was an amazing musician. She was my first piano teacher. I was practicing on her piano one day and I missed a note and was struggling to figure it out. From the kitchen she said, “Move your 4th finger on your left hand down two white keys.” She did that more than once. She had a beautiful singing voice too. She played the piano and her trumpet all over the world. I could listen to her play for hours. She usually played one or both when we had a family gathering, reunion, or a family home evening. One of the songs that will always remind me of her is “Danny Boy”. She wrote many songs too, we have a little blue book of sweet songs she wrote for her kids and grandkids to use for Family Home Evenings. “Families Are Fun To Belong To” is now in its fourth generation of being sung in Jones families across the country.
My dad went to see her two weeks ago. She didn’t want to take a picture because she is to old but she smiled and was a good sport.
When I was really young we lived pretty close to them and saw them often. She had sleepovers with the grandchildren. She didn’t really enjoy cooking but she always made sure you had something to eat when you came over. The first thing she said after giving you a hug was, “Are you hungry?” It didn’t really matter what your answer was, she would make you eat something. Their home grown grape juice and canned peaches with a piece of toast was always a favorite of mine. Cold cereal is a staple at their house and I have carried that tradition on in mine.
One time, I wanted to go swimming with my aunt and her friends and was disappointed I didn’t get to go. Grandma found a swimsuit for me and pinned it to fit me and had grandpa put a sprinkler on a tarp on their back yard hill so I could slide down it. Then I sunned on a blanket with Grandpa. Her and my grandpa had more family gatherings then I could ever count at their house. My cousins and I spent many hours doing our makeup in her bathroom and then showing everyone how we did. I remember making cookies with her and deciding to try my hand at juggling the eggs. Of course it being my first attempt ever at juggling it was a complete disaster. She had a very surprised look on her face when I explained what I had been attempting to do, but she was patient and told me to practice with grandpas tennis balls outside instead of eggs.
When I was older we lived farther away and didn’t see them as much but they came to visit us and we spent many fun Summer vacations at their house. They often put together family reunions for everyone to come to and see each other. She always sent a card for my birthday and Christmas.
She served missions for our church in Jerusalem, and Washington DC with my grandpa. She walked with her best friend every morning for decades. She was always happy and concerned with taking care of everyone and making sure you were comfortable. She had a sweet laugh. Her Christmas tree was usually flocked and always seemed huge in my memory. I don’t remember her ever being angry but I remember her talking about something one of her grandkids had done and calling them, “a little shit”. I still laugh at that memory. Sundays she always had curlers in her hair, and played beautiful music. She thought she was being a bad grandma if you helped with dishes or did any cleaning. She wanted us to play and enjoy ourselves at her house. She was self conscious about her hair and how thin it got but I thought she always looked beautiful. She had classic, timeless beauty.
I am her name sake. I have always felt special and proud to be named after her. The first words that pop into my head when I think of her are; joy, family, kind, patient, consistent, constant, loving, music, family history, caring, sweet, and strong testimony of the Savior. I will miss her. I know she is in Heaven, having sweet reunions with her past family and friends. She is probably playing a trumpet too. I love you Grandma Jones.
When I was young I spent many years begging to get my ears pierced. My mom didn’t mind but my dad wanted to convince me to never have them pierced. His mom never did, and it was something he told me over and over he admired about her. He also asked me why I wanted to put more holes in my head. When I was around 4th or 5th grade I made the deal to practice my piano, say my prayers and read my scriptures every day for a year and then I could get my ears pierced. I don’t know if they made me do it for the whole year but I did it for a long time and then I got my ears pierced. At some point along the way I also remember telling my grandma that she was making it harder for me to get my ears pierced. When she asked what I meant I explained my dads thoughts that she was somehow making a moral stand to not get her ears pierced. She replied, “For Heaven’s sake, I’ve just never done it. I have no moral concerns for having or not having pierced ears!” I was quite delighted with her response. My dad tried to convince her otherwise and she would not agree. I am not positive but I think she eventually did get her ears pierced.
Anyways, with my girls every now and then I’ve asked them if they are interested in getting their ears pierced. They both have not had any interest in it. Out of the blue the other day Emilee came up to me and said she had a dream that I took her to get her ears pierced so she wanted to do it now. I told her we could plan on it sometime to see if she forgot about it or if she was serious. She continued to bring it up several times a day for a few weeks so this past Saturday I took her to get them done. When we were walking into the store I asked her if she had her “brave pants” on. She looked down at her pants and said, “No! I have my gingerbread pants on!” LOL! She picked topaz studs for her birthstone color for her studs to wear while her ears heal and handled it like a champ when she had it done. Apparently, her gingerbread pants will also work as “brave pants”.
Every week I have to delete dozens and dozens of pictures and videos that Emilee makes with my phone. She makes goofy videos and pulls silly faces at herself and entertains herself forever with it. For posterity sake I thought I would include one of her latest videos in the family blog. Allison is pretending to knock so Emilee will go answer the door in the back ground. Emilee incorporates it into her video when she cackles, “You can’t trick me!”
Allison has had a lot going on this month. She just finished a big project for school and did the presentation. They did a wax museum and she presented the gymnast Gabby Douglas. This was the same project I helped edit. She did a great job presenting and making her poster.
She went to the zoo with the McDonald family a bit ago. Lori sent me some cute pictures.
This last picture made me smile. This is a very Allison thing to do. We went to the dentist the other morning and while we were waiting for her to go back I looked down at her leg and noticed she had turned to of the moles on her leg into a smiley face.
Our church has a Bishop Youth Discussion (BYD) about once a month for the teenagers in the ward. They have different topics each month. This past month was the first one that Allison and Matthew had gone to together. They leader guiding the discussion had several of the youth come up front. He told each of them to write something down on a piece of paper that someone else would have to do. Of course they all wrote down something silly or embarrassing for whoever ended up with their paper to do. Allison was one of the kids selected and on her paper she wrote, “Confess your love to Matthew Terry.” Once everyone had written something down, their papers were collected and they read a scripture. Neither one of my stinkers can remember what the scripture was but the message was-treat people the way you want to be treated and don’t ask others to do things that you wouldn’t be willing to do yourself. The leader then returned each of the notes to the person that had written it and told them they got to do whatever they had put on it. Honestly, I couldn’t have picked a much better object lesson for Allison to participate it. Someone recorded it for me and sent me the video. I will admit it brought me some smug satisfaction. Allison (and Matthew) were good sports.
The other day when I was wasting time on the internet watching funny videos I came across that joke. It comes from one of first You Tube videos that ever went viral-the guy sang the song “Maya He, Mayo Ho, Maya Ahah”. That is probably not the actual name of the song but is how it is remembered. It made me chuckle. I decided to try it on a few people. It did not work so well for me. These are some of the responses I got.
