A day at the park to take a break from the sadness.

We needed a break from funeral planning and sadness.

We decided to take the kids to the park and let them play.

We made it to the garage before they started complaining of the heat (hehe kids are too funny).

Dad and Alyssa look so small from the top of the castle :)

Kathryn and Brittany 

 Joshua

 I love this picture. Alex is snuggling with Curtis.

 Poppy and Alyssa

 I thought it was funny watching Curtis trying to climb out of the tire swing.

Well, it was funny until I was struggling to get out ;)

 Poppy pushing Peggy and Alyssa on the swing.

 Kathryn

 Poppy pushing Kathryn.... I don't think he ever escaped being the "pusher"

Aren't Grandpa's the best!

 Curtis and Alex

 He does not like me.... Can you tell by the look?

 Brittany

 Brittany... She looks pretty small in this house :)

 Oh look, Poppy escaped the swings....

 Alex

 Alyssa

 Curtis loved torturing pushing the kids on the tire swing.

 Poppy is back on the swings.... He was pushing Alyssa way to high and making sure grandma knew about it so she could freak out. I have to admit that I was a little freaked out too.

 Brittany

 Peggy and Kathryn

 Curtis and Alex

 Poppy got stuck with double duty

 She how high she is... Poppy is 6'4" and she is going higher than his head.... Ahhhhh

 Alyssa.... Mrs. Independent 

 Mom and Peggy

 Peggy, Curtis and Me

 Me and my sister best friend

 Poor Alex was getting so red and coughing :(

 I thought I would attempt the tire swing.... big mistake!

Curtis swong us every which way but loose.

 The Eckman Clan

 The Eckman boys... Curtis, Joshua and Alex

 The kids were getting too hot, so we decided to move to McDonalds for an ice cream and play place.

Alex and Alyssa

 The Big Kid, Curtis, playing video games.

 Brittany and Alex

 Brittany and Kathryn.

 Joshua and Alyssa

 Alyssa

 Alex

 Curtis tackling Alex.. He hid next to the slide and jumped out to scare him.

We had a pretty fun time, but we missed having Kaitlyn and Kevin there.

This is the one reason I can find to dislike 1st grade where they are full day.

Kevin always works so hard without complaining about missing out on all the fun. Thanks Honey!

Kaitlyn's first paper from school.

Kaitlyn has become quite the artist.

This says... I like 1st grade. I love dogs.

Lunch... A Break from Planning the funeral

We spent Wednesday planning Grandma's funeral. We went to the funeral home to turn in the amazing obituary. 

Maevon Bingham Bateman

Our Beloved, Maevon Bingham Bateman, 85, of Clearfield, Utah, died Tuesday, August 23, 2011. She was born in Huntsville, Utah on April 15, 1926 to David Moroni and Florence Norris Bingham. She was very proud of being the youngest grandchild of Erastus Perry Bingham and Emeline Clarissa Allen. She lived in Randolph and considered her Norris and Smith cousins as the sisters she never had. She played softball as a pitcher and basketball despite being under five feet tall.

She married Percy George Bateman on March 30, 1942 in Malad, Idaho. They were later sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on their 18th anniversary. He passed away on August 21, 2009, after 67 years of marriage.

Mom was the center of all of our lives. We could talk to her about anything and she was always wise and gave great advice. We all desired to do right and please her because of her great example. Maevon was a sweet, gentle, compassionate lady who lovingly served her family. She cared for her widowed mother and ill husband for over 30 years. She was an excellent cook and every kid who came to her home was well fed. She was a talented seamstress who looked at an article of clothing, created a newspaper pattern and then sewed it for one of her eight children. She was frugal and said she could stretch a penny further than anyone. She was a hard worker who cared for many children in her home that were not her own. She served many years in the Primary. She worked for Chandler Drug in Clearfield.

She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and her brother Kenneth Bingham. Surviving are her eight children: Douglas (Doris) Bateman, Barbara (Roy) Reed, Sandra (Randy) Miles, David Bateman, Debra (Gordon) Bellflower, Darren (Joyce) Bateman, Barry (Charity) Bateman, and Darlene (Kevin) Van Vleet, 25 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Lila Bingham and brother-in-law, Dennis (Hilda) Bateman.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 2 p.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Road. Friends may visit family on Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at the mortuary. Interment, Clearfield City Cemetery.

We went to lunch at Golden Corral because that was grandma's favorite place to eat.
We told all of the employees of grandma's death, and we cried with them.
We then went to order flowers, pick out pictures for the slide show, and talk about the program.

Here are some pictures from our lunch.

Darlene, Randy, Doug, Sandra, Brittany, Alyssa, Mom, Dad and me.

 Brittany would not leave Randy alone. She kept climbing on him. It made him remember how I used to be when I was a little. She is just like me.

I was the only grandkid there. I felt like I was intruding, but I knew my mom needed me. 

They did not make me feel like I was intruding. They made me feel loved and appreciated :)

Slide show pics of Grandma

Grandma Bateman and her brother

Grandma on her horse... She used to tell us stories of this horse. They would ride it to school each day. When they arrived to school they would jump off, tie off the reins and tell the horse to go home. Just a few minutes before school was to get out her mom would send the horse back to get them. Then they would ride home, Grandma is the reason that my daughter, Kaitlyn, loves horses so much!

Grandma as a young girl

Grandma and Grandpa around the time they were married (1942)

Grandma's brother's wedding.. She is on the top left.

Grandma with her 2 oldest, Doug and Barbara.

Grandma took Grandpa's motorcycle and sold it. She bought this fur coat with the profits and sent a picture of it to Grandpa while he was away at war.

Grandma with Doug, Barbara and Sandra.

Grandma, Grandpa, Doug, Barbara, Sandra, David and Debra (my mom... she is the little one in front)

Grandma sending Doug on his mission... She was very proud that her oldest son was going on a mission.

Grandma with her brother and parents.

All the kids including Roy.. Barbara's husband.

Doug, Barbara, Sandra, David, Debra, Daren, Barry and Darlene. 

(She ended her 8 children with twins :)

She was getting flowers ready to put on the graves of those who passed away.

All the kids including Randy, Doris and Roy with a few of Grandma's oldest Grandkids.

Grandma, Grandpa, Barry and one of Doug's grandkids.

Grandma with her 4 girls :)

Grandma loved roses!! This is her with her youngest daughter, Darlene.

This is typical Grandma... Notice her orange kitchen...

My Aunt Darlene's wedding... I was the flower girl :) I am in the front row (far left).

4 generations.... Grandma, Sandra, Melanie, Madison and Alexis.

Grandma and Grandpa's 50th wedding Anniversary (1992)

More pics from the 50th Wedding anniversary (1992) All of their 8 kids as adults :)

Grandma and Grandpa at my wedding in 2001.

 Grandma and Grandpa with Doug and 2 of his sons.

Grandma with her boys.

Grandma spending time with some of her youngest Great- Grandkids.

Alyssa (2), Kaitlyn (6), Brittany (4), Kathryn (5), Alexander (2), and Joshua (3)

This was one of the last pictures taken of Grandma before she became ill in April of this year.

These are my 3 kids (left) and Peggy's (my sister) 3 kids (right).

We love you Grandma! 

You will live on forever in the hearts of your posterity.

8 children, 25 grandchildren and 36 great grandchildren.

And those number don't even include the spouses.... It all started when 2 people fell in love and now look at what they have created.... Only God could do all of this!