Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all! I set the camera on a timer on the tripod and hurried into the picture, it is impossible to get everyone to look good all at one time.

We played the usual game where there are a bunch of crazy presents wrapped up and everybody can steal from each other or get a new one. Cheyenne loved her tutu.

Cheyenne wrote a skit. Bailey was Santa Claus, but his beard did not want to stay on. You can see the computer chair Sara, Glen, Amy and Dave and families gave Lonnie and I for Christmas--it is wonderful! I am enjoying it right now.

Bubble gum blowing contest. We had just eaten wonderful food that everyone brought to share then everyone was given two to three pieces of gum and had to see who could blow the bubble first. Miranda won this year.

Jody made marshmellow blow guns for everybody. We had lots of fun shooting marshmellows at everyone, the most fun was when everyone ganged up against Jami. She was suppose to go to work, but was put on call for the first 4 hours.

King Midas

Bailey was in a school play this December. He was King Midas in the Golden Touch. He had "71" parts to remember. He did an awesome job and put feeling into his parts. He loves to make people laugh and will be a great entertainer someday. He loves telling me jokes and about an entertainer that is a ventriloquist. Fifth grade is good for him! He has the same teacher that Miranda had last year. She is good. He never is wanting for girls to "go with". He is a happy guy!

Progress on my view

The Stake Center is coming along. (One of the missionaries said it is going to be a stake center). Lonnie took these pictures because he felt you needed to see it's progress.

Kamy turns 8

Kamy turned 8 on 30 November. She is a cutie! Jami had a party at her house. Kamy and Sara made her birthday cake. Gammy had to work late, but she had had a date with Kamy earlier in the week. Kamy and Gammy went shopping and then made Kamy's poster for school for her birthday. Gammy had a wonderful time and Kamy seemed to also!

Stake center is growing

The church that is being built across the street is starting to look like a building. These are pictures are from Monday to Friday this week. It is going up fast now. The prep and foundation took 2 months--but isn't that how it is, a good foundation does not just happen, it takes time and lots of effort!! Bless you all!

Thanksgiving

25 people congregated to Liz and Jody's home for Thanksgiving, everyone bringing a few dishes to pass. It was heavenly!! Everything tasted so good. Of course, Jami brought the dressing (uncooked) after everyone was already eating. Skip hates being late, he is real good for Jami and may help change her ways! (Great news, Jami quit smoking!!!!!!!!!!) Jody and Liz moved couches out of the dining/family room area and put in lots of tables. Liz and Sara made 15 pies -WOW! every kind possible.
After eating there was a football game and a play that Cheyenne wrote. it
was very good!
Jami was suppose to work and extra
4 hour shift, but she was put on call so we were able to hang out with her more.
Lonnie, Jami, Liz, and Sara all read books, then we played Mexican train. It was a wonderful day, beautiful outside and warm, loving feelings inside. Much to be thankful for!!!

Liz is how old?

We had a party for Liz's birthday--she said she was skipping this birthday(32), so her kids asked her if she was a 33 already. She said NO!! I am not getting older, so how come my kids and grandkids keep getting older? We always have fun when we get together. We all met a Liz's house and Sara and I took dinner in. Sara made home made angel food cakes and I provided strawberries and homemade whipped cream. It was great. We tried to leave her house as clean as when we got there. Jody was out of town for work for 2 1/2 weeks--hard on her.

Trip to Arizona-November

Amy, Dave and kids have a wonderful new home. (new to them). And they have a 6 month old--"Wally dog". He is a golden retreiver and is very well behaved. He is going to training at puppy school and does very well. Dave and Daniel have allergies to animals, but Amy is OC with cleaning and even vacuums the dog. She wipes his feet off if they are dirty before he come into the house.

We had a wonderful time visiting with them, just too short!

Lonnie and I went to Arizona, I had a conference for Ob nursing in Scottsdale, so we drove down and stayed with Amy and Dave. We had a wonderful time and the 80 degree weather was wonderful! I would like a little bit of warmth right now. We were able to visit with Karrisa, Daniel and Jacob and they are sure growing up fast! (I am not getting older--how come everyone is getting older around me?)

We drove through the Cedar Breaks in Utah on the way down and this is a self portrait. It had snowed, but was sunny and beautiful--no other people up there. Not enough snow for skiers, but enough to discourage most people (not us--we love adventure).

Tonight

Again, we had time together. It was neat, some times we go weeks without seeing or talking to each other, but now we had two days together. I LOVE IT!! My family is the most important thing to me! See Baby boy Quigley growing big and strong inside Sara!
Sara and Liz making Lazagne for supper for us all.

Cheyenne and Miranda now have braces--how do Jody and Liz do it?

Maci's birthday

Isn't it wonderful to have any occasion to have a family get together? We all met at Sara's house last night for Maci's 7th birthday. She was excited about "getting presents". She helped make her cake and Jami got into her usual friendly brawl with not only Glen, but Liz. I was trying to get a picture of her and Liz was trying to help me (interesting, because Liz does not like me taking her picture). Any reason for a friendly wrestling match--do kids ever grow up? "As long as there is no blood in the house," I say! We had a good time and I count it a blessing to be with my children and grandchildren. We miss the ones not here (Amy and family and Chad and family). It warms my heart to have them all around and living productive lives. They are all great people, that I am glad to call my friends.

Because it is Maci's 7th birthday, I made her a twin quilt(tradition for all grandkids). Glen and the girls made homemade root beer-another tradition. Maci had a wonderful birthday!!

"The life I touch, for good or ill, will touch another life, and that in turn another, until who knows where the trembling stops or in what far place my touch will be felt."
Frederich Buechner

Happy Halloween

Maci, Glen, Avri and Sara

Sterling, Jami, Dr. Daeden, Skip, and Kamy

I guess there is a tradition that I forgot about. My kids and grandkids all reminded me that I make carmel apples for Halloween. I can't say that I remember it--is it "parts-timers" or just their wishes? Even Amy in AZ said she remembers it. Not sure, but they reminded me far enough in advance that I made carmel apples today and handed them out to all our scary family members and their parents. All kids looked like they were having fun! Isn't the internet wonderful!! We even have pics of Chad's kids in their Halloween costumes this year, but I have lost them in the saving. We only had 2 families stop by for "Trick or Treat" (other than our own families). Lonnie is enjoying all the extra candy. I even chastised him for sneaking into the candy I had hidden, but it seems that it really didn't matter. Hope you had a wonderful day!!

Justin, Cheyenne, Miranda, Bailey, Stetson

Chad and family enjoying their tropical paradise.

This is from Chad and Amy Rix in Guantanamo, Cuba. We are a little jealous of their balmy weather, but enjoy our change of seasons==they change hourly!

Here are some pics I took in the past month. Chad told me it's snowing in Idaho today, enjoy the pics of the beach! :-) There are also some of the kids playing soccer and collecting hermit crabs for school show and tell. The pics of Chad and I with the bikes are from this past saturday. We did an 8 mile ride of the fence line (tough hills!!!). WE are in front of the north east gate (maybe uncle Dave will recognize it). It's the gate that is still used to let 3 cubans in for work every day. We are not normally allowed to go here for security reasons.Enjoy the pics!Amy & family

Sunday Morning

This is Amy and Dave's baby-Wall-E. Amy had me make a Halloween costume for him. Hard to do long distance. Used Nestle as a model, but I guess she is a little bigger.

Yesterday was another beautiful day!!! (In the 70's) I worked 3AM to 3:30 PM so I was able to enjoy some the the "beauty". In the evening, Liz wanted pictures so we went to Rigby Lake. We have had more water than usual this year, so the lake was still full of water. Do you know how hard it is to get 5 monkey's to look good--here they are just hanging around. :0) We took many pics. You will get one when Liz decides which one she likes.

Lonnie and Glen went hunting yesterday from 0630-1930 hrs. Saw some does, but no bucks. Nice day to wander in the mountains.

Mighty hunters

My bike ride was great--it is beeeeaaaaauuuuuuttttifullllll out side!! I rode about 4 miles and could have kept going. When I got home I dug the last hill of red potatoes, most of the onions and some of the carrots from our garden. I picked some purple plums--the trees are still full of plums! We have had a bumper crop this year, I hate to see them go to waste--am giving them away as fast as I can and to whomever will take them.
While riding my bike I realized I forgot to brag about our Great hunters. This is the first year that Miranda and Cheyenne could go hunting (they both are the age of 12). The first day out they both got their does. Liz got her deer on Monday. Jody is waiting, everybody has theirs so now he can have some peace and quiet and go out alone to get his buck. :0) The third doe is Jody's brother Laramie's. Liz is happy to have meat for this winter.
Lonnie is going hunting this weekend, I think. (I have to work). He has been out on a cattle drive all week. He comes home at night. They are finding cattle from the summer ranges on the mountains, riding on their horses and driving them to the pens to bring to the pastures down here. He is a real cowboy!! He loves his horse, Lady.

Stetson, Cheyenne, Bailey(front), Miranda (back), Justin, Laramie, Jody

New driveway

Sara, Glen, Maci and Avri's home with their new blacktopped driveway. Isn't it good looking?

Lonnie kept telling me that he did not think I had very many pumpking in the garden. I said that we would see when it frosted. The grandkids all got to pick their favorites out and I still had many left. Isn't that the way life is. We can't always see the end results of our thoughts and actions (the leaves of summer are protecting or hiding them-we can't see the big picture) but when we have the frosts of life (adversity) the products of a good life are able to be seen (by how we react to adversity). We are then able to "reap the harvest" of the good that we have done(and help us through)
.
After giving many away, today I have a few pumpkins left

Avri and Glen picking pumpkins--it was cold that day!!

Maci chooses her perfect pumpkin!

Last weekend, I was off and had big plans to work out in the yard-mowing, digging, etc. Well about 10 AM on Saturday, the snow started. We got several inches, then on Sunday it melted off. I was able to do some yard work on Wednesday and now it is in the high 60's and I am going for a bike ride. Idaho--no one can ever tell what it will be like!!! Got to love it--it was in the 80's earlier in the week, went from Indian Summer to Winter--Where did fall go?

Church continuing to grow

The LDS church across the street is have the cement poured as I type. The foundation is being laid--a solid foundation.

Make a difference

"We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often can not foresee." William George Jordan, writer 1864-1928

Justin's 10th birthday

Justin turned 10 on October 8, 2008. We had a party and his Dad and Mom's house on Sunday evening. Yummy Cake, ice cream and lots of fun!!