We had our very own performance of the famous Christmas singing Chipmunks, as part of the Christmas eve talent show. Check out Elayna's ponytail.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Dallin and the Chipmunks!
We had our very own performance of the famous Christmas singing Chipmunks, as part of the Christmas eve talent show. Check out Elayna's ponytail.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Christmas in Marietta
We had a wonderful time with Wendy, Austin and family in Marietta, Ohio. Den discovered the Wii (for 8 hours) and we had lots of fun with the Christmas Eve talent show, and of course, Scrabble.
Here's Granpa with Riley, Allison and Elayna. Allison didn't want to be in the picture because Granpa kept teasing her about her thumbsucking. He's got her convinced that she is going to grow a unibrow if she doesn't stop!
The kids got not one, but two little beagles. They are 3 years old and belonged to one of Austin's employees. Best of all, they are potty trained and very well behaved.
Upon arrival, we read a letter Dallin had written to his Mom about his disappointment with Christmas. I quote, "As you know, I am not having a very good Christmas. The girls are a pain, there is no snow, and this is not something that can be fixed by becoming the director of a Charlie Brown play. No, it is far worse than that. There are too many people in this house worried about presents!" He looks pretty happy here with his legos.
We were ass-tounded with Riley's next gift. Just what everyone young girl wants...a donkey for Christmas!!!! A neighbor brought over this cute 3 month old donkey so that Riley can learn how to take care of it. This education is being undertaken in the hopes of someday getting a horse. His name is Checkers and, of course, it was raining when they brought him over. You should have heard Austin and Den--they could not stop with the a-- jokes!
Here's Granpa with Riley, Allison and Elayna. Allison didn't want to be in the picture because Granpa kept teasing her about her thumbsucking. He's got her convinced that she is going to grow a unibrow if she doesn't stop!
The kids got not one, but two little beagles. They are 3 years old and belonged to one of Austin's employees. Best of all, they are potty trained and very well behaved.
Upon arrival, we read a letter Dallin had written to his Mom about his disappointment with Christmas. I quote, "As you know, I am not having a very good Christmas. The girls are a pain, there is no snow, and this is not something that can be fixed by becoming the director of a Charlie Brown play. No, it is far worse than that. There are too many people in this house worried about presents!" He looks pretty happy here with his legos.
We were ass-tounded with Riley's next gift. Just what everyone young girl wants...a donkey for Christmas!!!! A neighbor brought over this cute 3 month old donkey so that Riley can learn how to take care of it. This education is being undertaken in the hopes of someday getting a horse. His name is Checkers and, of course, it was raining when they brought him over. You should have heard Austin and Den--they could not stop with the a-- jokes!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Sydney's Blessing
We literally left before the crack of dawn to make it up to Sydney's blessing in Cleveland. We rode up with Shauna's family and Dan got us there in under 2 hours, which is quite a feat. We spent the afternoon at Suzy and Spencer's home in Cleveland Heights. Needless to say, it took a lot longer than 2 hours to get back home.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Welcome new viewers!
I am publishing my blog address on the bottom of my Christmas letter, so I thought I should welcome everyone. This actually started out as a work blog, so don't bother to read any old posts. After the work exercise was over, I decided to change it to my own personal site. In a nutshell, here's the highlights and low-lights for 2008.
Den went to work for the Transportation Research Center. They do different kinds of auto testing for manufacturers and the government. He was hired as a project manager. After selling our business, he was getting so bored, that he was excited to be back to work! The good news is that it is 9 miles away... the bad news is that he hates it! He feels his best talents are being wasted. He is always looking for something else...but we are thankful for his job.
I was able to work full-time for a couple of months as people at the library left for different positions. I was hoping to slide into one of those vacancies, but it was not to be. I am back at part-time...but I am happy to announce that I love my job!
In March, two domestic dogs gained entrance into our pasture and 4 alpacas were severely injured and had to be put down. This was so devastating personally and to our business. One of the alpacas belonged to our friends, whose animals we were boarding. We are seeking compensation from the dog owners, but the insurance company is playing the run around with us. We also had a still born cria, and one live birth this fall. We now have 3 pregnant females, 1 female cria, and an awesome herdsire. There is a link to our farm page, if you are interested.
I was able to travel up for the grand opening of the new Highland Library. This is where I would be working if we had not made the big move south. It is beautiful and it was wonderful to see my friends.
Wendy lost part of her toe as a result of a falling piano at her aerobics class. It's too long a story, but Shauna and I spent lots of time helping her get back on her feet. (bad pun, I know)
Suzy returned to BYU to defend her graduate thesis and was awarded her Master's Degree in Speech Language Pathology. She and Spencer spent time apart as he went to Navy officers training in Rhode Island.
We took a min-vacation to Lakeside over Memorial Day. Joined by all the kids and some of Dan's family, it was a nice getaway.
Austin graduated from OSU dental school. He bought a practice in Marietta and the family moved down in early June. We traveled down to see Dallin, my oldest grandchild, be baptized.
Den was able to build a beautiful deck on the back of the house. We had some high wind damage, so were able to get a new roof on the house and barn. My garden was as wonderful as ever and I took excess vegetables to work.
Den's Dad passed away in September at the age of 92. It was an emotional few days, but we know that he is much happier with Virginia and in a much better place. It was wonderful to see how many people loved him and what a wonderful impact he made on so many lives.
Spencer and Suzy had a little girl, Sydney, on Nov.4th. I drove up and got to the hospital 5 minutes after she was born. I was glad to be able to spend a week with them. What a wonderful feeling to love one more grand-baby. I have a link to her blog.
Everyone came home for Thanksgiving!!! Got some good bakers and cooks in our family. The boys went out early for a turkey bowl football game and Dan came back with a sprained ankle. Fifteen people, and we enjoyed every minute of wonderful chaos.
Den went to work for the Transportation Research Center. They do different kinds of auto testing for manufacturers and the government. He was hired as a project manager. After selling our business, he was getting so bored, that he was excited to be back to work! The good news is that it is 9 miles away... the bad news is that he hates it! He feels his best talents are being wasted. He is always looking for something else...but we are thankful for his job.
I was able to work full-time for a couple of months as people at the library left for different positions. I was hoping to slide into one of those vacancies, but it was not to be. I am back at part-time...but I am happy to announce that I love my job!
In March, two domestic dogs gained entrance into our pasture and 4 alpacas were severely injured and had to be put down. This was so devastating personally and to our business. One of the alpacas belonged to our friends, whose animals we were boarding. We are seeking compensation from the dog owners, but the insurance company is playing the run around with us. We also had a still born cria, and one live birth this fall. We now have 3 pregnant females, 1 female cria, and an awesome herdsire. There is a link to our farm page, if you are interested.
I was able to travel up for the grand opening of the new Highland Library. This is where I would be working if we had not made the big move south. It is beautiful and it was wonderful to see my friends.
Wendy lost part of her toe as a result of a falling piano at her aerobics class. It's too long a story, but Shauna and I spent lots of time helping her get back on her feet. (bad pun, I know)
Suzy returned to BYU to defend her graduate thesis and was awarded her Master's Degree in Speech Language Pathology. She and Spencer spent time apart as he went to Navy officers training in Rhode Island.
We took a min-vacation to Lakeside over Memorial Day. Joined by all the kids and some of Dan's family, it was a nice getaway.
Austin graduated from OSU dental school. He bought a practice in Marietta and the family moved down in early June. We traveled down to see Dallin, my oldest grandchild, be baptized.
Den was able to build a beautiful deck on the back of the house. We had some high wind damage, so were able to get a new roof on the house and barn. My garden was as wonderful as ever and I took excess vegetables to work.
Den's Dad passed away in September at the age of 92. It was an emotional few days, but we know that he is much happier with Virginia and in a much better place. It was wonderful to see how many people loved him and what a wonderful impact he made on so many lives.
Spencer and Suzy had a little girl, Sydney, on Nov.4th. I drove up and got to the hospital 5 minutes after she was born. I was glad to be able to spend a week with them. What a wonderful feeling to love one more grand-baby. I have a link to her blog.
Everyone came home for Thanksgiving!!! Got some good bakers and cooks in our family. The boys went out early for a turkey bowl football game and Dan came back with a sprained ankle. Fifteen people, and we enjoyed every minute of wonderful chaos.
Yes, you can count me and my girls among the faithful book and movie fans. What's the big deal, you may ask? Here is my take on the success of the series. It is marketed to absolutely the correct demographic--teenage girls. We were all raised on the Disney princess movies, which tend to give one unrealistic expectations in the romance department. What female does not want to be rescued from her mundane life by a prince charming...it just so happens that in this case-- he's a vampire! Are they sappy...absolutely. The best writing in the world...never. I can, however, say with all honesty, that after reading these books...I would love to be a vampire!
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