Over the river and through the woods.....

How did Russell and I get to be so old.  We are facing our first Christmas ever without any children at home.  It is really weird and makes me feel ancient.  Luckily we are headed to my mom's for Christmas so hopefully we will have a good visit there.  We will be celebrating our 32nd anniversary next week as well. Man or man, where does the time go?

New little arrivals........

Our new little grandchildren are here.  We are sure thankful they came safe and sound.  Please meet:

                      Ethan Russell Barney
                Son of Blake and Lindsey Barney

                               

                      Sadie Annebelle Smyth
              Daughter of Meredith and Wes Smyth

What fun to have these sweet little additions to our family.  We haven't been able to go see little Ethan yet but are looking forward to that. We have been able to visit Sadie and she is a little doll.  They are both lucky to come to families that are excited for them to be here. Good luck to you mommies as you get used to having a new addition in the family.  We love you all!

Colby's Wedding

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Count Your Many Blessings......

We had a super busy, fun summer this year and got to see all our family.  It started with a visit from Blake and Lindsey and their sweet little kids.  It is a big job for them to come all the way to Utah and Idaho from Ohio and we sure were glad they came.  We love them each so much.  The happy smiles on their faces are one of the things we remember about them all year, when they are far away from us.

 We got to spend part of a week in Sun Valley and were able to have the Idaho grand-kids stay with us.  We did lots of fun stuff with them, went to the movies, played at the park, went swimming, had a bbq, and had sleepovers in our hotel. It was good to be able to spend time with Eric, Chandra and Meredith.  Sure love each of them, they make our lives full and complete.

Then we were able to drive to California to visit Royce and AubRee and Grace.  We went to the beach and had a great day. It was nice and sunny and warm.  We were just happy to get to spend time with them there.  The whole weekend was wonderful.  We sure love our California kids, wish we got to spend more time with them. Actually the drive was not as bad as I thought it would be so maybe we will drive over again soon....

After California it was our week to have the Idaho grand-kids come and spend some time with us.  We spent time at our house in Idaho  and then time in Salt Lake.  We went horse back riding with Colby at the AOK Corral in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, went to the drive-in to the movie, and played in the hot tub and played with Brittany. They were so good there to help clean our house as we were trying to get it ready to be sold. We visited the Utah state house and did a fun  matching game there, went to dinner and spent time walking around temple square and learning about the history of the pioneers.

We count all this family among our greatest blessings!!! We are so thankful for each one of them.  

One more blessing that has come about in the last few days is that our home in Idaho is sold. The sale is not yet complete but the offer has been signed and things are in the works.  We know Heavenly Father has been looking out for us because there are hundreds of homes for sale there and we were able to get our sold in less than two weeks.  How thankful we are that we are being looked after and know it is due to a loving Father who answer prayers. It is pretty much a miracle for us and we are very grateful.  WOW! 

Happy Birthday Brittany

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Happy Birthday to our Sweet Colby Lynn

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Our Weekend Adventures with the Grandkids

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The last two weekends we have been able to visit Eric and Meredith and the grandkids.  We had tons of fun and have been glad for the invitations to come and visit.

Our Sunny Carribean Cruise, 2010

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Spring on Temple Square

The flowers are starting to bloom on temple square and they are so pretty.  We walk by them several times each week as  we go back and forth to church or shopping.  It has been fun to see what new flowers are blooming each time we are there.  We have loved the little orange flowers that seem to be a variety of tulips but the hyacinths are my favorites. They are so fragrant!  There have to be thousands of pansies all around temple square so if that is one of your favorite flowers you are going to love to be on temple square this spring. What a wonderful place to live by and to be able to see often.

My Dear Sweet Dad

A few weeks ago we got word that my dad's cancer is being very aggressive and as a result he has been told he has 9-12 months to live, which apparently has even been downgraded to 6-9 months. May I say how that has saddened my heart. When I think of the many happy times of my life I can attribute so many of them to him. He and mom have spent a lifetime taking care of us socially, physically, and spiritually. How lucky we have been to be part of a family that has parents that consider us among their greatest blessings. I know they would do anything for me if I just asked them and am grateful to know they care for me enough to do so. How does a person get to be so lucky to come to a big family that is gospel centered and family oriented? So many people are not so fortunate and for this blessing I will be forever thankful.

I think our parents are perfect examples of our church's "Proclamation on the Family", and if we can do as they have done we can be examples also. I am thankful my mom spent her life at home caring for our really large family, for the things I learned from her, sewing skills, cooking skills, homemaking skills, as well as lessons in obedience and example just to name a few. There were probably times she wanted to run away from home and get away from all that responsibility but she has always been there for us. I am thankful for a father who put our family first and went to work everyday to provide for us so we would have the things we needed as we grew up and even after we left home. He has always been full of fun, and willing to share all he had with others. That is one of the best things I have learned from him. Thanks to both of these wonderful people.
Because of their sacrifices I was able to grow up in a home where I felt safe, loved and needed. In today's society that is not found as often as it should be and I thank my parents for putting our needs first, so often before their own. Love to you both.