Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Let I Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

We actually had a dusting of snow the day after Christmas (Gary's birthday). Since we almost never get any, it was fun for us. Mia loved it (Trooper, with his short hair, didn't)!





Yea For Christmas!!!

This was our first Christmas in our new house, and I enjoyed figuring out where to put the decorations. We were happy to hear from friend far and near! Thnaks for the cards and pictures! This was also the first Christmas my mom has hosted since dad passed away. It was good to gather the family at mom's. There was too much food, as usual, and lots of love and laughter. Everyone was there except for my sister Joni who called from Denver, Angela's husband, Jon, who is serving in Iraq, and Nathan, Sarah, and the kids who are all in Germany where Nathan is serving in the Army Dental Corps. Most of the pictures came out too dark, but here are a few.


Nicole and Jenna


Angela and Tyler



Aiden and Adam


Adam playing with Tyler (bow on his bottom)
and Don playing with Aiden


Gary and Carol


Mom and Gary


Nicole and Susie

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Friends, Furry Things, and Faith

We started this week by going to a combined Family Home Evening at the Wilkes home with others from our old ward. It was so good to see old friends again, sing carols around the fire, and be in the midst of so much musical talent! Thanks for hosting, Wilkes family!





On the critter front, we gave a skunk a new home this week. They are basically docile little animals, and this little guy was no exception. Here he is finding his way around his new habitat.
We also rescued a ringtail cat that had crawled into someone's car engine. They were driving around hoping to scare it out (!!!!) and finally decided to call us to talk about their problem. They were driving nearby, so Don had them come over so that he could get the little guy out. When freed, Mr. Ringtail quickly scampered up the nearest tree. They are such cute and curious little animals! Here's a couple of pictures:





We also enjoyed seeing both of the girls this week. It's nice to know that no matter how old they get, they still appreciate having us nearby and the security that comes from knowing that we love them.

At this season of Christmas, may all of you have the security of family love and feel the love of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, whose birth we celebrate at this time of year. Joy to all of you!

Monday, December 15, 2008

Another Day, Another Dollar

At some point I am going to have to get in the habit of taking pictures! I don't seem to remember to grab the camera until Saturday. Oh well. Better luck this coming week.
This week Don took care of bees, a packrat, and sealing off places where bats could roost in the spring. We also answered questions about skunks, ringtail cats, and ducks (Q.: Can you come and remove these 150 ducks from our little lake and take them to another lake so that they can stay there? A.: Wild ducks are not exactly obedient, and they do fly for hundreds of miles and are not prone to "staying" where you put them. Could we give you some ideas on how to live with them and keep them out of the places where you don't want them?) Here's a picture of Ms. Packrat getting a new home.


I wish I had taken pictures the day Jenna was over. I enjoy having her here--she enjoys getting her laundry done and raiding the food storage...oh I mean, she loves visiting me, too. lol We have a fun time and she's welcome to to the washer and dryer and the pantry any time.
We also had the ward party this week...Don went and had a good time...I stayed home trying to keep this head cold from getting worse. He had a good time. Yesterday one of the families Don home teaches came over for dinner and games. We had a great time. Their two teenagers are a lot of fun. It's been raining all weekend, so we put a fire in the fireplace. The Jenkins kids wanted to roast marshmallows (Trooper stayed close to that action hoping for a handout) in the fire place (de ja vous) and James and Don were doing pull ups on the stairs. We played the train game...congratulations Nicole on beating your brother and the rest of us.




Monday, December 8, 2008

'Tis the Season!

Another busy week...and we love it!
On Monday we started a raccoon job and had to do Family Truck Evening instead of Family Home Evening. Tuesday night found Don working with the Boy Scouts (which he will probably be doing every Tuesday night from here on out). Wednesday night was family soccer night for our ward family at the middle school up the road. Thursday night was the Relief Society Christmas dinner and program where I sang a duet with Mercy and lead the music. We also did a service project for The Giving Tree (a local Christian charity for homeless children and families that can't get any state funding because they won't take the picture of Christ off of their wall and they won't stop praying...so they run on faith and private donations). Friday Don and I took the dogs out for an afternoon hike in the hills just east of us. It's beautiful. I'll have to take pictures sometime. Sometime during the week we managed to get the Christmas tree, lighting, and decorations done inside and out. We also became the collection point for the Cub Scout food drive for the community food bank and will get all of that turned in as soon as it stops raining so that we can fill the back of the truck. On Saturday the Stevens family came over--YEA! We haven't seen them in months! The only one who didn't make it was Ashley. It was a fun day of soccer and horseshoes and other games. We planned a kid friendly meal of burgers and dogs on the grill with chips, etc. and roasted marshmallows for s'mores for dessert (thank you Bethany for providing the fixings--good idea!) Below are some pictures.






We had a good fast Sunday. We started our day by talking to the grandkids which is always a highlight. Nathan is happy and enjoying his work, and they are all well. Church was great, as usual. We have a wonderful ward. The full time elders came over for dinner which is always a joy. Then two of the families that Don home teaches came over to watch the 1st Presidency Devotional with us and drink hot chocolate. What a great day...what a fun week! And the coming week is just as full. Ah, yes, 'tis the season! :-)