PUMPKIN CARVING

Tonight for Family Home Evening we went and carved pumpkins with the branch. The kids had been bugging me about it for days and were so excited to do it. Josh went for a traditional pumpkin and so did Erin but Jordan was all about being a pirate. Thank goodness they had templates there....especially with my artistic skills. And guess what Austin did.....Yeah right...a big U for the Utes. I think that he has a one track mind. Bill didn't spend alot of time carving. He always comes home from these things with food all over him and insists it is the young adults that start the food fights. But I was a witness that he has a selective memory. He STARTS the food fights. He sure loves the young adults and they love him. It is a perfect calling for him because he has such great love for others and will forever be young!

SUNDAY'S ARE THE BEST!

I love Sunday's....and Saturday's are a close second. Saturday is our email day from Griff, the kids are home from school and life is good. Sunday we get to go to church and just spend the day together and that is good, too. Griff is doing awesome on his mission. He always sounds so happy. His mission has brought so many blessings to him and to our family. A few weeks back he wrote that he had to call the families of the US missionaries going home to tell them when they would arrive. He called one mother and was talking to her and she said "Elder, you sure have good English for a Latin." Griff started laughing and said. "Thanks, but I'm not Latin. I'm from Idaho." She said "Well then, your English is terrible!" That is music to our ears. He thought when he first got to Colombia that he would never learn Spanish well enough to converse and now it is like his native language. He says that serving a mission is the best decision that he has made in his life. We are so grateful for the growth a mission has been in his life. There is nothing that can compare to it! He bears testimony and expresses his love to us in every letter. It is WONDERFUL!

KIRA & KIRSTIN'S SPECIAL DAY

A week ago Sunday our sweet little Kira Rose was blessed by her grandpa Bill. We were afraid that we weren't going to make it back by Sunday because we had gone to the Wyoming vs Utah game in Laramie and the roads were horrendous. It took an extra 2 1/2 hours to get home. But we were like the pioneers and with faith and alot of determination we made it. The interstate by Green River, Wyo. was backed up 5 to 6 miles with cars because the semi-trucks could not make it up the hills. Those darn trucks anyway! (smile) Bill decided to go on the right side and since we were in the suburban with 4 wheel drive we had no problem. We got off at the exist, went through town to the other end, and got back on the interstate above the problem. It felt a little erie because we didn't see any other traffic until we got to Soda Springs. It was well worth it to be at the blessing. Kira was so good.....in fact she slept right through it. Her grandpa gave her a beautiful blessing. We all got together at our home that afternoon to celebrate the occation and her mother, Kirstin's, 23rd birthday. Her birthday was the Friday before. (Oct. 10) I can't believe Kirstin is that old with a little girl of her own. There is nothing sweeter than watching your daughter become a mother and see her love and care for her little one as you would. There are so many wonderful blesssings in being a grandparent. I LOVE IT!

JORDAN AND JOSH'S 10TH BIRTHDAY

Yesterday was Jordan and Josh's 10th birthday. It is hard to believe that they are that old. They were so EXCITED! We celebrated Monday night. We went bowling with Rhonda taking top honors and Erin a close second. Yes, dad and mom were at the bottom. Bowling is not one of my strong points even with the gutters up! Then we came home for their favorite dinner...Pizza and rootbeer. Jordan wanted the millennium falcon from Star Wars for his birthday. He drew pictures of it, copied it off the internet and everything else to make sure no one misunderstood him. I got it to give him for Christmas but his heart was so set on it that I couldn't wait. He opened his other presents and kept saying Oh No! and shaking his head. Then his dad and I told him to come around the corner and he saw it. He let out the biggest squeal and jumped in his dad's arms and gave him the biggest hug. Yes, he now thinks his dad gave it to him and that he is the cats pajama's. He has played and played with it. Josh was sad that he didn't get anything from mom and dad but he gave the money that we would have used to buy his present to the Williams' to help pay for the damage from the fire. That will be another post when I catch up on the things that have been happening. It was a fun time for all of us! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

OUR FAMILY

Hello...Here we go. I can't believe I am actually doing this. Yes, it is for selfish reasons.....scrapbooking, journaling and family history all at one time...YAHOO! I'm sure there is nothing exciting from our family that everyone wants to hear but maybe there is. Who knows...it will be alot of fun to play with. I am sure for a while there will lots to add as I think of all that has happened the past little while. So, bear with me. Just a little run down of our family...
Bill, our proud papa is busy, busy, busy always on the phone. He loves his job...loves working with the young single adults in our stake and loves being a dad and grandpa. He is our greatest example of loving and serving others
I guess I am next.....the mom of this clan. I sure love my job. It is the best there is. That and being a grandma is just a little bit of heaven. I love to play with my family, go to church with my family and just about do anything with my family. Time alone, I like to run, bike, swim, read and try to be a little creative making cards and other crafts. I love old things and I'm quite sentimental.
Kirstin, 23, is the oldest in our family. She is married to Ben Huskey and they just had a little girl on Sept. 6, Kira Rose. She is beautiful. Kirstin works in our home for her dad so I spend alot to hours just snuggling and loving on her. Kirstin and Ben are great parents and are in love with this little sweetheart.
Griffin, 20, is serving a mission in Barranquilla, Colombia. He has been in the field for 20 months on the 21st of Oct. but who is counting! He is having the experience of a lifetime and is bringing so many blessings to hisself and to our family. We look forward to every Saturday for his emails. He has grown so much......we are so grateful for this experience.
Caitlin, 19, is living at home and going to ISU. She loves anything extreme and outdoors. This summer we did a couple of triathlons together and it was so much fun. She works for her father also. We love having her home!
Austin, 15, is a freshman at Highland High School. He loves Utah "Ute" football. He plays football and basketball. He keeps us laughing. He loves to sing and is Mr. Personality. Our family would be pretty dull without him!
Erin, 12, is a 6th grader at Edahow Elementary. She loves all animals especially her cat, Maurice, her dog, Freddy and her horse, Smokey. She even tries to capture the flies in our house and set them free outside. She takes piano and dance.
Jordan and Josh, 9, are the cabooses. They are 4th graders at Edahow. They love to play outside and go on adventures exploring the canyon. Sometimes they come up with ideas that get them in trouble but they are usually pretty good boys. They keep us young and in shape chasing after them.
Lee, Anna, Hailey, Malerie and Avi are ours, too. They live in Nyssa, Oregon. Anna lived with us in high school and has always felt like one of ours. We love her and her family as our own. We wish they lived closer but stay in touch via the phone and try to get together as much as possible. In fact, Anna introduced me to blogging! We don't get to see Boo, Mal, or Avi near enough...they are growing up without us and that makes us sad!

That is our family....I am sure you will get to know more about us in the coming weeks. We love our home, our community and our neighbors, friends and family. Life is good and we have been so blessed!