Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving was just great.  We were able to share it with Grandpa and Grandma Ford!  They drove from Virginia to spend a few days with us, and were we happy to have them.

Here is our spread.  We also had the senior missionary couple over as well as one other couple in the branch.  It was yummy and we were all stuffed!

 Adelle, awaiting her meal patiently.

 Cade being silly, and Brinly just a cheesing at the Thanksgiving feast.

 This is the gang, unfortunately, it's blurry. 

 A day or two following thanksgiving, we had fun at the local parade. 

Shane and Jay trying to stay warm. 

 Waiting for the parade to start.

 Our missionaries were in the parade.  Front right is Elder Isaacs, and behind him are the two elders. 

 We love Grandpa!  He always brings his x-box kinect for us to play while they are here.  Fun times. 

 We love Grandma as well!  Look at that happy face.

And we can't forget Zip!  The kids love him and thoroughly enjoyed their time with him....I'm not sure the feeling was mutual though!

Halloween 2011

Pumpkin and Fall Fun.  Carving pumpkins and dressing up.  Cute kids!

My Cute Kids

 

 

We took fall photo's, but unfortunately, the exposure on my camera was set incorrectly, and I didn't realize it. So the pictures are quite exposed...but they are still cute and I need to document the adorableness of my children!

Grandpa Stones

Grandpa Stones, me and Adelle Jan. 2010


Well, I think it finally hit me last night that Grandpa passed. I was making a written list of memories…and it made me miss him. He will definitely be missed. Such a wonderful man. I love him.
My very first memory of him includes driving up to the Texaco station after a long drive from California or TX with him standing outside of the station store doorway. We always knew there was a treat involved when we saw Grandpa first thing! He was a very giving person. He always set up the swings for us whenever we arrived at the house, and we so looked forward to the swings! It was always fun to watch him open the mysterious shed in the back of the house- chuck full of exciting unknown items- just waiting to be explored (though we never did, until I was in college b/c if I recall correctly, it was usually locked). Even when we twirled those swings until the chains broke, Grandpa never got after us. He quietly made his way to the shed or his notoriously messy truck to retrieve the needed tools and repaired them.
One time, when the back room was just completed, minus the carpet and possibly the dry wall. Tara and I were probably only 3 or 4, maybe 5 and we decided to start chalking all over the cement foundation/floor. Grandpa sat there in his very well known jumpsuit, didn’t say anything to us, so we thought it was ok- though when Grandma arrived on the scene, we were out of luck! He was pretty laid back.
The image of Grandpa contains several dominate characteristics- his wonderfully happy and sparking eyes that would often get misty when you told him you loved him or said goodbye. Then his wonderful laugh where his entire body chuckled in sync with his laughs. It was perfectly contagious. He loved genuinely and tenderly.
I had the opportunity to live with Grandma and Grandpa for a year while I attended Utah State from August 1998- May 1999. During that time, all the wonderful characteristics of Grandpa were made even more evident. He always tried to give me money when I went on a road trip (along with the numerous bags of food from Grandma)or even sometimes when I went out for an evening. He never refused a treat. He loved his bolo ties, stayed up late watching Johnny Carson reruns, always left his evidence of mechanic work on the bar soap, hesitated to talk about his war days, and always gave wonderful hugs goodnight.
I will always remember Grandpa Stones with gentle tender love, the love he always showed. I will definitely miss him, but know that I will see him again. I look forward to that day. I love you Grandpa!

This picture was taken in January of 2010- the last time I saw Grandpa. I’m thankful we took pictures.

Lastly, I hope his dear wife is fairing well. It must be very, very difficult to lose a spouse. Thinking about you Grandma!

Chicken Coop Complete!

The chicken coop and pin are complete!  We all chipped in and the kids and I painted, and Shane reinforced the pin to be totally unpenitratable!  Nothing will get in or out of this bad boy:)  Now our two remaining hens will have a lovely home to lay their yummy eggs!

Fall Harvest

Our fall harvest, likely to be the best harvest ever for us.  We made applesauce and apple juice from our apple orchard.

 The kids enjoyed helping, until we broke the borrowed victorio strainer...yikes. 

 Veggies, and fruits from the garden!  Hooray!  So very satisfying.

 Completed applesauce.

 Completed peaches (we picked these at a local orchard and froze our peaches from our trees).

 Fresh salsa, jarred and stored.  It is a yummy recipe.

Camper's Cove

We made several camping adventures during the summer, this being the first. We tried a local camping facility. It was fun- windy but fun. We had some memorable experiences, like EVERY one of my children falling into the lake. It wasn't warm at all. Adelle's entire body when under. Cade just a leg, and Brinly just a leg. It was amazing...everyone at a different point of the trip. Anyway, here's proof of our fun endeavors.

We burned our cinnamon rolls and shared them with our neighbors:). Ate several meals in the wind, enjoyed a fun little train ride, attempted to fish, and slept very little due to our (always present) noisy neighbors.

Michael and Carrie's Visit

We have enjoyed a visit with Michael and Carrie and fam every spring since we moved here. It's been a lot of fun to have them come. This year was no different. We enjoyed pre- 4th of July sparklers and a few fireworks (for Shane's birthday festivities).
Charlie was a pro.

Cade was a little worried, but got into it.

These cute girls just wanted to cuddle and watch. It was quite chilly for late June.

Brinly loved it! Look at that cute face!

We stayed up a little too late:) Ha, ha...look at those faces!

We flew kites on the beach.

Shane played stratego a few times...I'm pretty sure tears were involved.

And what would a Ford visit be without a marshmallow roast! It was cold, but everyone enjoyed their 'mallows.

Adelle was bundled.