Christmas Surprise!

I am probably going to get in big trouble for this one but I am going to pull a Kim and blog these cute pictures of Gideon first! He is so darling and such a pleasent baby. We love Gid the drummer boy!

Just a few more!

I guess I should have made one of those collages....oh well! Even the babies got into the fun! Here is Phoebe having her breakfast. As I put the antlers on her Hillary told me that if I tell her she is sooo pretty she will leave anything on her head....it worked!

Here is Ella joining in the fun. Wasn't she just a baby? Look how big she is!

Katie and Jared sporting the red noses!

Merry Christmas!

Reindeer Games

Here are some more shots of the tree decorating! This is Alayna loving the Santa!

Buddies-Katie and Olivia..Look how much she has grown!

This is Hilladolph. And yes we let her play too!

Jared loved grandpa's checkered flag ornament!

The Girls Night!

When Hillary and her girls come to town...it is a party! For the girls anyway. All the girl cousins spend the night and we have so much fun!

Then the girls and Jared got to decorate Grandma tree! They did a great job and had me thinking about days gone by, when little kids always decorated my tree. They got to put all the old ornaments that their parents made on the tree, and they loved hearing the stories.

Buddies- Annie and Allyson

These kids got to play all the reindeer games!

Plaza Lighting

For the last few years your Dad has been taking me the the city for the plaza lighting. It happens on the evening of Thanksgiving and for the first few times he would just say I have some place special to take you...dress warm. So off we would go and it was always so beautiful. It is always so romantic. Dad wants a kiss just as they turn on the lights. So we kiss and I am in love with him even more. These aren't great pictures of us, but you can see the lights and share in the fun. It was 14 degrees!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

I always try to take time admidst the hustle and bustle of this day to remember all I have to be thankful for. I feel like I have so much this year. I am so greatful for my husband, who just loves me no matter what. I am grateful for my children. They all love me and have my best interests at heart. I am also thankful for the way they are raising my grandchildren. Those little children are like new breath breathed into an old world. I am thankful for the gospel and for my testimony of life after death. Those who die live on still. They live with out the encumbrance of an old tired body, but they are the same humor and all. We live in an age of indifference and apathy and I am glad I have none of that. I have a life filled with goodness and love. Thank you to all of you who make that possible for me. I love you and am so thankful for you all.

A Thankful heart will find in every hour some heavenly blessings.

Cousins!

Here are some pictures of cousins! The top photo is Melvin Crisp and his sister Frances! They are children of Irene's brother, Orville. They are so much fun and she is a quilter! So we so much to talk about and we even talked a little family history!
The next photo is of Ralph Dotson. He is Irene's sister Lula's son. They still liive near the house he grew up in. He and his wife are so gracious and really made us feel at home. They all provided us with pictures and family stories!

In this last shot of Ron and I, I just wanted to show off the beautiful scenery. It is so beautiful and these rock fences are everywhere and were built during the civil war era. It is a truly amazing place and it only took us 4 1/2 hours to get there. We will be going back soon. We had a great time.

Genealogy Miracles!!

Ron and I had the most amazing weekend. Ron's mother Irene, has only one living sibling and she was visiting in Arkansas and called to ask us to come down. This is Hettie Reba Crisp Wagoner. She is 82 and was pure joy to visit! Doesn't she look like Grandma Doan? We also had hopes of finding Ron's grandparent's headstones, but we had never even been able to find the cemetery. We knew it was Tharp Cemetery but there are so many little cemeteries and many of the become lost. So we pulled into Fayetteville, at a hotel and Ron went in to ask if any one had ever heard of it and could help us find it. Well of course they hadn't, so when he came out to the car and told me, I said I am having a feeling about this road behind us. So he said lets try it, and as we drove on the road we had gone no further that a half mile and there it was! We walked into the cemetery and there we saw not only his grandparents but uncles, aunts, cousins, and a set of great grandparents! This was truly a miracle and a tender mercy of the Lord. We had many of them this weekend and are so grateful for this eternal work of family history!

Amanda and AJ"s wedding

I was privledged to go out to Amanda and Aj's wedding. The weather was great and it was so nice to see everyone. The wedding was beautiful. Jason married them and he did a great job. This is a nice picture of the Staley Family 2007

Live Strong

Audrey Rose Lehman died November 5, 2007. She was a friend and a grandmother to me in every way that matters. I have taken care of her for years and when she was diagnosed with lung cancer and needed 24 hour care, David and I took it on. They say you love whom you serve and I love her. I am completely unprepared for the grieving I am doing. I know the answers...she is in a better place...she doesn't hurt anymore...She is with her loved ones...but it doesn't seem to help the sadness I feel. Maybe it had to do with the way she lived. She wore a bracelet that said "LIVE STRONG" on it. And she did. She had humor, wit, and intelligence, and I could talk to her about anything and we did. She would raise those eyebrows and launch into what ever she had to say. I loved it. I miss it. She has been a source of safety, strength, love and acceptance, for me. The loneliness is so hard but life goes on. She lives and so do we. David and I have been sorting through her memories and they bring smiles and tears and sometimes gales of laughter. I am grateful to have known her and been an intimate part of her life. Though the sadness abides, yet joy cometh in the morning.