Shooting is How We Celebrated!

Line up before we started, shooting in woods down the hill from a friend from church...

Grandpa John gave a good safety talk.

Dean carrying a box full of targets...

I was impressed with how well our children can shoot!

Roxie seemed to hit every balloon she aimed at!

Grandma Lucy Necklace & Kathy's Wedding Reception banners turned QUILT!

My Grandma Lucy loved jewelry.  Fun costume pretties.  Before she passes away she had labeled a lot of it with granddaughter's names, and then when Grandpa Jack died we went through everything dividing up the rest, taking turns.  I came home with several broken necklaces, pretty beads, but missing clasps, and one choker was too small for my neck, so I combined the beads...

...and made my daughters Grandma Lucy necklaces, using 26 gauge wire crocheted to hold the beads.

Fuzzy picture proof of delivery.

Emma & Dean's gift is a picnic blanket--with handle sewn into binding and a button closure.

Emma's mother-by-marriage made beautiful banners for their CA reception, perfect triangles zig-zag cut.

I auditioned a couple of different layouts...

And ended up deciding on an IKEA upholstery green fabric for the backing and a little on the front.

Ready for a picnic with a romantic wedding reminder!

 

Christmas Celebrating

Thanks to Uncle David Babcock's Guinness World Record Breaking event!  LOVE the shirts!

Sam started shaving this week...

Hairy fun (thanks to LJ!)

Ruffle scarves (more thanks to LJ)

Stairs with all of us...

Grandma Sandy found fun Tardis towels!

We struggled with lighting, too bright, shadows, and the tinsel wreaths were silly.  Everyone was a good sport, duty photo session, the one big thing I wanted this year.  THANK YOU for obliging.

Without sombreros.

Emma making sour cream fudge with spontaneous Grinch coloring.

Dean & Max making cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

Great Grandma Billie and Suzanna.

Stewart by the tree.

Christmas Eve couple photo.  Not a hat on my head, candy candle behind me...

UNTOUCHED crazy vibrant colors of the day.

Max in his Defiant sweatshirt.

 Stewart.

We tried the circle head shots, too bright, even in backyard on trampoline and shooting from the roof (John climbed up on a ladder to get above everyone).  No broken bones.

 

We watched family history old VHS video from Emma's first birthday, Max's first Christmas, Suzanna 4th (?) birthday with Babcock cousins over.  Uncle Michael interviewing Great Uncle Blen Stoker.  John & I as young parents.  Our various apartments and blessing homes.

I hope the kids got a sense of who we are as a family.  With 6 children the youngest don't know a lot of the stories of the older siblings.  And we wanted Dean to see how beautiful-cute his wife was as a youngster.  We laughed hard at Stewart & Emma jumping on the mini-trampoline, singing, eating ice cream, John throwing Emma up in air...All my babies had beautiful eyes and sweet chubby fingers and square feet.  Their sounds, coos, expressions are dear memories to me.  I love being their mom, then and now.

 

MUST TRANSFER VHS TO DVD/archive this year.  Goal #1 to back-up what we do have, and be better about group shots, taking pictures of the adults-not just the kids in the room...

I love my family.

Catch Up on Phone Pictures

Do you see the airplane at the top, hanging from the light chandelier, one for each of our faraway children coming home for Christmas!

My parents were here over Thanksgiving/Mom's birthday...Notice red "you are special" plate!  Suzanna, we thought of you!

We took Mom on early morning 25 degree walk to see local color!  We are bundled up, she is wearing my orange polar fleece...

All our children's living grandparents in one room!

Three siblings.  Roxie's temple quilt in living room now, David's paintings back in dinning room.  Gray stripes (wrapping paper) covering blue/green vertical stripes which may come back for Christmas, still deciding.

 

Couple photo.

Sister missionaries came to our parade!

Favorite Moments from the Weekend

 

Sister Lu from PA on left and her family were here last week.  Fun to see them!

We picked up Maxwell to come to Thanksgiving with us at Smith's mansion gathering home.

Mom & Dad trying to stay warm in the sunshine.

Cousin Charlene trying pickled okra for the first time.

Our love for reading comes from reading parents!

Happy Max helping to chop onions/celery for shrimp cocktail.

Roxie in the kitchen.

Sam looming over cousins.

Roxie interviewing Grandma Jane, asking about her childhood and writing answers in her journal.  Smith's dog is affectionate and likes to be in the middle of things.

Niece Alice wearing Metallica and identical twins nieces in Dr. Who t-shirts.