I Stink at Blogging!

We all know I am not a good blogger. We all know I only update once in a blue moon. We all know that lots of the photos I post my kids have already posted something similar.

But I'm turning over a new blog leaf. I have decided (that phrase strikes fear in the heart of my other half) I am going to be so much better this year. Richard just showed me how to download the photos from our camera to my own personal laptop (which really is Richard's thanks to Grange--it is one thing for which I can thank them!)

You will find my photos are mostly family. Strange isn't that. During Christmas when I was so sick with influenza, like a lot of the family, I looked at all our grandkids playing one day and I couldn't help but think in spite of everything that has happened to us this year we are truly blessed.

Richard and I have wanted so badly to move to Utah by Pat and Carl and all the kids and grandkids. We have tried everything we could think of to make it happen. It just hasn't worked. Jobs that we thought Richard had have fallen through. Our home has not sold as hard as we have tried. Richard has worked on this house until he was exhausted. He is so good at that. He works so hard and never complains. But as "up to date" as we tried to be, as much as we have dropped the price, it just hasn't happened.

On the way home from Oregon this past week I started thinking about it and something told me it just wasn't the right time and we needed to take the house off the market. In talking to Richard he felt the same way. So---we came home and reluctantly took the "For Sale" signs down. We have come to the conclusion we would have to give the house away to sale it. We think it is best to wait two or three years and see if things get a little better. Hopefully it will. We also don't know where we would go if we sold it. We will wait and see where Richard gets a job and then decide what to do.

Sunday Richard had to give a talk in church on trials and tribulations. He did such a good job. He told everybody it wasn't his farewell talk. Maybe we were moving and maybe we werren't. We just didn't know. He said despite all we had been through this year we had had so many blessings. Three of our children became parents this year. We have five new beautiful grandchildren. We had got to spend so much more time together this year and spent three weeks in Hawaii having a ball. I wish you all could have been there to hear him.

I want to thank each of you who have told us you remember us in your prayers every day. It means a lot to us. I know we are going to be all right. My children have lifted my spirits time and time again and there is nothing that makes me thank God more than when I hold one of those sweet grandchildren in my arms and snuggle with them. I look at the new ones and I know they met Dad and Mom before they came down. I just wish they could talk and tell me any advice Dad and Mom would have for me. I wish I knew what to do about a son in prison and if there is any way in the world to change and soften his heart. It really breaks my heart when his children ask me how "Joe" is doing. But on the other hand I am so grateful they have another Dad that loves them and plays with them and tries to guide them.

We will be okay I am sure of it. We have never failed to pay a full tithing and it has been a little hard this year when I draw $10,000 out of our 401K and write a check for tithing for $1,000. But it isn't hard when I realize it is his to begin with and he has given me more blessings than trials this past year.

Sorry for the sermon. I love you all. My heart and my prayers are always with Phil and my heart aches for what he is going through. Phil I love you a lot even if Mom used to tell me I was so mean to you!!! Hopefully I have grown up.

Take care you all and keep the faith. A lot of us are in the same situation and we will make it:)

One of my favorite view from Nalani's deck. Awesome!

Cash will not give up until he has rolled over enough times to eat a pear off the tree. After doing this over a dozen times he still hasn't gotten the idea the thing is carboard! They better put him in pre-school fast!

My favorite gift this year to give the kids. Four bowls that said "You Scream" "I Scream" "We all Scream" "For Ice Cream." Ask any of them about Kessler's grocery store in Blackfoot.

They don't get much cuter than this. I mean Cash! You can see from this photo his favorite his favorite thing is rearranging my hair and stealing my earrings.

I may be the Mom but I think this is one cute family. The best thing is Jed calls me "Mom" so he can't hate me too much. Jed you are the bomb!

You have all heard about the mellow climate in Seattle. Not true! This gear about says it all!

Smiles run in the family. You can't have a bad day with these grins.

Check out these eyelashes. They obviously skipped my generation in this family tree. Not fair!

His beautiful blue eyes match sweet potatoes beautifully!

Chubby cheeks also run in the family.

Somehow this bag of Nalani's brings back bad memories of early morning in the barnyard.

One of the sweetest things is seeing Kai's face when he sees his Dad on the web cam first thing in the morning. Life is surely different than it was for wives and families during the Viet Nam War when they waited weeks for a letter. Kai will know his Dad when he comes home from Iraq. Cool huh.Thanks to Meridith we now have two "Haileys" in the family. There isn't any doubt this one loves Grandpa. In fact what grandkid doesn't! I could get jealous but I am just glad they do love him.

Bath time. He looks petrified but that was only because he knew Cash was already in the tub.

See Kai--he's not so bad after all!