THE ELLISONIAN

Spending Quality Time with my Charlie

2011-04-02T02:06:00.000-07:00

That's what it's all about. A little personal time with the boy. Of course, Charlie does try to get together with us. Yet it seems also that he's at perfect peace all by his lonesome working on his puzzle downstairs and listening to his ipod, just being quiet about the house. He's enjoyed going on splits with the missionaries, one weekend spending 3 different nights out with them. He's been busy at school, high jumping in track, active in his speech and debate class, and enjoying the company of some great friends. Charlie is kind and compassionate to his classmates and has a funny quiet sense of humor. Maybe this is why he was voted as Junior Prom King. Actually, I think it's because his friends wanted to make sure he showed up and asked someone out, too. Well we love the little cutie, anyway.

That's right...We're tight...

2011-01-12T11:57:00.001-08:00

JB and Charlie can actually touch without any physical abuse happening, whatsoever. Hah... Mark this day... Merry Christmas from all of us! And a Happy New Year, too!

(I kiafed {spelling?} this picture from Delila’s facebook. Thanks Dee!)

Lacy Not Gasping...

2011-01-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

Ha ha, Lace. I love the picture of you on my collage, but just incase you want me to have your actual family photo, too, here ya go.

Family Photos Sept. 2009

2011-01-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

A year and a half ago, we had a photo session. Did I bother to share these with you. Actually, I guess I did put some of them on '09 Christmas cards that we sent out to our lovely family and friends. Yet somehow I never posted them to my blog.

Lacy, Jason and Luke came for a visit, so we all gathered together for a family reunion up by Bridal Veil Falls (Provo Canyon). It was a wonderful day, with lots of fun and games and crazy antics. I will never forget Tim wading into the rushing Provo river, looking up at my concerned face while he was being swept away, and loudly confessing, "It... just...felt... right." What a nut.

Jade and Tim's friend Jared took the pictures for us. My collage is an assortment of what he did. He is an exceptional photographer, and I hope to catch him again very soon. We'll all be gathered once more for JB's mission farewell for about two days. Hopefully Jared's available...

Resolved to have a Happy Blogging New Year!

2010-12-29T13:12:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are at the close of a glorious decade and the beginning of another go round. Whether a sheer precipice or gently rolling along, I suppose 2011 is bound to show itself any time now. I pray for all my family and friends near and far that it is both gentle and rolling, that in 2011 we can feel the peaceful knowledge of our Savior's love and the happy progress of sweetly answered prayers. Grateful for the many blessings in my family's lives, I'm determined to reaquaint myself with this thing called blogging. With pictures a plenty and wordy sentence structure galore, it's high time for me to record our laughter, excitement, spoofs, spills, pranks, and our tears; those we shed of sorrow and most especially of joy. I so resolve...

(: P.S. Mrs. Lacy broke into my new year's blogging draft and left me the following note which I've highlighted in blue. I'm afraid it complicated my writer's block. I couldn't figure out how to transition.... So this is from my once other self, otherwise known as Lacy.....OH! I'm SOOOO EXCITED that you're going to be blogging again too!! I hope you get on it soon ;) --Lacy

Grandma, Aunt Doris, and Aunt Virginia...My Lovelies

2009-11-05T16:11:00.000-08:00

So much better than JB's burn pics...don't you think?! I cannot say what a treat it was for me to have Aunt Doris, Aunt Virginia, and Grandma come to visit me. I wish I could see them so much more. I'm so thankful for the time we had to visit and share stories. I think I could have stayed up all night chatting. I hope I didn't wear them out... =)

JB'S UNCONQUERABLE SOUL

2009-10-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

"I hate burns." That's what I said on the way to the hospital. Interestingly enough, many others have repeated the same sentiment to me word for word over the last several weeks. Of course it's a given that everyone hates burns; sort of how we pretty much agree on crocodile bites, falling to the ground from twenty stories, or drowning. Still, to hear so many people say it so simply, emphatically, and with such empathy was a balm to my own singed fear. "I hate burns."

I know this is a heck of a place to start blogging again, but I told you all I would post pictures so here they are. I wish I knew how to post without collaging. I just can't figure out how Lacy could get so many pictures at once. Needless to say, or perhaps as I have already said to you personally, this was our frightening event for the year. I guess what I have to be thankful for is that JB has a lot of cheerful fortitude. It was because of him that we all shared some good laughs during the ordeal. I'm fairly certain that he has no nerve endings and therefore feels no pain.

Girl Trip!!

2009-02-21T09:36:00.000-08:00

Missing our Lacy in warm, sunny St. George. We had a fun overnighter a couple of weeks ago. We got to visit with Lonni Clarke...my dear friend and artist extraordinaire. Can't believe I didn't get any pictures with her. She spent Friday evening with us and we all "enjoyed" watching the most bizarro film of all time. Had so much fun with the girls and TJ. Jade and I couldn't get over how warm it was...had to get in our suits and head over to the pool (course I just did the warm jacuzzi...so nice!) Plus we got to have lunch at Cafe Rio with Snook, PJ, Aunt Laris, Uncle Clyde, Trena, and Neil. That was amazingly fun, especially Jade's and Delila's exceptional skill at ordering for all of us. Then we went and saw the house Snook and PJ just purchased. We are so glad to have them in St. George now. The girls and I did some sale shopping at the mall, then headed for home. Pretty sure Joey and I will be moving there someday.

Sweetie, TJ...Strike a Pose

2009-02-21T08:59:00.000-08:00

I know it's way past time to update
my blog. I do still look at each of yours,
usually in such a hurry I forget to reply.
Still I haven't given up yet...

Here's the good stuff!

Grandma's gotta snap pics of TJ's cuteness,
sometimes. . .
Finally got around to sharing.

Wait...Where are Charlie's bday pics...?

2008-12-05T13:08:00.000-08:00

Just realized. I forgot to publish the cute pics we took at Charlie's birthday. He's my pumpkin pie boy. How convenient that he's born in November...pumpkin pie month. There's a story about Charlie and pumpkin pie...Wait, how many poses are there of Jade and Charlie, anyway? We did have a good time. JB and I were there somewhere, too. (Jade was kinda hogging the camera.)

All of Those Crazy Boys!

2008-12-05T11:58:00.000-08:00

The girls may be gone, but with the added males at my house...we're still pretty full to the gills. JB and Charlie the Goofball, had a fun football season this year. Go!! Juab!! Red and Gold. Go you...Wasp...ish things! Well, darn. They didn't quite make it to State but were undefeated in their regular season. Sting 'em in the eye!!

Max, the cougar like dog, is our newest addition, JB's little friend. He is only cougar like in looks, because he's a little baby ducky otherwise, a true sweety. When Milo is visiting, they wrestle nonstop. All over my house...nonstop. Milo is the toughest, though you can't tell in these pics. Crowden, their hero, doesn't usually get involved in their childish nonsense. He is five, after all.

(I have to tell you the million dollar America's funnier home-video we didn't take. It all started before the pic in the upper-left corner of this collage. Joey was holding up a treat for the dogs and they were dancing at his feet in excited expectation. This is how well trained our boys are. Joey commanded "Sit"; Instantly, as if on cue... Max layed down, Milo rolled over, and Crowdin stood on his hind legs and walked. Wow, incredible skill... huh..hmmm...that was funny... )

Fun Changes at the Homestead

2008-12-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

Our pantry is almost finished. Yay! Since it is now usable, I'm concerned it won't get a whole lot further. That's the way Ellison projects go. Utility far outclasses Beauty at this homefront.

So the goofy little quote on the door I attribute to the boys preferring my "JK" quote to all of the serious ones. One idea I had was the word "RIGHT" large instead of the WELCOME and then the words "Not who Is, but What is" across it. JB said, "No mom. I don't wan't something up there that makes me feel guilty all of the time." He thought "A Kitchen is Love in Search of a Belly" summed everything up quite nicely. Holly, the lady who owns Matilda's where I had the vinyl lettering made, convinced me it was so easy to change it, I may as well put what the boys wanted for a while. The whole thing was less than $10...I thought, "Hey, what's money anyoldways?"

The really crowded family room is my newest favorite change. I convinced Joey to take the TV out of our bedroom--then eliminate my very beloved dining room table (bummer)--and finally create a family room in its place. Well, choices have to be made in small spaces. I love it. I so much did Not want the treadmill in my bedroom again (or Joey's dear dearhead, for that matter...) I can't explain to you every way that it is wonderful but...anyway, I kinda like it. I have a family room outside of my bedroom...imagine that.

Our Super-Star Young Women's Night of Excellence

2008-12-05T10:51:00.000-08:00

Our Young Women's Night of Excellence was such a special event this year. I think it is the best program I've ever been able to help pull together. It was amazing to see how each of our leaders and a few of our young women took on large tasks and carried them out fully so that everything came together. Even a father or two and some young men added to our wonderful and special night. I think each of our young women in attendance truly felt that she was a Super Star Young Woman because she is a Daughter of a Heavenly Father who Loves Her. I hope all of our young women, young mothers, not so young mothers, single sisters, and grandmothers can know this is true.

"LUKE DA LUKE" and Lacy too!!

2008-11-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

They came, they visited, they left... and we barely paused to take some pictures. Shoot... (oops--no pun intended.)

OK this is a "getting back on the plane" picture that got mixed in with the others. I thought it too cute to delete. Luke is such a serious dude, isn't he, and Charlie so studly.

Granted Luke was not as excited as we were. Of course, that would have been hard, especially after the 10 hours in airports he had.

So nobody's arms are quite as nice as mommy's arms!

Here are some TJ pics I forgot to post!

2008-11-17T20:45:00.001-08:00

These pictures were taken before Lacy came to visit. I'm racking my brain to remember exactly when... How time does begin to run together.

That Little Ranagan...TJ

2008-11-17T20:31:00.000-08:00

I just had to put the smile at the end...Aren't they just the moments we wait for?! A week ago I got to spend the day with TJ while the guys went to JUAB's 2A State semi-finals at Woodscross. Sadly Juab didn't make it to State. Pretty sure I had a lot more fun than the boys.

2008-11-10T14:25:00.000-08:00

Crazy Milo...He gets himself into the most precarious situations!!

Hawaii

2008-11-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

We had such a great time in Hawaii for our 25th anniversary! Check out all my great pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.com/wendyjoe6652/HawaiiSceneryOct2008#

So Thankful for Friends and Family Who Care...

2008-10-03T10:56:00.001-07:00

Before TJ's frightening illness last week, I was thinking how sad I was to not have mom here to tell about Jade's early delivery of him. I don't know if that makes sense, but I wanted to have her counsel and comfort. Then when TJ became so sick, I was in a fog. Like on movies when everything zones out and all you see is the main character's tunnel vision, I was in that tunnel but wasn't the main character.

Lacy, Renee, Tammy, Kim, Misty, Lisa, Trish, Jessica, Rosalie, ward members and my co-workers at CVMC helped me to endure such a hard time. Without having Joey right by my side, I was afraid and yet wanted to be strong for Jade, Tim, and TJ. I am so thankful for all the talks of encouragement that I had with each of you. Between that, and Joey's love and concern over the phone, I have made it through one of those awful, rough points of my life. I don't know what hardships will be required of any of us in the time we have left here on earth, but I know we are each better people because of the love our family and friends share with us. I cannot thank-you enough.

Love,
**Wendy

Jade, Tim and TJ!

2008-09-19T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Jade's and Tim's first time holding TJ. We were so happy that they were able to last night. I want to give you more info but need to rush off to the hospital. Jade is still improving and hopefully will go home tomorrow. Her blood platelets are at 58 this morning. Thank you to all of you participating in our fast for Jade and TJ. We love all of you.

Hello, Dear Family

2008-09-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

I don't know if things ever actually wind down or if they just change, but I'm feeling as if my summer chores are drawing to a close and the persistant buzz of my distant family is calling to me through this wonderful medium of the internet. Faithfully anxious to read all of your blogs, I find myself, on occasion (wink, wink), neglecting my own. So here I am, family, at your mercy. Will you even notice that I have blogged, and if so, will you bother to read my belated and somewhat rambling thoughts? I do indeed hope that I hear from you.

I know pictures are worth a thousand words...well this is about a thousand.

Pictures I'd post if I had a camera:

**Two days after Youth Conference, and two days before our Annual Missouri Summer Trip***

The Family of Legs...

First photo op: Twelve Legs started the hike...(four belonged to Crowdin, the very little dog with a great big, brave heart and teeny little feet). After leaving one car at the bottom, JB, Charlie, Dad, Mom and Crowdin arrived in the second car at the top of a three mile hike in Bear Canyon for family night. Beautiful, perfect night. It was 8:30 pm at the top of the trail.

Second photo op: Crowdin's legs running back and forth between the boys who were down the trail and mom and dad taking it a little slower because the trail was a bit more rugged than mom realized. (Crowdin, the very little dog with a great big brave heart and teeny little feet, must have walked nine miles in those three).

Third photo op... We believe they were big legs, probably four, belonging to a bear, as evidenced by what bears leave behind on trails.

Fourth photo op... The four legs crossed casually on the Oldsmobile, Achieva when Dad, Crowdin, and Mom made it back down to the car.

Fifth photo op...The 4 seconds in the night that didn't actually involve legs, when J.B. said, "Where are the keys, Dad?"

Sixth photo op... Ok, the other .2 of a second when it dawned on 4 out of 5 of us that the keys were either lost in the dead of night somewhere on the trail involving a bear ... or in the Hyundai, Sonata at the top of the trail that really was more rugged than mom realized. (Either way, the whole "back up the three mile trail" idea didn't seem viable after 10:30 at night.)

Seventh photo op... We're all aware that the Ellison's don't even own a working camera, let alone one that will take good leg pictures in the dark of a forested night but, hey, we may as well think big. This would have to be a whole "compare and contrast" picture of Mom's and Dad's leg's forging forward, focusing in on Mom's and Dad's faces at precisely the moment one of them said "This will be a grand adventure, honey."

Eighth photo op... One mile down the road, twelve legs still walking, three out of five of us singing, "Look at the stars. Look how they shine for you." Well... admittedly it was just Mom singing, but three out of five were still smiling.

Ninth photo op... Another mile down the road, at a public campground, 11:30 at night. Yay!!! the 12 legs were bound to be rescued by the campground host...the 12 legs were waiting to be rescued by the campground host...the 12 legs were willing to be rescued by the campground host... "Hellooo, are you there, Mr. Host?" "What'dya Want!?" Can't think of anything bad enough to say about the campground host's legs that wouldn't get out of bed to help our 12.

Tenth photo op... Two miles down next road. Technically legs were still involved because legs were still moving, although somewhat less skillfully. Whatever is said by cell phone companies about 911 calls making a connection even when normal calls will not... Is a Lie. However, a 911 call will make your phone flash red and beep, beep, beep, beep.

11th photo op...Two miles further, though smiles and conversation were still portraying a semblance of cheer, legs would have stomped on any camera in the vicinity... besides those useless cameras, in the useless phones, sending out useless beeps... Hope is sometimes merely a tragic misconception.

12th photo op... New road, new opportunities. Some traffic on this road. For instance, the car travelling the opposite direction that honked a friendly honk as it passed the family of legs and waving arms walking their dog with no more teeny little feet on a mountain highway at 1:00 in the a.m..

13th photo op... Less than a mile, a truck coming around the bend in the right direction and headed right at the family of legs and waving arms. Best ridiculous photo award... Mom's renewed vigor as her legs jump out of the way of the truck as it comes to a stop by the family.

14th photo op... Work truck's entire back is a tool box, so what's with the big box taking up the middle seat next to his gear shift? He offers to carry one set of legs back into town.

15th photo op... Look on dad's face when mom says, "I guess that will have to be you, honey."

16th photo op... Has something to do with honking loud and long at 1:30 in the morning and a campground host's legs who wouldn't get out of bed to help a dozen stranded legs on family night.

HeeHeeHee... Love You Guys

Delila is Graduated! AHH!

2008-06-09T13:35:00.001-07:00

My youngest girl has officially finished high school! Delila graduated on May 28 and I cannot believe she is acutally done...She was so excited! Joey and I decided to get her a car for graduation...I think she liked it...

We were so excited to have our family there to support us...Lacy and Luke even came up for the graduation from California! Snook and Papa Joe were there as well. We really appreciated all the support...

I was really excited to have Lacy...I even took a ton of pictures with her...We looked so cute!

Just wanted to show everyone how incredibly LONG the graduation ceremony was...The program:

My Fortune Cookie...

2008-04-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

(This picture is a repeat, but I thought it was kind of appropriate.)

So yesterday was a rough day for me as I'm sure my sisters also experienced. I asked Joey to take me out to do something when he got home, just so I could mark Mom's birthday in some way. Uncle Al called me, and I was so touched by his call. I didn't get to sound very friendly to him because I was sure that I would start crying. Almost instantly when I hung up from talking to him, my R.S. president called to see if I had any plans for the night. I think she was looking for someone to feed the missionaries, but we didn't actually get that far in our conversation. Unfortunately, I kind of fell apart. Great timing. I was so embarrassed.

Then an even more random thing happened. About two seconds before Joey walked in the door, I started listening to a message from our Scout Master. Take my advice... Don't ever do that. I thought this was too crazy.

He said, "Brother Ellison, I was just wondering if you could go to Round Table for me tonight. It's my birthday today and I wanted to go see my mom but there was (some kind of important information they were going to announce tonight). Would you mind going for me, because I don't think I can make it. I'll just plan on you going if I don't hear back." This from the guy who doesn't miss meetings and even scheduled a meeting on General Conference Sunday. (I didn't think that was done; is nothing sacred?!) As Joey walked in, I gave him the look. He said, "What? I don't have anything tonight." I shook my head and said, "Just wait till you hear this."

Joey thinks Scout Master is the hardest calling in the church, no holds barred. (You have my permission to debate it with him. He's not much of a debater, so you might win.) We decided he'd go to opening exercises to get the information for Brother Settle. Afterwards, we drove up to Provo and walked around the mall for the twenty minutes before it closed. Then we drove home. Woohoo. At least we were together.

Yesterday was one of those Murphy's law kind of days, and I was not particularly in the mood for it in the first place. Today I was much happier which is typical after a sad day. I took JB to physical therapy because he hurt his back in weight lifting. He always makes me laugh. He insisted that I take him out for Chinese food before dropping him back at school. I tried to deny, but he assured me that he would jerk the steering wheel into China Town's parking lot. Like he'd dare. We really enjoyed ourselves. His fortune cookie said something about him being nothing more than full of ideas. He said just when he starts feeling good about himself he goes to a chinese restaurant to be deflated. My fortune cookie said, "Face facts with dignity." How simple is that?...

Looking Through Old Pics

2008-04-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

I know it's way after the New Year, and Jade probably showed this on her blog, but I was amazed at the light display in Nephi this year. They had 80,000 lights at the Old Mill Park. The pictures don't really show it well, but this one is the best. For little old Nephi, it was something to behold . (Hmmm..... I hate not having a camera)

My Other Self... April Fools

2008-04-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hi All...Ok, I'm here...and I'm not here ...but somehow my words still appear. "Crazy hacker blogger". I can't quite find the words to say how my life is going because...well someone already kinda did that for me. I surely do thank them. More than they can know.

Life is so full of good and special times. One thing I did forget to mention, however, the last time I wrote when I wasn't here was that Saturday, Delila and I were able to go to the General Young Women's meeting and listen to wonderful talks by all the General Young Women's Presidency and President Eyring. We were able to see President Monson, President Eyring, and President... (Ya right...you thought I was really going to attempt to spell it. So, I pronounce it "Ookdorf". I'll have to look it up, but I'm pretty certain that's not the right spelling.) .

Anyway, what I was going to say was that it was such a wonderful experience. The girls' choir from "Cache Valley" (Renee's area) was outstanding. Delila and I were especially amazed by the young woman who played the flute during one of their numbers. She played during the entire song flawlessly even while a huge camera was right up in her face. I said to Delila, "She must have had a lot of experience playing in front of a crowd." DeDe said, "I bet she hasn't played in front of the whole world before." It was so impressive to see in person.

Delila was also particularly touched by the people who were hearing impaired sitting just a few rows in front of us. Actually, instead of having someone do American Sign Language live, they were on a big screen TV. Another one was set up right next to it, also a big screen, with the closed caption turned on. I'm always touched to realize the thoughtfulness and precision that must be involved in presenting general conferences; not only are they thinking of broadcasting by satallite to millions of young women, mothers and leaders around the world, but also they're concerned about the 10 or 15 hearing impaired who come to the conference center to listen. Wow. So many things I could share, because I really was moved by it all. Delila pointed out to me after about half an hour into conference how the whole center was completely filled...it was something I can't even describe...to know that so many had come... and yet so many more were listening from other places all around our great big world. Wow.

And then, to top it all off, we parked across the street from the first apartment that mom lived in while she was in Salt Lake and walked right past it to the conference center. I was flooded with so many fond memories of mom on her mission. I was so thankful to have had mom here for that short time. It meant the world to me. She was my example of living the gospel to the fullest extent, of serving, giving of herself, loving others, and of continuing to learn new things through her entire life. Oh, how I do miss her!

It was a very special night and I thank Delila for her willingness to be with me. She has been my dear other female this last year. I can't imagine how it will all roll out next year with all three of my girls moved away. Life has a way of changing so drastically right in the middle of all the same old stuff. Crazy how that is.

So to end this current blog...that I'm pretty certain is my real true self... I have a little thought to share with you all. I was listening to this commercial the other day and I realized something of great value... One should probably never use the phrase "its the cutting edge" to describe advances in the medical world or dentistry... iiickkk ....

I don't know. Is it just me or what?

Love You All---

I know, I know...

2008-03-31T14:12:00.001-07:00

So, let me start off this post by apologizing for not posting in so long. I have to say, I have been so busy that, when I get on the computer, it's to frantically check on my daughters and grandson (soon to be grandchildren), and see what's going on in their lives. Then, as I notice that I'm running out of free time, I zoom over to my sisters' websites and ooo and aww over their adorable posts...then, as one last, 'okay, i'm getting off, hold on', i click on my neice's website just to see a couple of pics...and then, it's off to something new. I feel like my life is just whizzing on by and I can't quiet get a hold of it. But, I do promise, I am around...

So, some exciting news, I guess...Jadie, my lovely second daughter, and her adorable hubby Tim have recently found out that she is expecting...so I am going to be a grandma x2 (i know, i already mentioned that, but i wanted to say it again)...I cannot wait until my little rannagan grandbaby gets here...Finally, I'll have one close to me...I only wish the other one was just as near...sigh...maybe some day...one can only hope...haha!

Another exciting announcement, delila, my lovely youngest daughter is...AHHH!...graduating from highschool! I cannot believe it...only two more to go (my awesome boys) and I do not have to deal with the whole dramma of highschool anymore...not that I want life to speed up any more than it has already...

The boys, JB and Charlie, are as crazy as ever, keeping me on my toes every day. I love them though. They keep life exciting. I cannot believe that I have another child (JB) that is old enough to date and drive...can life get any scarier...tell me...And Charlie is speedily coming up behind JB (in november, he turned the whoppingly old age of fourteen...I don't think I've announced that yet...isn't that crazy)...Part of me wants to hold on to them a little longer and yet part of me is saying, "you're still here?"...Don't know which part is stronger today...

Joey and I--you know, I feel like I'm writing one of those Christmas letters ("this year brought a lot of changes to our family") it's kind of funny...seeing as, I've never really done that before--Anyway...Joey and I are enjoying what time we have with each other. Just a couple of days ago we were able to spend the night at one of our Worldmark resorts (yay for timeshares!)...it was nice to get away with each other...as always...and then...YAYAYAYAY! I cannot wait...we are going to HAWAII for our honeymoon...I am so excited (even more yay for timeshares!)

As for my already-too-far-away, but still lovely, daughter, Lacy, and her little family, Jason and my little grandbaby Lukie, are leaving the beautiful west coast and heading for the east coast. That's right, all...my daughter who thought Provo was too crowded (she's like her father sometimes) is moving to MANHATTAN! She's going to live right, smack-dab, in the middle of the island...go figure...As if I wasn't stressed enough out about her being too far away...now she's moving across country...Isn't there any other way?! P.S. her hubby is going in to New York University's LLM program--don't ask me what it is...ask her...

But, all-in-all, our life is good, and we enjoy our family...And our love grows more each day as more people are brought into it...So, what does life hold for us now?...(in keeping with the Christmas letter theme..."I cannot wait to see what the next year brings us"...)

Well, I know it's a long post...and it's only words...the author doesn't have any pictures...but I promise...As soon as i find a way...and some time...I will put a post up with all of our beautiful smiling (highly stressed out) faces!

Until next time...

Family Picture!

2007-12-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

Hi All!! Merry Christmas. HaHaHa...I'm actually posting with a new picture (and we just took it tonight). This is our family photo for our Holiday get together this year. We had a big ol' feast today, then went and saw National Treasure. DeDe volunteered to watch Lukie because she saw it on Saturday. Bless that child; She cleaned the whole kitchen and dining room, too. We ended with a family photo shoot. Luke was getting a little tired of our experimenting with the lighting and position of everyone so we had to call it quits. Not bad for our first ever color coordinated, do it yourself jobber. Love You All, Family. Take Care. Wendy

I know, I know

2007-11-30T16:03:00.001-08:00

So it's been a while since I posted...okay...it's been two months since I posted. I'm sorry. My life has been crazy. I also stuck my pictures on the shutterfly website and am in the process of getting them off. So, you'll have to do without pictures for a while. But I thought I should update everyone on the life...Things are good here in little ol' Nephi. We're feeling the usual warmth, cold, excitement, and pressure of the holiday season. We're looking forward to Christmas break because Lacy and her family are coming out to visit, Jade and Tim will be here to spend time with us, and we'll get to have the whole family together for a while...enjoying each other's company. It's going to be an enjoyable few days. We're all good here. Just trying to battle colds, flus, and the regular battles we face every day! Hope you all are doing well, and, I promise, I will get pictures up soon! Take care!

Alright, Alright...Gimme a Break...Tort

2007-09-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

What I am doing is waking up at 3:00 in the morning because I can't sleep and then trying to take a nap whenever I can find my bed during the day because I haven't slept. Why can I sleep at noon but not at night? I don't know. I don't get it. Apparently it has something to do with turtles...or at least Tort. I went on a lovely two day trip for my anniversary and didn't have a bit of trouble sleeping. I guess because Tort stayed home. I got home on Monday and then woke up that night and worried about Tort being moved into the house. Where did Charlie put him? Is he on my carpet somewhere? Does he have a cage of some kind...I don't think so....I need to get him something. What about his food? None of that makes a bit of difference at noon but let me tell you at 3 AM, the troubles of Tort are paramount. Unfortunately I can't actually sleep at noon either because I have to work or go visiting teaching or homeschool Charlie or run north to help Jade...or something, something. So I find my bed again about 11 pm and 3 am hits again. Does Tort have any water? How do you water a Turtle in the house? What a mess it's going to make. How many days can a turtle go without water? I bet Missouri turtles need more water than our desert variety. All that water and humidity. Do we have a desert variety? I don't think so.

So I was Wondering...

2007-08-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

How many times do you think I can get away with posting without actually putting pictures up on my blog? I've had a mishap with my new, dear friend.... otherwise known as "my digital Camera"... It's lost. I don't even think it's my fault this time. I always hate it when something is lost around my place. First I do a little cursory search and come up with a big fat zero, zip, nada, black hole...then I start slinging the accusations...Where did my "whatnot" go? I had it right here. Charlie, you were dancing on it yesterday...or JB I saw you smuggle it upstairs under your xbox...or you know..DeDe, Delila, Tweedle Dee, you surely...surely you were using the flat iron on it...Right? (I'd call Lacy and Jade too, but I don't think I could make as strong a case against them.) Then it happens...they've all figured me out..."No, mom. It wasn't me. Maybe YOU LEFT IT somewhere..."

Maybe. OH...I hate that. They can blame me because, you know, maybe I did leave it somewhere. I do have this uncanny knack. It has something to do with neurons not jumping the right synapses in my brain...or something. I just don't know for sure, but I'm still wondering....And then somehow I find the ol' whatnot....right where I left it. So I ask myself: Did I do that...or did someone just put it back a second ago?

Have you every seen Conspiracy Theory. That's a good movie....edited. I'm just sayin'...

NOT THIS TIME THOUGH, Big Guy. I know I didn't have my camera last.

I'm pretty sure...

UPDATE...I'm not joking...Joey just found my camera in my closet on one of his belt hooks...I have no Idea. Really. I don't. I'm thinking it was the kids...or Crowden.

Indio Resort and Knot's Water Park

2007-08-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

I still haven't figured out that I should start at the end of my trip and work forward... Well I guess I do know that now...Let's see if I can remember next time. Indio is where we spent the last two days of our trip to California. We arrived on a Sunday, spent Monday at a waterpark and drove home on Tuesday. So we didn't stay long. You can see that these first pictures are all dusty gray. Well that is because at about 6:00 Sunday night the wind picked up and before long it was so dusty that you couldn't even see the mountains behind the resort. We wondered at first if it could be ocean fog this far inland, until Joey and I went on a walk to take these pictures. Although I don't love the area this is the fanciest resort we have been to. It was quite spectacular. I would have been happy to stay at the resort all day but we had promised the kids a Knot's... so Knot's it was.

You may notice that JB is conspicuously absent from our shots. He did not get to go on our trip because of a football camp he didn't think he could miss. He said that he never wanted to stay home again. I'm glad, because it wasn't the same without him. I had tried to talk him into coming but he was quite adamant. On our drive home we went way out of our way to see Hoover Dam. It was quite spectacular but we had been on the road far too long already. The kids were not impressed with the traffic at all. Still I find it incredible what man can accomplish. I wrote it down as one of the museums we would like to visit at a future date. As it was, there was no way we were stopping when we still had 6 hours till we would be home. . . So there you have it... That's our trip...from end to beginning somewhat. Crazy to only have 4 people on a family trip. Times are a changin'.

This is it...Hearst Castle

2007-08-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

I googled "Hearst Castle" and this is what I found. I thought it was quite interesting. "Hearst Castle was the palatial estate of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. It was built on a 40,000 acre (160 km²) ranch that William Randolph Hearst's father, George Hearst, originally purchased in 1865. The younger Hearst grew fond of this site over many childhood family camping trips. He inherited the ranch, which had grown to 250,000 acres (1000 km²), from his mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst, upon her death in 1919. The estate is a pastiche of historic architectural styles that Hearst admired in his travels around Europe. For example, the main house is modeled after a 16th century Spanish cathedral, while the outdoor pool features an ancient Roman temple front transported wholesale from Europe and reconstructed at the site.Invitations to Hearst Castle were highly coveted during its heyday in the 1920s and '30s. The Hollywood and political elite often visited, usually flying into the estate's airfield or taking a private Hearst-owned train car from Los Angeles. Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, the Marx Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Joan Crawford, Calvin Coolidge, and Winston Churchill were among Hearst's A-list guests."

He only began construction after his mother died because she refused to let him build at the ranch. She told him that she knew him too well. If he ever started to build, he would never stop. She knew him very well indeed because that is exactly what happened. There are parts of the estate today that never were finished because his dream never ended. I love the line in Newsies...His Newspaper was called The World so he says, "When I created the World..." I think that explains William Randolph Hearst very well.

Inside Hearst Castle & Indoor Pool

2007-08-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

Ancient tapestries in Living room depict a French revolution and a particularly beloved leader who is still sung about today in their National Anthem. The long narrow dining room at Hearst Castle is of Gothic design with the high ceilings and narrow walls of dark wood. Apparently everyone who visited the Hearst "ranch" was expected to attend dinner, after dinner drinks, and movies that could go on to all hours of the night. If you fell asleep in the theater that was fine, but you had to show up. Other than that, guests were free to entertain themselves. When guests came into the dining room they would look for their name card at the table to find their seat. If after a few days it started inching its way down to the end of the table by the fireplace where Joey is standing, then you knew your stay was drawing to a close. Carey Grant was a frequent guest. If he saw his name moving down he would simply switch it with someone elses to prolong his visit just a bit. I think my very favorite piece of artwork is the teak carving of Mary and Jesus in the center picture. I think it is simple elegance, and quite touching.

The indoor pool is breathtaking with all the beautiful blue and gold mosaic throughout. At the bottom right picture you can see the shallow pool set back into another room. It was only three feet deep and was called the sissy pool. It was mostly for the Easterners who did not have swimming pools and had therefore never learned to swim well. Hearst allowed his staff to swim and participate in most of the events of the day. He expected his guests to treat his staff well. While back East they were called servants at Hearst Ranch they were staff and a guest would be asked to leave if they didn't treat staff as "almost" equal.

Solvang and Hearst Castle

2007-08-16T20:09:00.000-07:00

Fun times in Solvang...Wish I had more pics. The 1914 Indian motorcycle that Joey is standing next to was bought by a
man about 1915 when his girlfriend was going off to college in another state. She decided she didn't like college and came home very soon after starting. The poor guy was apparently too afraid to mention to her that he had splurged on the motorcycle so he hid it in his barn and married his sweetheart. He forgot all about it after only putting about 700 miles on it. It was found in that same barn in 1976 when someone was looking for another item for the bicentennial celebration that year. I thought I needed a picture of the Danish motorcycle since we were in a Danish community. Although only neighbors with the Dutch, Solvang made me think of Grandma Walker. I'd love to take her there.

Here is the start of my Hearst Castle extravaganza of pictures. I have not much to tell...but oh my goodness...Wow!

The oldest artifact at Hearst Castle is in this collage. Can you guess what it is? I'm sure I can give it away by saying that it is from
before Moses time or some insanely unbelievable thing like that. I know she mentioned Moses...can't remember if it was before or after.

More of Santa Ines

2007-08-16T19:40:00.000-07:00

It seems that any time people do good for others in the name of Jesus Christ that the Holy Ghost is present and you can feel the peace he brings. That is how we felt at Santa Ines. It was very much a sanctuary.

Santa Ines Mission

2007-08-16T19:32:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit surprised at what I didn't take pictures of...None around our resort in Solvang...None around town in Solvang...None with the girls and me at the theater, Kiss Me Kate...Darn. However, Lacy and I thoroughly enjoyed our walk over to and tour of this mission/museum. From the back of our resort there was a walking trail in a big open field with 1003 lizards and 57 squirrels and absolutely no snakes...(we hope). Joey and I were on a walk one morning and found out that this field was a short cut over to the Santa Ines mission. Joey took Charlie to an incredibly expensive and elite golf course just a half mile up the road from us...They had gps in their golf carts but couldn't figure out how to use it...=0) While they were basking in the luxury of teeing off in style, and while Delila was every so lovingly babysitting the Little Luke, Lacy and I ventured over to the mission. I don't think we would have made it had we gone through town. We met some girls who volunteered to take a picture of Lacy and me together while I was snapping a shot of Lacy. I asked them what they do in Solvang and they said they were massage therapists. Naturally I had to talk to them a bit more.

Vast Ocean and Many Mini Horses

2007-08-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

A day at the beach in Santa Barbara. Joey and I were a bit surprised that the kids didn't want to go any other time, but it was chilly and overcast on that part of the ocean most of the time. We did have fun for the little while we were there.

I think everyone enjoyed the short ride to the Quicksilver Miniature horse ranch. These horses are 26" and under. Pretty adorable...the little filly in the center was only six weeks old. Joey and I thought this could be quite an enjoyable retirement endeavor. The fillies sell from $4-6000 and the colts at about $2500 (or something like that). When you consider that they require a minimal amount of feed and sell for more than many full size horses...hmmm...it's a thought. This ranch was beautiful and immaculate. I loved it...

Nojoqui Falls...Almost Dry In August

2007-08-16T18:35:00.000-07:00

It was a bit less awe inspiring than if gushing water had been falling from the top but still quite impressive in a peaceful way. I wanted to give you the feel of how tall the falls were. Although the picture above Joey was more close up, the two pictures together only barely overlap. Wish I could have gotten a little better perspective but these square pics can't do much in that regard. There were so many places in Santa Ynez valley (where Solvang is located) that are difficult to pronounce. This falls topped our list. I could think of a dozen ways to try and "mis-"pronounce it. Finally I gave up trying to come up with something reasonably foreign or Native and settled on NO JOKE EE... As you might have guessed...emphasis on "Joke". So what do you think the pronunciation is. After I've heard from everyone, I'll let you know. No cheating though. You can't look it up... or google it...or any such thing. Just let me know your best bet. Lacy if you remember...don't tell.

Back from Solvang and Indio!!

2007-08-09T13:50:00.000-07:00

We are back!! We returned from our trip to California (one week in Solvang and 2 nights in Indio) on Tuesday night. It was such a wonderful time being able to spend a week with Lacy and Luke. We only had a couple days with Jason since he was unable to get out of work... We would have liked more time with him but admire all that he is trying to accomplish. Hang in there, Jason!

So no pictures yet because my head is still kind of spinning with trying to get back into a routine and all... but I am here and expect to be posting very soon.
Love You Family,
Wendy

Delicate Carpet of Flowers.

2007-07-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Wildflowers grow profusely in the mountain tundra above the tree-line. Too cold year-round for trees, the beauty stays much closer to the ground. Nothing is more than about five inches high. Yes, I was practically laying down to snap these pictures.

These pictures, on the other hand, were taken from my car window looking down from the tundra as we were driving up the highest road in America at some 12,000 ft. elevation. It's kinda fun to have a good camera.

Sprague Lake Explained

2007-07-24T10:59:00.000-07:00

A pretty bridge to walk on and the Mountains behind us just out of view.

OK...So Delila was posing first and so I posed and then she stopped just before the shot. That was just to make me look silly I think. Tricky-Dee, that's what I call her.

This is the plaque enlarged because I thought it was quite cool... Those are the mtns just out of view in the shot of Joey and me on the bridge. A beautiful place for a lodge but it isn't there any more.

I think you can read this for the most part. This lake was my favorite place at the park. It was so gentle and perfect.

Sprague Lake at RMNP

2007-07-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Peaceful Sprague Lake...at Rocky Mtn. NP.

The tail end of an Elk herd we were trying to catch up with.

My family and Sprage Lake views. A little girl was so enthralled with Crowdin. First she asked us if she could pet our coyote. Then later she asked us, "Is he a coyote or a dog?" We're guessing her parents got to her. Oh, to have your childhood fantasies so dashed.

Even little Tort, our Missouri turtle enjoyed the views. He was screaming..."Put me down. Put me down. This is the right place!" Little did he know he wasn't there yet.

Estes Park as Compared to....

2007-07-24T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics of the condo and views at Estes Park. Estes Park is the name of a mountain resort town just outside of Rocky Mtn. National park in Colorado. I wish I had some pictures of the town. I think I like it even more than Jackson Wyoming for a couple of reasons. Jackson is about an hours drive from Yellowstone NP and Jackson has gotten so huge. Estes is less than five miles from Rocky Mtn. NP and it still has that small town feel. However, there is no beating Yellowstone NP and happily Worldmark is putting a resort in West Yellowstone, Montana which is just outside the park. Though it's not as cute a town as Estes, we are so excited for that resort to be finished. I haven't yet been everywhere, but I'm pretty sure that Yellowstone is my favorite place in the whole world.

Estes Park Worldmark Condo

2007-07-24T09:43:00.000-07:00

(One comment per pic/left to right/top to bottom) Snapshots of the front of our Worldmark condo at Estes Park. JB's sexy pose on the sofa sleeper. Our porch with river behind us. Beautiful river I wanted to walk in. Looking from the river back to our condo on the left and ground level. Master bathroom. Master bedroom. Special needs kitchen. Delila lounging in the 2nd bedroom.

Mountain Glory Effect

2007-07-23T17:02:00.000-07:00

So just for fun Kim was showing me how to do the special effects on Picasa. I added two different graduated colors to the clouds of my picture of Rocky Mountain National Park. Kinda crazy. I know.

Rocky Mtn. National Park

2007-07-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

Here we are at Rocky Mountain National Park. I was playing with Picasa, my picture progam on the computer, to see what I could actually do. I cropped the picture of Joey and me. Then I changed the picture of Delila and Crowden to sepia. OK? OK...

Nephi Canyon Fire, July 19, 2007

2007-07-20T13:55:00.000-07:00

This is the fire burning in Nephi Canyon right as I type. Yesterday, while DeDe and I were at the Old Pinery for girl's camp with our ward and stake, we were evacuated when the fire jumped from the north side of the canyon road to the south. When we got back to Nephi we found that we weren't any further away from the fire but more out of harms way. We are located almost exactly where the center picture is taken. The one to the left of it is just up the road from us. If you follow the road in that picture all the way to its end that you can see...that's how close our home is to the fire. Our house was so full of smoke last night...I didn't know if we needed to evaquate just for the sake of smoke inhalation alone. Our beautiful KOA campground...prettier than any campground Joey and I have seen all across the United States...has been destroyed. The house at the top is our friend Dr. Oveson's. It has been saved so far...as has the Ockey's who live next to and own the KOA. To see more pictures go to ksl.com and click on the lead article Dozens of People Evacuated from San Pete County Due to Wildfire

Walking in the Woods and Fields...Via the Circle

2007-07-20T11:55:00.000-07:00

One night I took a slow walk around Kim's circle and fortunately thought to take my camera. I snapped pictures of everything that reminds me of Missouri. Trees, barns, fields of hay, and yes, even the curious neighborhood dogs.

People complain of the humidity. All I feel is the softness of the warm moist air on my skin; all I see is the lush richness it gives to the country it nurtures. I just stay out of it on a hot day unless I'm by a body of water.

When We Saw Kim and Brent

2007-07-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

These are the first photos I've been able to get up on my blog since returning from our fabulous 4th of July trip to Kim, Brent and the rest of the Richardson clan's house. We had such a riot. Boyd Bridge may actually be in Excelsior. I'm not too sure. Brent, Kim, Joey and I were meandering around on the way back home from Walmart when we saw it....(Yes, Lacy..."meandering" is a word also. I didn't make it up.)

Ok. So my kids have been to a Royals game. Their lives now have meaning. I'm pretty sure Lacy and Jade went once when they were young. I'll have to check on that one. But at least Delila, JB, and Charlie can definately say they've seen a major league ball game. A little different from when I was a kid and went a few times every season.

Fourth of July Fodder

2007-07-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

So we had great fun on the Fourth of July... even with the crazy storm that rolled in. What a downpour!! Dad with the dogs I think is hilarious. You would think he'd be a big dog kinda guy but he loves the little ones too. Crowdin's not quite sure how to take everything. He hardly leaves our side for fear that we might run off and leave him like we did last year...at least that's what it seems like to me. So Kim explained the whole Texas Hold'em poker game on her blog. What a hoot. Aren't all the Gideon pictures so cute. He's a little superstar.

We thought we'd make it to fireworks in Liberty since the rain blew over just in time for some good displays. Unfortunately our plans were completely waylaid when police set up a road block right off the road to Kim's office where we were going to watch them. Couldn't believe they wouldn't let us in. They said the Lots were all full but they weren't talking about her work parking lot, they were talking about down the road further to the arena where they were shooting off the fire works. We tried to talk our way in but to no avail. So we kept on driving until we found ourselves all the way back home.

Jade's Big Bad # Twenty ... Continued

2007-07-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

So here's some of the other Birthday gifts besides the abundance of Delila gifts. The first gift is her card from Snook and PJ with a lovely twenty tucked inside. The rest is an assortment of gifts from Dad and me. Pay particular attention to the bottom row. Jade's first reaction to the card I gave her. Then we decided to show exactly why she reacted that way. Pretty card on the outside...NOTHING on the inside. Yep. Leave it to Mom. I forgot to write inside my dear daughter's card. I was completely oblivious. The whole time she opened it, I didn't even realize...Until she turned it around for me to see. Nice, Mom...

DeDe says "Happy Big #20 Jade!!"

2007-07-04T17:05:00.000-07:00

Jade's Birthday Craziness!! These are the gifts from Delila. She knew Jade liked to go to Gold's Gym so got her a bunch of work-out stuff. Dee said, "I'm not saying you're fat, Jade." She even gave her a champagne glass filled with Rolos to prove it. DeDe also made Jade's cake... For Cute...

Becky's Bridal Shower @ Andrea & Brandon's House

2007-07-04T16:29:00.001-07:00

Becky, Ali, and Andrea at Becky's Bridal Shower. She is Kevin's new wife and makes a beautiful addition to Renee's daughters. Andrea is Brandon's wife. Brittney, Steven's wife wasn't able to make it, but they are all beautiful girls.

We had a lot of fun making candy bar posters and playing bridal shower bingo. Becky's mom is next to her on the right and Shauni, Kevin's grandma, is on Becky's left.

Youth Conference 2007.... Stop #1...Temple Square

2007-07-04T13:13:00.000-07:00

Our whole ward youth conference group is in the center shot with the Salt Lake Temple. Seeing the Joseph Smith movie was a great and moving experience for all of us. Joey had to make fun of me for wobbling around on the ledge when I was snapping a shot of the Temple so then he had the brilliant idea to get a picture of us falling into the fountain...(No...we didn't actually fall in.) Our carload was a lively group...the oldest kids at the conference...so naturally they were completely comfortable cutting up. Laying on the floor was the best way for them to appreciate the ornate ceiling in one of the wedding reception rooms.

Paris Idaho Tabernacle...Youth Conference 2007

2007-07-04T12:47:00.000-07:00

The Paris Tabernacle is in the small town of Paris Idaho...Designed by one of Brigham Young's sons and completed 1889. It was a beautiful place to tour at our Youth conference. The last picture is a blow up of the chapel ceiling...built by a ship builder...Though you can't see the beams in the chapel very well, they go from floor to ceiling and are each carved from one entire log. They must be about 30 feet at least.

A little Random....Ok, A Lot of Random

2007-06-08T20:46:00.000-07:00

I thought of a metaphor to describe Joey the other night. It was kind of late and so maybe a bit odd.... but I think it really works. Joey wears responsibility like a lycra suit. It fits him like a second skin but is a little too binding to relax in.
Here is Mr. Lycra himself with JB. I'm not even sure why I took the picture but I guess its pretty cute so I had to add it.
....& here I am. I guess one of those times I couldn't sit down to eat....I don't know...but my closet door is opened and that really bugs me.
OK so if you haven't figured it out....That's Crowdin's eye. Don't ask. I have no idea.
So Joey brought home this perfectly nice blow snake. And then let Crowdin torture him right while our home teachers were visiting. Crowdin just barked and barked at it and the snake was all coiled up and hissing and striking at him and blowing. That was the great part....the blowing. Blow snakes expell a huge lot of air out of their bodies when they hiss. It is very intimidating and our hometeacher Bishop, President, Doctor Besendorfer pointed out to us that you could actually see the snakes whole body contract when he blew. Naturally Joey did what all real men would do. He picked Crowdin up and dropped him on the snake. The result was that the poor snake was so traumatized that we had to let it go. This is a picture of him severely mad. He is very tightly wrapped around Joey's wrist and wants to bite his face off. I'm pretty sure he won't ever like humans again....Or little barky dogs either.

Mr. Fix It!!

2007-06-08T09:10:00.000-07:00

Joey has been working hard at remodeling our old home. I know he gets very tired of it, but he does such a good job. Here he is putting in our new flooring in the Dining Room. We tore out very ugly, old, sickly dark brown carpet. Underneath that was the old green linoleum squares from before the 1960's I think. This new floor looks so nice.
He finished the dining room and into the kitchen, under the pantry, and then the entire laundry room. We were only able to do a portion of the kitchen because we are remodeling it as well. We'll finish the floor after pulling out cabinets and putting in all the new ones.
Yay! We were able to put our first section of cabinets in!! They are so pretty compared to what we've had for these past 12 years. I will feel so pampered when we get this all done. I actually found these online, a company from KC Missouri. I was impressed with them after all my research and I am still impressed with the product. I put most of these cabinets together by myself...(that means they were very easy.) I couldn't have done the pantry without Joey's help though. Someday I'll have to remove the old border on the walls...but that project won't be for a while yet.
This is a close up of the pantry. I was hoping you'd be able to see the pretty grain of the maple and the chest nut glazed finish. We were able to put in our first section of cabinets where we didn't have any cabinets before. That way when we start pulling out the old ones, we still will have a little bit of storage space. I'm still not sure what we'll do about counter tops. I haven't decided. (If you want to compare these to my old cabinets, there's a little shot of them in a couple of Delila's pics with Crowdin in an earlier blog.)

Big Bear Lake, CA

2007-06-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

We were able to take Snook and Papa Joe with us to Luke's blessing in California. They have been visiting from South Carolina since the first of May. We had so much fun. Fortunately I took these pictures at Big Bear Lake. Unfortunately, I forgot to take any other pictures or I didn't have my camera when I wanted to.

My boys and I....All my family thought it was such a bother to be in a picture. You should have heard them complaining because I wanted to take an assortment of pictures. No wonder I didn't get my camera out again. What a HUGE ordeal! But I thought the pictures turned out really cute. Even if we were all a bit scruffy looking.

Big Bear Lake is actually the name of the town where we stayed for two nights before getting to Lacy's and Jason's. It is in the San Bernardino Mountains about three hours away from their house in Santa Ana. I would imagine that it is named for the beautiful Big Bear Lake that we are taking our pictures next to. I think this is a great three generation picture of the Ellison men.

DeDe and I and our sunglasses and a sparkling lake and a beautiful mountain day. And Life is Fine...

It's time to show you LUKE

2007-05-28T16:24:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting to tell you all about my brand new first grandson Luke. If I keep waiting until I get all the rest of my blogging caught up then he won't be so new any more...... Introducing LUKE JASON FAAS.

"Hello World!!"

I have a confession to make. Sometimes I think of him as "my Luke", but I try really hard not to say that out loud. I really want to give credit where credit is due. He was born to Lacy and Jason on April 23, 2007 at 3:15 a.m.. Luke weighed 8lbs 14oz when he decided to join us. He came nearly one week early, and we are all very happy about that. But no one is happier about that than his mom Lacy. Imagine if he had been 9 1/2 pounds...that would be his weight if he had waited one more week, and that would not be so fun.

For example, this is a picture of Lacy and Jason on Lacy's birthday. That would be March 18. Luke still had a month to grow-- (I meant a month to go...but grow works perfectly =0) (Lacy looked so adorable but she was very tired!)Happy number 22 Lacy. What a year to celebrate. Lacy worked at an accounting firm called Kramer and Olsen all the way up to two days before Luke came.

While we're on the subject of Lacy's birthday, I have to mention my homemaking skill. I have so few that might be worthy of attention. I really surprised my kids when I started this one in January.Comes with the territory of being a grandma I suppose you could say. I crocheted Lace a throw afghan for her birthday that she can put on her sofa and have handy on any chilly nights up with the baby. As you can see, the big crochet hook was still in it. I hadn't quite finished. So I brought it out when she had Luke and still had some finishing touches to add. It's about half again as long as it is in the picture.

Well....On with the show...

Here we are. Grandma and Luke!I wish this one showed up better. It is Grandpa and Luke. I'll have to try and lighten it up because it is one of my favorite pictures.But just in case. Here's another cute one with Grandpa. I Love It... =0)Luke snoozes away in his carseat/stroller. For the two weeks I was there, he never fussed if he was in his stroller or in the car. Mom's favorite sedative...I just want to kiss his gooshy face all over!!!!!!!!!

Delila and her Photo Mates

2007-05-21T17:29:00.001-07:00

Delila was asked to be Glenda. You know who I mean. The good witch. Ordinarily I would never refer to DeDe as a witch. You would not hear that coming from my lips. But since I can put the word "good" in front of it that makes it ok, right? This was for a Relief Society Enrichment night. I think she looks beautiful.

Obviously a Wizard of Oz theme, but since I couldn't be there, I don't quite remember what the tie in was. I just know that when the women showed up they got to take pictures next to Delila and the other Wizard of Oz characters (ie..poster). I don't believe Dorothy or Toto ever showed up for the photo shoot.

Every time I turn around there are more pictures of Crowdin on my camera. Mostly because of Delila.

I don't know...if we'd have dyed him black, I think he'd have made a pretty cute Toto. What do you think?

Delila has been a Teacher's aid this year for Mrs. Thompson'a 4th grade class.

She's so cute.....

and so are her students

The Eagle has Landed

2007-05-21T16:05:00.001-07:00

In January JB received his Eagle! This was a huge event in our household. I can't even begin to describe what we (meaning mostly Joey) went through in order for JB to complete his project of building a fence for the forest service. Wow! what a lot of red tape.

There was a blizzard outside that night. After getting back to Nephi from Santaquin we grabbed Delila and Charlie and went to One Man Band. Not the greatest... OK maybe the worst meal I've had. But the company was phenomenal!

Especially my most favorite and cutest husband. He is such a man!! (Delila was with us also but requested I not post the one picture of her. But that's ok because I'll highlight her in the next blog.)

As you can well imagine, Charlie is completely impressed with his big brother's huge accomplishment! (OK...so maybe it looks a lot like we're a huge scouting family...with all my men in their shirts. I have to say that really isn't the case, but it looks nice anyway.)

New Tricks

2007-05-20T16:51:00.000-07:00

Here I am on my brand new blog page...and fyi Lacy (or should I say btw), I haven't figured out the picture thing...How can I manage to learn a whole new cut and paste and drag and save and file something, something when I tried to post you a comment this morning on your blog and didn't even manage a something as minor as "sign-in"? I thought I had to use gmail and I thought that this new blog created a gmail account for me. Apparently not so...and that's what I get for thinkin'.

Anyway enough of that. I am off on this exciting adventure of trying to figure out my own blog. Ha! I'll have to come up with a title a lot more catchy than "Ellison's Corner" but for the time being all my creative or intellectual juices escape me and I sit here as empty as a crushed milk jug...(ok maybe not completely empty...but the drip that remains is nevertheless only just a drip. Who wants to be known as a creative drip? Man, I was hoping my page would start out with a little more substance than spilled milk.) I'll try again soon. And Pictures, I promise I will conquer!!