At Long Last

Perhaps you have been wondering if I was ever going to update this space. I can't believe that I last posted in September and October is over in two days. I guess I was waiting to have some photos to share. This is from our trip to eastern Washington this past weekend for the annual pheasant scare. (I guess I shouldn't make fun, it's been a long time since they came home empty handed). This is in Aleta's "barn". The kids spent a little time jumping in the hay--not much since the trampoline was more fun. That's Leah and James in the picture with Spencer & Cooper. James & Cooper were fast friends that day. James remarked when we first arrived "He (meaning Cooper) is being a very nice boy to me" It was too funny. As promised I took the photo of Rachel with her new blonde locks which are actually more blonde highlights than a shocking full head of blonde hair. I think it looks quite nice myself. She might post a picture on her blog as she has plenty of her own to choose from. She got a very nice Mac laptop for graduation that has a built in video lense and software that allows her to take photos and manipulate them in a lot of different ways. But just in case she doesn't here's a sneak peak. Lovely girl. All the kids spent a bit of time with her and the laptop taking funny pictures. Maybe she will figure out how to post the really funny one of Cooper with the little tiny face on a big round head (bigger than his usual head) with a small chin.
This is the picture I like to call "Return of the Triumphant Hunter". While we spent the day at Aleta's, Tucker and Dennis spent the day out pheasant hunting with Dennis' good friend Bill. This is actually Tucker's 2nd trip out with them but this year for all his traipsing around all day he actually came home with a pheasant. Well actually I guess he only traipsed around half the day. Apparently the 2nd half of the day he spent sleeping in the truck and left the traipsing to the middle-aged men. Go figure, a perfectly healthy teenaged boy is outdone by two middle-aged guys. But then, Tucker can easily be talk himself out of doing pretty much anything if sleeping is the alternative! On Sunday he got to practice driving in Bill's little truck and decided that driving a stick shift was alot harder than he thought. Bill was even brave enough to let him stop on a hill. (I frequently have to apply the dashboard break when I ride with him to seminary in the morning.) But then Bill has already successfully raised a teenaged boy himself (Brian his son is 24--I think) so I guess he has probably already seen it all.

This last picture I had to share because I think it is so beautiful. This is the quilt that Aleta has been making for Dennis & I. She has made quilts for all of her sisters and I think mine is the last in a line of amazingly beautiful quilts. She and I picked out the fabric two years ago. She used some that we picked out and some that she had on hand (you never really know how they are going to go together until you start peicing them--at least that is what she says). You can't see the details of some of the fabric but you can see the incredible work she does. I can hardly wait to see the finished product. I can't even begin to imagine how she finds time in her life to do this. But then I am constantly amazed at what talented, smart, energetic, committed, generous, loving, kind, funny and plain old amazing sisters I have--every one of them! Life has blessed me in so many ways and one of the biggest ways is my family.

(Oh and in case anybody was wondering, Spencer is now officially 1/2 an inch taller than me! And he is quite proud of that.)