SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 -- FHS DEDICATION

SEPTEMBER 14, 2012 -- FHS DEDICATION

Today was a great celebration!  Phase 1 of our new high school is complete and there was a dedication ceremony.  It was great to attend.  Vernon and I had both worked on millage campaigns, Vernon worked with a group called "Build Smart" that lobbied to keep the high school on its current location, and I worked for 4 years to get an orchestra back in the school district.  This was a celebration for us personally for these efforts!!!  But -- we are very insignificant to all the work that everyone else did -- but we still celebrate the beautiful facility that our children will benefit from for years to come.  The new sports arena, performance hall, band room, choir room, and of course the ORCHESTRA ROOM are all beautiful!!

 Our amazing Joseph sang in the choir during the dedication -- and Govenor Beebee was there -- and then he slipped over to play in the band!!!  Go, Go, Go Joseph!!!!

 It was fun to see a list of the National Merit Finalists from last year -- There is Hyrum's name!!!

AMAZING RACHEL -- Sept 2012

AMAZING RACHEL

Our Rachel is growing up!  She did a couple of amazing things this month.  

First, Rachel jumped in and helped to fix our back door door knob.  It was broken and wouldn't stay shut.  I opened up the new knob and Rachel got in there with that screw driver and fixed it!  She is amazing!

Rachel was called to be a counselor in the Beehive Presidency and is so excited!  She went to her first presidency meeting and came home to let me know she had volunteered to run the next Wednesday night activity for the Beehives!  She was going to teach them how to make bows for their hair out of t-shirt fabric.  Amber had taught Rachel while they lived here and Rachel was going to teach the girls.  Go Rachel!  The Beehives had fun and made some CUTE bows!!!

 

YOUTH FIRESIDE SEPT 2012

YOUTH FIRESIDE -- SEPT 2012

As a youth, I ALWAYS loved firesides at other peoples homes and I always loved hearing from the missionaries that had just returned home.  I loved seeing their pictures and hearing about their missions.

So --- with our friend Michael just coming home, we offered to have a fireside -- now called "Bishop's Youth Discussion" at our home.  It was great, the youth seemed to enjoy it and we had yummy 

sherbet ice cream cones at the end!

Lots of fun!!!

 

BETHANY'S 12TH BIRTHDAY

BETHANY'S 12TH BIRTHDAY

Happy  Birthday Dear Bethany!!!

Well, again, I was gone for Bethany's birthday.  It falls right in that week of going to Utah and helping BYU kids get set up for school.  After I returned, we had a fun Friday night party with her friends.  The rain storm and chill kept them from swimming, but they had fun dancing in the basement and eating treats!  We had a fun swimming pool cake and ice cream and the girls had a great time!  Joseph and Benjamin helped out be working as "DJs" for the music.

Bethany was sweet to let her friend Lauren blow out some candles since she had had a birthday just a few days prior.

SEPTEMBER MISC STUFF 2012

SEPTEMBER MISC STUFF 2012

Wow! September came and went really fast and I didn't blog a bit!  That is a famine for the feast that I was maintaining through the summer!

Here is my attempt to come back and keep it going!

I really want to keep a consistent blog and then create a "Family Yearbook" using the website Blurb.  It looks like something I would love!

 We started back to school and then I left for Utah to help get our kiddos settled there.  Hyrum had all ready left and had marching band camp for a week and was in heaven!  Pictures of him coming later!

I loved spending the week with our adult children in Utah.  They just get more and more fun as they grow up!  What a treat they are to be with!!

Back at home, we started homeschool with Rebecca and Rachel and started some fun things. As we cleaned out the basement storage, we came across our fish tank from Kansas.  It has stored without breaking for about 7 years now!  That should be some sort of record for a glass fish tank.  Rebecca took the opportunity to learn how to set it up and to get some fish!

Mason remains our cute entertainment.  This is a little dog that he was playing with one day.  It was his friend and when we went to run some errands later in the day, he forgot it at home and he cried and cried.  It was so sad for him. :)

One other day in early September, Mason found a container of leftover white chocolate chips.  Next thing I new, he was quiet and content and when I found him this was my sight!

Wait!  Don't take my chocolate chips!

 A fun thing for Dad is that he got a new, top of the line Apple laptop! 

He is spoiled -- but deserves it for all his hard work!!!

 

LOUIE'S HAIRCUT

LOUIE GETS GROOMED

August 2012

Well, it was time for Louie to get a shave down and we decided it was worth $50 to have PetCo shave him down, clip his nails and clean him up!  Melissa, Rebecca and Rachel took him down and look what we got back!!!

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL -- FALL 2012

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL -- FALL 2012

It is that time of year again!

All of our pictures for the first day of school are sort of dark!  The bus comes at 6:52am -- way to early, but we have no choice!  Joseph leaves for Seminary at 6:15am!

Bethany -- 6th Grade

Daniel -- 5th

David -- 3rd

Matthew -- 6th

Bethany waits for the bus and Rachel gives her moral support!

Michael Bollero starts teaching!!  He is part of our family this year!

Matthew, David and Daniel wait for their ride to school from Dad

Benjamin starts junior high!  8th grade

Joseph is off to Seminary and his junior year at FHS

RACHEL'S BIRTHDAY #13

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACHEL -- #13

August 10, 2012

Rachel is finally a real teenager!  She was so cute to decorate her own cake!

Rachel loves horses and love to go next door and visit the horses.

She requested boots for using to visit the horses.

AUGUST 2012 CATCH-UP

AUGUST 2012 -- CATCHING UP!

Wow! August came and went and this poor little blog sat still!

I will work to catch it up now, even though we are into Sept stuff all ready!

The first week of August, most of us went to Washington DC for several days.  Vernon had his yearly Accounting Conference and we tag along.  I got off easy and stayed home with Mason to complete some projects while Vernon and the kids drove across the country.  They had stops in St. Louis, Nauvoo, and the Hancock home in Ohio.  Mason and I flew to Washington DC where they picked us up at the airport.  Joseph stayed home because he has FHS marching band camp.   

 Only 8 kids!  It seems like so few for some reason!  We miss our older 4 children!

 At the US Capital -- in just a few months, a new president of the USA will be inaugurated.

 Our USA small attempt at a "Trevi Fountain" like in Rome. Nice effort. :)

 The kids got to help unfold and refold an enormous flag that is the size of the original "Old Glory."  After it was unfolded, we all sang "The Star Spangled Banner" and then they folded it back up.  It was quite a task to keep it off the ground!

Benjamin is such a great big brother!

JAMESTOWN, VIRGINIA

We took a little side trip and visited the site of the first European settlement -- Jamestown.  It was quite a treat!  In the recent years, archeologists have started working and found some amazing discoveries.  For year, people thought that the site of Jamestown was underwater.  New research has proved that wrong.  They have recently found soil stains that they think are the original location of the original church AND if that is true, it would be the location of the marriage of Pocahontas to John Rolfe!  

 Looking at the old church that was built, but is not the original church of the settlement

 The backside of the church.  The tarped area in front is the land that contains the soil stains in the shape of a cross for major support beams -- what would have been in the layout of a cross for a traditional catholic church of the time.

 Statue honoring John Smith -- by the way who was not ever romantically in love with Pocahontas.

 A model of the original settlement at Jamestown

 Rachel needed a picture withe the statue honoring Pocahontas because she loves to learn about Native Americans

 The tarped area that is waiting to be excavated.  They are saving it to coincide with Pocahontas's upcoming birthday.

 Rebecca needed a picture with Pocahontas because when Pocahontas went to England, she took the name Rebecca.

 Since the girls had a picture, then Daniel needed one too!!!

 And David .....