The Last One...

Wednesday we took what I hope will be our last trip to the Provo MTC! (At least for 18 years!) Sean left on his two year mission last Wednesday. This is never an easy day, saying goodbye for 2 years with limited contact, is difficult at best. But taking our last son, made it even harder.
It's a day of such conflicting emotions. On one hand, we were so excited for all the great experiences and growth that lie ahead for Sean, but on the other hand, two years is a very long time! What we will have instead is the opportunity to watch Sean's knowledge and testimony of the gospel grow. He will have experiences in the mission field that he cannot get anywhere else and they will be the foundation for the rest of his life. He will devote all his time and attention to The Lord, with no worldly distractions. What a rare and wonderful opportunity! So with that in mind, we dropped him off on the curb of the MTC, where a cute, enthusiastic missionary greeted him, helped him with his luggage and escorted him inside. It still leaves a lump in your throat and a hole in you heart, but it's all for a great reason! So we will anxiously await his first letter, and pray for his safe return! Adios Sean!

Ryan, Sean, Jared and NickSean and JaredSean and Ryan

Sean and Nick

Grandma Larson, Sean and Grandma DavisChelsea, Sean and BreAnnaThe brothers!

Dad and SeanMom and Sean

Better Late Than Never!

Christmas seemed to come and go so fast! Isn't that is the way all great occasions seem to go...we look so forward to them and then they are here and gone in a heartbeat. We had a wonderful holiday because we were able to spend it with all of our kids! Here are a few of the more memorable moments.
Soooo cute!
Sean moving in on Nick's wife!
Breaking through the Christmas "door!"
Steele and his "Kirkland Shampoo" ad.
Wicket in her "Snuggie."
Steele's first Christmas

Steele and Aunt Chelsea
The aftermath...
All tuckered out!



Every year...... Steele asks me why I bother to decorate the basement when hardly anyone goes down there. This is why...the room downstairs is my Christmas room! I love it because the decorations on the tree are the ones that we've had since Bryan was born. When he was younger we would go to "Rainbow Gardens" and pick out an ornament or two. The others ornaments are ones that our children made, or friends gave us. They are all dear to my heart!
These are some of my favorites. For their first Christmas, Grandma Davis gave each of our children their own Christmas ornament. (A traditions she continues today with each of her great grandchildren.)
Things I missed this year....the ugly sweater contest, cutting out snow flakes and making Christmas plates!! (We won't miss them next year!)
Things I will miss next year......

The Original Christmas Train!

Blake got a great new camera so we had fun taking some video of the one and only "original" Christmas Train! It has been imitated many times in the 21 years we have had it, but Steele's is
the original! It was shortly after "motion lights" came out, that Steele got the idea to build a train using motion lights to make it look like the train was moving. It was genius! (He should have patented it.) It was so novel when we first put it up that people would stop and take pictures or ask us where we bought it.
Although it is over 20 years old and has been painted and "re-lit" many times, it is still one of my very favorite things about Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
(I wanted to put music with it, but I ran out of time....sorry.)

Thankful

I allow myself to start listening to Christmas music the week of Thanksgiving. So today I put on my first Christmas CD, Josh Groban's "Noel." ( If you haven't got it...do it now! ) Then put it on track 6. The song is beautiful and the lyrics are particularly meaningful, especially at this time. If you have a minute, read them! It is a great reminder of how blessed we truly are!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thankful

Somedays we forget to look around us.

Somedays we can’t see the joy that surrounds us.

So caught up inside ourselves

We take when we should give

So for tonight we pray for what we know can be.

And on this day we hope for what we still can’t see.

It’s up to us to be the change.

And even though we all can still do more

There’s so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves, there’s so much sorrow.

It’s way too late to say I’ll cry tomorrow.”

Each of us must find our truth

It’s so long overdue.

So tonight we pray for what we know can be.

And everyday we hope for what we still can’t see.

It’s up to us to be the change,

And even though we all can still do more.

There’s so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences,

There is a place we’re all connected

Each of us can find each other’s light.

So for tonight we pray for what we know can be.

And on this day we hope for what we still can’t see.

It’s up to us to be the change

And even though this world needs so much more

There’s so much to be thankful for!

Jack O Lanterns!

Although it was a little challenging, we were finally able to get everyone together for our annual Pumpkin Carving Night! It was a lot of fun and here are the results!From left to right: Chelsea's, Blake's , Jon's, Nick's (It's the Forza logo!)Mine (Oggie Boogie) Sean's (Chewbaca) Bry's (Mummy through window, Bre's (NY skyline!) Steele's.
See if you can spot any ghosts!
Booahhh! Happy Halloween!

The Tower!

Sue, Kristin, DJ and kids came over the other night and the boys decided to build a giant tower out of blocks! (This was a favorite past time for our boys when they were younger!)
Their favorite tower was the one that went all the way to the ceiling.
This is video of it crashing down! I wish you could see Dalton's face! He was so excted. (And as you can see...so was Nick!)

(Sorry, we had to turn the camera to get the tower.)

The 90!

In 1968 my dad bought a Honda 90. It was a little trail bike that he would strap on the back of the motor home whenever he went hunting. I have fond memories of riding it around the neighborhood, back in the day! (I was so cool!) Several years ago Dad brought it up here for the boys to ride in the hills above our house. They have all loved the 90! Every one of them has talked about fixing it up and making it "street legal." (Except Nick, who just decided to test his luck and ride it on the street anyway!) His luck ran out when he got pulled over, twice...by the same cop! A few hundred dollars, several hours of community service, and one attorney later, we picked it up from the impound lot and parked it in the garage, where it has remained for the last 5 years.
After Sean's graduation, he decided to get the 90 running and make it street legal. He researched everything on the internet, ordered countless parts off of eBay, got his motorcycle license, and spent countless hours working on it. If he got stumped, one of his brothers would come to his rescue. (Bryan was particularly helpful!) It's been a great summer project for him. Here's the final product! I am really proud of him for sticking with this. It's been a lot of work!
This picture has nothing to do with the 90...he's just too cute to leave out!