Monday, December 15, 2008
Christmas Decorations
Tara has been pestering me to put our Christmas decorations on our blog so these are especially for her to see! Morgan wanted the tree in the front room this year so you could see if from outside - never mind how crowded the room is with the tree ... think how crowded it will be on Christmas morning everyone. Can't wait! I forgot to take a picture of the familyroom so I'll add that later. We are having a winter snowstorm and the kids are out of school today. The streets are like a sheet of ice. Kirby made it in safely, Nathan did too. Keri had to spend the night last night the roads were too bad - she just left - 10am for work and we hope she makes it saftely too...she just came back. Merry Christmas everyone!
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Kitchen Remodel
Well, here are the pictures of our completed kitchen counters. It is sooooo nice to have a new stove top after not having one for almost a month. Our island is a little bigger than before and so much easier to clean than those four inch white tiles. The new stools should be here on Friday and they slide right under the counter - no backs. A little at a time and it is manageable. We plan on replacing our appliances - one a year - to stainless steel which should update things nicely. Let me know if you think I should paint the island cabinets to look like a piece of furniture. I'm thinking a dark cherrywood color.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Halloween/Fall Fun
Lauren Turns 17
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Ashley with new puppy
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Tara's Blackhawk Ride
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Birthdays and Broken Bones
What a great day. Today (Sept. 3rd) I turned eight years old and my mom took me out of school for lunch at McDonalds. Keri met us there and she always makes everything fun. We both got Big Kid Happy Meals and she gave me her toy. It was fun but I couldn't wait to get back to school. I love my class and my teacher is awesome.
I think Keri is beautiful. She is a great big sister because she takes me out for dates with her and sometimes she takes naps in my room. I'm glad she lives close to us.
This is my new bike. Isn't it amazing! Read more below and you'll see why I'm holding it so gently. Keri helped me open my presents because my wrists hurt too bad. I got a gift card to build a bear, a scripture bag with a coupon to pick out my own scriptures and a new watch.
The Republican Convention was on TV tonight and Mitt Romney was getting everyone fired up. I still think he would of made a great president.
EIGHT IS GREAT!
Everything was going so well on my birthday and then I went with my friend Jessica to the park after school to play with her little sister and I fell off the swing in grand style doing a 360 flip and landed on my wrists and my face. Ouch!
Mom gave me a bath thinking it would make me feel better but I couldn't even hold the soap so she decided to take me to Urgent Care to get xrayed. They found out they I had buckled my bones in both wrists but one was only sprained and the other had some hairline fractures in it.
It was interesting to watch the doctor put a temporary cast on my arm . They did this so if my fingers swelled my parents could take the cast off. But there is a very hard plaster piece that goes on both sides of my arm that was molded to me. I have to go back to the pediatric surgeon on Friday for another x-ray and we'll see what happens from there. I just want to get better quick so I can ride my new bike I got for my birthday!
I did go to school the next day, but only for one hour, because it was my teachers birthday and I wanted to tell him happy birthday. He sat me in front of the class so I could tell what happened "once" not 24 times. It was nice to have so much help doing things. With both my wrists not working well it was hard to do things like turn knobs and write. Mr. Larson told me to go ahead and stay home on Friday to get some extra rest so I slept in and when I woke up I watched some disney shows.
Then mom suggested me and Tara get a pedicure. I thought that sounded great so we called and got an appointment for the two of us. Mom just watched in a massage chair and had some R & R herself. I got lavender toenail polish and the lady put white pin dot flowers on the toes. On the big toe she put a small crystal in the middle of the flower. Then she put a clear coat over all my toes to protect them and it looked great. Not a bad day for a little girl playing hookie from school!
Monday, September 8, 2008
"My Birthday and Baptism Day" by Morgan Jones
For the last three months I made a paper chain so I could remember everyday how many more days until I got baptized. It was fun to rip them off! I am so happy that today finally came. All my brothers and sisters came home and that made me feel special. Our neighbor fixed my baptism dress so I could get my cast through it. The doctors wouldn't let me take it off so we wrapped it in a white garbage bag and taped it to my skin. My mom had to call to find out if this was ok and the Stake President did some checking and said it was a.o.k. Kristi Rutter, our neighbor, french braided my hair. I felt really pretty! Keri gave a great talk on the Holy Ghost. Everyone had someone in their family participating. Soon it was my turn to go and get ready to be baptised. The time had finally come. My dad baptised me and I went under the water just perfectly. When I came out and walked up the stairs my mom was there with a white towel given to me by the Primary President, Paula Thacker. She embroidered on it my name and the date I got baptized. It is a very special towel to me. It represents being clean and pure (white) and when my mom wrapped it around me to keep me warm that represents the Holy Ghost.
I was thinking.... I didn't really feel any different after I got baptized. I thought I would feel something big but then I realized that before I was baptized I was good and kind and doing what I was supposed to do. When I made a mistake I said I was sorry. So, I didn't really need to feel different because I was already choosing the right. I couldn't wait to put on my beautiful baptismal dress. My mom found it two years ago in an antique shop and it's been hanging up in my closet all this time. I would try it on every now and then to see how it looked - but I knew it was for a special day.
After I got dressed I went into a room where all our friends who came to be with me and my family were seated. I sat in a chair in the front and my dad and my brother Nathan and Bro. Carlson, Bro. Rutter, Bishop Rowley, Bro Thomas, and Bishop Ward (our past bishop-I kinda think of him as my grandpa)stood around me and I was given the Holy Ghost.
It didn't take long for me to make a mistake - I was so sad. But, I remember that I can be clean again by asking my Heavenly Father to forgive me and then not doing it again. I love Jesus and my Heavenly Father and my Heavenly Mother too. I really, really, really want to live with them again. I love my family too and in my prayers I always ask Heavenly Father to help them.
I will never forget my 8th birthday - not everyone breaks their arm on their 8th birthday! But really, I will never forget this day because so many people came to celebrate with me the day I wore my "second white dress".
(Picture taken a few days before my birthday - notice, no broken arm!)
First Day of School
A New Dress For Morgan
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Family Fun in Utah
It was wonderful to help decorate for Shalee's wedding reception in Draper, UT. We had a nice reunion with Sue's family, who we grew up with in NJ. Everything was so organized and the colors just popped. It's always fun to see my little brother Chip's family when we visit Utah. Morgan and Alexis didn't do there traditional sleepover because school had already started. We'll make up for it next year. Morgan did make a new "cousin" friend - Tiffany (Sue's brother Kevin's daughter). They met and two seconds later they were glued as friends forever. Shalee looked beautiful and we are glad they live close to us in Washington.
Being at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Provo is great when you can share the house with cousins. Morgan (in the middle) with her favorite Oregon cousins, Jessica (blonde), Brooke (Brunette) and Logan (laying down). We have been lucky to live by Jim's youngest daughter Julie and her husband Bob for the past nine years. It's been fun to have "family" by us. We are sad that they have now moved to Utah but we are happy that we will continue to see them in the summers when we visit. Highland is lucky to get this great family - they laugh a lot and enjoy being with each other. We will miss the impromptu talent shows, sleep overs and Thanksgiving dinners together. Our best wishes to them in their new home and in making new friends.
This is the Place Heritage Village in Salt Lake City was really fun. Here Morgan (front white shirt) and Lauren (back tall one) had to recite their times tables in a school house being sure to do it properly - notice the hand positions and standing when speaking. It was great because the teacher stayed in character the entire time. Next to Morgan is her new friend Alli from Florida. As a matter of fact we all fell in love with this young lady and offered to adopt her but she she said she wasn't up for adoption.
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Later that evening Tara came up from Provo to have dinner with all of us at the Mayan. It is an amazing place. It has been renivated inside and the diving show is breathtaking. It's like a dinner and a show at family prices. Best deal in town and the food is yummy! We sat right by the railings and the divers looked like they were coming right at us - we were all holding our breaths until they hit the water which was only seconds but it felt longer! It was great to have Tara for another night. We had been in Provo for four days and went to Seven Peaks, did some shopping, had lunches together and she showed us her office and we met her boss Janet and some of her co-workers. They love her at Vitalsmarts and she enjoys her job. If they would just relocated to Oregon it would be perfect - well for me anyway.
East Brunswick, New Jersey Reunion
To me this picture is priceless. These are many of the youth that my brother and I grew up with in the East Brunswick Ward. We saw each other twice on Sundays, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Nights. Mutual, Seminary and Primary if we had a calling. We girls had sleep overs, some dated in our group and Mike (aka Eugene) and Sue and Jessie and Melanie even got married! We went to the beach together, we had parties and dances at each others homes. We went to different school but it didn't matter - we had the activities of the week to look forward to. Along with my family these were the people who helped me through all the bumps in life. I hope I was there for them as they were for me. Seeing them again made my heart sing. I felt like I had come home. So many memories - we were very blessed to have each other. In the picture is from left to right: Doug Farrer, Shalynn Murphy, Ken Yourstone, Mike McNall, Debbi McNall, Naomi Hosfield, Sue Yourstone, Liz Farrer, Sue Casey and Brian Murphy. Missing is Nathan Hosfield, Melanie Hosfield, Clarke Farrer, Ron Casey, Rick and Lynette Turley, Donna Brazier, Jessie Anderson, Bob Peterson, Wayne Park, Sandy and Debbie Johnstone, Brian Petrone and Ken Fickling. Just thinking about all these people makes me smile.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Lauren - Amazing Grace
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Kirby's mutant potatoes
This spring Kirby planted two varieties of potatoes next to each other in our garden and probably due to the strange warm then cold then warm again weather that we had this year, the plants flowered twice and we were surprised with a bunch of lovely red russet potatoes. The skin is red and thin like a red potato but had the large shape of the russet. We bake some and made others into french fries. Our favorite was the one we baked. The flavor was that of the russet but the texture was more like a red. We've saved some of the less mature ones to replant to see what we get next year.