Our New Little Poser is Born!!

I am a photographer.  And, as a photographer, I really appreciate a poser.  Last week, on the 22 of December, another little poser was born.  I have 8 now.  When Nana gets her camera ready, my little posers light up and start giving me the camera faces.  Look over here little posers and give me a cute face for the camera.  Little Ivy Mae Stailey fits right in with all the rest.  Her parents, Hilary & Jason will have to agree.  A beautiful, healthy baby girl is born.  And we are grateful to Heavenly Father for sending her our way.  Little Ivy joins her cousins, Brett, Jaron, Teegan, Clayton, Taya, Boston and Shereen, all POSERS they!! 

Candy Land

Clint had the idea of RE-using some previously used pipes that are 20 ft. long or tall, depending on how you look at them.  Afterall, it is Christmas time and the mood is merry.  So he bought some ribbon and, after breaking some child labor laws and taking advantage of the good hearts of a daughter and a son and their spouses, we now have what you might call a spectacle.  A front yard full of candy cane poles.  Taya has tried licking them and Boston has tried hiding behind them.  Joey gerry-rigged a few things and created a few devices to make the job easier, as he has always been known to do.  Karen ran out for pizza and we made an afternoon of it.  You can't miss our house.  I think we may forever be known, by the neighbors, as the crazy family with the giant poles in their yard.  But the kids all love them and it looks like they are here to stay, for the merry Christmas season anyway.

Our Thanksgiving Celebration!!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration on Tuesday the 25th.  Because of the shower on Saturday we thought we would do ours early and then our kids could go to their in-laws on Thursday without any scheduling problems.  There was basketball and Sudoku and earlier in the week we played Pit and Apples to Apples, just to name a few of our favorite games.  We ate a little late because I underestimated the timing on the turkey.  But in the end we were all stuffed with food and new memories and a deeper love for our families.  The Lord has blessed us this year.  Though it has not been easy, we have learned to understand things we could only learn by His help.  We are so grateful for all we have.  And we are learning to understand, in Elder Wirthlin's words to 'come what may and love it.' 

Hilary's Baby Shower

What a weekend we had with Hilary & Jason here for a visit.  It all started with Twilight, a must see.  Then on Saturday we had a shower for Hilary.  Her baby, Ivy, is due the day after Christmas.  It was so much fun to see old friends and we are grateful for the sweet generosity of Hilary's friends and family. Harmony, Heidi and Karen made some delicious food and a good time was had by all.

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Cork@Night & Some Day

Certain evenings can get very loud in downtown Cork, Ireland.  But not on a weekend like you might expect.  Oh no--try a Tuesday or Thursday night.  You see, Cork,  is the town that UCC, (University College Cork,) claims as its home.  And a sweet home it is.  And where university life is, night life is sure to follow.  Thing is--these kids go home on the weekends.  So they do their partying during the week, between testing, I'm sure.  Since we spent our time in Megan's downtown apartment, (did they call it a flat?,) we got to experience the downtowns audible traffic.  No matter--there was nothing I did not love about Ireland!!  Thanks again, Megan & Andrew!!     

June Trip Memories

This past summer some of the family went to Idaho to visit Clint.  He was working on a job in Driggs.  It was such a short distance from Jackson Hole, the Tetons and Yelowstone that we took a day trip over there.  The scenery was spectacular, the weather perfect and the wildlife was everywhere.  Just thought I'd take a trip down memory lane with some images of the day.

A Quick Visit

We had a quick visit last weekend from my nephew, Cade, my brother-in-law, Larry and their good friend Curran.  It is always fun to have them visit because we dearly love to laugh.  I had never met Curran though I have heard crazy stories about him the past 15 years. At times I thought maybe he was pure fiction-but he was not. They are great kids and we welcome them anytime.  I love having company in our home, especially the kind that cleans up before they leave.  But the best part is that good company puts a smile on the face, brings back memories we may have forgotten and just makes life a little sweeter along the way. 

I Was Just Thinking...

I was just thinking about this photograph I made the other day.  I know how quiet it is in This House.  It is quiet to the ear and quiet to the soul.  But in order to get there I have to go through some noise, in fact, when I think about it, it is quite a bit of noise.  To me it is worth all of the world's NOISE to be in there...in That House.   Another thing I noticed when I was looking at this picture.  I usually come from the south to get here.  But as I approached from the west I noticed the mountain behind it.  I suppose, though I have never been to the top of That mountain, that it is very quiet.  And, if I were up there, I would look back and reflect on the world below and there I would only be able to imagine the noise down in the valley because I could no longer hear it.  I want to spend more time in quiet solitutude on the top of the Mountain of the Lord, where I can reflect and take in what I need to learn from Him. 

Uh Oh! Taya's Feeling Blue!!!!

It is not always good to have Nana watch the kids.  But I swear I only left them alone for a few minutes.  Teegan draws very fast.  Does it really matter that this is permanent marker?  I make a plea to you all--does anyone know how to remove this??  I am waiting until Taya's parents get home instead of removing it now.  It is a good thing that they are taking a parenting class while I watch them.  Can't wait to see if they told them how to deal with this kind of thing. Ah the memories of childhood.

Cool Evenings Have Finally Arrived!

Last Sunday some of the family came over and spent some time in the cool yard.  It is November and we finally have gentle evenings.  The blistering hot nights have skeedaddled, as my Dad would say, and we are ready to enjoy the delightful temps!! Clayton tried to run away from my camera, Joey was swinging Shereen the kids played in the garden and Teegan found a caterpillar to play with.  Fun times!! 

Nana's Sleepover

This week I hosted a "Nana's Sleepover" with four of my 7(almost 8) grandchildren.  For two nights the Bryce kids, Brett 7, Jaron 5, Teegan 5 and Taya 3 stayed with me while their parents, Collin & Harmony went out of town.  We had fun coloring, dancing, reading and fit school in there somewhere.  Although Brett did miss one day with a touch of the Bug.    

Some Halloween Spirit!!

Halloween was fun as ghou-ja-well!!  A little frightening, a little sticky and a little mysterious.  Here Brett, (Draco,) Harmony and Teegan try not to be themselves, but I know they really aren't so scary!!  

Halloween Cookie Party

Harmony & Collin invited us all over for a Halloween Cookie party while Hilary & Jason were in town a couple weeks ago.  The kids decorated trick-o-treat bags and we all exchanged cookies.  We ate most of them during the party.  We played some games and jumped for joy for just being together.  We turned the kids into goblins, too. Fun was had by all!

Life's Storms

"Life would have storms in which we would have to make choices usin

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 faith in things we could not see with our natural eyes." 

Pres. Henry B. Eyring

I believe the Lord is in charge, he is my pilot.  He can carry us safely over the storms of life.  We can't see the peace that awaits us.  But He can.  If we allow Him to take us over the stormy seas, we can see it, too.  I choose to allow him to work miracles in my life and in the lives around me.    

Green With Envy

Did I mention I love the color green?  I have never seen a greener palce.  The sky was blue and the sun was out but I did not use my sunglasses while there. Did not need to.  I understood the word CONTRAST when I arrived back home in the desert!

One Womans' View

The city can look so small depending on your perspective.  I call this, "between heaven and earth."  I took this from the grounds of the Statue of Liberty looking towards the Manhattan skyline.  It was a beautiful day!!  But all that water and city is just a small line across the image.  The tree overlooks it all.   

What-a-View

We visited NYC before flying off to Ireland and one of my favorite sights was the Brooklyn Bridge.  The late afternoon was beautiful, the air fresh and the colors vivid.  Not bad technology either.