"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them,is the true measure of our thanksgiving." W.T. Purkiser
Sid and Jeanne Stephenson
Another wonderful month of good health and happiness for us!!! How blessed we are to have our lives filled with mobility, the gospel and family. In early October I spent some time with Stephanie, Dave, and family…they run a ‘tight ship’ with fun, schedules, and activities. It was good to get close to our grandchildren and I must have read Blake a hundred books. Their home is filled with learning. Susan joined us for some fun times as well…always bringing sparkle into others’ lives. Then….as if we “didn’t get our fill of Texas” we headed back again the end of October to spend some time with Susan and Scott’s family. It was a privilege to attend football games, baseball games and a special drum line performance of Marshall’s which was incredible. Marc is a pro in athletics and Tony Romo might need to worry a bit about competition in the coming years. I was able to spend a few days alone with Marc while Susan flew to Ohio to Marshall’s national drum line competition…and I understand they took FIRST PLACE. Congratulations!! An added plus while I was in Texas was that I got to spend some time with Emily and Linda. They are both so delightful to be around.
Sid’s last living brother, Charles, passed away in Boise, Idaho the 22nd of October. His health had been poor for quite some time so it was expected. Sid’s consolation is that now his brother can be taught the gospel in the spirit world and hopefully accept it. Charles didn’t want to hear about it here. Thanks to those of you who phoned and sent cards…it was surely appreciated. We are hoping in the next few months that some of you will be able to visit us…remember, the weather is perfect now and if you want a reprieve of wintry weather “This is the place”. Our love to all of you,
Mom and Sid
Another wonderful month of good health and happiness for us!!! How blessed we are to have our lives filled with mobility, the gospel and family. In early October I spent some time with Stephanie, Dave, and family…they run a ‘tight ship’ with fun, schedules, and activities. It was good to get close to our grandchildren and I must have read Blake a hundred books. Their home is filled with learning. Susan joined us for some fun times as well…always bringing sparkle into others’ lives. Then….as if we “didn’t get our fill of Texas” we headed back again the end of October to spend some time with Susan and Scott’s family. It was a privilege to attend football games, baseball games and a special drum line performance of Marshall’s which was incredible. Marc is a pro in athletics and Tony Romo might need to worry a bit about competition in the coming years. I was able to spend a few days alone with Marc while Susan flew to Ohio to Marshall’s national drum line competition…and I understand they took FIRST PLACE. Congratulations!! An added plus while I was in Texas was that I got to spend some time with Emily and Linda. They are both so delightful to be around.
Sid’s last living brother, Charles, passed away in Boise, Idaho the 22nd of October. His health had been poor for quite some time so it was expected. Sid’s consolation is that now his brother can be taught the gospel in the spirit world and hopefully accept it. Charles didn’t want to hear about it here. Thanks to those of you who phoned and sent cards…it was surely appreciated. We are hoping in the next few months that some of you will be able to visit us…remember, the weather is perfect now and if you want a reprieve of wintry weather “This is the place”. Our love to all of you,
Mom and Sid
Sandie and Neil Taft
We have had a very busy month. Neil and I found out that we will be staying at Camp LoMia – at least for a while longer.. We are in the middle of a huge construction project – all the power lines on camp are being buried. In the process, the roads a larger and now being grated. It is looking great. Gone are the narrow, bumpy dirt roads.
We are anxiously waiting for this project to be completed – so we can get ready for our family when they come down for Thanksgiving.
Meela is engaged! I am including a picture of her ring Hopefully, while she and Ben are down here – they will fill us in on a date. We are excited to have him be part of our family. We already love him.
Kris and Allie and the children are doing great - They get together often with Meela and Ben. W can’t wait for our grandchildren to come down – they have all grown so much. We can’t wait to catch up on all that they have been doing lately.
Kari and Jeremy are moving again in the middle of November. It is a busy time for them, packing, and both working hard. Curtis is walking all over the place and feeling like such a big boy now that he can feed himself.
We are so grateful for such a wonderful family and know that we have been blessed.
Love you all, Sandie
We are anxiously waiting for this project to be completed – so we can get ready for our family when they come down for Thanksgiving.
Meela is engaged! I am including a picture of her ring Hopefully, while she and Ben are down here – they will fill us in on a date. We are excited to have him be part of our family. We already love him.
Kris and Allie and the children are doing great - They get together often with Meela and Ben. W can’t wait for our grandchildren to come down – they have all grown so much. We can’t wait to catch up on all that they have been doing lately.
Kari and Jeremy are moving again in the middle of November. It is a busy time for them, packing, and both working hard. Curtis is walking all over the place and feeling like such a big boy now that he can feed himself.
We are so grateful for such a wonderful family and know that we have been blessed.
Love you all, Sandie
Stacy and Greg Hansen
Our family has many blessings to be grateful for. A week ago we got the news that Emma is healed. Truly it is a miracle. She has 20/25 vision now. Thank you for the prayers, putting her name in the temple & for your love and concern. It really gives us strength to know you are praying for us. I know the Savior knows us personally & that He blesses us. I am grateful for the Savior's tender mercies & I see them often in our lives. General Conference was so great & I feel grateful for the messages that were given. I feel renewed strength to work on my weaknesses like journal writing & a few others. Koby had a great month . He won 1st in debate 3 times last month, as presiding officer & speaker of the House. He is working extremely hard & loves it! Koby also went to Sadie Hawkins last night with a cute girl named Courtney. They had so much fun. Madelyn & now Emma are preparing for the Nutcracker ballet next month. Emma is thrilled to go back to dance. Greg & I were supposed to take a trip to San Diego with about 10 couples from our ward to see the BYU game, but because of the fires we cancelled & instead Madelyn & I (Stacy) went to the Hannah Montana concert in SLC. This is her first concert & she did ask if she & Hannah could have their picture together. I told her that she would only see her on stage. In spite of the little disappointment Madelyn said it was a dream come true! We had a great time & took lots of pictures. We also went with a friend & her daughter. Greg & I decided to have a Halloween party last minute & had a great time. We had 18 come & join us in our festivities. We all had a blast. The children all had fun on Halloween. Madelyn dressed up like a cheerleader, Emma dressed up like a pirate. Koby went out on a date & went to his first Haunted House. He said that he thought he was the most scared out of the entire group because he had never been to one before. Greg also went hunting this past month with Koby & unfortunatly they got a 4 point buck. I wasn't too thrilled because I don't care for the meat. We love you all & hope that things are well with all of you.
Greg, Stacy, Koby, Madelyn & Emma
Greg, Stacy, Koby, Madelyn & Emma
Sherri and Spencer Plummer
We have had a great month in October. Spencer got a job, and I am becoming more organized. We had another fun trip to Hawaii and met Dave and Steph and Chad and Dawn in Las Vegas for the weekend. It was so much fun, but the best part was seeing how amazed Stephie was at such horrible magic (sorry Steph, I couldn't resist) Spencer started working for Buffalo Ranch. He is enjoying working around the horses again, but I sure do miss him at home. He is a Sunday School teacher for the 14-15 year olds. They love learning from him, and even came as a class trick-or-treating to our house looking for him. It was fun to see. I have been working on organizing my home more, and got through a lot of boxes this month. We had a big Halloween Party to get ready for, so I guess I had some motivation. For our Party, we had about 65 people here. It was so much fun that we didn't get people out of here until 1:00 in the morning. I still teach Sabrina's Primary class, and love each of those 13 kids! Spencer IV has been outstanding at gymnastics. He is so fun to watch, but it still scares me at times as well. He had his first gymnastics competition this month, and got two 9s and an 8 out of 10. He competed doing 6 back-handsprings into a tuck. He is such a brain at school, and loves to read more than anything. Sabrina is doing fantastic at gymnastics as well. She has qualified for a "team," but is waiting on a list to get on. She is now able to do a whip on the ground by herself, and also 10 back-handsprings in a row! She loves it, and laughs every time she does a pass because she is so proud of herself. She also loves to read and is such a joy to have around. Samantha is just as cute as can be. She is always making people laugh. She just is so obedient and kind to everyone, that she is always making everyone around her happy. She loves to say her prayers by herself and always thanks him for bubbles. Sydney is such a good baby. She just smiles and laughs all the time. She is teething, but has not been crying that bad. My kids love to help me take care of her, and she loves the attention from her siblings. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family, and am so grateful for the time and effort Stephie puts into these newsletters. We enjoy hearing what is going on in everyone's lives. Love, Spencer and Sherri Plummer
Dave and Stephanie Farnsworth
October was a fun filled month for our family. We enjoyed a great conference week end. The kids did remarkably well with a little activity sheet, conference bingo and some treats. Although we didn’t get to take in as much as we would have like to (with all the boys bouncing off couches and tables) we know our efforts will be recognized. We always have a big conference breakfast with a few close families. It is a nice tradition the kids look forward to.
We spent some fun nights at the pumpkin patch this month. The kids always enjoy the petting zoo, bounce houses, hay mazes & rides. We drove up to Oklahoma last week end to our friend’s “Haunted Cabin”. It was such an amazing day. The kids rode horses, painted pumpkin, got SO dirty, fished, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and went on a haunted hay ride. It was such a great time. The Fall is so fun and offers so many opportunities to do things together as a family.
We also went to a Blue Angels air show this month in Fort Worth. The kids were in heaven (so was Dave). The boys got to explore an Apache Helicopter and sit inside it along with a bunch of other helicopters and planes. They loved the Blue Angel’s and have since been found playing “US Navy” outside in the backyard.
Halloween was great. The kids dressed up as Star Wars characters. Austy was Jengo Fett, Chase was Darth Vader and Blake was Yoda. Between light saber battles the kids were able to trick or treat and get lots of candy. Grandma Stephenson and aunt Sue were the first to be trick or treated to. The kids got sick on candy the day after Halloween and then traded their candy to the Great Pumpkin for a toy. They were pleased with their choice as the Great Pumpkin left some star wars figurines. How did he know?
Dave had a great month. He had NO conferences this month!!! It was great to have him on Saturdays after work. He is finalizing his new research project (yes his last project after much time, thought and revamping still didn’t work out). He has a positive “back to the drawing board” attitude. He is amazing and hopefully this next project will be better it entails analyzing and comparing specific orthodontic cases. For more info in this area you need to just give him a call. Dave also had a birthday this month (32). I surprised him by having two friends come to Texas (Nate Flake and Dave MacArthur). They had such a great time together. They were great company and I know it was a good birthday for him. Dave is still the best dad in the world. He is so playful with the kids and never gives up and opportunity to teach them something valuable. Blake runs from the other side of the house or yard straight into Dave’s arms whenever he comes home. It is sweet. There is no doubt…Dave is loved. Dave whisked me away to Vegas at the beginning of the month for a few days. We had a wonderful time with our family (Dawn & Chad Howey and Sherri & Spencer Plummer). We had very little sleep and a lot of fun.
I had a good month too. I still love my Old Testament Institute class. I realize each week how little I really know about the Bible and am enjoying the weekly enlightenment. For primary it was a busy month. We had our primary program last week. It turned out wonderful. The kids really did a great job and the spirit was very strong. I made a movie for the primary kids that captured our entire year in primary (scouting, primary activities, sharing times, etc). They LOVED it! We watched it for the sharing time after our program and fed them licorice and string cheese. Anyway, it was so fun to do. Book Club took the backseat again this month… I need to get motivated. My next book to tackle is “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. I spent a few days this month volunteering at Austin’s and Chase’s schools. It is always nice to feel a part of things. I read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to Chase’s class and used a life sock puppet and props. The kids loved it! Chase, Blake and I were able to eat lunch with Austin at school a few times too. It is funny because I get the worst looks ever toting around Chase and Blake with me into the elementary school. They think I am insane to bring my entire rambunctious but cute family, but the trade off of having lunch with Austy is worth it.
I experience my first parent teacher conference this month too. The teacher giggled as I pulled out my notebook with prewritten questions. I was pleased with the report of how great Austin is doing. I am still trying to find the place for mom’s in the public school system. I am finding there is a delicate balance between been too involved and not involved enough. Also, I enjoyed having my mom and dad here this month. They were able to have lunch with Austin and attend some of the kid’s activities. The kids always feel extra special to have Grandma and Grandpa at their activities and they seem to try extra hard and be extra good. I love having my mom & dad here too. It seems like we always get some fun (and some not so fun) projects completed.
Austin was busy this month with baseball practice and games. He was so happy to earn the game ball and took it as his “most special” item for a school project. He had his baseball party at Peter Piper Pizza and got another trophy. Austin is doing great in school and is still so self motivated with projects, homework and responsibilities. It is like he has an internal palm pilot. Sometimes I have to show him my calendar to let him know he can stop stressing about deadlines and that I have them taken care of. Could my OCD be genetic? Austin is still doing well at the piano. Some days he is more motivated than others for sure. He has made some great friends at school and has enjoyed some fun play dates. Some great missionary opportunities have been presented as I have become close with many of the families of his new friends. Austin is a good little missionary.
Chase is so cute. He is loving his little preschool class and every time I ask him about his friends in his class he only tells me about the boys and says how he doesn’t like the girls. It is so funny how different his little personality is from Austin’s. His art projects he brings home are really good. He is super creative and loves to draw (including on some things that aren’t paper). Chase is really funny and loves to make up jokes and funny songs. He is loving books about sharks right now. Every trip we make to the library consists of another fun obsession (i.e. volcanoes, star wars, etc). Chase is becoming such good friends with Blake. It is fun to see them interact and pretend play.
Blake is seriously so cute. He is the most lovable, playful, flirtatious toddler in the world. He loves attention and people. He is full of loves, smiles, giggles and hugs. He loves animals and when he sees pictures of them he says each animal’s sounds. He carries around his animal book and opens the pages to try to name them. Most of them are still “dog”. He loves to sing and really just sings around the house while he plays. He is finding a little sense of humor too and tries to make his brothers laugh. He really is a sweet little boy.
We spent some fun nights at the pumpkin patch this month. The kids always enjoy the petting zoo, bounce houses, hay mazes & rides. We drove up to Oklahoma last week end to our friend’s “Haunted Cabin”. It was such an amazing day. The kids rode horses, painted pumpkin, got SO dirty, fished, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, and went on a haunted hay ride. It was such a great time. The Fall is so fun and offers so many opportunities to do things together as a family.
We also went to a Blue Angels air show this month in Fort Worth. The kids were in heaven (so was Dave). The boys got to explore an Apache Helicopter and sit inside it along with a bunch of other helicopters and planes. They loved the Blue Angel’s and have since been found playing “US Navy” outside in the backyard.
Halloween was great. The kids dressed up as Star Wars characters. Austy was Jengo Fett, Chase was Darth Vader and Blake was Yoda. Between light saber battles the kids were able to trick or treat and get lots of candy. Grandma Stephenson and aunt Sue were the first to be trick or treated to. The kids got sick on candy the day after Halloween and then traded their candy to the Great Pumpkin for a toy. They were pleased with their choice as the Great Pumpkin left some star wars figurines. How did he know?
Dave had a great month. He had NO conferences this month!!! It was great to have him on Saturdays after work. He is finalizing his new research project (yes his last project after much time, thought and revamping still didn’t work out). He has a positive “back to the drawing board” attitude. He is amazing and hopefully this next project will be better it entails analyzing and comparing specific orthodontic cases. For more info in this area you need to just give him a call. Dave also had a birthday this month (32). I surprised him by having two friends come to Texas (Nate Flake and Dave MacArthur). They had such a great time together. They were great company and I know it was a good birthday for him. Dave is still the best dad in the world. He is so playful with the kids and never gives up and opportunity to teach them something valuable. Blake runs from the other side of the house or yard straight into Dave’s arms whenever he comes home. It is sweet. There is no doubt…Dave is loved. Dave whisked me away to Vegas at the beginning of the month for a few days. We had a wonderful time with our family (Dawn & Chad Howey and Sherri & Spencer Plummer). We had very little sleep and a lot of fun.
I had a good month too. I still love my Old Testament Institute class. I realize each week how little I really know about the Bible and am enjoying the weekly enlightenment. For primary it was a busy month. We had our primary program last week. It turned out wonderful. The kids really did a great job and the spirit was very strong. I made a movie for the primary kids that captured our entire year in primary (scouting, primary activities, sharing times, etc). They LOVED it! We watched it for the sharing time after our program and fed them licorice and string cheese. Anyway, it was so fun to do. Book Club took the backseat again this month… I need to get motivated. My next book to tackle is “A Thousand Splendid Suns”. I spent a few days this month volunteering at Austin’s and Chase’s schools. It is always nice to feel a part of things. I read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to Chase’s class and used a life sock puppet and props. The kids loved it! Chase, Blake and I were able to eat lunch with Austin at school a few times too. It is funny because I get the worst looks ever toting around Chase and Blake with me into the elementary school. They think I am insane to bring my entire rambunctious but cute family, but the trade off of having lunch with Austy is worth it.
I experience my first parent teacher conference this month too. The teacher giggled as I pulled out my notebook with prewritten questions. I was pleased with the report of how great Austin is doing. I am still trying to find the place for mom’s in the public school system. I am finding there is a delicate balance between been too involved and not involved enough. Also, I enjoyed having my mom and dad here this month. They were able to have lunch with Austin and attend some of the kid’s activities. The kids always feel extra special to have Grandma and Grandpa at their activities and they seem to try extra hard and be extra good. I love having my mom & dad here too. It seems like we always get some fun (and some not so fun) projects completed.
Austin was busy this month with baseball practice and games. He was so happy to earn the game ball and took it as his “most special” item for a school project. He had his baseball party at Peter Piper Pizza and got another trophy. Austin is doing great in school and is still so self motivated with projects, homework and responsibilities. It is like he has an internal palm pilot. Sometimes I have to show him my calendar to let him know he can stop stressing about deadlines and that I have them taken care of. Could my OCD be genetic? Austin is still doing well at the piano. Some days he is more motivated than others for sure. He has made some great friends at school and has enjoyed some fun play dates. Some great missionary opportunities have been presented as I have become close with many of the families of his new friends. Austin is a good little missionary.
Chase is so cute. He is loving his little preschool class and every time I ask him about his friends in his class he only tells me about the boys and says how he doesn’t like the girls. It is so funny how different his little personality is from Austin’s. His art projects he brings home are really good. He is super creative and loves to draw (including on some things that aren’t paper). Chase is really funny and loves to make up jokes and funny songs. He is loving books about sharks right now. Every trip we make to the library consists of another fun obsession (i.e. volcanoes, star wars, etc). Chase is becoming such good friends with Blake. It is fun to see them interact and pretend play.
Blake is seriously so cute. He is the most lovable, playful, flirtatious toddler in the world. He loves attention and people. He is full of loves, smiles, giggles and hugs. He loves animals and when he sees pictures of them he says each animal’s sounds. He carries around his animal book and opens the pages to try to name them. Most of them are still “dog”. He loves to sing and really just sings around the house while he plays. He is finding a little sense of humor too and tries to make his brothers laugh. He really is a sweet little boy.
