Dedie & I are still in Pasco Washington where I spend my work time working with Early Morning Seminary teachers. This is our twentieth year here. Hard to believe. Dedie teaches in the Relief Society and I'm the Bishop of our ward. Our children are scattered all over the place (see below). We're grateful for this time of the year, even though it is busy, because our thoughts turn so easily to the Savior. He certainly is the reason for the season.
Here are a few photos to let you know how our family is doing and some of what we've been up to in 2009.
Dedie (Grandma May) made Christmas dresses for her eight granddaughters. Here are some of those girls in their dresses.
Sophia, Sariah, Sabrina & Savana with "Bear" Devlin Bosted.
Cajsa Morse
Hattie with Susan & Gus Petersen
Kylie & Rylin (Florida Mays)
Here are a couple of pictures of the families of our children.
Naomi & Dan live in Selah where Dan is the chief bean counter for the Yakima Juice Company. It's owned by the Yakima Indian Nation so I guess he isn't actually a "chief." Their big news of the year was the addition of a son to their family of four girls.
Devlin was born November 21.
Katie & Bill live at the Airforce base near Grand Forks North Dakota. Their baby boy is still on the way (January due date).
Bill flies KC135 (tanker) refuiling planes. Here's one in action.
Katie & Bill went to Spain last spring for Bill's ten year mission reunion.
Susan & Chris are in Salt Lake City. Chris graduated from the University of Utah in May. Susan had a boy to join their daughter Hattie.
Matthew & Nicole live in Fort Lauderdale Florida. Matthew works in construction--he has a window installation company. They had a baby girl in May.
They are big Gator fans.
Joseph & Kimberly live in Omaha Nebraska where Joey is attending law school. Their son Clark will be getting a baby brother in April.
Maybe you noticed that all our married children have had or will have babies within about a year of each other. That will bring our total to fifteen grandchildren. Digital cameras, the internet and computers have expanded the ability of Grandmothers to share pictures of their grandchildren. Here are some of Grandma's grandchildren enjoying lemonaide with her in Salt Lake City last summer.
Jackie, our youngest, is also in Salt Lake City. She's between school experiences and is currently working. Here she is with her "friend" in their Halloween outfits.
We're grateful for our children and for what they are doing in their lives. We wish you and yours a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Here are a few more miscellaneous pics.
Dedie relaxing in the pool.
Russ discovers his nose is bigger than Joseph's death mask.
Russ's 40th class reunion was in July in Deer Park Washington.
Dedie traveled a lot this summer. She was in Salt Lake City during April & part of May to help Susan recover from complications with the healing of her C-section. She went to North Dakota in May to watch Bill & Katie's kids for one of their two weeks in Spain (the other grandparents spelled her the second week). Then she drove to Utah with Naomi & her kids then flew back out to North Dakota to drive to Utah with Katie (Bill was in Oklahoma for training). Katie planned to drive to Utah for a get together with her sisters but didn't want to drive alone. Dedie, Katie, and her kids stopped off to see Joey and Kimberly in Omaha where they visited the Omaha zoo. Soon after she & Katie got to Utah she drove back to Washington with Naomi and her kids. Then Dedie and I went to Florida for Matthew & Nicole's baby blessing the first of July. In July I had my 40th class reunion in Deer Park Washington and a youth retreat with the youth in our ward at Ensign Ranch in the Cascade mountains of Washington. Then in August we drove to Utah to see Joey, Kimberly and Clark. Joey had worked in the Intellectual Properties division of the Church during the summer and we wanted to see them before they went back to Nebraska for his second year of law school. Then we drove to North Dakota in November for Katie & Bill's son Charlie's baptism and for Thanksgiving. And we're driving to Salt Lake City for Christmas to be with Susan & Chris's family and Jackie and Matthew and Nicole and their kids who are flying out from Florida. It's been a good year.
Here are Katie and her kids and Joey & Clark at the Omaha zoo.
