more pictures of Christmas

Let me explain these pictures,

Nate, loved getting into my drawer of cups and lids, this seemed to be the best toy!

Joy's kids waiting in the hallway to see what "santa" brought, our tradition is that you have to count to 10 before you come into the room, they had just woken up.

Dad doing what he does best, telling stories to all.

we sure missed the Pimentels and the Biehns. we had fun, but it wasn't the same without you.

Christmas came to our HOUSE

We had a great time, laughed a lot, ate a lot and made memories, here are some pictures of this past month.

Happy New Year to you all!

Today is Carolee's Birthday

We missed you Melissa!

Yep, as you can see December is a busy month for Birthday's around here. Today Carolee turns 30! Boy I remember my 30th birthday, but when Carolee was born I was 27 years old and having my 4th child ! How time flies.

She was such a blessing coming at that time because I had just lost my mother two months previous to that time, and having a new baby brought so much joy back into my life. She was such a beautiful tiny little thing.

Did I ever tell you how we came up with Carolee's name?

Well, I always have felt it important to name children after someone dear in your life, Joy was named after my cousin, Melissa Jayne was named after me and my great great grandmother. Kristen Louise was named after my best friend and my sister. I wanted to name her Carolyn after my other sister, but SHE just had a baby and named her Cara Lyn so I didn't want two Carolyn's so we went with Carolee.... so there you have it. BUT there is more! each one of my children have two names, when Carolee got old enough to noticed she only had ONE name she felt bad! ( sorry Carolee) so she now always uses her maiden name as her middle name.

Whew, didin't mean to get off so much on names.

I love Carolee! She is beautiful, fun and smart! during her high school days she studied all the time, she was dedicated in always doing her best. She is a middle child and looked up to her big sisters but also loved loved loved her baby brother.

Carolee is the best wife to Jeff and the best mom to Brooklyn and Trenton. She is so patience with the children, I love watching her and love being in thier home!

Carolee has been through alot these past years but has faced her trials with faith and courage.

Carolee, I sure miss you, SO grateful you lived with Dad and I those past four years, it was GREAT

Happy Birthday Sissy

Happy Birthday to Kristen

Kristen is 33 years old today. boy it seems like yesterday when I was being woke up from general anaesthetic saying "it's a girl" . And what a beautiful delightful girl she has been.
My pregnancy with Kristen started out a bit rough, when I was just 4 months pregnant I learned that I had placenta previa, which met for the remainder of my Pregnancy I would be in bed! For a person as active as me that was NO fun, especially because I had a 2 year old and a 3 1/2 year old. Life was challenging but you learn a lot of lessons I guess. But how blessed I was that I was able to safely deliver her and all was well. ( well I guess not all was well, I was in the hospital for 9 days because of all my bleeding! ) but we arrived safely home and she was a perfect angel. Literally she sleep her first 3 weeks of life, just long enough to get me back to normal to deal with three busy little girls.
Kristen has always been such a blessing in our family. Little Joy and Melissa loved her from the very beginning. Kristen was a bit shy and quiet, and very sensitive little thing.
From the beginning she had red hair , or I guess I should say "orange" hair, we didn't want her to feel different from the other girls but just extra special. I think she enjoyed the attention she got from everyone admiring her beautiful hair.
Kristen has been our peace maker in the family, always trying to help her siblings. We all love her so much. She is so fun to be with. She is a hard worker, and I know people feel comfortable around her.
She is a wonderful mom, loves her kids dearly, and is trying to raise her family living the teachings of the Gospel. Her children are all such sweet kids doing well in all that they are doing.
She married a sweet man who loves his family.
We love you so much Kristen, you have added so much to my life and I'm grateful for your birth and your life. Happy Birthday!
mom

Things to Look forward to

I just read the fun things that Taryn is looking forward to and I thought to myself I can do that too!
First of all it's nice to have a bit of cooler weather, I thought summer was going to last forever!

1. Getting my hair styled again by Candice
2.Getting our turn over with in cleaning the church building!
3. Going to State Farms's Christmas party at the Mission Inn , so beautiful
4. Getting my decorations all up and finished
5. Eating Christmas goodies.. yum
6. Having family and friends together
7. Finding out what Taryn and Ryan are having
8. More grandchildren
9. Seeing Trenton and Brooklyn again, they live way to far away!
10. Going to the podiatrist and getting my feet to stop hurting!

not very exciting list, but good things to look foward too!

Our Early Thanksgiving

We celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday. Since Melissa and family and Candice and Troy were in town we thought we'd take advantage of this special time and do our turkey day. We had a wonderful time. We always enjoy Todd and Kristen's home. At the end we had a contest of arm wrestling, and the little girls dancing for us, and the boys doing a rap dance and song. Such talent in the Bill Mccook family!

by the way, the fires have been so bad and we are so sad for all the families it has affected. Some of our stake members have been evacuated but don't know of any homes burned.

We sure missed Carolee ,Jeff, Brooklyn and Trenton, but we know they will be with us again.

Go Dr. Jeff!

Carolee will have to post about her snow laments

Hope you enjoy these pictures!

I've been tagged

Hmmmm, I've been tagged, this is probably an attempt to get me to write something. Being much older I don't seem to have so much to say as all of you young girlies, but I'll try.

Favorite shows.
1. Sell this house
2. Discovery
3. Travel shows
4. Food shows
5. Old movie channels
6. The Office
7. Earl
8.Antiques Roadshows

What I did yesterday
1. Went to the gym
2. Went to Albertsons
3. Went to the bank
4. Did Laundry
5. Worked on the computer
6. Finished my Christmas cards ( I know that is sickening!)
7. Took a nap ( ahhh the pleasures of not having children anymore)
8. Make pumpkin bread

What I look forward to
1. This weekend with my kids coming over
2. Thanksgiving dinner at Kristen's house
3. Watching Kristen's boys play sports
4. Learning how to use my solar oven and trying it out
5. Learning how to use a pressure canner and do my own chicken chunks! ( now that's exciting!)
6. Getting all of the toys for the toy drive out of my garage!
7. Going to Arizona and Pa again to see grandchildren and girls
8. Getting my hair cut and colored by Candice

My favorite restaurant
actually, I don't go out to eat that often
but these are good ones
1. Chili's
2. Tony's Mexican food
3. Cheesecake factory
4. A Good steak house place
5. BJ's
6. Pei Wei
7. Panera Bread
8.Mimi's

Tagged

anyone who would like to do this


By the way aren't we all so annoyed with the "tolerance" of the Prop 8 people... it's down right scary!
Aren't we so annoyed with the direction are country is headed?
Be prepared is the motto here!

Is it Over Yet?

Well, I'm feeling much relieved at the updates so far on PROP 8, but we still need to be patient until the final official word comes. This has been a really emotional time for so many of us Californians, we have all worked so hard , but the results are looking so great.

by the way, I'm so sad my candidate McCain did not win, I really fear for the next four years, but I will try and stay positive. The one thing I can say is that I believe it is good that we can elect someone who is multi racial to the presidency of the US, but just too bad that everything he believes in I don't! Who wants higher taxes! who needs more l iberal attitudes. So SCARY !

But so glad we can start focusing on other things besides the elections! Now on to Thanksgiving, family, friends.

Erie, and Gettsyburg Pennslvania and the Biehns

Well, I'm finally getting around downloading our recent trip to PA.

let me tell you we almost didn't make it! We were supposed to leave our house for Ontario airport at 4:15 am in the morning ( awful time!) so Bill set the alarm for us to get up at 3:45 am to have time to dress, gather our stuff and be on our way. Problem was B ILL set it for PM and not AM..by a mere coinsidence Bill work up at 4:14 am.. he yelled the alarm didn't go off. We both flew out of bed, yes, I wish we would have had it on tape, it was crazy!, he didn't shave, I didn't wear makeup and in 7 minutes were out the door. What a way to start the day.

But we arrived in PA and so excited to be there,

here are some pictures,

The next day we all drove to Gettsyburg, it's beautiful and really I think a sacred spot,

the Railroad station is where Lincoln arrived to give his talk. By the way, he was not the main speaker, another man spoke for two hours, and then Lincoln spoke for 3 minutes, but it was so important. I hadn't realized that the reason for him coming was to dedicate the area as a national cemetery for the Union and Confederate soldiers. The battle had been fought in July and it was now November, and had recently cleaned up the area and buried the many thousands of soldiers.

WE also went to the small town of where Flight 93 crashed, that was really wonderful to, We felt a good spirit there and honor the brave people who were on that flight.

I wish I could figure out how to put pictures in the right order, but oh well, at least I got some of them up.

We just had such a great time being with Jeff and Carolee and kids. The kids were so happy to see us . I'm so impressed with the great friends Jeff and Carolee have made. I know after four years it will probably be sad for them to leave Erie.

We look forward to going again.

I'm in PA

Dad and I are having so much fun in PA.. we are really enjoying the "crisp" cool air, and being with Carolee, Jeff and kids.
we miss them so much, Trenton and Brooklyn are so sweet. we went to Gettsyburg and the site of flight 93, when I get home I'll post pictures, but both places were wonderful.

we'll be sad to say goodbye.

Nothin Excites me like a good SALE

Yesterday my good friend Karen Ginn emailed me and said that there was going to be a sale for model home furnishings at reduced prices. Okay, I'm there! so we met at 7:30 am to go to a wearhouse in Chino. Fun Fun Fun, I called my daughter Kristen and she also got some great things ( the pictures are hers) but she got two fabulous big stuffed chairs for $85.00 each! oh, that cute little chest of drawers was $15.00 ( that goes to Candice) it matches a crib we are saving for her when the good news happens.
I guess they only do this once a year, so hopefully I'll hear about it next year.

more pictures of Groom Creek

The grandkids love hearing stories from Grandpa. He told them about his youth.
Little Bridget especially loved hearing how he got his "scars".
The above picture is Bridget giving cousin Kate a "makeover" ( Mack looks on with approval) it was Bridget's birthday present from me. I have to tell you it was a HIT, she took that eveywhere she went. She is such a girlie girl!

Fun Vacation

Our family was finally able to go back to our cabin near Prescott Arizona. Back in 1947 my mom and dad bought a cabin in the pines. I grew up there each summer and I have wonderful memories. It was long time coming to be able to go back with my children. It was heaven. The weather was perfect and the grandkids had a fun time. The creek was running, we had two quads up there, and the visiting and food was fabulous.

here are some fun pictures of being together. We are headed up there again next summer!

Pennsylvania was GREAT

Last week I flew to PA to see Carolee and kids. I had such a great time. Carolee lives in cute house with tons of room! Brooklyn and Trenton were so happy to see me, it was so fun to get out of the car and see them running to me with thier arms outstretched to give me a hug. We did some serious shopping for two days to get some fun things for her house. We also did some major grocery shopping. I had fun cooking some meals. The kids love my pumpkin bread and that is what Trenton is doing helping me stir the batter. The last picture is when I was ready to leave for the airport. Brooklyn was so sad, so I tried cheering her up by telling her I was coming back in just 6 weeks. She told me she wanted me to drive back and bring "everybody" she is missing her cousins.
Jeff is awesome! I"m so proud of him being Dr. Biehn, what hard hard work he has put in. Carolee is awesome for being such a supportive wife and great mom. It's always so fun to be with thier family.
Bill and I will be returning in October to see them, and all of us will take a short side trip to Gettysburg. Can't wait.
Forgot to mention the first picture is what it looks like next to Lake Erie, this is about 10 miles from Carolee's house. so beautiful. Oh, and one more thing, that great big Fruit picture is awesome, we bought it at Kirtland in Pittsburgh after she picked me up from the airport. But when we bought it and took it outside to put in the car it took us about 20 mins of sweat to fit in into the car! Crazy Crazy but we sure love the picture!

Shake Shake Shake

Today was a bit scary! This isn't the first time I've been in an earthquake, but each time it's so unnerving. The scary part is wondering if it's going to get worse, or if you are going to die!

you just panic, not knowing the safest place to go to in your house. Well, gratefully it didn't last long and no injury. Several things feel off but nothing broken

However, 1 hour later I had to go and get a root canal done, Now that is the pits too!
so tonight, I have tender tooth and bit of frazzle nerves

Tomorrow will be better!

I'm in the MOOOODDDDD

yep, it's only been about 25 years since I last canned something. I've done freezer jam which is so easy and so delicious but I want to make my bread and butter pickles again. When winter comes I'm also going to make my pickled beets. You just don't know how much better homegrown veggies are until you try it!

Counting down the days till I go see Carolee and kids, can't wait to see them all.
Well not much else going on, but I'll keep you posted on my canning.

Tooth problems

Isn't hearing the dentist drill so fun? last month as the dentist was preparing my tooth for a crown, it cracked and broke off! oh, great! so now I have to go to a specialist to see if they can "save" my tooth at a cost (including the crown) of about 2,000 dollars. When I told Bill he said, lets just have him pull it. So that is the fun I have to look forward to over the next month, several dentist appointments and hearing that drill!

I've been feeling a bit stressed these past few days maybe it's hormonal but whatever it is, tears are always on the verge! I'm usually so happy! I won't go into my worries, but believe me we never out grow our worries. DARN

I made two new baby quilts, sewing always helps to think about other things, and been making some good homemade bread ( just what my fat body needs)

well not much to report, don't mean to be so negative, really I realize I"m so blessed and have so much, but once in a while I guess we women just have to vent!

The latest

Well, today I got my carpets cleaned, with all the traffic I get in my house it was much needed!

so that is nice to see clean carpet for a while. It usually lasts about 6 months and then it starts to look dirty again.

I'm so happy that Carolee is doing so well in PA. She had Jeff and her inlaws have worked so hard at cleaning it up, painting and getting unpacked. She's excited about it, plus thier big full basement ended up being a great surprise for her. She is loving her new carpet. She'll get on the internet in about a week so that will be so fun to see actual pictures.

OKAY, I have a new project, ( for those who really know me I always have to have a project) I want to learn how to do solar cooking. Actually today, I cooked two baked potatoes! I just got instructions from the internet about making your own solar oven, so I did, and baked some potatoes! how cool is that? I'm going to try some more stuff, I'll keep you posted.

I'm so excited about our Wright family cabin in Groom Creek Arizona. It was build in the 30's maybe? and it is LONG over due for a major overhaul, and my nephew Shane and other relatives , ( my son in law Jess) have put in long hours, it's going to look like the Wright Hilton , I just can't wait to see the finished product. They have added two new bathrooms and then completely updated the inside with electrical, drywall, and new flooring.

My garden has been wonderful this year, we have really enjoyed our tomatoes and squash, I want to plant some more winter stuff and also add some fruit trees!

Love to you all

Happy 4th of July

Hot Hot Hot.. thank goodness for airconditioning.

well, my kiddoes are off to Pennsylvania, when Carolee first got there she was a bit discouraged because the house was left so dirty, but this past week, they have been painting and new carpet gets layed tomorrow so I know it's going to look great.

here are pictures we took recently. Kristen's son Mack had his 3rd year birthday party. Mack and Trenton LOVE each other, they will really miss being together, they are so cute to watch, they just run together where ever they go!

The picture of Trenton is him already to go to the airport at 4:30 am in the morning! the other is of me and the kids right before they left ( I was trying to stay happy!)

Can't believe it 's July already, time always goes so fast. We enjoyed having Troy here while he worked for Todd's business. Troys a great guy, I"m sure Candice is so glad to have him back home!

What's going on?

well,
hmm, what's been going on here?
Helping Carolee pack. You know moving cross country is a HUGE thing, I feel her pain getting things already, but she is a trooper and will survive it all. They have gotten a little bigger house from the School to rent and are excited about that. I've already bought my plane ticket to see them in August and October. It will be fun for us to see that part of the country. I also have my web cam set up so I can see the kids everyday. Isn't technology wonderful?

School is out, I'm sure all you moms are so happy to not have to stress about homework. No one loved summer more than me when I had 6 kids at home. I hate homework!

We have a full house again. Troy and his brother are here to earn a little extra money working for Todd, then thier wives will come and visit next weekend and in one week Carolee and kids will be here .
This Sunday we are celebrating June birthdays. That is Jeff Biehn, Joy, Jake Wright, and Bill, and of course Father's day.
I've been very blessed to have had a wonderful father. My dad was devoted to his family and to Church. He had such a tender heart and loved everyone. I miss him so much. He died 5 months after I got married, he was only 59 years old. Not only did I have a wonderful father but I married a man who is also a wonderful father. My kids have been loved and reared by an exceptional dad. I certainly couldn't have raised 6 children without his help. I'm very blessed to have such a wonderful partner by my side. Happy Father's day Billy.

Well, here's to another fun summer.

more pictures!

We sure had a great time being all together, the kids are non stop action.
this last picture is pretty funny , Nate is 8 months, Tessa is 12 months and Noah is two months!