WELCOME CHRISTMAS!

We began the holidays with a trip to Sarah's for
THANKSGIVING!

That was the beginning of our Christmas celebration.

Sarah's house (and kids) were all "decked out" for the holidays!

We will not be going to Portland for Christmas, so we were

happy to be able to see Sarah's family at Thanksgiving

and get ourselves into the "Christmas Spirit"!

We did a little SHOPPING . . .

. . .alot of EATING  . . .

and a bunch of just ENJOYING being together!

There were alot of little ELVES around that weekend!

When we came home we felt like "decking the halls"

of our house too!  This is the first year for

THIRTY EIGHT YEARS

that I have not put out our

NATIVITY SET!

Our little house just seems so small and the nativity set so big!

SO THIS WAS OUR SOLUTION . ..

                                                    A few years ago Joelle and Emmalee

made us this little Mary and Joseph made out of little clay pots.

P-E-R-F-E-C-T !

I think I scared Little Bear when I dressed "Hoover" in a

Christmas ensamble.  I found him keeping busy . . .

                                                              . . .AT THE COMPUTER!

Perhaps he was writing his Christmas letters?

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM

THE SOUTHERN OREGON COAST!

OCTOBER START TO FINISH!

I think this past October was one of the most fun months

of 2011. (Right up there with July!)

We took a trip to Portland to see Tim and Katy and little Alice

and Sarah and David and their family.

We spent a perfectly awesome day at Sauvie Island

and the Pumpkin Patch there.

 At the end of the week, John and Tiffany joined the fun !
So wonderful to have so many of our kids together again! 
Wish EVERYONE  could have been there! 

The Portland Temple grounds are so beautiful!

Grandpa certainly enjoyed his time with little Alice.

I know...difficult to tell who is cuter!!!

Still difficult to tell who is cuter!

What's better than time with a cousin?

Time with a sibbling!

We finally had to say "Goodbye".  First to Tim and Katy

then to John and Tiffany and Sarah and David.

We headed back home to "THE COAST".

Back in Port Orford we found some fun things at a garage sale.

We love our fiber-optic Jack-O-Lantern!
Is it a pumpkin with a witches hat, or a witch with a pumpkin head?

We decorated the house for the

ONE trick-or-treater that came on Halloween!

One trick-or-treater and one turkey
that was a little early for Thanksgiving.

A suprising end to October, a perfect beginning to November!
BRING ON THE TURKEY!
Bring on the GRANDCHILDREN!

THE END OF SUMMER

We celebrated the "end of summer" with a visit from Sarah's

family over the Labor Day weekend.

All good celebrations include a visit to "Uncle R.J.'s" house!

A little chatting, a little napping.

A little angel!

EVERYONE LOVES A RIDE IN THE CANOE!

Jake needed a little quiet time before we headed to the BEACH.

BEAUTIFUL BEACHCOMBERS!

Someone worked up an appetite!

PIZZA AND ICE CREAM ANYONE?

MMMM! MMMM! UMQUA!

Then another trip to Garrison Lake.

David is a regular "Mohican" at heart!
(At home in a canoe.)

A beautiful end to a beautiful day.

A wonderful end to a wonderful summer!

GRANDMA'S ART GALLERY

Our guest bedroom for the grandkids has become my favorite art gallery.

            When Laurel and her boys visited this summer Tyler
spent alot of time doing "art work".  Grandpa and Grandma think he is
VERY TALENTED!                 

I guess talent just runs in our family!

One Christmas a few years ago, EmmaLee created a beautiful

painting of holly. (One of my favorite things!)

A year before that she had given Grandpa this

"SELF PORTRAIT".

Joelle colored someone we watch for while we are at the beach...

SAMMY THE SEAL.

Abby also gave us a beautiful

SELF PORTRAIT a few years ago.

We still have some empty walls to fill

in the "Jr. guestroom"!

Any young artists in the family who want to

have your picture in our gallery remember...

 ...there are so many BEAUTIFUL things to

give young artists INSPIRATION!

LIKE I SAID . . .SO MANY BEAUTIFUL THINGS!

WE'VE GOT MAIL!

Wish we were there . . .MENORCA !

Today we received a post card from Jeff's friend in Germany.

He was on a "holiday" to Menorca in the Mediterranian.

Thank you "Doc" for thinking of us.

Jeff misses you and Andreas very much.

 

Our guest bedroom is always ready for your family!

WE'LL BE WAITING ON THE BEACH!

SUMMER VISITORS

This has been such a beautiful summer!

OUTSIDE

we have pretty flowers to look at

INSIDE

we have pretty "girls" to look at!

We loved having Sarah and Julie and their families come

for the 4th of July.

Again, sweet faces INSIDE

and OUTSIDE!

We took some day trips to the beach (did not get those pictures)

and to Flores Lake to watch the para-sailers.

THEN HERE COME THE BAKERS!

When did Ryan get so tall?

When did Bryce get so cute? (at birth!)

Little Baker boys love Little Bear!

And someone loves picking flowers.

Cape Blanco Lighthouse was a highlight of the trip.

The BEACH was the biggest highlight, but once again I did not get

any pictures while we were buliding sand castles!!!

After all the company was gone I was forced to take

pictures of some of the "characters" in Port Orford.

It seems everyone here loves summer!

For the EXCITING CONVERTIBLE picture

see Laurel's blog!!!