FAREWELL 2011

Our FIRST FULL YEAR IN OREGON is passing on.

It has been a wonderful year.  We have had special moments

with more of our children and grandchildren than we expected to.

We took a wonderful (and exhausting) trip to Arizona

to see John and Tiffany's new baby boy.

We stayed with Julie and had
 fun with little Cardon

(and Kaylee).

We took a trip to Flagstaff to visit Amy and her family.

Spent some time getting to know little Alice.

We also took drove to COLORADO to see Aunt Val's family.

This is Eva's cute  little "cottage" in the Rocky's.

While back home in Oregon . . .

. . .we had onderful times with Wendy's family while
they were here close to us.

Julie came for the 4th of July!
Of course, Sarah and David came down for the celebration.

We enjoyed time with Sarah's kids and Cardin,

                                                then Laurel came all the way from Texas, y'all!

We were so happy that Laurel wouold come so far for a visit.
Wonderful times for all of us!

We loved seeing Tim and Katy and little Alice

when they came to Portalnd in October.

A week later John and Tiffany, Jace and Kaylee
were with us in Portland too.

Oregon Museum  of Science and Industry...
The OMSI  is always a memorable experience.

We have discovered so many things in 2011.
For one, that absence really does make the heart grow fonder.
Also, we discovered that "where there is a will there is a way".
When we want to be together with our loved ones it can happen,
even with thousands of miles separating us!

We look forward to every moment we will spend with those we love in

2012!

WELCOME TO OREGON
 Mike and Amy, Cory, Marcus, Ethan and Josie!

THE SOUTHERN COAST IS WAITING FOR YOU!

A BEAUTIFUL NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE WE LOVE!



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!