HAPPY BIRTHDAY to..uh..umm..that middle child...oh yeah, SCOTTY!!

Scott's had a smile (or a goofy look) on his face since he was born. We all love that he makes everyone in our family crack up all the time. It's one of his many great talents. Scott was born in Bloomington, IL in 1980 at 6:30PM. My obstetrician was oriental and I never understood a word he said. But it was my 3rd and I didn't think it mattered that much. If I had a scanner that worked I'd load in his life's story but we'll save that for future posts. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SCOTTY, our favorite middle son!! I know our whole family is glad you're a part of it. Thanks for all the joy and laughs you've brought to us. WE LOVE YOU TONS!

Doesn't this child have a grandma?

Yesterday, wearing my stake primary counselor hat, I attended 2 ward conferences. We manned Primary while the teachers/staff attended a meeting with the stake presidency during the second hour. My main job was to keep the Sunbeams on task, often entertaining them with my glasses. One little beamer said he'd never seen glasses on a string. What? I guess not all grandmas wear glasses on a string. Just the real ones!!

Species

How many different kinds of species do you see in this photo?

Palm Springs

I was supposed to be in Palm Springs at my aunt's memorial service this weekend but came down with the flu instead. I was sad to miss seeing my cousins, uncle, mom and dad, brother and others there. Plus I missed all the funny stories that were told. But what can you do. My warmest thoughts were with them all at least. Plus who wouldn't have loved a few days in the warm sun. I'm almost over the flu now. The worst part was that the virus seemed to have inflamed the lining of my stomach. Glad that's over now. It was killing me for days. The only good thing was that it sorta jump started the diet.

Opryland Hotel

Who knew Nashville had a Disneyworld. Dad, Scott, Paige and I visited here for the first time and it was amazing. It's a MUST SEE. Plus we had a fantastic dinner at a fancy steakhouse inside. Very expensive, but delicious! I shall think of it fondly as I diet for the next 6 months.

The Hermitage

This is Andrew Jackson's home, The Hermitage, in northeast Nashville. He was the 7th US president. I don't have a good picture of the front of the home. This version of the house was completed in 1836. It was fun to play in the cotton field. The garden looks bad in winter but I can imagine how beautiful it would be in the summer in full bloom. Paige will post some more pics when they get home.

Christmas at Emily's

We just spent a delightful couple of days at Emily's over Christmas. I think the kids were pleased with their haul and we enjoyed our visit with everyone. Thankfully our drive up and back only consisted of rain and no snow or ice.

Beautiful and Strange Sunsets

Actually, I think this was all the same sunset. Bizarre colors near the end of it. Kind of creepy almost.

Sunrises

Our Turn for the Big Snow

The same snow storm that hit Scott and Paige in Texas on Wed. struck us with a vengeance Thursday afternoon around 4:30. I called Jim at work to let him know it was coming down hard, starting to build up, and he better start for home right away. Since our neighborhood is very hilly I was extra nervous because he'd left his cell phone at home (this is not uncommon) and he was driving a pickup!! I thought I was going to have to go find him since he hadn't arrived home 30 minutes after leaving the office. (It usually takes him less than 15.) I was just one block away from our house when I saw him coming over the hill. I was relieved because it was really treacherous. We were unable to get either the van or the pickup back up our driveway. Turns out leaving them on the street was a good idea since the driveway was very icy next morning. There were accidents and cars blocking roads all over the place. One pregnant lady from Jim's work had to walk 2 miles to get home that night.
Three days later we still have a lot of snow on the ground and our roofs. It's very beautiful-like a Currier and Ives Christmas card- and the dogs didn't mind it a bit.

Galveston after Ike

There was a lot of damage on the part of Galveston Island we visited with Scott and Paige. This was not even the parts that really got wiped out. It was getting dark so we didn't take a lot of pictures. There were still piles of wood and debris heaped up on curbs.

Scott at Optometry School

While in Houston Scott showed us around his optometry building at the University of Houston. I was impressed with that eye chart because it was an old one from Fredericksburg. I was also impressed with all the microwaves in the lunch room. My how times change. That art sculpture with Paige and Scott inside is what Scott could have been looking at from his vantage point. The Optometry school building was very nice. Scott will have his picture on the wall there some day along with his father-in-law's which hangs there now as part of the class of 19?? Paige, can you fill that in? I forgot.

Snow?

Wow! I haven't lived where it snows with some regularity since we lived in Illinois in 1987. It snowed all morning but didn't stick. Quite beautiful. Sonic and Penny didn't mind it a bit. Here's Penny showcasing some fine flakes against her black
"saddle."