Chad is engaged!

This is MiKayla Cook, the love of Chad's life. He met her in the spring and she actually came with us on our family reunion trip to Yellowstone. (Brave girl) She fit right in with all of us. We love her!

Chad and MiKayla are such posers! Why is it that some people always look great in front of a camera? Well, I haven't seen one picture of them that isn't terrific.

This is the very night they got engaged. It was an exciting evening. I actually watched as he got down on his knee and proposed. It was very sweet.


Carter and Natalie came to Boise for the weekend, and just happened to come by after he proposed. Carter wasn't so sure about Chad that night, but Chad was so happy, nothing could have upset him.

Here is the ring. Pretty nice!

We are very pleased and happy for them both. Date for the wedding....March 27th. Put it on your calendar.

Thanks for Family!

We have had several months filled with 9 grandchildren. From summer to fall, spending valuable time with our kids and grand kids, has made us appreciate all their differences and similarities. What fun we have had! Emma and Mark spend some weekends with us occasionally, and we always have fun. This was our family reunion trip to Yellowstone. We all had such a great time.

We spent some wonderful time in Omaha with Mike, Loralee, Kaitlynn, Hailey and Mikey. We went to a baseball game and got soaked to the skin, and spent time at the zoo. Also, we celebrated Hailey's 4th birthday and the 4th of July. Building a swing set and BBQ-ing, kept us really busy, but filled with fun, fun, fun!

Carter and I got to spend some one on one time together. Robby, Natalie, and Carter stayed half the summer with us, and it was terrific. Carter feels really comfortable with us, and I am so glad for that.

This young man is our newest grandson, Baron Glen Bleazard. He joined us on November 18th. What a beautiful baby he is. He weighed 9 lbs 12 oz. A big boy! He is anxious to play ball with all his uncles!

I had to include this picture of Baron with his family! Eva just met him and already she shows him how much she loves him. We were pretty excited to go and meet him.

Another thing that warms my heart is when Petra comes running to me. She and I are sharing a moment watching a favorite cartoon on the computer. She jabbers and tells me all about it.

Today is Thanksgiving day. I can't help but feel such gratitude for all our family. Our children bring us so much happiness. From Omaha to Utah, our hearts are warmed by the love and closeness we all share together. Grand kids are the greatest gift to us ever! They are all so smart! (stated like a true Grandma) Mark and I are so blessed. Happy Thanksgiving to all our family and friends.

Oh Beans!

I prayed for the beans and they are doing great! (so far anyway) I didn't think to pray for the stove. :( While I was canning some beans, the stove literally broke. The top cracked, crashed and fell in. We had to get a new stove. It would have been nice to have the stove repaired, but it was pretty costly for a 9 year old stove. So, out with the old and in with the new. I am so glad Mark knows how to install things! He is amazing!
Now I am just waiting for more beans to can and we will be back in business.

Chicago 2009

We had a great time in Chicago. What a great city. So much to do and see! The kids were great considering all the running around we did. Everyone got along so nicely. What a fun time!

A Little Trip to Sun Valley

Mark and I had an opportunity to take a little trip to Sun Valley Idaho. It is located near the Sawtooth Mountains, and just beautiful, even though spring hasn't quite sprung there yet. The ski season has just ended and they are awaiting their heavy summer season. Ketchum, Sun Valley, and Hailey were a bit quiet but 800 Convention goers livened up the area for a few days. We enjoyed the quiet, the walks, the scenery and of course being together! It was timed just right for our anniversary. There is so much to do here, but unfortunately, the weather turned great the day we left. I had plenty of time to read, take walks,go shopping and just relax while Mark went to classes. (lucky me) Wow, what a beautiful place right in our own Idaho backyard!

Fun times with Emma and Marky

We had a really fun weekend a few days ago. Barry, Marky and Emma came over and stayed with us, as if they were here for a visit. We were sad Wendy didn't get to come over, as she was making a quick trip to Salt Lake for a meeting. Big Mark and Barry were hitting a bucket of balls while we took a little hike. These are some pictures taken while we walked over and visited Municipal Park from Warm Springs Golf Course. The kids did pretty well with only a couple of "are we there yet" comments. They did really well and enjoyed the Nature Center, the Boise River and play area. We will go back again when we can see leaves on the trees and take a picnic!

Yosemite

I had a great opportunity to see beautiful

Yosemite National Park this past week. After sitting in meetings inside Tenaya Lodge, and wondering what those great outdoors held for me, we were taken on a tour on Wednesday. Riding in a tour bus on windy roads into the park, we were able to get out and see some of the grandest sights I have seen of this great earth. From the granite mountains, great forests, giant Redwoods, and beautiful rivers, this park had so much to offer. I loved it. Sometimes I had to slap myself and say, "you are really here". I just had to share a few of my pictures with you. We were able to go close into Bridal Vail Falls which you can see on a couple of these shots. El Capitan is one of Yosemite's many granite monoliths. Rock climbers actually climb that thing! I can't believe it. It is too bad I didn't have my whole family there with me. It would have been wonderful. Maybe someday. I am just so grateful for all the beauty that is here right in our own backyards!

Pay it Forward

Thanks for the cute idea Nat!And Tara.....So, here's how this game works-the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year, a handmade gift/treat from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or be lazy and copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift!

Look What Chad Can Do!

All of my kids post cute videos of their little babies doing amazing things. Well, Chad can do some amazing things too. He can also walk, talk and read.....amazing!

Mark and Kris and Chad get a surprise visit from Carter and his parents at Thanksgiving! And we thought we would have a Thanksgiving all alone this year!

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Wow, it is time to say GOOD-BYE to 2008 and HELLO to 2009! Where did that year go? It was a great year for adding grandkids! In May Baby Eva came to us and in September Baby Carter. Petra was born in December of 2007 and is now a year old! Chad got home from his mission in El Salvador in July and all of our family met together for the first time in 6 years. It was a terrific reunion. Kris' Dad David Hallmark passed away in May, a sad day for all of us. Mark had surgery in April, Kris had surgery the end of Oct. and we are glad those are over. Kris was released from YW in October, which was a mix of sad and happy. This year we want to concentrate on spoiling the grandkids, all 8 of them, and having better health, attending the temple on a regular basis (now that we feel better) and taking a trip or two. It is so fun to see the baby cousins play together. There is no greater joy to us than our children and our grandchildren. We are glad to welcome a new year, with new prospects, and wish all our family and friends a great New Year!