Burr...it's cold!

But family events keep our hearts warm, like.....
Angela getting her mission call. It was so fun. She opened her big white envelope, saw where her call was to and then wrote five places on a white board, one of which was where she was going. She wrote Australia, Wisconsin, Uraguay, Temple Square and Paris, France. It was exciting to think that one of those places was actually where she would be going! We'd guess and then she'd cross one off that wasn't where her call was to. Then we'd all guess again. Finally, Temple Square and Paris were left. She crossed off Paris...Temple Square is her mission and she reports Feb. 18th. We are all so happy for her!

It was great to have Jana and family share the day before Thanksgiving with us. We loved having them here even if it was just for a day. It was so sweet to go out the next day to the tree Lindsey had been playing in and see a doll with the doll clothes hung from a tree branch. I couldn't take it down for a few days it was so cute. Thanksgiving was pleasant with Harold and Trish, Margaret and Nathan here. Our pasture was the setting for the Primary's picture taking for the ward's Christmas party's slide show. We had angels, shepherds. wisemen and of course baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph gracing our fields. It was pretty special and the kids were all so good.Geronimo provided some side entertainment which the boys thought was real cool: catching and eating a mouse.

Joe is really enjoying a couple of additions to our family. Abbie is a two year old, hopefully pregnant, guernsey cow.And, Big Red, who is really big at 16+ hands, is a eight year old Tennessee Walker. Growing up, every Christmas Joe would ask for a horse. Finally....he has got his horse for Christmas!

We had fun with Angela and Jeff recently as Joe took the truck and flatbed trailer and was one of the drivers for the student stake's winter hayride. The kids caroled and delivered Christmas baskets.

And it is always GREAT to be with Joe, Allison and family and Derek and Aubree for Sunday dinner which we did tonight.

We miss Darren though, who left for Texas a couple of weeks ago. He was a tremendous help getting farm life going. We are happy for Grant as he finished up his student teaching a week ago and was fortunate to immediately start a full-time job teaching eighth grade science. Julie should be home for Christmas....She reports that Seattle has a foot of snow. We hope that won't keep her from being able to fly home !

A lot has happened!

First off, we need to get Jeff graduated!

Gramma Harris had made Jeff his graduation afghan before she passed away. What a special gift to get.

We all got busy and packed....

and packed....

and moved and moved...we moved to the country, Derek and Aubree moved to a new apartment, Angela moved to her own place and Joe and Allison moved into our place on Camino. That was a lot of beds and couches and dishes etc!!! We are all glad to be where we all are now!! The 4th of July was such a great day. And of the course the Johnson Parade was fun as usual. One of the best "floats" was the Retired John Deere farmer...It was another great day when Darren arrived! He came to spend the summer working for a farmer and for us.
He and his dad worked and worked at getting the place civilized...

We found all kinds of stuff in a couple of old out buildings. Some were fun antiques but most was just dump worthy. Derek and Aubree moved to Pullman just to help us move...well, maybe not just to help us move but we couldn't have done it without them. Derek painted bedrooms while Jeff had his own style of painting.We adopted a couple of cats from an animal shelter. Izzie, Wild Bill and our previous cat, Geronimo have all learned to be great friends and are great mousers.We have had some great FUN times this summer too. Grant took Joe and I to some neat places on Moscow Mountain. I had no idea that on the other side of that mountain was a continuous range of mountains that go up into Montana. He and Jeff spent several Saturdays riding on the mountain bike trails that are there before he left for Tri-Cites to do his student teaching.We were able to go to the Tri-Cites to see our niece, Tamsin Campbell marry Dave Jolley. It's a small world...Dave grew up in the same ward I did in Richland and his dad was Bishop when Joe and I were dating.Angela has such fun with Margaret.Joe and I were also able to go to Prosser to my brother James' wedding. It was so special to share their day with them.Plans worked out so all the family could be together for a very fun weekend the last of July. We had a bear hunt,and rode motorcycles,had tractor rides, and girl fun...
hiked up to Kamiak Butte and even

found the "cache" the kids had buried under a tree many years ago.

We took in some baseball games that Derek, Aubree and Jeff played in,

had a 23rd birthday party for Angela,


and enjoyed Darren's Texas BQ of peppers stuffed with cream cheese, wrapped with bacon.
Um..good!

Harvest started...it is such a beautiful time of year around here. We decided to celebrate fall with a barnyard party. We danced to country music

and took a fun hay ride. Derek passed out "tickets" for the hayride: some straw to put in our mouths. We sang "Home on the Range" and Grant led us in "I Saw a Bear" while Joe drove us around the pasture. Joey told scary stories and after the little ones went home to bed, the older kids made smores. It was the BEST evening!

Jeff had "a rebellious streak". It was the result of some of the girls he home teaches' creativity. (The clothes lasted a day but the hair color lasted a couple of weeks longer-he now has a buzz cut)
Halloween was fun. Jeff and Ayana went to the Insitute Halloween party as "smores".

Life has not been dull around here and won't be for sometime. Angela should be getting her mission call in a couple of weeks!

We really do love living out here in the country. We are just half way between Moscow and Pullman so can go to either town easily. We sure have great memories of a wonderful summer. We just hope we still like living out here after our first winter...we'll see!