THE PRINCESS IS 11yrs. OLD

Happy Birthday Hailey.  Having you as our oldest grandchild has always been a pure delight.  You are a great example to all of our other kiddies.  You are not only a great BIG SISTER, but you are also fun, beautiful, and a smarty pants.  We hope your birthday is the best one yet.  We are so glad you belong to our family.  We love you tons!!!  oxoxoxox  MeMa & PaPa

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET PEA

Isabelle is 9 years old today.  She is my special Sweetsy girl.  We are so glad that she was born into our family.  She brings us lots of love and joy and is fun and beautiful. What a great BIG SISTER she is.  We are so glad she will be living in AZ --so close by when we return home.  Happy Birthday Sweet Pea.  We love you tons.  Hugs & Kisses to you!!!!  MeMa & PaPa 

MISSING THEM ALREADY

Dustin's family came---WOOHOO!

Dustin's family saw---YIPPEE!

Dustin's family went--BOOHOO!

Wowzers-that one week with Dustin's family went by way too fast.  We had so much fun and we loved every single minute of their visit.  Their kids have grown up so much since we have been gone.  What an adorable family they are.  We enjoyed the rinok--can you tell Paige loved her doll?  The circus was a big hit--Rhett's face tells it all.  Eating Russian food at Moo Moo's wasn't near as much fun as taking the picture on the cow afterwards--Bryce was the only one that wasn't crying.  Of course we had to walk over to the park to see the duckies all in a row--Dodge doesn't remember that trip--he was asleep.  Doesn't Dustin and Natalie both look great!!!  Their family came to our zone conference and all sang "I hope they call me on a mission".  Our missionaries loved them.  Bryce let Dad beat him in chess.  Dodge is still the sweet sweet baby boy that I remember--goes with the flow.  Telling them goodbye at the airport (Dad was at a meeting) was a tear jerker for MeMa--it always is, BUT the tears are always worth the visit.  Thanks Dustin, Natalie, Bryce, Paige, Rhett, and Dodge for coming I started missing you the minute you walked through that airport door.  My heart took lots of pictures.  I cherish the memories.  Dustin called this morning to say that they had made it home.  I asked him how the trip was.  He said, Mom it was____!!!  He isn't allowed to tell Brooke or she might not come and see me.   I Love Everyone of you TONS!!!! oxoxox

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANGEL

Today our angel daughter Brooke turns 31.  It was hard to find a picture of her without a baby in her arms for my blog.  She has always loved kids and is not only a beautiful daughter (inside and out I might add), but an amazing wife and mother.  I loved the picture of her precious family with the giraffes because they are great examples of being good giraffes.  We love you Brooke and even though you are far far away from us--you will be in our thoughts and our hearts all day today. Happy Birthday to our favorite 4th child.  You  have always been a joy--a delight--and an eternal blessing in our lives.  We love you tons.  Hugs & Kisses!!!  

HAPPY DAY

We are leaving for the airport SOON to pick up this adorable family.  WOOHOO!!!!!  I can't wait to throw my arms around each one of them and smother them with hugs and kisses.  You know Bryce is going to love that, but he will be a good sport about it for his MeMa.  After we pick them up we are headed out to the tourist rinok which as most of you know is a cultural experience.  I'm the Lucky Ducky today.  ILYT oxoxox

FUN WITH MISSIONARIES

We are back from Voronezh where we not only had a spiritually uplifting zone conference, but a great "FUN" day with our missionaries.  We started off the day with Dad's pancakes.  He has already emailed the recipe to the missionaries that requested it.  I heard one of the Elders say, "this is the best breakfast I have had since I arrived in Russia."  Then we played some games in the church.  One was 9 holes of golf using the paper airplanes they made.  They had to throw their airplanes as they went from room to room and then had to hit a target with their airplanes.  Then they counted up how many throws they had when they finished.  I thought they were pretty imaginative to come with that game.  Then we played a chair game using the days of the week and the months of the years.  Then we walked to a park where most of them played ultimate frisbee while a few of them ran the track--a track that was the sorriest I've ever seen.  Take a look at it.  Dad enjoyed a lap with his Elders.  After lunch we and our AP's headed back to Moscow.  I really believe that saying, "a mission that plays together--is exalted together".  What prophet said that????

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SISSEY SUSIE

Today is my favorite baby girl's birthday.  It has been 25 years of unending delight and joy.  Dad and are are the lucky duckies to get to be your Mom and Dad.  We thank Heavenly Father every day for sending you to our family.  You were the perfect ending to a perfect set of children.  We wish we could be there with you to give you birthday hugs and kisses.  You will be in our thoughts and our hearts.  WE LOVE YOU TONS ASHLY! oxoxox  

OUT OF TOWN

These are some of the Elders we will be hanging out with at our South Zone Conference in Voronezh.   They are serving in Lipetsk right now. Seems to me that growing up with 10 brothers was a great preparation to be here where I am always outnumbered by my awfully cute Elders.  We are leaving this morning and will be back Thursday night.  Dad went crazy and got all nice, so we are  going to stay an extra day so that we can have a zone activity with them.  On Thurs. we're going to have breakfast and play some games and then have lunch with them and then fly back to Moscow.  I'll miss you even more and you know why.  ILYT oxoxox

ELDERS:  Williams, Blatter, Mitchell, Salinas, Armstrong, Moss(he left for home with his Dad this morning), Whitney.

 

TRANSFER WEEK

Every 6 weeks we have what we call transfer week.  This involves getting new missionaries with dinner that night, moving missionaries around working in the new missionaries and taking out the ones going home with dinner that night for the ones leaving, and having zone leaders' council with lunch afterwards.  Transfer week = a busy week.  Last week was transfer week.  Sister Hansen is our new missionary.  The Elder that was suppose to come with Sister Hansen had to have his gall bladder taken out so we hope to see him in about 4 weeks.  Isn't Sister Hansen so cute?  We also have an Elder Hansen, but no relation.  Elder Moss left for home.  He was our branch president in Lipetsk and did a wonderful job.  I miss my missionaries that have left.  These hot diggedy dog loving Elders are our zone leaders.  Starting at the head of the table to the rt. Elders: McKay, Elllingson, Varley, Westbroek,  Lundquist, Salinas, Nuzman, Kosak, Ellsworth, Lamb.

The frosting on the cake of a busy transfer week----TWO BAPTISMS on Saturday!  CHACHING!

Sister Zonova, Sasha, Sister Dransfield and Sister Jenson

Elder Hiatt, Peter (from Taiwan), Elder  Pollard 

P-Day Continued

After we ate at LaCantina we walked over to Red Square.  It was such a party atmosphere because it was the first day that the sun had shone and wasn't freezing cold for lots of months so everyone was outside.  The guys with the eagle and the monkeys are always there and rip you off big time if you want a picture with them.  I paid a fortune for the Skousen girls to get their pictures with the monkeys (when we got back to the apt.I got the lecture from Dad about how I need to negotiate a price) when they were here, but it was worth it wasn't it?  I never get tired of going to Red Square.  No matter how many times I have been there it amazes me that I am for reals standing there in such a historical and beautiful place.  It was a fun day.