Christmas on Fogg St. Chaotic, fun & relaxing

We've managed to string it all out! Christmas morning had Audrey and 1 month old Ethan seeing their Christmas stockings and finding THE perfect last minute gifts that came from Big Lots and Goodwill. Peter and Jill came over later with Aly..... The next day Colleen and the 3 girls arrived from Twin Falls, en route to California, so we did MORE Christmas. It is DEFINITELY all about kids and seeing their faces...though I love getting at least one thing on each person's dream list that they like. I was surprised with a new laptop from my sweet husband. Good thing, cuz we learned the hard drive on the other one is FRIED! Sure hope we can recover a whole year's worth of financial records!


There is a satisfying release when 9 people throw all the wrappings boxes and bows into a common junk pile during opening! Such abandon for a control/neat freak like me!
And it is just the best when you find the perfect gift - a serendipity moment at Big Lots on Christmas Eve! This wonderful little lounger that is just the right color for Audrey's room! And it is NOT plastered with picture's of Dora or decorated in some unearthly girly PINK! Blegh! All the grandkids loved taking turns sitting it!
Becky's Charles has even caught the Goodwill/Salvation Army bug that has infected us all this year! This is HIS Christmas Eve purchase contribution! I had asked him earlier if he was going to get Ethan a football for Christmas... but this one is a little over the top! It will help hold all the new toys in the new house once they get into it, though! For now it is Audrey's new favorite hiding place. Featured now, are the three main trees we put up this year. This is the "Family Tree" with handmade wooden and scrapbooked photo holders for pictures of cousins, ancestors and core family members. Had a lot of fun making the pictures and loved seeing those we love each morning as I came out of our bedroom.

This one is the Candy Cane Tree. Sorry the pictures don't do them justice. Decorated in all red, green and white ornaments, mostly plastic and real candy canes. The lights on the white tree are a very soft green so at night the tree is really interesting. I, personally, can think of no other good use for a candy cane (except for tiny pieces crushed in hot chocolate), but I did notice that after all the grandgirls left the tree was several candy canes shy of the original! I guess you can't get sick on a candy cane that is 5-8 years old, can you?
This is the Fuschia/teal/Pink tree.....again, not nearly as pretty in a picture as it was in real life! Really glowed at night with the white lights reflectinf off all that shy plastic! Carried this color scheme across the mantle and onto the two side hearth trees as well. And of course could only put blue, silver and white wrapped presents underneath!
Ethan slept peacefully through most of the gift unwrapping hoopla, but he was bright eyed and awake long enough to get his Santa sock. Seems so amazing that just two years ago at this time it was Audrey having her first Christmas as a newborn, right after we got home from our mission to Chile.

Why is it so much easier to buy gifts for kids? Here are Peter and Aly. Her parents were more impressed than she was with the pretty clothes she got, but her little face beamed over the talking cow toy. (This girl LOVES music!) Peter and Jill told us the new rule is that any toy that makes noise stays HERE! But they did proclaim the cow sufficiently not obnoxious to get to go home with Alyssa!

Christmas Eve found Grandpa Vic and Grandma Adele all alone at the home while the kids were at their in-laws places for Christmas Eve observances. Alone, but not lonely. It was actually a very lovely evening together as we prepared a few things for the big day and then took a break and walked up to the Baptist Church's candlelight Christmas program. (We had been invited by a bunch of carolers from their congregation a week or so earlier). Don't know what we expected, but it wasn't quite what we had hoped for. Rock music instruments just don't belong in a church. Certainly nothing to fault in any of their doctrine or their good intentions, but reverent and sacred it was NOT. We were still glad we went. This building was added on to and turned into a Church after its former inactive, but LDS dwellers moved back to Utah. We had a few moments of nostalgia after the services as we drank their hot chocolate and had a piece of cake in the room where we used to home teach the original inhabitants!

We broke with tradition and had Christmas dinner the day AFTER Christmas. MUCH nicer. We had Jill's good "mamma tacos" Christmas evening and did the prime rib thing the NEXT day when Colleen and girls arrived and we were all less frenzied. Tasted mighty good!

May the sweet peace of this wonderful season stay with each of you. May your days be filled with gratitude for family and for the rich abundance of all that we enjoy... even in the face of economic crisis and strain. By and large ALL of us still have much more than the vast majority of the world's peoples and we can always find moments of giving and grace and gratitude if we will but seek them each day. MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

A HUGE SCARE; BUT ALL IS WELL

Most of you know that Becky and Charles delivered their second child, our first grandson, the day after Thanksgiving. Ethan Austin Graf is a sweet, calm little boy with dark eyes which promise to be brown (or very dark hazel). He perpetually has just the touch of a smile behind his lips - like he has a fun secret or is just glad to be here with you. Audrey adores him as you can see from the photo.

We had a pretty big scare last Friday night. Becky was trying to place him in the baby bjorn (a body carrier which they use when they all go out for a walk together) when somehow he pushed off with his legs at the wrong moment and fell backwards out of her arms. Unfortunately she was in their bathroom which has a concrete floor beneath the linoleum so he cracked his head pretty hard. She was able to grab at the sleeper he was in and break the fall just a little but it was not enough to protect the impact very much. The goose egg was huge and immediate. They rushed him to quick care at the bottom of the hill and from there to emergency. The hospital kept him overnite to continue to observe and watch for any possible brain swelling or bleeding. You can imagine the feelings of his parents as they waited to get test results. I immediately called the temple to get his name onto the prayer roll and phoned some close family members to add more faithful prayers on his behalf.

We are happy to report that even though he did, indeed, fracture the skull (from the tip of his head to just behind the ear) there appears to be no further problem. Both the neurologist and the pediatrician feel that all will be well and that there will be no problems down the road. We are grateful, so grateful, to hold him in our arms once again and look into his sweet little face. Words cannot describe our relief and gratitude that he will be OK.

The Austentatious Austins are at it again!

Didn't think Charles could top last year's outdoor light display...but he did! We don't have the tree forest inside though. I decorated a "modest" number this year - only three trees....though we have one or two more with just lights for atmosphere!

BABY BOY IS HERE!!

Ethan Austin Graf has arrived! Born Friday November 27 at 10:17 a.m. 7 lbs. 14 oz. 21 inches.

Becky was induced at 6:30 a.m. and several hours later looked as refreshed as a summer's morning! Ethan is longer but weighed less than Audrey did. He has dark hair and VERY dark eyes and has a bit of a look of one of Charles' brothers. Audrey will be a caring big sister! We are all so grateful for this new little life come to greet us on Thanksgiving weekend.

This is what he is up against once he gets home! Hope he is up to taking on all the little girl cousins!

THREE GREAT THANKSGIVING BLESSINGS!! (Actually four)

1 - NATHAN HAS A JOB.......Hooray!! He called yesterday to let us know that the Twin Falls, Idaho County Public Defender's Office has offered him the position after a successful phone interview a couple of days earlier. They are thrilled to at last be numbered among the employed and on their way to true careerhood (and eventual home ownership!). Nathan's cousin Diane Deming Jensen and her family live there, they can be close to a gorgeous new temple and have some beautiful new neighborhoods to check out for home purchase. All around, a rather nice LDS community too. The winters will be much colder than Boise, but there will be room to plant a garden in the summer. They will be in the heartland of some beautiful countryside and they will be just that much closer to us and to Nathan's friend Ryan up in Idaho Falls. They are happy! (This public service job will also help defray MUCH of the loan incurred just going to law school) Twin Falls Temple

Twin Falls. The Snake River, famous for river rafting, etc., winds through deeply cut gorges in this part of South Central Idaho.

2 - Granddaughter Alyssa (Peter and Jill's) turned one year old, is walking and able to consume huge pieces of birthday cake with her fingers all gooshy and not even bat an eyelash! (Audrey cried when her hands got dirty from the frosting when HER first birthday came around). Aly is a lovely, mellow, smiley little girl with gorgeous coloring. We all had a lot of fun at her Grandma and Grandpa Jensen's house surrounding her with presents and she just sort of took it all in stride! If I can figure out how to upload the video of the cake eating I will do so.

Aly gets to have her shirt off because we all know that the ensuing cake attack will not be nice to clothes!!

3 - We are about to be grandparents again even a little sooner than we expected. Becky's due date is December 1st, but she has already begun to dilate and her doctor agreed to induce delivery the day after Thanksgiving so that Nathan and Colleen will be able to see new little Ethan Austin Graf before they head back up to Idaho. She is more than ready to deliver! She says she gets pretty tired and doesn't sleep well at night, but she sure has had the homing instinct and has been sanding, staining and preparing some furniture that was given to them to put in their NEW HOME! (Blessing 4). Yes, they have made an offer on a place which has been accepted so now it is a waiting game to see how fast they might actually be able to get into the house. They will leave a big void in our home...but they are very ready to be off on their own and closer to Audrey's cousins (Charles' family) in North Las Vegas. I think Audrey will love her little brother ... and maybe that will take her mind off her newest interest - screeching at the top of her lungs and throwing herself onto the floor in cute little tantrums, complete with hands over the eyes and sobs as though the world has come to an end! (We've been through that with all the kids, right??)

Becky with Audrey and baby Ethan.

We love our family! It will be so good to have us all together again for a few days at Thanksgiving. With 5 little girls under four years of age the busyness level will be pretty high, but it will be great just the same to love them all and hug and hug.

Victor's Patriarchal Moments

I love it when Victor thinks lofty thoughts on his walks. The following is his latest home evening food for thought:

Between the growing glow of each dawn and the laying on your pillow each night, give to those who surround you a balanced measure of the best life has:
---Touch your special mate with romance
---Invent entertainment that gives learning and love to little ones
---Seek enlightenment, that you may inspire others
---Read or Watch something that stimulates your thoughts or emotions
---Create a thing of beauty
---Dwell on the gratitude you feel and speak your appreciation to others
---Make something clean
---Invest some hours in tasks, but not too many
---Savor variety and novelty in edibles
---Serve and edify others
---Share humor

You won't do each of these things every day, but over the span of a week include these activities.
Enrich your life with loving, childplay, learning, inspiration, loveliness, thankfulness, cleansing, work, delectibles and helping.

Good thoughts, huh? And you know what? He practices what he preaches. A right good man!

OCTOBER SNOWS

Most of the fall leaves are gone from Cedar Mountain but here at our little cabin cul-de-sac we still have gorgous oranges and yellows. It snowed this morning briefly...so we are a little confused about what season we are really supposed to enjoy. I love the tree out our bedroom window which I can keep an eye on while I do this computer work.

NEW CHRISTMAS TREE IDEA

Well - as if we didn't have enough kinds of possible tree decorations.... I got the idea recently that I wanted to have a Family Tree...no, I mean the ancestral kind. So when we were all up at the cabin for General Conference we started painting some wooden ornaments I bought last year. I quickly realized that even at 99 cents each it was too much money and too labor-intensive...so I am reverting to another type and get to use up some old scrapbooking supplies besides. We are back at the cabin to winterize and have our last few days of peace before the big holiday onslaught. Here are pictures of both types of ornaments that will go on the tree:

KID CUTENESS! How dull life would be without the refreshing little perks of children!

Two year old Audrey knows a good deal when she sees it! She was pushing one year old cousin Aly around in her walker then decided to climb on and take a ride! Aly seemed to have no problem pulling the weight of TWO over and over again around the island of the cabin kitchen! Fun to see them at an age where they share and like each other!

Nathan Austin, ESQUIRE

It's official. Son Nathan is now a lawyer. Swearing-in ceremony took place October 1st in Boise. Now he would like to be a practicing attorney! Keep those fingers crossed and prayers coming that a job will be forthcoming! He cleans up pretty good doesn't he?

ANOTHER VICTOR BLESSING

Once again Victor has a brush with death. I guess it is just not his time to go, thank goodness! Victor and Reed went to pick up the Polaris (ATV) from Duck Creek where it had been repaired. In trying to run it up the ramps into the back of the pick-up something went haywire, the ATV fell and rose up in the front. Victor, who was holding on still, was seconds away from being crushed under the weight of it as he fell onto his back. If Reed had not been there to give a steadying hand we would have lost him! The Polaris remained vertical and did not fall. I am grateful that he is OK and that it is only the tailgate of the pickup which will have to be fixed. Husbands/fathers/grandfathers are not so easily replaced! I am glad I was not there to see it.

THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!

Conference watching time at our wonderful Mammoth Creek residence! Good to be back up to the cabin for a few days after nearly a month of being away. Fall colors bring me joy. Autumn is still my favorite time of year. Colors range from already gone to just starting their brilliant changes...so we have a gorgeous variety of reds, yellows and greens.

And sheep! We have sheep! Everyone who has come to join us has commented that they have encountered the herd on the roads as they migrate toward their winter home, nibbling all the way.

We are hosting a gang as usual. The more, the merrier, right? Lucille and Reed were here overnight and around for an ATV ride before heading north to mission reunions. Charles, Becky and Audrey arrived today in the afternoon. Peter, Jill and Aly and friends James, Tamara and Emma West are en route. We made pies all day in honor of the nice fall weather.

Am I the only one who doesn't love Zoos?

Zoo animals don't DO anything! They are bored...and sick of us looking at them.

Quite possibly the most exciting event of the morning was when the gorilla vomited into his hand, then began to eat whatever it was all over again. Now THAT got a reaction from all the kids clinging to the plexiglass wall of the observation area! Pictured are my vote for ugliest bird and cutest critters (The Meerkats).

SEPTEMBER IN SAN CLEMENTE

These shifting moods are what make California charming. Weather was abnormally warm for September...which made for nice beach time (except for the one where the pictured mist hung around all day).

WE DID THE BEACH THING!!

Last year my California-bred husband craved beach time so much that he went by himself and slept in the back of the Van like a regular beach bumb. This year I decided to be more supportive and join him. (I am a lake, streams and mountains girl).

We traded our normal timeshare winter dates in San Clemente for the favorable September weather. Becky and Audrey spent the week with us and Charles joined us after classes and work on Friday. Victor came away from the experience as brown as a milk chocolate Hershey's bar. Even with caution I came away with my normal flaming red weirdo sunburn. We also went to Palomar Observatory, the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, the mountain town of Julian, the Los Angeles Zoo and Trader Joes. (You may think that last one isn't such a tourist draw but the Austins can't party without 6 kinds of cheese and 19 kinds of chocolate!)

Audrey is a fresh water girl. She has been taking swimming lessons and loves going to the pool, but.......

.....she did NOT like the beach! She refused to touch her feet to the sand and on the first day did not venture anywhere past the perimeter of the blanket! By the end of the week when her Daddy joined us and took her to the water's edge she got converted. She led him back again and again into the "wannie" with the "bubbles" (the ocean foam which lapped at her feet). What fun to see even little ones have new experiences!

MORE VISITORS - MORE CANASTA BUDDIES

For five months we have been planning this gathering! At last we got the Lewises, Brunners, and Whiteheads all up at the cabin on the same weekend (along with Whitehead's son Randy and his friend Shelby who were so good to come hang out with the old folks!). They are weekend Canasta buddies and Cruise companions as well as some of our favorite Ward friends.

We all felt like we ate non-stop, though we didn't. We had time for ATVing, games, puzzles, reading, clay pigeon shooting and lots of fun "pithy" discussions about everything from child rearing to Sunday Fasts. Hope the Stake got along fine on Sunday without us cuz we had the Bishop and a Stake Presidency counselor with us instead of in Vegas. Great people one and all. We are so lucky to have such good friends! The day before everyone got here we had several light showers. At last I got to have the experience I have waited a long time to have up here: a full arc rainbow across the eastern horizon. It was, of course, much prettier than my camera captured. Seemed to shimmer and vibrate and the colors were clear and intense. Lasted about 1/2 an hour and I just sat and marveled! Wish Margene Taylor (who had left just the day before) could have seen it!

This is the carving of the turkey breasts that Randy Whitehead smoked for us! Have never watched that process or had the tasty results before! Fun, fun and a VERY approved Sunday dinner!

Shelby Bevell, Victor with Shellee and Gary Lewis, Marrae and Karl Brunner, Kandy, Randy and Ryan Whitehead, all standing around drooling while I finish fixing breakfast!

Our summer of cabin living has come to an end. We'll be up for a short visit once or twice more before we close for the winter, but the long, relaxing days of our Utah haven are about over. You all need to call us and schedule a visit for next season!!

A new use for game-time treats

We are entertaining our friends Dennis and Margene Taylor for a few days at the cabin. We were playing Canasta outside when the usual afternoon winds picked up. We quickly found paper weights to head off the potential disappearing cards. Probably using fig newtons as paper weights is better than consuming them. (Dennis and Margene served with us in Chile. Dennis and I also served our missions together in Guatemala all those many years ago!)
You probably can't tell from this picture but the ladies are losing badly to the gentlemen!

More Idaho and some genealogy sleuthing

From Twin Falls we headed to Montpelier where we took advantage of being in Idaho to look for death information for the elusive husband of an indirect-line ancestor. Checked the cemetery and the City Hall records and ended up at the Court House in Paris (Victor was impressed that I finally could afford to take him to "Paris"). Nothing concrete to give us an actual death, but at least some land records pinpointed it a little better. Those on-site experiences are always fun to do. Puts you back in the era of the people actually homesteading and marrying and settling, etc.

Traveled past Bear Lake to get on further south toward the cabin and, being fascinated by the unique town of Garden City, we missed our turnoff to Logan and were half-way to Wyoming before we realized the mistake! At least it was a pretty drive and let us see this house TWICE. Someone has really spent some quality time in their yard!! Maybe this one home is why the town is called Garden City!

Enjoying Idaho and Family

After leaving Boise we headed to Twin Falls to visit with Victor's niece Diane Jensen and her family. So fun to see the "next generation" doing well and achieving some of their dreams. They have a lovely home, a great garden which supplied some wonderful meals and live just 5 minutes from the new Twin Falls Temple and a few miles from Shoshone Falls. We visited both and had a wonderful time with them. Neglected to get pictures of the PEOPLE, though, so will have to post those at another time.

The great Western Idaho State Fair Rip-Off!

Am I just REALLY old, or what? We were so excited to take the girls to the Fair. I was astounded that ONE ride costs $3-6 each!!!!! That is $1 a minute! How in the world can any family enjoy this with such outrageous costs! (Compare that to the Panguitch County Fair that offered a FREE meal to everyone who came!) The girls got to have one ride each....and lots of gazing-in-total-overwhelment time!

I don't know about all this noise and color and commotion!!

Does Noelle look a little worried here?

This is how she spent the whole ride once it started! Our efforts to ask her how fun it was were not met with much enthusiasm!

Amaya warmed up to her Dumbo after the first few rounds.