Corn Day

The first sign of fall is always the day we do corn. Today was the day! It was perfect weather for "corning"....70 degrees with cloud cover. Carl, of course, did all the prep work and Scott and I joined in when the first batch was ready to cut. We had a great time! It was really a "family affair" as you can see by the pictures. Scott helped husk and eat the corn; the llamas and Buddy thought they had died and gone to heaven. We got 15 dozen ears of corn and froze 23 bags. What a winter treat they will be!

She Brought the Rain & the Sun

Jenny's back!! Just like last time, she brought with her some of that Alaska weather, including a rain storm and cooler weather...well, it did take a few days for the cooler weather to come, but I think that Mother Nature empathized with her condition and dropped a few degrees today so Jenny could survive! When you are carting around 3 people, you just get hotter...right, Jenny? It is so cute to see her little round tummy holding our 2 newest grandchildren! We measured today and will measure again before she leaves to see just how fast she is growing, because we think we can sit and actually watch her tummy growing! That's a good thing!
We had a fun time at her baby shower on Friday...thanks to all of our great family coming and sharing this time with us. We're trying to figure out how to get everything back to Alaska now! We had a great day at Bear Lake on Saturday....the weather was perfect and the water wonderful! And we couldn't resist the famous raspberry shakes on the way home!
Looking forward to adding more memories in the next few days, as we count down the hours until she gets to go see her big sister, Anna, and Aleah for the first time ever! Thanks, Devin, for flying her down her for us!!

We got in a trip to Bear Lake and a picnic up Smithfield Canyon. It sure was hard to let her go! Thanks a million for coming, Jeanette!!!!

Kelsey the Great!

Kelsey Marie flies back to North Carolina today! We had such a great time while she was here! It couldn't have been better unless her sisters had been here with her! I know that she will forget half of the things that she did while she was here, so I am going to make a list so she can remember it all!
* Meeting Michele at the airport and spending some time on Temple Square. Remember standing by the statue of Christ and looking up at Him? What a neat feeling to know that He knows who you are and loves you very much!

* Hugging Scott for the first time and seeing his

excited face when he saw you! He wouldn't let you out of his sight for the first few days! I am amazed at how much patience you have with him, even when he is drooling all over your shoulder when he gives you a MUH! He went upstairs the day after you left, looking all over for you!
* Staying over night at Michele and Wayne's and going to the Youth Conference, doing yardwork, laughing until you almost wet your pants, and going on a hike the next morning. You were such a trooper, and the YW president was amazed at your buff muscles! You even got a some pictures and a t-shirt to take home with you (except you left it here in the wash and I will have to send it to you!)
* Going to Casper's to get ice cream with M & W and then on a special Grandpa-granddaughter date and getting a "Fat Boy" t-shirt! Remember all of the ice cream bars we had when we were watching TV at night? Yummy!
* Playing "You Blew It" a hundred times with Grandma! You won every game except 1, I think!

* Helping with Olivia when you were over at M & W's. She sure loved you, and I think it helped you not miss Aleah so much! Your aunts will be glad when you are 12 or so and can really babysit for them!

* Going fishing with Grandpa at 3rd Dam. You didn't catch anything, but I know you sure had fun trying!
* Doing all those chores for us! (What will I do without you???) And getting paid for them, so you would have some spending money. I know you spent some of that on gifts to take back to your family. Good girl!
* Going to work with Grandma and getting to have fun with Claire and Emma. You sure learned how to make those origami frogs!
* And let us not forget going horse back riding with Wayne's brother! That was one of your favorite things to do, I know!
* I think my favorite was going to Bear Lake and spending the day in the water and on the beach. My favorite place to be!
There were so many other little things, like talking to your family on the phone every night, watching lots of good Disney movies while we played "You Blew It," saying prayers with Scott when he went to bed, the night the electricity went out, and getting a blessing from Grandpa before you left. We can't wait for you to come again, Kelsey! Maybe next time, Morgan can come with you!

Here's to lots more years of having grandchildren come and spend time at our house! Grandpa will have to keep his promise and let us get some nice play equipment for all of you! Until next time, the motto is: "What happens at Grandma's, stays at Grandma's!"

I Made It to Utah: Day One

This is Kelsey Marie Sisson. I am going to talk to you about my trip on the airplane to Utah. I sat by a very nice lady with my friend Gabe.We sat next to each other. The first part on the airplane was taking off. We chewed gum really fast as we plugged our ears. As we got settled we played tic-tac-toe. Then we drank Sprite and ate cookies and watched TV for an hour. Finally we landed and my Aunt Michele picked me up! When she did, we went to Temple Square and saw the Conference building. We also saw the temple and the Visitor's Center. After that we got something to eat and went to my grandma and grandpa's house!

Lewiston 4th

Okay, you win. I will save my philosophizing for my journal and tell you about our exciting life in Lewiston. The Fourth was going to be a really hot day, but with the cloud cover and the breeze, it turned out fairly tolerable. We went to the longest parade ever in the morning; Scott got a whole bag of candy...brother! MWO came to spend the day with us which made it seem more like a holiday. Went over to see the booths at the city park and ate gyro sandwiches for lunch...yum. Afterwards, we went back home and set up the trampoline and pool and shade cover and spent the afternoon outside. Janice, Crystal & Cameron came for lunch and spent the afternoon with us. It was fun to have some family around. Olivia loves her little swimming pool and splashed around a bit. Scott was too wimpy to get in the pool...icy water! MW & CC went in and cooled off. Carl made some smoothies that tasted great. In the evening Carl went to the horse pull and really enjoyed it even though he was alone. I watched the fireworks from my chair in the house....I just happened to notice them through the open door so i watched Lewiston's and Washington DC's at the same time. That pretty much ended our Fourth for this year. Jenny, since you and Devin are the only ones who ever read this or comment on it, I will be looking for your comment! Thanks for making it worthwhile:)

Gardening

Since the HOPE Institute (where I have worked for 10 years) dissolved, I, who have killed every Mother's Day plant I've ever been given, was left with the job of keeping the plants alive, or tossing them out. I was left with 6 plants in various stages of heartiness; a couple actually looked like they had had some tlc (tender loving care); the other 4 looked like they were in the last stages of a terminal, wilting disease. I decided that, since this was a new beginning at work for me, that I would give these plants a new beginning, also. And so I started to give them water on a regular basis, something that they had never had before. It took a few weeks, but then I started to see a difference in them...they were growing and making new leaves; they were greener, stronger, and much happier little plants! I am committed to them now, and I take good care of them, plucking off dead & yellowed leaves, turning them so they can get the best light, and making sure that they look good. I found out that I can be a good gardener!

At church today, in Fast & Testimony meeting, I saw the same thing happen. I watched as one glowing person after another, went up to the pulpit to bear their testimony. A few months ago, each of these had been wilting, with dead leaves all over them, with no gardener taking care of them. But, then a wonderful thing happened; someone began to shower them with tlc regularly, and kept turning them towards the Son; plucking off a dead leaf here and a yellowed leaf there; checking their soil for dryness, and giving them just enough water; some even getting extra plant food to help them grow. And it worked, just like my plants. They are growing ever stronger; they have good nourished soil, and their countenance shines with peace and joy. One came from a background of drug abuse and wild living; one had been excommunicated and was divorced from his wife and 4 children who lived in our ward; others had been inactive for so long that they had forgotten that they really did have testimonies of the true Church, deep down inside. And I learned again, that when the Master Gardener tends the tender plants in His Garden, that miracles happen and lives are changed.

It was a good day.

Giving Joy

We just got done viewing the movie "The Bucket List" last weekend. It wasn't quite what I expected, not nearly as funny, but it did give me some things to think about. In one part of the movie, the two friends, portrayed by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, are sitting high up on the top of a pyramid in Egypt (something on their "bucket list") and one turns to the other and asks him two questions: Did you have joy in your life? and Did you give someone joy?

As I thought about how I would answer those questions, I thought of several things that have given and still do give me joy. Of course they center on my family and the great moments that we have had; right up there with family times are the times I have been outdoors and in beautiful places, like up in the mountains, at Bear Lake, and at the ocean. But I have to say that the most joyful times I have experienced had to do with the gospel and the love I feel from my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ for me, personally and privately. Knowing that I know the truth; know who I am; know where I am going; and know the Giver and Creator of all truth. When a person feels that love coming from Jesus Christ, speaking spirit to spirit, there is no greater joy.

As to the question, Have I given joy?, I can only answer that I hope that I have. And again it centers on my family and the times that we have shared; the love that we have for each other. I can do more, I know. I can reach out to others who may be in need of more love and care. I love this quote from Mother Teresa: In this life, we cannot always do great things--but we can do small things with great love. That, I think, is what I will try to do from now on....increase the small things that I can do, and do them with great love.