GIFT

Summertime always brings an abundance of time on our hands and a search for quality ways in which to spend that time.  I have quite a collection of charts and books from past summers.  This summer we are reading, memorizing, doing service, working on manners, chores, eating right... etc.  The usual.

My family scripture journal

One thing that we really wanted to change was our approach to our family scripture study.  Different methods in the past have been both effective and not effective - sometimes burning us out for months at a time.  Now, with just two children at home -- two half-grown children -- we thought it was time for our study to grow up a little as well.  Our new approach is intended to last for six months before we re-evaluate.  One day we sat down and made a list of topics to study.  Kimberly typed these up and put them into a jar.  Every couple of days we draw out a new topic and each find a couple of verses in regard to the chosen topic.  A few minutes of personal reflection is followed by each of us sharing what we learned and thought about the subject.  We each have a little journal in which we record whatever we want - maybe our own thoughts, maybe what everyone else shares... it doesn't matter.
Quite frankly, I am learning so much!  Mark and I are both in awe over not only what we are personally taking away, but at what our children have to contribute!  This takes only a few minutes each day, but we are growing in many ways.  ...and no one is bored.

GIFT - this was our first topic.  I wondered where we would go with it and was so pleased with the result.
My first page of writing is shown in the photo.  If I had ever dreamed I would put it out for the public to view I would have worked on my penmanship... Oh well.  These are thoughts in general and read:  When a gift is given, it isn't always what the receiver wanted, or may be something they have never even thought of - but when given by someone who loves you it has been thought out and is something that will benefit you, perhaps far in the future.  Perfect gifts from our perfect Father may be unanticipated, misunderstood or even unwanted, but will always be for our good.

•  We learned to be wary of some gifts which are given in the form of bribes and must be avoided. 
•  If we wish to present a gift to the Lord (at his altar) - this could be our time, talents or any sort of service, etc... we must do so without contention in our hearts.  Harboring ill feelings toward anyone else our gift will render our gift unacceptable.
• Everyone is given at least one gift from God.  These gifts are intended to be used to benefit others, thus all of God's children will be blessed through one another's gifts.
• Christ is the greatest gift and his gives his life for us.  This is much more than just dying for us - He LIVED for us, there was never any selfishness.  He took his time on Earth and dedicated it to us, our greatest gift.

Another journal entry:  Gifts are talents and strengths.  They are also opportunities that come to us.  They may be in the form of certain interactions.  I think some of our greatest gifts come in the form of trials - if we grow and improve through the lessons of a trial - we become who we need to be... then these are gifts indeed.

That was just two days of reading and discussing.  Just a few days later we were presented with a Gift, an unexpected and rather unwelcome gift which we were prepared to embrace because of these two days' study.  I will have to write about it later... but I am so grateful that the scriptures prepared us to see our new situation as an opportunity to learn, grow and be blessed!

Lifetime of Love

  "It's ok Mom, we know you love us!"  Kimberly, my 13 yr-old, was assuring me that she didn't mind that I had forgotten to put the red food coloring into our traditional Valentines Day breakfast.  Pink milk, pink, heart-shaped pancakes and pink buttermilk syrup are the usual fare.  Before church on Sunday I hurried to  prepare pancakes, buttermilk syrup and milk... it wasn't until we were almost done with breakfast that I realized that the pancakes were round and that nothing was pink.
  I knew it wasn't a big deal, but Kimberly's reassurance reminded me that there are so many little things we do that does express love.  Words are important.  Hugs are important.  Kindness is important.  Service is important.    Fun holiday traditions are good too, but sometimes don't mix well with getting to church on time....

   My friend recently told me of a lady she knows that has decided that when her children reach a certain age, she will no longer express her love for them through words or hugs.  Apparently they will no longer need those things.?? Well... I do not know what age that would be... I am nearing the half-century mark and I still need and expect this from my parents.  It breaks my heart to hear of such a parenting theory and I am grateful that my parents loved us children so completely - and expressed it in word and deed.

Well, here we are.  This photo was already
on my blog, so I probably wrote about
Dad on his last birthday also.  Oh well,
Happy Birthday Dad!!

Dad in high school

  Yesterday my dad turned 75!  How did that happen?  Isn't he in his 30's, patiently showing me how to tie my shoe and encouraging me as I learn to roller skate?  He is pushing us on the swings... giving us a "run-under" so that we can swing higher than the birds.  Now we are hiking on the California coast and he is stopping to break off leaves of various shrubs, smell them and tell us about that particular plant. He is full of boyhood stories of similar times spent hiking these same trails.  I'm in high school and he patiently helps me understand how to solve a word problem in Algebra.  Years before he
helped me learn to write an essay.   He is in his late 40's and driving me home from college for the summer, teaching me that deserts are beautiful, that all of the world is full of beauty if we will just look for it.  For a couple years my summer job is at his firm and we occasionally drive into the hills to eat our lunch, enjoying the views while eating peanut butter sandwiches together.  He is in his early 50's and I have just had my first baby boy.  He thinks he is alone with the baby and doesn't know I am watching him as he coos and makes nonsense sounds - have I ever loved him more?  He enters his 60's.  We both love photographs, stories, and family history.  We both want to be always outdoors, always breathing fresh air, tending plants and enjoying quiet moments.  I realize he is the most intelligent person of my acquaintance.  I try to practice what he preaches... if you think something is unpleasant - change your attitude and suddenly it is enjoyable (he is better at that than I am).

I am in Junior High School -
and I knew my parents loved me!

  So now he is 75 - I talked to him on the phone yesterday.  He had just come out of the theatre - they had gone to see the new Star Wars.  It was a bit emotional.  Why?  Almost 40 years ago we watched the original Star Wars together.  First our entire family went - we had been anxiously awaiting its release.  Then... wonder of wonders... Dad took my brother and I back again the next night.  And the next!  Although money was always tight - we saw that movie three times (or was it four?) in one week.  One memory is burned into our brains and our hearts - as we drove home our car became an X-wing fighter.  He put it into warp speed and we bravely battled the tie-fighters the whole way home particularly around that one corner near the 7-2-11.  All of these years later we remember it, we smile and we know that we love each other.

November 2014
Daddy-Daughter snapshot.
A lifetime of love!!

  "I love you"  "I love you too"
  Of course that is how we end all of our phone calls... and we mean it.  I expect to hear it, and I want to hear it.  Yet without it, I would still know.  My entire life I have known.  I knew my parents wanted to be parents.  I knew they loved being parents.  I knew they loved me.  When my dad speaks of having us all together as a young family he tears up.  They are the best of times.

  I love my family.  I love my parents.  Even more, I love being a parent.  I adore my children.  I will always tell them, and I hope that I always show them.  I hope that my entire life reflects the deep feelings I have for motherhood.  What memories will they have of me on my 75th birthday?

Alternative Ending:
  I don't want to conclude there - because I have never doubted that my father loves me, I have never doubted that my Heavenly Father loves me.  Because I have experienced the deep love that I feel for my children and they cannot yet comprehend, I know that my Heavenly Father loves me with a depth that I cannot yet comprehend.  I cannot grasp it, but I am learning to trust it.  I am one of countless children and he loves us all.  How I wish I could share what I know with everyone.  I am just one person, one daughter.  I can do my best to share this love with my children, and they in turn can learn to share it with their children.  It can filter out through our home and our lives to our friends and to those with whom we interact.  We can make a difference!  Our Father would want us to!

Thanksgetting?? No!!!

It's Thanksgetting!  This is what I heard when I was put on hold during a phone call with Verizon this week.  My stomach just felt sick as I realized what they were saying.  ThanksGETTING??  Ugh.  Disgusting.
Last year was the first time I had heard of shopping on Thanksgiving - we were in  Utah and while driving our sons back to their apartments we passed two Walmarts that could be seen from the freeway.  The parking lots were completely full and there were police officers with flashing lights to keep the peace.  I couldn't believe it! - People couldn't take a day off from shopping??
I am not a shopper, though I do love a great deal!  I do not, however, venture out on Black Friday.  It sounds like a nightmare to me.  I do enjoy stories from my friends of their adventures and bargains... I just do not wish to join them.
I certainly Thanksgiving as a day to be with family and friends, and to eat good food.  After hearing the Verizon ad I thought that I might focus too much on the food and not enough on the giving of Thanks.
My sister posted this yesterday:

And this is what stands out to me:

~ all business and labor be suspended after 10 o’clock 

~people assemble at their respective places of worship and instruction and devote the day and evening to holy praise, and prayer, and patriotic song and story

~ that the young may be inspired with lofty purpose

~ many may feely bestow from their abundance material aid to the few among us who are in need

~Christian charity and brotherly love may ever abide as the chief cornerstone of the Commonwealth

There is nothing here about GETTING!!

We had 27 people at our home yesterday.  Several family members and dear friends - and as my nephew offered a blessing on the food ~ I felt so grateful for each of them that I was very near tears. (Whew, that would have spoiled a few appetites.)  I have everything to be thankful for - and I feel it deeply... yet I did not even approach the ideals that are spelled out in this 1889 proclamation.  Nevertheless it was an incredible evening - there are so many people on the planet that I love so much!

I have nothing more to say on this matter.  

Thankful for potluck also!
Good home cooked food!!

We ended up with 17 pies!
Another reason to be
grateful!

Thankful for those who joined us!

Christmas Without Cancer? Perhaps...

What would Christmas be without cancer?

That was Greg's response.
My statement had been, "Well, if it does turn out to be something, at least the timing is good, with time off of school, etc."
"Well, yes, what would Christmas be without cancer?"

   Three months post-chemo meant MRIs and blood work for Greg this week.  Mercifully, he didn't tell me about all of this until the day he was headed to Salt Lake City.  It is not that I worry excessively, but it does mean feeling a pit in my stomach, or an extra weight on my shoulders until I hear all is clear. A hovering uneasiness is probably the best way to describe it.  MRI on Tuesday with clear results on Wednesday.  Blood work on Wednesday with low numbers back on Thursday.  Then Friday morning came, and in the middle of the off-to-school rush I received a call asking for Greg.  It is rare to get a phone call for him and it is usually the hospital scheduler calling our number by mistake, but this voice sounded intelligent and kind, so I found a quiet spot to hear his message.  This kind, intelligent voice belonged to Greg's oncologist in Utah.  His MRI had be re-read by Dr. So-and-So, the best reader of abdominal films, and a suspicious spot had been identified.
Friends who read of this account are probably letting out a low moan, similar to the one I shared with Dr. W---.  (I almost met this doctor after Greg's surgery, but didn't.  We think that he believes my mother is Greg's mom because she accompanied him on several visits... a bit awkward because he thinks he knows to whom he is speaking. - irrelevant -)
   There is a good chance that this spot is scar tissue.  Between moving a large piece of colon a few months ago and removing his right rectus abdominus muscle five years ago, there could obviously be a little bit of scarring.  This is what we are counting on... they will be calling to schedule a PET scan and hopefully it happens soon... If there is something that needs to be removed, we are praying that surgery will take care of it and he can be spared another round of chemotherapy.
   A few nights ago I was praying and was just overcome by feelings of love from my Father in Heaven. It was so real, it was like a hug.  I knew again who I truly am - his daughter.  My experiences here on Earth are for my learning.  He wants us to be strong, to have courage... and the miracle is that he is there to provide it for us if we look to him and seek his help.  It was a beautiful experience, and the next morning the doctor called.  We are hopeful that this spot is just scar tissue, but it is comforting to know that if there is a fresh trial to face - the God of the Universe knows us, loves us and is on our side!!!

And... the timing is good.  Greg will be home for Christmas, and what is Christmas without cancer?

Actually very few of my Christmases have been associated with cancer.  I just typed up a few stories - none of them are new:

   First Cancer Christmas was 1990.  Mark had a large bone tumor removed from his femur that summer.  The weakened bone then fractured while he was bowling, but it was so high on his leg that it could not be set without a body cast.  We had managed to borrow a wheelchair to get him to his final exams for the semester, but we were just newlyweds and determined to go back to our parents' homes in California for Christmas.  What a trip - over an hour to get him from his bed and into our car.  I drove on snow-packed roads from Provo to St. George.  We were about the only car brave enough to be there, and I just followed my dad's instructions to get my speed and not slow down.  Mark was in considerable pain but would occasionally try to stretch back with the long-armed snow scraper to wipe the back window of our little Dodge Colt which has defrost issues.  It wasn't so painful for him to help clear off the front windshield.  We had the necessary equipment to ensure that he never had to get out of his seat and I just drove for all I was worth - it is twelve hours on a good day.  We pulled into his parent's driveway and etched on my mind is the image of his father and brother, Danny, coming from the house to extract him from his seat and carry him indoors.  What a relief to be with family who loved us and wanted to take care of us.
   What year was it that he had the parotid gland tumor removed from his face? Maybe seven or eight years ago.  Was that Christmas?  I can't recall, but it was during a huge snow storm through which I had to get myself home to the kids when they decided to keep him overnight.  The surgery had taken many hours longer than expected and it was late when I got home.  Then back through the snow to retrieve him in the morning.  We laugh now when we remember how he called me early in the morning to come and help him because the nurses weren't doing just what he thought he needed... It's a good thing our children are brave because they have spent a lot more time in hospital beds than their dad.
   There was the magical Christmas of 2010 when we all gathered in Greg's hospital room and had a special visit from Santa Claus who came bearing several gifts for each child in the family.  How wonderful that Santa could find us so far from our home.
   2012 - Mark's father passed away (due to cancer) just before Christmas.  We were able to use our time off during the break to go and be with family.
   2013 - We had just learned about Jackie's parotid tumor and Natalie's brain tumor, but the plan was to watch them for changes.  It was the 26th of December when the doctor called from his family vacation in Florida to let us know that they had somehow missed the large chordoma on Jackie's spine - I guess the page had been missing from the report.  Yet as soon as they found out the wheels began to roll very quickly to remove this horrible tumor.  Even then it took a couple months for all the necessary testing and precautions... I have always thought that this was a sweet blessing in timing - we were blessed with a peaceful Christmas before the storm.
   2014 - Great Christmas to have all of our children home together - may be the last time we ever have just the eight of us alone!  With all of the good times was that same "hovering uneasiness" about Greg's health.  He weighed less than all of us, except perhaps Kimberly... and, of course, it was colon cancer - surgery in January and six months of chemotherapy.
   2015 - ??? (Well, we are moving two weeks before Christmas, so it's not like we don't have a little added stress already.)

Observation, Inspiration & Confirmation... Independent Thought

One challenge my husband and his colleagues face in the business world is the new generations and their lack of independent thinking.  They know how to click and check boxes, but there seems to be a lack of effort to understand and problem solve.  Looking around I think that this can be said about much of society.  Every community you drive though has the same stores, the same restaurants.  (We like to use our Yelp app to find small, local eateries.)  Stepping off the beaten path definitely has its reward… especially when the beaten path society is on is, for the most part, heading to a destination to which I do not aspire.

Recently I wrote about how participating in family traditions makes us unique.  What about traditions which involve “not participating?”   Traditions evolve, and lately I have been considering the evolution of Not Doing.  I thought of a few things that we traditionally do not do – and I see that these evolved through the process of observing (ourselves and other), praying for inspiration and later receiving confirmation – that is, knowing that this was the path on which we preferred to be found.  These traditions may continue to change and evolve, but the underlying principle is that of making conscious choices about our life’s activities.

Some things we do not do:

Playing together.

We do not play soccer.  I am not a soccer mom.  Nothing against soccer, this is more about families being completely overscheduled.  A couple months ago I heard a young mom say that it was time for the next child to begin soccer, as though it was time for kindergarten.  I felt sad knowing that she would now have so many children in so many activities that it would spread the family thin.  The idea seemed to be that every other kid in the neighborhood was signing up – but I bet most of those young children would rather be climbing a tree or digging in the dirt or drawing with sidewalk chalk – or even better going to the park with their siblings and parents.  Organized sports for young children --- I just don’t get it.  The evolution of our non-soccer tradition began simply and for two reasons… we couldn’t afford the fees involved and my husband was always out of town so that I had the care of all of those young children.  We did play little league baseball for several years with the older boys.  That was fun, hectic, and I realized that home life was greatly improved when we were involved in activities together.   A few years later Nathan was playing basketball and we were all (five younger siblings) there watching.  Another mom mentioned how each of her several children had a game at the same time and were spread about at different schools.   I felt strongly that this is not how I wanted to spend my weekends – particularly during soccer season when it is cold and rainy.  I liked hearing of families that allowed only one sport per year.  We have encouraged basketball for those who are interested – it is a fun sport to watch, they will actually play it when they are out of school, and it is indoors.  We have also encouraged activities that they can do with siblings such as dance classes (girls) or piano/music lessons.  Mostly, we have tried to think of positive activities that our family can do together – usually hiking.  Hiking isn’t always popular, but we our outdoors, we are together, and we know that they are making great memories.  Cross country, tennis and middle-school running are all winding down this week.  My kids are in high school/8^th grade and these sports have been great experiences!  Good teamwork, developing physically and socially, we love going to watch them participate – this seems like an important part of their life at this stage!  However, I am sooo very excited to have more time at home together as we get into the holidays and before spring activities begin.  I have zero regrets at how we have chosen to spend our children’s precious childhood years.

Notes from Jackie

We do not play video games (at home).  I should say we do not own video games.  A few observations here – when the boys were young I had several moms tell me that they wished they had never purchased their child’s playstation (or whatever they were using then).  “Why don’t you get rid of it?” I would wonder.  They didn’t like how it took their child’s time and attention, how they never went outside to play anymore.  I also observed how children would be glued to their Gameboys.  I wondered how they were going to learn about the world around them when all they did was stare at that little screen.  When did they learn to interact… oh yeah – when they were playing soccer…  So, much to the disappointment of our children, we decided to Just Say No to videogames.  Only a couple of the children have really cared – and it has been confirmed to me that these are exactly the children who needed them absent in their lives.  We do own a Wii – with the stipulation that the games had to involve physical activity.  Sometimes the Wii “disappears” for months at a time – and we don’t miss it.  As the children have gotten older they are more likely to thank me than to ever see that their childhood was somehow lacking.  The confirmation I have felt regarding this decision is ongoing and I have no regrets!

We do not drink caffeine.  This one started in my childhood.  After making deliveries at the local grocery stores, the Pepsi truck would then drive to my grandpa’s ranch to load up his shed with cases of soda.  I guess they really liked Pepsi.   Upon marrying my father (51 years ago today), my mother also grew accustomed to drinking the stuff – and the story goes that she could hardly wait at night for my dad to come home at night because he would bring her a Pepsi from work.  When she realized just how much she cared, she began to realize that she was becoming addicted and began to work on weaning herself.  I remember as a child we would have Pepsi or Dr. Pepper, but never after the age of 9 or 10.  For myself, I think that the taste is disgusting anyway.  In college I took some physiology classes that showed how caffeine intensifies and then takes the place of our own neurotransmitters – thus is highly addictive like nicotine.  Mark once ordered a Pepsi while we were dating – and, though I know I didn’t say anything, I somehow conveyed my disapproval (apparently I have a certain “look”).   Thus it goes – we don’t have caffeinated drinks in our family.  Over the years I also observed how a few of my children couldn’t handle the sugar when they drank any sort of soda – so we cut those way down and what do you know? – no regrets. 

We love the outdoors!

We do not watch TV.  What a shock Mark gave the internet provider in Texas when he was getting us all set up and we turned down the “amazing” offer of Direct TV for only an extra $10/month.  This tradition has definitely evolved over time.  We didn’t have a TV for the first couple years after we married but then someone gave us a small portable TV… this was at a time when I was completely out of commission with morning sickness and Mark was going through a long recovery after having a bone tumor removed.  We were careful about what we watched, mostly PBS shows for the kids… but eventually we made two important observations.  TV wastes too much time – this is super obvious.  The other was that the messages about family – the children are sassy, the fathers are made to look less-than-capable and the general attitude is far from ideal.  We have never had more than a couple channels… and for almost 14 years we have had no channels.  I have had friends adopt this same approach to TV – their families miss TV for a couple weeks and then can’t believe they ever had it as part of their lives.  On the other hand we have a home theatre and love to invite friends to watch movies.  Confirmation for this tradition comes each time we watch TV in a hotel – besides the very lame lineup of shows available… what about those commercials?  Ugh!  One more observation about TV – I hung onto it for awhile to watch the news… until I observed ….well, I am getting too opinionated, but let’s just say I have many other options for getting news if I want to learn what is going on.

I have a few other not-doing traditions, but this is getting too long. 

Just like I don’t think that everyone needs to take old-fashioned photos every couple of years to be successful, there are happy families who watch TV and play soccer – Yet, as everyone seems to want to live the same type of life, doing all the same things...  

 I would just encourage all families to think for themselves, look into the future and choose activities which will strengthen their most important relationships, within the walls of their own home!

Family Traditions... what we ALWAYS do!!

"But.... that is what we ALWAYS do!!"
I started to hear this more and more as the children grew older... whether a cherished holiday tradition or making homemade pizza on a Saturday night - the children knew what they wanted... and what they wanted was for things to be done the way that "we ALWAYS do them" - - - The funny thing was that some of these things we had done once or twice... yet I began to learn that these events/activities were important to the children and thus to the family.  So, if it was good and positive... I would go ahead and implement, thus forming a Tradition, thus solidifying our family identity and building needed strength and love.  Even when this "tradition" didn't last long... it still provided memories to share together.
This is the reason that, a few weekends ago, we used two nights of hotel points, left our visiting grandmother home alone (it's ok, she had friends come stay with her), and drove five hours each way... the end result was this photo:

This photo is part of a somewhat silly but cherished family tradition and here is our story:

Our first official family vacation was in 1992 when Nathan was about 9 months old.  Before that time, our vacation has consisted of returning to California to visit our parents.  By now I was working as an RN in the operating room at UVRMC, so although Mark was still a full time student, we had a little money for a hotel and gas to get us there.  We found places with refrigerators so that we could pack our food.  We drove to Durango, Colorado and went to Mesa Verde.  When we walked past the old-fashioned photo shop we both remarked how we had wanted to do these photos as children but neither of our parents would agree... then it dawned on us... we were grown up!  We could take have an old fashioned photo taken and wouldn't our little boy be happy about that when he was older?  And so it began.
Two years later we found ourselves at Lake Tahoe with Mark's family.  We took an afternoon off from the reunion to have a little family time and explore Silver City, Nevada.  Of course a tourist town like this would have a photo studio - and we had a new little Greg to be added to our picture, so we once again splurged.  Both of the boys were pretty excited to be holding guns, especially when Daddy had one also.

One of our best vacations was in May of 1997 when we borrowed Mark's parents' RV and drove around Idaho and Wyoming.  Here we are in Jackson Hole - we have to smile when we see this photo because the kind man that took it had really no idea what he was doing.  He was a disabled vet who was watching his sister's shop while she went to lunch.  He just said - go stand there and starting shooting (the photo, we were happily the ones holding guns once again).  In these days the photos were not digital and I think that when he came out of the developing room and saw how awful both shots had turned out, he just gave them both to us - we think he pocketed our money and never told his sister that we had been there...

By the time we drove to Edmonton, Canada in 1999 to visit Mark's parents who were living there as missionaries, we had begun to notice a pattern.  We were having a baby one summer and taking a family vacation the next summer - adding a new little baby each year.  The boys were none too pleased to be holding school books instead of guns, but Jackie was very happy to be wearing a long dress, and of course, this year we included Natalie who was just shy of her first birthday.  I believe that we were at Fort Edmonton.

A most memorable vacation in May of 2001 to Boston, Massachusetts.  We had enough frequent flyer miles to fly the whole family and hotel points for the week.  Our good friends, Nathan and Sarah Smith, were living there going to M.I.T. and they provided great food and acted as tour guides many times.  We saw a lot of American and Family History sites - combining them on this day as we visited Plymouth.  Where else can you dress as pilgrims?  Nowhere - I think that this shop was out of Cape Cod - we had just had a very long day and seen a lot - the boys missed their guns, but those little girls felt so pretty with their basket and flowers.  They never wanted to take off their costumes!  Here we have David at 10 months old.

Life got a little crazy by the time our sixth baby, Kimberly, arrived.  It looks like she is about two years old in this photo and we hadn't been on a vacation - at least not one with old fashioned photos.  We had moved from Oregon to Washington in July 2001, and this was 2004.  Everyone was happy with the Civil War theme as there were swords/guns for the boys and the girls were dressed up to be beautiful.  We like this one because our little one behaved very well, but wasn't thrilled to be wearing gloves.  You can see that she is taking one off while its pair is there on the floor already.  A fun moment to capture.


2006 and we are back on schedule for photos, but had no more babies to add.  Quite alright, we fill up the photo just fine.  Here we are in Deadwood, South Dakota.  We are dressed as a gang of outlaws.  We thought we should get back to our western theme to celebrate our location, but soon-to-be-8 yr old Natalie flat out refused to be anything but a cowboy.  Jackie refused to be anything but a lady in a pretty dress.  Kimberly wanted to hold a gun, so we decided to be a gang of outlaws.  Mom agreed to wear the dress for Jackie, but balance it out by wearing a cowboy hat and gun.  The momma of ruthless outlaws needs to be ready for anything...

Seaside, OR, 2008 - we saw these cute outfits when we came in 2004 and thought it would be a fun addition to our collection.  At this point our tradition had morphed from adding a baby to just taking a photo with a new theme every two years.  Thankfully there is a great little photo shop in Seaside and we looked forward to other events here such as renting one of those nightmare three-bench bikes.  It was fun the first time... but the second time... read on...
Back in Seaside in 2010 - we are scruffy, merciless pirates.  We took this just weeks before sending Nathan to the Philippines on his mission and sending Greg to the hospital for chemotherapy.  We realized that this might be the final time to have Nathan in our photos - and we decided to morph the tradition once again to counting down the children - that is, to take a photo each time a child leaves home.  For the record, this was our second bike rental and we happily headed down the street only to find out that it had no brakes...and I think there was a problem with the steering.  I just have an image of driving wildly past oncoming traffic into a curb to stop ourselves - not my favorite memory.
A bunch of wild Indians - that's us in 2012 as Greg prepares to serve as a Spanish speaking missionary in Oakland, CA.  This is not our favorite - but it is fun.  We are back in Seaside, and maybe this is the time that the brakes gave out - I don't know, it is all getting to be a blur of costumes and salt water taffy...  Therefore, for our final photo before Jackie leaves on her mission to Utah, we thought it worthwhile to drive the five hours to Leavenworth, Washington where we not only had the fun experience of seeing our men in Bavarian lederhosen, we ate some delicious German food - and here I will put in a plug for the Andreas Keller Restaurant - very authentic!

I was just thinking that the first time I ever saw an "old-fashioned photo" was when I was quite young... I probably have the memory all fuzzy, but it seems that it was at my parents' friends' home - perhaps the McNeals who lived up Poly Canyon?  I thought, even at a young age, that an old picture was very cool - and then to realize it was modern people... well, that was just magical to me.  It was probably 20 years later that I walked into the little shop in Durango, Colorado to get a picture of my own... and look at me now.
This is just one of our traditions - a rather unique one I think.  Just like us...