Our Missionary!

This is the latest picture of our daughter Katherine on her mission in Texas. She is with her new companion who she is helping to train. This has been a wonderful experience for her, and we will soon be flying to Texas to bring her home. She is in a Spanish Speaking mission so it has been a great opportunity to improve her language skills. We are proud of her efforts to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with her brothers and sisters in Texas!

Two Special Birthdays!

On the Monday after Christmas I drove to Mom and Candy's with Megan, Jesse, Charlotte and Paul to visit with my nephew Patrick and his family. They were visiting from Washington, and it was Elyse's birthday. Candy made several delicious pizzas for all of us to enjoy, and she also made a delicious birthday cake.



Patrick liked the frosting!

This is Elyse blowing out her candles.

















Tonya, Pat, Elyse, Paul, Stephen, Megan
Tonya and Elyse (Candy knit this cute hat for Elyse)

















Stephen is Elyse's brother, and he is a "pretzel man!"
This is my mom holding her Great Granddaughter Charlotte.

















We returned home to Salem and celebrated Kristin's birthday too!

Twas The Night Before Christmas!

Some of our children stayed over night on Christmas Eve, and Bill read the story of the birth of Christ from the scriptures. Then he read "The Night Before Christmas."

Jesse helped set out some treats and eggnog for Santa. He also left some veggies for Santa's reindeer :-).









This was Charlotte's first Christmas!

Some of us stayed up and made glittery ornaments. Anne provided everything we needed for this fun project.












Matt fell asleep before he could apprehend that elusive Santa Claus!
Santa did come!

















On Christmas morning Jesse was delighted to see that Santa enjoyed his treats. The reindeer enjoyed their treats also!
Checking out the the stockings...











Matt liked his gifts!
Anne with her stash...

















Andy surprised Megan with a ukulele! She later played some songs for us.
We enjoyed Christmas dinner together.











Anne and Charlotte
Papa and Charlotte at the end of a lovely family Christmas

Glittering Cityscape

I spent a day at Megan and Andy's babysitting so they could have a day together. Bill picked me up after he got off work, and this was a view we enjoyed in Portland on our way home.

An Evening With My Daughters!

A special addition to my Christmas holiday was the opportunity to attend the Nutcracker Ballet with 3 of my daughters. I also enjoyed this evening with my son-in-law Matt who went out of his way to make it special for all of us! First he cooked a very delicious meal of Chicken Marsala, roasted red potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and chocolate lava cakes!





























Anne set a beautiful table!
These lava cakes were served hot with ice cream. They were to die for! Next Matt dropped us off at the door of the theater and then he found a place to park. Afterward he fetched the car and picked us all up. We felt pampered by such a wonderful evening!

Charlotte's Blessing Day

Sunday, December 19 was a the day that Charlotte was given her name and a blessing at church. She wore the dress that her mother wore when she was blessed. Andy's parents who live in Utah were also able to attend. Charlotte is a very sweet baby, and we all enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of this special day!






Matt and Paul (Charlotte's uncles), her Grandpa Bill, Andy (her dad), Grandpa Jesse, and little Jesse (Charlotte's brother)











Anne and Matt enjoying the wonderful lasagna made by Megan and Grandma Terri
We had two sleepy heads in the crowd!

Farr Fest

We enjoyed our annual "Farr Fest" this Christmas as Bill's siblings and spouses and some of their children gathered at our house.


Even little cousins enjoyed their time together. This is Jesse and Olivia.
We enjoyed our "ugly ornament" tradition, and this is Paul with the ugly ornament he unwrapped.

















Kayla (Paul's girlfriend) got an especially ugly ornament! However, she said she liked it :-).
Andy's ugly ornament

















Megan's prize wasn't exactly an ugly ornament. It was an obnoxious one! This Santa sang "Born to be Wild" as he rode a motorcycle!
Debi didn't think her ornament was ugly either. She collects Santas :-).

















Jesse liked playing with Auntie Lorna's phone.
Patrick, Lorna, Jim, and Bill (siblings)











They cannot stay serious for long!
The cousins...











Oh my!










We all had a nice evening together!
After everyone left, Kayla, Matt, Anne and Paul enjoyed a game of hearts.