Switzerland!

Derek and I went to Switzerland on September 27th with other people from his work.  This is the annual reward trip for Nature's Sunshine's top managers in the field.  We go as "hosts" and are required to be nice.  Since the people we travel with are generally nice, this is not really a hardship.

We arrived in Switzerland on the morning of my birthday, and I spent time doing the head bobbers on a bus just as Derek predicted.  It was a beautiful trip.  We have been blessed to see many wonderful locations around the world, but I do not remember spending so much time trying to come up with more adequate descriptive words because "awesome", and "spectacular", and "beautiful" didn't seem to cover it.

I will share a couple of photos here, and a link where you can look at all 150 + pictures if you really want to, but I must say that even the pictures aren't quite adequate at showing Switzerland's beauty.

Switzerland was green, with beautiful Swiss houses that had flowers in window boxes.  This was just a pretty farmouse that I liked.  It was one of the very few houses without the flower boxes.

This was taken when we were on top of the world (or it seemed like that).  This was when we went to Schilthorn, and took four tram rides to the rotating resaurant at the top.  It was awesome.

Derek and Sherie and, on the right, the rotating restaurant.

Click on the blue Switzerland to see lots of beautiful pictures.  Unfortunately, I never was able to capture a picture of the vinyards that go to the tops of many of the mountains.  They have built rock walls to make terraces and the grapes are planted right up to the edge.  We're not sure how they get up there to get all of the work done, but it sure is gorgeous!

My great, great grandparents (My Dad's Mom's paternal grandparents) are from Switzerland.  We were not able to go to north eastern Switzerland to see the places they were from (St. Gallen, and Thurgau), but I did talk to one Swiss gentleman who had studied there.  I was thankful that he was able to tell me a little bit about it, but I couldn't help wondering if I have some distant cousin running around up there that looks like me that I could have seen had I been able to go.  You never know!

Switzerland sure is beautiful!  I enjoyed everything I got to see and had a wonderful time with Derek.  Thanks to Derek's parents who stayed with our kids, and therefore made it easy for us not to worry, and thanks to all of those who were at home wishing me a happy birthday while I was far away.  I was thankful for my friend Erika (Derek's co-worker Al's wife) who sang happy birthday to me and gave me some Swiss Chocolate, and for the NSP manager who wished me happy birthday several days in a row and made me smile.

Porch Project

Before Derek and I headed for Switzerland, I was very busy trying to finish up some canning, and shopping, and lists, and Primary work, but mostly I was busy doing the porch project that has been on my list for a couple of years.  Here are the before and after pictures:

Ceiling Before

Railings before

Porch After.  Ceiling is painted white and the beams, rails, and floor are stained chocolate brown.

The stairs.

The Porch.  The color is so much like chocolate that Kayli says it makes her hungry.



 There is still some touch up to be done, but my Dad, who built the porch, did think that it looked much better, and I think so too -- but I sure asked myself what I was thinking several times while working on it!  Hooray for mostly finished projects.

Dan Thomas Turns Six!

Dan had his birthday on August 29th.  He had been looking forward to it since the day after his last birthday.  Here are some pictures from the occasion.  Dan is a sweet boy who still has a knack for making us smile.  We love him!

Dan wanted two things for his birthday (well, sort of -- he would like LOTS of things).  He wanted robots, and a party.  I remembered the robots and forgot the party.  Lucky for me, nice Aunts were able to send cousins to the rescue for a last minute party.  This made Dan very happy.

This was a gift from my (Sher's) parents.  It was a big hit -- especially the semi trucks.



Dan with all of his loot.

Kylie, Dan, and Noelle decorate cupcakes with LOTS of sprinkles and some red hots.

Noelle

Dan

Kylie

Dan and his robot cake.  Last year I made a cake that looked like a robot.  This time he suggested I get robots to go on the cake.  I asked if he would like that better than last year's robot cake.  He very diplomatically said, "No.  It will just be different".  He liked the last one too.

First Day of School Pictures

Connor 9th Grade

Kayli 11th Grade

Dan and Jake

Jake 5th Grade

Dan 1st Grade

Those Lovely Days of Summer

Summer was lovely, and we did a lot of things, hardly any of which did I capture in a photograph.  Here are a few that I did capture.

 

This is Jake, and Derek on Father's Day.

This is the fabulous card I found and got for Derek because....look at that one penguin wearing a Hawaiin shirt.  Notice that Derek is wearing a Hawaiin shirt.  That is what Derek wears on special days, something bright to celebrate a happy occasion, even if everyone else dresses in a less colorful fashion!

Jake and Dan

One of the fun things we did was to go to the zoo with my children's Aunt Laura and her kids.  Somehow I foolishly didn't get one picture with her or her kids in it.  I obviously wasn't thinking very well.  I was glad she had invited us.


Connor in the spiders web -- at the zoo.

Kayli at the zoo.  Awesome!

Dan and Jake and a giraffe.

 Another fun thing we did this summer was to have two fabulous family reunions.  I only got a few pictures at the first reunion, and none at the second.  This does not mean I am favoring Derek's family over my own -- I just forgot my camera -- or never got it out -- I can't remember which.

 Weston and Trevor

Connor and Porter (Cousins and good buddies)

Tia spending time with her brother Dan

Dan loved the balloon animals Aunt Michelle made and there was much woe when it died.

This summer there was also youth conference, girls camp, scout camp, a vacation to Idaho (Hey -- vacations are best spent with good family!), dentist appointments, soccer practices and games,  doctors appointments (darn asthma!), and trips to Trafalga and 7 Peaks with local cousins.  There were other things too.  It flew by as usual and was over before we were ready.  Still .... fall brings the excitement of holidays to come ... and time marches on.  Before we know it more lovely days of summer will be here to enjoy.

A Belated Easter Post

I know that many of you are waiting to see beautiful pictures of Switzerland, but I feel that I must catch up on the family first. . . . 

 

Below are two pictures from Easter that I discovered on a camera when I was putting its pictures on my computer.  This past Easter we were blessed to have my brother Brian and his family come to stay with us -- though I will whine really quickly that they didn't stay long enough to suit us.  The Easter bunny came to both families while they were here.  Unfortunately, that Easter bunny was a little unfair in his gifting.  

 

This is Dan and Jake looking through their loot.  Notice the big Snake book that Jake got from the Easter Bunny.  It was all the Easter Bunny could find that Jake would like, and he did like it.  He now knows quite a bit about snakes.



This is Noah and Naomi looking on, with Connor in the background.  Notice Noah's look of longing.  Unfortunately, the thoughtless Easter Bunny didn't think to buy two snake books. That would have been easy, and Noah would have been much happier.  Silly bunny.  Maybe Brian and family can come again next year and the Easter Bunny can bring those good cousins a big book on some other scary reptile..



Uncle Doran

Doran and some of his children, and some of his nieces and nephews

I have very few pictures of Doran on the computer.  The one above is from a family reunion in 2008.  I chose it because it is like so many pictures I have of Doran in my mind.  In my mind there are pictures of Doran running birthday parties with lots of nieces and nephews, Doran driving a four wheeler with a big trailer behind it that is loaded with children, Doran giving rides to children on four wheelers or Derek's motorcycle, Doran wrestling children, Doran chatting with children, and Doran laughing with children.  Whenever Doran is around, he seems to spend an incredible amount of energy on the children. 

I have been blessed with incredible brothers-in-law and a great husband, and they all spend a lot of energy on the children, but it is when I was watching Doran once that a quote from Joseph Smith came to mind.  Joseph Smith was considered a great friend to children, and in the Nauvoo Pagaent he was quoted as saying, "When I am with the children, I make all the fun I can for them."  It seems to me that Doran is like that.

I asked my children what they like about Doran and they rolled their eyes and said "he's fun", because they say that about every uncle I ask about.  They meant it even though they rolled their eyes.  They also say he tells funny jokes, and I didn't know that so I'm looking foward to hearing one.  I asked his nephews Tyler and Isaac when they were over what they like about Uncle Doran.  They agreed that Doran is fun, and Tyler said that Doran has great hair, so Doran can feel especially good about his hair today.

Doran is a musician.  He played the cello at Derek's and my wedding reception, and I still remember the Christmas that he got his first guitar.  Derek and I used to spend Christmas at his parents house because Christmas is more fun with children around -- and some of his brothers and sisters were still children.  Doran has an acoustic guitar now that he uses to enhance singing time at family gatherings on occasion.  He can also sing -- in tune! 

Doran went on a mission to Scotland and used to address his letters to our house to Trisa or Tia, who were pretty small still.  He has always been a good uncle, and somewhere I have pictures of him carrying around my girls when they were very little.  Now my girls are all grown up, and Doran mostly carries around his own children, though they're getting a little big to be carried.  Time sure flies!

Doran met Tanya after his mission while they were attending BYU.  They were married, and graduated from college, and made the decision together that Doran would be a seminary teacher for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  He spends school days teaching youth the gospel.  He is a gospel scholar, who does his best to teach, and live the gospel that he loves.  Most importantly, he always remembers the importance of family.  He and Tanya have two girls, and four boys.  Doran and Tanya put a lot of miles on their car to visit family and attend family events.  We love it when they come this way because, obviously, things are more fun when they are around.

Happy Birthday Doran!

Proof That Monsters Exist

Dan told his Dad that he is sure that monsters exist because sometimes when he wakes up his blankets aren't on any more.  Obviously monsters must have removed them.  Derek tried to explain that blankets fall off because we wiggle when we sleep.  Dan looked a bit skeptical.  Apparently blanket moving monsters is a more believable story when you're five.

Uncle Devin

All my pictures of Devin or from a few years ago!  This is 2008 and he's at his own house holding Annie and talking to a nephew.

This is Devin holding his nephew Sam

When I think of Devin the word boring does not really come to mind.  What comes to mind are images of Devin dramatically entertaining the kids with stories, or carrying them around on his back or shoulders, or playing the role of devil's advocate in family discussions, or marching around at a family reunion pretending to be Captain Moroni from the Book of Mormon while many of his nieces, nephews, and children followed him around wearing their homemade shields and swords.  His way of expressing himself is not boring either, but sometimes we might need a dictionary to make sure we've caught the meaning of his words properly.

Devin is fun, and has always been a good uncle for my children.  He makes us smile and we all love him.  He has always been very helpful to our family, and has on many occasions chosen to come help us with a project rather than do something he would perhaps enjoy more.  Before he was married we liked to try to take more than our fair share of his time because we enjoyed having him here so much.  We especially liked having him over for his birthdays.   I've made Devin the occasional birthday cake, and I was always made to feel like I had done the most wonderful thing for him.  It is fun to do nice things for someone who is thankful, and Devin is good at being thankful.  Of course, he did say that I didn't need to make a crashed motorcycle cake for him again:).

Devin is really smart, but somehow he also manages to be very humble.  He does not get offended easily and I have often been impressed with his willingness to believe the best of those around him.  He studies, thinks about things a lot, and has well thought-out opinions.  Still, he is willing to listen to the opinions of others and to change his opinion as he learns new information.

Devin is a musician.  I love to hear him play the violin and he has a great singing voice.  The singing always sounds better at family gatherings if Devin is there and participating.  Devin is also a good athlete.  Derek has told me before how impressed he is with Devin because Devin has determination and would practice and practice to become better at things he wanted to be able to do.

Devin is married to Mandy, who is awesome, and they have four children.  Devin is thankful to be a Dad and he loves his children well.  My kids sometimes comment after family hikes about how many children Devin can carry at once.  Of course, this was before Madeleine and Annie got so big, but he does have some pretty impressive children carrying abilities!

Devin on a reunion hike 2008 carrying Madeleine and Annie.

When I asked Connor what he likes about Uncle Devin he said, "Super fun, great prayers, awesome vocabulary".

Happy Birthday Devin!

Uncle Russell

Russell, Erin, and their beautiful family (I think I put this picture on Erin's birthday blog last year:)

Russell is in the middle with the mircrophone -- singing karaoke at a family reunion.

Russell is married to my husband's sister Erin.  Russell and Erin have five children and another should be born sometime in October.  They had three girls first (like Derek and me) and then two boys (again like Derek and me) -- but they are going to break our pattern and have a girl sixth.  Once Russell told me, in a complement to Erin, that Erin could find surprising energy for their children.  I'm not quoting that right -- but I thought he was saying -- Erin loves her children and finds energy for them even when she is tired.  I like that about Erin, and I suspect Russell is like that too.

Russell is a very caring and talented person.  He will literally spend hours helping people he cares about with projects.  This includes Erin (of course!) who loves to have variety in the rooms of their home.  Russell has likely painted about every room, some of them multiple times.  He has put up bead board and done other projects that help their home look nice.  It is always fun to visit and see his and Erin's handywork. 

I do not know how Russell manages to find the time for all of the nice things that he does.  He is a good Dad, he works, he makes our reunion videos, he has taken our mom and dad in-law's old family videos and put them online to preserve them, he helps buy or set up family computers when asked, and he does other computer projects and home projects too.  Derek sometimes jokes that Russell is his (Derek's) mom's favorite son.  This is because Russell is a very attentive and thoughtful son-in law.  Russell also spends hours every week serving in the church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints).  Serving seems to be a way of life for Russell.

Russell is very musically talented.  He has a terrific singing voice and he uses it at church, and reunions for the benefit of those of us who get to hear him, or sing with him.  He has also taught himself to play the guitar, which he does very well.  I love music, and always enjoy when Russell shares his talent with us.

Russell is very interested in people, and he takes the time to get to know them.  This is a part of what makes him such a good uncle.  I asked Kayli what she likes about Uncle Russell and she said, "He is easy to talk to.  I like him because he is interested in me and my life."  I believe that is a direct quote, and I suspect my other children (at least the older ones) would say something similar.  Russell is a good listener, and he is appreciated for it.  I am very thankful to Russell for the attention and caring he gives to my children.  It is a blessing to them, which makes it a blessing to me.

Happy Birthday Russell!

Correction!

Ray was actually in the US Air Force for four years.  I obviously wasn't paying good enough attention!

Uncle Ray

Lori and Ray

Ray is my oldest brother.  I really can't claim to understand him, after all,  no matter how hard we tried to include him in our adventures, Ray just didn't want to sneak around the house with us on Christmas Eve night!   Not only that, he would have slept in on Christmas if we were willing to let him -- which we weren't!  Still, though I can't claim to completely understand him even now, I do love him and I know a lot of good things about him.

Ray is quiet, and perhaps a bit shy.  He was hard for me to talk to because if he didn't have anything to say, then he just wouldn't say anything (sounds logical said that way).  Calling people makes him nervous.  I can remember him pacing back and forth in front of a phone for quite a while before he called someone.  I thought he was kind of afraid of people, which made me think of him as super brave when he went off on a mission to England where he had to talk to people, and probably call people on the phone too. 

He served an honorable mission and then came home and joined the Air Force, which I thought was really brave.  I could not imagine how he would get through basic training since in our house there wasn't really much yelling, and I always managed to cry if anyone raised their voice when I could hear.  I knew they would yell at Ray in the Air Force and I was afraid for him, but he did make it through basic training even though there were others who quit.  He was in the United States Air Force for two years.  I have been surprised by Ray a few times and I learned that I had underestimated this big brother of mine. 

Ray seemed to be a great favorite with my great uncles and aunts on my Dad's side.  They were always happy to see him coming and he remembered their names better than me because he took the time to visit them more often.

I always thought that Ray was funny about money.  He would have coins and dollars lying around in his room and he never seemed tempted to spend it.  I was tempted to steal it and see if he would notice it was gone -- but I didn't.  Still, if anyone needs help, then Ray is quick to offer.  He likes to use his money for helping.  Not only that but Ray has some good muscles that he will use to help others too.

Ray is smart, and talented.  I'm sure that my Dad is happy that at least one of his children picked up his good sense of direction and his love of driving around and seeing new things.  Ray is one of those people who seems to find the encyclopedia much more fascinating than a novel, and I expect he knows a lot of interesting facts about a lot of things.  Ray has learned a lot about gardening too, both from helping in my parent's garden growing up and from creating his own little mini-farm on his property.  He gets a lot of produce and he cans it for winter and shares his crops with his family.   Ray is also blessed with musical talent.  He has a nice singing voice and he has taught himself to play the piano.

My Mom met a man who works with Ray.  He told her that Ray doesn't talk much, but he is a very hard worker.  Ray likes recreation too -- hiking, backpacking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities.  Ray has a wife named Lori and a 16 year old son named Michael.  He is a good man and I am proud that he is my brother.

Happy Birthday (a few days late) to Ray!

Uncle Brian

Brian at our last family reunion (at Jenny's house)

Brian singing to us at a reunion.  I loved it.  I stole this picture from his facebook page.

Another facebook picture.  Brian likes to hike -- and go backpacking with the brothers.

Brian had his birthday last Sunday (the 10th) -- the day after Connor's.  Connor moaned on his birthday because Kayli told her friends that she was going to stay home for her little brother's birthday.  He didn't like being called a little brother.  It wasn't until the next day, when I was thinking to myself "it is my little brother's birthday" that I realized I call Brian my little brother, and Brian may not like it (now that he is aware).  He's not smaller than me, so I can't really call him little.  It must be a habit from years ago.  He's really my super awesome younger brother.

Derek, Connor, Kayli, and I were talking about Connor and Brian's blogs and it was suggested that I could do them together since they like many of the same things.  Brian loves to read, loves to write, is coordinated like Connor, and, at least when he was younger, had some awesome moves like Connor.  I still remember him doing a very impressive Elvis Presley, singing "He ain't nothin' but a hound dog", complete with air guitar.   Brian would also be great at doing puppet shows (like Connor).

Brian has written books, and learned to play the real guitar (as opposed to the air guitar).  He sings, and he helps me with computer problems.  He is a good dad and a good uncle.  He loves the scriptures and is a good listener and a compassionate person.  I think he is impressive.  When we were young we spent a lot of time playing together.  He did do some of the annoying little brother things, like hanging our stuffed animals by their necks and laughing when we cried about it.  Still, he had his own stuffed animals too, and he participated in our creative stuffed animal dramas (for lack of a better way to describe how we spent our time). 

A few of us had monkeys.  Jenny's was Tiny, which fit with her size, and I think Brian's was Bop because he would bop us all with it.  The name of my little monkey might have been Bo Bo.  I'm having a hard time remembering.  Clingy the mom monkey is still at my house, much to Derek's chagrin, but Bo Bo leaked beads and finally had to go.  I really was blessed with good people to grow up with, and I have such good memories of those years together!

I love Brian.  Fairly recently (within a couple of years) when we were just getting to a church parking lot for a family occasion, Brian pulled up and I said "Brian's here!" and then promptly burst into tears because I was so happy to see him.  I had to get a grip really quickly since it was time to go in.  It had just hit me how thankful I am for Brian.  He is good to me.  He has always been good to me.  I hope he had a great birthday.