clint and keasi's wedding...

We went to Idaho to Clint and Keasi's wedding.  We drove up in a snow storm.  For a minute, we almost turned around and headed home, but we finally got to where the roads weren't so bad and so we marched forward.  They were married at the Church in Chubbick.  Donnie, Me, George, Mel and the girls, and Chet and Tiff and their kids all went up.  We stayed in the motel in Pocatello and the kids had a blast.  Brenda came with Adam and Holli and their kids, and stayed at the same place.  So it was a fun time visiting and enjoying family.  Cami and Chris announced that they were pregnant.  This will be their first.
Valerie and her sister in law and girls, made a nice dinner, but the bomb was the photo booth!  Siona and Kendyl thought that it was JUST for them, and had a great time taking pictures all night.  

Dalton Harrison

Chet with Briggs

KJ

Grandpa Don with Briggsy.

After the wedding we all went back to the Hotel and the kids couldn't get to the pool quick enough.  At first they were the only ones in the pool, but by the time they were done, it was packed!

Swimming in the Hotel Pool

Isley and Tiff

Leila

Briggs

ann parker davis...

Ann Parker Davis

 

 

Aunt Ann passed away January 7, 2012.  Ann was Grandma Ruth's older sister.  She lived in Preston, Idaho most of her married life, but after Uncle Ed passed away, she decided that she would like to move back "home" to American Fork to be close to her sisters, Ruth and Bonnie and brother, Grant.  She moved down and into one of Grant's apartments, but there were too many stairs that she had to go up and down, so when Grandpa and Grandma's extra condo became available, she moved into it.  She was just two doors down from Grandpa and Grandma, and then Aunt Bonnie bought the condo across the street from them.  Finally, the sisters would be able to spend time together!  Then Grandma Ruth passed away, right after Bonnie moved in, and now Aunt Ann is gone, too. 

Ann was a Fun person.  We all loved her soo much.  At one time she was a judge in Preston and some of the stories that she would tell us, would have us rolling and in tears. 

They had a service in American Fork and then a graveside service in Preston.

 

Aunt Ann's final resting place, next to her eternal sweetheart, Ed,
 in Preston, Idaho

Grant and Bonnie
(the only two left of the Parker Brothers and Sisters)

Kevin at his mom's grave in Preston, Idaho



Trudie, Allison and Sandy in Preston

trip to cali...

the day after christmas, don and i packed up and headed to california to see our friends, the godwin's, who are serving as mission presidents in the california san bernadino mission. they've been out for a year and a half, and still have that long to go. (at least they are at the 1/2 way mark).  i am really missing ladawn!

we stopped and stayed in their home in st. george the first night.  the weather was nice and i love just being with donnie.  we got up tuesday morning and headed for a beautiful drive. (if you like to see a whole lot of nothing.  well, every once in a while a joshua tree or sage brush would pop up) it certainly is not like driving through 'island park'. 

we got to their home in etiwanda about 5:00pm.  the traffic was unreal!  we would be traveling about 70 miles an hour, and then all of the sudden traffic would be at a complete stop!  no explanation!  just a complete stop!  then stop and go, stop and go.  when we got there, finally, ladawn told us that craig says that NOBODY could pay him enough to live down there.  well guess what craig! you live down there and NO one is paying you!  well... i hope you are getting payed with blessings!

ladawn fixed us a nice dinner and we visited until we were all too tired to talk.  it was so fun to visit and just be with them again!

wednesday morning we got up and had breakfast then jumped in the car for a tour of the mission.  we went up the mountain to crestline and then over to big bear.  don and i had never been there before, and it was a fun drive.  there was actually a little snow at big bear, but the weather was warm (to us, anyway).  they had snow parks, where they were tubing and having fun.  the traffic was horrendous up there, for people trying to get into the parking lots at the snow parks.  we stopped and had lunch in big bear.  it was funny to see people all dressed up in their snow clothes... hats, mittens, snow pants, boots ~ get the picture.  and then there were those who had barely any clothing on.  we definitely were NOT in utah!  we headed down the mountain to the lucerne valley.  i think it should be called the 'desolate' valley.  but they have missionaries there and said that the ones serving there, love it.

this is us on top of the mountain looking over at big bear

then of course, we had to stop at the 'pro bass' shop in rancho cucamonga

ladawn, jacki, and don

craig (or "president") and don

had to take a picture of all of the sheds, for cheyne.
(i just love how everyone "welcomes" us, the hunters!  isn't that just sooo nice)

more sheds

after (long enough) time spent at 'pro bass', we hurried home so that craig and ladawn could change back into their missionary clothes, then off to meet the carter's (elder and sister)  at out back steak house.  yes! the real steak house, not the stake house!  sorry, not a very good picture, i had one of the waitresses take this picture with my iphone.

president and sister godwin
jacki and don
elder marshall and sister trudie carter

we had a fun time visiting. remembering old times and hearing of all of the drama that goes on in a mission.

the next morning (thursday) don had planned on leaving to come home.  when i went down stairs and told ladawn that, she said "but you can't go home yet!  i bought all of these pork chops, and you can't go home until they're gone!"  didn't take much to talk donnie boy into staying.  so we just bummed around with the godwin's all day.  a trip to sam's club then on to costco.  we went back to the mission home and put on some dinner, then we went to the mission office with them.  they had 4 missionaries that would be leaving the following monday, so they had them all come to the office, fed them, then we went into the chapel and listened to their departing devotional. 

we went back to the mission home and had dinner, visited, laughed about craig running a "daddy day care", and other things.  it was so fun to just be with them again!  can't wait until we can all be down in fairview, together again!

craig, ladawn, don and jacki
the morning we left to come home.

ladawn and jacki.
till we meet again...

on the way home, we just had to stop in las vegas at the 'pro bass' store there.  they had some neat mounts, and some not so.  but we didn't spend a lot of time there. thank goodness!

we stopped at the 'olive garden' in st. george for dinner, then went back to godwin's home to spend the night.  we watched some lame movie, then slept in the next morning. it was nice to be able to relax and not be hurried.  we came home saturday, to the mess from christmas that we left.  oh well... it was worth it!  and... believe it or not, after all the relaxing and good times we had, it's great to be home! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

christmas...

this christmas eve, we were blessed to have our whole family together.  don fixed a delicioso prime rib and the kids brought all of the fixins to go with it.  after we ate, we all went down stairs for some fun and games. we did our own version of "chubby bunny" with "we wish you a merry christmas".

ise... not so sure. 
but usually she can stuff a whole cup full of marshmallows in her mouth at one time.

hunter... how many??? still has those dimples!

siona

kendyl looks like she's going to loose it before she even started.

kamryn was giggling too hard to put many in.

haley determined...

jeff, determined to beat haley.

chet... thinking he could beat them all.

george, ready to loose it!

gramma and leila
(we got to just sit and watch).

did grandpa win?

no!  briggs does not have anything in those cheeks!

we even got the neighbors involved.
gunner and reegan lamb.

the kids lined up to play "santa, may i?"

after a few games and a lot of giggles, we sat around the coffee table and colored a picture of the nativity and talked about the true meaning of christmas. 

then all heck broke loose when we let the kids open their gifts from gramma and grandpa and their cousins.

we had them all sit on the couch to take a picture. they all looked so cute in their matching jammies.  but...  what a joke!  but we did get a couple where most of them were looking at the camera.

leila, kamryn, hunter, isley, siona, jack sittitng on siona's lap, ryker, kendyl holding briggs

cheyne, helping jack open his present.

christmas morning

christmas was on a sunday this year, so don, cheyne, and i, got up and got dressed for church. our ward doesn't meet until 1:00.  we decided to make the rounds early, so we could see the kids before they went to church at 10:00.

first we stopped at the 'murdoch's' to see if santa had come.  sure enough... he stopped there!  the kids were excited to show us what he had brought them. 

the murdoch's

then we headed out to saratoga springs.  guess what!  santa found his way out there, too.

briggs and grandpa

the hunter's

sauvao's had church at 9:00, so we went there last and waited a few minutes until they got home.  beleive it or not...santa stopped there, too.  and why is it that the boxes are so much more fun that anything else?

isley, playing in the boxes

siona, busy with her leapster
isley, playing with the boxes

leila, in her saucer

the sauvao's

we hurried home, and grandpa surprised me with "my fish".  this is a replica of the fish i caught in alaska this summer.  when i caught it, i asked if we were going to have it mounted.  don said "do you know how much that would cost!?'  and i responded with "if it was you that had caught it, would you mount it?"  i teased with him every once in a while, but never had a clue that he really was having it mounted for me.

me with "my fish"

we then headed off to our church meeting. 

after we got home, all of the kids came back home for left overs, and to play games.  cheyne got each of the families a game called "head bandz".  the "older" kids (as in adults)  had the most fun playing.

chet trying to guess what he was

kamryn had it figured out. 
if you can see your reflection in the glass,
you know what ?'s to ask!

cheyne, getting really annoyed that he couldn't figure out that he was a toaster.

jeff and haley

we feel so very blessed to be able to spend such a special time with our most treasured gift.  the gift of a loving family!  and to be able to reflect on the birth (and life) of our savior, Jesus Christ, with them.  we have been soooo blessed this year.  health, jobs, 2 new babies, and more blessings than we can count. 

here's to hoping that you all had a merry christmas, too.  

and... wishing you a happy and prosperous 2012.