43 years today

43 years ago today at 5pm, our baby girl returned to heaven.

It was a bitter cold day - overcast (like today)

Seems like a lifetime ago.

Here we are three more kids, and almost 11 more grandkids later.......

We were 17 and 20 - now we are 60 and 63

As we get older, the years seem to pass by quicker.

There have been good times and bad.

We've had a grandbaby return to heaven also (5 years ago), and that was really hard.

Tomorrow? we may welcome another (the last one) grandbaby to this world.

In the next 10-20 years what will happen?

Great grandbabies......... (most likely)

Deaths of our parents......... (most likely)

Through it all, I'm so grateful for Roger. I don't know what I'd do without him.  

 

Christmas party, Dickson style

All of us who attended - pretty mature group.  Thatcher was the youngest.  Treyson left early :(  We had a great time playing the usual games of LEFT RIGHT CENTER (Dallin and Treyson? won the two games), and Pictionary (always good for some laughs).  We introduced Karaoke this year, and it was a hit !  Mark and Carrie singing Endless Love was classic :), and Tagg, Dev, and Dallin (Rockin' around the Christmas Tree), and CJ of course, had a great time trying out different songs.  We even got Rog to join in on "Ring of Fire" - Johnny Cash style.    We were sorry Landon's family was sick and couldn't make it, and Manda and family in AZ :( , and Lance and Tiana and Colton and Ashley, out of town or working, and Jaden and Abby were in London !?!?  Wow !! 
Thanks to Mom and Dad for creating this family :)

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The boys - Tagg, Brian, Treyson
Devin, Dax, Thatcher, and Dallin
(should have had Zac in this pic too !  What was I thinking ??)

The boys sure outnumbered the girls this year. 
Lizzy and CJ were the only grand-daughters in attendance 

Crazy busy month, crazy day of wrestling

Treyson and Thatcher - both took 3rd place (twinners)

So proud of him - 3rd place.  Hard fought (1 loss, then SEVEN wins to get this)

Tagg at Juab - sorry we didn't get to see him wrestle. 

​I will get back and catch up on December things but first I need to talk about yesterday. It was a great day of wrestling, I can’t even tell you. CJ had Ivory & Birch parties at home and had to stay there, but Zac headed to Juab with Tagg, and Roger and I headed to Fremont High School with Thatcher.  Treyson was on his own with the Morgan High wrestling team at the Legacy Center in Farmington. 

Thatcher had two matches and unfortunately lost them both, he didn’t feel the best, he’s been sick this past week so I think that was the issue. Then we headed to the Legacy Center to watch Treyson.

Treyson had wrestled the day before on Friday, and he lost his very first match, didn’t wrestle well didn’t feel the best, then he proceeded to win two more on Friday so he was still in it, because it’s a two and out type of tournament.  Saturday morning we were able to get the notification that he had won his first match and then we started to head toward the Legacy Center and were able to pull over in a Maverik parking lot and watch his second match -  so so exciting!  He won that one too so then we started driving again as fast as we could, hoping to make it there for his next match which we did.

Suffice to say he won all five of his matches on Saturday.  He wrestled like a beast they were all super exciting matches; one where he pinned a kid in 37 seconds, and every other match he was ahead and stayed ahead except one of the matches he was ahead then the other kid was ahead and then Treyson came back  They were hard fought matches, he did so well and he was able to battle back to third place.  We were texting back-and-forth with everybody letting them know what was going on, and Zac was letting us know what was going on down in Juab with Tagg. 

Tagg had a good day,  he won three and he lost three.  In his last match which we found out after we came home, the kid picked him up and dumped him on his head just like that Cody Wall from South Summit did for Landon all those many years ago, about broke Tagg‘s neck and gave him a concussion ! They ended up taking him to Primary Children’s,  Zac did on his way home and CJ  went down to meet him and anyway he’s OK, but it was a disappointing end to a day for him.

#10 has arrived - so sweet

Baby Bentley

19 1/2 inches, and 7 pounds 7 ounces

I think she looks like Payson, even has the same dimple in her chin. 

Born at about 3:30 pm - November 29, 2021

We are so happy !!

Payson's Basketball

We haven't been able to get down to the kids basketball games like we would have liked to, but we managed to make it to Payson's last one.  #4 in black. 

Going for the ball !

Got it !! 

Payson likes basketball, and pretty much all sports in general.  He is always fun to watch, and he is pretty intense.  He does not like to lose, that's for sure. 

Bex always keeps us entertained on the sidelines :) 

Stay tuned for a blog update tomorrow, with news of the new baby !! 

 

Sleepover !!!

This girl !!!! 

Loves anything soft and pink :)

Notice the "FORT" behind them?    

Just trying to survive;)

We crafted - these are Bright's favorite things.  
SOEING = SEWING

Showing Grandpa her masterpiece

Pancakes are a must !!

This girl ate a TON this morning - this is surprising. 

A snake pancake - Grandma aims to please

Updating the white board

Little helper

Time for NO-BAKE cookies

These two share pretty good - Brightyn is a peacemaker.  She will be such a help with her mom and the new baby that is coming.  

Helping Grandma Ben put up her Christmas - it was a show !! 

These kids are great helpers

When we got home, Roger was Johnny on the spot in getting those danged cornstalk decorations GONE !!  I told him he had to wait until after Thanksgiving.  

Then Landon came to get the kids, and they persuaded him to get up in the barn with them.  I should say Bexlee did - she wanted company.  The other kids, just do it on their own.  

Love the kids - Love the sleepovers - I'll take it as long as they will.......because I know from experience that the older they get, they get involved with other things, i.e. friends, etc. and sleepovers are no longer the fun thing to do.   

 

Tomorrow (Nov. 29) - Kacey and Landon should be getting their new baby girl.  These are the names under consideration.........  Bright informs me that some of them are "joking".  They haven't decided for sure yet - which one do you think they will pick ?  

Thanksgiving 2021

Cam had THREE Thanksgivings this year - lucky girl.  This one is with her dad's side of the family, on the day before Thanksgiving.  Then she helped her mom with Thanksgiving Dinner at their home, and that evening, celebrated with Josiah's family.  Good times !!  

Here is our crew (minus me taking the pic) - before the CHAOS arrived aka (Zac's family and Landon's family) - haha !!  

Mom, Ashley (Colton's wife - he had to work :(  ), Tiana (in from New York - Yeah !!) Brian and Lizzy, Roger D (smiling as usual - haha), Dad, Aaron and Erika 

And here is everyone around the table
Dad, Mom, Kacey, Landon Thatcher, Payson, Tiana, Ashley, Treyson, Roger (at the end), then coming up the other side from the back..... Aaron, Erika, Lizzy, Brian, Bexlee, Brightyn, CJ, Zac & Tagg

There was relaxin' going on...........

Handprint updates on a table cloth we made Grandma and Grandpa 20 years ago.  Needed to get all of the additional grand-kids added.  Still need to add some more that weren't here (Dax, Camryn, Brendon, Cameron C., Abbyl)   It was funny to see Ashley's hand next to Colton (who made his print when he was 3 years old).  

Of course the wives put their prints next to their husbands (with a little help from their kids) 

Card playing.......

Great help from a Great Grandchild - mixing cream for pies

We let the boys handle the cutting and serving 

Fun times

Kuk is such a great second grandma to my grandkids

Outside for swing.........

and some wrestling............

This was a few years ago.........look how they have changed (below) 

Those boys are getting bigger, that's for sure. 

This picture will only be good for a few more days before a new little girl comes !!!  We are so excited to meet her.  

Manda and Bren - won't be too much longer for them to get their new arrival too !  

 

Here is Erika's latest family picture.
Sorry we were missing Colton and Lance for Thanksgiving 

Here are Mark at Carrie at the UTES game a week ago. 
We love our Family !! 

Notes for me for next year:   Don't forget the can of cranberries (dad missed them), and also sodapop (Thank you Bettinson's for the last minute run to the store).  We can't subsist on slush and tomato cocktail alone !!!).  We had a 16 pound turkey, and there was enough (but not a lot left over).  Pioneer women mashed potatoes (10 pounds - enough with a fair amount left over), Dressing (made from all of the left over buns from the Property that didn't get eaten.  I bought them home and threw them in the freezer).  Gravy was excellent - Ham (just enough !! - everyone loves ham !!