Bryant home for Thanksgiving!

Anxiously waiting for Bryant to get home.  We ended up going to bed because he didn't get in until about 1am, but we were so excited to see him!

Straight to the good stuff with the big brother.

Some art projects that we can't keep forever.  Rex and Lyle spent hours and hours coloring the Veteran's Day agamograph.  They also did a pastel of a Netherlands landscape.

Blaire and Israel showed up too!  Taneil stayed behind for Brenda's funeral (the rest of the Spechts went to Chehalis) so we had a few extras for Thanksgiving dinner which was great.

Vard showed up sometime during Wednesday night so we had 1/2 of the Wells siblings at our house for Thanksgiving.  The kids taught him how to play Monopoly Deal.

James broke off all but one spike on his high school football cleats during the turkey bowl next door on Thanksgiving morning.  (He also bruised a rib and got cleated but I was grateful for no hospital visits on Thanksgiving Day.)

Blaire brought a bag of clothes so Sariah scored a new Carhart beanie.

In trying to keep up with our "White Friday" tradition, we took the kids to Applebee's for lunch.  Everyone cleaned their plates!  It was the first time we have all gone to a sit down restaurant besides IHOP.  We talked about having things to work towards and they filled out their goal cards for a year from now and for 5 years from now.  

Afterwards we drove over to the temple and took a walk around the grounds.  We weren't able to get a baptismal appointment because of COVID limitations still.  We wanted the kids to know that having our whole family in the temple is the ultimate goal.

The highlight of the day of course was a spin in Funcle Vard's side by side.  Loud and flashy, just like they like it!

The annual cousin Black Friday get together at Taneil's house.  It's a good tradition.

Saturday was Aunt Brenda's funeral and burial.  We will miss her so much.  

 

A Visit from the Montana Missionaries

 For Family Home Evening, we decided to make Christmas tree ornaments for our missionaries--a set for Gp. and Gm. and a set for Talmage.  Pre-made felt kits, all we had to do was stitching and embellishing.  We just thought it would be nice for them to have a little something that we made with our own hands.

With a few personal touches.

Then the missionaries showed up!  Brenda was in the hospital this last weekend and went home Tuesday on hospice.  Mom decided she would rather spend time with Brenda before she passed than to come home for a funeral.  They drove the whole way on Monday to get to Spechts at midnight.  Dad showed up to spend the day with me on Tuesday morning.

Wednesday morning I took Dad to the hospital, he had been in A-fib since he had gone to bed Tuesday night.  They got him squared away and he was feeling much better, but tired.

Thursday I went with him to make repairs after wind damage at 351.  You might be a redneck if you wrap your hot tub in a cheap tarp, bailing twine, and duct tape.

In the hospital one day, on top of the lambing shed the next.

A recent art project though they liked making rings this week better.

Brenda passed away Thursday night and Mom and Dad headed back to Montana on Friday.  We didn't see much of Mom, but she felt like she was very blessed to have that time with Brenda.  It's a tender mercy they were in Montana and not on the other side of the world.  James and I took dinner up yesterday to Petersons.  There was a good feeling there.  This last spring, I happened to pot 4 geraniums I had propogated from Brenda's house-warming gift 7 years ago.  I was able to give one to each of the boys.

We turned the fireplace on for the first time of the year after church today.  It is 90% humidity with the mist and fog and feels very cold outside.

State Cross Country

James and I got back from seeing the hormone doctor in Boise in time to see Sariah run at Sun Willows in the State Cross Country Race the 1st weekend in November.

The school send-off for the girls team and Spencer Harris.

Got to eat at Olive Garden after walking the course the day before the race.

Sariah threw her hands up at the finish line--it was the best part.

She had her season PR at state and and we were super proud of her.

Receiving her awards at the XC banquet.

Voted by her teammates as the "Most Inspirational."  Way to go Sariah!

Rex and Lyle have decided that a couple of our maple trees are big enough to climb.

Hyrum's quorum finally did something that he loved--woodworking.

He made himself a beautiful mallet.

Bryant sent us a picture of this sketch he did of himself for his public speaking speech.  Pretty impressive.

This week was Veteran's Day.  We are so grateful for so many who have sacrificed so much for our freedoms.

We got a letter from Talmage this week!  He has about 4 months left in England.  

I took Sariah and her friends Friday afternoon to the Sun Dome in Yakima to watch the Connell volleyball team play at state.  The volleyball team didn't do so great, but I think the girls had fun.

In the meantime, Dad and the boys were hanging out and may have watched two movies in one night!