Christmas 2019

 After Andrea's graduation, she flew home to spend a few days with us at Christmas-before flying to Connecticut to spend time with Dylan's family.  (How do I not have a picture of her?)  The three of us made our traditional gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve, along with the rice pudding with an almond, which Andrea found. The Swedish tradition is that the person who gets the whole almond is the next to be married, so that worked out perfectly, since this was about three weeks before her wedding.

Check out the popcorn on our tree.  I estimate that our kids strung it about 15 years ago.  I keep taking it our and enjoying it year after year!

And here's a picture of James' cute family in Washington.

Andrea graduates from BYU-Idaho

 David and I were able to fly to Salt Lake City and drive up to Rexburg Idaho for Andrea's graduation.  Her fiance, Dylan, also received his Associate's degree that day, but it was Andrea's day to be in the limelight for graduating with her Communications degree.  

We had fun enjoying the festivities with them.  The next day we helped them load their things into Andrea's car, and our large rental car.  We all drove down to Provo, Utah, where they plan to get married in January and live for the next couple years. Congratulations, Andrea.  You really distinguished yourself!

Thanksgiving 2019

 It was nice to celebrate with Julia's and Daniel's family.  Our feast was simple, and, like all our meals, was a harvest celebration with only plants. It's so nice to have some of our family nearby!

Autograph Signing at National Children's Book Fair in DC

Free Spirit had a booth at a Children's Book Fair in Washington DC.  I was invited to be at the booth and talk about my book with visitors.  We also had a book giveaway, and I was able to sign books for teachers, librarians, and parents.

 I especially enjoyed meeting up with Margie, my editor of about seventeen years.  She's given fabulous input on all three of my book series. And,  I loved meeting people and helping them find a book for their needs. It was nice to get a picture with some visitors and write a special note for a child. I'm always excited when I hear that my books are making a difference. :)

Claire turns 4

For Claire's birthday, Meg invited me to join them for a trip to the National Zoo.  A few of her other friends joined us. The weather was great, and we all had a fun time.

Andrea and Dylan are engaged

Andrea and Dyland met on their mission in Canada, and began dating in January while they both attended BYU-Idaho.  They were then apart for five months while Dylan did basic training. When they were back together in the Fall, Dylan proposed.  Andrea's engagement ring is a stunning ring that had belonged to Dylan's grandma. Congratulations.  We love you both!!

Baby Blessing: Grayson

          Andrea came with Dave and me to Julia and Matt's in Sterling, Virginia.

 Julia's sweet baby Grayson was blessed by Grandpa David.  He is wearing the same white outfit that his dad Matt wore for his blessing. Such a handsome boy with a great life ahead of him.

Sister Reunion

 Erika flew in with her daughter Everly, (11 months).  Kara drove from the beach in North Carolina with her family.  She and her four children stayed the week. (Jacob, 10, Blake, 8, Ava, 4, Liam 1 1/2.)

 Did you know Dave and I are beekeepers?  This photo was at the Howard County Fair.

 We went with Erika and Everly to the fair the first night she was here.

When Andrea came home from BYUI, she, Julia, and I went to the local ceramic place where we each painted a plate.

Erika and Everly:  We went to the bay for the day- about an hour away.  A very beach-like experience.  I can't believe we had never come before. 

Here's the group of us.  Meg joined us with Claire and Elliott. Dan got to see his sisters on Sunday when we all had dinner together.

 Here are two of the newest babies--Julia with Grayson (2 mo) and Erika with Everly (11 mo)

 The grandkids together (We're missing James' four kids.)  Left to Right:  Blake with Everly, Claire with Elliot, Ava. Liam, Jacob with Grayson.

 Dave and I were going out the door for church.  It was fun to have so many of our children together again!

New York: Our trip to Kara's and Cumorah

     In July, James, Tammy and their four children flew into Baltimore to see us. We drove up to New York in our two cars, stopping first in Albany, where Tammy served part of her mission.

           


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Then we headed to Saratoga Springs to see Kara's family.   We visited and went to a lake with them.                                                                         

Then we all drove three hours to Palmyra for the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  The pageant depicts the history of the Americas from 600BC to 400 AD, which is detailed in the Book of Mormon.  And, the Book of Mormon records, which were buried in this hill for centuries,  were found through spectacular means and translated by Joseph Smith.

Despite lots of rain on the way, we had a great night for the show.  Here, we were talking to the cast as we waited for the show.

These are views from the top of the hill.

We walked through the nearby Sacred Grove.

                            The next day we also stopped at other historical sites.

                     It was fun to be able to show these important sites to some of our grandchildren.

Liza Jane Meiners

                    Liza Jane was born February 22, 2019.  She is such a cutey!

                                
We got to see her the first time in July, when she was about five months old. :)
She is James' and Tammy's fourth child.  We're so excited to have her as our granddaughter.

Blake's Baptism!

We were able to be in New York for Blake's 8th birthday and baptism.

  Blake is looking awesome in his new suit.
                                                 









Jacob, Ava and Liam looked spiffy too!

What are the odds that Kara and I would not only have similar clothes, but we both choose the same outfit for church!

                               

       

                   We had fun on a hike near their home.  Thanks, Kara and Luke!