Busy Completing our Home
The major item that is taking most of our time (and money) right now is the house we are building. It has really been a lot of work, but we feel it has certainly been worth it, and we are hoping to be in by the end of November.
The lights going in was just so exciting!
After all the decisions that are required to build a custom home, you pray that it will all go together as you envisioned it. I really feel that it is doing just that!
Attending and Listening to Sessions of General Conference
Every year in April and October, the Mormon Church televises five two-hour sessions of what is called "General Conference" where we listen to the Prophet and Twelve Apostles, as well as other General Authorities. It is such a privilege to listen and be instructed as to how we can improve our lives and come closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.
It brought me to tears to see George going out the door
by himself after watching him take our five sons to General Priesthood
Meeting for so many years! (Kent and Ethan were in Utah attending
there.) I have always appreciated so much how important the Priesthood
is to George and how it has helped our family in so many ways!
The Very Large Fire is Finally Over!
After we all worked for several days on the very large fire that I talked about last month . . .
George and I were finally able to finish off the huge pile of goat head weeds. Good riddance!
And Teddy just watched in amazement as the fires finally burned out!
Yes, that turned out to be one giant project!
But with Kent, Natalie, and George continually throwing out pasture seeds and keeping them watered as best as they could, plus a very welcome couple of weeks where it rained almost every day, here is the finished results! Soooo exciting! There are a few of those pesky goat heads still coming up which George will take a shovel to, it is really starting to look like a real field!
A Very Happy Reunion
My grandparents, Dean and Edith Cook, had a wonderful family of five children. My mother on the far left was their youngest child. Their oldest son, Delwin, is second from right. (One son was not in this picture.)
Anyway, after not seeing each other since I was in elementary school, but staying in touch through the years, Delwin's oldest child, LaVern, and I finally got to see each other! George and I traveled the hour and a half to where she lives. What a treat to talk about life through the years and about the great Cook family!
Shout-Outs
So proud of our grandson, Connor, who was recruited by Utah Valley University to play for their golf team. After not picking up a golf club for the two years he was in Nicaragua on his Mormon mission, he has worked so hard to get his game back to where it was before he left (along with having a very busy college schedule). Way to go, Connor!
Grandparents LOVE Missionary Mondays when the e-mails and pictures come in! So proud of these two grandsons serving in Scotland/Ireland and Pennsylvania/Philadelphia Missions. Check out their weekly experiences on their blogs by clicking on their pictures at the right or going directly to their blogs at eldercartercopeland.blogspot.com and elderparkerwilde.blogspot.com They would love to get letters or e-mail. Their addresses are on their blogs.
We are so proud of Ella for working hard and being nominated as Student of the Month! She has really worked hard in every phase of her life this year!
And to Lola, who was also chosen Student of the Month in her school. Amazing since this is a brand new school she is attending and she knew no one when she got there! Way to go, Lola!
Cousin Get Togethers
Amy drove nine hours from Kansas to Texas with her four kids to visit the cousins in Texas.
I LOVE their smiles when they all get together!
We LOVE VISITORS! It was so fun to have Kim and Brady come to Washington for a couple of days!
Kent worked on Kim's teeth, but that didn't stop us from
having lots of fun together after the work was all done! We hope they
will come again!
Halloween 2016
Although our kids and grand kids live in five states, we always ask for them to send pics of their Halloween costumes. We love to see their originality! Maybe it's because all I ever did was do Vampire teeth and a cape for my poor boys when it was Halloween. I don't remember how we even dressed the girls! I have to admit I wasn't very clever on the costumes during those growing up days!
As you will see below, all of the kids' costumes were so cute and fun, but Kent and Natalie really stole the show for making us smile--if not outright laugh with this year's costumes--and especially Kent's hair! Way to be a great sport, Kent!
Ellie and Taylor were definitely the most authentic as Alice and the Mad Hatter! So cute!
Taylor not only can play a great Mad Hatter, but none of us had any idea how great he was in carving pumpkins!
Fantastic!
Connor and his friend, Kim, totally made their costumes from "Toy Stories." So clever!
Another of their friends joined in as Slinky.
The kids all had a great time dressing up. Ella as a black cat . . .
Preston as an authentic Mariachi player!
And Isaac as a . . . . well, as a guy dressed entirely in red. He loved it!
Brady looked so authentic as a doctor/dentist
Kennedy as a witch who is way too cute!
Isn't this an adorable "Black Widow?"
Gavin and Mason were hysterical as Sumo wrestlers!
Riley made such a cute octopus!
Copeland is the cutest little panda I have ever seen!
And speaking of cute animals--Jenna makes a darling puppy . . .
and she is joined by her real-life puppy, Harley!
Sydney, Jaxon, Mason, and Gavin's little dog, Lilly, is really a cute little "Super Dog!"
And here are Lauren as a Care Bear and Hannah with their little dog, Koda--who is dressed as a dog!
Garrett and their dog, Frisco, who just loves watching all the action--and getting into all the mischief he can! Hah!
Last but not least--Rosco and Roxie (John and Alison's family dogs) all dressed up in their finest attire for Halloween, too! So cute!
Lest we forget--besides all the dressing up, there is definitely the candy part. We could not believe how much Preston had acquired that evening. His mom said he will definitely be donating it to a worthy cause someplace.
Basketball Season Begins
And with it being fall, I know that basketball season is now beginning! I LOVE BASKETBALL! So excited to start watching the grand kids start playing again, as well as watching some of the NBA games--especially the Warriors!
On to November! So many fun events in November that I will be posting at the end of the month!
