Dowers Family Christmas at the Grange

This is another family Christmas tradition. Ben's (Dowers) family gathers at the Mica Grange. We start around 10:30am for brunch, play games, and have lasagna, salad and bread for dinner. Tamira has been taking some fabulous pictures lately. Taylor loved going out with Mikayla to get her picture taken! She loves Mikayla and says she is her sister :)

I went out to watch...

I got some pictures with Taylor too...

And Matt and Holly. This picture in particular looks like a me and Ben picture. I love it and he makes faces...ha ha

I love Tamira's pictures...

Anyway...back to games...the kids decorated cookies...

and played with play-doh...

Then for the "greedy" game. Everyone brings a gift and are exchanged by number. You can take any one gift up to three times, but once it gets to the third person, that person gets to actually keep the gift.

Taylor talking with Mikayla...Tamira opening an awesome gift brought by Grandpa Dowers. It was something for horses, antique, of course, which made it very special. Matt and Kelly did some sneaky swapping so Tamira ended up with the gift...she was very happy.

Taylor was happy, and felt like a big girl, when she got to take little Jemma over to get a cracker.

This was another very special gift, brought by Grandma Dowers. It's a picture of her grandma and grandpa McMillen (if I'm reading this correctly) in front of some one's house in California. I love it....however, I knew my mother-in-law wanted it so when I had the chance to be the third person to take it, I did, so I could give it back to her.

After the "greedy" game, we had dinner...

Uncle Bob read an article from an old newspaper about a 50th wedding anniversary of grandpa Dower's grandparents (if I'm remembering correctly). It listed guests and other special details, which you just don't find in current articles. I love to hear old family stories!

Taylor and Maddie swinging a jump rope.

During the "greedy" game...

I love seeing everyone at this gathering. I wish we got together more often!

How I started my birthday week...

This is from a photo shoot in LA before Beverly Hills 90210. I think the off the shoulder sweaters and shirts are back "in" this season...21 years later.

When this year started, I knew, of course, that I would be entering another decade. The dreaded birthday that I did not want to talk about. This is the year my husband thinks I'm too old to have more babies, but that I look WAY better than I did last year. That's sweet Ben...ha ha. Realizing that I am just getting older, and there is not anything I can do about it. Since I cannot do anything about getting older, I decided I must get thinner. I'm still working on it, but I have lost 23lbs.

Anyway...back to my birthday week. My cousin Cindy, who has always been like the big sister I never had, always remembers my birthday and I love spending time with her...here we are over the years...July 1993... My 2nd Birthday in 1972...not nearly as traumatic...with my cousins Danny, Cindy, and Vince...

This is at our grandma Peak's house, in the chair where she rocked many grandchildren...Cindy, me and Claudia...1975...

Me and Cindy peeking around the shower curtain at grandma Peak's...this is a photo we re-created a few times by just putting on shower caps and peeking around the curtain...

And, this is how I started my birthday week, having dinner with my Cindy at Dockside...

So many memories! She did insist upon buying me "gag" birthday gifts so I would not forget how old I am this year (not always nice...ha ha). However, I will always love my Cindy!

Stephen's Visit

During Moscow's Spring break, Susan took the kids to visit her sister for a little vacation. Since Stephen was working in our town, he stayed with us for the week. Above, Taylor is saying "tag, you're it" and running away. She really enjoyed playing with him. She would say, "Mom...it's my turn to talk to Stephen." Taylor woke up the first morning and wanted to run straight downstairs to check on him. I explained Stephen was at work, like daddy. When Ben and I were first married, we always had a place we called "Steve's room." After Stephen got married, we loved going to visit him and Susan in Georgia. We love spending time with them! You guys are welcome anytime!

Happy Anniversary...11 years of Us

Happy 11th Anniversary to Us!

I decided to scan some of our wedding pictures into my computer...

I love this one of Ben helping Matt get ready for the wedding...

Right before Matt and I walked out, he said to me, "I'm so proud of you...you are so pretty." That's when I thought I would cry...

Ben has two cousins who are close in age to Matt. This is one of the last pictures of Matt dressed. He quickly changed so he could go play in the forest...I'm glad he enjoyed the wedding too...

My wedding was everything I wanted it to be...I just wish I had more pictures...

For our 11th anniversary weekend, we went camping and did some huckleberry picking. Me and Taylor are trying to pose for a picture with "Sausage" the butterfly...

We see Sausage every now and again...he's a good butterfly...

It was so much fun! Taylor loves huckleberries...

We found quite a few. We picked a lot, since Taylor is such a fan...

She was good at picking them, but I don't think she actually added any to her bag...

We would hike up and park her in front of a bush holding her little bag, while Ben and I picked the berries...

She was proud of this big pine cone she found... It was a beautiful weekend! I have been making lots of huckleberry "pani-cakes"...as Taylor calls them.

Pictures at Uncle Mike's

Cindy, Kalyn, Taylor and I went to our Uncle Mike's to have some pictures taken. Kalyn is a senior this year and we thought it would be fun to do some mother-daughter pictures too.
It was fun for most of us...Taylor started getting tired, so she didn't want to smile for any pictures. She is still so cute in her little skirt, tights, and boots and little pouty face.