Boy or Girl???? Breakfast

By now most of you know the gender of Jessie and Tanner's Baby. Nope not giving it away yet, but Rene came up with a good idea for everyone to find out at the same time. That was for us to plan a breakfast after Jessie's visit for her sonogram this past week and then find out together. Jessie came up with the novel idea that she and Tanner did not want to know until then either, so she went to Chandler's Bakery, and gave them instructions (along with her sonogram results in sealed envelope) to bake a cake and put blue icing inside if it is a boy and pink if it is a girl. She left the bakery with the results of her visit in the hands of the Baker. That had to be pretty hard to do and not look inside the envelope, but it did make for much anticipation on Saturday the 1st of November 2008. Rene was given the assignment to pick up the cake so there could be no peeking! We all met at La Taza Coffee House in Belmont at 9am on Saturday. There were 22 of us there and pretty much took up every seat in that little coffee house. The people that owned the place were very accommodating and patient with one rowdy bunch of curious family members. To add to the anticipation cooking breakfast for 22 was slow going there but we finally all ate (except Jacob, he did not get his food until the time the cake was actually sat down in front of Jessie and Tanner. 2 hours after getting ther the knife was finally passing through the cake for the 1st cut. It came out with no sign of pink or blue, so the next cut. From where I was standing and taking pictures I saw a little color, as well as others. Nope, still not telling you. Let you enjoy some anticipation also!!!!!! But the cheers flew up, faces turned red, and there were a lot of surprised people when the first slice was pulled out. Out of the 22 there only 4 family members had guessed right. But it was awesome to share the experience with Jessie and Tanner. And if you would like to share, see the pictures below and you will know the Gender as well!!!!!



Here's the crew deciding on what to eat and is it a boy or a girl??
Jessie and Dad with bonding moment at La Taza, just before the news would break!!
Here comes the cake and the news....what will it be????????? Maybe we should ask Indiana Jones there!!
"IT'S A GIRL", Most thought it would be a boy, including Jess and Tanner!
Dad, Mom, and the Little Girl cake, dont they make a nice family!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blog Thought>>>"A life lived in fear, is a life half lived" Think about that one....kjb

Pumpkin Time

Happy Halloween to all!!!!! Just a quick blog regarding some Pumpkin Carving we did last night. Not really a big deal, except that we really haven't done a lot of pumpkins since the kids have all moved out on their own. But we have a friend who thought she would like to carve a pumpkin and we are always up to having great company...so we set the date for dinner and pumpkins, bought the pumpkins and went to work. Louise (McMurtrey), Kim and I each picked our design of choice and got started.. I finished first..could have had something to do with the fact I picked the easiest design I saw. I'm not really into pulling out pumpkin guts and all that stuff, so I looked for the quickest way out and found it. Turned out pretty good. Those little pumpkin carving kits are pretty good if you are a serious carver!! Kim chose a more aggressive pattern with a cat, a spider, and a pumpkin all on the face...and Louise, well she chose what I thought was the hardest of all. The "Happy Halloween-Tree" pattern. A lot of intricate cuts and designs. She really did a great job, everyone did as you can see from the pictures below. So we had a great dinner, great conversation, and an awesome time together. There is much to be said for simple family activites that bring tremendous rewards, and this was one of them. I'm sure Kim and Louise would agree. Happy Hallowen to all!!!!!
BLOG THOUGHT.....In a material world we easily forget that life is lived from within, not from without!!!!...........kjb

Here are 2 of the 3 pumpkins before the major operation started!!!!



All lit and ready for Halloween night, Kims is on left, mine in middle, and Louise's on right!!!!
And then what the will look like sitting on the porch, on a dark and haunting night in October. "Trick or Treat". You can really see the amount of work that went into Kim's and Louise's!!!!!!

HOG Fishin!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today Friday, Oct. 10, 2008 was a non typical October day. At least in my mind I am thinking faling leaves, falling temperature, and falling desire to be outside. But yesterday and today we have seen 70 degree plus temperature and beautiful sunny days. Since I had a cancelaation of an appointment this morning and then only one other appointment at 1200pm, I had a pretty easy work day ahead of me. After finishing my one actual work related appointment at 100pm, I was riding home and thought what a great day to go fishing. I didn't really have anyopne I could call to go with me oin short notice, but I knew the opportunities to go HOG Fishin were getting less and less, so after gettting to the house I called Sharon Zobrist to ask if I could come and fish their pond. She is always more than gracious and inviting to come up, so I loaded some gear in the car and took off. I was at the poond by 300pm. Things started off really slow. It was hot, the pond w2as covered with algae, and my thoughts turned to thinking "well it's still a great day to fish even if they don't bite. At that very moment a hit...definitely a bass, and definitely hooked solid. Gave a good fight for a 3 lb bass. Next couple casts and as Emiril would say "BAM". Another 3 pound plus bass. Caught them both on a yellow crank bait with silver spoon attached. Changed to another rod with pink worm,...always a favorite...but not a single bite all day on that?????? Went to another rod with a small Hula Popper that Holly and Micah had gotten me for my birthday. BAM, another 3 pounder followed by a frisky 4 pounder. Went back to the yellow crank bait and right beside the overflow on the rock wall, as the bait came by, and only 4 feet away the water rocked, and in came with some effort a nice 5 pounder solidly hooked with another hook caught in his throat from long ago. I tried to get it out, but it was lodged so far down that to remove it I would kill him. So I cut as much of the line off of it as I could to give hime/her a little less aggravation of dealing with fishinh line hanging out his/her mouth all the time. Went about 20 minutes with little action and then around the overflow a hit again on the Yellow crankbait. This one was what Hog Fishin is about. It took all I had to get that fish into where I could grab him and get him out of the water. It has been a while since a fish actually took my drag and ran with it. I really thought he would get a way, but after about 10 minutes of manuvering and hanging on tight I finally pulled in what was every bit of and eight pound bass. Not a huge fish, but a really nice catch, and the best for me this year. I wish I had had some of my boys or girls to go with me, and I would have rather them made the catches and just been there to applaud them, but since they could not I am thankful for Sharons encouragement to come up. She told me I would probably catch the BIG one today. Don't know if he is THE BIG ONE, but was definitely worth the ride to Crozet to enjoy a great afternoon of fishing. Attached you will see some of the fish I caught. Each picture is a different fish. Caught 6 in 2 hours with a total weight of right around 26 pounds. Wow if there had been a fishing contest I miught have been in the running to win some big money. Enjoy the pictures and sorry all you fisherman/women could not have been there with me. Hope the pictures prove this was not fishin story....at least not today...love you all....kjb

Family Dinners,,,,Yummmmm!!!!

Been too long since I have updated our BLOG. Seems there are so many things that will eat up our time...and they are all legitimate. I've come to realize that if we could get by without sleeping there might be enough time in a day to do it all....nah, we would just have more to do and still not enough time. So I'm back to sleeping being an ok thing. Anyway the subject of this BLOG is one of much discussion and hope. Kim and I have wrestled with finding a good time to have Family Dinners. Many, many months back when our Sunday Schedules were not complicated by having 3 Wards in our building we would all get together after church. But now, schedules and commitments clash and Sunday Dinners are very hard to make happen, if we want everyone to be there....and theat for me is the whole purpose to have as much family there as we can get!!! Anyway after much evaluationa and discussion, Kim came up with the novel idea to do them on the 1st Friday of each month. I never gave much thought about Friday's, since I thought everyone would be busy getting ready for the weekend, but after we discussed it we felt it was a really good time and so the new "Brown Family Dinner Time" has been resurrected. WE had Jacob and Tiffany over for Dinner this past Monday to celebrate his birthday since we were out of town on his birthday. As we talked about the Family Dinner, he offered to have the 1st one at his house. We gladly accepted his offer, and looked forward all week to good food, but more importantly, time together. Family time is under-rated by the world, but I know in my heart how important it is to not only maintain the ties that bind, but to also nurture and build them. Momma Louise has so often remarked how family never gets together anymore, and how good it was when she was younger to see sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and even the dogs and cats. So that is what we did at Jacob and Tiff's. We bought together sons, daughters, brothers, grandmoters, friends, dogs, and cats....ummm maybe no cats, don't remember any???? And the end result was at least for Kim and I a wonderful opportunity for relationships and love to grow. Of all the adventures ann opportunities I have had this year...this was number 1 for me. What a joy I had to be able to sit back and see my little kids grow up in front of me and mature into the young adults they were that night. Since we were not hosting, it was one of the rare events where I actually could sit back and do that. Of course we helped were we could, but it was so nice to watch with wonderment the fulfillment of family life. It wasn't all mushy, family, huggy stuff, we had some fun times too. I got to show Jacob and Tiff some stars after everyone had left, we had a "Most Pregnant Contest", we told stories on each other, we ate some reaqlly good hamburgers, and some really burnt hotdogs, (compliments of Mark)...I really liked them. It was what getting together as family should be like...fun, laughter, and love. The one low point was that Josh and his family are in Northern VA, and it is really hard for them to get down. So that was an intricate part that was missing...Josh, Ellie, Emma, and Luke. But we hope to give them enougth notice in the furture.....1st Friday of each month.....(Here's your notice), that they can join us as often as they can. Anyway I have attached a few pictures of the event for your viewing pleasure. Not sure they will end up in the order I want. I will close with a thought for "The Blog"....There are two ways of exerting one's strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.....Booker T. Washingtone 1856-1915)....love you all...kjb

Here is Jessie showing us her little pregnant belly. She is so excited about being a Mom.













Holly and Jessie sharing a Pregnant together Sister moment!
And Gino, Mom and Charlie having some couch time! AND OF COURSE THE INFAMOUS .....I look the most pregnant contest. Everyone aggreed it was a draw between Holly and Mark!!! And there I am with Jessie and Tiffany getting in my couch time.

Busch Gardens or BUST!!!

Well, it's been a while since I have made an entry
on our BLOG site. Catching a lot of grief from the blog every event girl, so thought I better catch up. My challenge is time, first finding enough to actually present an acceptable blog and then just to find time to sit and do it. I'm afraid this one will not be up to MY standards, but it will be a BLOG!!!!!!! Just going to Busch Gardens is a challenge for me. I love roller coasters and would love having the job of testing them all out, but I dislike the driving to get there. But with determination and hope of riding a new coaster, and of course family support we took off on Friday 2 weeks ago. The trip was not really too bad, Holly and Micah had season pass and wanted to go one more time this year, so we agreed to make the trip with them. Started out a little cloudy and iffy, but it was cool and for August that made going to an amusement park a little more inviting. We drove into the parking lot at 10;10am, got out of the car, and the Sun busted out from the clouds and we we immediately immersed in what felt like 99.99% humidity. Of course after a while your body adjusts and it did, but it was really miserable at first, and I think everyone had the same idea we had to wait till school was in to go there...it was pretty packed. But of course it is big enough to accommodate a lot of peeps!! After gondolaing across the park our first ride of the day was on the new coaster "The Griffin" Holly could not ride because Emily is not used to roller coasters yet, and that was a good excuse to hide her fear of this one. But Kim, Micah, and I took the plunge. In the picture above that is the actual picture of us coming over the first really steep 90 degree drop from 720 feet up. It is a freaky drop, that Will definitely get the adrenalin flowing. the 3 of us are on the very back left hand corner as you look at the picture. To see the real effects of that drop go to Holly and Micahs blog and get the close up view of fear and excitement all wrapped up in 3 faces!!! WE stayed until almost closing time, ate at the picnic site outside the park, drank lots of fluids, and walked for miles and miles and miles...well you get the picture. I would absolutely recommend to get a map of the park before going and plan your route out before you get there, then stick to it. You will enjoy the trip much more and get much more done. Overall, it was a great day. Got to spend time together as family, wish all the other kids could have been there, got to ride every major coaster there except "The Big Bad Wolf", (did not want to walk across the park again to get that final one in), got Micah on a few coasters he had not ridden, had all day to spend with Kim, blue skies and sunshine, just a great day...even if I really had not wanted to go at first. Below you can see Kim and I in front of Mount Vesuvius. And if you want to get a vague idea of what the Griffin is like...click on the video.... It is the most intense 6 seconds you will spend at Busch Gardens, VA.
Pessimists calculate the odds. Optimists believe they can overcome them! Is your glass half full today???................kjb

No Child left Behind

I took the opportunity this week to go visit my second oldest Son, where he works at Snow's Garden Center. He stays pretty busy and lives way outside of town, so visits don't happen near enough for me, so when I have a little chunk of time during the day, I try to visit each of my children, as I can.

As Mark and I had time to talk a little, we talked about my BLOG and the things I write about, and he wanted to know why there are never any pictures of him. Now I know there is no partiality in my heart, but I guess with Jessie and Holly being pregnant and the Grandchildren getting spot lights, well I can see where he would feel a little left out. So I have resolved that the next few blog posts will be "Spotlight Posts" of each of my children...and guess who is first....Mark Daniel Brown.

Let me begin by telling you a little about Mark, that I know. With his shaved head, and beady eyes he sometimes comes across as a "Bad Dude". He is anything but a bad dude. He has a tender heart and has great love for children, and animals. He may growl about helping with things, but will always be there when he know you need him, He is a very hard worker...though this week when I visited him he was burning the PC up checking out "You Tube" and reading emails and Blogs. But that is the exception. He is very dependable, kind, and one of the things that I admire about him the most is his sharp and quick "wit". He is not the neatest person, but I think Danielle is helping to re-train him in that area. He is an excellent host and always makes you feel welcome when in his presence whether it is at his home or on the street. He loves his wife and he loves his family. He also has a passion that we both share and that is "FISHING". I know that for both of us there are never enough fishing days in a year. Mark is very good at the sport and will always outfish me, except on those occasions when we both come home skunked, but I am OK with that because my greatest joy dealing with my children is to see them enjoy life and feel good about themselves.

I love Mark Daniel Brown with all my heart, find great joy in being in his company, and admire the young man that is becoming and has become. So Mark this is your Spotlight. There is a lot more that I could write but I want to be careful to not embarrass or cross sensitive lines as I do this. You are always on mine and Kim's minds, we love you, and want you to know we are very proud of you, Son.

Now it is picture time, here Mark is heading up the James River. He always like to drive the boat so he can maneuver himself into the "Good Spots"..??? HUM..maybe that is why he always out fishes me, but at least I get to take the pictures!

Here is Mark and Danielle on their wedding day with all of Mark's family from the "Brown" side.
This is a "Happy Man", fishing rod in hand, a day of fishing to look forward to, and not a cloud in the sky
Makes him happy to get presents too, Christmas 2006. Not sure what he got, but looks like a lot more behind him!!!!
And last but not least, his best present and greatest passion ...even over fishing, Mark with Danielle just after the wedding ceremony....she said you done good Mark, and I second that!
So Mark, I hope you feel a little more loved and appreciated, and know that you are never far from us, nor will you ever be. May you catch many fish, find happiness in where you are while you work on what you want, and always remember your greatest earthly treasure is your eternal companion on your right hand..........love Dad and Kim

Astronomical Easter Eggs found!!!

AS most of you who would even go to our blog know, one of the recent hobbies that has been re-kindled within me is the love of and search of the Night Skies" At the age of 12 my Mom, (Louise DiFiore), bought me a Meade 60mm refractor telescope. Much like the ones you find today. Pretty inexpensive pretty basic, pretty poor for real sky study, but the 1st time I saw the craters and seas of our Moon, I fell in love with the things of the night sky. Time and responsibilities caused a drifting from this love for most of my adult life. But one Christmas Kim bought me a similar scope to the one my Mom bought me, and the love of the sky was re-kindled again, with one major difference......Pres. Bush said we would get an "Economic Stimulus Check" this year. So with a re-kindled desire and the check in the mail I upgraded to a 150mm 6 inch Celestron Reflector (uses mirrors instead of lenses). Well that drastically changed my capacity to study the skies and I found and continue to find things that both fasinate and amaze me.

This past Friday Kim and I (Mainly Kim) got the idea to go down to Jessie and Tanner's on James River Farm, and do some star gazing. Jessie has been wanting to see Saturn (which has already disappeared over the horizon for the year), and I was excited about actually having such a wide field of view and some really dark skies. In the city the light pollution really disables us to see as acutely as we would like, but at the farm....WOW!!!!! I saw into "forever" and figured out that is a long ways out. We got to see Jupiter with it's four moons all lines up in a row, I found the Globular Cluster M$ in Scorpius, we saw 4 meteorite shoot across the southern sky, found the double stars Mizar and Alcor in the Constellation Ursa Major (where the Big Dipper is located), and for the 1st time in many years actually saw the Little Dipper with all its designing stars. Around the house here I am lucky to see Polaris much less the asterism. We got to see the Teapot in Saggitarius, and the infamous fish hook/Scorpius. And the list continues and I can not remember it all because I was like a little kid on an Easter Egg Hunt. I just put the eggs in my basket and after a while had so many I did not know where or what I had found. And on top of it all I got to spend the night and part of the next morning with 3 of my favorite people....Ki, Jessie, and Tanner, and got to share with them many of the things I hold in wonderment. What an awesome night.

And not to forget on top of all this, when we got to Jessie and Tanner's ...Kim and I got to listen to the heartbeat of the baby Jessie is carrying inside her right now. Not really sure which was more exciting, but certainly the heartbeat was by far the most important and fulfilling for me. Jessie had borrowed my MP3 player to make the recording, so I hope in the near future to be able to download it to the blog and share with each of you.

Below you will find pictures of many of the things that fasinate me in the night sky. As I talk to some of my astronomy friends, many see only and can not except anything other than the things which are scientifically proven, but for me when I look into the sky my testimony of the reality of a greater power is reinforced. I have very specific feelings and thoughts on this matter, and stand in amazement that others when they see the things I see in the skies and very often see much more...see only stars, planets, nebulae, galaxies, etc..... where I see the crative forces of a loving and all powerful Heavenly Father and that His creations are here for our benefit and his purpose..."to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of Man (woman)." I am absolutely convinced that there are other worlds and other creations that exist because of the omnipotence of God, and his eternal purpose of life. There is a recent picture taken by the "Hubble Telescope" that has taken a picture of the cosmos' as far as any has ever been taken. In that one miniscule area of space...that picture showed literally 1000's of galaxies much like our own. What is the possibility that at least one (and probably many) do not host others just like us, with the same wondering as they look back in our direction. I know there is so much more to life than we can even comprehend, and so much to living that we enjoy at the hands of a loving and caring Father in Heaven. And that he has much more prepared for our eternal jouney that we can not even come close to comprehending! Not trying to sound "Preachy", but stop, reflect, and even take the challenge to pray and ask your Father in Heaven if this is not a real possibility...and I know you will understand too. We are not alone, nor have we ever been, someone has always and will always watch over each of us personally.

OK, enough of that,,...let' get to the really cool pictures that will help you understand my excitement...As a disclaimer...we did not take these picture Friday night a Jessie's, but these are many of the things we found in the night sky at James River Farm on August 8, 2008.

This 1st Pic is actually the closest galaxy to our own, and belongs to a group of galaxies near to us. It is M31...The Andromeda Galaxy, and on a dark night can be seen with the naked eye...that is how close it is to us
This is M4 found in Scorpius. It is one of the new Messier objects I found at Jessies. I have been looking for it for weeks, but only in a big sky could I find it becuase it lays low on the southern horizon. My trees on the back porch allow me to see "NO horizon!!!!
This next Pic in M41 is a open Cluster with a diameter of approximately of 25 light years (that is the distance light travels in 25 years at the rate of approx. 196,000 miles a second), is this giving you any idea of the space you live in????
This is NGC 5139 the brightest globular cluster in
OUR" sky. there are thousands of stars in this one cluster that occupies a little speck of space.
Below is "the Whirlpool Galaxy"...37 million light years away from us!!!!!!

Well I hope you found this both interesting, educational, but most of all thought provoking. If you ever want to have a star party,,just give me a call...I'd love to be there.....kjb

The Blessings of Grandchildren

In each of our lives we rarely consider or think about grand children...until the day that we realize...wow our children have grown up and some of them have gotten pregnant!!! Then they start. Our first thoughts may be...."I'm too young to have grandchildren" or perhaps it may be "it's about time". But no matter what our thoughts the reality that our family is growing becomes a warm and touching part of our lives. Maybe it is because it is "Pay Back Time" for all the challenges thrust upon us by those who are new parents. But more than likely it is because we can see an extension of ourselves in our grandchildren from a different perspective than we did with our own children. I don't know about you but when raising 5 children I didn't have much time for perspective other than getting them fed, clothed, bathed (occasionally), and generally looking out for their physical and spiritual welfare. But with Grandchildren you can see into the future, your perspective on family and life are enhanced by the opportunity to truly contemplate the greatness of family and what it really means not only now...but forever. So with that I have dedicated this blog to our grandchildren , some you will see in these pictures...and some still riding the "Womb Wagon" ie: Holly and Jessie!!! We love them all and hope one day they will truly understand and feel the depth of that love!!! Here we have all 5 current Grandchildren : top center Iris...then from left front Ella, Phoebe, Emma, and Luke, all actually standing still in the midst of an Easter Egg hunt at 1345 Dudley Mountain Rd. And that is amazing considering the amount of sugary junk they had consumed by this time.Emma, Phoebe, and Ella enjoying the bunkbeds, and they actually all survived with not broken bones or broken bed slats, now that is amazing!!!
Grandma Kim with Ella and Phoebe having hotdogs and ice cream, yea, we really feed our grandkids nothing but the best in grandparent food!!!!!!!
Luke trying to grow up quick, but if that is the end result, maybe we better encourage him to take the slow, normal growth patterns....he was having fun though!!!!!
And the final picture taken just this past Saturday at The Sock Hop we had in the Cultural Hall at Church. Should have video'd this one. In real action they had the Lucy-Linus (of Charlie Brown Fame) down to exactness. If you study the PIC you will be able to see it!
Anyway, this little pictorial can not even touch on the experiences, life, or love that our grandchildren bring to us. I look forward to next year when our numbers will be up to seven and we can post some puggy, bald head shots of those on the way, with some new shots of the old timers here.
Blog Thought of the Day...."The love you give away, is the only love you truly keep" kjb

Mary Mary Quite Contrary.........

Well this will be a big surprise to get 2 posts in one day...especially to the Gray Household....but since I was already here thought I would give an update on our "Square Foot Gardening Project". As you can see when compared to the last pictures, which were the day we satrted the garden, it has changed quite a bit. That "Mary Mary" girl would be pretty excited I think. Overall the project has done well. We have learned some things. 1. The mix of compost, vermiculite and peat moss did work pretty well, (though next year I will up the antie a little on the compost)...(making my own right now)! 2. I will buy fresh seeds and starter plants that I personally pick out (or Kim of course), 3. I will thin the plants early enough to actually be able to thin them without damaging the healthier ones, and 4. I will plant the things I know we will eat.

But considering we did not use any actual soil for this garden, it does not look too shabby. The production has not been as good as I would want, but that is where I think more (QUALITY) compost will make the difference. But so far we have gotten tomatoes, zuchinni, yellow squash, and lots of cucumbers. The jury is still out on the corn, potatoes and sweet potatoes, but we will see. The beans were a flop...I think it was the seed???? Whatever the end result is, it has been a great experience for both Kim and I. It's exciting to go to the garden each day and see how much and how fast things grow, and once in a while we get to actually eat something from the garden...Kim more than I because I am so picky!!!!!! Kim is excited, I'm not sure she has ever actually had a veggie garden???? Our pots on the back deck are doing very well. At last count I had 57 peppers growing and we have yellow, pruple, orange, red and yellow ones, so even if we don't eat them all (we really will though) it is pretty just to go look at them. The cucumber bush is producing a cuke about every 2 days and the tomato plant is pretty heavy with tomatoes. So if anyone wants to try a garden that is easy to care for, and fun to grow just give us a call or I will try and put the link on this blog. Happy gardening!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BE grateful for the doors of opportunity, and for friends who oil the hinges..............................kjb

More Baby News

The last posting I had to grab some Pics from the past to make things a little interesting since I did not have current ones of the expecting Mom's, but that has all changed now and here are a few. Once Jessie had given us the news we really want ed to go see her and give a very personal congratulations. So we arranged with Holly and Micah to come in early since we would be going to the fireworks at McIntire Park later and got them to go with us down to Jessie and Tanner's. Jessie had her Mom, Brian, Mark and Danielle, Jake and Tiff, Josh Ellie and the kids, and the "Big Yellow Bus" down for their annual 4th of July campout on the James River. So we loaded up in the truck , which I'm glad I took and headed down to James River Farm. One of the really exciting things for Kim and I , is the fact of having two daughters pregnant at
the same time. So one of the 1st picture we took were of Jessie and Holly together, each pointing to the others, not so big belly yet! But that will come and we know it will. Just got pic from Holly showing her tummy starting to poke out a little, and she got to hear the heartbeat with Micah yesterday. See link to Holly and Micahs blog for much more detail and pics. Here I get to give Jessie an official welcome to Motherhood, I love you, and so happy for you HUG! Tummy still not grown much from above but thought I would point at it anyway!
Yes!!!!! Ivana was really excited too. Though I'm not sure if she was more excited about Jessie or being able to be so close to "The Big Yellow Bus" But whatever it is, there is a big beautiful smile there for sure.
And of course, enough can not be said for the excitement of Grandmothers. They understand not only the joy but the hope that a child brings into our lives. Especially when she/we know how much both these girls want a baby, and to add that deeper meaning to "FAMILY", that can and should bond each other together. Yeh, that's not the James River behind Kim, but it is water, there is a big happy smile, and seemed like one I hope she won't be to upset I put out for the world to see.
So until we wrtie again, I bid you all farewell, and may your life be as beautiful as a summer day with just enough clouds to help make you appreciate the sunshine..............keith

BIG SURPRISE

Guess you are probably wondering, What is he doing adding another post so soon, especially after that last one. Well one this 4th of July 2008 Kim and I got up real early to go fishing. I know that is what Kim really wanted to do on a day she could have slept in, but being the trooper and support that she is we headed down to Bob Snows to get in a couple hours of fishing. The weather was nice, the fish were biting, especially on all the new lures that Holly and Micah had gotten me for my birthday. As far as I was concerned it was a great start to celebrating being an American and enjoying a great American experience. And Kim was actually enjoying catching some fish. Had to give her a few pointers on the flyrod thing. She couldn't figure out that whole why the line kept balling up around her foot. But we got that figured out and I think she actually caught more fish than me. But i was OK with that, it is a part of the conversion plan to turn her into a fisher person!!!! She hung one really big bass and I ran to help but just as she was getting it to land, the big boy (or girl) got off!!!! But it was a great training session for the new fisherperson to have. In the midst of all this fun we got a call from Jessie and Tanner. Jessie insisted that Kim put the phone of speaker phone. So with fishing rod in one hand with fish attached and phone in the other, we listened as Jessie expouned..."Guess what, you are going to be Grand-Parents again. I'm Pregnant". I can not express the surprise, excitedment, and gratitude I had at that moment, nor the joy I had for Jessie at that time. I know she has wanted children, and I am thankful for blessings that come from sources that we often overlook or take for granted. I know this will be one of the greatest blessings and adventures of Tanner and Jessie's Life.

Anyway, here is a picture of the happy couple. And I understand they are both very excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now Kim and I are priviledged to not only have two daughters that are beautiful, but that are both pregnant at the same time. Here I am with my two beautiful daughters and as happy as I was in that picture, there are not words exquisite enough to explain the joy that is now Mine and Kim's. Next year 2 new grand children, and maybe even another wedding (hint hint Jacob). Anyway just a short blog entry for the day we have food to cook and eat, fireworks to watch and gratitude for our country to express. To all a wonderful 4th....kjb

First Shot

Well with the help of Holly I think I may have been able to load the video I was trying to do last week, having fun with the gun I got for my birthday. As you watch you may sense I could be the Poster Child for the Local Redneck Association, with members from Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene Counties and the State of West Virginia. And as I have watched it over I would agree. But I had a lot of fun shooting. The video is a little wobbly, Jessie was having a hard time keeping the camera steady with no tri-pod and lots of noise. As we are going into one of my favorite holidays celebrating our independence and formation of our great country. I am thankful for the foresight and insight of our Founding Fathers as they built in the 2nd Amendment to The Constitution affording each citizen of this great country to own and bear arms. To many it may seem a trivial or unnecessary thing. But I know the day has been and the day will come when many who do not understand the importance of this will gain insight, insight even as our Founding Fathers had. So don't judge me too harshly, but you can take the boy out of the country, but you will never take This Great Country out of the boy. May you each have a wonderful 4th of July, and may each of us reflect on freedoms, that are literally not had any where else in this world, and give thanks for The United States of America and the privilege and the responsibility to live and love our country.................kjb

Happy Birthday to ME

Well as you might suspect this is the infamous
Birthday Blog I had mentioned in our previous BLOG. I'm not that big on birthday parties at least for myself, but get great joy in having my family come together and watch them as they get to celebrate with me. Kim worked really hard to put things together, and both she and I got a big surprise when Joshua was able to pop in and join the party. Now that he is an area supervisor (or??? for Dick;s Sporting Goods" one of his stores is here in Charlottesville, and he worked it so he could drop in and surprise us and he did. I still have not gotten the knack for getting the pictures or captions for the pictures figured out yet, but I hope you will get it sorted out as you have the opportunity to read. As you can see in this PIC food is always a big part of a birthday party. I got to wear the outdoor cooks belt that Jessie and Tanner got me for Father's Day and made sure that we had some great grilled hot dogs, my famous baked beans, and Kim took care of all the rest. So we know no one left hungry! Then came the "Hot Fudge Cake" Kim made. It is not my favorite, but I will have to admit it was pretty darn good, and by the way it disappeared, everyone else must have thought so also. Then came PRESENTS. I'll have to admit I was too well treated this year. Holly and Micah bought me a bunch of fishing lures. Holly made the mistake of going into Dick's and asking for help, and the salesman tried to sell her the store, and from the picture you can see she bought a good part of it. I've already tried several of them, and caught fish on every one that I have tried to date...what an awesome gift for this Dad. Then I got another big surprise when I got a group gift from Josh, Mark, Jacob, Jessie, and their spouses (even though some spouses didn't want anything to do with it...but thanks anyway)...a 357 magnum 6 shooter, with enough ammo to pretty much do whatever I wanted to do with. I have wanted a nice pistol for the house for years but would never spend the money for it. It is a beautiful gun, has a big bang (see video), and requires much practice to be accurate (see video again). Jacob, Tiff, and Jessie took me out to shoot some last week, (see video again) and I came back a little bloody from the kick of the gun, but had a great time. But with all the goodness that was poured out upon me by my wife and kids and family, the best gift of all was to be together. I didn't get to take a group photo this gathering even though I know some were taken. The closest I got was this one of everyone getting ready for the family PIC. But I rallied in having us all together, and having opportunities like this to show we care for one another, will make sacrifices for one another, and that we find great joy when we are with one another. Are we the perfect family....not even close, but when the need is there we will be there one for another. And that is one great birthday gift for me. So I say thanks Kim, Josh, Ellie, Luke, Emma, Mark, Danielle, Holly, Micah, Jacob, Tiffany, Jessie, Tanner, Mom, and Charlie. You each made my birthday, truly a celebration of living. I love you all...hope you enjoy the video....love Dad....Well looks like the video will not post Sorry...but it was really cool........shucks!!!

Fathers Day 2008

There are few things that can compare to opportunities of bringing family together. There are times when it is emotionally challenging like when a loved one passes through the veil, and then there are these moments: Like Father's Day. I woke Sunday morning to a bevy of phone calls and Well Wishing. Let's see, there was Holly and Micah at 745am...(what were they doing up that early on Sunday?), followed by Jessie, then Mark, then Jacob and finally Josh. Kim made me a big breakfast...normally breakfast is one piece of wheat toast and a banana....not exciting but healthy!!! But this morning it was crispy (pork) bacon not the Turkey stuff and a pile of pancakes that would feed a small army. Now that was exciting to my taste buds and tummy. Of course that set the mood for a morning nap. Early morning meetings at church were canceled for Father's Day, so a nap was doable. Is "doable" a real word? Eh, works for me hope it does for you! We got to church and I was truly surprised to find Jessie and Tanner sitting in our unauthorized "Family Pew". Then Micah and Holly came to our Ward today for Father's Day. It was great to once again fill up our Family Pew with FAMILY, normally sits 5 comfortable, but today it sat 6 wonderfully cozy. As I said before I love my family each and every one of them and appreciate the small and large things they do because they know how much joy it brings to me. Kim and I have decided for Mother's Day and Father's Day we will let the kids, put in the major efforts for the type of celebrating and the level of celebrating they want to do. Of course we do our thing, but want to allow the children to
experience the opportunity of putting in efforts
of their own in this capacity, to help them learn the importance of giving and sharing in this capacity, without too much coaxing. So instead of a big dinner for Father's Day, we left it open and would only have light sandwiches etc...if anyone came by. Well free food of ANY kind is absolute bait for Holly and Micah, not that that was the only reason they showed up on our steps on Father's Day, but Kim and I are always glad for guests, especially when they are among the "guest we love best". Oh that list of guest we love best includes: Josh and Family, Mark and Danielle, Holly and Micah,Jacob and Tiffany, Jessie and Tanner, our Moms, and Our Siblings! But today only Micah and Holly made it by and that is OK. Jessie and Tanner were at church to visit, Jacob and Tiff were still at the beach, Josh and Ellie and kids live 2 hours away and Mark and Danielle are way south of here. But it was still a great Father's Day. I got to tell my Wife and each of my children how much I loved them, and for me that made for an exquisite and beautiful day for any Father. And for that I am most thankful!! Plus look at all the extras that came in...Chocolate and socks from Jessie....a new constellation book from Kim, Holly, and Micah, and I got to hang out with Holly, Micah, and Ethan... oh if you don't see Ethan he is the little pudge just below Holly's navel!!!! Awesome Awesome Father's Day. A great Father's Day...so let's not cry because it's over, but let's smile because it happened...I am, and I hope you are too! Check back soon for the big 56th birthday bash when once again, family comes together, and the ties that bind were snugged a little tighter, smiles were a little bigger, and I got some more great stuff.......................................kjb

Memorial Day 2008

Would like to share with all the wonderful Memorial Day we had this year. Usual Memorial Days in the past have been swimming, cooking out, family...etc...and all that is great stuff. This year Felicia Chavez who works with Kim at The Red Cross invited us down to Culpeper VA for the National Cemetery Memorial Day Celebration. Most times I do not think of going to these events because I get very emotional when I consider and reflect on not only the cost of the great blessings we enjoy, but also because I have been blessed to truly know the blessings we enjoy living in this great country. WE picked Holly and Micah up around 930am...( I guess you all know, but just in case...Holly is Pregnat...YEA). OK, back to Memorial day...We got directions from Google and headed to Culpeper. It's a samll rural community, but a beautiful place to visit and live. I was surprised at the number of people there. But parking was available and it was relatively painless enjoying the event. Of course as soon as we got ther Kim and Holly had to find a bathroom, so Micah and I headed to the Cemetery and Kim and Holly headed back toward town. They found one, but so did Micah and I.....right where we were sitting for the celebration... but we'll know the next time. It was a very moving ceremony mingled with both patriotic music that always fills my eyes with tears and war songs song by a duet. Felicia gave a wonderful talk that no one could walk away and not understand the who and why we were all there that day. WE had a 21 gun salute to the fallen, taps played calling the fallen home, and a rousing opening and closing prayer from a black baptist minister that understood how to get all you can out of a microphone. WE stopped on the way out to reflect upon those that had served in our military and that had been laid to rest there. I knew none of them and yet I knew them all and could not help but feel a sense of comradary with each of my fellow soldiers and I longed for each of them to have had the opportunity to see and understand what there ultimate sacrifice had done for our country. Overall it was a wonderful day. WE did not go swimming, yet we swam in an ocean of emotion and understanding, we did not play horseshoes, yet we through our arms and hearts out to those who will no longer play any games, and yes we did feast not only on some really good hot dogs, but more so we enjoyed the feast of understanding and for a moment partakers of a feast of knowledge and gratitude and reflection on who we are, how we are blessed and that all this and so much more has come with a terrible price given by men and women who had love and courage to willingly expend for their family's and country's freedom. May we not wait for another year to pass before we express our gratitude and appreciation for our family, neighbors and friends who paid the ultimate price that we might enjoy these ultimate freedoms. Didn't get a picture of me while we were there, but perhaps this composition gives you a better picture of me than a camera ever could!!




The 3 Amigos./..Pancho is taking the picture!!!!


The grill was ugly, but the dogs were "GOOD"

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL...kjb