T'WAS THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS

T'was the week before Christmas
And all through the house
All the creatures were stirring
except for the mouse
The horses were snuggled
in their barn with care
in hopes that some hay cubes
would soon appear there
and I in my jamees
and dad in his cap
had just woken up
from a long winters nap
the house was all frosty
the kitchen a mess
and so to work we went
to make it all less
the presents were wrapped
under the tree with care
in hopes that the family
would soon all be there
but, alas, they all knew
that some would not be
with them at Christmas
except in spirit, maybe
for Lyndsey is far, far across the sea
in a place called Iraq
defending our liberty
and Andrea is
many miles from home
and her children
in Maine, is where their feet roam
but Christmas is coming
it soon will be here
the house will be full
of laughter and cheer
but oh how we'll miss
those dear ones away
and hope that we'll see them
soon, so we'll say
Merry Christmas to all
and to all a good life
we hope that it's free
from sorrow and strife

It's been awhile!

Hers Charlie with his latest Buddy, Alice.

Here is the latest of our cute little Maddy!

Here is Rhain and Legend together.

Hi everyone, It's been awhile since I have had a moment to add to this, but, to bring you up to speed, Winter hit us with freezing temperatures and snow, but has now given us a little bit of a reprieve. Everyone is physically well, but mentally??? That is still to be answered. I have had this week off work, and have kept pretty busy. Today I get to watch Maddy for a while while Keri gets her hair cut, and Natalie might be by, with the kids, so It looks like a very promising day. We've been' buttoning down the hatches', and I think we are about ready for our winter hibernation.(we wish). Hope your lives are all going well! Jennie

Thursdays

Looks pretty innocent doesn't he? Well, it's 8.45 am, and I've been up since 4.30, running to the E.R and to the pharmacy, then taking him to school, because he woke up with his arm in excruciating pain. After a visit to the E.R ,an X-ray and 16oo gr of Ibeprofen, He was still in alot of pain, and we still have no idea whats wrong. So I took him to school, as he has a really full schedule today and can't miss. It's times like these when I am reminded of my age and why most people my age are not still raising kids. If your wondering if he's giving up break danceing- you do not know Andrew! I am still recuperating from my sudden crash with the earth, from Horseback. School is underway, except for Adam, who starts on Monday. I am not lookinf foward to the rest of this day, but here goes.

Dance Anyone?

How many people, on being invited to a mascaraed ball/birthday party, would think 'mask, oh!, I'll be a Ninja Turtle! Well of course that's how Andrew thinks, and so, here he is getting ready,
( he will be so mad at me if he ever sees this), and the final result. I don't think too many girls wanted to dance with him and risk turning green in the process, since they were all dressed up in Evening attire. He definitely has some Grandma/Craig in him, since both Roger and I are very much "blend in the crowd people". I think he had fun though.
The summer is to an end, as far as school goes. I have started back, and Andrew starts this week, with Adam the next. It has been a fun summer, even though Roger and I went nowhere, and the boys went only to scout camp, and Andrew to EFY. In 2 weeks though we are going to Bear Lake with the locals , so that should be fun. Our summer projects haven't got too far, but we're still working on the ones we can remember. Everyone is well,(except I got thrown from my horse last night, and have hurt my back) and we have been following the Olympics, when time permits. Next blog will be about Adam, so watch out!!!

a big smile from Lyndsey.

Here is Lyndsey in Iraq, still smiling. She has now gone back to Camp Bagdad after spending several months in Taji. She will have lots more things to do in her down time there. She has been interviewing and writing lots of stories, and she is doing well. Military life seems to be her cup of tea, and if you have known Lyndsey--go figure!! Anyway, we miss her lots, but we're very proud of her commitment to serve our country. Hope your all praying for her safety and for our country and the out come of our endevours there.

Breaking Dawn

Sooooo.I wasn't going to read Breaking Dawn, but when most people around you are totally absorbed in it, it is really hard not to pick up a book at the first opportunity and see what they are all enthralled about. So seeing as I have no will power at all, (especially for chocolate and books), I started reading, and pretty soon had completely monopolized Andrew's copy.(Thankfully he was really sweet about it, like a true Edward). It was Soooo good, I hated to see it end. I liked it better than the first ones, as Bella wasn't being this rediculas teenager who couldn't make up her mind, and was always going on about what she was feeling. Anyway, this is a picture of Andrew dressed up for the book release, he's always good for dressing up for something and enteraining a crowd. today we went to school registration and he was tap dancing in the line!!! He told one of the teachers his name was Stalls, but she said it was either Andrew or Drew for her, so thats going to have to be his name with friends.
Anyway, tomorrow it's back to school, and life goes on as usual. Oh, and last week we went to a wedding of an old friends son, and met some old dear friends there, one of my favorite things to do. Life is good here in good old Draper, Utah!!!!

When you have helpers like this, working on the house has to be a lot of fun, right? At least we're all safe from being to blame when one(or more) of Roger's tools go missing. Work on this room is going in fits and starts. We haven't been able to touch it for a week because of all else going on, but hopefully we'll get back to it this week. Our family dinner was great yesterday, thanks for coming. This is my last week of freedom, so I have to make the most of it and try to finish all the projects I have started. So I won't be reading Breaking Dawn, not that anyone would share with me right now anyway! Anthony's big test is today, and we are all rooting for him big time! Andrew starts school next week as well, so we are becoming a very school impacted family
We have Jill and I working at schools, Ashlee, Emily, Seth, Brecken, William, Savanna and Olivia in elementary school. Alexis, James and Adam in middle school, Andrew in High school, and Jay, Kailey, Jeff R, and Anthony in college. Well, I wish all of them the best for this coming year-- Do your best! Love you all, Mum

canoeing

We have had a fun few days
trying out Rogers canoe in
the Jordan River. It is so quite
and peaceful down there, and
we have enjoyed it a lot.

A summer day at Nanny's and Grampi's, 2008

July 22nd 2008. Keri and Madison, Kailey and her 4 kids, all came to have a fun summer day. We visited, and the kids played with Adam. We had Tuna casserole for lunch( a kids favorite), and then those that wanted to rode the horse-Legend.
We had lots of fun together, and after Keri left, I took the kids to Nicklekade. Wish you could have all been there to make it more of a party! come on over when you get a chance!

Hi everyone, today our little Madison is being blessed, so we will have a family party again. Lyndsey is doing well in Iraq. read her stories on http://www.dvidshub.net/index.php. type in her name and click on news. Our summer is passing very quickly. It won't be long before it's back to school. Kailey is starting nursing school in August, Andrew is going to a different school, Iteniris, where he hopes to graduate with an associates degree. He just got back from a scout camp where they ran the snake River.(rafting) Adam is keeping busy taking care of the neighbors nightmare menagerie . What with a Great Dane that jumps up and knocks you over, or breaks your nose, a rooster that sneaks up on you and attacks, and a billy goat that charges, he has had is hands full. Tera spends a lot of time with us, and so does Charlie. Friday we went out on a Nanny/Grandson date and enjoyed each others company immensely. Tera cooks us gourmet meals, and keeps us well stuffed! Roger has a new bike, he rides it home from work without taking traxs, which is a 14 mile ride. We have several house projects going this summer, and the frustrations of them are already driving us crazy. How would it be to have no more projects to do! The garden is keeping the bug population well fed, we might get a few tomatoes. hope your summer is going well! jennie

Hi family and friends. I want to share a little about Lyndsey with you all. She joined the National Guard last September, and has been trained as a journalist. She left here in March to train in New Jersey, and then was shipped out to Baghdad about a month ago. She is going to be in Baghdad most of her tour, but is in a small town called Taji, which is on the outskirts of Baghdad, at present. She says she has really gained an appreciation for our country and the freedoms we have. Also for our standard of living. It is on average 118 degrees there. I hope you will remember her in your prayers, and think of her often. She is proud to be serving her country, and we miss her.

New addition to our family.

Hi everyone! Welcome to the Dransfield family. There are a lot of us. In May, we added a sweet little baby girl to our Midst, Madison Reading. This week, (July), we have added a new pony to our family-Legend. Here are some pictures to get a glimpse, there will be plenty more, so come back soon.