Remembering Grandpa John Russell

The memorial service for Grand-Dad John Russell was one of neatest services I have ever attended.  Grand-Dad had written down his own life history and it was read by one of the Grandchildren- it was full of humor, wit, and stories of John's life.  It was so fun to hear!  We laughed through the service as we learned, remembered and loved this man and his life.  Then, during the graveside service the military was there to play the bugle, give respect for Grand-Dad's service and present Amy with the flag.  The honor and respect that the serviceman showed was so touching and added a special spirit to the service.  Grand-Dad was a very special man to all of us.  We sure are going to miss him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family Fight

 

If you're going to Fight...it better be a SNOW BALL FIGHT!  And let me tell you....our older boys are getting pretty good at throwing those snow balls!  They are really good at hitting you straight in the face when you least expect it...yep, that was fun!  Snow went all the way down - under the clothes and everything...burrrrr.  Thanks CJ...you better watch out boy...we are going to get ya!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Love/Hate Relationship

SNOW....You either love it or hate it!  Most of our children, LOVE it and can't get enough of it!  Detric, however,  wasn't sure which one he favored...love or hate! It depended on the moment -  if he was cold, if the wind was blowing, if he had to wear  hat/gloves/coat, or if a sibling decided to throw it at him!  Poor kid didn't last more than 5 minutes playing with the white stuff... it's rough being 1... (almost 2).

Beating the Snow

 

 

When we got the phone call that Grandpa John had passed away, we made the necessary arrangements and made a plan on when to leave for the funeral.  After checking the weather forecast, Laura and Clay felt very strongly they needed to leave a day earlier than planned and try and beat the weather storm that was going to hit Washington/Idaho/Utah.  So, they packed as quickly as humanly possible - and started to drive.  They felt very blessed and watched over - they got to Idaho without any incident or weather.  The snow came the very next morning after they arrived.  So, instead of trying to drive in it...they were able to play in it!  I think I like that option better!

 

 

 

 

 

Rolling into Friday Night

 

We spent a fun Friday night at the roller rink with our good friends the Nielsen family!  We skated and rocked out to the tunes as we rolled along through the night.  CJ decided to spend the evening with a friend (so he was missed), but the other 3 Ward kids skated- Detric's first time!  He loved it and did really well.  Aparri and Preston just keep getting better and better!  After about an hour and a half of skating, most of the members of the party were done- however, there were a few diehards in the group who stayed late (namely...Laura, Julee and Preston!)  The men and the rest of the kids headed off to the Ward Chateau where Chocolate milk shakes were made and served!  This arrangement made everyone happy!  Boys with shakes and The girls skating their hearts out at the rink - working on those blisters! Laura was able to have a little mini date with Preston as they skated around the rink, talked, laughed, played the games, and were goofy together with Julee until late into the night!  Preston was determined to literally keep skating until his legs would no longer hold him up!  When that finally happened, and Laura and Preston went down together, they called it quits, but sure had a great time doing it.